Some of the equipment below (especially the fetishes and talens, most of which require Gnosis) is rare among Kinfolk. Players should spend the appropriate Background points during character creation and check with their Storyteller before assuming possession of any special equipment.

Fetishes require attunement through a Gnosis roll (difficulty is fetish's Gnosis rating); only one success is needed. Afterward, anytime the Kinfolk calls upon the fetish's powers, he must make another Gnosis roll (same difficulty) or spend a Gnosis point. (See pp. 184-185 and pp. 273-275) of Werewolf: The Apocalypse for more information.)

A few unusual fetishes can be made just for Kinfolk, although this arrangement usually takes more negotiation on the Theurge's part; the spirit within accept a battle of will (a Willpower roll or spending a Willpower point) instead of Gnosis, both for attunement and use. The difficulty is still the Gnosis rating. Any Kinfolk may use these items; they are specially prized and are often family heirlooms.

Only in times of dire need do Kinfolk wind these horns. Such horns vary in appearance according to culture; most bear tribal markings. This fetish uses Willpower instead of Gnosis. When blown, a horn alerts all werewolves within a 10-mile radius. When blown, a horn alerts all werewolves within a 10-mile radius. Whether they choose to come or not is their affair, but they know the sound of the horn means trouble. Most often, these horns contain Peacock-spirits; a few hold spirits of Air.

Garou bestow this fetish upon honored Kinfolk as a symbol of protection and service. All Garou the wearer meets instantly know her to be Kinfolk of note. Of course, the object's emanations can be detected by mages and spirits, not to mention Black Spiral Dancers, who are always looking to increase their numbers....

The Amulet of Kinship must be activated by the werewolves (Gnosis roll) when it is given to the Kinfolk; after that, no roll is necessary. The amulet doesn't function if worn by anyone other than the intended recipient.

An amulet appearance and construction vary by tribe, but the appropriate tribal glyph is always engraved somewhere upon the item. To create the fetish, an Ancestor-spirit must be bound into the device.

Klaives are difficult for werewolves to make; while a Theurge binds a spirit to the weapon, a skilled Kinfolk with Gnosis sometimes forges the klaive itself. A Klaive Hammer allows the Kinfolk to craft a klaive so perfect of form that the summoned spirit may be pleased to accept permanent binding within the fetish (the Theurge or other summoner must still successfully call the spirit). The crafter: Balance, Light or Fire. Each Klaive Hammer is uniquely attunented attunded to its owner; however, if freely given by the old owner, a new owner may also attempt attunement to the hammer.

Talens differ from fetishes in that they have one use only. No attunement is necessary, though the user must still make a Gnosis roll or spend a Gnosis point (or Willpower in some cases) to activate the talen. (See pp. 184-185 and pp. 273-275 or Werewolf: The Apocalypse for more information.)

This useful talen allows a character to determine whether a person is Garou or Kinfolk - assuming the character can obtain a fecal or blood sample. It looks like a simple test tube with a stopper. The tester drops or pours her sample into the vial, seals it, shakes it and spends a Willpower point and within five seconds, she has a thick crimson glop (Garou), a small amount of brownish powder (Kinfolk) or nothing (anybody else, no matter what other supernatural associations the person might have).

Any of the following spirits must be bound into a normal test tube to create the fetish: Ancestor, Divination or Crow.

This talen is a dry, herbal mixture in a small bottle or bag. The user adds water, mixes and drinks while making a Gnosis roll or spending a Gnosis point. If successful, she finds herself with twice as much physical strength as before (up to a maximum of five dots). The additional strength last for one scene (one fight, for example). To make the talen, the creator must mix special herbs in a container, then bind a Thunder-spirit to the simples.

No matter where a recipient might be, he can recieve a brief written message (a paragraph or about five full sentences) via this talen; he can read the note even while in the Umbra. The talen itself looks like a sheet of smooth, blank vellum. The user writes down the message, addresses (by name only) the note, then activates the talen with Gnosis. The notepaper blows out of her hand as if by an unseen wind. After one scene, it comes into the recipient's possession in much the same way. To create this talen, a Dove-spirit or Pigeon-spirit must be bound into high-quality vellum paper.

