Announcement

**Caelene** · 11-12-2013, 02:39 PM

Ooh...good stuff! *saves for later shenanigans* :3

**Cinder** · 11-12-2013, 02:43 PM

Bee Host Life Cycle

The Bharsalu's evolution is not too different from that of the other Hosts, but certain aspects deserve a clarification. Here's brief description of the roles a Bharsalu may take on during its existence.

Swarm Form (Giruth)

This is the simplest shape in which a Bharsalu Shard may manifest. Often, the Swarms are the weakest Bee Host, those who have not the strenght to fuse with an human being. Anyway, they are not to be underestimated. All the insects that compose the swarm are part of a single Shard, and this means they share the same wicked intellect. What a Swarm lacks in strenght is compensated by their cunning and viciousness: considering that even a real bee swarm can be very dangerous, it's not hard to imagine the troubles a Bharsalu swarm may cause. Not to mention that normal bees can't infest human bodies and take control of them. Since the Shard's might determines the size of the Swarm, the average Swarm tends to be relatively small, but stronger Bharsalu (usually former Hybrids that were forced to discorporate and managed to avoid their demise) are formed by countless of bees.

Mechanics: the Bharsalu's Swarm Form follows the Swarm rules (duh). The Swarm's radius in yards is equal to the Shard's square Essence rating. For example, an Essence 4 Bharsalu will have a 16 yards Swarm radius. For the purpose of determining whether a Bharsalu has been killed, every bee in the Swarm is considered to be part of the Bee Host. If even a single bee survives, the Swarm will eventually reform. The Swarm is vulnerable to area-effect attacks, but ignores most other kinds of damage. Bigger swarms are extremely difficult to destroy, but high-Essence Bharsalu avoid the spend much time in their Swarm Form if they can: the Hybrid Form is superior in too many ways to be ignored. A Swarm-possessed human dies as soon as the Shard takes over the body: what's left behind is a mere puppet. The Swarm swallows the poor human's soul and absorbs its memories. At first, there are no clear signs of the Bharsalu's presence inside the body, except for an occasional bee that flies out of the mouth and a low buzz that can be heard sometimes, but after a while the flesh starts to decay until it cannot further support the Host's presence. When living inside the lungs, the swarm is much more vulnerable: setting the body on fire or drowning the infested human are know to be the surest ways to deal with the Bharsalu before it can fly away in a cloud of furious bees.

Hybrid Form (Namaresh)
The Bharsalu Hybrids may be categorized according to the role they have in their Hive and, when speaking about the Queens, to the Aspects they posses, but this classification is all but perfect. A Hybrid that one day behaves like a Worker may become a Drone the following and a Bharsalu without a Hive is just a Hybrid waiting to create one. A Bharsalu may become a Hybrid even if it does not belong to a Hive, but since the Bee Host need a Hive to gain power, Hybrids tend to appear in areas where a Hive does indeed exist.
When one or more Hybrids are not part of a Hive, they follow a simple yet powerful imperative: find a Locus. They don't need to worry anymore about their bodies falling apart, they are stronger than ever and they hide among the humans as long as their Aspects don't betray them, but they want more. The Bee Host want to grow, to be joined by their lost brethren and to create a kingdom. Thus, they need a Locus. No Locus means no Hive, and that's simply inconceivable for a Bharsalu.

If they are members of a Hive, the Bharsalu's behavior falls into patterns that allow to distinguish them. Anyway, as stated before, these are only general guidelines and there's no way to determine when a Hybrid attitude will change. It appears that the Bee Host roles are stable until the Hive's population grows or a specific need arises.

Worker
Workers take care of the of the Hive. They protect the Locus and the surrounding area from all menaces. They also cultivate the local Shadow, extirpating all unwanted Spirits.

Drone
A Drone is a Hybrid assigned to deal with humans, werewolves and all beings extraneous to the Hive. They are responsible for the creation of human cults and also those who negotiate with other supernatural beings. Changes are that if you are speaking with a Bharsalu and it is not trying to kill you (well, at least not openly), that Bharsalu is a Drone. If the Queen is in danger, Drones will gladly sacrifice their lives to save her.

Warrior
All Bharsalu are able to defend themselves and their brethren, but Warriors are, as should be expected, the main weapon of the Hive's arsenal. Warrior live to fight, there's no other way to put it. When an Hive grows to the point its inhabitants are able to specialize enough, this specific kind of Bharsalu begins to appear. Warrior tend to display Aspects more suited to combat than others, which makes them less versatile but deadlier as well. In contrast to Workers, who have a more defensive role, Warriors tend to be deployed when the Queen wishes to preventively eradicate an opponent or expand the territory.

Queen
At any moment, there may be only one Queen. The Queen is, strictly speaking, the Bharsalu in charge of the Hive. It's the Queen that takes most important decisions and shapes the future of the Hive. When a Hive is founded, the strongest Bharsalu takes up the royal mantle. If the impulse released by the Locus attracts a stronger Bharsalu, the current Queen will surrended her role to the new Hive dweller.

True Queen
A True Queen is a powerful Bee Host which has developed the Egg Sac Aspect. A True Queen wil always be the Queen of her Hive, no matter what. Thankfully rare, the True Queen are the only Bharsalu that can create new Bee Host shards and are viciously defended by others of her kind. When a Hive grows big enough, it is possible for Bharsalu to become a True Queen, but this usually happens only to the strongest members of the Bee Host. The mere presence of a True Queen spreads a plague across the land: regular bees, wasps and hornets that live in the surrounding area will become incredibly aggressive and breed at impossible speed. Killing a Queen causes the immediate death of all these animals, but that's a nigh impossible task: a True Queen's Hive will usually host several powerful Bharsalu and the Queen is a old and deadly horror more than capable to protect herself. All the Bee Host that live in a Hive will sacrifice themselves rather than letting the True Queen die, but if they survive the death of the Queen, they'll immediately leave the area, shocked and traumatized by the fate of their monarch.

