The Garou Breeds Lycanthropy is not always a disease but an inheritable trait. As dual beings (being both wolves and men), Garou can (and do) interbreed with both species. A Garou's extended non-shapechanging family is called its Kinfolk. Most often, Garou are born to one non-Garou and one Garou parent but in families (both wolf and human) where Garou blood is especially strong, Homid or Lupus Garou sometimes are born from non-shapeshifting parents. The circumstances of their parentage determines their breed. A Garou born in human form is called a homid; a Garou born in wolf form is called a lupus. The breed or species of the mother determines the breed of the Garou. A Garou born from two Garou parents is called a Metis and is invariably deformed as a result of this inbreeding, as well as completely sterile; however, Metis have Gifts and advantages exclusive to their breed, including the ability to regenerate in all their various forms and a deeper understanding of Garou society owing to their pre-change life exclusively amongst the Garou. Once pariahs in Garou society, trying times have led to the partial integration of the Metis breed into the ranks of the Garou. A werewolf's breed determines (to some extent) their Gnosis, or spiritual awareness (Lupus Garou being more in tune with the primal spirit world than Homids, and Metis Garou being in between). Prior to their First Change, Garou typically live amongst their kinfolk; in most cases, non-metis Garou are raised unaware of their true nature. Garou usually experience their first change during puberty, occurring in the early teenage years for homids, around 1–2 years of age for lupus, and typically about 6–10 years of age for metis. Prior to this change, the proto-garou is usually unable to change forms, a condition that rarely causes difficulty amongst the homid and lupus, but which confines the metis to the perimeter (or bawn) of Garou-held holy places called caerns. In general, while most non-metis Garou leave their native societies to live among their shapechanging kin (engaging in a modern primitive lifestyle), they retain healthy contact with their Kinfolk to ensure their protection as family and the overall health and vitality of the Garou line Auspices Garou society is divided into five auspices, or spiritual life-paths that a Garou is born with. They are tied to the phases of the Moon and considered gifts from Gaia's sister Luna. These auspices determine (to some extent) a Garou's Rage, or violent predatory instinct. The auspice system is one of the pillars of Garou society as it helps to describe social caste, predisposition, and calling. The auspices are: Ragabash: Auspice of the new moon, the Trickster. The Questioner of the Ways. Ragabash have a duty to question Garou society and, by so doing to show what needs to be changed and what doesn't. Theurge: Auspice of the crescent moon, the Seer and Shaman. The Searcher of the Ways. The Theurge serve as intercessors between their Garou brethren and the spirits. Philodox: Auspice of the half moon, the Mediator, Counsellor and Judge. The Keeper of the Ways. ThePhilodox are tasked with knowing the laws of the Garou by heart, thus discerning right and wrong as well as settling disagreements. Galliard: Auspice of the gibbous moon, the Bard. The Lover of the Ways. The Galliard remind the other Garou of their heritage and history with their passion for the ways of the garou. Ahroun: Auspice of the full moon, the Warrior. The Protector of the Ways. While all Garou are warriors, the Ahroun excel at the arts of war, even if they are often unstable. Their task is to enforce the ways with skill, tactics and, if necessary, with brute strength. These auspice names, the ones most widely used, were originally devised by the Fianna; and several of the other tribes (particularly the Get of Fenris and Wendigo, who have grievances with the Fianna) use their own nomenclature when referring to auspice. Some garou also use the associated moon phase instead of the auspice' name, as in "I'm Evan-Heals-The-Past, a half moon." As a Garou performs deeds fitting with their auspice, they rise in rank in Garou society. While Garou can renounce their auspice and select another more suited to their true calling, this is a grave action, done only incases where a Garou's auspice truly does not fit their destiny. Such a Garou turns his back on his former life completely, renouncing not only his auspice, but his renown and even his spirit-granted gifts as well. Auspices are not the end-all-be-all role of each garou. In fact each garou is expected to serve small functions of each auspice. Ahrouns are usually the leader, and therefore must be able to sometimes perform mediaton. Other garou besides theurges are expected to