Were* / Western Shifter Rules

 

LAST UPDATED
4/30/05

 


OVERVIEW


RESTRICTIONS

.


MAKING A W:tA CHARACTER


BOOKS IN USE

.


SHIFTER THEMED MEDIA

.

LINKS TO  SHIFTER WEB SITES

.


 


Werewolf: the Apocalypse

Death of mother earth, Never a rebirth, Evolution's end, Never will it mend...
...Blistering of earth, Terminate its worth, Deadly nicotine, Kills what might have been...
...Smouldering decay, Take her breath away, Millions of our years, In minutes disappears...
Opposition...Contradiction...Premonition...Compromise
Agitation...Violation...Mutilation...Planet dies
Darkest colour blistered earth
True death of life Termination...Expiration...Cancellation...Human race
Expectation...Liberation...Population...Lay to waste
See our mother put to death, See our mother die

-- "Blackened" by Metallica, from "And Justice For All" (1988)

 

 



OVERVIEW:

Location, Loudoun County, VA, about 30 miles West of Washington DC.

Ranking Sept & Stag's Pack Alpha: Séamus Pádraig Fíonn "Edgerider" Catalano
Stag's Pack Beta: Olaf "StormClaw" Sorenson
Alpha of Caern in Bolivar, WV: John "Johann-Walks-On-The-Rapids" Rexrode

There is only a small handful of non-Garou Shifters present in DC currently. You should not automatically assume to know of their whereabouts IC until earned via RP.

Eastern Shifters (Hengeyokai), while they use some of the rules from W:tA, are covered in the KotE Rules.


 

EXAMPLE STORIES FROM OUR GAME:

A Tale of the Emerald Isle (Parts 1-3)

Casualties of War (Part 1)

Raisa & Gage

Darren's Departure

(NOTE: This is not normally a Play-By-Email Game, but we do allow players to make moves via email, if players' schedules do not allow in-channel live RP)


 

"Don't look for a happy ending. It's not an American story. It's an Irish one." 

- Rory Devaney in "The Devil's Own" (!997)

 

RESTRICTIONS:

The following are permitted at ST's discretion only:

- Shifters of breeds not indigenous to Washington DC, MD or VA (Example: Mokole, Rokea)
- Get of Fenris Ahrouns (overused/abused/badly played Character class)
- Red Talons, Black Furies, Silent Striders, or other Tribes, Auspices or Shifter character concepts (such as Kami, or Anything else from WW3810 Possessed ) that are very difficult to play as part of the existing pack. Any Shifters that, while legal, tend not to RP with other factions (even other Garou), will not see much role-play opportunity in this chronicle.

- Black Spiral Dancers (NPC only)

- Fomori (NPC only)

- Anyone asking to play a White Howler will summarily be taken out back and shot.

TEMPORARY MORATORIUM 11/22/03: 

Until further notice we will ONLY be accepting traditional Garou & their kinfolk (no non-Garou shifters, ie: Corax, Bastet, Ananasi, Mokole, Gurahl, Ratkin, Nuwisha, etc.), and only Tribes as stated above. 

This leaves you with: Bone Gnawers, Children of Gaia, Fianna, Get of Fenris, Glass Walkers, Shadow Lords, Silver Fangs, Star Gazers, Uktena, or Wendigo, or their Kinfolk. Glass Walkers and Star Gazers are required to craft a BG that gives them a reason to interact with the other Garou or they will be refused, since they by nature normally wander a lot.

This hold is to correct severe game imbalance caused by too many PC's in play that do not integrate into a pack very well. This also means no Ronin or Loners until this Moratorium is lifted.

The Moratorium will be lifted at ST's discretion when balance in the existing pack is restored. Those who already play any of the PC Classes on hold may continue to keep and play them.

 

RESTRICTED BACKGROUNDS:

 

- Fetish

- Personal Totems (this is usually the hallmark of Ronin or Loner Garou (Anti-Pack attitude)). If you do get the background, all totems cost double normal points if taken as personal totems.