**Cinder** · 11-12-2013, 02:45 PM

Hive Mechanics

As said before, the Hive is the most important aspect of the Bharsalu's existence. If the Hive grows, the Stinging Swarm grows with it. This growth is not due to the rating of the Locus around which the Hive is built, but rather to the amount of Bee Host that populate it. The size of the Hive determines many things: the radius of the Bharsalu-summoning impulse the Locus emits, the maximum Essence rating weaker Bharsalu may reach, the general Bee Host behavior and even the Aspects they may gain. Here there are some general guidelines to handle the Hive development and the Bharsalu's expansion around the area but, as always, these are only general guidelines that serve more as an inspiration for the storytellers than anything.

1 member:the highest Essence rating is 2, the impulse covers an area of 1,000 square miles. The lone Bharsalu has managed to obtain a Locus and create a Hive, but it cannot be rightfully called "hive" yet. At this point, the Bharsalu is a wild card: it may hide and wait for its brethen to join it or it may be more active, aggressive and manipulate the local area to create a fertile ground for the Hive's growth. Honestly, the Bee Host often will do both, in a almost schizoprenic way.

2 to 4 members:the highest Essence rating is 4, the impulse covers an area of 6,000 square miles. With more inhabitants and its radius greatly increased, the danger posed by the Hive proportionally grows. There's no yet a clear distinction between Workers and Drones, because the Bharsalu cannot allow themselves to be too predictable at this point. Hybrids start to appear inside the Hive.

5 to 9 members:the highest Essence rating is 5, the impulse covers an area of 20,000 square miles. The Swarm's grip on the region tightens. The spirits that thrive thanks to the Bharsalu's presence now compose a large percentage of the Shadow's population, while the Swarm's human servants are not isolated individuals anymore and are probably organized in a sect or hidden society of some sort. Worker and Drones can be distinguished among the Swarm, but these roles are still pretty flexible and unpredictable. Most Bharsalu will be Hybrids at this point.

10 to 16 members:the highest Essence rating is 6, the impulse covers an area of 80,000 square miles. At this stage the Bee Host is truly a force to be reckoned with. The human cults are likely to count dozens of adepts while the Shadow's ecosystem is too altered to properly function. The roles inside the hive are firmly outlined. The benign façade of the Bee Host quickly falls apart. It is extremely rare, but a powerful Hybrid may develop the Egg Sac and become a True Queen.

17 to 24 members:the highest Essence rating is 8, the impulse covers an area of 400,000 miles. The Bharsalu's threat cannot be ignored further. The Hive's Spirits outnumber the other spirits. The cults probably control most human settlements. The Bharsalu rarely bother to hide their hate for the other species at this point. They will probably try to wipe the Uratha away from their territory. A Hybrid is likely to mutate into a True Queen at this stage.

25 to 35 members: the highest Essence rating is 9, the impulse covers an area of 1,000,000 square miles. At this stage, the Bee Host is almost unstoppable. Nearly all the spirits live and work for the Hive by now. If humans not indoctrinated into the Bharsalu cults still live out there, they will soon die or forced to join the Hive slaves: resistance is futile. The Hive is almost assured to be controlled by a True Queen.

More than 35 members:the highest Essence rating is 10, the impulse covers an area of 2,000,000 square miles and increases as the Swarm grows. Hives of this size luckily belong more to cautionary tales than reality. Unfortunately, a Hive that is not destroyed in time may eventually reach this level of power. This growth indeed takes a lot of time but some obscure and mostly-forgotten legends remember that such occurrence has happened many times during Uratha history. Werewolves, Uratha and Pure alike, had to fight entire crusades to extirpate these Hives. A similar Hive is the Bharsalu's dream made manifest: the Shadow is a mere extension of the Bee Host's will, all the humans are either enslaved, devoured, sacrificed to create Hybrids or simply massacred for the thrill of it. The Bharsalu resemble more an organized army of supernatural predators than the shattered remnants of a spirit who died eons ago. The True Queens that reign over this sort of Hives are almost-divine beings that can overwhelm nearly any creature that oppose them.

The Honey

Like most bees do, the Bharsalu make honey. But when talking about the Stinging Swarm, things are rarely as simple as they seem. The Bharsalu somehow manage to coalesce Essence into a physical form and use it to enrich the honey. All Hybrids can istinctively produce honey by processing whatever they have ingested, which means their honey often contains copious amounts of human flesh (and, sometimes, that of a werewolf). Many of those who had spent time investigating the matter, suspect that there's a connection between the Bharsalu's diet and their Essence-filled honey. As can be expected, the Namaresh rarely lay honey outside the safety and privacy of their Hive, without even considering the fact that producing honey requires time and energy; luxuries that a Hybrid on the run simply does not have. The Giruth, on the other side, can manipulate and eat the supernatural honey created by the Hybrids, but cannot produce it themselves.

Normal bees use honey as nourishment and under this aspect the Bharsalu are not different. The honey is extremely useful for them, especially during the very first phases of the Hive's growth, when the Bharsalu cannot allow themselves to be too reckless about killing humans in the nearby area. A small number of Bharsalu can survive for a couple of weeks with the honey derived from a single human and few other meals if they are forced to keep a low profile. That is not the the ideal state of beings for the Stinging Swarm: if they discover they can feast on the population of the neighbourhood with relative impunity, they will. A lot.

Unfortunately, the honey has other hidden purposes: the Bharsalu use it as one of their strongest tools of control. If ingested by humans, the honey has the same effects of a powerful psychedelic drug. Those who try it experience a profound sensory alteration, hallucinations and loss of connection with reality. The Bee Host use it to ensnare followers into their cults and to keep the other cultists bound to them. One of the ways the Bharsalu use the honey is straightforwardly simple: please them, follow their orders without question, and you'll be rewarded, but if you make even a small mistake, they will withdraw the honey completely until you prove yourself to be "worthy" again. This tactic prompts all cultist to behave and constanly try to improve. If it creates rivalries and tensions within the cult, the Bharsalu could not care less. The common alternative to this technique is more similar to "love bombing": the new followers are showered with honey and affection as soon as they enter the cult, but they will be ostracized and deprived of any dose if they begin to question the Cult or the "divine benefactors" behind it.

