Tribes & Fera

The werefoxes are the youngest of the Fera, created by Gaia with no purpose in mind, or so the story goes. Through a meeting with Gaia and Luna that nearly ended in her destruction, Bai Mianxi, the first Kitsune, gained a purpose for her people — to assassinate and raise up leaders, and thus to guide the fate of nations. In return for their service, