W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

Where the Wyrm’s taint is significant, most of theDamhàn have greater difficulty traversing the Web.Only those of the Hatar aspect can enter the Umbra inWyrm-infested areas at no penalty; other aspects add +2to their difficulty to crawl through.RenownQueen Ananasa judges each werespider according totheir adherence to the ways of the Triat: resourcefulnessand cleverness yields Cunning, adhering to Ananasa’slaws results in Obedience, and good judgment and intuitiongrants Wisdom.Backgrounds and AbilitiesThe Ananasi’s breed determines his beginning Willpowerand Gnosis, and all Ananasi have a blood pool of10, regardless of breed, aspect, or faction.Because Queen Ananasa does not wish for Her childrento become mired in the mistakes of the past, Ananasimay not take Ancestors or Pure Breed as Backgrounds.Arachnid-born Ananasi are not limited in the Abilitiesthey may choose. While a spider-born Ananasi would notenter their Metamorphosis with human-focused Abilities,because of the Ananasi’s duties (and the pressure uponthem to serve Ananasa’s will), they are likely to developthem more quickly than other animal-born shapeshifters.If Storytellers desire to put logical limitations uponnewly-Metamorphosed Ananasi based on their breed,they are certainly encouraged to do so.Because of their familial connection to Her, all Damhànautomatically gain Queen Ananasa as their personaltotem for free. Other shapeshifters who desire to seekAnanasa as a totem must not only pay experience pointsto purchase Her as their personal totem, but must eschewbelonging to a pack, or else lose Her as their mentor.BreedsAnanasi admit to two distinct breeds: arachnid andhomid. No metis Ananasi are known to exist. Whetherthis is because Ananasi/Ananasi pairings produce no issueor because any “child” born of such a match dies — oris killed — at birth, the Ananasi do not say.• Homid: Homid Ananasi, born from human parentage,have an early life that differs little from most humanchildren. As they near the time of their First Change,however, they notice significant differences betweenthemselves and their human friends. By the time theyfully undergo their physical transformation (see Forms,p. 64) they have undergone the psychological and emotionalchanges necessary to not only accept their truenature, but to hide it from outside eyes.Beginning Willpower: 3Beginning Gnosis: 162CHANGING BREEDS• Arachnid: Arachnid Ananasi, born from a spiderspawning, hatch from an egg sac. Due to spiders’ shortnatural lifespan (and inherent fragility), they begin theMetamorphosis more quickly than their homid Kin,sometimes within hours of their hatching. Comparedto their homid brethren, arachnid Ananasi also havea distinct disadvantage — their diminutive size. Theymust literally eat their way to a body mass that can accommodatetheir change in form, usually feasting ontheir sac-mates and any other spiders in the area beforeworking their way up to larger prey. Arachnid Ananasiusually share breed forms with one of their dominant localspider population — tarantulas, recluses, black widows,wolf spiders, or the like — and these unique physicalcharacteristics show up across all their non-Homid forms.Beginning Willpower: 4Beginning Gnosis: 5AspectsAll Damhàn worship Queen Ananasa and serveHer (and Her ideal of Symmetry — restoring sanity,balance, and perfection to the Great Web) as theirhighest goal. However, each Ananasi fulfills these effortsthrough dedication to a facet of the Triat chosen for herby Ananasa Herself. Ananasi label these three distinctgroups “aspects”, based on which of the Triat they aremost closely aligned with.Shortly after an Ananasi’s Metamorphosis, shemanifests physical changes that denote her aspect.These markings manifest as changes in pore patterns(especially on the face and torso) in homid forms, butas overt coloration and texture changes in other forms.Tenere are branded with spider-web markings that radiatein circles or wedges. Hatar markings are sinuous andQUEEN ANANASAAs a totem, Queen Ananasa grants threedots of Occult and two dots of Enigmas while Herchild is meditating in his Sylie (or, in the case ofan Ovid child, while meditating in solitude). Herban is that Her children must follow the Laws ofAnanasa, and Ovid must cooperate with Ananasi.Those Ovid She favors must pay 8 pointsto purchase Her as a personal totem. She doesnot favor packs, and will abandon any followerwho joins one (as She feels this is a violation ofthe penultimate tenet of Her Laws).