Some have reported a common theme that recurs in the background of the hallucinatory state, mentioning visions of legions of ephemeral bees, a constant low buzz and a general sense of dreadful, yet uplifting unity. Those who delved on this matter wonder if this is due to the unconscious suggestions to which a man is exposed when he tastes the honey (eating the magic drug made by a monstrous man-bee tends to have an impact on the psyche), if the honey somehow creates a temporary connection the the Hive Mind that connects all Bharsalu or if perhaps the substance shows a glimpse of what the Bee Host want primal goal made manifest. The honey itself rarely causes any sort of overdose, but the effects can become permanent if the dose is too heavy. There is another, hidden threat that comes with the honey, though: humans simply cannot process the high amount of Essence inside it. This Essence lingers the human for months, resonating like a small beacon even on the other side of the Gauntlet, making him far more susceptible to the attention of spirits and their influences. The Bharsalu keep an eye on those who ate the honey, lest hordes of Claimed begin to infest the area unchecked. Claimed usually do too much mess to be spared, but can be useful sometimes: like a gun, point the Claimed at the wolves, pull the trigger and the Uratha will have something else to think about for a while. The other spirits that come along the honey are barely tolerated: spirits of Addiction, Hallucination and Gluttony are an unfortunate side effect of the dominance process, but the Bharsalu make a point to eradicate them from the Shadow when their influence increases in order to prepare the way for spirits more in line with the Bee Host mentality, like spirits of Unity, Submission, Order and Hierarchy.

Even if they ignore the effects it has on the humans, the Uratha should know better than eating the honey made by the Bee Host. That's the theory. On paper, the things are simple: the Werewolves know that the various Hosts often eat human flesh and it does not take a genius to realize the honey made the Bharsalu has an high chance to be made with it. Additionally, the Bharsalu do not give their honey to the Uratha like they do with their cultists. The humans may be tools, but the Uratha are sworn enemies, after all. If they want the honey, the Forsaken must steal it from the Hive or from the small amounts that the cult keep hidden. Considering how much the Bee Host are aggressive when it comes to protecting the Hive, this usually means that the Uratha discover the properties of the honey when some members of a cult clash with the werewolves and the local packs start to investigate what the hell is happening. Still, even when the Uratha know what the honey is, what effects it has on humans and from where it comes from, some werewolves just cannot avoid to taste it. Some say this is mere curiosity, but a more honest answer wold be that the Uratha can feel the power (and Essence) within it. When they discover that the honey not only does not have the negative effects it has on humans, but that it also works as a effective way to replenish their energies, far too many Uratha think that they are too powerful to fall prey to the same weakness of mankind and that they should find as much honey as tehy can and as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the honey has a subtle side effect on the Uratha: slowly but steadily, it erodes their morality and self-control, often causing some kind of mental degeneration along the way. The Bharsalu do not want to this to happen. A savage wolf is more unpredictable and, what's worse, more likely to go on a rampage in their Hive in order to hoard more honey. The collateral damage it may cause to other werewolves simply is not worth the risk. The Stinging Swarm takes great pains to keep the werewolves away from their honey and keeping them in ignorance about its effects.

Mechanics: The Bharsalu's honey follows the same rules for Drugs listed on page 176 of the Core Book. When rolling to resist its effects, it imposes a -3 penalty. In order to temporarily fight off the effects, six successes are needed. The honey incorporates the effects of Hallucinogens (-3 penalty) and Heroin/morphine/barbiturates. Additionally, after tasting the honey, a person defenses against Spirits are weakened: they suffer a -2 penalty to all contested rolls made against Spirits and each addtional dose worsen the penalties by one to a maximum of -5. In order to overcome these penalties, a person must avoid to ingest any amount of honey for a large period of time. Each month of complete withdrawal decreases the penalty by one. If the subject eats some honey during this period, the penalties don't return to full strenght but simply increase like they would normally do. For example, a cultist that suffered a -5 that manages to avoid honey for three months (and is lucky enough to avoid the attention of the Spirits) would have a -2 penalty. If he falls once again to temptation, the first dose would make the penalties return to -3.

For the Uratha, things are different. The Uratha can use the honey as a recreational drug, but it is far harder for it to work. The honey simply does not give any penalty to any Uratha that rolls when trying to resist the effects, which, considering the innate +2 that all Werewolves have when they roll to resist poisons and diseases (Blood of the Wolf page 24), gives them a certain istinctive advantage against the honey. If Werewolves do suffer its effects, they only need one success if they want to overcome them for a while. The honey can be used to regain Essence: as a general guideline, every pound of honey ingested immediately grants a point of Essence. This effect does not decade with time if the honey is stored carefully, meaning that a werewolfe can harvest honey while planning to use it whenever the need rises.
The "negative" side is that, every time a Werewolf ingests the Bharsalu's honey for the first time in a scene, he must roll for a degeration roll. Eating honey is considered a Harmony sin with Treshold 3 (so, two dices). Common derangements caused by an eventual degeneration are Phobia (Bees), Fixation, Obsessive Compulsion and Schizoprenia (I can hear them! They won't stop buzzing! Make them stop!)

**kaho** · 11-12-2013, 02:46 PM

im gonna read it later as im working right now but it looks interesting

And the other thing i have to say is "bees..... my god"

**Cinder** · 11-12-2013, 02:51 PM

Speaking of the Aspects: The dot system loses some meaning, since the Bharsalu don't improve themselves with the evolution points, but I've left it there to show how much a certain Aspect is powerful if confronted with the others (even those from Predators).

General Aspects

BEAST MASTER (••)
The Bharsalu spends an Essence point and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken. For each success, the Bee Host can telepathically command one animal within line of sight to obey issued orders. The animal obeys until the Bees releases it, or it is killed. The Bharsalu must spend a Willpower point to force an animal to obey orders that are obviously suicidal.

BREACH THE BARRIER (INNATE)
A Bharsalu with this Aspect can step sideways when in a locus’ area of effect, much as werewolves do (for more information, see Werewolf: The Forsaken, p. 250). This Aspect is innate to all Bharsalu.

