Post by Juniper Wynd on Oct 2, 2020 2:58:07 GMT
[Breeds]
Your mother was human, Kin or not, or a homid Garou. You grew up among humans and learned how to live in their society. Yet something always set you apart. Other kids reacted unconsciously to the predator within you, and to the vicious temper that you couldn't always keep under control. Strange dreams marked your childhood, and as you grew you remembered more and more of them -- dreams of the moon, of the taste of blood, of the smell of war. Maybe they found you before your Change, maybe after, but now there's no going back. You are what you are -- you're as much wolf as human now. Homid characters have no limits on what Abilities they may purchase during character creation. They have plenty of experience with the abstract thought that’s newer to their lupus cousins, and they usually grow up surrounded by human technology. No werewolf is better able to deal with the many peculiarities of human society. In their breed form, homids can also handle silver with no Gnosis penalty. The human-born advantages at navigating human society are balanced against weaker connections with the wolf and spirit portions of their nature. Homids are generally less intuitive and perceptive than Lupus or Metis. They’re likely to rely on what they see and hear, rather than what they feel. Moreover, their innate spiritual connections are weaker, as represented by their low starting Gnosis. Humanity has simply grown apart from the spirit world.
[*] Metis
Born to two werewolves who broke the Litany for love or lust, you were a child that shouldn't have been -- but one raised among the Garou anyway. You endured a hard, thankless life, stemming both from the deformity that is your birthright and your place at the bottom of the social ladder. Many other Garou pointed to your deformity as a sign that you, like all other metis, are a living affront to Gaia -- others said it's a likely side effect of the over-concentration of already powerful werewolf blood. Whatever the case, you've survived from a hard birth, through years of living only in your Crinos body (the natural form of a metis), to finally undergo your First Change. Whether your parents raised you -- as an outcast among the sept -- or long-suffering but devoted Kinfolk did, you're now ready to take your place in the sept. Unlike homids, you have a lot of knowledge about werewolf society already -- the nobility, the brutality, the wisdom, the spite. Metis characters have no restrictions on Abilities. Like homids, they have early experience with abstract thought, and are often introduced to technology, education, and other human creations early on as part of being raised at the sept. But like their wolf relatives, the Metis also have a strong connection to their animal nature. They have the strengths of both sides to some degree. On the other hand, all Metis bear the mark of deformity. To attempt to hide this shame is considered dishonourable; to wear it openly is to attract the contempt of many other werewolves. Another flaw of this breed is that all Metis are sterile; none can sire or bear children. It’s faintly ironic that Garou/Garou pairings are the only matings that invariably produce werewolf offspring — and yet they are no way to ensure the future of the People.
[*] Lupus
None are closer to nature and the hidden face of Gaia than you are. You were born a precocious pup, already showing remarkable intelligence above that of your siblings. It was not until you were almost full grown (about two years) that you became aware of your true werewolf nature. When the Change overcame you, and you discovered your true nature, the world itself became something you had never expected. Lupus are quite capable of abstract thought, but much of their experience with the concepts governed by such thought comes after the First Change. They pick up the basics of Garou speech very quickly, and the basics of human languages with surprising speed, but the small nuances and connotations frequently elude them. They are accustomed to the socialization of a pack, not of a greater society — which can be particularly problematic if they were raised in a traditional wolf pack, which is more of a nuclear family than anything else. The advantages of the lupus are several — many of them spiritual. The wolf-born lack the spiritual disconnection that the homids have gradually developed and they are also free of the spiritual “static” that comes with the blood of the Metis. They have a knack for mastering the animistic rituals of the Garou, as they are closer to “spirit logic” than the more educated reasoning of humankind. Some of this is reflected in their high starting Gnosis. However, lupus characters have little opportunity to learn many useful skills before their First Change, and are therefore limited during character creation regarding the Abilities they can purchase.[/ul]
[Tribes]
[*]Black Furies
The Black Furies are the living incarnation of a woman's anger. They are the daughters of Luna-as-Artemis, the Huntress of the Moon. Their legends trace their origins back to Greece and Asia Minor, where they were appointed defenders of the Wyld. Wherever there are tales of women who take up arms for honor, vengeance or blood ties, the spirit of the Fury dwells.
