Ancients Awaken- the Old Ones Chronicles (Changing Breeds. Discussion, Brainstorming)

[LostLight]

so this is my mission for next week, I guess? :P

[Dagcon Faraday]

For me, I see playing Changing Breeds as going through puberty while attempting to find some respect within the high school/prison landscape that is the World of Darkness. The Man vs. Nature dynamic actually instead referring to the conflict of one's instinctual drives vs. what is socially acceptable. (i.e. I want to stake my claim vs. you can't urinate in public)

The horror being the allegory of puberty; the monster within and its primal urges & the fear of being ostracized for it. While the journey being one of self-discovery, finding a measure of Respect within the world-at-large & fulfilling the Oath of Accord by attaining Harmony between one's dual nature.

The Forsaken take for granted what they have, the Pure blind to their hate, the Forgotten however must always struggle to find their place. Either through a strength in numbers or by finding an equilibrium of their dual natures.

• I'd treat Accord as a mirror to the Auspice/Aspect dynamic. The Accord being akin to Aspect in the arrangement made that establishes a basic Harmony between one's dual nature.
  • While an Auspice being a sub-splat; tying one to the culture of a specific Dynasty, in that when joining, associations are established based on the events of the First Change to that Dynasty's specific beliefs. (like how one gets an astrological natal chart made for them)
• I'd like to see Dynasties as a social "tier-based" splat. Using the Forsaken & Pure (also The Colony & Baal-Hadad of War Against the Pure) as examples of a Tier 3 Dynasty, while regionally influenced Dynasties falling within Tier 2.
  • This would make Tribes/Lodges more like Factions within a given Dynasty
• Possibly excluding Essence as a fuel stat and more of a Harmony dot/point system to help focus more on the physical side of the Therianthrope condition.
• Maybe treat the Nahual instead like an Athanor to Promethean. Using some variant to the totem-building systems to develop this animal soul. Selecting its Breed+Species/Form Traits (Descent's Demonic Form meets W:tF Shapeshifting) and something called Urges
  • With Urges, think Influences or Keys from Geist but more encompassing how they effect or even take over the character's personality. Forsaken are more driven by a Primal Urge while the rest of the Breeds have several Urges that make up the Feral Heart.
• I'd see Respect traits used like Manifestations, channeling the Urges through these human aspects; thus producing more controlled changes (thus powers) so Cleverness + a Winged Folk "Nesting" urge manifests in an inherent talent of building/dismantling structures/fortifications; while a Cold King Turtle's urge for "Protection" with that same trait manifests as a shell armor-skin plating while in Man-Guise.
• Any exceptionally vulgar mystical abilities (Gifts & Rites) I'd tie to the individual Dynasties like Endowments to Hunter & the Blood Sorcery of Vampire.
  • The goal being to treat the Hisil as a "if you believe in that sorta thing" to the Changing Breeds as a whole, possibly having Dynasties with more scientific exploits available to them (think Zoanoids from Guyver) or variant magical flavors based on an "origin myth" involving Circe of the Odyssey.

Anyway, this is really just some lengthy personal thoughts on the subject to throw out and get out of my head

[NeoTiamat]

I am not sure "You get to play out puberty" is going to be a winning slogan for a game. Just saying.

That said, some interesting thoughts, Dagcon. I especially like the idea of a "build your own shapeshifter form" thing, though I always found Keys and Manifestations excruciatingly complex.

As far as the splats go:
<> For your inherent splat (AKA, your Clan, your Auspice, your Seeming), I'd make it the specific shapeshifter that you are. You're a were-cat. Or in some cases, a _____ werecat, for cases where there are multiple types of shapeshifters. I think these are going to be very much build-your-own, but ideally, you should be able to use the framework to shoehorn in all the current existing shapeshifters (Colony, Baal Hadad, etc). At this level, you have a culture but not necessarily an agenda. What do I mean by this. You are all werehyenas together. You come from a specific origin point, you have similar powers, you have connection to each other, you share certain understandings and cultural touchstones in a way that you won't with the weretiger that lives down the hall. That said, they won't (usually) have a specific agenda (by agendas I mean any sort of 'I want to do this in the world', including things like politics, religious agendas, magical stuff, corporate, etc). There might be some overlap, but while your inherent species may suggest certain leanings, you are your own person.
<> And then there is the chosen splat (AKA, your Covenant, Tribe, Court), which I'd organize around specific philosophies. This is what Vampire and Hunter tend to do very well. You have specific ideals (even if this ideal is just "let's use our shapeshifting powers to make MONEY"), and this is the group that you join. You may come from a totally different cultural/supernatural milieu from your fellow ChosenSplatMates (he's a high-class wereeagle from France, you're a rough-and-tumble werecayman from Venezuela), but you are united by the fact that you both buy into the philosophy or ideology of your chosen group. The specific ideology can vary a lot, but I find that the Covenants and Conspiracies offer a very good idea of the possible range. You might have cults (both variants of real world faiths like the Sanctified or Malleus Malleficarum, or way-out-there cults like the Aegis Kai Doru), criminal organizations, corporate conspiracies, political movements (Carthians), or even just some kind of social club (Ashwood Abbey).