deal with spirits, even though it is not their primary function. This is why many tribes and other auspices have gifts specifically to deal with spirits (example, call to duty, a philodox gift, and spirit speech, and Uktena gift). All garou are expected to fight for Gaia, not just the Ahrouns. Some tribes, the Get of Fenris in particular, expect all of their members to be adept at fighting. Society Garou are not solitary creatures. They live in packs like wolves do and organize themselves into septs (groups of packs). In former times septs used to be communities of one tribe only, but now septs often house garou from more than one tribe. This also led to multi-tribal packs. Some septs live around a holy site, called Caern, a place with magical properties. Besides the community the a garou lives in, the tribe he belongs to, has a more or less strict social infrastructure, depending on the tribe in question. Werewolfs usually form a pack. This pack is either wandering (not belonging to a particular sept) or living in a sept. The other garou of the sept are then the NPC's. The playable Tribes form a loose coalition, known as the Garou Nation. This Nation is based on two core aspects: the common set of laws, called The Litany the three virtues Honor, Glory and Wisdom The Rank of a Garou in the society is measured by his renown as being glorious, honorable and wise. Garou Litany As a whole, the Garou Nation follow a set of rules called the Litany as listed here. Adherence to the litany ranges between individuals and tribes from strict obedience to simple lip service. Garou Shall Not Mate with Garou Garou are forbidden to mate with their own kind.
Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds
Respect the Territory of Another
Submission to Those of Higher Station
The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest of Station
Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans
Respect for Those beneath Ye - All Are of Gaia Garou tend to think of themselves in communal terms, and they thus realize that most creatures have some sort of contribution to make toward the whole. When all is said and done, Garou were created to be the world's protectors. The chivalric ideal is much in vogue among some septs, and Garou who display a great deal of noblesse oblige may get Renown. This tenet also softens the edge of the fifth and sixth tenets. The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted This tenet was instituted after the Inquisition of the medieval and renaissance periods wreaked havoc upon the Garou population. This is perhaps the most inviolate portion of the Litany. There is no "reality" here - Garou are aware that both the Wyrm and the Inquisition hunt for them. Garou who disobey this edict die at the claws of their brethren. With the Delirium covering their actions, however, many Garou feel that it is difficult to breach the veil at all, and, in the case of Frenzy, breaches of the veil are sometimes unavoidable. This is yet another reason Garou often avoid cities; cities not only offer more provocation to frenzy (claustrophobia, surprise, street crime, frustration, etc.) but then a frenzy within a city will almost certainly be witnessed by humans. Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness In ancient days, an injured, infirm or aged Garou was simply torn to pieces by his peers. As time went on, however, it came to be considered more dignified to let such a Garou end his own life. This tenet is softened; aged or infirm Garou who are still sound of mind are often allowed to survive and mentor younger Garou. The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time during Peace Though Garou are known for their pack mentality, this does not mean they must slavishly obey their leaders. If no immediate threat is pending, any Garou of sufficient standing may challenge another's position of leadership. A contest of some sort is usually staged. If the challenger wins, he assumes the mantle of leadership; if he loses, he must accept the leader's dictates with good grace. The Leader May Not Be Challenged during Wartime Certain creatures of the Wyrm are monstrous in size and power, and no one Garou can best them. Pack tactics are vital to the Garou's success against such creatures, and obedience is vital to successful pack tactics. In battle, the word of the leader is immutable law. A Garou who disobeys a superior will be punished as soon as circumstances permit, assuming that the Garou in question and those he disobeyed survive the encounter. Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated Like the preceding clause about the Veil, this rule is fairly ironclad. The caerns are Gaia's lifeblood and if they are destroyed, the Garou will cease to exist. Even a Garou who accidentally leads an enemy to a caern is often severely punished. Even the most Ragabash cannot bring themselves to actively oppose this tenet. Spirituality Garou worship several dieties depending on their alignment. Jazelda demon lord of werewolves, Desna goddess of the Night and the Moon , and Erastil god of the Hunt. Garou are spiritual creatures. The culture of the Garou nation is centered around venerating various dieties (every pack, sept, and tribe has its patron) History According to Garou oral history, it was always their duty to keep the balance on behalf of Gaia. They did so by culling overgrown populaces, hunting too powerful predators that otherwise would rampage unchecked and fending off otherwordly spirits that overstepped their stance. The formation of nations and cities was the first radical change wrought on the Garou by humanity. The Garou prevented it by declaring a limited war upon humanity, a period known as the Impergium. During this time, Garou are credited with destroying large human cities, retarding the technological and scientific progress of the human race, and even imposing population caps upon the humans of any given area, killing and sometimes eating humans when they grew too numerous. Though the Impergium dates back to the Mythic Age before recorded history (occurring over a period of approximately 3,000 years between 13,000 and 10,000 years ago), humanity has retained an inborn fear of the Garou. Humans seeing Garou in their hybrid (Crinos) form are usually struck with a condition known as Delirium, a state of panic and denial that has been largely responsible for modern humanity's disbelief of the existence of the Garou. Most humans who have suffered from Delirium either have very little memory of the incident that caused it or they rationalize it and remember an animal attack or the work of a psychopathic human. Subconsciously, however, the human may experience an aversion to wolves and other canids in general or to the particular Garou they witnessed. The memory loss or rationalization of events as well as the fact that the general public is unaware of werewolf existence is called The Veil (not to be confused with the mystical barrier between material and spiritual world called The Gauntlet). Following the end of the Impergium, the Garou maintained an active but subtle role in the direction of humanity through the Industrial Revolution and to the present. During such time the Garou waged war with the other Fera, dramatically reducing the numbers of the other shifters as well as completely destroying at least 2 Fera breeds (the Apis were-bulls and Grondr were-boars); this time is known as the War of Rage. The War of Rage lasted approximately another 3,000 years after the end of the Impergium, and the Garou claim that it was started when the Gurahl were-bears refused their duty to teach the Garou a powerful rite. During the period of the "taming of the West" in America in the 1700-1800s, the Garou engaged in a second War of Rage against not just the Fera of the New World, but against their own brethren, the Native American tribes of Garou (who call themselves the Pure Ones); in this war, the Garou exterminated the Camazotz werebats and drove their totem, Bat, to madness and the service of the Wyrm. The careless progress of the European Garou (called Wyrmcomers by the Pure Ones) also severed the mystical bonds restraining a powerful bane (a spirit servitor of the Wyrm). This bane captured and devoured a powerful servant of the Weaver, combining their essences and becoming the Storm-Eater. The Storm-Eater whipped the umbra of the West into a terrible frenzy resembling an earthly storm, gaining it the nickname "Storm Umbra," and further threatened to bring on an early Apocalypse. The Storm-Eater was eventually re-bound by the sacrifice of 13 Elder Garou and the execution of the Rite of Still Skies (discovered by the Two-Moons pack, led by the Silver Fang Theurge Isaiah Morningkill of House Wyrmfoe). The overwhelming societal transformation of the Industrial Revolution weakened Gaia and pushed the Umbra away from terrestrial reality, giving it less influence over the world. This period was marked by the withdrawal and extinction of many spirit varieties, but also heralded the birth of new "urban" spirits (such as glass and electricity elementals). These changes were visible in the Umbral landscape, as sites associated with Gaia became fewer and weaker, while the Pattern Web of the Weaver and the corrupt influence of the Wyrm became more prominent. As the defense of Gaia becomes more difficult, the Garou have found their tasks increasingly harder to perform. Once able to act as silent warriors and guides, many have been reduced to guerrilla tactics and