* For shapeshifters, any Auspice or Breed is acceptable; be advised, however, that Metis deformities will be enforced. The running calendar kept for this campaign does include lunar phases, so Garou will receive certain advantages when the Moon is in the phase of their Auspice. Also note that Garou are more prone to frenzy during a full moon; this condition will be enforced as well. As other shapeshifters may draw their power from sources other than the Moon, they remain unaffected by the lunar phases.
* Tribal weaknesses will also be enforced. In this regard, the game calendar will also be used with the Tribal weakness for the Wendigo; any Wendigo players will receive an in-game notice whenever the season changes to denote the present season as well as which penalties (or bonuses, in the case of Winter) the Wendigo receives.
* Werebeasts are, by nature, as much instinct as intellect. No character should by any means be a mere stereotype; however, players are asked to pay at least lip service to at least one belief, mindset or outlook generally held by the Tribe or Fera (ie. a Silent Strider's wanderlust, the rivalry between the Black Furies and the Get of Fenris, the Ratkin's hatred of the Garou in general). Remember: aside from those of the Ragabash Auspice--or its equivalent among the Fera breeds--shapeshifters who rebel against their own kind often find themselves outcast and reduced to Ronin before long....
* No player may begin play with the Totem Background; separated from his or her sept and pack through the events surrounding the Ministry of Light, the shapeshifter finds that the protection and guidance of the Totem remained with the majority left behind. The good news, however, is that Totem is apparently the only Background in the World of Darkness books which can be raised with experience points. Once in-game, the shapeshifter may find friends and allies--player-character or non-player-character--and form a pack with them; after that, a Totem may be chosen by the consensus of the pack, and thereafter any members of the pack may spend experience points to increase the power of the Totem. The Totem can only aid one member of the pack at a time; though randomly determined, this beneficiary is often the one who has contributed the most experience points (and, therefore, the most belief and ritual) towards the Totem's growth. Non-shapeshifters may be included in a pack and some may even be allowed to contribute to and benefit from the Totem if a good reason or explanation is provided; unfortunately, the corrupted essence of vampires and Risen prevents the Totem from ever bonding with them, and aspiritual or antispiritual types will reject the Totem as well.
* The fomori taint "Breed Prejudice" has been altered; in this reality, Pentex was subjected to a harsh reality: the megaconglomerate has been broken up. Whatever wasn't politically dismantled by environmentalist interests was either physically dismantled by shapeshifters, infiltrated and subverted by the Ministry of Light, bought out by rival corporations or financially eradicated by the Technocracy. As a result--without Pentex to bring them all together--the fomori are too scattered for any one Breed's bad reputation to get around as much. As a result, we reduce the value of any Breed Prejudice taint by two points (minimum zero), and an equal number of points are dispensed into other fomor taints, either to add a new taint or to strengthen an old one. Unique fomori may not take Breed Prejudice, and all fomor taints will be enforced. If you try to be a munchkin and, say, pick "Doomed" for five points, then your fomor dies at the passage of one month, period. The game calendar will also be called on for enforcing taints such as Addiction, The Crusties and Mutoid Cancer. Choose your taints wisely.
* Shapeshifters receive 25 freebie points for character creation; to compensate for their comparative lack of power, fomori and kinfolk receive 35 freebie points. The rationale, of course, is that these folks spent more time as ordinary mortals and, hence, were learning more common pursuits while the shapeshifters were striving to control and develop their spiritual and bestial natures. Normally, shapeshifters receive 15 and fomori receive 21, but only the more capable specimens survive an encounter with the upper ranks of the devilish Ministry of Light. Few werebeasts aside from Black Spiral Dancers would ever serve the Ministry knowingly and willingly; even Black Spiral Dancers, however, may find fault with the Ministry's practices and hence may be found on either side of the line. They can still expect to be attacked by any of the Gaian shapeshifters, either way....
Fomor Breeds:
Bane Children
Brain Eaters
Enticers
Ferectoi, Larvae of the Wyrm
Fomori Families (Allies Background required)
Freakfeet
Gorehounds
Hollow Men
Normalites
Serpent Brothers
Shadowfiends
Sicklungs
Sons of Typhon
Throwbacks
Unique / No Breed
Garou (werewolf) Tribes*:
Black Furies
Bone Gnawers
Children of Gaia
Fianna
Get of Fenris
Glass Walkers
Shadow Lords
Silver Fangs
Uktena
Wendigo
Ronin / No Tribe
Bastet (werecat) Tribes*:
Bagheera (werepanther / wereleopard)
Balam (werejaguar)
Khan (weretiger)
Pumonca (werecougar)
Simba (werelion)
Swara (werecheetah)
Ratkin* (wererat)
Kinfolk, any Tribe or Fera (Gaian or Black Spiral)
Fomor Breeds:
Toads
Garou Tribes*:
Red Talons
Silent Striders
Stargazers
Bastet Tribes*:
Bubasti (mystic Egyptian werecat)
Ceilican ("lost" faerie cat)
Qualmi (werelynx)
Ajaba (werehyenas)
Ananasi (werespiders)
Corax* (wereravens)
Gurahl* (werebears)
Mokole* (weredragons / weresaurons)
Nuwisha* (werecoyotes)
Black Spiral Dancers
Black Spiral Ronin
Black Spiral variants of Bastet or Ratkin
Forbidden:
All fomorach Breeds
Any Black Spiral variant not listed above
Siberakh
Nagah (wereserpents)
Rokea (weresharks)
Kitsune (werefoxes)
Any Hengeyokai variants of Western shapeshifters
* = Only playable as Unbelievers.