In other words, one is what you are and one is what you do. Ethnic group and political party, to use slightly loaded terminology.

[Gurkhal]

The Old Ones sounds like a very cold concept which I will probably shamelessly steal and perhaps drop on my Werewolf players.

But on the other hand, do you have some examples of Old Ones, which you could show us/me to get a better grasp of the king of things that you have in mind for them? Proto-beasts sounds really cool but it would be nice with a few examples of them.

[LostLight]

I'll work on a number of Old Ones and Changing Breeds for next week, together with some thoughts about "Building your perfect Beast", working on the ideas which NeoTiamat and Dagcon gave me and some expanding on the Changing Gift as a relic from older times. I don't promise I'll make it all, but I'll try- with giving examples for Changing Breeds and Old Ones as my top priority

[Gurkhal]

I'll work on a number of Old Ones and Changing Breeds for next week, together with some thoughts about "Building your perfect Beast", working on the ideas which NeoTiamat and Dagcon gave me and some expanding on the Changing Gift as a relic from older times. I don't promise I'll make it all, but I'll try- with giving examples for Changing Breeds and Old Ones as my top priority

Sounds awesome! I'll kee an eye open for these goodies if you would get a chance to make them happen. )

[Dagcon Faraday]

I am not sure "You get to play out puberty" is going to be a winning slogan for a game. Just saying.

Hehe, well not literal sense, nah; who'd want to go through that again. Mainly I was following the style of analogy that one of the developer's used to describe the Great Guilds in Mummy: the Curse. I forget who, but he essentially broke them up into high school cliques.

[LostLight]

So, this week I'm going to expand the "Changing Gift as a Relic" by adjusting the Breeds (X splat) to the idea as "gifts from Nature to Man". Each will also have an example changing breed character (sorry, but just some background, not mechanics) and than I'll finish with few Old Ones examples..

ready.. here we go!

Bastet- the werecats given to humanity as hunters and ambushers. Graceful, independent and powerful, the Bastet didn't simply hunted meat for Man, but hunted some more, stranger things- in the same way that cats kills venomous snakes and plague bearing rodents, the Bastet hunted down those monster which preyed on humanity- including those humans who were a threat for their own community. However, as mankind has slowly started to gather- at first at communities, than villages, than cities and finally in the great metropolis in which they lived today. Today, they have power in numbers, and they don't need the lone hunter in the night.. at least, that's what they think. The monsters has came with them to the cities, and the gift of the Bastet simply changed from the great cats of the wild to the small cats which roam the streets. While those who wear the skin of lions, tigers and the such are still exist, most of the Bastet today have the Nahual of the common house cat. However, while the Bastet still hunt, they have became more.. lazy. They have embraced the new world, and their egoistic nature makes them to hunt more out of boredom than need. While that behavior is despised by the more traditional Bastet, the modernists don't care. At least, that way, they won't be extinct.

Janna Alison- New Age Felin
Janna is one of the best examples for a modernist Bastet. She is playful, egocentric and knows how to get what she wants. While her Nahual is actually of one of the big cats (a black panther), it doesn't stop her from adjusting to the new world. She spend most of her life indulging her self with her fleshy lusts, going to clubs and drink herself to death. Those who don't know about her true identity think she is on the path of self destruction- without knowing that the true reason for that behavior is to try and shut up her instinct which try to force her and do something important in their life, like tracking down the murderer who killed 6 women already and reap him apart. While she doesn't seek the company of other Feral, she does sometimes meet with them- especially in order to exchange information. However, one should not take her lightly- for in a second she make change to her panther form and reap his heart out.


