Wererat: The Swarming

[Krat05]

I while ago I found the Etummu thread on RPG.net. What it did was basically take Werewolf: The Forsaken & switch things up to make Werespider: The Forlorn. It did this by having werespiders fill the space that werewolves fill in the, er, the parent game.
It also hinted at making a wererat one, but sadly seems to have become abandoned.
So I've decided to start a thread where that wererat game will be made. This is not going to be fast at all & I suspect I'm going to need criticism, advice, etc.
So with the introduction out of the way, let's get started.

[Krat05]

So my ideas for Auspices so far.
Reading both the Etummu thread & Werewolf: The Forsaken I noticed a sort of pattern with the Auspices. Now, I'm aware that I might be seeing things that aren't there, but it helps as a guiding star of sorts.
The pattern is: Full Moon & New Moon are opposites or opposing extremes. Gibbous Moon & Crescent Moon have stronger mystical feel to them than the others. Half Moon carries a certain measure for not taking sides.

With this pattern I came up with:
● Full Moon is Healer, keeping everyone healthy. New Moon is Plague-Carrier, inflicting disease upon enemies.
● Half Moon is the Nest-Maker, making sure the home base is secure & safe.
● Gibbous Moon & Crescent Moon are the Future Eyes & the Past Eyes. Can't decide which is which. The Future Eyes see visions of the future, the Past Eyes see visions of the past.

I'll put up basic info on the three Hosts I've got for this setting once I've gotten the info organized.

[Eldagusto]

If you do this may I recommend changing it to Wererat the Swarm rather then the Swarming? It fits better with the Naming convention of the Chronicles of Darkness. The Swarming is more of a CWOD naming convention.

Curious any reason you chose to give them the Moon Auspices, is it cause they are replacing the Foresaken?

[Krat05]

If you do this may I recommend changing it to Wererat the Swarm rather then the Swarming? It fits better with the Naming convention of the Chronicles of Darkness. The Swarming is more of a CWOD naming convention.

Curious any reason you chose to give them the Moon Auspices, is it cause they are replacing the Foresaken?

The title Wererat: The Swarming was always tentative at best, I just felt like I needed a name for it now & more importantly, a name for the thread.

Yes they are replacing the Forsaken in this setting. I'm not entirely convinced by all my choices for Auspices yet, but I am given them Moon Auspices & that's what I've come up with at the moment.

[JustAsPlanned]

Do you have a link to the Werespider threads? It sounds like an interesting concept, as does this,

[Krat05]

Do you have a link to the Werespider threads? It sounds like an interesting concept, as does this,

https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/ettumu-the-werespiders-world-of-darkness.448375/

[Krat05]

So I've managed to cobble together basic info on the Hosts I've got for this setting, both major & minor.

Major Hosts first:

***

Cat Host: the Cat Host was born from the death throes of an unliked Pangaean called the Cruel Claws. The Cruel Claws hunted many others, toying them for fun before supping on their remains.
Eventually it came to pick on one of the Firstborn (or maybe one of the early wererats), but the Firstborn were no solitary creatures, though each one was greatly lesser than the Cruel Claws.
The Cruel Claws never noticed how it had been lured into a trap until it was too late. The monster's last thoughts were how dare such lesser creatures bring down its majestic self & that it would have its vengeance. This the Cat Host was born, fueled by cruelty, vengeance, & pride.

Vampire Host: I see the Vampire Host as being like the ukusgualu, only where the ukusgualu are a minor Host, the Vampire Host have achieved the status of a major Host. They also replace the Kindred in this setting. The Vampire Host is an extremely mutagenic breed, producing a wide variety of tricks. They are more fast than strong, but some develop a wirey strength. They operate better in wet climates than dry, & they register as alive on some level.

Next the minor Hosts:

***

Moon Host: the progenitor of the Moon Host is something I call Lord Lunacy. It's real nothing special, just a powerful moon spirit with influence over madness.
The Moon Hosts are insane, even more so than most Hosts. They're not good with long-term plans, so don't expect it from them. What makes them so dangerous is their unpredictability. They have great power over madness, sparking Derangements in random people on the slightest whim.
They are described as being "threads of moonlight" in the weak stage. At the strong stage they vary in appearance, severely, the only confirmed similarity between hybrid Moon Hosts is giving off a faint silvery glow.

