W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

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NAGAH LEXICONAnanta: A secret realm in the Umbra. It’s portable ifdedicated to a specific Nagah.Crown: A regional council of wereserpents.Devi: An aspect of the Earth Mother or “Emerald Mother.”Where Gaia is an aspect of the Earth Mother knownfor Her love, Devi is known for Her wrath.Khurah: The Nagah’s term for other shapeshifters.Nandana: The Ananta of the Sesha, the spiritual realmwhere the nine elders of the wereserpents meet in secret.Nemontana: A Crown of Nagah that judges the shapeshiftersof Europe.Nest: A nomadic group, usually two or three Nagah, linked bybonds closer than family or lovers; akin to a pack of Garou.Sacred Secret: The ultimate secret: that the Nagah stillexist. Kept from the Garou at all costs. Some of theHengeyokai know the secret, and the Mokolé suspectit (as they do not remember the Nagah’s extinction).Samskara: Nagah rites, often performed in a river or in aplace sacred to their serpentine Kin because Nagahdo not hold Caerns.Sannyasin: A Nagah who does not belong to a Nest. Nagahcustom forbids a wereserpent from hunting alone, so to bea Sannyasin is to become a hermit or ascetic, retired froma life of sitting in judgment on others. Some Nagah chooseto become Sannysain to atone for losing their Nests.Serpent Waters: Aquatic Glens, purified areas of theUmbra claimed by the Nagah, sometimes called“Jeweled Pools” by young Nagah. Wereserpents canstep sideways in Serpent Waters, at least until theWyrm corrupts them or another Changing Breedrededicates them.Sesha: The ruling council of the Nagah, nine wereserpentswho are the highest governing body of their kind.Vrita: A Crown of Nagah judging the shapeshifters ofIndia and Asia.Wani: The great dragon-spirits that act as patrons to theNagah, the only spirits who know the Sacred Secret.Also known as “Dragon Kings” or “Lu Lung.” Thesespirits are distant relatives to the ancestor spirits ofancient Mokolé. Nagah serve the Wani in lieu oftotems or patron spirits.Yamilka: The Crown that judges the shapeshifters of theMiddle EastXi Wang Chi: The spiritual realm of the Wani, the spiritgodsof the Nagah. Only Nagah and Mokolé canreach this Umbral realm, and even then only briefly.Zuzeka: A Crown of Nagah sitting in judgment of theshapeshifters of the Americas.them. She’s usually quiet and reserved even when emotionwould overcome most people, and she’s always planning.When she does act, she’s swift and decisive, executingwhat she believes is the most efficient plan based on theinformation available to her. Outside observers see a neat,fastidious person who acts with an economy of motion,never seeming to put in more effort than is necessary forany given task. That’s not to say that a Nagah is utterlydevoid of emotions — some fall in love and even havechildren with humans or Kinfolk. However, their spouseswill never know the truth of what the wereserpent is up to,only the information that she believes they need to knowto help her plans and keep her secret safe.OrganizationThe weresnakes adhere to a stricter hierarchy than mostother Changing Breeds, observing stations and roles that gobeyond mere rank and Renown. Their true leaders are theWani, the Dragon Kings who dwell in Xi Wang Chi. TheNagah’s bond with the Wani is especially important to theBreed, for they lack pacts with other spirits as a result of theirSacred Secret. Instead, they must rely upon the servantsof the Wani to summon other spirits and learn their Gifts.Sitting beneath the Wani are the Sesha, the ninehighest-ranking Nagah who dwell Nandana, their vastand opulent Ananta. The Sesha oversee the affairs of allweresnakes and by law must dispense justice to any whobetray their breed. They also regularly review the behaviorand success of each nest, awarding increased rank todeserving weresnakes, and answering petitions from Neststo summon spirits that the Nagah may learn new Gifts.Beneath the nine Sesha are the Crowns, the wereserpents’regional councils. Each Crown oversees a specific region,and is composed of three high-ranking weresnakes, whoadminister the various nests within their region. Each Crownworks with nests of Nagah and Kinfolk cults in their region toNAGAH155
monitor threats to Gaia, and pass on suitable targets to othernests. A Crown must use the resources available to them —the Zuzeka sit in judgment over the Americas, but most oftheir nests spend their time in the rainforests of South andCentral America. When they decide to act against a threatin North America, the Crown may only have one or twonests capable of reaching their target in time. The Crownwill hear about any Nagah who betray their Breed — unless,of course, the traitor is part of the Crown — but must passthe matter to the Sesha. Traitors are poison to the wereserpentsas a whole, not just one region, and thus are a matterfor higher sanction than any individual Crown can muster.At the lowest level of the hierarchy is the nest, a smallgroup of Nagah who work together when the situation requiresit. Members of a nest may be as close to one anotheras beloved siblings, or exhibit a friendly rivalry. Althoughthe Nagah are more solitary than the Garou and membersof a nest may spend periods away from their fellows, thenest is a sacred bond. Even the most paranoid weresnakeshares almost all of his secrets with his nestmates.While the Nagah are most populous in South andSoutheast Asia, some nomadic nests go wherever the Seshaor Crown sends them. Others make their home in a specificregion, including South and Central America, Africa, andparts of Australia. A few nests make their base in the citiesof Europe and North America, but the Nagah remain rarein places that are too cold for their serpent Kin to thrive,The HuntA Nagah’s most sacred task is to hunt down and assassinatethe enemies of Gaia. A nest may receive missionsfrom their region’s Crown, based on a wide net of informationthat points to a single target. A few nests receive theirsacred duties directly from the Sesha, tasked to kill thoseseen as a threat to all Nagah. More often, a nest Nagahuncovers their targets using Samskara. They combine thiswith information from Kinfolk cults and detailed researchto identify their targets and obtain justification for killingthem. With this obtained, the weresnake’s hunt is on. Shestudies her victim, learning his habits, weaknesses and flaws.How long she takes depends on her victim’s importance, andwhether he possesses any supernatural defenses. She may onlyspend a day observing a low-level corporate functionary, buta well-protected CEO — or a high-ranking Garou — couldtake weeks or even months to analyze. Once the weresnakesufficiently knows her target, she can use what she has learnedto come up with a plan to execute him. Aside from planninga successful strike, her main concern is how to avoid leavingany evidence of her presence. Especially when hunting otherChanging Breeds, the latter is just as important as the former.Many Nagah decide on both the method of the killand how they frame the death based upon their victim’scrimes. A wereserpent will likely make some kills look like156CHANGING BREEDSTHE SACRED LAWSPreserve the Sacred Secret at All CostsHonor The Three Mothers —Earth, Moon, and RiverPunish Those Who Betray Their DutiesNever Hunt AloneRemain HumbleAbhor ImbalanceStrike Against the Corruptorif the Opportunity is Trueaccidents, especially if a murder might draw suspicion to theinvolvement of the Nagah. More often, the assassin makesobvious kills, framing the victim as a warning to others whocommit similar crimes. Whenever possible, she arranges herkill so that another enemy of the Nagah or threat to Gaiaappears to be the perpetrator, focusing the enemy’s allies’urge for vengeance to take down another victim.Some Nagah specialize in hunting down targets, likeBlack Spiral Dancers, fomori, and other powerful Wyrmspawn,although such creatures often draw the ire of lesssubtle killers, like the Garou, as well. The wereserpentsonly involve themselves with such victims when otherChanging Breeds do not have a presence in the area, orwhen the victim is so well-hidden that only the Nagahhave uncovered his crimes. Other daring weresnakeshunt traitorous shapeshifters — especially the Garou— or those whose incompetence or blindness aids theWyrm while a few of the Nagah’s most skilled assassinshunt vampires, mages, and other supernatural threats.TraitsAs non-mammalian shapeshifters, Nagah have significantphysical (and spiritual) differences from manyof the other Changing Breeds.Nagah are partly amphibious and can hold their breathtwice as long as Garou. Nagah in Kali Dahaka form (seebelow) possess gills and can breathe water as easily as air.In all forms, a Nagah has keen eyesight and colorvision. Their senses of taste and smell become increasinglyacute as they shift from Balaram to Vasuki form. Foreach form removed from Balaram, reduce the difficultyof Perception rolls involving taste and smell by –1 (to a
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TABLE OF CONTENTS9
Page 4 and 5:
Introduction: Beasts of the Wild 16
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General Kitsune Gifts 130Kojin Gift
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Rites 266The Dawning Ritual 266Rite
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But each of the Changing Breeds is
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Changing Breed GamesThe easiest way
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Chapter One:The ChangingWorldThe re
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who dwelled there. Only a few other
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these groups from acting in an effe
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Many werehyenas ran to the cities a
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courts there. Any cooperation betwe
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venom — a belief that has spread
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As the Pakistani government is, for
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Some sentai are created for a singl
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from America and Europe, provide a
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Once, Ajaba played a vital role in
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the herd, and we know that what sur
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through her First Change. As she wa
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not know what to make of these new
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aspect is determined by the time of
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• Laugh of the Hyena (Level Three
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• Calling the Eshu (Level Three)
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Serving their Wyrm-imprisoned Queen
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Anansi: The first and wisest of the
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many ways. Some are obvious — no
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Where the Wyrm’s taint is signifi
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development where it might not othe
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• Replenishment of the Flesh (Lev
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System: Usable only on Level One or
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Proud and aloof, the Bastet serve a
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the globe where they are found, the
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74HUMAN KINTraditionally, Indian Ba
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KYPHUR CATSIt is also possible that
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EXTINCTION AND THE CUNNING CATAccor
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Form StatisticsSokto Crinos Chatro
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OUT OF AFRICAOutside of Africa, wil
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RenownBastet value Ferocity above G
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System: The player rolls Dexterity
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Balam Gifts• Hunter’s Mists (Le
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• Armor of Kings (Level Two) —
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Whether in the physical or Umbral r
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CyberSpyingIt used to be that if yo
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of like walking can-openers, if you
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If you meet up with one, prepare to
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• Spirit Speech (Level One) — A
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STEREOTYPESRaina Fader goes on at l
Page 97 and 98: The Gurahl had turned to the Wyrm.W
Page 99 and 100: Gallivant and Buri-JaanAn exception
Page 101 and 102: A Gurahl may also increase her Stre
Page 103 and 104: Kin. When those who left for the Um
Page 105 and 106: Home TerritoriesOnce common to all
Page 107 and 108: FOLLOWING THE GREAT BEARAll Gurahl
Page 109 and 110: System: The player spends a point o
Page 111 and 112: • Song of Terra (Level Two) — T
Page 113 and 114: System: The player spends a point o
Page 115 and 116: Tricksters, assassins, magicians, a
Page 117 and 118: KITSUNE LEXICONKitsune have their o
Page 119 and 120: 126KINFOLK AND THE CURSEWhenever a
Page 121 and 122: Nonetheless, they are usually insat
Page 123 and 124: Form StatisticsSambuhenge Koto Juko
Page 125 and 126: • Forest Lord (Level Four) — As
Page 127 and 128: • Spirit of the Fray (Level Two)
Page 129 and 130: Moonlight-Over-River has a few word
Page 131 and 132: are preparing for whatever comes ne
Page 133 and 134: MOKOLÉ LEXICONAge of Kings: The er
Page 135 and 136: are occurrence. Some young weresaur
Page 137 and 138: occur. Drawn to darkness, they stil
Page 139 and 140: FormsMokolé have three forms: Homi
Page 141 and 142: GiftsMokolé begin with one aspect
Page 143 and 144: System: The player spends one Gnosi
Page 145 and 146: memory stored within the art. Any c
Page 147: assassins, they never kill their Ki
Page 151 and 152: of their breed, seeing them as crea
Page 153 and 154: General Nagah Gifts• Eyes of the
Page 155 and 156: • Lightning Strike (Level Two)
Page 157 and 158: • Song of Winter (Level Four) —
Page 159 and 160: The Nuwisha may appear to be little
Page 161 and 162: Both to accommodate the Umbral Dans
Page 163 and 164: PtahBackground Cost: 5A spirit of w
Page 165 and 166: the werecoyote has taught him the e
Page 167 and 168: System: The player spends one Willp
Page 169 and 170: with a song. Just as Coyote is the
Page 171 and 172: An Urge to ViolenceMore than any of
Page 173 and 174: More than any other Changing Breed,
Page 175 and 176: sense" that gives them an exception
Page 177 and 178: Tough: All Blade Slaves have an ext
Page 179 and 180: to their long, yellowed teeth, thei
Page 181 and 182: System: Once the character decides
Page 183 and 184: • Blur of the Weeping Eyes (Level
Page 185 and 186: Kray Meren shares what he knows:STE
Page 187 and 188: lives a life of sleeping, swimming,
Page 189 and 190: culture long denied them did nothin
Page 191 and 192: the Zhong-Lung as wise and sacred t
Page 193 and 194: and are also natural leaders. Dimwa
Page 195 and 196: ground, and watches what happens ar
Page 197 and 198: and the souls of those not of his s
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206
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Gauntlet Runner(2-pt. Merit, Ratkin
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BastetBastet use most of the same B
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Shared BackgroundsThe following Bac
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Corax• Eye Pluck: Corax can attem
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New Pack Tactics• Circle: This ma
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Cunning is gained through discoveri
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GlorySample BehaviorAwardTelling a
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WisdomSample BehaviorAwardShowing m
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DIMWATERRank Valor Harmony Innovati
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226
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When a Breed’s animal Kin is no m
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The Apis once worked openly with hu
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alphas becoming increasingly picky
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animal) slain in combat, he immedia
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The werebats were known as the Ears
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knew of hiding places and good terr
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Microchiroptera(3-point Merit, Cama
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All shapeshifters were created to p
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244CHANGING BREEDSCharms without ri
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• Grondr had especially keen sens
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The OthersThough the Changing Breed
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Mostof the world’smyths about tur
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Appendix One:The AhadiLooking to th
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Though his attacks would culminate
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Knowing what was at stake, the Moko
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peopled by only a single Breed, wer
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themselves? Are they now to give up
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The odd wererat who breaks with the
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spider or rat in their kganmadi? Wh
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expect it to fall apart within a de
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• Ogun’s Blessing (Level One)
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Appendix Two:HengeyokaiThe Beast Co
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Wisdom by performing their duties w
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their martial prowess and their imp
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OrganizationThe Nagah of the Beast
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OrganizationLike the Rokea, Same-Bi
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mates before resuming their solitar
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282CHANGING BREEDStively high incom
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Creating Beast CourtCharactersChara
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• Blurring the Mirror (Level Four
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Army of the NightAaron AlbergAlan H
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el MākoErhannis KirranEyes in the
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sevSeven TanShadar Twilight-ClawShi
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Felipe MarquesGabriel CostaGobbosGr
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Kevin Butcher• • •Lewis “Cr
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NoChangeDifficulty:Strength( )_____
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History____________________________
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