Question to anyone knowledgeable about new World of Darkness, specifically Werewolf the Forsaken. In one of the supplements (War Against the Pure) they include an antagonist race called the Colony that I heard once described as werecats "done right". There is very little information about this race online, so I was wondering if anyone here had opinions about it.

What are they like? Do they have a horror vibe? Could they be a decent player option?

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;946048Question to anyone knowledgeable about new World of Darkness, specifically Werewolf the Forsaken. In one of the supplements (War Against the Pure) they include an antagonist race called the Colony that I heard once described as werecats "done right". There is very little information about this race online, so I was wondering if anyone here had opinions about it.

What are they like? Do they have a horror vibe? Could they be a decent player option?

Basically, they're werecats who blend into humanity and have an innate urge to kill bad people. They have three forms: human, cat, and a hybrid form where the human form gains a foot or so in height and has fur, claws, a large cat's head, and lithe, spindly limbs. They "reproduce" by infecting someone once every ten years, which could either be someone they feel is suitable for joining the Colony or just someone they feel should be punished by receiving their curse.

As for the curse itself, they have an overwhelming need to kill a "bad" person (one with a Morality score of 4 or less) every few weeks. The higher the lycanthrope's Primal Urge, the more often they need to kill. If they don't, they get a derangement which worsens until they make the kill. The problem is, the character has no way of actually knowing a target's actual Morality and so has to make an educated guess based on the evidence they can collect. Some victims are safer bets than others.

Apart from that they're pretty superstitious, particularly regarding cats. The book adds some new Aspects and other game information like auspices based on eye color; altogether the Colony entry takes up about a half dozen pages. You could certainly use them as a PC option if you like as long as you understood and were okay with the quirks that having one or more such characters would require in a campaign.

Quote from: Brand55;946052Apart from that they're pretty superstitious, particularly regarding cats.

In what way? Is it one of those weird deals where they are afraid of the animal they actually turn into (like Stephen King's Sleepwalkers?)

By the way, do they have their own lingo and myths like the werewolves do? Is it effective or stupid?

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;946062In what way? Is it one of those weird deals where they are afraid of the animal they actually turn into (like Stephen King's Sleepwalkers?)

No, they just have lots of superstitions that have been handed down in their culture. The book lists six, and half of them are related to cats in some way:
-Never harm a cat or evil will befall you.
-Upon visiting someone, always kiss her cat. Failing to do so will bring the entire household bad luck.
-When looking at a one-eyed cat, spit on your thumb, thrust it into your palm, then make a wish. That wish may come true.

It's left open whether these are just their beliefs or if not adhering to them will carry some sort of consequence.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;946062By the way, do they have their own lingo and myths like the werewolves do? Is it effective or stupid?

The only new bit of lingo is Suthanu-sua, the name of the werecats as a people. There is brief talk of the origins of their curse but not even they know how it came about. Some think they were tasked with it in the days of old, while others believe their ancestors offended some higher power and were punished with the curse. Most don't really pay too much mind to it, more concerned with the here and now. It's left pretty open for GMs if they want to decide on a set backstory for the werecats' history and have it play much role in a campaign. In that sense it contrasts a fair bit from werewolves and their elaborate setup with Father Wolf and the spirits.

Thanks Brand55.

I noticed you gave me a good summary but not your overall opinion. How do you feel about it and the place it is supposed to occupy in a WoD story?

I think they'd work just fine in a WoD story. The WtF campaign I ran was set in the Rockies and mostly centered on the Forsaken/Pure conflict so I didn't really put much thought into other shifters like the Colony. I didn't even focus as much on the spirits as most WtF games likely do, to be honest, as I found that aspect of werewolves not to be too terribly interesting. But the werecats could make for some fun stories, either focusing solely on them or trying to make one of them work with others. Or you could even use them as antagonists with an existing group, which is covered in the book. Their need to kill evildoers carries loads of possibilities, and the actions of a werewolf pack could easily cause them to be viewed as good candidates for killing by the werecats. Also, they're a bit more flexible than werewolves in that they typically run in a group but can go solo without really missing anything. That's another plus for them.

The splat is of course a bit limited just by page constraints, so I think they'd need some work from player and GM to flesh them out and really make them shine. They don't come with as much work already done for you, but that means they don't have as much baggage, either. So you've got a bit more creative freedom. Their auspices, for example, are really just a list of eye color and skills, unlike the werewolf auspices which carry a lot more weight.

What are they like? Werecats are compelled to hunt and kill evil that threatens humans. Be it serial killers, vamps, woofs, etc. If they dont. They go a little insane, or alot insane if they dont kill after more time has passed. They have to kill someone with a morality of 4 or less every couple of weeks. The catch is... They cant use powers or such to figure it out and just have to guess. If they dont kill within their limit they suffer a mild derangement. And if they dont kill within a week after that it becomes a severe derangement. Once they have killed someone with morality 4 or less the clock resets. Its 10 weeks minus their Primal Urge score (1 week minimum). They gain essence from those kills.
They dont breed. Instead every 10 years they have an urge to "infect" someone new and make them a werecat. -3 dice penalty to Resolve and composure checks till they do.

Do they have a horror vibe? No. Not really. The book fluff keeps saying they are crazy. But the actual mechanics say otherwise.