GLIMPSE OF THE HIVE MIND(•••)
With this Aspect, the Bee Host is able to unleash the terror of their cold nature into the mind of any beings that witness his demonic presence. The Storyteller spends one of the Bharsalu’s Essence and rolls Presence + Intimidation in a contested roll against the Resolve + Composure of each creature that can see the Bharsalu. Resistance is reflexive. (If a crowd sees the Bee Host, roll the highest Resolve + Composure in the crowd for the whole group.) If the Bee Host loses or ties the roll, all beings in the area are unaffected and are immune to uses of this power for the remainder of the scene. Beings that lose the roll flee from the spirit and will not return to the area for at least one day.

HIVE CALL (•)
This Aspect allows the Bharsalu to telepathically speak to any other Bee Host within a radius equal to the creature’s permanent Essence score in miles. The Bharsalu spends an Essence point and rolls Wits + Empathy. The Bharsalu may send one single sentence per success through the Hive Call, which will unfailingly reach the other Bee Hosts instantly. Any werewolf with a Harmony rating of 7 or more hears the use of this Aspect as a painful “buzz” in their minds.

PRESERVE THE HOLLOW SHELL (•)
Though the Bharsalu are vulnerable to the speedy degeneration of their stolen human bodies, this power helps maintain the masquerade for a little longer. A stolen body or skin decays at half the usual rate if the Bharsalu possesses this Aspect.

PRETERNATURAL AWARENESS (••)
This Aspect reflects a supernatural level of alertness that allows the Host a moment’s warning of impending danger. The Bharsalu gains a +2 modifier on any rolls made for the sake of perception or reaction to surprise (see World of Darkness Rulebook, pp. 45–46)

SENSE LOCUS (••)
The Bharsalu with this Aspect have a “sixth sense” when it comes to the presence of loci. The Bharsalu unfailingly detects the presence of any locus within a hundred yards. The Bee Host does not know where the locus is, it merely knows it is located nearby, giving the Bharsalu a great advantage when it wants to create a Hive.

SPIRIT SIGHT (•)
The Bharsalu are are always careful when dealing with the inhabitants of the Shadow Realm, especially when they have settled in an area and are trying to shape the Shadow to satisfy their desires. With this power, which many Bharsalu use a great deal in the physical world, the Bee Host can perceive what occurs on the other side of the Gauntlet. The Bharsalu rolls Wits + Occult. Success allows the Bharsalu to extend one sense across the Gauntlet; each additional success allows the Bharsalu to extend another sense across the Gauntlet, to a maximum of all five physical senses with an exceptional success.

SWARMING THOUGHTS (•••)
The Bee Host shakes, stirs and buzzes loudly, while spending an Essence point and rolling Manipulation + Subterfuge; the target may resist with a reflexive Resolve + Primal Urge roll. A single success clouds the target’s mind, inflicting a –2 penalty to all dice pools as the victim sees himself covered in furious bees. The hallucination lasts as long as the Bharsalu maintains the behavior itself. Unfortunately for the victim of this power, the Bees Host is free to attack without penalty while it creates the illusion.

THE QUEEN DEMANDS (••••)
This Aspect allows the Bharsalu to overwhelm a victim’s mind for a short while with a burst of psychic might. Unlike other supernatural compulsions to obey, this power forces the target to slavishly obey out of sheer awe. The Bharsalu rolls Presence + Intimidation against in a contested roll against the target’s Resolve + Composure; resistance is reflexive. Each success forces the victim to obey a single command made by the Bharsalul. Even Bharsalu unable to form human speech are able to use this Aspect, as the “command” of this power is sent through a crude form of instinctual telepathy. The target obeys the commands as best he is able, though he will betray signs of rapture and indoctrination while he does so. Individuals with low Willpower might even laugh histerically as they frantically attempt to carry out the orders given to them.
Note: Some Bharsalu possess a variant of this Aspect known as Scream of Thousands. The roll for that Aspect is the same as The Queen Demands, but the target obeys through a terror to do so, rather than through inflicted terror.

TOXIC STING (••)
The Bharsalu may spend one Essence as a reflexive action after inflicting damage. The victim lose sone point of Stamina for every success scored on the attack roll. (The victim’s player may make a reflexive Stamina + Primal Urge roll to reduce this Stamina damage by one point per success.) The victim’s Health trait may be affected by the loss of Stamina. Stamina lost to this power recovers at the same rate that the victim would heal aggravated wounds.

**Cinder** · 11-12-2013, 02:52 PM

Giruth Aspects

BREATHLESS INFESTATION (INNATE)
The Bharsalu has “hollowed out” a human by entering the person’s body, secreting mystical preservative fluids into the bloodstream and then infesting the host’s lungs. No roll is required, but the process takes approximately half a day, from the moment a part of the Bharsalu's Swarm Form enters the host’s lungs to the moment it possess control of the human’s body and memories. When enough manifests inside the lungs, the victim chokes and dies, while the Bharsalu takes over the body. Once a human is possessed in this manner, there are subtle signals that betray the changes in the host. The Bharsalu’s absorption of the human’s memories is rarely perfect, and the imitation can seem forced and transparent to those people who know the controlled host well. Generally, the impersonation will fool most people, but a close friend or relative can make a contested Wits + Composure roll against the Bharsalu’s Intelligence + Composure. Any degree of success alerts the witness to something significantly different or wrong with her friend or relative, such as severe memory loss or a drastic personality change. In many cases, a Bharsalu goes through several, perhaps dozens of human hosts over a relatively short span of time. The Bharsalu sheds the host’s fragmented memories each time it leaves a person’s chest, and has no recall of the knowledge it gained from possessing any previous bodies. In some cases, Bharsalu do keep the information from host to host, but it is a confusing and unintentional event. The host body will begin to decay after two to four weeks, at which time the Swarmer will usually leave the body and prepare another to suit its purposes. On average, the rotting host body will lose a dot of Appearance and a Physical Attribute every month due to decay, and will smell absolutely foul. During those rare occasions when a Bee Host does not leave the body as soons as it begins to decay, the Bharsalu will use the flesh as a nest, until the skin is covered by disgusting honeycombs. The body will become unusable when it is reduced to zero Physical Attributes.

