The Tribes:
The Glasswalkers who had been smart enough not to liquidate their holdings in preparation for the end had managed to hold on to some influence and their work with the cyber realm seemed to have paid off as they still had some semblance of control over the net, but this did not come without its drawbacks. Cyber divers in the tribe had taken to exploring the web and many had not returned. Their bodies simply empty husks waiting on their spirits to return from the pattern web. Though to their credit many of the Walkers opted to remain behind in order to sustain support for the nation and ensure that a threat that they had not yet disclosed was kept at bay. Those who did join in the final battle died gloriously.
Advantages
- Glass walkers still maintain the same tribal advantage of cheaper influences as outlined in the character creation document
- Ghost in the machine: When a glass walker is using a computer or other device connected to the net they will receive random coded messages from a spontaneously generated text window. The glass walker may make an Intelligence + Computer roll (difficulty 9) when receiving these messages to decode it. Each such message successfully decoded will incur a gain of 2 temporary weaver affinity.
Drawbacks
- Glass walkers are unable to regain gnosis while within the wilderness
- Glass walkers begin play with 5 temporary points of weaver affinity
Backgrounds
- No changes to the background limitations
The Shadow Lords had sent many of their eldest to the battle in support of the Silver Fangs who had gone to lead, so many were wiped out as they aided others and issued support where needed, many were lost in clandestine operations leading up to the final battle and still others were found on the front lines with the Fenrir, almost all of them died gloriously. This cost the remaining tribe much of their resources and in what is being called “The reveal” many shadow lord kin were either imprisoned or killed.
Advantages
- Shadow Lords may socially out maneuver opponents and even spirits of any of the three aspects but doing so whether you succeed or fail will incur a gain of 2 temporary affinity to the appropriate aspect.
- Social Outmaneuver: Willpower spent for an automatic success on a social based roll (Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance) grants 2 successes instead of 1 and will also add 3 dice to your roll.
Drawbacks
- Shadow Lord tribal drawback: Stereotypes are a pain and it’s no different now than it has ever been. Among other garou and kinfolk it is difficult to gain trust from others and you may find yourself questioned on subjects that others may not be. In situations where trust would be required you receive a +1 difficulty to your roll. Trust will be determined by the ST or the opposing player.
Backgrounds
- No changes to the background limitations
The Silver Fangs had gone to lead and represent a unified nation under one banner. They would suffer greatly from their losses as the tribe sent nearly every last elder to represent each family and each sub family in the royal line. Ever the glorious leader, they too died gloriously. Some were smart and held back their forces and used them to mop up, still others made alliances and managed to overwhelm their targets but in the end, it seemed like surviving the battle was a mark of shame to any of the Fangs who made it out alive. Many who were left eventually gave up the fight to harano.
Advantages
- You may use your social primacy on spirits of any of the three aspects as well as anyone else but doing so whether you succeed or fail will incur a gain of 2 temporary affinity to the appropriate aspect.
-Social Primacy: -1 Difficulty on all social attribute based rolls as well as +3 dice on all leadership rolls. (This does not work on spirits unless you actively elect to have it do so, incurring the affinity gain.)
Drawbacks
- Silver Fang tribal drawback: The Great Below - Silver Fangs have suffered a great blow to their primacy among the tribes and worse yet to their own confidence. Because of this it takes an act of great will to break past the crushing depression of what the Fangs have determined has been their greatest defeat. Whenever attempting to perform a task which requires the expenditure of willpower the costs are doubled.
Silver Fangs may not take willpower based merits to alleviate the depression tribal drawback. This is to include Self Confident, Inner Strength and Iron Will to name a few. This is not an exhaustive list, so will be determined on a case by case basis.
Backgrounds
-No changes to the background limitations
The Get of Fenris were not the tribe to be left out and because of this sent nearly every member of their tribe. They relayed tactics and secured viable information. They proved their mettle and led the charge on more than one account, served as formidable shock troops and destroyed more than their fair share of the enemy. Ultimately, the Get of Fenris are now revered as a shining memory more than anything else. They too, died gloriously. Perhaps they were the lucky ones.
Advantages
- Get of Fenris tribal advantage “What doesn’t kill me…” – All Get of Fenris begin play with an extra bruised health level. They have all been through combat of some kind and those remaining have all been blooded in the worst combat garou have seen since their creation.
- Blood Fury: Every last Fenrir was at the final battle, those who did not go were culled for cowardice, they have all seen some shit and been through worse, because of this Fenrir receive 1 bonus permanent rage, this rage can go above cap and can be spent or lost like any other.
Drawbacks
- The price of glory: The Get of Fenris have no more pure bred cubs, players may not enter the game as a cliath, fostern, or cub of the Get of Fenris with any tribal pure breed.
- The price of victory: All remaining Get of Fenris enter play with the Nightmares flaw. You get no point value for this flaw and they are constant, leaving you at a persistent +1 difficulty to all rolls due to a lack of restful sleep. Expenditure of a willpower point will allow you to function normally for a scene.
