​

​

​

In the World of Darkness, lycanthropy is not a disease but a heritable trait. As dual beings (being both wolves and men), Garou can (and do) interbreed with both species. A Garou's extended non-shapechanging family is called its Kinfolk. Most often, Garou are born to one non-Garou and one Garou parent but in families (both wolf and human) where Garou blood is especially strong, Homid or Lupus Garou sometimes are born from non-shapeshifting parents.

​

A Garou born in human form is called a homid; a Garou born in wolf form is called a lupus. The breed or species of the mother determines the breed of the Garou. A Garou born from two Garou parents of the same tirbe is called a Metis and is invariably deformed as a result of this inbreeding, as well as completely sterile. Once pariahs in Garou society, trying times have led to the partial integration of the Metis breed into the ranks of the Garou. 

​

Prior to their First Change, Garou typically live amongst their kinfolk; in most cases, non-metis Garou are raised unaware of their true nature. Garou usually experience their first change during puberty, occurring in the early teenage years for homids, around 1-2 years of age for lupus, and typically about 6-10 years of age for metis. Prior to this change, the proto-garou is usually unable to change forms, a condition that rarely causes difficulty amongst the homid and lupus, but which confines the metis to the perimeter (or bawn) of Garou-held holy places called caerns.

​

​

BREEDS

​

Homid
These Garou were usually raised as humans, although they may be taught the lore of the Garou as well. Since a homid child will not First Change until his teenage years if ever, he is typically taught to live in the normal world. His true nature may even be kept from him until the elders have seen whether or not he will be Garou or just a Kinfolk. However a homid child is raised, he may still feel echoes of Rage and the connection of Gnosis. He may have dreams of running through the woods on four legs, and have moments of completely losing his temper which are almost like black-outs.

Breed Form HOMID
 

Metis (Needs Garou ST Approval)
The children of two Garou of the same tribe. The lives of Metis are cursed: Their parents broke the Litany, their birth may prove deadly to their mothers, and they are always marked by some kind of flaw which indicates Gaia's displeasure. In recent years, Metis have been accepted somewhat as individuals, but as a group they are still pointed to as mistakes and people who should not exist. Crinos is their natural form, and so Metis have to be raised among other Garou, usually within Caerns. They are intimately familiar with the rituals and ways of the Garou, but often have difficulty adapting to human or wolf societies.

Breed Form CRINOS

A minimum of 3 points of Deformities must be taken.

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL METIS ARE ALL STERILE!

​

• Albino (1 Points): You were born without any melanin in your body so there is no pigment in your fur or skin, in any of your forms. 

• Bestial Reflection (1 Points): You have a strange and mystical disfigurement: You reflect only your natural breed form (Crinos) in all mirrored surfaces, no matter what form you are wearing. 

• Cleft Lip (2 Points): The split in your lip detracts from your appearance, -1 to all Charisma rolls. 

• Mute (3 Points): Can't speak or use any powers that use speech. 

• Musk (2 Points): You have strong odor around you, -1 to all Charisma and Animal Ken rolls. 

• No Claws (3 Points): You do not have a claw attack in any form. This means you cannot inflict aggravated damage with anything other than bite attacks.

• Hooves (1 Points): You have malformed hooves in Crinos, Hispo, and Lopus forms. This gives -2 to all Athletic rolls. 

• Horns (2 Points): You have permanent horns in all forms. 

• Deaf (2 Points): You can't hear or use any hearing based powers. -2 penalty to Perception rolls. 

• One eye (2 Points): You were born with one eye, which gives -2 penalty to Perception rolls. 

• Deranged (2 Points): Choose a Derangement. 

• Blind (3 Points): -4 penalty to Perception rolls. , as well as you can't use any visin based powers. 

• HUNCHBACK (3 Points): Gives -2 to Dexterity rolls and -1 Charisma rolls. 

