Tribes & Fera

The Ananasi are, perhaps, not the most powerful shapeshifters in the world, but they are probably the most disturbing. They are the werespiders, capable of changing into creatures of pure nightmare or a horde of tiny arachnids. The Garou feel that they serve the Wyrm, and the werewolves are not entirely wrong. Some Ananasi do obey the Wyrm, but some take their marching orders from the Weaver and others the Wyld. All of the werespiders, though, serve only one mistress at heart: Their imprisoned Queen, Ananasa.

The Ananasi are solitary, for the most part, and work to free their Queen-Mother from the opal prison in which the Wyrm has trapped her. At times that involves working at cross-purposes to the Garou, while in other instances they aid the werewolves in their fight against the Wyrm. Anasasi fight and kill each other when necessary (spiders are cannibals, after all), but never when doing so would be at odds with their larger fight.

Breeds: Ananasi are born to one of two breeds: homid and arachnid. Homid Ananasi are born to one human and one werespider parent, and undergo the First Change in puberty as werewolves do. Arachnid Ananasi hatch from egg sacs and must consume other spiders until they grow large enough to change forms.

Breed determines starting Gnosis and Willpower. Homids have Gnosis 1 and Willpower 3; arachnids have Gnosis 5 and Willpower 4.

Aspects: Werespiders do not have auspices in the same sense that other shapeshifters do. Their aspects serve much the same role, but they are not determined by any astronomical event or position. Instead, a werespiders’s aspect is chosen by the Queen. The aspect denotes which of the Triat the Ananasi follow. Tenere (Weaver-Dedicated) work to restore the Weaver to its original senses and cure the madness that infects it. Such Ananasi are rigidly con­ trolled and calculating. Hatar (Wyrm-Servants) wish to help the Wyrm become the Destroyer once again, rather than the Corrupter, and they are quite will to kill or wreck anything they must in order to achieve this goal. Kumoti (Wyld-Born) Ananasi fight against entropy, and believe that change is good regardless of the form it takes.

Within each aspect are three factions. The Warrior, or Myrmidon, fights for her faction under the direction

of Queen Ananasa. The Balancer, or Viskr, serves as judge, wizard and seeker of truth for her faction. The Questioner, or Wyrsta, acts as a counter to the other two aspects and dedicates his to understanding the structure of the Great Web and his faction’s place in it.

Traits:

• Unlike other Fera, Ananasi lack Rage. They have a blood pool that they can use for healing and extra ac­ tions. Ananasi can hold 10 points of blood. An Ananasi can do the following by spending a point of blood: shift into a given form automatically, take one extra action in a turn, heal a point of bashing or lethal damage, create webs (see below), or power certain Gifts (anything that would normally require a Rage point). An Ananasi can only spend one blood point per turn.

• Ananasi do not regenerate. They must heal natu­ rally or by spending blood points. It takes five blood points, spent over an entire scene, to heal one point of aggravated damage.

• Ananasi do not frenzy, since they lack Rage. • Ananasi can only enter the Umbra in Crawlerling form (see below), and only where the Weaver’s webs are abundant. As such, crawling sideways in a science lab would be difficulty 3, while doing so in virgin wilderness would be difficulty 10 (essentially, reverse the Gauntlet chart on p. 309).

• All werespiders are venomous in their non-human forms. The exact effects of the venom are up to the Sto­ ryteller and vary based on the species of spider. In order to affect a supernatural being with venom, the Ananasi must use a Gift.

• In Pithus form, Ananasi can spin webs stronger than steel. These webs have Strength 9 and four health levels, and so are very difficult to break. It costs the Ananasi one blood point per web (the Storyteller determines how much blood the Ananasi must spend for a given web, but one point is enough to trap a human-sized target).

Forms: Ananasi can assume four forms. Their Homid form is a normal human being, except that they retain fangs to allow for feeding. The other forms are as follows:

Lilian: Every Ananasi’s Lilian form varies slightly, but they are all hideous combinations of human and spider.

Some are human heads on the upright body of a spider, others are more centaur-like (but with an arachnoid body instead of equine). Height and weight increases by about a third from Homid form, and bite and claw attacks are both possible. This form incites full Delirium. Modifiers: Str +2, Dex +3, Sta +2, Man –1, App 0

Pithus: If the Lilian form is horrific, the Pithus is a true nightmare. The Pithus form is a giant spider, with a half-again weight increase from Homid form (meaning a 180 pound man becomes a 270 pound spider. Sleep tight!). This form is capable of spinning webs and invokes full De­ lirium. Modifiers: Str +4, Dex +1, Sta +3, Man –3, App 0

Crawlerling: Ananasi are nearly impossible to kill, mostly because of this form. The werespider can disin­ tegrate into thousands — maybe millions — of normal-sized spiders. The Ananasi designates one or more to be “leader” spiders, which hold the character’s memories and personality. Even if many of the spiders are killed, if the leaders survive they can eat normal spiders and build up enough mass to change into Homid form (though if more than 30% of the spiders are lost, the character’s appearance will change).

Modifiers: Str 0, Dex +5, Sta 0, Man 0, App 0

Sample Gifts: General Ananasi Gifts allow them to use blood and their spider-forms more efficiently. Tenere Gifts center around order, stillness, and webs. Hatar Gifts allow them to use their blood as weapons and to manipulate Banes. Kumoti Gifts allow the Ananasi to alter their forms more easily and to inspire creativity and madness. Black Spiral Dancer, Glass Walker, and Homid Gifts are good inspiration for Ananasi Gifts.

STEREOTYPES

Glass Walkers: They want to be free to serve the Weaver, but their fellow dogs will never allow it. They will aid us if we dangle the right bait.

Black Spiral Dancers: That the Corrupter should choose servants as damaged and stupid as these! It’s too good to be true.

Corax: Birds eat spiders, but some spiders eat birds. Ratkin: Like us, they slip in through the smallest cracks. Unlike us, they have no greater purpose — they are, after all, only food for greater creatures.