Werewolf: The Forsaken

The Hunt Continues
Werewolf: The Forsaken Daily
Posted: 2005-02-04

FRIDAY 2/4
Nature of the Beast
This week we reveal some of the most fundamental effects of lycanthropy. Having undergone the First Change, a werewolf stops being a human being and becomes Uratha — let's see just what that means.

MONDAY 1/31 UPDATE

Let's Get Primal — The heart of an ancient predator beast within every werewolf's chest. Her own preternaturally primal nature grants her an inherent bond with the mystical that only absolute neglect and self-indulgence can suppress. The power of the werewolf's spirit half is measured in a trait called Primal Urge, and it compels werewolves in all aspects of their existence. Gaining dots in this advantage indicates a character's rising potency among her own kind and spirits, and it increases the power she can bring to bear through Gifts and rites. She also becomes a formidable warrior, better able to fuse the strengths of spirit and flesh within her own form. Notably, Primal Urge determines how much Essence (the spiritual "fuel" that powers many Gifts) a werewolf can draw upon.

Primal Urge is a double-edged sword, however. All werewolves have some difficulty relating with ordinary humans; their innate predatory nature disturbs and unsettles humans around them. As a werewolf draws on more of her primal nature by increasing her Primal Urge, this unsettling predatory aura increases in strength. All werewolves suffer a penalty to Social rolls made to sway ordinary humans (except through pure intimidation). In addition, as a werewolf's Primal Urge increases, the power of her spirit half begins to exceed the heritage of flesh. A character with Primal Urge of 6 or more becomes subject to Essence bleed — after she spends a certain amount of time in the material world, she loses a point of Essence, and can eventually be driven into a deep sleep.

TUESDAY 2/1 UPDATE

Madness, I Say — Human beings have long recognized the power of the moon to inspire them, to cause them to become contemplative, and to drive them mad. The Uratha benefit from a concentrated form of this power derived from their spiritual mother, Luna. This power wraps around a werewolf like a cloak, infecting human observers with the same sort of insanity that causes them to become more violent under the full moon and to forget what the night led them to do.

When a human observer clearly sees a werewolf in Dalu, Gauru or Urshul, or even sees the use of certain clearly supernatural Gifts, he is affected by the Lunacy. He might run in terror, curl up into a catatonic ball or even stand his ground depending on the severity of the exposure and his underlying will. Lunacy is strongest when facing a werewolf in nightmarish Gauru form, but it is never safe for a werewolf to adopt any hybrid form with humans present.

Even photographic records of the Uratha benefit from the protection of Lunacy to a limited degree. Although a snapshot taken of a werewolf in Gauru doesn't frighten anyone who looks at it, most humans simply refuse to believe that the picture could be more than a hoax.

This protection is hardly perfect, however. Willful humans can shake off the Lunacy for a time and are likely to come looking for explanations for what they've seen. Also, other supernatural denizens of the World of Darkness — vampires and things more dangerous still — do not suffer from the Lunacy.

WEDNESDAY 2/2 UPDATE

Talking 'Bout My (re)Generation — Hollywood tells us that only a silver bullet can kill a werewolf. This is not strictly true, but the Uratha can indeed absorb huge amounts of physical punishment without dying. Their bodies quickly rebuild, with even deep gashes and broken bones healing in minutes, leaving no lasting indication. While werewolves can be killed by conventional means, it's much more likely that an assailant simply sees an Uratha slump over and change to human form… and then is unpleasantly surprised when the werewolf flies into frenzy again a moment later.

Werewolf characters regenerate one point of bashing damage per turn. This healing occurs regardless of whether an Uratha rests. She regenerates bashing damage at this rate even in the heat of battle, as an automatic, reflexive action. By spending a point of Essence, the werewolf can choose to regenerate a point of lethal damage instead of a point of bashing. (Uratha who can spend more than one point of Essence per turn, can regenerate more than one point of lethal damage per turn as well.)