Land Titans- the greatest among beasts were meant to be also the greatest among man. King priests and shamans, the Land Titans were the center of the community in the ancient societies. Their powerful bodies and great wisdom has allowed them to direct humanity from ages by ages, and when man has moved to the cities they have seen it as a good thing- after all, the more people who worship them the more help they can give to those humans. However, slowly, the sacred kingship of the Titans has started to fade, turning into a symbol. Humanity has found its own leaders to follow and its own ideals to believe in. And as the Titans has lost their status as holy beings, man has started to hunt down their kin, selling their bones out of greed. Today, the Land Titans are on the verge of extinction- not only that their animal kind is hunted, but that most of them has also didn't found their place in the new world- which means that the people which manifest that Changing Breed become fewer and fewer at every year. Some of the Titans try to force their way to the new world by making cults around them or making themselves into symbols of power and might- but most don't bother. Humanity doesn't need them any longer, and they accept it. The time of the Titans has passed.

Erik Smith- Last of the Nephilim
Erik knows that the time of the Titans may end, but he isn't willing to give up. Getting his Gift as a were-elephant after managing to lead people to protest against military actions Iraq, Erik decided that Nature has given him a mission- to save those who can't save themselves. He divide his time between helping the poor, protesting against the hunt of elephants and other endangered beasts and calling to stop using military force. He is a pacifist, and rarely use his form for attacking- even if his life are depended on it, the chances are that he'll try to use empathy or reason in order to solve things out. While most Feral think he is naive, he doesn't care- he believes that if he'll help humanity, they will help the Ferals in return. He believes that he can convince people to stop hunting elephants and save them from extinction. Finally, he believes that he found the Land Titans' new place in the world- not as rulers, but as servants.


Laughing Strangers- The so called "Laughing Strangers" were given to humanity less as a gift and more as a curse- which is a gift, actually. Being a living paradox is part of the life of those Ferals. One must evolve in order to survive, and you can't evolve if you are too comfortable. They believe that their mission was to trick and prank humanity in order to make sure they won't fall a sleep and stop trying to improve itself. They saw themselves as as living stories in the way that they were the antagonists which made sure that the protagonists will reach their dramatic climax. Some even whisper that it was they which spread the Black Plague on purpose during the Middle Ages, and they don't deny. In a way, it was their "fault" that humanity has moved into cities, trying to find a way to stop the tricksters from tormenting them by building great walls and lighting fire in every corner. The Strangers, however, moved through the crack in the walls and hid in the shadows of the flames. They are survivors, and they easily adjusted to the new world. Among the Changing Breeds, they are the least changed- they still trick humanity, still stab them in their butt and still laugh in the distance. Their story won't end that easily.

Timothy Blake- Wandering Troubadour
Timothy is a werefox- and he is very good at it. He is a very handsome man, with blond hair, tanned skin, shining eyes and a gorgeous smile. He always keep himself well kept, wearing only the most fancy cloths and using the most delicate perfume. He knows how to talk, and there are very few times in which he didn't got what he wanted. He never stays in the same place too long- and for a good reason, for he is always leaving a lot of angry people when he leaves. The first thing he does when he comes to a new city is to find a place to sleep in- which he does by finding some handsome lady (or man. He goes both ways) and make her fall in love at him. He tells her his "tragic story" about being kicked out from his family, having lost both of his parents in a fire or any other sad story about that he doesn't have any place to go. After that, he will start to ask for a few "favors". It will start with a place to crash for a night (and another night. and another night). He'll also ask if she could pay on him for food ("those bankers don't care about people anymore! Taking all of my money and not thinking about that I need to eat.."). After a while, he'll ask if his partner could pay on him for some cloths and other things ("I'll return it once I'll get the money! I swear") until one night, he will drop on his knees and propose for her, telling her it is the ring of his grandmother- and the last of his family jewels. They will celebrate that night- and he'll vanish in the mourning, taking with him most of the money, jewels and other valuables. While you may say he is a bad person, he doesn't see himself as such.He simply gives those people a lesson- never trust an handsome stranger with a tragic past. This isn't a fairy tale, after all.

(real life in the way. I'll post the other info later)

[LostLight]

.... so real life got in my way, my sister kinda erased everything I wrote, and now social life are calling me, so I'll post the rest tomorrow, I promise!

