Garou Player's Guide

Becoming a Garou

A character of this type is an interesting challenge. The fact is that when you play a werewolf, you are in essence playing a combination of beast, spirit and human; to combine them into harmony. The trickiest part of this is maintaining the balance. The First Change is precious in the development of your character; providing interesting story and interesting depth to a point that you will come to appreciate later. They can be anywhere on the spectrum of emotion, ranging from moments of happiness to extreme anger. This is considered by many as the defining moment in your life when you realize you are neither human or wolf, but something more; when you discover your true nature. The process of actually "becoming" Garou is a slow process that means adpating to dramatic physical changes and will change your character's life forever. Youngsters need to learn how to adapt to forms that can do things they never expected: relearn how to walk, run, and rest in totally new forms that are so unlike the one they've spent their entire lives in thus far. Adapt to leaving what you knew behind, your old life. Then taught how to survive: the nature of combat. This reality has new aspects now: new lore, new risks, and just as you begin to find acceptance you are placed into a dangerous mission with a group of young cubs who share your inexperience.

Pre-change

Homid: The moments leading up to the change can be described best as teenage angst, magnified. You'll think you're "special" or otherwise different. You'll have people shy away from you because you're considered "weird." Due to the fact you're becoming a predator, they will instinctively shy away from you. Delirium is significantly weaker in the Dark Ages, the predator may be closer to the surface and less controlled than it will become later in life.

Lupus: you're a wolf.You know how to hunt, how to work as a pack, what the hierarchy of command is (alpha, beta, omega, etc.), the eating order, the pack structure. A wolf attack on a human is rare, and even more so is that of an unprovoked attack. The curiosity of the lupus is perhaps their most valuable weapon, and most lupus-born can reach their First Change without ever catching sight of a human. Every experience beyond that of the wolf is a new one to them. Superstition abounds those lupus who wander into town as homids; if they wander naked into a village with a broad smile they are either attacked or frightened off because they're considered madmen.

Metis: Few and far in between, due to the fact they're born with deformity because their parents violated the most basic tenant of the Litany. Many tribes refuse to tolerate those who are the "children of shame" and are destroyed upon birth usually by exposure. Depending on the tribe, compassion may take over (Black Furies, Bone Gnawers, and Children of Gaia.) Finding Fianna metis does happen once in a while, but never a Red Talon. Growing up as one in the Dark Ages is more challenging than one in modern times, as at this point there are almost no tales of any such hero in the Silver Record, with plenty of lupus or homids to provide the next generation of Garou. Due to the contempt given by most of the werewolves who ask "why are you still alive?", the resulting self esteem of an average metis is low to a woeful degree. No role models, no reason to expect any form of hospitality from either human society (where they are treated just as poorly due the "devil marks") or wolf society (where the fittest have earned the right to run solo.) Whatever the case, Metis can often achieve greatness, which may or may not be recognized. They have nothing to lose.

Psychologically, you'll be exhilarated and terrified at the same time. At first, it'll hurt.

RPing the Change

Homid: You'll be confused. Probably irrational, even after you've either been calmed down or are being picked up off the ground. You may be in denial of the fact that you just became a creature of monstrous proportion. You may think that you must be drunk right now just to come back to your senses. You may think this is all just a bad dream and need to be smacked again just to bring you back to the realm of the conscious. You'll probably think it's a curse instead of a blessing. Whatever the case, you will most likely not have any understanding of what just happened because of the intensity of your first change and potential frenzy. It's possible you'll be trying to rationalize all of it at once. The easy answer: don't. You're now what they call a "cub."

Metis: Confusion, irrationality. Potential awkwardness. Say you have a tail. All of a sudden, you're human but with a tail. You're not in crinos any more, and this may be even more confusing. Perhaps it won't, but regardless, you're not in crinos anymore.

Lupus: As the cub approaches her First Change, the other wolves will perceive her as a threat, even when they are Kin. You may be forced into a position where you either have to challenge the alpha or become a lone wolf. Becoming a lone wolf will mean you'll wander around until some danger forces your change.

Much like with any task, there will be aspects that will tax you, strain you, or possibly break you. The constant challenges this new aspect of your life places upon you will be numerous, and you must obey them.

• Know thy enemy. This is one of the hardest ones, because this will not always be clear. The sept will tell you who these enemies are, and if you don't know you should ask someone of rank higher than yourself if these folk are your enemy.
• Know thy sept mates. Harder to do, but take the time to learn who your allies are. Granted, there may be some members of the sept you will have a disagreement with based on auspice, breed, tribe, or what you observe. Regardless, listen to what others are saying. Take the time to get to know them in any way you can. If they talk to you, hold conversation as it is the polite thing to do. If you have the opportunity to talk to someone specific, do it. Ask whatever questions you need.
• Keep thy silence: This follows one of the most important tenants of the Litany -- The Veil Must Not Be Lifted. In town, keep your mouth shut. If you can't, be very very careful who you talk to about what. You don't want all the vampires to know you're a shifter, who the alpha is, etc. Secrets about the sept, keep to yourself. If you're asked if you're one of those "crazy woodsmen", make something up or admit that you are but can't discuss your hunting regulations with the person who asked you. Learn to watch for others talking to themselves (or people in the Umbra), or when it's "safe" to step across the Gauntlet. But don't be stupid about it. If you see someone else being stupid about it, try subtly drawing it to their attention.
• Human, Spirit, and Wolf. Combine the three. Not all at once, but take the time to understand the worlds of each. Take a day or so to experiment with your forms. Ask the local lupus if you can go on a patrol with them in lupus, and in the Umbra. Take some time to practice fighting with someone else, learn your strengths in combat. Ask a Theurge or Philodox to help you understand the world of the spirit, to show you a glade child. Take the time to learn what trees look like in the Umbra, how to get there using a mirror or lake.

Post Change RP Suggestions

All: Use this time to live a little. Use this time to make mistakes, question your betters, test your betters, and learn. This is the time you have to learn about your forms, your tribe, your auspice, and your place in Gaia's plan. Take this time to learn as much as you can from whoever you can, and recognize that everyone is special to Gaia in their own way. Learn about your silence you must keep to survive. After the Change happens the for the first time, it may still hurt for a while. It'll eventually become a routine that you won't need to think about and thus the pain may fade completely. Each new form has its own sensory inputs, and having to adapt to it. Learning to walk on 4 legs when you've thus far been walking on 2 is a challenging experience.

Post Change Psychological Impact

Homid: You'll probably be more open to the idea of spirits, depending whether you were raised with a kin family. Superstition may have some effect on your mentality, making it less likely you'll be receptive of this idea. However, even as a cub you may still offend the spirits if you don't know about them. You'll probably be seeking out bizarre social interactions that won't make as much sense until you become more aware of reading body language.You'll probably be clumsy or awkward when addressing the spirits if you weren't raised with Kin.

Lupus: It's possible to develop contempt or hatred of the humans like the Red Talons, or decide to learn everything there is to learn about humanity in order to understand them. They are the one breed that has the most profound mental changes when realizing their nature. Transitioning from instinctual-based thoughts to fully formed reasoning intelligence is dramatic in that it changes their whole perception of reality. Lupus have to undergo this process in days, a few weeks at most. Regardless how you view it, it is a challenging shift in consciousness.

Metis: You'll know the inner workings of a caern better than the incoming cubs. You'll know the Litany, you'll know how it all works out because you've seen it before and grew up around it. Your challenge is surviving, since you weren't killed outright. It's true that you'll have to work harder, but that's just the beginning. You'll have to prove you can survive, and are worthy of respect.