[*]Bone Gnawers
Many disdain the Bone Gnawers as living proof of how far the Garou have fallen from grace. Ragged and luckless, hunting territories no other tribe wants and breeding with Kin no other tribe claims, the Children of Rat come across as mongrel scavengers taking whatever castoffs they can. The Bone Gnawers see it differently. They're the most populous tribe in the Garou Nation. They're not the picture of failure -- they're the picture of success, because they're playing the game of survival.
[*]Children of Gaia
The Children of Gaia seem to be a study in contradiction. They are Gaia's warriors, yet they want nothing more than peace. No Garou work harder and plead more humbly for cooperation between the tribes than they do. None grieve more when forced to shed the blood of a fellow werewolf. More than any other tribe, they value compassion for all Gaia's children, even those that hold them in contempt. Many Garou mistake this compassion for weakness, -- only to discover that the Children's hatred of war doesn't preclude the ability and will to fight -- and fight well.
[*]Fianna
Grief and joy, love and war, life and death -- life is a series of contradictions, and the Fianna embrace them all. The Tribe of Stag are passionate Garou who exult in the pleasures of the flesh as well as the more abstract delights of a song well-sung or a battle well-fought. Their philosophy is far from a shallow "live in the now" concept, though. The Fianna are prominent lorekeepers and bards, fascinated with the history of all tribes as well as their own. Their Galliards have a particular place of honor within the tribe, but every auspice is expected to learn lessons from the past.
[*]Get of Fenris
Even among a race of warriors, the Get of Fenris are the most warlike. The Fenrir, as they're also known, value a glorious death over a peaceful old age. They wear their scars with pride, howl the glory of their victories, and revel in the fear that they spread among the minions of the Wyrm. To the Get, compassion is a luxury, not a virtue -- the greatest virtues are valor and strength.
[*]Glass Walkers
The Glass Walkers are werewolves unlike any other. They have largely abandoned the ancestral ways in favor of a cutting-edge, always-adapting blend of technology and shamanism. They actually prefer urban life to the wilderness, and defend the Scabs as centers of a vibrant ecology all its own. Even if that ecology is often wounded or diseased, it can be made healthy, the Glass Walkers argue. The other tribes often call them urrah, or tainted ones -- but the children of Cockroach won't give up the advantages of modern achievement just to repair their reputation.
[*]Red Talons
[*]Shadow Lords
The strong dominate; the weak submit. This is the core of Shadow Lord philosophy. Intensely political and coldly pragmatic, the Shadow Lords practice a rigid internal hierarchy and promote an equally unforgiving value system for the Garou Nation. Their very presence is divisive. Other tribes view their manipulative tactics as a reason to distrust the Lords, or complain that anyone so ruthless is marked for eventual corruption. Some would argue that they should be cast out of the Nation entirely -- but the Shadow Lords are far too valuable. Their methods are often dishonorable and sometimes cruel, but they get results.
[*]Silent Striders
Restless and haunted, the Silent Striders roam from caern to caern, always searching, always listening. They are messengers and advance scouts for the Garou Nation, rooting out things hidden to the other tribes and bringing word to the locals. Even in the modern days of electronic communication, the Striders prove themselves vital by bringing swift word of threats better spoken of face-to-face. They have a reputation for being taciturn and aloof, which lends extra weight to their words. When a Silent Strider has something to say, it's often dangerous news.
[*]Silver Fangs
The Silver Fangs are first among the tribes, as they are quick to point out. Descendants of great heroes and monarchs, every one, the tribe of Falcon claims the role of leadership of the Garou Nation. They trace their bloodline back to the Progenitor Wolf, a genealogy of the noblest human blood and the finest wolf ancestors. Through the ages, they have been at the forefront of the war, the proudest and most magnificent Garou -- and to hear the Silver Fangs tell it, that is still true. Other tribes have their doubts, though. Some charge that the Silver Fang's obsession with pure blood has brought them to inbreeding, and their once-clear minds have grown feeble and clouded through the generations. Weak kings demand respect for the deeds of their ancestors, not their own. Mad leaders care more for the details of their courtly traditions than for the war against the Wyrm. Far too many fall to Harano for them to be a healthy tribe.