[shkspr1048]

I might have misread something, but I don't think that a single ur-myth works for Changing Breeds; Different Breeds, even within the same type of animal, could have different origins. One Breed might have the "Changing Gift is a gift from Nature to Man" origin, another might have the "Spawn of old Brother Buzzard", while a third has "Exposed to a weird virus back in the '70's".

As it happens, a while back I tried to splice together parts of the character creation processes from Changing Breeds and War Against the Pure into a workable whole, and while it needs to be updated to use the God-Machine Rules Revision, I feel that it stands to scrutiny.

~~Once a decision has been made to create a new Breed and what animal it will be, a few steps need to be followed.

Step 1 – Physical Statistics - First off, a decision needs to be made as to what the bonuses and penalties to the Breeds alternate forms will be. For this information, your best odds would be to use the guidelines in War Against the Pure (p. 173-174), but while using the information from Changing Breeds (p. 122) for the Breed’s final animal form. If there is a near-beast form between the War Form and the Beast Form, use your best judgment as to what its statistics should be, depending on the relative stats between the War and Beast Forms. These rules can vary depending what animal the Breed is based on.

Step 2 – Breed Favors – Consult p.74-78 of Changing Breeds (with the Storyteller, if necessary) to pin down what inborn benefits (called Favors) are natural to the various forms the Breed can change into. For instance, many Breeds have a means of defense (claws and teeth); most Avian Breeds will be capable of flight, while a number of aquatic shifters will be capable of breathing underwater.

Step 3 – Auspices & Tribes – Next, decide if this Breed has Auspice or Tribal divisions, and if so, what those divisions represent. For instance, do these factions provide certain affinity Gift lists as they do among the Uratha? War Against the Pure, p.174-175, and Changing Breeds, p.64-73 can be used for guidelines as to how this can be portrayed.

Step 4 – Rage – Determine what sort of rage(s) the Breed will experience, as per p.175 of War Against the Pure.

Step 5 – Metaphysics - This point is a good time to determine what sort of spiritual or metaphysical characteristics the Breed will have. Will it have a connection to the Shadow? Can it form a Totem Bond with the spirits? Is it able to regenerate its wounds, or does it heal like a normal human? Does your Breed follow a code of Renown or Respect (Changing Breeds, p.104-105). Page 175-177 and p.179-182 of War Against the Pure, as well as p.72-93 of Changing Breeds can provide insight into what benefits the Breed might possesses innately, as opposed to those abilities and powers that need to be learned.

Step 6 – Harmony – Use the Harmony scale listed in War Against the Pure, p.185.

Step 7 – The Curse – The Breed should have a Curse, a downside linked either to a set of external circumstances (how far away from the ocean she is) or her own power (the penalties of a Forsaken’s Primal Urge). War Against the Pure, p.178 and the various Breed templates therein can provide suggestions on how to set this up.

Step 8 – Reproduction – How does your Breed reproduce? Sexual procreation? Infection? By magical ritual? Are there any restrictions or requirements to any of these methods? Can it be controlled and directed, or does it just happen on its own? Is it connected to any other facets of the Breed (by Auspice, Primal Urge, etc.) War Against the Pure, p.171-173 can provide some good guidelines.

Experience Costs – Aspects, Affinity Gifts & Rites: New Dots x 5;
Non-Affinity Gifts: New Dots x 7;
New Ritual: Dots x 2

Renown – Non-Uratha have a less formalized form of Renown, known as Respect. Follow the rules from Changing Breeds, p.104-106.

What do you think?

[LostLight]

Well, before I even try to think mechanics, I want to focus on a good theme. And about the origin thing, this was one of the things which kinda made me go "what?.." when I've read the CB book. I mean, most of the book presented the CBs as all the "children of Nature", than each separate breed was presented as its own thing. I've decided to give them so simplistic, common origin in order to understand them more so they won't feel like a "collection of weird things"- this is what Shapeshifters from WATP are for, right?

