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Hammer and Klaive is another in the latest series of kit supplements for Werewolf: the Apocalypse. In this case, Hammer and Klaive is all about the use, creation, and maintenance of fetishes. This book is heavy on rules and examples, as opposed to story and in-character explanation, and as a source for facilitating the use of fetishes in a Werewolf game, it succeeds admirably. Overall, I like this book. It is a solid, if not inspiring, book.
Hammer and Klaive is divided into four core chapters with an opening piece of fiction and an Introduction, bring the total chapter count to six. About a third of the book is dominated by examples of fetishes and talens, with another third explaining the creation of fetishes and klaives. The rest of the book is assorted suggestions and rules for handling Klaives in a standard Werewolf game.
The art is standard for a White Wolf product. Usually, I find one or two pieces I really like, and Hammer and Klaive is no different. Leif Jones, John Bridges, Jeff Holt and Jeff Rebner are the guys who fill the book with art- and of the four I really prefer Bridges's and Rebner's work. In particular, Rebner's pieces in the 1st Chapter (Objects of Worship) is crisp and appropriate. In fact, his stuff really stands out and I really wish the rest of the book would have included more of his art.
Overall, the art is appropriate to the text, if not spot on. I appreciate it when the art feeds off the text (and vice versa) and Hammer and Klaive does not let down. However, the art is not always spot on either, with some looking like throw-away pieces or general werewolf art. Nothing horrible and certainly not bad enough to detract from the usefulness of the book- but still something I would love to see improved upon.
The writing and editing is solid. The early chapters are the most rough in terms of both writing style and editing- in my opinion. Every few pages there is a mssing word or two and maybe a misspelled word, but nothing terribly jarring and certainly within par of our little cottage industry. The writing in the first chapter is a bit too friendly at times and seemed a bit akward- but again, nothing too terribly out of line. In the end, this reads just as easily as just about any other WW product.
The first "chapter" is the Legends of the Garou story. A staple of a Werewolf supplement, these stories are often nice insights to a first person view of the game. This particular legend is entitled "The First Klaive" and, you guessed it, explains the creation of the first Klaive. It is couched in a modern day story as one character tells it to others- which I appreciate as it keeps the text firmly in the modern days. It is interesting to note that the subsequent chapters point out that this story is just one version of how the first Klaive was created- the Pure Ones in particular have a different legend? as do many of the Fera. This nod to the various opinions and viewpoints of Werewolf is one of the strongest aspects of Hammer and Klaive and to the book?s credit, this theme quietly follows into the other chapters.
The second "chapter" is the Introduction (Wards and Weaponry). This is your standard WW intro. Nothing terribly special here.
The third chapter, and the first one actually called a "chapter" (Objects of Worship) discusses the background of fetishes in both real-world terms and in game terms. The two perspectives are a nice touch as it helps delinate the difference between, say a real world animistic cultural approach to a fetish and the very different thing that is a werewolf "magic" item. From there, the chapter goes into the major factions in Werewolf and their uses and approaches to fetishes. The factions include the Breeds, Auspices, Tribes and the various Fera, as well as Black Spiral Dancers and the Hengayokai. Overall, this is a really nice section that helps show some significant differences in how fetishes are used. In particular I really enjoyed the Red Talons and the Ratkin discussions. The Red Talons, the least apt to use tools are the most likely to use stationary fetishes and artwork. The Ratkin usually do not make their own fetishes- they steal them. In Ratkin society, quantity outweighs quality and it does not matter what type of fetish you grab but how many you can proudly display. The discussion of high vs low war in Hengayokai society is also quite well done as is the Bastet opinion that most fetishes are nothing more than magical items. This chapter alone is one of the best reasons to get this book.
Chapter Two (Born in Vulcan's Fires) is the fourth chapter. This is the chapter that gets into the real crunchy bits of the topic. Here we get the discussion and rules for creation of fetishes. Though there is already the various rites to create fetishes, this chapter offers a nice alternative approach that synthesizes roleplaying and rolling. Basically, this chapter helps make the creation of a fetish into a story of its own, rather than a simple down-time activity. There are also a couple of optional rules like empowering a fetish with multiple spirits and how to make talens. I do have a concern that someone who actually goes through this process has a less likely chance of being successful in fetish creation due to the added steps (and added chance of failing)- instead I would prefer to see a bit more incentive for a player to choose the long method over the short fetish-making rites. Still, I did really enjoy the emphasis on roleplaying in conjunction with rolling out abilitites and whatnot- another nice selling point for the book.
(as an aside, I really liked that many of the rolls for creating a fetish involve a Wits roll rather than Intelligence or Charisma. Wits doesn't get a whole lot of opportunity to be useful in the standard rolls in my WoD games outside of initiative. Wits makes sense in terms of fetish creation and helps me give a reason for those characters with a high Wits score to shine. I digress).
Chapter Three (Pieces of Spirit) is the fifth chapter and the true meat-and-potatoes of the book. This is the chapter that goes through the various factions discussed in Chapter One and defines three to five fetishes (or talens) for each. Most every faction gets at least one higher level combat oriented fetish and the rest vary between uses and power level. The best examples in this chapter are with the Red Talons- the ideas presented in earlier chapters of stationary and art centered fetishes sees a couple of examples here that really help define just how these fetishes might be used and what purpose they can serve. Nifty. There are also some nice general fetishes including some interesting masks and claw glyphs that serve to empower a Crinos-form?s already formidable offensive capabilities. Still, this is also the chapter I found most disappointing. In chapter one and two there is repeated discussion of the relationship between the user of a fetish and the spirit that powers the fetish- and that this relationship often manifests in the form of taboos. However, among all the examples of fetishes and talens in this chapter only a rare few have any mention of taboos or specific requirements placed on the user of the fetish. A shame really, as this could have really serves to give each fetish a bit more personality. I really wanted to see a bit more exploration of the different types of fetishes in this chapter as well? things like the nifty Red Talon fetishes. Alas, the vast majority of the examples are nothing more than mundane items with a special (and usually expected) ability grafted on. This chapter is just a bit too pedestrian to make it really stand out against any of the other many fetishes that already exist in the various Werewolf supplements.
Chapter Four (Legendary Fetishes) is a discussion of the really powerful fetishes. These fetishes are not so much created, as come into being, and are the things (truly) of legends. The chapter discusses the many ways such a fetish might come into being (since they are so rare and powerful- a standard way of creation is all but unheard of- they occur) and how they might fit into a game. A few examples are given, seven in all, and their various powers are discussed. This chapter is quite good and does an admirable job of creating a sense of awe around such powerful items.
In the end, Hammer and Klaive is a good, if not outstanding book. I will say that I did enjoy reading it, and can see a few applications for the book outside of a strict Garou/Fera game- in particular the more spiritual splats of the various lines might also find this book useful as the rules for fetish creation are quite well done. I really enjoyed most of the book, with only the "ho-hum" aspect of Chapter Three bringing down my opinion of the book.
A good buy if you are involved in a Werewolf game- both as a player or as a Storyteller.
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