HIVE BODY (INNATE)
Prerequisite: Breathless Infestation
The Bharsalu’s presence in the host body acts as a lodestone for spiritual corruption. With this Aspect, the Bharsalu’s divine soul ravages the Essence remaining in the host body and taints it with spiritual foulness. Given that even the weakest Bee Host manifests as bee swarm, their host's bodies quickly falls apart. For every hour the Bharsalu possesses the human, another bee will form and be given parasitic life in the host’s lungs. These bees make their way through the host body within a matter of days, eating away at the person’s muscles and bones. Such appetites ruin the host, subtracting a dot from a Physical Attribute each day, but confer two sinister advantages. The Bharsalu can send some of its bees out of the body for a short time to attack individually or as a swarm. The swarm gains no additional bonuses than usual, but the attacking bees bite with a Toxicity 6 venom. Successes against the victim paralyze him completely for several hours, potentially up to an entire day. The bees return to the host body after attacking by entering the host’s ears, nose and mouth, unless they are killed before doing so. Also, if the host body is killed or otherwise destroyed, the Giruth swarm flies away.

KILLER BITE (•••)
The Bharsalu's Swarm Form is particulary dangerous, even for one of the Bee Host. The stings of the swarm may be more painful than usual or thei poison may be stronger, whatever the reason, the damage inflicted by the swarm is lethal rather than bashing. People allergic to bee's venom rarely survive after being attacked by a Bharsalu with this Aspect. It does not matter if the sting is quickly treated: the bees that compose a Bharsalu are not ordinary insects and their venom is not something that the human science can handle easily.

STRONG MEMORY (•)
When the Giruth swallow a host’s memories, the recall is often fragmented and unreliable. Bharsalu with this Aspect have a near-photographic level of recall, storing the host’s memories and even her personality with near-faultless efficiency. The Bharsalu gains a +2 modifier on all Social rolls to “play normal” when deceiving the people who know the possessed host.

UNEARTHLY ALLURE (•)
Prerequisite: Hollow-Rider, Composure •
The Bharsalu’s unnatural presence is subtly altered to project an air of restrained sensuality. Any humans who see the possessed host are drawn to it and become more tractable and easy to seduce. This Aspect allows the Bharsalu to mask its sinister “aura” felt by perceptive mortals, and creates an air of sexual tension and fascination between the host body and anyone interacting with it. No roll is required, but the Bharsalu gains a +2 modifier to all Social dice pools for the duration it is within the host.

**Cinder** · 11-12-2013, 03:00 PM

Namaresh Hybrid Aspects

ACID BREATH (••••)
Prerequisite: Malicious Blood ••
The Namaresh is capable of ejecting a cloud of supernatural acid that breaks down flesh and matter. To make such an attack, the player of the Namaresh rolls Dexterity + Athletics, subtracting armor as usual but ignoring Defense. Each success inflicts one lethal damage onto the target. Each use of Acid Breath costs one Essence point. Unlike most of the other Hybrid Aspects, Acid Breath is not obvious until it is used. Its range is (Stamine x 5) yards.

ADDITIONAL ARMS (••)
The Namaresh develops an additional pair of human arms that grow just below or above the arms it already possesses. These arms add a +1 modifier to all rolls involving arm strength (such as lifting, carrying, grappling or inflicting brawl damage). The Bharsalu also gains the Brawling Dodge Merit for free, waiving the prerequisites for the Merit. This Aspect can be taken multiple times and the modifiers stack, with the factor borne in mind that no Namaresh can develop more than 10 limbs.

ADDITIONAL EYES (•)
The Namaresh develops another pair of eyes somewhere on its face; cheeks, temples and forehead are the most common places for these eyes to manifest. The Bharsalu gains a +1 modifier on all Wits rolls involving sight. This Aspect can be purchased multiple times, up to a maximum of three times. If purchased more than once, the modifiers stack.

ADDITIONAL LEGS (••)
Prerequisite: Swollen Abdomen
The Namaresh develops a set of extra legs in addition to those it already possesses. The legs may be human or insectoid in appearance, and confer a +1 modifier on all dice rolls involving balance and running. This Aspect can be taken multiple times, and the modifiers stack. For example, a Bharsalu that takes Additional Legs three times gains six additional legs and a +3 modifier on all balance and running rolls. While this Aspect can be taken multiple times, the factor must be borne in mind that no Namaresh can develop more than 10 limbs. This Aspect can also be taken once to represent the change of the human’s original legs to four huge beelike legs.

ANTENNAE (••)
A pair of insectoid antennae sprout from the Hybrid's head and begin to “feel” the air, examining the environment, looking for enemies, prey and other signs of other being's presence. The Bharsalu gains a +2 modifier on all Perception rolls. This Aspect can be purchased multiple times, up to a maximum of three times. If purchased more than once, the modifiers stack.

CHITIN-SKIN (••)
Any parts of the Namaresh that remain human in shape are covered with a thick, brittle layer of chitin, like that of a bee or wasp. The chitin exoskeleton can vary in appearance, being plain, colored or smooth-surfaced. The Bharsalu gains 2 armor against general attacks and 1 armor against firearms attacks, with no reduction to Defense.

COMPOUND EYES (••)
The Bharsalu's eyes are now compund, faceted eyes like those of an insect. In absolute darkness it sees as if it were a gloomy day. Lesser amounts of light, from starlight to the ambient glow from a cell-phone screen, provide enough illumination for the Bee Host to see without penalty. Additionally, these eyes are particulary unsettling, an obvious reminder of the Bee Host alien nature. The Namaresh gains +2 on all Intimidation rolls made against those who can see its eyes.

DEMONIC SIZE (•••)
The Namaresh is seven or more feet tall and weighs in excess of 250 pounds. He is +1 Size (and thus +1 Health). Note: This Aspect replaces the use of the Giant Merit in the World of Darkness Rulebook. It can be taken multiple times to increase Size and Health further, up to three separate times.