This talen looks like a slender white stick, perhaps as long as soda straw. When the user snaps the stick in two and spends his Gnosis, a call goes out to the nearest single Garou. This talen differs from the fetish Horn of Distress in that the werewolf must come once the talen is activated. It's risky, though, because the talen's power doesn't distinguish between tribes and breeds. A kinfolk could break the stick and summon an enraged Red Talon or a Black Spiral Dancer! In any case, he should have a damn good reason to call on the Garou. A Lune must be bound into a birch stick to make this talen.

The sample equipment below is a little less standard than basic weapons or survival gear; getting these more unusual items calls for an investment in the Equipment Background. Players and Storytellers should negotiate what equipment is available according to points in the Background. Streetwise or Contacts is also useful in such acquisitions. For other suggestions on specialized equipment, {See New Abilities}

Silver bullets can cause unsoakable, aggravated damage to Garou, depending upon a werewolf's breed and form (see Werewolf, p. 198). Furthermore, silver bullets is relatively cheap and easy to work with; with some practice and the right equipment, Kinfolk could make silver bullets in the privacy of their homes! They're great weapons against Black Spiral...or relatives. For this reason, any Garou is going to look askance at Kin who carry bandoleers of silver bullets. Some werewolves even gut first and ask questions later; it's a good idea for Kin armed with silver bullets to explain quickly what they're packing and why. Keeping the bullets hidden might cause serious health problems.

"Folk" healing remedies are generally well respected among werewolves and Kinfolk; herbal medicines are the most common of this type. A packet of herbal medicines from a skilled pharmacognosist (prehaps one specializing in Garou and Kinfolk healing) is quite valuable. Herbal medicines come in a variety of forms (teas, syrups, compresses, poultices, ointments, etc.); uses range from soothing rashes (with aloe) to reducing high blood pressure (with hawthorn). Some herbs, such as nightshade, are poisonous (see below). Players who spend points on the Equipment Background can assume their characters' medicinal herbs are safe and of fine quality. The Storyteller and player should decide the type of herbs a character possess.

What about aconite, commonly called wolfbane? For starters, it's a deadly toxin, even in tiny doses. Black Furies have long told tales about Hecate killing her father and Medea murdering Jason with aconite. Other tribes used it in liquid form to euthanize old and infirm Kinfolk or to coat the tips of weapon. It was also a deadly weapon if put into an enemy's water supply. Mystics swore it made an excellent flying potion in combination with belladona - assuming the dosage was correct.

Aconite, when ingested, slows the heart and lowers blood pressure; the herb still sees medicinal use in China and India. Applied to the skin, it produces numbness and a tingling sensation. Even though the plant resembles wild parsley or horseradish, it's not. Death can occur in as little as 10 minutes, prehaps even among Garou.

For more information on aconite and other medicinal herbs, see Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, particularly pp. 276-293, which detail healing with herbs.

Bugs are listening devices; they come in all shapes and sizes. Some are tiny radio signal transmitters; others are small microphones. Most need to be in the immediate vicinity of a conversation, though more powerful bugs can "listen" through walls. Sometimes, a person wears a bug willingly, so her conversation can be monitored or recorded. Generally, the smaller and more powerful bug, the more points it requires in the Equipment Background. An extremely sophisticated device might have both aural and visual capability.

Like bugs, white noise generators can be simple or sophisticated. Their purpose is to "jam" a signal, whether from a bug or another sort of communication apparatus. The simplest variety emits a high-pitched radio signal that blocks a bug's transmission; others operate on different wavelengths and have much longer ranges. Werewolves in Lupus, as well as normal wolves, can hear certain white noise generators and can probably track their locations.