​

Lupus (Needs Garou ST Approval)
The cubs of wolves, raised among wolf packs. The lupus are intimately familiar with the primal instincts of their kinds, and are often stronger, faster, more clever, and more suited to leadership than the rest of their packs. Wolves usually First Change within the first three or four years of their life, but they may already be the alphas of their own packs by that time. They often show an odd interest in humans, and may even have brief dreams of walking on two legs.

After their First Change, lupus often show a disregard for human customs. They are used to a society which has little to do with philosophy, shame, guilt or other human traits. There is a concerted effort to help lupus Garou adapt to their new society, but such efforts have varying degrees of success.

Breed Form LUPUS

​

 

 

AUSPICES

​

Ragabash: Those born beneath the new moon are the tricksters and fools of Garou society. They challenge the Garou's traditional ways in order to help discard traditions that are outdated. Their tricks and pranks teach wisdom and humility to those who would listen. However, most Garou have little respect for the role of the Ragabash and consider them little more than pranksters. In addition, they also tend to be the assassins of the Garou, using Gifts to help them remain undetected.

+4 to Gnosis Rolls / +1 to Rage and Primal Urge rolls

​

Theurge: Those born beneath the crescent moon are the mystics and seers of the Garou. They have a natural affinity with the spirits and can speak with them, either persuading them to join their cause or forcing them to do their bidding like sorcerers. They are often associated with healing as well.

+5 to Gnosis Rolls 

​

​

Philodox: Those born under the half moon are the arbitrators and judges of the Garou. They are charged with keeping the traditions of the Garou. However, they also strive for balance and harmony amidst the hot tempers of Garou. They are often jacks-of-all trades and can speak with the spirits almost as well as a Theurge, yet fight just as well as an Ahroun. The Philodox are the traditional leaders of the Garou.

+3 to Gnosis Rolls / +3 to Rage and Primal Urge rolls

​

​

Galliard: Those born beneath the gibbous moon are filled with passion that bursts forth in glorious song and hot tempers. They are the warrior-bards of legend taking time out from their art to fight and from their fighting to sing rousing tales or weave intricate stories. They are often joyous and make good company, usually.

+1 to Gnosis Rolls / +4 to Rage and Primal Urge rolls

​

​

Ahroun: Those born beneath the full moon are the natural warriors of the Garou. No Garou is incompetent at fighting, but the Ahrouns excel at it. They often lead the Garou during times of war or when there are no Philodox in the pack.

+5 to Rage and Primal Urge rolls

​

​

TRIBES

​

​

     Black Furies: Composed almost entirely of female Garou, the Furies are staunch defenders of the Wyld. They rage against slights done them by male society. For all their battle prowess, the Furies are a deeply mystical tribe and their rituals are mysterious and hauntingly beautiful. The only males among the Furies are Metis.

​

     Bone Gnawers: The Gnawers are mangy dog-like Garou who live in the poorest, burnt out parts of the cities. They live literally paw to mouth. However, the Gnawers are supremely informed about anything and everything that goes on within their cities. The other Garou consider them mange ridden dogs however and have no respect for their urban skills. They are known for taking excellent care of their families, both human and Garou and in times past were considered to be the most loyal friend one could have.

​

     Children of Gaia: The Children believe that all Garou are really Children of Gaia who have not realized this yet. They strive for harmony between all the tribes and shun unnecessary violence. The Garou see their peace loving ways as utter foolishness and consider the Children weak. However, when the Children do strike in battle they do so with the deep conviction that they are truly Gaia's chosen and fight with the madness of religious zealots.

​

     Fianna: Traditionally from the British Isles, these Celtic Garou are fond of song and strong drink. They are often seen as drunken fools, but take their fighting just as seriously as their partying. They know much forgotten Garou lore and are considered the lost cousins of the Fair Folk.