EGG SAC (•••••)
Prerequisites: Swollen Abdomen and at least Essence 6
This Aspect is both rare and treasured by the Bee Hosts. A Bharsalu with this Aspect will be savagely, viciously defended by others of her kind, as she has evolved into the highest and most divine of creatures: an True Queen. Her fleshy abdomen becomes capable of forming and laying small, thumbsized eggs that are squeezed out from a sphincter-like hole in the back of the swollen sac. The eggs are the size of a marble or pearl, and each point of Essence spent allows the Bharsalu to lay a dozen of these little eggs. The eggs hatch after a week, each rupturing as a tiny pseudo-bee comes into the world. By spending ten Essence points, the crone can generate another tiny soul-shard in one of the eggs laid, thus creating another true Stinger when the egg hatches. Since the Bee Hosts cannot breed by any conventional means, this Aspect is the only way the Bharsalu can produce more of their own kind. The Bharsalu will lay down their lives to defend their exceedingly rare True Queens. The high Essence cost associated with this Aspect means that other Bharsalu may consistently seek ways to bring more Essence to the True Queen — such as the carcasses of werewolves for her to devour. In addition to the power to lay eggs, a True Queen influences the behavior and the breeding speed of bees, wasps and hornets of the area where it delves. These animal become vicious and violent and will proliferate at amazing speed. There is no mechanic to represent this supernatural influence: the Storyteller determines how to use this plot device.

Note: This Aspect negates the later purchase of Protected Abdomen, and a Namaresh with that Aspect will lose its chitin armor if it develops a fleshy egg sac

EVISCERATING BONE-SCYTHES (•••)
Prerequisites: Additional Legs • and Additional Arms •
A single pair of the Namaresh’s limbs (bee or human limbs) develops into long, jointed, jagged blades of solid bone. If the Namaresh attacks with these heavy bone-scythes, it gains two bonus dice and the damage is lethal. If the Bharsalu spends one Essence point, the damage inflicted becomes aggravated, as the toothed edges of the limbs resemble nothing so much as a supernatural saw- blade. The Namaresh must have the Additional Leg and Additional Arms Aspects to maintain balance with the bone-scythes. This Aspect can be taken a maximum of three times, with each purchase changing two limbs into bone-scythes.

HIVE MIND (•••••)
Prerequisites:Hive Call •, Composure •••
As long as a Bharsalu belongs to a Hive, it is never alone. The mind of the Bee Host is now connected to the other members of its race. First, all characters within the same Hive may communicate telepathically if they choose to. Namaresh, when in peril, can raise a telepathic alarm signal. Any other Hybrid associated with the hive can perceive the alarm. The Queen of the Hive, has the power to contact any member of the hive telepathically.

HORNED ABDOMEN (••)
Prerequisites: Protected Abdomen
The Namaresh’s abdomen develops dozens of rigid, jagged spikes of solid bone, each as large as a meat cleaver. With this Aspect, anyone successfully performing a grapple attack on the Bharsalu from behind or from the side automatically suffers two points of lethal damage for every turn the grapple is held.

HYDRAULIC MUSCLES (•)
The Namaresh develops the hydraulic muscle fibers of true insects, in each of its human and insectoid limbs. This greatly increases the hybrid’s physical strength, agility and fortitude, allowing the Namaresh to overwhelm its foes with greater ease. This Aspect can be taken multiple times, and each purchase raises one of the hybrid’s Physical Attributes by 1, to a maximum of eight in each.

IMMUNE TO PAIN (••)
The hybrid is able resist to the worst wounds and to isolate the pain, preventing them from affecting its existance. Wound penalties do not apply to the Bee Host, no matter how badly it is hurt. Stamina rolls to remain conscious aren’t made when a bashing wound is marked in the Namaresh’s rightmost Health box. It remains conscious automatically, collapsing only when a lethal or aggravated wound is marked in that box (and the character is dying or dead)

INFESTED SKIN (••)
The Bee Host’s skin is literally crawling with hornets, bees, wasps and other tiny insects. These bugs form a smoky haze around the hybrid, and most Namaresh with this Aspect are a walking mess of bites and scratches. These infesting bugs cause –1 penalty on all Brawl or Melee attack rolls made against the Namaresh, as the tiny insects turn their attention on any living thing that comes close to the Bharsalu. The Bharsalu itself does not suffer this setback, as it is used to the constant irritation. At the Storyteller’s discretion, the plaguing insects can reduce other dice pools of victims within a dozen yards of the afflicted Bee Host, if the action in question is something that would suffer from distraction.

INOCULATE EGGS (•••)
Prerequisites:Main Sting (•••) or Secondary Sting (•• or •••) or Proboscis (•••)
The Namaresh is able to implant a number of bee eggs into the living flesh of its enemies. These are just ordinary eggs, but they will eventually hatch and the larva will devour the body from the inside until they grow enough to erupt from the body and fly away. Their presence is hidden from the victim by sophisticated hypnotic barriers and may feast undisturbed until it is too late. When the Namaresh inflicts damage with one of its stings or its bite attack, it may expend one Essence point to try to inoculate the eggs into the victim's body. The Bharsalu rolls Presence + Animal Ken versus the victim’s Composure + Primal Urge. Failure on the activation roll simply results in the eggs dying: the victim scratches in the right spot to destroy them, vomits them up, passes them in feces, washes them off, etc. Success indicates that the victim suffers one point of lethal damage per day — without feeling any pain — until all he has no Health points remaining. At this point, the insects erupt from his body. Note that a normal mortal will heal a single Health point of lethal damage every other day. This remains true even while he’s afflicted by Inoculate Eggs. Effectively, this just means it takes a little bit longer for the internal hive to do its grisly work. Medical attention will reverse the effects of this power, as any competent doctor will certainly notice the nest of insects festering in his patient’s body with suitable scrutiny.

