| Lycanthrope: The Changing |
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~ Detective Adam Garou, Full Eclipse Author's NoteThis work is loosely based on the film Full Eclipse. There are differences between this and the film, so please keep that in mind if you watch the movie. Werewolf: The Apocalypse is needed to use this expansion. Please visit my web page (http://people.wku.edu/charles.plemons/) for updates of this and other World of Darkness projects.This may be freely distributed in any format as long as credit is given to the author. This is free for anyone's use, and cannot be distributed for profit for any reason.
LycanthropesA lycanthrope is not a naturally occurring creature, instead being created by artificial means. The brain of shapeshifters contains a special fluid that can be extracted and used to alter the physiology of other living beings. This fluid must be taken intravenously and acts much like a super steroid; however, like a steroid, it has side effects.The fluid is extracted from a gland in the brain. This can be done forcefully, or a shapeshifter can extract it himself. To do this, he must insert a syringe into his temple, requiring a Willpower roll to succeed. Only two syringes full of the fluid may be extracted per day. It can, however, be stored. To create a lycanthrope, a human must be injected with the fluid. Once taken, some changes immediately begin taking effect. The human begins developing heightened senses, increased physical traits, and physical changes. The agonizing transformation takes only a few minutes; however, the results are astounding. At the end of the process, all wounds the human has suffered are healed. In the film, people who were mortally wounded were saved in this manner. After the transformation, an injection must be taken every week, or all abilities begin to fade. Taking more than one dose per week is possible but dangerous. Each dose after the first adds 1 to the lycanthrope's Rage pool and increases the difficulty of resisting all Frenzy rolls by 2. These are always Berserker Frenzies, never Fox Frenzies. When a lycanthrope Frenzies, he instantly begins the transformation into glabro form if not there already.
Abilities and Characteristics
The CurseMany would jump at the chance to gain great physical powers; however, lycanthropy has many drawbacks. First off is the requirement of the brain fluid every week. If a lycanthrope has no donor, he must find a Garou to take the fluid from. The fluid is very addictive, and going without the fluid for a week forces the lycanthrope to begin searching for the fluid. All rolls to resist Frenzy are reduced by 3 while in this state.The drug strips the human glands, replacing them with the new Garou traits. Without a weekly dose of the drug, these traits begin to fade. After missing the dose for one week, the lycanthrope loses the advanced healing ability in glabro form. After two weeks, the lycanthrope can only transform into glabro form under stress, never by will. After three weeks, all special abilities and powers are lost (including Heightened Senses and the ability to use Gifts learned). By the time a lycanthrope has missed four injections, he has deteriorated into a pathetic being. His appearance has been permanently reduced by 2 and he has residual fangs in homid form (no combat value). After four missed injections, there is nothing that can be done for the poor fool. He can never again become a lycanthrope. Any time up until that point, resuming the injections will bring back all powers and abilities. Lycanthropes were not naturally meant to be, they are a corruption of the warriors of Gaia. Thus, all lycanthropes reek with the stench of the Wyrm, and most Garou will try to destroy these monstrosities on sight.
Can I Play Too, Daddy?Who creates lycanthropes? Rogue Garou mostly, including the Skin Dancer tribe. Kinfolk will sometimes try to become lycanthropes in hopes of gaining some measure of their heritage. In fact, 1 in 100 kinfolk who take the injection will instead become a true Garou; however, like a Skin Dancer, the resulting werewolf is Wyrm tainted.Neither Heaven nor Hell can help the poor sot who becomes a lycanthrope from a Black Spiral Dancer's brain fluid. No one in their right mind would inject something from a member of the Lost Tribe's brain into their body. For some reason, the transformation takes twice as long and is much more painful, but the results are the same. Lycanthropes made by the Dancers are forced to dance the Black Spiral. A permanent derangement is the result, and if that isn't bad enough, life with a Black Spiral Dancer pack is not to be envied. Black Spiral Dancers have begun using lycanthropes as shock troops against the other tribes.