 

 

MAKING A W:tA CHARACTER:

Using the Template that you can download HERE. The order of these may vary slightly depending on the template used:

1. Player: Put your name (and preferably also your email address).

2. Name: Put the name of your character.

3. Chronicle: Put "Washington DC By Night."

4. Rank: Put "Cliath" or Rank 1 (or None Yet, if applicable)

5. Breed: Homid, Lupus or Metis

(See: http://www.geocities.com/vampyreshavendisc/garou/breeds.html  )

6. Auspice: Ahroun, Gailliard, Philodox, Ragabash or Theurge

(See: http://www.geocities.com/vampyreshavendisc/garou/auspice.html )

7. Tribe: Black Furies, Bone Gnawers, Children of Gaia, Fianna, Get of Fenris, Glass Walkers, Red Talons, Shadow Lords, Silent Striders, Silver Fangs, Star Gazers, Uktena, Wendigo

(See: http://www.geocities.com/vampyreshavendisc/garou/tribes.html )

8. Nature: Choose from the list HERE (temp link) (also used for Demeanor #12)  This is your true Nature, not the face the world sees. This aspect is vital, as you must act in the spirit of your True Nature to regain lost or spent Willpower.

Some temporary sites for help on Nature & Demeanor 

(These are incomplete but decent enough to help):

http://www.geocities.com/nsc_obt/overviewN_D.html 

http://d.dominodeveloper.net/members/thespiralarms/clubd.nsf/nd?OpenPage 

http://www.homestead.com/autarkis/Archetypes.html

9. Pack Name: Leave blank for now, that will be determined via RP.

10. Pack Totem: Leave blank for now, that will be determined via RP also.

11. Concept: There is an actual list of concepts HERE (Under construction). We do realize that some of them may not fit exactly but do the best you can. Concepts are usually a 1-2 word root-level label for who your character is at the core (not in a supernatural sense). Examples might be: Drifter, Intellectual, Party Animal, Politician, Misguided Prophet, Socialite. These are stereotypes and needn't be literal; details would be covered in your background.   

Temp Link containing examples of Concepts:

http://www.virtualsolarsystem.com/venus/ladynightspirit/Concept.htm

12. Demeanor: Choose from the same list as #8. Your Demeanor is the face you put on to the world, how you act. Nature and Demeanor must not be the same type.


 

13. Attributes (Physical/Social/Mental): You will have 7/5/3 starting dots. Give thought to spending them according to the kind of person your character is, not what looks neat or what you think you have to have to keep from being killed.


14. Abilities (Talents/Skills/Knowledges): You will have 13/9/5 starting dots. You may not have anything above 3 dots in Initial Stage here. Please do not "Min-Max" either (where you have all your dots in just a couple areas, and nothing anywhere else). Also remember new characters grew up in the modern world. That means it is unlikely you don't know at least a LITTLE Computers and how to Drive. Some may not but you should be able to justify this in the background.

NB: Specializations (Attributes and/or Abilities) -- If you have a 4 or higher, you may take a specialization in something, but the bonus rerolling ONLY is done when you are using that specific specialization. 

Example, if you have an Appearance of 4 and your specialization is "Sexy", you only get the bonus when you are trying to deliberately be "sexy" in your RP.


15. Advantages (Backgrounds/Rage/Gnosis/Willpower/Reknown):  Your starting Gnosis is determined by your Breed. Your starting Rage is determined by your Auspice, and your starting WP is determined by your Tribe. You have 5 points to spend on Backgrounds. Any reknown you should begin with is determined by Auspice (3 dots but Auspice dictates how it's spent); additional reknown must be earned in RP.

 

Temporary Link for Backgrounds (Current List only, no "System"):

http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=backgrounds

Another temporary Link for BACKGROUNDS (Multi-genre, no System):

http://www.darknexus.com/WhiteWolf/background.html


16. Merits & Flaws: Add in Initial Stage. You may not have more than 7 total points of either Merits or Flaws. Any overages can be adjusted in Freebies stage: if you have more Merits than Flaws, subtract the difference from your Freebies. If you have more Flaws than Merits you may add the difference to your allowed Freebies (obviously only up to 22 total 15+7 Max). There is a list of currently approved Merits & Flaws HERE. (Link under construction)

 

Temp Links to use for Merits & Flaws. The VOE one is incomplete and VTM -centric in coverage; the Pen&Paper one doesn't give details but it DOES give the sourcebook for tons of them in every genre so you know what's currently legal and what isn't.