INDOCTRINATION (•••)
This Aspect is a subtler method of mind control the Bee Host may use. While other Aspects that allow the Bharsalu to influence other minds, this power warps the emotional state of the subject, making him a willing servant of the Namaresh. Subjects retain their sense of identity and free will, believing that every instinct to serve and admire comes of their own volition. When the duration of an Entrancement ends, however, confusion and displacement arise, often leading to mixed feelings. The Hybrid roll Manipulation + Empathy versus subject’s Composure + Primal Urge. If the Bee Host wins the contested roll by getting the most successes, it brings the subject under his sway for an hour or so — long enough to complete a single task or set of tasks. An exceptional success indentures the target for at least at least a week, and potentially a month or more. When a period of effect wears off, the subject does not necessarily bear the Bharsalu any ill will. He suspects that something has happened and with the right circumstance may remember snippets of what happened when he was under the Bee Host's influence, but, generally speaking, he feel nothing more than a disturbing sensation of unease

MALICIOUS BLOOD (••)
The Namaresh’s blood becomes a corrosive, burning acid that reacts violently with anything it comes into contact with outside the Bharsalu’s body. Whenever the Namaresh is wounded, corrosive blood spurts out of the wounds, causing two automatic points of lethal damage to anyone within arm’s reach. Success on a reflexive Dexterity + Wits roll negates this damage.

MAIN STING (•••)
Prerequisites: Additional Legs •• and Protected Abdomen
The Namaresh develops a deadly, monstrous sting appropriate for its size. Covered in thick chitin, the sting can pierce through most materials and is as thick as a man’s thigh. This oversized sting inflicts +2 lethal damage; by spending two Essence points, the Namaresh may inject a Toxicity 7 poison directly into a target that has been impaled by the barb.

MANDIBLES (•)
The inside of the hybrid’s human mouth is grotesquely that of a bee’s. Clacking, crunching appendages draw food in and mash it up before swallowing, and the Namaresh gains a bite attack (2 L). Bharsalu with Mandibles find communicating in human language next to impossible, as their mouths are almost unable to form the appropriate shapes and syllables. To communicate even remotely intelligibly (in any language other than the First Tongue), the Bee Host must make a Composure roll.

MUTATED WASP (••••)
Prerequisites: Additional Arms •, Additional Legs ••, Proboscis, Mandibles, Swollen Abdomen, Hydraulic Muscles •••, Wings •••
The Namaresh’s entire body is that of a gigantic Wasp, approximately the size of a car. Most Namaresh that take this shape do so many years after breaking from the metamorphosis cocoon, but a rare few have gathered the power necessary (and the luck required) to assume this form immediately upon their first hybrid Joining. The Namaresh gains Str +3, Dex + 4, Sta +3, Manipulation –3, Size +3, and 2/1 armor due to the insect’s thick hide.

NAMARESH JOINING (•, MANDATORY)
Prerequisite: Essence 4
This is the prerequisite Aspect for any Namaresh development, representing the actual Joining ritual itself. A Bee Host that gained enough power to reach Essence 4 is no longer considered a standard giruth. It usually seeks out a human host immediately to begin the Joining, but some Bharsalu bide their time and wait for the circumstances to be favorable. In the more common case of the former circumstance, the Bharsalu incapacitates a human with its venom, and the swarm begins to weave a protective cocoon of the bee's wax around the helpless mortal. Upon completion, the swarm gathers on the top of the cocoon and “bleeds” Essence into the host below. After a few minutes, the bees are no more than hollow shells, devoid of life, and the Bharsalu’s soul has entered the trapped human. The metamorphosis takes between 24 and 48 hours, during which time the mutating Bharsalu is utterly prone. When the change is complete, the Namaresh hybrid tears free of the silk cocoon and enters the world very, very hungry. It possesses the complete memories and knowledge of the human host, although such information is considered utterly secondary to the Bharsalu’s own drives and desires.

PROBOSCIS (•••)
Prerequisite: Mandibles
Bees use their proboscis to feed and draw pollen for the flowers, but the Bharsalu use it to feed on their enemies. A Namaresh with this Aspect has its own chitin-clad or fleshy proboscis that protrudes hideously forward from its mouth. This limb confers a +1 bonus to both Bite and Grapple rolls, while the tips of the appendage allow the Bee Host to drain Essence from its victims. The proboscis can be activated after a standard Bite attack, and if successful, the victim suffers (in addition to any bite damage) an additional level of lethal damage. The Namaresh gains a number of Essence points equal to the damage inflicted.

POISON (•+)
The Hybrid produces venom, deliverable through stings, fangs, or even claws. The poison’s Toxicity is 2 plus the number of points spent on this Aspect. The poison's vector of delivery must be determined upon taking this Aspect. The. The poison can be taken multiple times, with each purchase connected to a different Hybrid's attacks. inflicts once every hour until 24 hours have passed or the victim has died; spending two points increases the rate of effect to once per minute. The target may resist using Stamina + Resolve + Primal Urge. The damage is bashing by default, and can be upgraded to lethal by spending an extra point.

PROTECTED ABDOMEN (•)
Prerequisite: Swollen Abdomen
The Namaresh’s abdomen is covered in a thick shell of exoskeleton chitin. This solid shell is incredibly resistant to damage, and more often than not, attacks against the Bharsalu’s abdomen bounce harmlessly aside and fail to make any impact on the armor. The Bharsalu with this Aspect gains three extra points of armor against general and firearms attacks; however, this armor has a penalty of –1.

ROYAL GRACE (•)
The Bharsalu possess some kind of of preternatural grace, a bizarre legacy that many Bee Host posses to a certain degree. This greatly increases the hybrid’s charisma, attractiveness and , allowing the Namaresh to influence other beings with. This Aspect can be taken multiple times, and each purchase raises one of the hybrid’s Social Attributes by 1, to a maximum of eight in each.

SCORCHING TOUCH (••••)
Some species of bees can kill enemies ten times their size by overwhelming their opponents and literally burning them alive with the body's heat of the swarm. Most opponents would not expect this, but even a lonely Hybrid may use this terrible Aspect. This assumes the Hybrid is touching the target with his hand. The Bee Host spends one point of Essence and rolls Stamina + Athletics. The Namaresh inflicts one point of lethal damage per success on the activation roll, to a maximum of three points of lethal damage. This effect can inflict up to four points of lethal damage if the Bee Host is grappling or otherwise in contact with the target with a significant portion of its body.

