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Shapeshifter Advantages
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Werewolves are still werewolves the moment they are born, even if they don’t have their First Change for a while. His soul is Garou; he is, in essence, part flesh and part spirit. Even if he dies before the First Change, he’ll still be a werewolf, and his soul will pass on to another body to be born as a Garou, eventually. [ Players Guide To Garou — Page 57 ]
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Metis can have sex; the parts, as it were, work just fine. It’s just that no conception can take place. [ Players Guide To Garou — Page 59 ]
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There is no such thing as a “Garou gene,” making the ability to clone shapeshifters impossible. The factor of being Garou is largely spiritual; it’s something that some Gifts and spirits can pick up on, but not scientific blood tests. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 20 ]
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Werewolves can regenerate several limbs or digits as long as the wound didn’t cause a Battle Scar. A severed head does not grow back, however. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 20 ]
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Matings between Garou and Fera do not produce metis. Metis are the result of two shapeshifters with too-compatible spirit-halves mating; it’s kind of like incest, but on a spiritual level. The child is the breed of the mother. The chances for “breeding true” are drastically reduced down to a 5% chance that a child will breed true to the mother’s race. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 20 ]
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Werewolves born under a lunar eclipse are of the Ahroun Auspice, since lunar eclipses can only occur during a full moon. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 21 ]
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The Past Life Background refers to the Ancestors Background. The name was changed for the Revised edition to reflect what the Background actually did. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 21 ]
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If a shapeshifter joins a pack but doesn’t put points into the Totem Background, he can learn to use the pack tactics as usual and can be “led” into the Umbra by an opener of the way (but cannot be nominated as the opener of the way). He cannot share the totem’s traits or ban until he has made a commitment to the totem (via spending experience points and roleplay). [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 21 ]
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Shapeshifters that renounce their Auspice keep their old Gifts; they just cannot learn any other Gifts for their old Auspice. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 21 ]
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While in the Umbra, shapeshifters can roll Stamina to soak damage; they do not use Gnosis to soak. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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All shapeshifters soak bashing damage as normal in all forms. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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Homid breed (or its equivalent) soaks lethal and aggravated damage in all forms except Homid. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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Lupus breed (or the equivalent) soaks lethal and aggravated damage in all forms except Lupus. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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Metis soak all forms of damage as normal in all forms. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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A homid breed (or its equivalent) can regenerate in all forms except homid. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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A lupus breed (or its equivalent) can regenerate in all forms except lupus. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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A metis regenerates in all forms. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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Silver does not cause aggravated damage to a homid breed (or its equivalent) in homid form. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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Silver does not cause aggravated damage to a lupus breed (or its equivalent) in lupus form. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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If a shapechanger in Berserk Frenzy whose Gnosis exceeds her permanent Rage spends a Willpower point, she can distinguish between friend and foe, even if they aren’t of her pack. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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If a shapechanger in Berserk Frenzy whose Rage exceeds her permanent Gnosis spends a Willpower point, she can distinguish between friend and foe, even if they aren’t of her pack. She cannot accurately identify them, however; the Storyteller will tell you that she is attacking an enemy, but not which enemy. She can only distinguish between “packmate” and “not packmate.” [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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A shapechanger whose permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds her permanent Rage will not attack her packmates (unless she is in the Thrall of the Wyrm). [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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Shapeshifters are not considered to be mortals for purposes of powers and such. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 196 ]
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Shapeshifters may roll Willpower to resist the vampire Kiss. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 196 ]
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Shapeshifters are considered to have a blood pool of 20 (25 in Crinos form due to large size). [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 196 ]
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Werewolves are allergic to vampiric vitae and are more difficult to ghoul or blood bond. If the roll succeeds, the shapeshifter in question is among those who is allergic to the vitae. If the roll fails or botches, the werewolf has a tolerance for vampiric vitae. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 197 ]
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Gifts that don’t require rolls function normally while in the Dark Umbra. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 201 ]
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A shapeshifter may spend a Gnosis point to “drop out” of the Shadowlands and into the physical world at any point; if farther from the Shadowlands, the Gnosis expenditure only gives the shapeshifter a sense of the closest route back to the Middle Umbra proper. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 201 ]
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Rage can be spent to gain extra actions in a single turn; no more than half her permanent Rage score can be spent in one turn. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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A Rage point can be spent to instantly transform a shapeshifter into any form without having to roll Stamina + Primal-Urge. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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If a shapeshifter loses more health levels in one turn than his Stamina rating, he’s stunned and unable to act in the next turn. Spending a Rage point negates this effect. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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Rage can be used to keep a character going that falls below Incapacitated. (See Rage information). This can only be done once per scene. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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Shapeshifters, unlike mortals, can attempt to soak all three types of damage (bashing, lethal, aggravated). [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 186 ]
Shapeshifter Disabilities
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Other animals, especially humans, can sense the predator in a werewolf, and they shy from him. Whenever a Garou’s Rage exceeds a human’s Willpower, the human will avoid contact with the Garou as much as possible. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — 191, 192 ]
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It is technically possible that two unknowing homids can breed and have a metis child before their First Change. Most of the time, the First Change happens around puberty, so changes are good they’ll know they shouldn’t be mating before they actually can mate. Lost cubs, of course, are the exception. Moreover, unless the female undergoes the First Change before the baby is born, she’ll die, not being able to shift into Crinos. And finally, consider that the chances for a miscarriage are higher; a barely pubescent body is going to have a difficult time carrying any child to term, much less a metis. All in all, it’s a highly improbable scenario. [ Players Guide To Garou — Page 57 ]
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By sheer necessity, female metis give birth in Crinos form. Trying to give birth in any other form would probably kill both the mother and the child because of the size and shape of the metis baby in proportion to the mother’s body (neither wolf nor human pelvic bones are up to the task). That’s always an option if the character wants to die, of course, but it’s both uncertain and extraordinarily painful. [ Players Guide To Garou — Page 59 ]
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Just like every other living creature, a werewolf has a natural progression through life. Once a Garou reaches 70 or so, her body gradually, but inevitably, begins to betray her. [ Players Guide To Garou — 223, 224 ]
When Garou start to lose hope, they may fall into Harano — a possible death sentence. Though Harano is much like a deep depression, it is much worse, affecting the spirit of the shapechanger itself. [ Players Guide To Garou — Page 226 ]
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Shapechangers are subject to frenzy. Any Rage roll can ignite a frenzy, even those made to activate specific Gifts. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 190 ]
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Sometimes a Garou’s Rage goes too far, nearly consuming him. The Beast takes over, and the Garou commits depravities unimaginable otherwise. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 191 ]
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Though shapeshifters can regenerate limbs under certain circumstances, they cannot regrow a head. A severed head does not grow back and will kill a werewolf. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 20 ]
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A limb or digit that is cut from a shapechanger reverts to its breed form. Thus, shapechangers go to great lengths to retrieve severed body parts. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 20 ]
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Shapechangers are not considered as Kinfolk before their First Change. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 20 ]
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Shapeshifters cannot breed with and produce offspring with dogs. The animal partner must be a wolf-dog hybrid with at least 75% wolf in it, and even then the chances are low that offspring is produced. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 20 ]
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No domesticated animal can produce shapeshifter offspring. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 20 ]
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A homid breed (or its equivalents) cannot soak lethal or aggravated damage in Homid form. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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A lupus breed (or the equivalent) cannot soak lethal or aggravated damage in Lupus form. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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A homid breed (or its equivalent) cannot regenerate in homid form; this form heals as mortals do. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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A lupus breed (or its equivalent) cannot regenerate in lupus form; this form heals as mortals do. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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Metis lose Gnosis for carrying silver. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 22 ]
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Metis take aggravated damage from silver in all forms.
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The difficulty to use any Gift is increased by +1 while in the Dark Umbra. [ Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook (Revised) — Page 201 ]
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Any time a Garou rolls Rage and scores four or more successes, he enters a Frenzy. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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For every point of Rage a character has above her Willpower rating, she loses one die on all social-interaction rolls. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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Rage cannot be regained if a character has lost or spent all Rage and Willpower points. The shapeshifter cannot shift to anything except his breed form until his Rage returns. At least one Willpower point must be regained before Rage can be recovered. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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Rage and Gnosis cannot be spent in the same turn, with the exception of certain Gifts that demand both. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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For every object made of or containing silver that a character is carrying, she loses one effective point from her Gnosis rating. More potent objects cause the character to lose more. This effect is temporary; it lasts only a day after the silver is discarded. Too much silver can even affect a pack’s Gnosis. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 126 ]
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Spending a temporary Willpower point grants one instant success. Only one point can be spent this way each turn. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 128 ]
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A shapeshifter’s claws and teeth inflict aggravated damage, as do fire, acid, and other sources of extreme trauma — such as chainsaw wounds. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 186 ]
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If damage that took a shapeshifter past Incapacitated is bashing damage, she falls unconscious but stays in whatever form she was in when she took the damage. She heals at her normal rate as well. If the damage that takes a character past Incapacitated is lethal damage, the character reverts to her breed form and collapses. If the damage that takes a character past Incapacitated is aggravated, she will die unless she channels her Rage to remain active. [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 187 ]
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Shapeshifters regenerate one bashing or lethal health level every turn. Homid and lupus-breed Garou can regenerate roughly a health level a day while in their natural forms if they are in critical condition, but doing so requires their bodies to work in overdrive. If they are conscious and moving around in their breed form, they heal as humans do. Metis are blessed with full regeneration in all forms. No Garou, regardless of breed, can regenerate aggravated damage. Aggravated damage is healed at one level per day, during which the Garou must rest in a form other than his natural one (if homid or lupus). [ Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Revised) — Page 188 ]
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Gold affects Corax in Corvid and Rara Avis forms the way silver affects Garou, which is to say, badly. Skin contact with gold causes an aggravated wound every turn, while every successful attack an opponent makes with a gold weapon causes an aggravated wound, regardless of the niceties of the damage roll. Furthermore, each gold item carried by a Corax reduces his Gnosis score by 1 until such time as he discards the offending piece. [ Corax — Page 68 ]