Gurahl
These are werebears, one of the surviving Changing Breeds of the Classic World of Darkness.
Tribe
Forest Walkers - Black bears Ice Stalkers - Polar bears Mountain Guardians - Grizzly bears River Keepers - Brown bears Okuma - Moon bears/Sun bears/Giant pandas |
Willpower
6 6 6 6 6 |
Beginning Gifts (based on Auspice & Rank, not Tribe, all below apply)
Fiddlefish, Ursa's Light, Nature's Plenty Healing Tounge, Persuasion Ignore Wounds, Walk Like A Man Sense Pattern-Breaker, Open Seal Sentinels Warning, Ursa's Cleaning |
Category
Attributes Abilities Backgrounds Gifts Rites Willpower Freebies Merits Flaws |
Points
7/5/3 13/9/5 5 3 3 15 8 8 |
Info
Prioritize the three categories: Physical, Social, Mental. (These stats start at 1.) Abilities: Prioritize the three categories: Talents, Skills, Knowledges. (These stats start at 0 and cannot exceed 3 before Freebies are spent.) This is a given and does not count from Freebies One each based on Breed, Auspice, and Tribe Based on Rites Background and Rituals Knowledge Can spend Freebies to raise higher, not to exceed 7 without ST approval Unless prior authorization this is the cap Not to exceed Not to exceed |
Gurahl Auspices
The Auspice of the Werebear are more as the phases of their life, major life time events will cause a werebear to change their life in a major fashion, unlike Garou or Bastet.
Arcas (New Moon) (Ragabash) –
Filled with curiosity a newly changed cub likes to travel and meet new people and are always hungering for new experiences. Gurahl are usually this auspice for the first 2-3 years of their lives.
Uzmati (Full Moon) (Ahroun) –
As the cub becomes more confident the Gurahl starts to see the pain of the world. He realized that he has to fight to protect gaia and heal the taint. Gurahl spend many years in this state.
Kojubat (Gibbous Moon) (Galliard) –
After the temper cools, he turns his attention to the lore and culture of his people. The thrill of building something fills him with pride. This is the stage where the usually have the urge to mate or take on a cub as a mentor.
Kieh (Crescent Moon) (Theurge) –
Once the Stories have been heard and rites have been learned the Gurahl begins to study the legends and spends long periods of time in the umbra. They once again find that their greatest purpose is to heal. Most Gurahl are content at staying at this point in their lives for many decades.
Rishi (Half Moon) (Philodox) –
Once the Gurahl is wise enough it is time to lead his people . The Rishi are the judges and the voice of the gurhal. Most Rishi are well known and of High rank.
Arcas (New Moon) (Ragabash) –
Filled with curiosity a newly changed cub likes to travel and meet new people and are always hungering for new experiences. Gurahl are usually this auspice for the first 2-3 years of their lives.
Uzmati (Full Moon) (Ahroun) –
As the cub becomes more confident the Gurahl starts to see the pain of the world. He realized that he has to fight to protect gaia and heal the taint. Gurahl spend many years in this state.
Kojubat (Gibbous Moon) (Galliard) –
After the temper cools, he turns his attention to the lore and culture of his people. The thrill of building something fills him with pride. This is the stage where the usually have the urge to mate or take on a cub as a mentor.
Kieh (Crescent Moon) (Theurge) –
Once the Stories have been heard and rites have been learned the Gurahl begins to study the legends and spends long periods of time in the umbra. They once again find that their greatest purpose is to heal. Most Gurahl are content at staying at this point in their lives for many decades.
Rishi (Half Moon) (Philodox) –
Once the Gurahl is wise enough it is time to lead his people . The Rishi are the judges and the voice of the gurhal. Most Rishi are well known and of High rank.
Overview
According to their lore, the Gurahl are Gaia's original protectors, created to ward off the destructive power of the "Pattern Breaker". When it grew too powerful for them they petitioned Gaia for help, and she created the Garou.
Slow to anger, Gurahl tend to be healers and protectors rather than warriors. Rare since the War of Rage, they were targeted for refusing to teach the Garou the secret of resurrecting the dead.
Gurahl are blessed by Gaia with strong wills and many traits of their bear cousins. Their sense of smell is far superior to that of humans, though when in non-human forms their eyesight is poorer. They have a level of conscious control over their biorhythms, allowing them to alter the speed of their metabolisms, but are susceptible to the seasonal urges of bears, becoming sluggish and lazy in Winter.
Although Gurahl are generally slow to anger, when they do so, they exhibit a nearly-unequalled intensity.
Gurahl can use Rage to enhance their Strength, Stamina, or to gain additional health levels.
A Gurahl may also increase her Strength or Stamina by spending Rage on a one-for-one basis. She can raise her Strength to a maximum of twice her current form’s Strength, and her Stamina to up to twice her current form’s Stamina. Gurahl may combine increases in both Strength and Stamina by dividing up her expended Rage points between the two Attributes. Such increases in Strength and Stamina last for one turn per dot of Rage.
