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BREEDS

 

The Garou are one of the Changing Breeds, those who are an amalgamation of human and animal. To the humans and wolves, however, Garou are half-breeds and  never truly accepted into their societies. Though the Garou depend on one another during daily living, they must turn to their full-blooded human and wolf relatives for mating.


The offspring from a union between two werewolves suffer from various   maladies, deformities and sterility. Worse yet, these metis are born in       Crinos form and unable to change for eight years of life, requiring that        they be raised away from society. It is for these reasons that Garou law    prohibits reproduction between two werewolves, with a punishment that   ostracizes the guilty parties from Garou society as much, if not more,          than their metis offspring.

 

The Garou closely watch over their human and wolf kin with whom they     breed, and pay even closer attention to their offspring for signs of the       recessive gene that dictates they have “bred true.” A truly successful          birthing between a Garou and human or wolf results in another Garou     while the more common birth is to a non-changing human or wolf, known as Kinfolk. Though either parent has an equal chance to pass on recessive shapeshifting gene, the mother determines a Garou’s breed. 

 

Your breed also determines how close to Gaia you are. Homids are considered to have slipped away from her, while lupus have a strong inner connection to the Earth Mother and Her works. There are three breeds in Garou society to choose: homid (born to humans), lupus (born to wolves) and metis (born from the union of two Garou).

 

 

Homid

 

Homid Garou were born human, from a human kinfolk or Homid Garou mother. The Homid breed is by far the most common, and is recommended for players unfamiliar with Werewolf. Homid Garou lived human lives throughout their childhood and adolescence, until their First Change confirmed their birthright among the warriors of Gaia.

 

 

Nickname: Ape

 

Initial Gnosis: 1

 

Beginning Gifts: Master of Fire, Persuasion, Smell of Man

 

 

Breed Form: Homid, the human shape, is the Breed Form of Homid Garou. They may return to this form instantly, and they take it when sleeping and unconscious.

 

War Form: Crinos form is the War Form of Homid Garou. They take it in Berserk Frenzy and receive Rank strength bonuses in Crinos shape.

 

Silver Immunity: While in Homid form, Homid Garou suffer no special disadvantages from being attacked with silver weapons.

 

 

Lupus

 

Lupus Garou are born wolves, from a wolf kinfolk or a Lupus Garou mother. Due to the worldwide drop in wolf populations over the last several hundred years, Lupus Garou are increasingly and tragically rare among werewolves. They live as young wolves until their First Change at about two or three years of age. This Breed is restricted by the Storytellers: do not plan a Lupus character without obtaining their approval first.

 

Nickname: Feral

 

Initial Gnosis: 5

 

Beginning Gifts: Hare’s Leap, Heightened Senses, Sense Prey

 

 

Breed Form: Lupus, the wolf shape, is the Breed Form of Lupus Garou. They may return to this form instantly, and they take it when sleeping and unconscious.

 

War Form: Either Crinos or Hispo is the War Form of Lupus Garou, chosen at character creation. They take it in Berserk Frenzy and receive Rank strength bonuses in their chosen shape.

 

Silver Immunity: While in Lupus form, Lupus Garou suffer no special disadvantages from being attacked with silver weapons.

 

 

 

Metis

 

 

Metis Garou are born of the forbidden pairing of werewolf and werewolf. They are born in Crinos shape, an ordeal that often kills the young Metis and/or its mother. Metis are deformed, suffering some kind of defect that marks their shameful parentage.  They live isolated childhoods, hidden away from human and wolf worlds alike, until they are old enough to Change -- usually from 8 to 10 years old.

 

 

Nickname: Mule (among others)

 

Initial Gnosis: 3

 

Beginning Gifts: Create Element, Primal Anger, Sense Wyrm

 

 

Breed Form: The deadly Crinos form is the Breed Form of Metis Garou. They may return to this form instantly, and they take it when sleeping and unconscious.

 

War Form: Crinos is the War Form of Metis Garou. They take it in Berserk Frenzy and receive Rank strength bonuses in Crinos shape.

 

Silver Immunity: Metis are fully vulnerable to silver in all forms.

 

Deformity: All Metis have some kind of problematic deformity. Possibilities are listed below.

 

Metis Deformities

 

This list collects the birth defects that characterize Metis. If you're playing a Metis, choose one of these when you build your werewolf. (Negative Traits and other disadvantages gained through these deformities do not add Freebie Points toward character creation.) Other deformities than these may also be designed with the assistance of a Storyteller.

 

  • Albino: No matter what form you take, you have no melanin in your body. Your skin is pink and tends to sunburn easily. Your hair is ghost-white, and your eyes appear pink or red. Not only do you look strange, but you’re also extremely light-sensitive. You must bid two Traits when operating in bright light without protective gear.

 

  • Blind: The world of sight is lost to you. Perhaps your eyes don’t work, or maybe you have empty sockets where your eyes should be. You automatically fail any test involving vision.

 

  • Deaf: Something in your ears simply doesn’t work. You automatically lose all challenges where hearing is a factor. You are not necessarily mute, but being unable to hear yourself, speech and howling don’t come easy.

 

  • Fits of Madness: Every so often, you go a little bit crazy. Choose a derangement. In times of extreme stress, make a test with the Storyteller to see if you slide into madness.

 

  • Fragile Claws/Loose Teeth: Your natural weaponry is defective. If you attempt to bite or claw your target, you inflict bashing damage. Further, make a test to see if your claws or teeth break off in the attempt.

 

  • Hairless: You have no hair anywhere on your body in any form. Odd enough in homid form, you look positively strange in lupus or Crinos form. You take the Negative Traits: Hairless and Repugnant. Furthermore, you must bid an extra Trait when initiating challenges during cold weather.

 

  • Horns/Hooves: You have horns sprouting from your forehead - curving like a ram’s, or short goat’s horns, or stubby deer antlers. You might even have a single unicornlike horn. Conversely, you might have hooves like a deer or horse instead of feet. Whatever this deformity looks like, you must bid two Traits on Social Challenges. In Garou society, horns and hooves are the mark of prey, not predator, and using either in a fight may cost you Glory for fighting like prey.

 

  • Hunchback: The name says it all; all you need is a cathedral. You cannot take the Physical Traits: Graceful, Lithe or Nimble nor the Social Traits: Alluring, Elegant, Gorgeous or Seductive. In addition, you take the Negative Traits: Clumsy and Lame.

 

  • No Sense of Smell: For creatures that depend on scent, this deformity can make life very difficult. You automatically fail any test involving your sense of smell. If you try to track someone with Primal-Urge, you must bid an extra Trait.

 

  • Weak Immune System: You seem to catch every bug that comes along, and are often sick. You have no Bruised health levels; when you start marking damage, you begin with Hurt.

  •  

  • Withered Limb: You have four limbs, but one doesn’t work right, perhaps due to atrophied muscles or missing digits. depending on your form, you incur a two-Trait penalty when running or trying to use the limb

 

 

 

 

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