http://www.vampyresofeurope.com/files/play-pack/meritflaws.htm 

http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=meritindex

http://www.blarg.net/~rain/ats/Merits.html

http://www.blarg.net/~rain/ats/Flaws.html

http://darkstone.udic.net/merits.htm

http://www.darknexus.com/WhiteWolf/merit.html

http://www.darknexus.com/WhiteWolf/flaw.html

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Parc/2606/mf.html


17. Gifts & Rites, In & Out of Tribe, Auspice & Breed: Self Explanatory. Done by levels.

18. Description, Scars, Tribe Flaw, Miscellaneous

 

 


 

USEFUL BOOK REFERENCES:

Overall Character Creation:  WW3108 Pages 94 to 129

Abilities: WW3108 Pages 110 to 119

Attributes: WW3108 Pages 107 to 110

Backgrounds: WW3108 Pages 120 to 123

Character Creation Summary: WW3108 Pages 100-102

Gifts: WW3108 Pages 132 to 154

Merits & Flaws: 2nd Ed. Players Guide WW3108 Pages 9-21

-- WW3806, 3rd Ed. Player’s Guide to the Garou, 02/03/2003,

updates to above to follow soon.

 

WHO APPROVES YOUR SHEET/WHO IS SHIFTER ST?:

Garou, Western Shifters & Kinfolk: Jon

Hengeyokai (Eastern Shifters): (refer to KotE Rules for details)


 

Last winter, government-sponsored hunters killed 10 wolves in southeastern Norway because sheep farmers complained the predators were attacking their stock.
Conservationists protested against the hunt saying the country's wolf population -- just 28 animals -- could not survive.
Experts now say there are only 13 wolves left in Norway and that the single remaining wolf pack will probably scatter without breeding, because its alpha male was among those killed.


--CNN. June 17, 2002.

 

SHIFTER SOURCEBOOKS IN USE:

White Wolf #

Title

ISBN #

Content Notes
       
WW3064 Project Twilight (1995 2nd Ed.) (Year of the Hunter™)  ISBN: 1-56504-310-3 Officially a W:tA book but crosses over. Gov't funded top-secret agency Special Affairs Department (FBI/NSA),  investigates paranormal activities
WW3066 Freak Legion: A Players Guide to the Fomori  (BLACK DOG) (Feb. 1999) (Out of Print) ISBN: 1-56504-350-2 2nd Ed. Fomori. See Also: WW3110, WW3810, WW3109
WW3068 Midnight Circus (1996) ISBN: 1-56504-317-0 W:tA & Others. Designed as a 2nd Ed. crossover book: sort of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" meets WOD.
WW3109 Book of the Wyrm, 2nd Ed. (Nov. 1998) (Out of Print) ISBN: 1-56504-356-1 2nd Ed. The Triatic Wyrm. WYRM See Also: WW3110, WW3810, & WW3066. TRIAT See Also: WW3113 & WW3209
WW3110 Rage Across the Heavens (Aug. 1999) (Year of the Reckoning™) ISBN: 1-56504-309-X 2nd Ed. Garou prophecies & celestial influences, greater forces at work in the Umbral skies, & providing many heavenly Gifts. See Also: WW3109, WW3810, & WW3066
WW3111 Umbra, Revised Ed. (March 2001) ISBN: 1-56504-361-8 Umbra Revised covers every aspect of the spirit world in detail, from the wondrous and horrifying Realms to the mysteries of the Penumbra and Dark Umbra. Supercedes WW3204 (Velvet Shadow).
WW3112 Croatan Song ISBN: 1-56504-388-X

2nd Ed.: The World Before the Wyrm Came. Three brothers: Uktena, Wendigo and Croatan. Werewolves of Native America and their territory before the coming of Columbus.

 WW3113 Book of the Wyld (June 2001) (Out of Print) ISBN: 1-56504-367-7 Third part of the Triat. See Also: Wyrm WW3109 & Weaver WW3209
WW3114 Rage Across Egypt (Oct. 2001) (Year of the Scarab™) ISBN: 1-58846-301-X W:tA & M:tR Crossover module. The Garou's shadow war vs. the vampires of Egypt, Jackal Fever, the Fera, the mystical 12 Houses of the Underworld
WW3209 Book of the Weaver (1998) ISBN: 1-56504-311-1 The Skeins of Progress, Technology and Permanence. See Also: Wyrm WW3109 & Wyld WW3113. 
WW3804 Werewolf Storytellers Handbook, Revised Ed. (March 2002) ISBN: 1-58846-304-4 Expanded systems for Renown, Rank, rites, senses. 
Expanded info on Garou society, culture, intrigue, spirit allies, antagonists, physiology. Supercedes WW3205.