Werewolves cannot regenerate aggravated damage (at least no faster than a normal human beings). In addition to certain supernatural attacks, silver weapons also cause aggravated damage to werewolves. Simple contact is not enough — the silver must be made into a weapon (such a bullet or a knife). The Forsaken do not carry silver weapons — doing so is simply an invitation to murder.

THURSDAY 2/3 UPDATE

It's All a Matter of Balance — Werewolves aren't human. Although they're raised with human mores, they find certain ethical credos somewhat counterintuitive. For example, even before her First Change, a werewolf might not consider stealing to be especially criminal. After all, if the owner of the given property wasn't strong or smart enough to protect it, why shouldn't the werewolf take it? On the flip side werewolves often form very close bonds to friends and family, protecting them as a wolf does her packmates, even if the feelings are not mutual.

When the First Change comes, a werewolf suddenly begins to see the world through different eyes. It can seem like pure liberation to some and utter damnation to others. In one case, the werewolf ceases to care about human morays and laws and exults in his bestial nature. In the other, the werewolf feels overcome by those same bloody urges and fears just what moral lines she might cross. In reality, the path toward peace of mind lies in neither extreme, but in balancing wolf and human, spirit and flesh, instinct and reason. It is a tricky line to walk, but all the Forsaken do. This is the path of Harmony.

This credo stresses the need to abide by the laws that the werewolves have set down, to keep Rage in check until it's needed, to honor Luna and the totems (both pack and tribal) and to always protect the pack. It is neither a path of peace nor of unabashed savagery.

Mechanically, Harmony functions much like Morality for human characters (and Humanity for vampires), but the nature of the hierarchy of sins is quite different. The gravest sins include hunting humans or wolves for food, betraying the pack, and murdering another werewolf. Less serious concerns include remaining in one form for prolonged periods, disrespecting a powerful spirit (even an enemy can be respected), or failing to obtain one's own food. Human concerns such as property damage and theft do not appear — and even killing a human must be utterly unjustified to cause a serious moral problem to a werewolf.

FRIDAY 2/4 UPDATE

Don't Make Me Angry — Death Rage, or Kuruth, is the werewolf at his most savage — ignoring mortal danger, desiring nothing but to feel his prey tear apart under his fangs and claws. Death Rage gets its name not only from the likelihood that the werewolf will kill those around her, but also because it is a loss of self akin to death and because it courts the possibility of dying like a rabid beast instead of as a warrior or hunter. Each Death Rage could be a werewolf's last.

A werewolf loses control of his anger and enters Kuruth when he's provoked beyond the bounds of self-control. This provocation is clearest in life-and-death situations in combat (suffering aggravated damage, for example). The true horror of Kuruth, however, is that it can surface apart from life-or-death situations. For example, a werewolf can be driven into Death Rage by discovering that her boyfriend has been cheating on her, only to come to her senses covered in his blood and torn flesh. The lower a werewolf's Harmony, the less egregious the provocation necessary to tip them over the edge. Those with high Harmony might only be sent into Kuruth by the murder of a loved one, while those who have degenerated could be set off by simple humiliation. Regardless of the stimulus, the player rolls Resolve + Composure for the werewolf to resist giving in.

Upon entering Death Rage, a werewolf automatically assumes Gauru form and remains in that form for as long as the rage lasts. While in the grip of Kuruth, a werewolf attempts to destroy any potential target he can see, friend or foe. This berserk state lasts until the end of the scene or the character suffers a wound in one of his last three Health boxes (when he would normally suffer a wound penalty). At this point, the instinct for self-preservation takes over and is overwhelmed by the instinct to survive at all costs, an instinct that takes the form of pure fear. He runs as quickly as possible away from the source of the trouble, attacking those who get in the way.

Whether he's fighting or fleeing, a character in Death Rage is still subject to all the mechanical benefits of Gauru form. In addition, any attempts to mentally or socially coerce or influence the subject through Gifts, vampire Disciplines, mage spells or other means suffer a –3 penalty. It is exceptionally difficult to direct or halt the overwhelming fury of Kuruth.

Next Week: Nasties — We covered the Pure Tribes last week, but there are other threats facing the Forsaken. Tune in next week to learn more.