​

     Get of Fenris: The Get are harsh warriors who embody the Norse ideals. They value battle prowess above all else but also put great stock in personal honor and cleverness. Most Get of Fenris hail from the Norse homelands of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Scandinavia but have seeped into more Germanic countries like Austria and Germany over the centuries via migration. Some Get have embraced the concept of white supremacy and National Socialism in both past and present and have since given the rest of the tribe a reputation that is riddled with misconceptions and stereotypes.

​

     Glass Walkers: The lords of the cities, the Walkers are always on the cutting edge of technology. They are deeply involved in human society and control much of the human business world as well as the Mafia. They love the toys of the Weaver and are often associated with computers and guns. Some are even partially cybernetic. Many Garou hold the opinion that Walkers serve the Weaver, which is considered just one step above serving the Wyrm. It is not, however, the case: Walkers do maintain unusually good relations with Weaver spirits, but serve only Gaia and police themselves against Weaver corruption. The tribe has changed names many times, the most well known prior names being the Warders of Men (Dark Ages and Renaissance) and the Iron Riders (Industrial Revolution and Wild West).

​

     Red Talons: The Talons consist almost entirely of Lupus with a few scattered Metis thrown in. There are no Homid Red Talons.The Talons believe that the only way to heal Gaia is to kill every human on the planet and to let the Wyld balance things out. The Red Talons despise humans with a passion and have been known to attack humans on sight, even going so far as to devour their flesh. their participation in the devouring of humans has been both a tribal tradition and pastime since nights gone by, and has proven to raise the suspicion of the other tribes since the act of cannibalizing humans goes directly against the Litany. How a tribe of feral beasts can still manage to fight the Wyrm and not succumb to its influence is perplexing to say the least. They are known to revel in the hunting of humans and destroying technology but because of their tribes traditional "Lupus cubs only" rule, the wolf population dying off, wildlife being lessened and the Wyrm's near victorious status; they are sadly dying out.

​

     Shadow Lords: The Lords consider themselves to be the only tribe fit to lead the Garou in these dark times. They openly despise the Silver Fangs and seek to overthrow them at every turn. They are seen as ruthless, backstabbing and manipulative, which is very often the case. However, they have great tribal unity. The Lords are not often respected but are almost always feared.

​

     Silent Striders: Gypsies and vagabonds, the Striders originally hailed from Egypt and the Middle East. They were cast out of their ancestral homeland by the vampire Set and have been searching for a new homeland ever since. They are the messengers of the Garou and are always on the move. The Striders very rarely share their secrets yet conversely are also known for their skill at prophesy. They hate vampires with a passion.

​

     Silver Fangs: The ancestral leaders of the Garou, the Fangs are slowly rotting from within. By breeding with only the noblest of humans and by breeding with their own family members, they have bred weakness into their house. Many have mental disorders of some sort and more than one Metis has come about from a Silver Fangs incestuous habits. The rest of the Garou consider the Fangs doddering kings who should be overthrown. The Fangs will not let such a thing happen. Younger Fangs have been trying to fix what's wrong with the tribe and bring in fresh blood, though they haven't had much success as of yet.

​

     Stargazers: The smallest of the tribes, many Stargazers are actually converts from other tribes. They are concerned with balance in all its forms, seeking for perfect harmony both within and without. They often lose themselves in philosophical thought however and most Garou think they spend too much time contemplating their navels and not enough time acting. They walk alone and join packs only long enough to try and impart their wisdom to other Garou. They are deadly when forced to act, for they are the originators of Kailindo, the Garou martial art.

​

     Uktena: Originally Native American, the Uktena have taken in every minority that has come to the Americas. The Uktena delve into dark secrets, from vampires, to ghosts, to things that go bump in the night. These dark mystics are often feared by other Garou who think they walk too close to the Wyrm.

​

     Wendigo: All Wendigo are of Native American stock. They have not forgiven the European Garou (the "Wyrmcomers") for invading their homelands. They consider the Uktena their somewhat misguided brothers, and tolerate the Striders, but dislike most of the other tribes. They particularly loathe the Gnawers, Get, Walkers, Lords and Fangs.

​

​

​

​

​