W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

many ways. Some are obvious — no other living ChangingBreed has the ability to separate themselves into thousandsof parts like the Ananasi’s Crawlerling forms, for example.Other differences are more subtle, but no less significant.BloodUnlike other Changing Breeds, the Damhàn are notdriven by Rage. Instead, they possess a supernatural blood pooland may use the blood points within that pool for supernaturalabilities such as extra actions and healing. Regardless oftheir breed or form, Ananasi can hold up to 10 blood points(each one about the equivalent of a health level of damage),although some Gifts enable them to exceed this maximum.Werespiders may eat normal food (for humans orspiders), but they gain their real sustenance and powerfrom ingesting blood. Taking five blood points from anaverage human will hospitalize him, and more will certainlykill him. For Ananasi who are not worried aboutthe after-effects of their meal, the average human canbe siphoned for ten points of blood before he’s drainedcompletely dry. Animals provide blood in varying quantitiesdepending on their size: a Husky may provide six orseven blood points, a Siamese, only one.Ananasi are, of course, not limited to mammalianmeals. For those who prefer discretion (or simply have noother options) cold-blooded animals — or even insects— can serve, however a vast quantity of spiders or otherinsects must be consumed to refresh a single blood point.Running out of blood in her blood pool does notweaken an Ananasi, but until she has regained blood,she may not use any of the special abilities granted byher blood pool.Ananasi can accomplish the following by usingblood points:• Spending one blood point allows a werespider to shiftreflexively into a chosen form.• Spending one blood point gives an Ananasi an extraaction in a turn.• Ananasi use blood points to power certain Gifts andrites.• Ananasi may spend blood to heal wounds (see Healing,below).• Blood points fuel an Ananasi’s ability to create webs(see Webs, below).Unlike vampires, werespiders cannot employ bloodto boost their Physical Attributes, nor do they gainextra bonuses from the blood of Changing Breeds orother supernatural creatures (though they may enjoy thetaste and potency). Unless using the Gift: Blood Pump,a werespider may spend blood for only one benefit perturn — although she may spend more than one bloodpoint to achieve her goal. Note that spending blood onextra actions precludes the werespider from using bloodto do anything else during those actions, including usingcertain Gifts, healing wounds, or creating webs. Ananasimay not expend blood and Gnosis in the same turn,except when using a Gift that requires both.HealingAnanasi do not regenerate like most other ChangingBreeds. Instead, they use the blood from their blood poolto heal both normal and aggravated wounds.To heal bashing and lethal damage, Damhàn spend oneblood point per level of damage, and the healing takes oneturn. In order to heal one level of aggravated damage, anAnanasi must spend a total of five blood points, at a rateof one point per turn. The aggravated damage is healed atthe end of the turn in which the last blood point is spent.Unless a werespider uses blood to heal damage, sheheals at the same rate as normal humans do. Ananasi mayspend blood for healing while in any form but Crawlerling.Diseases may also be healed as if they were aggravateddamage, with more serious diseases, equating to more“levels” of damage. Spending five blood points, or theequivalent of healing one level of aggravated damage,can purge common ailments such as the flu. Seriousillnesses such as AIDS, lupus or Crohn’s disease countas three to five levels of aggravated damage (15 to 25blood points). Ananasi seeking to purge their systemsof serious diseases must, therefore, consume blood inlarge quantities.VulnerabilityPerhaps because they are not Gaian offspring, Ananasipossess no vulnerability or allergy to silver, nor toany other substance as a Breed. They often point thisout as proof of their superiority to the Ovid.Physical PeculiaritiesOnce they have progressed through their Metamorphosis,even human-born Ananasi share many physicaltraits with natural spiders. Their circulatory, digestive,and respiratory systems all shift to accommodate theprocessing of blood in addition to solid food. Althoughthese changes may be difficult to notice for the casualobserver, they are a physical manifestation of how decidedlydifferent even homid Ananasi are from the humansthey so deftly emulate. (See Homid, p. 64, for additionaldetails.)As well, in all forms other than Homid, Ananasihave eight eyes. This allows them greater peripheral vision(up to 240º, at the Storyteller’s discretion based onspecific forms and individual physiques), although theymust still make a Perception + Alertness roll to noticespecific details within that expanded peripheral vision.60CHANGING BREEDS