WW3805

     
WW3806 Players Guide to The Garou (Feb. 2003) ISBN: 1-58846-313-3 Supercedes. WW3108 (1998)
WW3807 Players Guide to Changing Breeds (Sept. 2003)  ISBN: 1-58846-318-4 The 11 Changing Breeds other than Garou. Gifts, rites & fetishes. The Beast Courts of Asia, the Ahadi of Africa, and more. Supercedes 8. Rokea WW3083 (2001), 9. Nagah WW3084 (2001).
WW3808      
WW3809      
WW3810 Possessed: A Player's Guide (July 2002) (Year of the Damned™) ISBN: 1-58846-307-9 3rd Ed. Guide to the dual entities created - fomori, Drones, gorgons and Kami - when a spirit takes command a mortal host. See Also: WW3110, WW3066, WW3109
WW3811 Book of the City (2002) ISBN: 1-58846-310-9 Urban/City Life: the dangers of the urban spiritscape, unexpected totem allies, vampires, Pentex; mundane problems such as law enforcement & Animal Control
WW3812 Book of Auspices (May 2003) ISBN: 1-58846-315-X Updated info on all 5 Auspices. New auspice-specific gifts, rites, fetishes, Merits and Flaws, including rate Level Six Gifts.
WW3813 Hammer and Klaive (July 2003) ISBN: 1-58846-317-6 Hammer & Klaive is the ultimate guide to fetishes (magical weapons and tools)
WW3814 Past Lives (2003) ISBN: 1-58846-319-2 The wisest & strongest of Garou linger on, remaining as spirits to guide their descendants in the great struggle
WW3851 Tribebook: Black Furies, Revised Ed. (Sept. 2001) ISBN: 1-56504-389-8 Supercedes WW3051 & Litany of the Tribes Volume 1 (WW3380, 1998)
WW3852 Tribebook: Bone Gnawers, Revised Ed. (Dec. 2001) ISBN: 1-58846-300-1 Supercedes WW3052 & Litany of the Tribes Volume 1 (WW3380, 1998)
WW3853 Tribebook: Children of Gaia, Revised Ed. (2002) ISBN: 1-58846-303-6 Supercedes WW3053 & Litany of the Tribes Volume 1 (WW3380, 1998)
WW3854 Tribebook: Fianna, Revised Ed. (April 2002) ISBN: 1-58846-306-0 Supercedes WW3054 & Litany of the Tribes Volume 2 (WW3381, 1999)
WW3855 Tribebook: Get of Fenris, Revised Ed. (May 2002) ISBN: 1-58846-312-5 Supercedes WW3055 & Litany of the Tribes Volume 2 (WW3381, 1999)
WW3856 Tribebook: Glass Walkers, Revised Ed. (Aug. 2002) ISBN: 1-58846-308-7 Supercedes WW3056 & Litany of the Tribes Volume 2 (WW3381, 1999)
 WW3857 Tribebook: Red Talons, Revised Ed. (Sept. 2002) ISBN: 1-58846-309-5 Supercedes WW3057 & Litany of the Tribes Volume 3 (WW3382, 1999)
WW3858 Tribebook: Shadow Lords, Revised Ed. (Dec. 2002) ISBN: 1-58846-311-7 Supercedes WW3058 & Litany of the Tribes Volume 3 (WW3382, 1999)
WW3859 Tribebook: Silent Striders, Revised Ed. (March 2003) ISBN: 1-58846-314-1 Supercedes WW3059 (1996) Litany of the Tribes Volume 3 (WW3382, 1999)
WW3860 Tribebook: Silver Fangs, Revised Ed. (June 2003) ISBN: 1-58846-316-8 Supercedes WW3060 (1997) & Litany of the Tribes Volume 4 (WW3383, 1999)
WW3861 Tribebook: Stargazers, Revised Ed. (Nov. 2003) ISBN: 1-58846-320-6 Supercedes WW3061 (1997) Litany of the Tribes Volume 4 (WW3383, 1999)

WW3862

Tribebook: Uktena, Revised Ed. (Dec. 2003)