Backgrounds
- No changes to the background limitations
The Children of Gaia lived up to their namesake and fought with wisdom and bravery giving of themselves until it hurt, saving so many from death on the battlefield so they could rise again and fight on. Their fatal flaw was in centralizing their recuperating efforts. The Children were not afraid to involve their kin in the battle and brought most with them to help keep the warriors in the fight, however, with one fell swoop from the flanking Maeljin of war the Children’s kin and battle medics were wiped out. They too, died gloriously.
Advantages
- Child of Gaia advantage – Wolf in sheep’s clothing: Children of Gaia do not suffer the curse of Rage like all other shifters with rage and may interact normally with people from all walks of life. When a Child of Gaia spends a point of willpower for an automatic success she may also gain 3 dice added to any interaction social-based, non-combat, roll.
Drawbacks
- Fear is the mind killer: With the fall of the veil people have come to know what is among them and the Children of Gaia already had a weak connection with the instinctual fear left in humans from the Impergium, because of this the Children of Gaia no longer cause the delirium in mortals who see their bestial forms.
Backgrounds
- No changes to the background limitations
The Wendigo much like the Fenrir had so much to fight for and so much to die for. Their tribe’s rage was near infinite and the pain they felt at the wyrm choosing their lands to invade through was a fuel that caused the fires of rage to burn so hot that it nearly consumed them. Great Wendigo would have no retreat and no Wendigo would allow any to say they did not fight the hardest. The wendigo kin also joined the fight and many others rallied their people to secure financial assistance and political clout in the native lands, but with the separation of their lands and federal seclusion it did not take long for the first teams to swoop in and wipe out many of the more militant kin groups, the Wendigo lost themselves to their rage in the battle. They died gloriously, and those who did not found that they’re new calling came easily as Wendigo gave in to its rage and hunger and his people turned to the wyrm, replenishing its ranks.
Advantages
- Wendigo tribal advantage: Pain of the People - The great Wendigo refuses to let his children back down and some say Wendigo has gone mad with rage and despair at the loss of his children. Mechanically the Wendigo receive +1 dot of Stamina for free but receive a penalty of -1 dot of perception on creation. This means that whatever trait category you choose for your mental attributes will be -1 dot to perception.
Drawbacks
- Wendigo now begin play with 5 temporary traits of Wyrm Affinity.
- Whispers in the Dark: Wendigo hear voices of rage goading them into frenzy, constantly reminding them of the travesty that has befallen their people. Because of this Wendigo are almost constantly on edge and very prone to frenzy. Wendigo suffer a -2 to the difficulty to frenzy but rage is especially easy to regain when spent. It takes a Wendigo 3 successes to enter Frenzy and 4 successes to enter Thrall of the Wyrm. If a Wendigo enters the thrall of the wyrm they will gain 3 points of temporary wyrm affinity.
Backgrounds
- No changes to the background limitations
The Red Talons suffered a similar fate, never garnering enough support to keep their kin alive it was a simple matter to determine that the wolf blooded of the Talons had little to return to and so they fought hard and long, until the last vestiges of Gryphon’s brood was no more. They too, died gloriously.
The Red Talons are not a playable tribe in the game at this time.
The uktena were never seen on the fields of battle by most, they instead took to the umbra and among them the vast grouping sought to invade Malfeas and bind the largest of the banes while the Maeljin were away during the final battle. For most, the Uktena were never seen again.
The Uktena are not a playable tribe in the game at this time.
The Black Fury’s played their games well. Listening to the fates and tending to their home lands in Greece, they had always been a cunning tribe with many smart players among their elders, the drawback was that while their mystics and tale singers remained to protect the homeland the warriors, scouts and judges were sent to fight in the battle. This left the tribe fractured but yet they endured with the help of their kin and their isolationist tendencies.
Advantages
- Black Fury tribal advantage – Matriarch’s Fury – A Black Fury in the chaos of battle may expend a point of willpower to ignore wound penalties for the rest of combat and automatically heal 1 level of damage of any kind, if the Fury is fighting to defend a female, they may also heal 1 level of damage on their ward. This may be used once per combat. (Female counts towards anyone identifying and truly believing themselves to be female, including transgender or otherwise)
- Eyes of the Wyld: Black Fury’s have segregated themselves so much in these past days that they have almost exclusively given themselves over to the Wyld, because of this the Furies have found that they have gained a unique insight into the chaos that surrounds them. Once per day a fury may meditate for no less than 1 hour and in that time will gain a vision of the future (Perception + Primal Urge difficulty 8). These visions, much like the Wyld, are chaotic at best but sometimes may grant a special insight into an especially troubling matter. If the Fury fails the test they will gain the Hysteria derangement for the rest of the night. Every time a Fury uses this ability they will gain 2 temporary points in Wyld affinity.
