W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

expect it to fall apart within a decade. But the foundersof the Ahadi are building toward a dream, and few thingsare more resilient than dreams. What follows are themystical tools and game mechanics used to reach theAhadi’s vision.Making an Ahadi CharacterCreate an Ahadi-aligned Fera exactly as a normalmember of their Breed — the Ahadi exists to join togetherthe other Changing Breeds, without the ingrained specialsocial or mechanical complexities of the Hengeyokai.Characters can only purchase Ahadi Gifts during charactergeneration with freebie points. All Ahadi charactersare assumed to have already undergone the DawningRitual, and the players may choose for their charactersto be joined into a kganmadi by the Rite of the JoinedCirce, if the players pay to take a pack totem.RitesThe Ahadi have devised a small number of sharedrituals that facilitate cooperation between the differentChanging Breeds. Though the native rituals, beliefs,and values of the Changing Breeds vary wildly, all havea common respect for the spirit world, and the judgmentof mighty and ancient spirits. What the spirits havesanctified, the Changing Breeds can agree to abide by— usually. Because the scared secret prevents the spiritworld from acknowledging the Nagah, they cannot leadany of these rituals, though they can take part in them.All of the Ahadi’s exclusive rites must be performedwithin the boundaries of a caern — a serious point ofcontention among some Breeds. The Ahadi must notonly claim many caerns stretching across Africa, but theymust keep them open to any member — an idea thatmakes many Garou, Ajaba, and Simba profoundly uneasy.The Dawning RitualLevel Three (Mystic)The Dawning Ritual is the foundation rite of theAhadi. All shapeshifters who wish to claim membershipin the Ahadi must undergo the rite, opening themselvesup to the secrets of the pact.In a way, the Dawning Ritual resembles both aninitiation and a rite of passage. It must be performed atsunrise, within the bounds of a caern. The prospectiveAhadi must bring proof of some deed or service that wasof tangible benefit to the Changing Breeds as a whole —some perform heroic ballads, while others donate fetishesto the Ahadi as a whole. The ritemaster then leads thepledge through a recitation of the Ahadi Code while inthe presence of the caern’s spirit. Assuming the spiritfinds no fault with the applicant, the ritual concludeswith a celebration to welcome a new member into the266CHANGING BREEDSAhadi — this may be anything from an all-day revel toquiet discourse on the finer points of the Ahadi code,undertaken over a fine meal.System: The ritemaster must spend a point of Willpowerand roll Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty 6) toweave a link between the caern’s spirit and the generalnetwork of spirit-patrons of the Ahadi — the local spiritbecomes a representative for the judgment of the spiritworld as a whole. Unless the applicant is clearly Wyrmtainted,the spirits generally approve her induction.Once a shapeshifter has undergone the DawningRitual she is considered a member of the Ahadi for allpurposes. This enables her to participate in the Rite ofOne Blood, and offers additional benefits to the Rite ofthe Joined Circle. It also allows her to purchase AhadiGifts (see below).Rite of the Joined CircleLevel Three (Mystic)This very ancient rite was recently rediscovered orreinvented — nobody is quite sure which — and putinto use by the Ahadi. Used to bind together membersof many Changing Breeds into a pack, it is effectivelyidentical to the Garou Rite of the Totem (W20, p. 213),save that the would-be packmates do not travel into theUmbra. They instead meet the spirit within the boundsof a caern, where the ritemaster calls it into the worldto speak to them, judge them, and hopefully find themworthy. When the totem assents to bind the pack, itsmembers cut their hands and bleed together.System: As with the Rite of the Totem, this Riterequires no roll. A kganmadi enjoys all of the benefits ofa Garou pack, including totem benefits (except for theNagah and Ananasi), the ability to perform pack tactics,and they are wholly considered a pack for the purposeof any Gifts that make such distinctions.If all of the members of the kganmadi have undergonethe Dawning Ritual, they become able to gain Renownfor active adherence to the Ahadi Code. This Renowntranslates into Honor or Wisdom Renown for Garou,Corax, and Mokolé (as appropriate on a case-by-casebasis), Wisdom for Ananasi, Obligation for Ajaba andRatkin, Honor for Bastet, and Innovation for Rokea. Inthe event that one of the non-African Breeds somehowbecame a member of the Ahadi, Gurahl would gain inHonor or Wisdom, Kitsune in Kagayaki, and Nuwishain Humor — what could be more absurd?Rite of One BloodLevel Two (Mystic)This rite is performed for the benefit of a full, swornkganmadi at the heart of a caern. (The ritemaster neednot necessarily be a member of the kganmadi.) One