Wolf Host: whereas other Wolf Hosts are pack monsters, this one is very solitary, this one is comprised of lone wolves. They are insane & savage creatures that create a Scar (Wound) with every kill. Their progenitor was a monster called the Shadow Wolf.

***

Next post will be going over the motivation of the wererats. And I will be coming back to these Hosts to go over any mechanics I feel need covering.

[Krat05]

Now what to make the primary motivation of the wererats? The wolves had duty, the spiders had balance, what should the rats have?
I struggled with this for a long time before I came up with an answer that would work: guilt.
The second problem I had here was trying to figure out where this guilt came from, before deciding that there was no universal cause for the guilt. The guilt is a the result of a curse & each Tribe, at minimum, has its own explanation, its own answer for they feel guilty for. This also aloud me to keep the idea of Sacred Prey, each Tribe has a Sacred Prey which they say has a part in why they the guilt.
Gonna need a different phrase however, Sacred Prey just doesn't sound right given the circumstances.

[JustAsPlanned]

Maybe their motivation could be something to do with Chaos?

[Krat05]

Maybe something to do with Chaos?

Are you talking about the wererats' motivation? Cause otherwise this is really confusing.

[Krat05]

The wererat Auspices are now made.

***

New Moon, the Plague-Carrier
Auspice Benefit: Infectious Touch - inflict a non-contagious disease upon another. Understanding of Contagions.
Auspice Skills: Science, Survival, Subterfuge
Gifts: New Moon, Death, Time
Auspice Renown: Cunning
Fear's Response: Diseased - Your prey becomes terrified of disease, becoming fanatically germaphobic.

Crescent Moon, the Visionary
Auspice Benefit: Prophetic Dreams - as per the Cahalith Auspice Benefit.
Auspice Skills: Academics, Expression, Occult
Gifts: Crescent Moon, Insight, Inspiration
Auspice Renown: Glory
Fear's Response: Monstrous - as per the Cahalith Hunter's Aspect.

Half Moon, the Nest-Maker
Auspice Benefit: Ward the Nest - mystically reinforce doors, windows, walls, floors, ceilings, etc. making them harder to break through. Deduce what can be done to make a place more secure.
Auspice Skills: Crafts, Stealth, Streetwise
Gifts: Half Moon, Stealth, Warding
Auspice Renown: Purity
Fear's Response: Paranoid - Inflict a paranoia of an absence of safety in your home base.

Gibbous Moon, the Memory-Seer
Auspice Benefit: Recollection Perception - dive into another's memories. Must maintain physical contact to use this. Excellent memory.
Auspice Skills: Investigation, Persuasion, Socialize
Gifts: Gibbous Moon, Dreams, Evasion
Auspice Renown: Wisdom
Fear's Response: Forgetful - Your prey forgets things, important things & unimportant things.

Full Moon, the Healer
Auspice Benefit: Healing Touch - heal the wounds & negative physical conditions of another. Perceive psychological injuries.
Auspice Skills: Athletics, Empathy, Medicine
Gifts: Full Moon, Knowledge, Shaping
Auspice Renown: Honor
Fear's Response: Pained - Old wounds & scars flare up, wracking the body with pain. This pain is entirely the head of your target.

[Krat05]

Now, previously I had the motivation of the wererats to be guilt. At some point in my head this changed. The motivation is now fear, the wererats are afraid.
This change helped me a lot & made them a bit more coherent to me.
It also has impacted some of the terminology. Hunter's Aspect has become Fear's Response, Sacred Prey Has become Dread Enemy, Death Rage has become Fear Rage, & Sacred Hunt has become Frenzied Swarm.
Now, on Dread Enemies. Where the Uratha Tribes (well, the Forsaken ones) target are divided on what prey the consider to be the most dangerous, the wererat Tribes divide by which of their enemies they consider the scariest in some way or another.

[Krat05]

So I started this thread a while ago & then, after a while I effectively inadvertently abandoned it.
This wasn't intentional. I always intended to come back to it & finish it up, but I've recently come to a realization.
I don't have the time, the know-how, or the right mindset to successfully finish this.
I'm not exactly happy with myself for this, but I figure it's the right thing to do for myself & anyone out there looking forward to Wererat's final product.
If there's anyone out there who wants to continue on this topic you have my full support, but otherwise this is my final post on this thread.