W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

are occurrence. Some young weresaurians venture intothe world specifically to form a perfect clutch, for thereare legends and prophecies of what such groups can accomplish.A group that includes five auspices is knownas an “imperfect clutch”. These are becoming increasinglymore common as more young heroes leave isolatedwallows to seek their way in the world.TraitsA Mokolé’s breed determines his Gnosis. Mokolémay not recover Gnosis if cut off from the sun. The lessthe Sun is visible, the more time Mokolé must spendmeditating in his Light in order to regain Gnosis.Mokolé regenerate wounds at the same rate as Garou,following the standard rules for healing and regeneration.However, Mokolé, as creatures of both Sun and Moon,are harmed by gold and silver in the same way that Garouare harmed by silver.All Mokolé instinctively share a common language,the Dragon’s Tongue spoken by all Lizard Kings in thetime before time. Mnesis memories reveal the simplestparts of this language when a Mokolé undergoes its FirstChange.Other than the Gumagan, Mokolé cannot enterthe spirit worlds of the Umbra without specific Giftsthat allow them to cross the Gauntlet. Once in thespirit world, a few saurian spirit-paths lead to the HighUmbra, a realm of abstractions and high ideals. There,mystics may contemplate places that never were, butcould have been — imaginary realms where the TyrantKings continued to evolve. In recent years, the PangaeaRealm and Legendary Realm have become gatheringplaces for Mokolé seeking insight about the potentialTHE INNOCENTSMetis Mokolé can be conceived but they die before birth, often immediately after conception. Those who developfurther are stillborn and manifest as either horribly deformed fetuses or a clutch of eggs within which lurks foulembryos too misshapen to live.The strongest stillborn souls, called “the Innocents” by those who would appease them, linger on in the spiritworld where they torment any Mokolé foolish enough to enter the Umbra. With motivations both reptilian andinfantile, these Innocents are sufficient motivation for Mokolé to seek outside their own kind for breeding purposes.Generally, the Innocents are treated as spirits, with statistics of the Storyteller’s discretion; some are little morethan Gaffling-level, while others have transcended the upper limits of a Jaggling’s power. In addition to the usualCharms, the Innocents have dark powers of their own. These can include:• Dark Whispers: The Innocent can speak to the living, even through the Gauntlet.• Umbra Passage: The Innocent can leave the Dark Umbra and enter the Middle or Deep Umbra, in pursuit of prey.• Mnesis Travel: The Innocent can enter the Dreams of other Mokolé to haunt them.• Take Homid Form: The Innocent can take Homid shape, effectively passing as an ordinary ghost.• Take Suchid Form: The Innocent can appear as the ghost of a crocodile, alligator, or other appropriate reptile.• Give Power: The Innocent can give Gnosis to another spirit.• Take Power: The Innocent can steal the power of another spirit. The difficulty is the target’s Willpower.• Steal Mnesis: The Innocent can take Mnesis away from its owner. She comes into contact with the target’s mindand rolls Power vs. a difficult of the target’s Willpower. The effect depends on the number of successes.One success: A memory within Mnesis becomes confused.Three successes: A minor memory is gone.Five successes: An ordinary memory is gone, or a great memory is blurred.Seven+ successes: A great memory is destroyed.• Corrupt Mnesis: The Innocent can change Mnesis into Bad Mnesis, warping the dreams of the Mokolé. The systemis as above, save that instead of being gone, the memories are altered — a kind friend becomes an enemy, or a skilllearned is guaranteed to backfire. The damage done can be healed by Gifts, by a Mnesis quest, or by pilgrimageto the Deep Umbra.142CHANGING BREEDS