- Hysteria: A character subject to hysteria cannot control her emotions, and becomes the subject of severe mood swings or violent fits when subjected to stress or anxiety. A werewolf with this derangement must make a frenzy check whenever subjected to extreme stress; the difficulty to frenzy is reduced by 2.
Drawbacks
- Old views never die - A fury finds it much easier to frenzy when put down or otherwise accosted on the basis of their sex. The difficulty to frenzy is reduced by 1 and if put down by men, it is reduced by 2.
- Ties of Fate: Black Fury’s enter play with 5 temporary points in Wyld affinity
Backgrounds
- No changes to the background limitations
The Fianna too had their warriors and tale singers and they would not be outdone by the Silver kings. They’re own royalty joined the fight and they were in the front with the Fenrir often leading the charges. While they unified under the Silver Fang cause many could not lose sight of their prejudice for those who would rule them and many succumbed to their pride in the midst of the battle. The Fianna suffered the most from in fighting and more often than not had managed to do themselves in more so than the enemy.
Advantages
- Fiana tribal advantage - First name, Greatest: Fiana are so driven to be the best in what they do that they have since made an art form out of performing with gusto. Be it in tests of leadership, combat or even in tales. Fiana enjoy a bonus of 1 temporary glory to any renown awards they receive. Fianna may begin play with 1 free dot in the Ancestors background.
Drawbacks
- Fiana tribal drawback - Last name, Ever: Because of their gusto in attempting to outperform every other tribe and become the next great leader of a destroyed nation they pay little heed to the consequences of their actions and as a result, Fiana are reckless and often short sighted. They suffer a -1 penalty to all renown awards of wisdom as their ancestors remember the pointless waste of the final battle.
Backgrounds
- No changes to the background limitations
The Bone Gnawers did what they always did, they survived. While some had gone to the final battle many had decided that survival was the better option, not due to cowardice but due to the tribal elders holding them back to ensure that someone was left to tell the tale, keep the record and watch those who came back. They were always the outcasts and the unwanted but now more than ever the Gnawers had become a backing force in these days and it was in no small part that many of the surviving garou within America and in other outlying countries owed their lives to them and their underground. They did not die gloriously.
Advantages
- Bone Gnawer tribal advantage - Family is everything: The Bone Gnawers have made an art form out of not being noticed and because of this many of their ties remain unbroken. Bone Gnawers may purchase the Kinfolk background on a 1 for 1 basis.
Drawbacks
- Bone Gnawer tribal drawback – As one of the most prolific survivors of the end times, people look to them for many things, but also notice more. Due to the close relations with the Ratkin, Bone Gnawers are regarded with suspicion and often mistrusted. Bone Gnawers suffer a -1 penalty to all honor renown gains and will likely be put on the front lines where they can be better observed.
Backgrounds
- No changes to the background limitations
The Silent Striders were seen little and heard less. The majority of the tribe had pulled back to Egypt to wage a war seldom even knew about, it just so happened that this war coincided with the last battle, and while some had gone to the final battle, the majority of the tribe had gone back to Egypt to fight what none could explain. Even less could explain why no one had seen even one of the striders since they had gone to retake their home.
The Silent Striders are not a playable tribe in the game at this time.
The Stargazers had gone to the east to partner with the beast courts but when the last battle struck many of them returned to the sunset lands in order to help their fellow tribespeople. With their knowledge of the east and history in the west they had a unique perspective which allowed for them to benefit many factors on the battlefield, and while many of the Stargazers believed that peace was truly the way of things, they also understood that a swift strike sometimes brought about peace in times of war. Because of their wandering ways and often misunderstood outlooks they do not often linger long in one place choosing instead to pass along their wisdom and let that speak for itself. In the end times, the Stargazers had their work cut out for themselves and many were put down by the Templars, but still more resisted and helped where they could.
Advantages
- Stargazer tribal advantage: Harmony is found in balance – Stargazers have always been a tribe considered to be in harmony with all things around them. Some might argue that they understand the truth of the triat better than anyone else. Others might say that they’re simply fools with too many fortune cookies. Whatever the case may be, they enjoy the ability to influence their affinity as
it comes. They may expend willpower on a 2 for 1 basis when receiving affinity in order to convert it into whatever type they choose. So long as a Stargazer remains in perfect balance with her permanent levels of affinity they will enjoy a -1 difficulty to all rolls.
Drawbacks
- While many Stargazers enjoy the harmony that is balance they also find that falling out of balance can be catastrophic. When a Stargazer is no longer in perfect balance they will find that everything else is also out of balance for them. When no longer in perfect harmony, a Stargazer will receive a +1 difficulty to all rolls and loses the ability to convert affinity with their willpower. This represents the downward spiral a Stargazer must combat on a daily basis in order to retain their center in the midst of a titanic storm raging within. Again this pertains only to the permanent levels of their affinity scores.
Backgrounds
- No changes to background limitations.