Just because a weapon or device is nonlethal doesn't prevent it from causing pain and trauma. Tasers and pepper spray are probably the most common personal protection devices; you can pick them up at hardware emporiums, law enforcement supply houses or speciality sporting goods stores. Tasers deliver agonizing electrical shocks and come in two basic designs: the hand-to-hand version, which requires the user to touch the assailant with the taster prongs, and the long-range variety, which shoots out a pair of pronged wires to shock the target. Because these prongs penetrate flesh and cause more damage, this latter version is generally available to law enforcement agencies. Costs, styles and voltages vary, but rest assured, most people lose their resolve after getting hit by a taser.

To a creature that relies on its sense of smell, pepper spray means complete debilitation. Even a tiny whiff causes watery eyes, harsh coughing, sore throat and loss of olfactory sense. These effects can last hours. Worse, for werewolves, pepper gas tends to linger in the air for some time; if, for eample, a canister erupted in a den or near a caern, the place would be temporarily uninhabitable. The effects of pepper spray, simply put, make the target miserable. (Author's note: These are the words of an accidental spraying victim! Trust me, I couldn't talk or stop coughing for well over a day).

Concertina wire, or barbed wire, is a nasty addition to normal secruity measures. It costs in flat, coils; to deploy the wire, purchasers must wear heavy, steel-plated gloves. Most users place the wire in three coils, two layers covered by a third. The only safe way to cross the wire is on some kind. Otherwise, both flesh and fur would get cut to pieces. Now, just imagine what silver-plated concertina wire would do to an unwary werewolf....

Contrary to popular belief, silencers can't really sound-proof firearms. They make firing less noisy but never totally silent. Silencers work by baffling the noise and bleeding off gas from the exploding gunpowder, which lowers pressure in the barrel. This modification also causes the bullet to travel at subsonic speed and no break the sound barrier (bullets usually travel about 1,100 feet per second, creating a small sonic boom in the process). Silencers work best on bolt-action and dropping-block guns; semiautomatics with silencers are quiet but certainly not silent. Making revolvers silent is practically impossible, as it's much more difficult to cover the gaps between the gun barrel and the cyclinders releasing gas. Moreover, multiple shots with a silenced gun tend to be less accurate, as the weapon gets hotter and hotter. A talented gunsmith could probably build a silent weapon, given some time, but some accuracy would be sacrified (along with a fair bit of money), and user would be sacrificed (along with a fair bit of money), and the user would still have to cope with a permanently altered (and highly illegal) firearm.

For more information on firearms, check out Michael Newton's Armed and Dangerous. It's a great introduction for roleplayers totally unfamiliar with guns and ammo.

Glass Walker Kin may have access to some higher-tech computer equipment and "smart" tools. Data shredder programs fit the name: when inserted into a floppy drive, they destroy the hard drive, completely and irretrievably. Encryption chips prevent would-be hackers from stealing information. For a nastier twist, consider ensuring Kinfolk loyalty with a cortex bomb. A remote control triggers the bomb, which is surgically implanted in the skull; it's guaranteed to kill or permantely impair it's target.

Poisons come in many forms (liquid, powder, gas, salve) from numerous sources (animals, plants, industrial chemicals or even medicinal drugs). Even "antidotes" for classic poisons like arsenic and cyanide are often poisons themselves; one antidote for strychnine, for example, is succinylcholine, a dangerous paralytic drug similar to curare. Most poisons have a toxicity rating; the lower the number, the greater the amount of poison is needed to kill the victim. A poison with a rating of two, such as Tyenol, requires a large quantity to be lethal. Hemlock, with a toxicity rating of six, is deadly even in small doses. Of course, age, health, body weight and so on play a role in this equation.

Many poisons are on the shelves at hardware stores: catonic detergents, methanol, naphthalene (moth balls), potassium permanganate and turpentine. Others, like Barbados nuts, nightshade, or snake venom, might be in the backyard. Many pharmaceuticals, including codeine or digitoxin, can be used as poisons; hospitals keep careful control of these drugs.

Possessing certain poisons is illegal; moreover, a lot poisons are hard to obtain in the place. Players may need to spend Background points on Equipment {see New abilities} if they want something restricted or unusual (see Herbal Medicines above). For suggestions on making up unique poisons, see Deadly Doses: A Writer's Guide to poisons by Serita Stevens and Anne Klarner.