Could they be a decent player option? YMMV. They are... different. Like the roaches, fishmen, minotaurs, birdies, etc.

I think the Brineborn (fishmen) are more interesting since they are so utterly screwed over. One of the writers must really despise Shadow over Innsmouth. Really.

Quote from: Omega;946078I think the Brineborn (fishmen) are more interesting since they are so utterly screwed over. One of the writers must really despise Shadow over Innsmouth. Really.

Are Brineborn a catch-all category for fish people? By that I mean, are there shark Brineborn, tuna Brineborn, barracuda Brineborn, etc.? Or are they sort of undefined generic fish things?

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;946081Are Brineborn a catch-all category for fish people? By that I mean, are there shark Brineborn, tuna Brineborn, barracuda Brineborn, etc.? Or are they sort of undefined generic fish things?

Screwd.

Giant catfish, sturgeons, gars, or lungfish. A rare few can turn sharks, giant eels, or swordfish.

Can survive out of water a number of hours equal to Primal Urge score. And the further from water they get the harder it gets to think. Penalties accumilating per 10 miles I believe. Max of -5 dice penalty on mental rolls.

BUT...

They also cant stay in water long... They cant breath water for very long. 1 hour per point of Primal Urge. If they took waterbreathing. Otherwise they cant. AND if they stay in the water for more hours than their WIT score. They have a massive panic attack about the depths and have to get back to land...

Screwd

The awful changing breeds book copied WAtP's and Skinchangers' mechanics, but removed the creative differences in favor of making all breeds into hereditary wake up at puberty deals who literally engage in animal fucking and shitting on other people's beds.

EDIT: You want good ideas? I saw a number in WAtP, Skinchangers, Night Terrors and some other books. Here's a sampler:

• the urethra may undergo first change at any point in life after birth,
• brineborn shapechange from birth,
• lobizon are seventh son of seventh son chestbursters,
• balam are leopards cursed to turn into hideous semihumanoid freaks if their mother eats a human while pregnant,
• the hosts are horrific parasites and parasitoids,
• the kitsune are demon foxes stuck in human prisons,
• those raven spirits incarnate within stolen bodies,
• that one snakegirl is a daughter of Satan or something,
• an STD carried by werewolves may cause infected muggles to become pseudo-werewolves,
• the unclean are spread by food poisoning,
• The baal-hadad are particularly hilarious because they are blood kin to werewolves and don't have any inherent reason to fight, but Helios and Luna make them fight to the death for entertainment. Just because they're the sun and moon doesn't mean they aren't evil.
• etc.

The were-cats are a largish collection of serial killers that have no business staying as hidden as they have. The fish people are just fucked, unable to leave the water but unabke to actually live in it.

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;946087The awful changing breeds book copied WAtP's and Skinchangers' mechanics, but removed the creative differences in favor of making all breeds into hereditary wake up at puberty deals who literally engage in animal fucking and shitting on other people's beds. At least the urethra may undergo first change at any point in life after birth, brineborn shapechange from birth, lobizon are seventh son of seventh son chestbursters, balam are leopards cursed to turn into hideous semihumanoid freaks if their mother eats a human while pregnant, the hosts are horrific parasites and parasitoids, the kitsune are demon foxes stuck in human prisons, those raven spirits incarnate within stolen bodies, that one snakegirl is a daughter of Satan or something, an STD carried by werewolves may cause infected muggles to become pseudo-werewolves, the unclean are spread by food poisoning, etc.

The baal-hadad are particularly hilarious because they are blood kin to werewolves and don't have any inherent reason to fight, but Helios and Luna make them fight to the death for entertainment. Just because they're the sun and moon doesn't mean they aren't evil.

How unfortunate I hope they fix this mess in 2e even though Werewolf the Forsaken isn't my thing Fera definitely deserve far better then this hack job.

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;946087... lobizon are seventh son of seventh son chestbursters, balam are leopards cursed to turn into hideous semihumanoid freaks if their mother eats a human while pregnant, the hosts are horrific parasites and parasitoids, the kitsune are demon foxes stuck in human prisons, those raven spirits incarnate within stolen bodies, that one snakegirl is a daughter of Satan or something, an STD carried by werewolves may cause infected muggles to become pseudo-werewolves, the unclean are spread by food poisoning, etc.

The baal-hadad are particularly hilarious because they are blood kin to werewolves and don't have any inherent reason to fight, but Helios and Luna make them fight to the death for entertainment. Just because they're the sun and moon doesn't mean they aren't evil.

Wait, are all these things you describe in the Changing Breeds book or the War Against the Pure? I thought the War Against the Pure only described four shapechangers.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;946140Wait, are all these things you describe in the Changing Breeds book or the War Against the Pure? I thought the War Against the Pure only described four shapechangers.

Quote from: Marleycat;946096How unfortunate I hope they fix this mess in 2e even though Werewolf the Forsaken isn't my thing Fera definitely deserve far better then this hack job.

Oh no, I was describing the good ideas in WAtP, Skinchangers, Night Terrors and a couple of other books. They're always awesome in their creativity. Read Fatal & Friends for the Changing Breeds review.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;946140Wait, are all these things you describe in the Changing Breeds book or the War Against the Pure? I thought the War Against the Pure only described four shapechangers.

WAP has just the Cats, Hawks, Fish, Roaches and Bulls.