ISBN: 1-58846-321-4

Supercedes. WW3062 (1997) & Litany of the Tribes Volume 4 (WW3383, 1999)
WW3863 Tribebook: Wendigo, Revised Ed. (Dec. 2003) ISBN: 1-58846-322-2 Supercedes WW3063 (1997) & Litany of the Tribes Volume 4 (WW3383, 1999)

WW3999

The Apocalypse (Feb. 2004) (Time of Judgement™)

ISBN: 1-58846-323-0

The final sourcebook for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Apocalypse is a guide for how the world ends.
WW4007 Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds (March 1997) ISBN: 1-56504-434-7 M:tA-Storyteller's resource for everything lying within the Umbra, for any of the WoD games, not just Mage.
WW9230 Bastet EBook: The Players Guide to Werecats ISBN:  Supercedes WW3075 (1997) ISBN: 1-56504-335-9
WW9231 Ananasi EBook ISBN:  Supercedes WW3082 (!997) ISBN: 1-56504-359-6

 

**NOTE: A PC may not assume to know the "aura" or reading of a Shifter until they have earned this knowledge IC, via RP, buying Shifter Lore, or info from an approved background. Otherwise, they may see the reading as stated, but it has no meaning to them.


 

SHIFTER THEMED MEDIA:

BOOKS: Wolverine - XMen Comics [Garou mannerisms], "Elfquest" by Wendy & Richard Pini

MOVIES: Wolf, Cat People (1982) [Bastet], Wolven, Teen WolfBoondock Saints [Militant Fianna], The Devil's Own [Militant Fianna], Lair of the White Worm [Nagah], Children of the Full Moon, Curse of the Werewolf, The Reptile

MUSIC: "The Four Horsemen", "Of Wolf & Man" and "Blackened" by Metallica, Anything by The Pogues [Fianna], "Wolf" by Iced Earth, "Eye of the Moon" by Stone 588, "Slipknot", "Only One", "Confessions", and "Some Feel" [A Get of Fenris becomes Abomination] by Slipknot

POETRY:

TELEVISION:

THEATER: "Cats" by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice [Cat mannerisms]

VIDEO GAMES:      

 


 

Quintessential Shifter Archetypes in Media & Myth:

UNDER CONSTRUCTION


 

LINKS TO SHIFTER RELATED WEB SITES:

 
Click to subscribe to WolfHaven

Abomination NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=26

Ananasi NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=14

A Get of Fenris Page; http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/stalks/

Bastet NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=17

Bastet of the Apocalypse: http://members.aol.com/WiidKatt2/intro.html

Corax NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=23

Fomori NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=22

First Teams (Pentex Mortals) NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=7

Garou Source Page: http://www.angelfire.com/goth/somath/Garou.html

Grandmother Two Bear's Stories (not a roleplaying site, just interesting): http://www.healinghandsoflight.homestead.com/The_Shapeshifters.html

Gurahl NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=21

Hunter's Solace: A Project Twilight RP Site: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/urbanbuda/

Kami NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=28

Kinfolk (Garou Kin Mortals) NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=7

Kitsune NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=31

Mants' Lair's W:tA Site: http://www.mants-lair.org.uk/wereindex.htm

The Middle Forms (Glabro/Crinos/Hispo): http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/WolvenRangesID/middles.html

Mokole NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=18

Nunnehi NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=32

Nunnehi Overview: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Portal/8632/nunnehi.html

Nuwisha NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=30

Pentex Equipment & Info: http://www.mants-lair.org.uk/Wyrm/pentex.htm

Rage Against Dallas's Garou Nation Page; http://www.role-play.net/whitewolf/rad/packs.htm

The Raven's Nest (Corax Page): http://home.earthlink.net/~rdisfunc/corax/index.html

Ratkin NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=19

Rokea NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=29

Seventh Generation (W:tA 1st Ed. Mortal Villians) NPC's Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=7

The Spirit World (About the Umbra): http://www.geocities.com/midnytstr/Umbra.html

Way of the Wyrm: http://www.daboyz.org/wyrm/

Werewolf NPCs INDex: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=2

Werewolf Time Line: http://www.gehenna.org.uk/~dirk/timeline/weretime.htm

Werewolf as Defined in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf

White Howler Home Page; http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/6859/whthowl.htm

White Wolf's W:tA Site: http://www.white-wolf.com/Games/Pages/Werewolfhome.html

Zmei NPCs Index: http://www.pen-paper.net/wod.php?op=npc&npctypeid=33

 


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