Gurahl may use Rage to gain additional health levels, though any levels gained do not heal prior damage. For example, a Hurt Gurahl may spend two points of Rage to gain an additional two “Hurt” levels. An attacker must fill in these additional “Hurt” levels before the werebear becomes “Wounded”. If a Gurahl does this before engaging in battle, the levels gained count as additional “Bruised” levels. This effect lasts for a scene or until they are lost through taking damage.
Because they can channel their Rage in combat in several ways, Gurahl retain a more deliberate attitude in the midst of Rage (though they are still deadly). Werebears regain spent Rage more slowly than Garou, since they must work harder to get uncontrollably angry. Direct threats to lands or protected creatures restore a Gurahl’s Rage; angry words or insults do not.
Gurahl must score five or more successes on a Rage roll (difficulty 8) in order to succumb to frenzy. A frenzied Gurahl never flees, but instead stands and fights, refusing to retreat no matter what the circumstances, sometimes even charging their enemies. A Gurahl may spend a point of Willpower to offset the frenzy, though she may only move or speak during the same turn in which she does so, not take other actions.
To fall prey to “the Thrall of the Wyrm,” a Gurahl must roll eight successes on a Rage roll. In this unhappy event, no Willpower expenditure can stave off the effects of the Beast-of-War or the Eater-of-Souls.
The Gurahl receive several advantages from Bear that help them fulfill their purpose. To balance these enhancements, however, they have an equal number of relevant disadvantages that also stem from being Bear’s children.
• Adamant Will: Gurahl gain one automatic success in any opposed Willpower roll involving their need to protect and defend. Attempts by vampires or other supernatural creatures to affect the mind or will, or to possess the body, of a Gurahl are made at +2 difficulty. In most other cases where Gurahl engage in a contest of wills over their duty to Gaia, they receive a boost to their roll (or their opponent suffers a penalty, at the Storyteller’s discretion). There is a drawback to having will this strong, however. Getting a werebear to change her mind is nigh impossible once she has decided on a course of action.
• Keen Smell: A Gurahl’s sense of smell is highly developed. Perception rolls involving odors are made at a –2 difficulty, except when the Gurahl is in Homid form. This sensory acuteness includes enabling the Gurahl to identify individuals by their perfume or natural body scent, sniffing out taint or toxins in food or water, and performing other tasks involving smell.
• Poor Eyesight: While in Homid form, Gurahl have normal eyesight (subject to individual variations) but in every other form, werebears have relatively poor vision. They are not blind, but they do not rely primarily on their sight and tend not to notice visual cues as rapidly as other Breeds. Perception rolls based on sight alone are made at a +2 difficulty unless the Gurahl is in Homid form.
• Seasonal Lethargy: A Gurahl’s body is attuned to seasonal changes. In wintertime, most werebears grow sluggish and experience a psychological need to tuck themselves in for the winter. Though Gurahl do not have to hibernate, they do become more lethargic during the winter months. This manifests in small ways, such as habitual lateness. Gurahl subtract two from their initiative score during the winter months.
Slow to anger, Gurahl tend to be healers and protectors rather than warriors. Rare since the War of Rage, they were targeted for refusing to teach the Garou the secret of resurrecting the dead.
Gurahl are blessed by Gaia with strong wills and many traits of their bear cousins. Their sense of smell is far superior to that of humans, though when in non-human forms their eyesight is poorer. They have a level of conscious control over their biorhythms, allowing them to alter the speed of their metabolisms, but are susceptible to the seasonal urges of bears, becoming sluggish and lazy in Winter.
Although Gurahl are generally slow to anger, when they do so, they exhibit a nearly-unequalled intensity.
Gurahl can use Rage to enhance their Strength, Stamina, or to gain additional health levels.
A Gurahl may also increase her Strength or Stamina by spending Rage on a one-for-one basis. She can raise her Strength to a maximum of twice her current form’s Strength, and her Stamina to up to twice her current form’s Stamina. Gurahl may combine increases in both Strength and Stamina by dividing up her expended Rage points between the two Attributes. Such increases in Strength and Stamina last for one turn per dot of Rage.
Gurahl may use Rage to gain additional health levels, though any levels gained do not heal prior damage. For example, a Hurt Gurahl may spend two points of Rage to gain an additional two “Hurt” levels. An attacker must fill in these additional “Hurt” levels before the werebear becomes “Wounded”. If a Gurahl does this before engaging in battle, the levels gained count as additional “Bruised” levels. This effect lasts for a scene or until they are lost through taking damage.
Because they can channel their Rage in combat in several ways, Gurahl retain a more deliberate attitude in the midst of Rage (though they are still deadly). Werebears regain spent Rage more slowly than Garou, since they must work harder to get uncontrollably angry. Direct threats to lands or protected creatures restore a Gurahl’s Rage; angry words or insults do not.
