Marginal vs. Minimal vs. Complete Success for Combat. I have traditionally ruled as follows for combat: Zero Successes a miss. 1 Success contact is made but no damage is dealt to the foe. 2 Successes Marginal strike the strike deals half damage. 3 Successes the strike is Complete full damage is dealt. Any successes above 3 add an extra damage die to the damage pool. Negative Successes are Botches and hopefully will be avoided! I want to clarify this as this is the first combat.
The Five Forms of the Garou:
The Five Forms of the Garou
Many legends speak of werewolves assuming only two forms, human and wolf. In truth, the Garou wear five different forms, each suited to different tasks and situations.
Changing form requires a Stamina + Primal-Urge roll. The difficulty varies based on the character's starting form. However, the number of successes needed also varies based on which form the character is attempting to reach. She must cross over all intermediate forms before reaching the one she desires. Therefore, the player must roll one success to begin the change and then one for each form the character must "pass through" to get to the desired form.
Example: As the quiet cluster of men in the corner suddenly begin to foam at the mouth, Stone Beast decides that Homid form might be a bit weak for what lies ahead. Stone Beast wishes to assume Crinos form. His player must therefore roll Stamina + Primal-Urge at difficulty 6 (for starting in Homid) and score at least three successes (one to start the change, one for Glabro and one for Crinos). If the player scores only two successes, Stone Beast reaches only Glabro form, and he must wait until next turn to try again (unless his player wishes to spend a Rage point for him).
If a character is shifting to her Breed form, the change is automatic and instantaneous, no matter how many forms must be passed through. The same is true if the player spends a Rage point to enact the change. Any clothes the character is wearing when she shifts will probably be shredded unless they are dedicated (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication) in which case, they meld with the character's body and reappear when she takes Homid form again.
Homid: The Human
Statistic Adjustments: None
Shift Difficulty: 6
Form Description: The natural form for homid breed Garou and the form in which they feel most comfortable. Homid form is in all ways identical to a normal human being (save for lupus and metis werewolves, who are allergic to silver and possess regenerative powers in this form). Homid form werewolves still trigger the Curse in normal humans, however.
Example: In Homid form, the Silver Fang Theurge Longing Glance is just shy of six feet tall and is strongly built -- close to 185 pounds. His hair is dusky blond and cut short.
Glabro: The Near-Man
Statistic Adjustments: Strength +2, Stamina +2, Manipulation -2, Appearance -1
Shift Difficulty: 7
Form Description: The Glabro form is bipedal, and it doesn't possess obvious fangs or claws, but the resemblance to a human being ends there. A Garou shifting from Homid to Glabro gains from 100% to 200% in body weight (all muscle) and six inches in height. Body hair becomes much more profuse, the teeth and nails elongate (although not enough to inflict any special damage), the brow slopes, and the character looks huge and menacing.
Werewolves in Glabro can speak the Garou tongue and manage human language without too much trouble. Human speech, however, has a gutteral rasp to it. While Garou can use this form to interact with human society, they typically don't. The Glabro form is too crude and too easy to remember.
Example: Longing Glance stands nearly six and one half feet tall in Glabro form. He weighs in at approximately 350 pounds, and his normally sparse facial hair springs out around the jaw and neckline. His eyebrows grow together and he walks with a slight lope in this form.
Crinos: The Wolf-Man
Statistic Adjustments: Strength +4, Dexterity +1, Stamina +3, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0
Shift Difficulty: 6
Form Description: Affectionately known as the "nine-foot snarlin death-beast" form, a werewolf in Crinos wants to do only one thing -- kill. The natural form of all metis breed Garou, the Crinos is not a form for deliberation, even with other werewolves.
Shifting from Glabro to Crinos, the Garou grows in height by half and gains another 100% to 200% in weight. The head changes to a wolf's maw, and the fangs and claws are now fully grown. The arms become long and apelike, and the werewolf can move either on two legs or all fours. The Garou also grows a tail, which helps with balance.
A werewolf in the war form may speak the Garou tongue perfectly well, and he may converse with wolves crudely. Human speech is reduced to one or two words at a time (favorite phrases include "Wyrm!" and "Kill them!"). Expressing anything more complex requires the expenditure of a Willpower point.
Note that the Manipulation and Appearance penalties may not apply to other Garou, who speak the language and are used to the war form.
Example: Longing Glance shifts to Crinos form. He now stands over nine feet tall and weighs just under 800 pounds. His body is covered with fur, which takes on a silvery sheen in this form.
Hispo: The Near-Wolf
Statistic Adjustments: Strength +3, Dexterity +2, Stamina +3, Manipulation 0
Shift Difficulty: 7
Form Description: The Hispo resembles a normal wolf in the same way that the Glabro resembles a common human. A werewolf in Hispo form looks like a prehistoric dire wolf. The head and jaws are massive, even more so than the Crinos, and the bite of a Hispo inflicts an extra die of damage. The Hispo can stand on its hind legs, if necessary, but it is much more comfortable on all fours.