monkeywrenching. These ill omens have led to a general consensus that an Apocalypse is nigh, in which a final desperate battle will be waged by all sides. In addition to discrete threats such as the Wyrm and its minions, Garou find themselves opposed to the faceless foe of general disinterest in Gaia. Environmental disasters and modern warfare have done considerable damage to Gaia in recent decades. This callousness is sometimes spread by the Wyrm itself (as best exemplified by the Pentex corporation, a global conglomerate dedicated to spreading the Wyrm's influence). The Garou themselves are a self-acknowledged dying race; the largest Gaian tribes number 750-1,250 Garou worldwide, with the smaller tribes numbering less than 500. The wyrm-serving Black Spiral Dancers comprise fully one-tenth of the total Garou population and are the largest single tribe. The Garou are beings of both physical strength and spiritual depth. Created by (and in most cases fighting on the side of) a force known as Gaia, Garou are shapeshifters capable of changing their physical form at will to appear as humans (a form they call homid), wolves (lupus), or several intermediary mixed forms. There are: glabro; physically strong and brutish humans, crinos; the traditional wolf-man, and hispo; wolves of unnatural size and strength. Unlike werewolves in most traditional folklore, Garou in Werewolf: The Apocalypse are neither mindless predators nor lunatics. Instead, they are depicted as defenders of Mother Earth and its Umbra (or spirit world). Lycanthrope Race A character who chooses to be born a lycanthrope or chooses to keep a lycanthropic curse can progress in the werewolf template class to gain werewolf abilities. This template class can also be used by natural werewolves who wish to start play at lower levels and develop their powers, or for characters who somehow acquire this form of lycanthropy from another source. This template class can be taken only by a lycanthrope who is aware of his condition, whether because he was born a werewolf or because he realizes that he is afflicted with lycanthropy. Any ability noted as applying to all forms is available to the werewolf in his natural, hybrid, and animal forms, but not forms acquired via polymorph or other means. Each lycanthrope template class has three levels, but only natural lycanthropes can take all the levels it offers. An afflicted lycanthrope can take only 1st and 2nd levels in the class, since his level adjustment is +2 instead of +3. Lycanthrope template classes also follow special rules relating to the benefits such characters acquire from their animal natures. The template allows for a level adjustment of +3 (or +2 for afflicted lycanthropes), but that value does not include the Hit Dice from the lycanthrope's animal form. So while a 1st-level human natural werewolf warrior (as presented in the Monster Manual) has a level adjustment of +3, his ECL is actually 6 -- 1 from his warrior Hit Die, +3 from the template, +2 for his wolf Hit Dice. Thus, in addition to the levels offered via the appropriate lycanthrope template class, each kind of lycanthrope also has a separate (optional) class progression for his animal abilities. Essentially, a character progressing as a lycanthrope multiclasses into the template class and can also multiclass into the appropriate animal class if desired. The animal class is entirely optional. No would-be lycanthrope is required to take it, but doing so is an advantage, since a character without it is weaker than other lycanthropes of the same type. Taking levels in the appropriate animal template class gives the character the animal's Hit Dice and hit points (in all forms), saving throw bonuses (in all forms), skill points (in all forms), racial skill bonuses (in all forms), conditional skill modifiers (in animal form), ability score modifiers (in hybrid or animal form), natural armor bonus, and special attacks (such as the wolf's trip). Levels in the animal class may be taken at any point after the character takes one level in the lycanthrope template class. He is also free to take levels in other classes between levels of the template class and the animal class, as desired. The animal class, like the template class, does not count when determining whether a character takes an XP penalty for multi classing. An afflicted werewolf that is cured of lycanthropy (as described in the Monster Manual on page 178) immediately loses all werewolf template class levels and wolf class levels (if any). These levels cannot be restored with restoration or similar magic; they are simply gone. Most lycanthropes that do not wish to lose their lycanthropy in this way deliberately fail their saving throws against the spell in order to prevent this traumatic