W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

Doshi believe that evil itself can be a powerfulweapon against evil and will enslave Banes or use magicthought of as tainted, if they believe it necessary for agreater good. Their knowledge of the Centipede and itsminions is vast and they utilize this advantage to greateffect. Their dark Path forces the Doshi to distance themselvesfrom other Kitsune and shen; many live alone inabandoned areas such as old monasteries, temples, andthe like. This solitude, along with the fact that they aresometimes looked down on by the rest of their kind, oftenleads the sorcerers toward cynicism and inhumanity. Ofall the Kitsune, they are the most likely to fall to theCentipede’s clutches. However, as they will explain toany who will listen, there is no success without risk andno victory without the possibility of defeat.Initial Rage: 3Starting Gifts: Blessing the Blade, Sense Magic,Spirit Speech• Eji (ay-jee): The warrior Kitsune are those associatedwith Yogan: the element of lava. They are the holy warriors— or s ōhei — of the Nine-tails, as strong as the earth andas ferocious as fire. Eji consider themselves surgeons cuttingaway any “cancers” that threaten the Emerald Mother.They are not ravening beasts; Eji display great respect forlife, even as they take it. They will go out of their way toprotect the innocent and to right wrongs done against thejust and good, but when someone pollutes the world, theEji find no difficulty in performing a neat and swift execution.They will battle and kill bakemono, crazed Kuei-jin,or Banes, almost without thought or emotion.In human guise, they often appear as adventurers,daredevils, or religious figures who encourage others tostrive for the best — even as they secretly remove thosewho infecting the Emerald Mother with impurity, weakness,or depravity.Initial Rage: 4Starting Gifts: Razor Claws, Resist Pain, SenseHostilityFormsKitsune have five forms, although their human andnear-human forms differ only slightly, as do their fox andnear-fox manifestations. Regardless, Foxes take immensepride in being elegant and beautifully shaped, regardless ofthe form they take. All forms other than Hitogata naturallyshow one tail. In any of his forms, a Kitsune may manifestany number of additional tails (up to the maximum he possesses)by making a Gnosis roll against the local Gauntlet.Once manifested, he may hide them in the same fashion.• Hitogata: The Kitsune’s human form. Other thana universally mischievous look, they are indistinguishablefrom any other person. In general, they like to keepin shape and pride themselves on being good-looking.• Sambuhenge: Foxes rarely take this form other thanwhen the situation calls for humor, as it is somewhat comicalin appearance. They are slightly more athletic and abit nimbler than in their Hitogata form, but for most, thedifference is not significant enough to risk being laughedat by those who find their near-human form amusing.Some use this form to play jokes on other Foxes,however, and roko kits may assume the form as theybegin learning to walk in human form, relying on theadded dexterity to aid their efforts.The Kitsune’s Sambuhenge body mass is similar totheir Hitogata form, but there are some cosmetic changes.The ears point upward and the eyes become slantedand thin — more fox than human. The werefox’s noselengthens and whiskers appear on both sexes. This formalso naturally sports a fox tail.• Koto: Standing only an inch or two taller thanthe Hitogata and Sambuhenge forms, Koto adds no realbulk to the Kitsune, but other physical changes are quitenoticeable.The Koto head becomes fully that of a fox, though stillretaining unmistakable human intelligence in the eyes.The body is completely covered with fox-fur. It possessesvulpine, digitigrade knees, and an obvious foxtail. Thefeet are paw-like and the hands are tipped with claws,although they retain fingers and opposable thumbs.Knowing that they are not protected by Delirium,Kitsune do not assume the Koto form unless they arecertain of their privacy. Kitsune usually only assumethis form for courtly affairs, to impress visitors, or forthe comfort of having fur.Koto may bite for Strength +1 aggravated damage,but the form is otherwise ill-suited for battle, so fewKitsune engage in brawling matches unless they haveexhausted all other options first.• Juko: This is a wolf-sized fox form, and well suitedfor travel, as it possesses greater endurance than the Kyubiform. The Kitsune has a great amount of “manual” dexteritywith his mouth. Some have learned to hold daggers in theirmouths with which to fight, when there are no other options.• Kyubi: In this form, the average Kitsune appears asan ordinary fox. The vast majority of Kitsune have standardred pelts, with a few resembling gray foxes in coloration.Legends speak of arctic and sand werefoxes, although nonehave been present in the Emerald Court in centuries. Ifsuch Kitsune do exist, they would surely be looked uponwith wonder — and suspicion — by their Eastern cousins.KITSUNE129