The Hispo form weighs nearly as much as the Crinos form, but its four-legged stance allows it to run faster. Perception difficulties decrease by one in this form. The senses are sharp, although not so keen as the Lupus. A werewolf in Hispo has no hands, so he cannot grasp objects, except in his mouth.
A Garou in Hispo form can speak with a Garou and wolves with little difficulty, but human speech requires a Willpower point and even that is limited to one or two syllables.
Example: In Hispo form, Longing Glance still weighs close to 800 pounds, but he stands 5 feet high at the shoulder.
Lupus: The Wolf
Statistic Adjustments: Strength +1, Dexterity +2, Stamina +2, Manipulation 0
Shift Difficulty: 6
Form Description: The natural state of lupus Garou, the pure wolf form is feral and driven by instinct. Used primarily for tracking and travel, the change from Hispo to Lupus causes the Garou to shed a great deal of muscle and body size. The jaws and claws shrink considerably -- a homid or metis in Lupus can cause aggravated wounds with only a bite, and lupus in their breed form cause lethal damage. The Lupus form runs at twice human speed (see Movement) and it is far more perceptive. All Perception difficulties for Garou in Lupus form drop by two.
The Lupus resembles a normal wolf for all intents and purposes. The exact appearance of a Garou's Lupus form will vary depending on her Tribe.
Example: Longing Glance completes the shift to Lupus form. He appears, to all scrutiny, to be a large, silver-white wolf.
Initiative:
Erik Talbot - Wits+Alertness DC 4 - [dice]4d10+2d10[/dice]
Gabriel Smith - Wits+Alertness DC 4 - [dice]3d10+3d10[/dice]
Guides the Pack - Wits+Alertness DC 4 - [dice]2d10+3d10[/dice]
Howls at Dawn - Wits+Alertness DC 4 - [dice]3d10+3d10[/dice]
Kindo - Wits+Alertness DC 4 - [dice]3d10+3d10[/dice]
Sylas Shadow - Wits+Alertness DC 4 - [dice]3d10+3d10[/dice]
Erik picks up the guns and pulls the clips he also pulls the extra clips that all of the guards had as quickly as he can. He appears discomforted by the proximity to the substance.
Erik, you are down one Temporary Gnosis until you rid yourself of this silver.
The security guard shudders, "The first teams are the monsters. The ones that Pentex made, they were human now I don't know what they are. Please help me take me!"
OK Pack Members. Decision time: (1) Enter teh complex further or leave? (2) If you leave do you take this guy with you or leave him here? (3) If you lave him here do you do so with alive or as a corpse?
No worries Kindo, go ahead and post your opinion, until it is clear what to do about you, you are a member of the pack!
"He's only sorry because he lost." Erik says, obviously irritated by the situation as much as the silver. "We either drag him with us or end him right here and now."
"He's only sorry because he lost." Erik says, obviously irritated by the situation as much as the silver. "We either drag him with us or end him right here and now."
Are you not homid-kind? Tell him the things he needs to hear before dying and end him! We must cleanse this place with the blood of all who aid the when within!
"I'm surprised that you do not want that 'pleasure' for yourself." Erik chides as he extends a claw and quickly swipes across the unfortunate man's neck.
Yes, please. Dungeon Master Player 15/Dungeon Master 13/Monk 2(I'm out of practice!)
Guides-The-Pack wrote:
Erik Talbot wrote:
"He's only sorry because he lost." Erik says, obviously irritated by the situation as much as the silver. "We either drag him with us or end him right here and now."
Are you not homid-kind? Tell him the things he needs to hear before dying and end him! We must cleanse this place with the blood of all who aid the when within!
The pack presses farther into the strip mine though the blinding snow.
The terrain slopes downwards, steeply, as you all press north. As you continue to push forward blinded by the absolute white-out, you abruptly come to a tall wall made of concrete. It appears to be rather high. Snow gathers at its base quite deep.
It seems only east and west are available as directions to you now.
I will assume everyone remains in the forms they are currently in. Most of you are a bit banged up from nicks where the silver bullets struck you but no one is more than 1 health level down ATM.
Guides sniffs the air to get an impression of what is around. The stench of the Wyrm is about this place in a way he has never smelled before at least not on Gaia. As if hundreds of Banes were manifest. It makes it difficult to know exactly what is around and where due to the blizzard conditions.
Likely what is on the other side of this wall will be the buildings, if there are any, from which the minions of this Pentex work the mine.
ST Phoenix ONLY:
Perception DC 5 3d10 ⇒ (5, 10, 5) = 20
Before any of you can decide which way to go, a pack of five banes materializes right before your eyes!