[*]Stargazers
Few fully understand the Stargazers. They are the smallest tribe in the Garou Nation, in large part because they follow a creed that seems to fly in the face of what it means to be Garou. They pursue meditation, philosophy, lucid dreaming -- all manner of ways to master their inner selves, to master their Rage. Caught between wolf and human, Rage and Gnosis, material and spirit, the Stargazers seek the very key to Garou existence: Balance.
[*]Uktena
In the days before the Europeans reached the Americas, the Uktena acted as the wise Older Brother of the three tribes of Pure Ones. Where Wendigo focused on war and the hunt, and the Croatan were more sociable, the Uktena gathered mystical lore to themselves. They settled across the Americas, favoring more southern lands where the rivers they cherish were plentiful.
[*]Wendigo
Besieged by the Wyrm and betrayed by their fellow tribes, the Wendigo have learned much about hatred over the centuries. The Europeans came to steal, murder, and conquer, and the tribes that came to the Americas with them were no better. Though the old wars over territory are now over, the Wendigo have forgotten little and forgiven less. Their anger is hot as blood on the snow; their hatred is cold and unyielding as glacial ice. [/ul]
[Kinfolk]
Restricted:
[Backgrounds]
[*] Any custom Fetishes
[*] Any custom Talens
[*] Resources 4
[*] Personal Totems[/ul]
It should be noted that at no time will lupus breeds enter play with a skillset of human based abilities beyond the following limitations.
Not-approved:
Garou
Backgrounds
Your mother was human, Kin or not, or a homid Garou. You grew up among humans and learned how to live in their society. Yet something always set you apart. Other kids reacted unconsciously to the predator within you, and to the vicious temper that you couldn't always keep under control. Strange dreams marked your childhood, and as you grew you remembered more and more of them -- dreams of the moon, of the taste of blood, of the smell of war. Maybe they found you before your Change, maybe after, but now there's no going back. You are what you are -- you're as much wolf as human now. Homid characters have no limits on what Abilities they may purchase during character creation. They have plenty of experience with the abstract thought that’s newer to their lupus cousins, and they usually grow up surrounded by human technology. No werewolf is better able to deal with the many peculiarities of human society. In their breed form, homids can also handle silver with no Gnosis penalty. The human-born advantages at navigating human society are balanced against weaker connections with the wolf and spirit portions of their nature. Homids are generally less intuitive and perceptive than Lupus or Metis. They’re likely to rely on what they see and hear, rather than what they feel. Moreover, their innate spiritual connections are weaker, as represented by their low starting Gnosis. Humanity has simply grown apart from the spirit world.
[*] Metis
Born to two werewolves who broke the Litany for love or lust, you were a child that shouldn't have been -- but one raised among the Garou anyway. You endured a hard, thankless life, stemming both from the deformity that is your birthright and your place at the bottom of the social ladder. Many other Garou pointed to your deformity as a sign that you, like all other metis, are a living affront to Gaia -- others said it's a likely side effect of the over-concentration of already powerful werewolf blood. Whatever the case, you've survived from a hard birth, through years of living only in your Crinos body (the natural form of a metis), to finally undergo your First Change. Whether your parents raised you -- as an outcast among the sept -- or long-suffering but devoted Kinfolk did, you're now ready to take your place in the sept. Unlike homids, you have a lot of knowledge about werewolf society already -- the nobility, the brutality, the wisdom, the spite. Metis characters have no restrictions on Abilities. Like homids, they have early experience with abstract thought, and are often introduced to technology, education, and other human creations early on as part of being raised at the sept. But like their wolf relatives, the Metis also have a strong connection to their animal nature. They have the strengths of both sides to some degree. On the other hand, all Metis bear the mark of deformity. To attempt to hide this shame is considered dishonourable; to wear it openly is to attract the contempt of many other werewolves. Another flaw of this breed is that all Metis are sterile; none can sire or bear children. It’s faintly ironic that Garou/Garou pairings are the only matings that invariably produce werewolf offspring — and yet they are no way to ensure the future of the People.