change. The werewolf template class can also be used for werewolf lords. The only difference is that a werewolf lord must use Table SP-18 for advancement, while a normal werewolf uses Table SP-17. Table SP-16: The Werewolf Template Class Level CR Special 1st +2 Dex , + 2 Str, alternate form (hybrid) , shapechanger subtype +2 perception checks, scent, low light vision, weakness silver hybrid form claw and bite attack 1d4 1st +1 Wis +2, natural armor +2, alternate form (wolf), low-light vision, shapechanger subtype, werewolf feat (Track) 2nd +1 Alternate form (hybrid), wolf empathy, damage reduction (5/silver), werewolf feats (Iron Will, Weapon Focus [bite]) 3rd +2 Curse of lycanthropy, damage reduction (10/silver) Werewolf Template Class Features All of the following are class features of the werewolf template class. Ability Score Changes: The indicated ability score increases or decreases by the amount noted. These changes are cumulative. Natural Armor Improvements: At 1st level, the werewolf's natural armor bonus increases by +2. A character who does not normally have a natural armor bonus (such as a human) is considered to have an initial natural armor bonus of +0 for the purpose of this ability. Thus, a human's natural armor bonus would increase to +2 at 1st level. These changes are cumulative. The werewolf also gains additional natural armor increases in hybrid or animal form from the animal class. Alternate Form (Su): At 1st level, the werewolf can take the form of a wolf, and he undergoes this change involuntarily on the nights of the full moon or in times of stress, as described in the Monster Manual. Unless the werewolf is a natural lycanthrope, he does not automatically have control over this ability and must attempt a Control Shape check to intentionally change form or to resist an involuntary change. For an afflicted lycanthrope, Control Shape is a class skill for all classes as well as racial Hit Dice, if any. Natural lycanthropes have full control over when they change shape and do not need to take ranks in this skill. Changing form is a standard action that can be attempted once per round. A werewolf character who is aware of his condition retains his identity and does not lose control of his actions when he changes. Each time he involuntarily changes to his animal form, however, he must make a Will save (DC 15 + number of times he has been in animal form) or permanently assume the alignment of his lycanthrope kind (chaotic evil for werewolves) in all forms. Any voluntary change to wolf or hybrid form immediately and permanently changes the character's alignment to chaotic evil. Until the character has taken one or more levels in the optional wolf animal class (see Wolf Abilities, below), changing shape to wolf form does not give him the abilities of a wolf -- he simply is able to take that creature's shape, as if he had a perfect disguise. Since this ability is of limited use, most characters taking levels in the werewolf template class choose to take levels of the wolf class as well in order to gain the full abilities of their animal forms. At 3rd level, the werewolf can assume a hybrid form -- a shape between his humanoid and his wolf forms. As with the wolf form, this change is purely cosmetic unless the character has taken the wolf class to gain the appropriate abilities. Low-Light Vision (Ex): A 1st-level werewolf gains low-light vision. Shapechanger Subtype (Ex): At 1st level, the werewolf gains the shapechanger subtype. Werewolf Bonus Feats: At 1st and 2nd level, the werewolf gains the feats indicated on Table SP-16 as bonus feats, assuming that he doesn't already have them. If the werewolf doesn't meet the prerequisites (if any) for a bonus feat, he gains the feat but cannot use it until he does meet the prerequisites. Wolf Empathy (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a werewolf in any form can communicate and empathize with normal or dire wolves. This ability gives him a +4 racial bonus on checks made to influence the attitude of such creatures. It also allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as "friend," "foe," "flee," and "attack." Damage Reduction (Ex): At 2nd level, the werewolf gains damage reduction 5/silver. At 3rd level, anatural lycanthrope gains damage reduction 10/silver. An afflicted lycanthrope's damage reduction does not improve beyond 5/silver. Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): At 3rd level, a natural werewolf can infect other creatures with lycanthropy. Any humanoid or giant hit by the bite attack of a werewolf in animal or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract lycanthropy. Afflicted lycanthropes do not transmit lycanthropy. Table SP-17: The Wolf (Lycanthrope) Class Class Level Hit Dice Base Attack Bonus Fort. Save Ref. Save Will Save Skill Points Special 1st 1d8 +0 +2 +2 +0 2 + Int mod. Str +2, Con +2, natural armor +2, wolf abilities, bite 2nd 2d8 +1 +3 +3 +0 2 + Int mod. Dex +4, Con +2, scent, trip Wolf Animal Class Features All of the following are class features of the wolf class. Ability Score Changes: The indicated ability score increases or decreases by the amount noted. These changes are cumulative. Natural Armor Improvements: At 1st level, the character's natural armor bonus increases by +2. A character who does not normally have a natural armor bonus (such as a human) is considered to have an initial natural armor bonus of +0 for the purpose of this ability. Thus, a human's natural armor bonus would increase to +2 at 1st level. These changes are cumulative. Wolf Abilities (Ex): Upon taking a level in the wolf animal class, the character gains the animal's Hit Dice (in all forms), base attack bonus (in all forms), base saving throw bonuses (in all forms), ability score modifiers (in hybrid and animal forms), skill points (in all forms), and natural armor bonus (in hybrid and animal forms), as well as the special abilities indicated on Table SP-17. In wolf form, the werewolf's speed changes to 50 feet. Class skills for the wolf racial Hit Dice are Control Shape, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Survival. Bite: The wolf animal class gives the werewolf a bite attack in his animal and hybrid forms. The bite is a natural weapon that deals 1d6 points of damage. Scent (Ex): As a 2nd-level wolf, the character gains the scent ability in all forms. Trip (Ex): A werewolf in hybrid or wolf form that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the wolf. The Werewolf Lord A character can take levels in the dire wolf animal class only if he is a natural or afflicted werewolf lord. Because of the size restrictions on lycanthropy, only Medium, Large, or Huge creatures can become werewolf lords. Table SP-18: The Dire Wolf (Lycanthrope) Class Class Level Hit Dice Base Attack Bonus Fort. Save Ref. Save Will Save Skill Points Special 1st 1d8 +0 +2 +2 +2 2 + Int mod. Str +2, Con +2, natural armor +2, wolf abilities, bite 2nd 2d8 +1 +3 +3 +3 2 + Int mod. Dex +4, Con +2, scent, trip 3rd 3d8 +2 +3 +3 +3 2 + Int mod. Str +2, natural armor +1 4th 4d8 +3 +4 +4 +4 2 + Int mod. Str +2, Large, dire wolf bonus feat (Run) 5th 5d8 +3 +4 +4 +4 2 + Int mod. Str +4, dire wolf skills 6th 6d8 +4 +5 +5 +5 2 + Int mod. Str +4, Con +2, dire wolf bonus feat (Alertness) Dire Wolf Animal Class Features All of the following are class features of the dire wolf class. Ability Score Changes: The indicated ability score increases or decreases by the amount noted. These changes are cumulative. Natural Armor Improvements: At 1st level, the character's natural armor bonus increases by +2. A character who does not normally have a natural armor bonus (such as a human) is considered to have an initial natural armor bonus of +0 for the purpose of this ability. Thus, a human's natural armor bonus would increase to +2 at 1st level. These changes are cumulative. Wolf Abilities (Ex): Upon taking a level in the dire wolf animal class, the character gains the animal's Hit Dice (in all forms), base attack bonus (in all forms), base saving throw bonuses (in all forms), ability score modifiers (in hybrid and animal forms), skill points (in all forms), and natural armor bonus (in hybrid and animal forms), as well as the special abilities indicated on Table SP-18. In dire wolf form, the werewolf's speed changes to 50 feet. Class skills for the dire wolf racial Hit Dice are Control Shape, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Survival. Bite: The wolf animal class gives the werewolf a bite attack in his animal and hybrid forms. The bite is a natural weapon that deals 1d8 points of damage. Scent (Ex): As a 2nd-level dire wolf, the character gains the scent ability in all forms. Trip (Ex): A werewolf lord in hybrid or dire wolf form that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the werewolf lord. Large (Ex): When the dire werewolf reaches 4th level in the animal class, his animal and hybrid forms become Large size. In either of those forms, he takes a -1 penalty to AC and attack rolls for size, and his Space/Reach changes to 10 ft./5 ft. His ability scores and natural armor bonus change as indicated on Table SP-18. Dire Wolf Bonus Feats: At 1st and 2nd level, the werewolf lord gains the feats indicated on Table SP-18 as bonus feats, assuming that he doesn't already have them. If the werewolf lord doesn't meet the prerequisites (if any) for a bonus feat, he gains the feat but cannot use it until he does meet the prerequisites. |
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