Erik's foe focuses its powers at the Garou but Erik resist whatever effect the creature intended.
Sylas though not invisible is still a slippery combatant and he easily dodges the attack of the horrid Bane.
The Bane touches Howls and shatters his mind! The Uktena enters an uncontrollable Frenzy!
You may spend a Willpower point to regain your calm but it is a full round action. Otherwise roll % dice - 1-50 attack the Bane, 51-100 attack a fellow pack member - roll 1d5 - 1 Guides, 2 Kindo, 3 Gabriel, 4 Erik or 5 Sylas.
The final foe claws at Guides giving but not as good as he received. Guides, soak 4 damage.
Lupus human name is Miguel Santos, Uktena Theurge Rank 1
Howls-at-dawn knows the fell ways of the servants of the wurm and fights back at their profane attack. Spending the willpower to get rid of the mental attack
Kindo throws a punch at the foe that inflicted Howls
Dex+Brawl 3d6 + 3d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 5) + (6, 5, 5) = 26
but misses as the creature ducks out of the way.
Round 2
ST Phoenix ONLY:
Bane Soak vs. Sylas - 3d10 ⇒ (9, 7, 10) = 26
Bane Soak vs. Gabriel 3d10 ⇒ (7, 9, 8) = 24
Bane Soak vs. Erik 3d10 ⇒ (5, 8, 3) = 16
Bane vs. Sylas -1 Health - no modifier.
Bane vs. Erik & Gabriel -2 Health -1 to actions.
Bane vs. Kindo & Howls still -3 Health Levels -1 to actions.
Bane vs. Guide still -4 Health Levels -2 to actions.
Howls manages to gain control over himself despite the taint of the Bane seeking to poison his mind.
Gabriel move to assist Erik who is struggling with his Bane but this one proves a stiffer opponent and it resist most of what the two Garou throw at it!
--
Guides at 5 Stamina that 10 counts twice, you soak all of the damage.
The foe threatening him now gone Erik piles on against the Bane that Kindo and Howls have been unable to banish. He too though cannot land a solid enough strike to send it back to the Umbra from whence it came!
ST Phoenix ONLY:
Bane Soak vs. Sylas 3d10 ⇒ (5, 2, 5) = 12 - -3 Health Levels -1 Die.
Soak vs. Gabriel 3d10 ⇒ (7, 2, 4) = 13 - DEAD
Bane vs. Kindo & Howls still -3 Health Levels -1 to actions.
Round 3 -
Guides - GO! (The one that Sylas is fighting is the next logical choice as Erik, Kindo, AND Howls are surrounding the other one).
Banes (2)
Kindo - (Go ahead and post your action so I have it).
Guides once more rends the Bane into non-existence!
The final Bane withdraws from the battle. However, it seems to have forgotten that travel on Gaia is not as easy as travel in the Umbra - as it turns, Kindo strikes and it too falls to the ground collapsing into the nether regions from whence it materialized!
Clearly, the Umbra here is very weak if the Banes were so easily able to cross the Gauntlet. This is no mere strip mine it would appear.
Male Elf (ancient) Barbarian 3 (magus) perc +7 F 7 R 8 W 7 max HP 42/45 spd 35 AC 20
No enemies to hide here as Sylas looks around and then says investigate further in the mine or rest elsewhere and come back to renewed defenses? I say we press on now. This is the place that the banes are coming from.
No enemies to hide here as Sylas looks around and then says investigate further in the mine or rest elsewhere and come back to renewed defenses? I say we press on now. This is the place that the banes are coming from.
The Silver Fang speaks truly. The litany is clear. The Wyrm breeds here and dwells here. We fight for Gaia. Cleanse this place. Fire will cleanse this wound."
As the Pack steps around the wall they come upon a sight which brings forth to mind the words of the captured Homid slaughtered not long ago...
"Get.. get...get me outta here and I'll tell ya' what you wanna know. He... he's one of you, he'll do it, he'll gut me..."
"It'll be those crazy bears or a First Team that comes for you next if you stay..."
Standing before you in full Crinos form are six Garou, five are black as night, the sixth completely hairless covered in tattoos of endless spirals, one twitches, badly.
The hairless one speaks, "The young pack from the south. How nice of you to come to us. We had forgotten all about you. Now we shall make you memories..."
One at the end interjects, "NO! Take them alive, Azaera may want to play with them".
"Ohhhh that ones a f%%$ing turtle, see that a f#~#ing turtle Midge! I want to keep that one!" Blurts out the twitchy one.
There is no question you stand before the nightmares incarnate, Garou twisted by the Wyrm, Black Spiral Dancers!
"Ill have your hide before you have my shell you twisted little doggy" he growls as he charges down on the twitchy one, spending a rage to change instantly during the charge