W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

126KINFOLK AND THE CURSEWhenever a Kit is born to the full powers ofa Kitsune, the taking of a life pays for that birth.Both parents may die or one may live, dependingon the vagaries of fate (see Birthing Pains,p. below). Most often, it is the Kinfolk parent,rather than the Kitsune, who passes. Some mightbelieve the Kitsune incapable of loving thosealmost certainly doomed to die early, but suchis not the case. Many love deeply and feel greatsorrow when the coming of the next generationtakes its toll upon their partners. Others remainaloof, but yearn for a love they are not capableof committing to in light of the high mortalityrate of their mates.TraitsKitsune receive the same amount of points to spendon attributes and abilities as other hengeyokai. TheirPath determines their beginning Rage, while their InitialGnosis score comes from their Breed. All Kitsune beginwith a Willpower of 5.The Foxes were created just after the Fourth Age.Thus, they were never part of controlling humanity byforce as other shifters were. Because of this, their Koto(Crinos) form does not invoke the Delirium, leadingwerefoxes to be very careful to hide this form from mortals.Accidents do happen, though, and slips throughout theages have led to the legends of terrifying, magical foxesprevalent throughout Asia.The Nine-tails enter the Umbra as easily as Garou.Kitsune rely heavily upon their magical strengthand versatility. Not only are they able to learn potentGifts of their own, but can easily learn the Gifts of otherChanging Breeds as well, as long as they have a teacherfor the Gift. The experience cost is the same as for anon-breed/auspice/tribal Gift.Kitsune frenzy, but always as a fox frenzy: they werenever meant to be berserkers.Healing and CombatKitsune lack the regenerative abilities of the Garou.Without healing Gifts they heal damage just like ordinarymortals. In effect, all non-bashing damage is countedas lethal damage, making the Nine-tails likely to avoidcombat whenever possible, but also making it easier toCHANGING BREEDSheal them with healing Gifts. They may still soak damageat the usual difficulty rate from many aggravatedsources — such as a Kuei-jin’s claws and teeth — in thesame manner as Garou.As children of Bai Mianxi, who received her callingfrom Luna, werefoxes may attempt to soak damage fromsilver (difficulty 8). Any damage not soaked is lethal.Otherwise, silver affects them just as it does Garou.Because they lack regenerative abilities, avoidingbeing damaged is a high Kitsune priority. Kitsune receiveone extra dot in Dexterity for free during charactercreation. Further, Kitsune cannot botch Athletics rollsto dodge in combat.When in Koto or Juko form, Kitsune’s teeth do aggravateddamage.Tails of LongevityWerefoxes have the advantage of a long lifespan.Whenever a Kitsune goes up in rank (except whenadvancing to Yakan), her potential lifespan doubles.This leads to Kitsune elders being quite venerable, eventhough the Breed as a whole is a young one.With each rise in rank Kitsune also gain anothertail. A Fox with nine tails (of whom there has been onlyone — Bai Mianxi) is, for all intents and purposes, immortal.Kitsune gain a new tail only when they acquirenew rank, though the lack of tails may be hidden orcovered up with lies. Most of the time, the tails are notvisible. A Kitsune may hide or reveal his tails by makinga Gnosis roll versus the local Gauntlet.RenownFoxes that do not subscribe to the hengeyokai Wayof Emerald Virtue value Chie (Cunning), Toku (Honor),and Kagayaki (akin to Glory) Renown.Backgrounds and AbilitiesKitsune have no new Abilities essential to creatingcharacters, but for a Kitsune-oriented game, Storytellersmay choose to introduce Calligraphy and Origamias Hobby Abilities. These abilities are respected as artforms throughout the Eastern world, and can make lifefar easier for Fox sorcerers (see Ju-Fu, p. 135).Werefoxes may purchase the Backgrounds of Ancestors,Fetish, Resources, and Rites without any modifications.They may buy Totem if they are a part of a sentaior wish a personal totem. The Kitsune are (literally) aBreed unto themselves — regardless of whether theyare part of the Emerald Court or not, they are differentenough that Garou and other Changing Breeds cannotrecognize the superlative heritage of each and everymember of the Breed. Thus, Pure Breed is both redundantand useless Background for Kitsune; they cannot take it.