To step sideways, a werewolf needs to meditate on a highly reflective surface, such as a clear pool of water or a mirror. When a character attempts this, roll that character’s Gnosis; the difficulty is the strength of the local Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is strongest near certain types of environments; every place on Earth has a Gauntlet rating between 2 and 9.
| Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Science Lab | 9 |
| Inner city, downtown | 8 |
| Average city street | 7 |
| Rural countryside | 6 |
| Deep wilderness | 5 |
| Urban caern | 5 |
| Active caern | 4 |
| Powerful caern | 3 |
| Greatest caern | 2 |
| The time it takes to enter the Umbra depends on the number of successes. |
| Successes | Shift Time |
|---|---|
| Botch | ”Caught” |
| 0 | Failure (must wait one hour before trying again) |
| 1 | 5 minutes |
| 2 | 30 seconds |
| 3+ | Instantly |
Caught
If the roll is botched, the werewolf is “caught” in the Gauntlet, temporarily suspended between the mundane Realm and the Umbra. He’s held in a web the Weaver has woven until assisted by another Garou. Half of him is spiritual, and half is physical. While trapped, he’s subjected to soul-shattering visions. Although the werewolf cannot be seen or attacked by physical entities (like human beings), evil spirits wander the Gauntlet looking for trapped and vulnerable travelers. Another werewolf can attempt to free the traveler by making a successful roll to step sideways; otherwise, the Garou must wait in his shameful, dishonorable, and dangerous state for an hour before trying again. If that second roll botches, he cannot leave on his own. Until he’s rescued, he’s trapped there forever. Garou who have learned the Theurge Gift: Pulse of the Invisible don’t need to use a reflective object when stepping sideways; they can enter at will. Even blind werewolves can enter the Umbra, as long as they know that Gift. (At the Storyteller’s discretion, carrying your own reflective object may make stepping sideways slightly more difficult, since the object isn’t “anchored” to its surroundings; in these cases, increase the difficulty by 1.)