Animal LycanthropesHumans are not the only beings capable of suffering from lycanthropy. The fluids of the Changing Breeds can be used to transform animals of the appropriate species into lycanthropes. For example, a Garou's brain fluids can be used to create a wolf lycanthrope, but injecting it into other animals would be fatal. Lycanthrope animals gain some measure of intelligence and cunning (add 1 to Intelligence). However, they also inherit the ability to Frenzy, so controlling such creatures can be difficult. Instead of a glabro form, animal lycanthropes have a hispo form. The same rules apply to the animal lycanthropes as does to human ones. They are not sufficiently intelligent to learn Gifts.The hispo form of a wolf lycanthrope adds Strength + 3, Stamina + 3, and Dexterity + 2. They can bite like a glabro lycanthrope as well.
Exotic LycanthropesThe Garou are not the only Changing Breed capable of producing lycanthropes, other bete have the enzyme as well. Creation rules are identical as above, but each breed has some special traits. As rare as lycanthropes are, the non-Garou breeds are even more so. Note that a lycanthrope cannot mix the fluids of various shapeshifters. Doing so causes a reaction with the previous fluids and the result is always fatal, with no exceptions.Ajaba (Werehyena) Of all the Changing Breeds, the Ajaba have benefitted most from the discovery of the lycanthropes. Having been devastated almost to the point of extinction by the Simba, the Ajaba have used lycanthropes to bolster their numbers and give them some measure of security. Their sokto forms are ugly hairy creatures with pronounced lower jaws, sharp teeth and viscious claws (Strength +1, Dexterity +1, Stamina +2, Manipulation -1, Appearance -3; Difficulty 7). Ajaba rarely make animal lycanthropes, as hyenas are rare, plus they do not wish to tamper with their animal breeding stock. The rare hyena lycanthrope can assume a chatro form, a large and terrible hyena (Strength +2, Dexterity +2, Stamina +3, Manipulation -2; Difficulty 6). Ananasi (Werespider) The lycanthropes of the werespiders are the most bizarre of all. When a human is injected with this fluid, vast physiological changes sweep through the body. They lose the ability to gain nurishment from solid food, instead being forced to live on blood as a true Ananasi would. Instead of Rage, they have a Blood Pool. This pool can reach a maximum of 10, and they expend one blood point per day to live. The new creature has to now feed on blood and take the weekly injections from its donor. A werespider lycanthrope's second form is a hideous cross between man and spider. The eyes become large and segmented and the skin is dark and chitonous. Course hair sprouts from the body, and the mouth develops mandibles making their speech very hard to comprehend. Sharp claws extend from the fingers and limbs become double-jointed. Physical stats are Strength +1, Dexterity +2, Stamina +2, Appearance 0, Manipulation 0. Ananasi lycanthropes do not take aggravated damage from silver, instead taking such damage from pesticides. It is somewhat difficult to create lycanthropes from spiders. Doing so requires the use of naturally large arachnids such as tarantulas or bird spiders. Smaller species do not survive the transformation. For those that do, they are able to assume a large 3' diameter spider of their breed. Such spiders maintain the traits of whatever spider they are created from (i.e. webspinning abilities, poison, etc.). This form adds Strength +2, Stamina +1, Dexterity +2, Difficulty 7. Bastet (Werecat) These are the second most common type of lycanthrope; however, there are numerous variations within this group, one for each of the existing Bastet tribes. Like their parent species, these lycanthropes are generally level-headed, and all except those created from the Khan and Balam have their difficulty to Frenzy increased by one. Their sokto form statistics are as follows:
As far as animal lycanthropes go, Bastet lycanthropes are pretty common. They gain the ability to attain the chatro form, each of which has different aspects per breed as below:
Corax (Wereraven) Due to the unique spiritual nature of the Corax, they cannot produce lycanthropes from humans or ravens. Gurahl (Werebear) The lycanthropes of the Gurahl are among the rarest of the breeds. Finding a Gurahl to get the fluid from is next to impossible, and finding enough of the fluid to maintain the lycanthrope state is a major undertaking. If such a being did exist, it would have a larger glabro form (Strength +3, Stamina +3, Appearance -2, Manipulation -1; Difficulty 7). Also, like a true Gurahl, these lycanthropes cannot gain extra actions with Rage, instead gaining extra Strength. Even rarer are the lycanthropes made from normal bears. These beasts are able to assume a monstrously massive hispo form (Strength +4, Stamina +5, Dexterity -2, Difficulty 7). Controlling such an eating machine would be next to impossible without some truly impressive Gifts. Kitsune (Werefox) The Nine-tails of Asia lack the gland that produces the lycanthrope enzyme. There are no Kitsune lycanthropes, and there never will be. Mokole (Werealligator) The human lycanthropes of this breed look much like reptile men. They grow claws and teeth and fine green scales on their bodies. As the Mokole have no glabro form, there is no other creature that these lycanthropes resemble. Their second form is larger and more powerful than human (Strength +3, Stamina +2, Dexterity -1, Appearance -1, Manipulation -1; Difficulty 7). Crocadilians injected with the fluid of the Mokole are able to assume the form of a huge reptile, larger even than the nightmarish myths of sewer alligators. Such monsters are all but impossible to control when enraged (Strength +2, Stamina +3, Dexterity -1, Difficulty 6). Animal lycanthropes can be created from alligators, crocadiles, and Komodo dragons. Nagah (Wereserpent) Lycanthropes of the snake people are almost non-existant. They can assume the silkaram form, a humanoid covered in snake scales. Their hands and feet become webbed, aiding in their swimming ability. Their fingernails harden and grow into claws (Strength +1). Although they have fangs, they do not have venom. Their silkaram statistics are Strength +2, Stamina +2, Appearance -2, Manipulation -2; Difficulty 7. Any breed of serpent can be turned into a lycanthrope. They retain their instincts and attack forms (bite, constriction, etc.), as well as gaining the ability to assume the kali dahaka form. This great snake is as big around as a man's leg and has gills enabling it to function on land and water. The form statistics are Strength +2, Dexterity +2, Stamina +2, and Difficulty 7. Nuwisha (Werecoyote) These lycanthropes have no Rage pool and cannot Frenzy naturally. Like a true Nuwisha, they can be forced to Frenzy by Gifts. Like a Garou lycanthrope, they do have to roll for changes in stress situations. They use their Willpower instead of Rage. Also, silver does not inflict aggravated damage. They have a tsitsu form (Strength +1, Stamina +2, Dexterity +1, Manipulation -1; Difficulty 7). If a coyote is turned into a lycanthrope, it is able to assume the sendeh form, which looks like a large red wolf (Strength +2, Stamina +3, Dexterity +3, Difficulty 7). Ratkin (Wererats) The wererats are created by a disease, not being born naturally. If any of their brain fluids are injected into a human, death is the result. There are no Ratkin lycanthropes. Rokea (Weresharks) The hideous human lycanthropes of this tribe are much to be feared. They gain the mass of a shark while maintaining human shape. They do not have any claws or fins, but they do have a wicked bite that can inflict Strength +2 damage. These lycanthropes also grow gills in their second form, so they may swim and breathe underwater. Their tsufu form statistics are Strength +3, Stamina +3, Appearance 0, Manipulation 0. Jaws lives! A shark injected with the Rokea brain fluid is able to assume a massive second form that puts the largest great whites to shame. Such a beast would be nigh unstoppable in a feeding frenzy! Such a beast's second form has Strength +4 and Stamina +3.
Use in the World of Darkness
Ideas and ConsiderationsA lycanthrope can very easily be ghouled like most any other living thing. This results in an addiction to the fluid as well as vampire vitae. Such a being is probably pretty pathetic. They must have a vampire donor as well as a Garou one.A vampiric garou (an Abomination) cannot create a lycanthrope, as their brains do not produce the living enzymes necessary to bring about the change. An Abomination is more likely to accept a lycanthrope than a normal Garou, as they are an outcast as well. It is very important that lycanthropes and their creators keep in mind that they do not inflict Delirium upon humans. This makes the use of lycanthropes risky, as it is only a matter of time before people start noticing.
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