Anyway, here is the rest of the Breeds:

The Pack- where most other ferlas were made to help humanity from without, the Pack helps them from within. Originally, they were created to walk among mankind while being leaders and knights. Their ferocity and loyalty were used to scare their enemies while still clinging to their human kin. However, as humanity grew, it found its own ways to protect itself and has started to see anything more powerful than it as a threat- even its own guardians. Seeing them as wild and untamed, humanity has started to drift from the Pack while hiding itself in great castles of stone and metal. While some of the Pack preferred to leave humanity behind and betray their cause, most of the Breed has followed, loyal as ever. Slowly, more civilized and tamed members of the Pack has showed- most of them were weredogs, but some other variants has showed. Today, the Breed has survived- but in order to do so, it sacrificed much of its wild pride. Still, it is not wise to mock one of those feral- for their ferocity may be buried deep, but it still burns under the surface.

Marcus Lopez- Loyal Companion
Marcus was once a cop. He always knew that it was what he wanted to do with his life- to be the shield which will protect his family and friend. One night, he and his partner got into a gunfight, and during it he got shot while he protected his friend. The shot was supposed to kill him, but it didn't- instead, he felt some great power flowing through his vines, and than everything turned red. When he returned to his senses, he was covered in blood while is friend while cowered in the corner, mumbling nonsense about a great dog ripping the criminals apart. His partner was sent to a psychiatric treatment while he suspended until it will be clear what has happened. However, it doesn't stop him from helping his friends. Sure, they consider him to be a vigilante at best and murderer at worst- but he doesn't care. One day, they'll thank him for his help. One day, they'll see how much good he did for them. One day, they'll pet him on his head and tell him he was a good boy- at least, that is what he tells himself in order to not hear his victims scream.


Royal Apes- in the same way that the apes (as animal) are seen as the "missing link" between man and beast, the Apes are the link between the man and the Breeds. Diplomats and courtiers, the Apes were meant to make sure that humanity and the Ferals will work together- but as humanity has stopped needing the Changing Breeds, the apes has became twice as redundant. Their attempts to maintain the old roles of the Breeds has failed again and again, as humanity has proved itself more powerful than they thought. That made the Apes to seek for new uses for their skills- some of them has decided to try and maintain the complicate society of the Breeds, leaving humanity alone. It is only thanks to them that the different breeds actually still talk with each other. Other, however, has decided to take another path and become the masters of humanity. They became politicians, businessmen and stock brokers, climbing to the top of the social ladder. The cities are a concrete jungle, after all, and the Apes know how to clime its branches better than anyone else.

Damon Martinez- Monkey in a Suit
Damon is the CEO of a small, yet successful jewel company. For many years he nurtured it as one of his offspring, seeing it as his life's goal, and he made sure to focus on the most beautiful jewellery money could buy- golden bracelets, silver necklaces, ruby earrings- and diamond rings. While many of those diamonds where actually "blood diamonds", Damon didn't cared. People killed each other all the time, with or without diamonds, and if the killing already happens then at least eh could gain some profit from it. However, things have changed when one of his company's search teams has found something.. unexpected. An Old One. While it wasn't the first time a something like that has happened, and he knew what he should do (making a few phone calls in order to gather some Ferals to do the dirty work), the Old One has offered an interesting proposal. It had the ability to create diamonds, and it will give them to Damon- if he'll protect it. Damon, seeing it as a business opportunity, has agreed immediately- although each nerve in his body screamed he shouldn't. Today, he his a shallow shadow of who he was once. The Old One needs.. maintenance, after all, and Damon has a limited ability to gather enough sacrifices to it. And if it isn't enough, the creature has started to offer to make him stronger, more power, and the whispers of the Old One are starting to become tempting. Sometimes, he almost use his connections and get rid of the creature- but the diamonds...


Spinner Kin- among the strangest of the Breeds, the Spinners has never felt as a true part of the other Feral society. Sure, they were still part of them, but most of the Breeds didn't like them at all. Some has even saw them as mistakes, things without purpose. That attitude only made the Spinner to stop care about the Ferals and focus their time and resources on their mission- to be humanity's vizers and manipulators. At first, it was hard- there were very few humans to gather, and very little resources to use. However, as humanity evolved, the Spinners has found their natural abilities for manipulation working better. Money has turned to be an efficient way to control others, and cities contained enough people to make the Spinner's grand visions of the future to come true. The invention of the internet was a gift from the heavens for that breed, for it allowed them to manipulate data and information in a way they couldn't even dream of before, and by doing that they could move thousands of people as puppets with a single button. Today, with smartphones, Facebook and other social media, the ability to manipulate data has became so easy that the Spinners see it as poetic justice- in the old world, they were outcasts among the Breeds. Today, the Breeds are the outcasts, while they can finally do their job.

Maria Johnson- Spinner of Webs
Maria lives most of her life online. For her, the so called "virtual space" is as real as real life- if not more. She has opened a dozen of groups and pages on Facebook while maintaining five blogs, and this while hacking into other people's computers in order to find any interesting piece on information. She use her computer skills in order to make connections with thousands of people, and from those she picks up those with the most potential to make changes and gives them "suggestions" in order to move them to the "right direction". She is also in touch with a number of hit men through the net, in order to make sure some people will die when and where they are supposed to in order to move forward her plan- to stop people from searching for Oil in the North Sea. The reason is that according to her information, one of the Old Ones is sleeping in that place, and the diggings may awake it from its timeless sleep. Sure, some people may need to get killed, but it is sacrificing tens for the sake of thousands. While it may look like an impossible task for a lone person, Maris claims she isn't alone- she has a whole network trapped in her webs.

[LostLight]

Ursara- warriors from birth, the Ursara have seen themselves as the soldiers of mankind against the terrors of the world. Where the Bastet hunt alone and silently, and the Pack fight side by side for humanity, the bears have fought in the front, filled with majestic power and godly stamina. They were the best of warriors, brave and righteous, and humanity followed them in battle as heroes. However, the time of heroes has passed. Today, when you can kill someone with a trigger or a push of a button, brute force has became more or less unneeded. While at first the Ursara still found their place in the battlefield, the great arms race and technological improvement has left them behind in the dust. While some old bears complain about the new times and miss the past, others seek after a way to use their great bodies. Some turn to sports, becoming athletes, wrestlers and similar things. While they may get glory and fame, the rest of their breed see them as "dancing circus bears" which lost any semblance of the former greatness. Others find jobs where their physical talents are needed- like bodyguards and selectors. While it is still seen as something "lesser", it is still better than becoming a "toy for humanity". Still, some bears are still joining the military, claiming that humanity will always need brave warriors in the battlefield. Humanity think it doesn't needs heroes anymore- but the Ursara will prove them they are wrong.

Jacob Sanders- Old and Bloody Warrior
Jacob (call him "Jack" and he'll rip your throat) is old. Almost 80, he is still in a great shape for an old man. He has passed a lot in his life- he joined the army, fought in Vietnam, rose in a few ranks and returned home. But it wasn't enough for him- for he has just experienced the Change during the war, and while the army decided he finished his job he wasn't willing to accept it. He searched through the whole of the United States after a meaning, and through his journeys he discovered new and terrible things- spirits, lupines, vampires and other horrors of the night. However, for him it was a blessing, not a curse- for he found something to do with his life. He hunted side by side with the Uratha, turned vampires to ash, killed things without name or identity. He is even one of the few Ferals to kill more than 5 Old Ones (with each leaving a scar on his body). Through his travels, he gathered a group of other Ferals around him, and together they fought many glorious battles. From his friends, he was the only one to survive until today. Now, he retired, living alone in an old house. He miss the old days, and always complain about how life were a lot more simple in the past. Sometimes, he opens a bottle of brandy and think about the "old days". From time to time, a "youngster" feral comes to visit him in order to meet the old hero. Sometimes, he invites them for a drink. Usually, he just kicks them out of his house- literally.


Wind Runners- fast and graceful, the Wind Runners were artists and muses for mankind. Always elusive, they tempted man to the deepest forest and most forsaken lakes, showing them hidden things and making them to dream about things which are greater than him. While humanity has started to move to the big cities, the Runners didn't lost hope- for man was still drawn to the mysterious ways of nature, and the Runners were there to guide him in the darkness, keep moving it forward, keep making it chase the wind. However, as civilization progressed, the Runners has became less and less needed. Humanity has stopped looking outside for inspiration, more interested in itself. They has stopped searching for muse in hidden places and instead has tried to break anything they knew about art, creating a "new style" while leaving the old ways behind. Their dreams has also changed, focusing less about the fantastic nature and more about their own glory. Some Wind Runners has attempted to represent those new dreams, but most of those among that breed where too gentle for this harsh world. However, the Runners didn't lost hope- eventually, humanity will understand how much their life are empty without the wild, and when it'll search for it, they'll be there, waiting to guide it.

Theresa Shelly- Delicate Flower
Theresa is beautiful. She is among of those people who are naturally handsome, without a need for make up or any other accessories. Many men has fallen for her, but she turned all of them down- it is not that she is too picky or proud. It is simply that she isn't willing to break those men heart. Sure, she may look perfect to them, but this because she is a fantasy, a dream. If she'll go out with them, than they'll see she is no as perfect as they wished her to be- they'll see her when she is just waking up, her hair is all messy. They'll see her naked and notice that there are flaws in her body. They'll see her when she is sad or depressed and no longer think she is happy all the time. Sure, they may be hurt because of her rejection, but is better to break their heart and let it heal than breaking their dream- which will forever stay broken, its shard cutting through their flesh. Sometimes, in the nights of the full moon, she goes out to the wild and dance naked in her true form. Those who see her during that time are held captivated by her beauty- and will dream on her for ever and ever.


Wing Folk- the Wing Folk seem themselves as the rightful rulers of humanity. Where the Titans gain respect by their sheer size, the Wing Folk are simply better than humanity- after all, they could fly. They were the old chiefs and leaders, witches and shamans, being able to reach the heavens and talk with the gods. They knew how to talk and how to make other follow them, making sure that humanity will keep its safe distance from them. That detachment from humanity has became their downfall. When humanity has gathered together, they didn't mind. When humanity searched after its own gods to worship, they didn't mind. When humanity found its own voice and didn't listened to the voice of its leaders, they still didn't mind. After all, they still could do what no human could- they could fly! That is, until, humanity has learned how to fly. While at first they thought it was ok and that the early airplanes will never become as delicate and graceful as they are, they were proved to be wrong- aircraft has only evolved, becoming faster and better, conquering the realm of the Wing Folk. When humanity has passed the skies toward the stars themselves, the Wing Folk knew there was no way back. While some are still trying to be the noble birds they once were, most of the Wing Folk has found a new use for their talents- they have turned to the show business. Sure, being an actor or a singer is not the same as being a king, but it still something, right?

Tina Coal- Singer in Silence
Tina has big dreams. She dreams to become a great singer, tho hear thousands call her name while seeing it lit in lights. She is, however, very far from accomplishing that dream. Right now she only sings at bars, trying to get enough money in order to publish her own record. She has only few- but devoted!- fans, and while she appreciate their love toward her this is still not enough for her. She is also taking acting class, and photography, and arts. She see herself as a "total artist", which is just waiting for her time to shine. Lately, her dreams seem to start coming true- she passed an audition for a tv show, and while it is just a minor character which will show up only once, she knows it is her time to shine. Actually, she wasn't supposed to get the part- but she made sure she would, as the actress who was supposed to get it was hospitalized after talking nonsense about a "giant crow" which was threading her. Seriously, she was crazy- who will get confused between a crow and a raven? Anyway, Tina now has the part, and he manager has told her that if she will play very well there is a chance they'll make the character into one of the main cast- and Tina is going to fail. And even if, for some reason, the director won't notice her talents, than she will make sure he'll look closely- into the eyes of a raven, of course.

[LostLight]

And now- the 3 sample Old Ones!

Eater of Woods
The Eater doesn't like the forest. When it was young and the world was warmer, he lived in a desert- a wide plane of sand and dust. It was easily crossing the desert of his six legs, his armored scales protect it from any mad predator while his acidic spit burns its prey alive. When the world changed, it started digging- dig the deepest it could- and then it could up and went to sleep. Ages later, it finally waked up from its torpor- a group of annoying animals of two legs has searched after some "hidden relics" or something like that. The Eater didn't cared- it was hungry, and the humans made a nice appetizer. However, when it went out, he discovered an horrifying sight- its desert has vanished, replaced with a chocking moister and a damn forest. For the Eater, it was a terrible sight- it couldn't live in such a place. He needed warmth, and the forest was like the middle of the winter for the old beast. In a matter of seconds it body has started to collapse- when, out of instinct, the Eater has released a shard of it old world. Suddenly, it could breath again, and the air has started to become warmer. Slowly, in a mater of weeks, the forest has started to die out, while the small animals has became its prey or mutated into new (old?) terrible forms. The Eater is happy about that, but it doesn't know how to control its powers. It doesn't know that it is starting to draw attention. It doesn't know that a group of Ferals is watching, thinking how to deal with it. If it will survive their attack, it may learn.

Poison in the Water
Poison is a simple creature, but it knows how to survive. It looks like a small, scaly worm with fins- that is, when it is seen at all. It doesn't like to be seen- for it learned that those which are seen are usually also eaten. Once to cooperated with another Old One- a big creature called Jaws of Terror. But Jaws was too big, and people saw it- and so it was killed by a group of skin changers. But Poison was too small for them to see, and so it survived. That day, it learned a very important lesson- never let anyone see you- and it does a good job at it. Poison is an aquatic creature, and it is always found in the territory of another Old One. Its ability is to turn the water around it into a base, slowly raising their PH levels so the other Old One won't notice. Usually the mix between two terraformings is too hard to hide, and a group of Feral find out about them and kill the big Old One- not noticing Poison. In other times, Poison itself is the ones which kills his "partner", with changing the environment so much that it kills it. When that happened, Poison quickly moves to the next place, searching after a new target. That way has allowed it to survive for a long, long time- you can't kill what you don't see, after all.

Face of Stone & Brass
Face is among the most active Old Ones. Where others focus of their own survival, Face has bigger goals- it wishes to terraform the entire planet back to its older days. While it may sound impossible, Face is sure it knows what to do. It believes that the key for its plan are humans- for while the Old Ones have their innate ability to shape the world, humans has discovered other way to do so. Where some Old Ones hide in the wilderness, it hides in a city, his snake-like form buried beneath a building of a real estate company. Long time ago, it made contact with the CEO and promised him power and wealth if he'll make sure that more forests are cut and more meadows are turned into asphalt. In returned, it used it powers over stone and metal in order to create gold and gems, plus promising the CEO a new place in its new world. The greedy CEO agreed, and slowly the plane of Face has started to move. When the CEO demanded more gold, Face agreed- but in return, he just asked the CEO to drink some of its spit. While the man was disgusted, he was too greedy and did as Face asked- and the Old One got him under its control. Slowly, it took over whole of the director board, using its spit in order to mutate them so slowly that they won't notice- and once they mutated enough, they became part of Face's Territory. Now, they company is one of the leading factors in urbanization and it never stop trying to make new buildings and destroying forests. And when the humans will change enough of the environment by themselves, Face is planning to terraform the whole continent into a world of rock and metal. Sure, some nosy Changing Breeds may notice that something is wrong in the company and go investigating- but Face is prepared for them. It may have took it a while, but now his whole cave is made from 100% pure silver- and any Feral stupid enough to get inside will be burned.


that's it for now!

[shkspr1048]

Well, before I even try to think mechanics, I want to focus on a good theme. And about the origin thing, this was one of the things which kinda made me go "what?.." when I've read the CB book. I mean, most of the book presented the CBs as all the "children of Nature", than each separate breed was presented as its own thing. I've decided to give them so simplistic, common origin in order to understand them more so they won't feel like a "collection of weird things"- this is what Shapeshifters from WATP are for, right?

Wait, are you viewing the CBs and WAtP Shapeshifters as two separate things? I always figured that CB was an extension of WAtP's Shapeshifter chapter.

As far as the common origin goes, it just seems like too much of a throwback to Apocalypse for my tastes.

[LostLight]

Wait, are you viewing the CBs and WAtP Shapeshifters as two separate things? I always figured that CB was an extension of WAtP's Shapeshifter chapter.

As far as the common origin goes, it just seems like too much of a throwback to Apocalypse for my tastes.

Well, I'm viewing the WAtP shifters to Changing Breeds in the same way I view Hunter's Witches to Mages- as a "simple template" which contain them and other weird things. Because I'm working with the Changing Breeds book, I'm trying to focus only on the fluff and from that book and how to fix it, and only than I plan on going for mechanics.

And about the origin- yeah, I know it sounds right now like something taking from Apocalypse, but it is a rough draft more for me to understand what exactly each Breed is supposed to be focused on. Their origin is going to be a lot simpler- in short "once upon a time Nature has given humanity the Changing Gift, a potential to gain the abilities of beasts in order to survive better. Each person has the potential to Change, but in order to do so he must come to a situation where he must decided if to evolve or to die. However, humanity doesn't need the Changing Gift anymore, and so the population of the Breeds becomes lesser and lesser. In order to stop it, the Breeds must find a way to evolve again and find a way to survive in the new world", or something like that.