SECONDARY STING (•• or •••)
The Namaresh grows an oversized bee sting somewhere on its body. Common location include the forearms, the knees and the feets. These stings are made of sharpened chitin and may vary in size: they can be small yet lethal bone protrusion that inflict +1 lethal damage (••) or large, prominent Barbs the size of blades that inflict +2 lethal damage (•••). The stings are often improved with the Poison Aspect. This Aspect can be purchased multiple times, up to a maximum of four times. This Aspect is always active. If purchased at one dot higher, however, the change may be activated with the expenditure of one Essence and an instant action. The sting remains until the character wills it to disappear.

STATIC HAIR (•••)
The Bharsalu's body is covered by a layer of thin, fur-like, hairs. These hairs create an electrostatic reaction that allows the Bharsalu to grab and hang on to things and people with ease, and even climb sheer surfaces. The Namaresh gains two bonus dice to grapple checks and climbing checks. In addition, he does not suffer penalties to climbing rolls for lack of tools, a sheer slope or lack of handholds.

SWARM DISCORPORATION (INNATE)
This Aspect is the fabled power of the Hosts that allows them to survive the total destruction of their. If the power is used voluntarily, the process is automatic and requires no roll. If the Bee Host has been killed and reduced to zero Health, the Bharsalu must succeed in a Wits + Survival roll. Success means that the Bharsalu’s body instantly breaks down and dissolves into a number of bees. A Namaresh hybrid is likely to break down into several hundred, or perhaps even one or more thousand if the creature is large enough. With this Aspect, the host’s skin ruptures and hundreds of bees pour out. The Bharsalu’s original soulshard is contained within one of these bees, and flickers from one bee to the next if the creature is killed. If even a single one of these bees escapes unharmed, the Bharsalu survives as the lowest, weakest Swarmer, and must begin the whole process of evolution and possession again. The other bees either join the Shard and become part of it or die within a die. This Aspect is innate to all Namaresh Bharsalu. The Storyteller should apply his judgment to the scattered bees and their escape.

SWOLLEN ABDOMEN (•••)
The Namaresh hybrid has developed a large bee’s abdomen, and her thorax has become bee-like just below the ribcage. This fatty abdomen is composed of thick, blubbery flesh. In addition to gaining +1 Size (and accordingly, +1 Health) from the huge, bulbous abdomen, the Namaresh develops bee’s wax glands at the rear of the thorax. While Bharsalu are capable of retaining their human legs with a swollen abdomen, the overwhelming majority develop at least one other pair of insectoid or human legs to handle the weight. The glands are identical to a true bee’s wax-producing organs, and metabolize proteins in the Namaresh's body to weave into a near-liquid yet incredibly durable wax. This wax is supernaturally resistant to damage. Each portion has Durability 3, Size 3 and a resulting Structure 6.

WAX GLANDS (•••)
The Hybrid develops glands that produce a thick, slightly sticky wax-like substance. Upon exposure to air, it begins to dry, hardening in a few minutes to a material with the hardness of plastic (though it won’t melt so easily). In the intervening time, it may be shaped by hand or used to glue other materials together. Namaresh use it to make nests, honeycombs, construct defensive barriers or bind victims (provided they are immobile for a few minutes). Repeated layering can make a formidable defensive barrier, impervious to even bullets or werewolf claws. The material is translucent, but some Bharsalu chew wood or dirt to make it more opaque. Many Bharsalu add some human flesh to this mixture. By default, the hardened jelly is Durability 3.

WINGS (•••)
Two pairs of majestic gossamer wings sprouts from the Bharsalu's back. The Bee Host with wings can fly at his normal Speed as a reflexive action. This Aspect is always active. If purchased at one dot higher, however, the change may be activated with the expenditure of one Essence and an instant action. The wings remain until the character wills them to disappear.

**Master Aquatosic** · 02-21-2017, 09:07 AM

So, these hybrids are different from the Giruth's corpse puppets, right? They don't decay in two weeks, I assume?

Also, is it assumed that their end goal is impossible, seeing as they would die from lack of food and hosts if they were the only species around? Or would they eat farm-raised Order spirits or something like that?

**Cinder** · 02-21-2017, 01:25 PM

Originally posted by Master Aquatosic View Post

So, these hybrids are different from the Giruth's corpse puppets, right? They don't decay in two weeks, I assume?

Also, is it assumed that their end goal is impossible, seeing as they would die from lack of food and hosts if they were the only species around? Or would they eat farm-raised Order spirits or something like that?

These date back to First Edition and were based on the Host expaned rules written in Predators. The book made a sharp distinction between corpse puppets and hybrids, spelling out clearly that hybrids don't decay indeed.

As for the ultimate goal, you got it right: the Bee Host would become "gardeners of the Shadow", farming both spirits and humans so they can use them as food and hosts

**Cinder** · 02-21-2017, 01:40 PM

As a side note, those expanded rules were detailed. Perhaps even too much, looking at them now. I should probably get back on these and update them to 2nd Edition someday

EDIT: Also because in my 2nd Edition games I still used these things

**Master Aquatosic** · 02-21-2017, 03:56 PM

Probably wouldn't have to change the Honey's effect on Uratha much. the low end of the Harmony scale is Spirit-like behavior and that can get pretty bloody when you're a spirit of the Hunt

**Cinder** · 02-21-2017, 04:23 PM

Originally posted by Master Aquatosic View Post

Probably wouldn't have to change the Honey's effect on Uratha much. the low end of the Harmony scale is Spirit-like behavior and that can get pretty bloody when you're a spirit of the Hunt

Yeah, I guess the hardest part would be to make some Dread Powers and a couple of Conditions or Tilts. All in all, nothing too big or difficult. I'll add it to my To Do List

**Master Aquatosic** · 02-21-2017, 07:17 PM

Hosts use Dread Powers now? Why don't you just use the existing powers you gave them and call them Dread Powers

**Cinder** · 02-21-2017, 09:41 PM

Werewolf's Dread Powers, yes.

A lot of those could use to be updated and/or simplified to fit 2nd Edition rules. It's not much work to do and some can work already, I agree, but the other can only benefit for such an update. Nothing huge, but still.

Announcement

[Shartha] Bharsalu, the Bee Host

[Shartha] Bharsalu, the Bee Host

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment