W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

ter others of their kind only rarely. While they recognizethe rank and experience of their elders, and will listento advice when appropriate, they are unlikely to changetheir actions or thoughts to cater to the whims of others.The incursion of Pentex — and their associatedindustries — into the Amazon is driving the Balammad, and not only because they are destroying BalamKinfolk and Den Realms. These companies have broughta flood of foreigners into Balam territory, packing tensof thousands of humans into land that once held onlynative flora and fauna. The sheer influx of outsiders isinfuriating to the werejaguars, who would do anythingto cleanse their land of these tainted newcomers.Balam MagicWhile no one who has faced a Balam in battle woulddeny their ferocity, combat is far from their solitary focus.At least as important to the werejaguars is the recoveryof their lost lores — including ancient magics and ritualslost during the Second War of Rage. Balam scholarsand warriors alike have fought for years to recover theseancient magics from anyone — Asura or Garou alike— who would keep their rightful heritage from them.Storytellers running games with a focus on this aspectof the Balam are encouraged to adopt these “lost” secretsfrom any mystic aspect of the game that is thematicallyappropriate (and not normally easily accessible to theBastet). This might include renamed versions of GarouRites beyond those normally duplicated by the Bastet,Gifts that are listed as unique to other Changing Breeds,or abilities normally limited to those possessing a particularFetish. Researching, searching for, discovering, andlearning a “lost Balam Gift” in this way can be a sidelineto an existing plot — or an intricate storyline in and ofitself — depending on the characters and players involved.DistributionBefore European Garou spread throughout the UnitedStates, Balam often ranged the southern climes of theNorth American continent. These days, however, Balamare found almost exclusively in still-forested areas ofCentral and South America, although some have beenreported recently ranging up into Mexico, possibly followingthe northward emigration of their human Kin.Kin and AppearanceBalam Kin are a diverse lot. While they once bredexclusively with the native tribes in Central and SouthAmerica, the incredible diversity of immigrants to thearea has encouraged Balam to expand their mating options.Nowadays, a Balam is as likely to be of Garifunastock as Yanomamo, and mixed-race Kin are now moreor-lessthe norm.Jaguars are solidly-built cats, and the Balam take aftertheir feline Kin in this respect. Werejaguars tend to beshort, stocky, and ferociously powerful. Like the Bagheera,many have black fur in Feline form, although the majorityhave a tawny pelt with arrangements of black rosettesnot unlike those of their Asian and African cousins.Form StatisticsSokto Crinos Chatro FelineStr: +1 Str: +3 Str: +3 Str: +2Dex: +1 Dex: +2 Dex: +2 Dex: +2Sta: +2 Sta: +3 Sta: +3 Sta: +2Man: –1 Man: –4 Man: –4 Man: –3App: –1 App: 0Beginning Rage: 4Beginning Willpower: 3Starting Gifts: Hunter’s Mists, Storm of PestsThe Yava of the Balam• Demons feed the wrath of the Balam; send one againsthim and he will rage into madness.• Burn the heart of the jaguar and you destroy its soulforever.• Jaguar feathers (shed while a Balam is using the AncestralWings Gift) hold great power. If you find one,burn it by the great cat’s face. Once it is ashes, theBalam will die.BubastiThe Bubasti are a puzzle, an enigma, a mysterywrapped in contradiction. The mystics of catkind, theyare a shy and secretive race. They are, however, also themost social of the Bastet, and tend to work closely withone another in most of their endeavors. Inextricably tiedto the past, they also cast their golden eyes toward thefuture — and a time when the Bastet may truly fulfillthe roles set for them by Gaia.Long ago, the Bubasti were cursed by the ancientvampire deity Set, and as a result their lives are foreverrooted in the soils of Khem, their ancestral home. It issaid that if all of the Bubasti of a given generation leaveEgypt, that generation will be the last. It is possible thatthis story is simply that — folklore — but the Bubastido not care to test it, just in case.From their creation, the Bubasti were charged withthe task of guarding human mystics against the temptationsof Asura. With the growth of humanity and theadvent of Set’s curse, however, these werecats havehad to change their tactics in order to survive. Theystill protect knowledge, as they always have. However,rather than bodyguards and sentries, they now fulfill theBASTET75