Gurahl must score five or more successes on a Rage roll (difficulty 8) in order to succumb to frenzy. A frenzied Gurahl never flees, but instead stands and fights, refusing to retreat no matter what the circumstances, sometimes even charging their enemies. A Gurahl may spend a point of Willpower to offset the frenzy, though she may only move or speak during the same turn in which she does so, not take other actions.
To fall prey to “the Thrall of the Wyrm,” a Gurahl must roll eight successes on a Rage roll. In this unhappy event, no Willpower expenditure can stave off the effects of the Beast-of-War or the Eater-of-Souls.
The Gurahl receive several advantages from Bear that help them fulfill their purpose. To balance these enhancements, however, they have an equal number of relevant disadvantages that also stem from being Bear’s children.
• Adamant Will: Gurahl gain one automatic success in any opposed Willpower roll involving their need to protect and defend. Attempts by vampires or other supernatural creatures to affect the mind or will, or to possess the body, of a Gurahl are made at +2 difficulty. In most other cases where Gurahl engage in a contest of wills over their duty to Gaia, they receive a boost to their roll (or their opponent suffers a penalty, at the Storyteller’s discretion). There is a drawback to having will this strong, however. Getting a werebear to change her mind is nigh impossible once she has decided on a course of action.
• Keen Smell: A Gurahl’s sense of smell is highly developed. Perception rolls involving odors are made at a –2 difficulty, except when the Gurahl is in Homid form. This sensory acuteness includes enabling the Gurahl to identify individuals by their perfume or natural body scent, sniffing out taint or toxins in food or water, and performing other tasks involving smell.
• Poor Eyesight: While in Homid form, Gurahl have normal eyesight (subject to individual variations) but in every other form, werebears have relatively poor vision. They are not blind, but they do not rely primarily on their sight and tend not to notice visual cues as rapidly as other Breeds. Perception rolls based on sight alone are made at a +2 difficulty unless the Gurahl is in Homid form.
• Seasonal Lethargy: A Gurahl’s body is attuned to seasonal changes. In wintertime, most werebears grow sluggish and experience a psychological need to tuck themselves in for the winter. Though Gurahl do not have to hibernate, they do become more lethargic during the winter months. This manifests in small ways, such as habitual lateness. Gurahl subtract two from their initiative score during the winter months.
Ranks
Cub
Kovi (Child): Cliath
Verden (Brother, Sister): Fostern
Sorna (Aunt, Uncle): Adren
Talchwi (Mother, Father): Athro
Matae (Grandmother, Grandfather): Elder
Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother: Legend
Kovi (Child): Cliath
Verden (Brother, Sister): Fostern
Sorna (Aunt, Uncle): Adren
Talchwi (Mother, Father): Athro
Matae (Grandmother, Grandfather): Elder
Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother: Legend
HomidYour mother was human, Kin or not, or a homid Gurahl. You grew up among humans and learned how to live in their society. Yet something always set you apart. Strange dreams marked your childhood, and as you grew you remembered more and more of them — dreams of the moon, of the taste of blood, of the smell of war. Maybe they found you before your Change, maybe after, but now there’s no going back. You are what you are — you’re as much bear as human now.
The werebears born as humans, they are most often found among the Walker of Wood. Beginning Backgrounds: 5 Beginning Rage: 3 Beginning Gnosis: 4 Starting Gifts: Persuasion, Ursa’s Light |
MetisThe werebears only have two breeds; homids and ursine.
The werebears use a special ritual to find their mates and it's speculated that they would fail to produce any offspring even if two werebears did try to mate. They are also rarely exclusive. Their partner that is found through the ritual may not always be their mate. It is of the understanding among their kind that this is quite acceptable. Those that they breed with are for the better of their race and survival and it is perfectly acceptable to go outside of their mate for the sole purpose of breeding. |
UrsineNone are closer to nature and the hidden face of Gaia than you are. You were born a precocious cub, already showing remarkable intelligence above that of your siblings. When the Change overcame you, and you discovered your true nature, the world itself became something you had never expected.
Ursine are quite capable of abstract thought, but much of their experience with the concepts governed by such thought comes after the First Change. They pick up the basics of Gurahl speech very quickly, and the basics of human languages with surprising speed, but the small nuances and connotations frequently elude them. They are accustomed to the socialization of their family, not of a greater society which can be particularly problematic. The advantages of the Ursine are several many of them spiritual. The ursine-born lack the spiritual disconnection that the homids have gradually developed, and they are also free of the spiritual “static” that comes with the blood of the Garou and Bastet metis. They have a knack for mastering the animistic rituals of the Gurahl, as they are closer to “spirit logic” than the more educated reasoning of humankind. Some of this is reflected in their high starting Gnosis. However, Ursine characters have little opportunity to learn many useful skills before their First Change, and are therefore limited during character creation regarding the Abilities they can purchase. Born as bears, these werebears are the most numerous in the Keepers of Water. Beginning Backgrounds: 3 Beginning Rage: 4 Beginning Gnosis: 5 Starting Gifts: Heightened Senses, Voice of Woe |