[*] Lupus
None are closer to nature and the hidden face of Gaia than you are. You were born a precocious pup, already showing remarkable intelligence above that of your siblings. It was not until you were almost full grown (about two years) that you became aware of your true werewolf nature. When the Change overcame you, and you discovered your true nature, the world itself became something you had never expected. Lupus are quite capable of abstract thought, but much of their experience with the concepts governed by such thought comes after the First Change. They pick up the basics of Garou speech very quickly, and the basics of human languages with surprising speed, but the small nuances and connotations frequently elude them. They are accustomed to the socialization of a pack, not of a greater society — which can be particularly problematic if they were raised in a traditional wolf pack, which is more of a nuclear family than anything else. The advantages of the lupus are several — many of them spiritual. The wolf-born lack the spiritual disconnection that the homids have gradually developed and they are also free of the spiritual “static” that comes with the blood of the Metis. They have a knack for mastering the animistic rituals of the Garou, as they are closer to “spirit logic” than the more educated reasoning of humankind. Some of this is reflected in their high starting Gnosis. However, lupus characters have little opportunity to learn many useful skills before their First Change, and are therefore limited during character creation regarding the Abilities they can purchase.[/ul]
[Tribes]
[*]Black Furies
The Black Furies are the living incarnation of a woman's anger. They are the daughters of Luna-as-Artemis, the Huntress of the Moon. Their legends trace their origins back to Greece and Asia Minor, where they were appointed defenders of the Wyld. Wherever there are tales of women who take up arms for honor, vengeance or blood ties, the spirit of the Fury dwells.
[*]Bone Gnawers
Many disdain the Bone Gnawers as living proof of how far the Garou have fallen from grace. Ragged and luckless, hunting territories no other tribe wants and breeding with Kin no other tribe claims, the Children of Rat come across as mongrel scavengers taking whatever castoffs they can. The Bone Gnawers see it differently. They're the most populous tribe in the Garou Nation. They're not the picture of failure -- they're the picture of success, because they're playing the game of survival.
[*]Children of Gaia
The Children of Gaia seem to be a study in contradiction. They are Gaia's warriors, yet they want nothing more than peace. No Garou work harder and plead more humbly for cooperation between the tribes than they do. None grieve more when forced to shed the blood of a fellow werewolf. More than any other tribe, they value compassion for all Gaia's children, even those that hold them in contempt. Many Garou mistake this compassion for weakness, -- only to discover that the Children's hatred of war doesn't preclude the ability and will to fight -- and fight well.
[*]Fianna
Grief and joy, love and war, life and death -- life is a series of contradictions, and the Fianna embrace them all. The Tribe of Stag are passionate Garou who exult in the pleasures of the flesh as well as the more abstract delights of a song well-sung or a battle well-fought. Their philosophy is far from a shallow "live in the now" concept, though. The Fianna are prominent lorekeepers and bards, fascinated with the history of all tribes as well as their own. Their Galliards have a particular place of honor within the tribe, but every auspice is expected to learn lessons from the past.
[*]Get of Fenris
Even among a race of warriors, the Get of Fenris are the most warlike. The Fenrir, as they're also known, value a glorious death over a peaceful old age. They wear their scars with pride, howl the glory of their victories, and revel in the fear that they spread among the minions of the Wyrm. To the Get, compassion is a luxury, not a virtue -- the greatest virtues are valor and strength.
[*]Glass Walkers
The Glass Walkers are werewolves unlike any other. They have largely abandoned the ancestral ways in favor of a cutting-edge, always-adapting blend of technology and shamanism. They actually prefer urban life to the wilderness, and defend the Scabs as centers of a vibrant ecology all its own. Even if that ecology is often wounded or diseased, it can be made healthy, the Glass Walkers argue. The other tribes often call them urrah, or tainted ones -- but the children of Cockroach won't give up the advantages of modern achievement just to repair their reputation.
[*]Red Talons
The Garou sing old tales of the time when humans cowered around their campfires and feared the fangs in the night. Most howl of the Impergium as something to be regretted -- but not the Red Talons. These fierce werewolves claim that the only mistake made in the Impergium was choosing to end it -- that Gaia would never have become this imperiled without the pestilence that is humanity running out of control. The Red Talons refute their human side almost entirely: apart from a few metis, the tribe is entirely wolf-born.
Note for Red Talons: In an effort to make this Tribe actually playable in a setting where not all of the PCs are Lupus or Red Talons, we have re-worked some of the Tribe's flavor and goals here: brokenskysept.boards.net/thread/20/word-on-red-talons
[*]Shadow Lords
The strong dominate; the weak submit. This is the core of Shadow Lord philosophy. Intensely political and coldly pragmatic, the Shadow Lords practice a rigid internal hierarchy and promote an equally unforgiving value system for the Garou Nation. Their very presence is divisive. Other tribes view their manipulative tactics as a reason to distrust the Lords, or complain that anyone so ruthless is marked for eventual corruption. Some would argue that they should be cast out of the Nation entirely -- but the Shadow Lords are far too valuable. Their methods are often dishonorable and sometimes cruel, but they get results.
[*]Silent Striders
Restless and haunted, the Silent Striders roam from caern to caern, always searching, always listening. They are messengers and advance scouts for the Garou Nation, rooting out things hidden to the other tribes and bringing word to the locals. Even in the modern days of electronic communication, the Striders prove themselves vital by bringing swift word of threats better spoken of face-to-face. They have a reputation for being taciturn and aloof, which lends extra weight to their words. When a Silent Strider has something to say, it's often dangerous news.
[*]Silver Fangs
The Silver Fangs are first among the tribes, as they are quick to point out. Descendants of great heroes and monarchs, every one, the tribe of Falcon claims the role of leadership of the Garou Nation. They trace their bloodline back to the Progenitor Wolf, a genealogy of the noblest human blood and the finest wolf ancestors. Through the ages, they have been at the forefront of the war, the proudest and most magnificent Garou -- and to hear the Silver Fangs tell it, that is still true. Other tribes have their doubts, though. Some charge that the Silver Fang's obsession with pure blood has brought them to inbreeding, and their once-clear minds have grown feeble and clouded through the generations. Weak kings demand respect for the deeds of their ancestors, not their own. Mad leaders care more for the details of their courtly traditions than for the war against the Wyrm. Far too many fall to Harano for them to be a healthy tribe.
[*]Stargazers
Few fully understand the Stargazers. They are the smallest tribe in the Garou Nation, in large part because they follow a creed that seems to fly in the face of what it means to be Garou. They pursue meditation, philosophy, lucid dreaming -- all manner of ways to master their inner selves, to master their Rage. Caught between wolf and human, Rage and Gnosis, material and spirit, the Stargazers seek the very key to Garou existence: Balance.
[*]Uktena
In the days before the Europeans reached the Americas, the Uktena acted as the wise Older Brother of the three tribes of Pure Ones. Where Wendigo focused on war and the hunt, and the Croatan were more sociable, the Uktena gathered mystical lore to themselves. They settled across the Americas, favoring more southern lands where the rivers they cherish were plentiful.
[*]Wendigo
Besieged by the Wyrm and betrayed by their fellow tribes, the Wendigo have learned much about hatred over the centuries. The Europeans came to steal, murder, and conquer, and the tribes that came to the Americas with them were no better. Though the old wars over territory are now over, the Wendigo have forgotten little and forgiven less. Their anger is hot as blood on the snow; their hatred is cold and unyielding as glacial ice. [/ul]
[Kinfolk]
Restricted:
[Backgrounds]
[*] Any custom Fetishes
[*] Any custom Talens
[*] Resources 4
[*] Personal Totems[/ul]
It should be noted that at no time will lupus breeds enter play with a skillset of human based abilities beyond the following limitations.
Not-approved:
Garou
Backgrounds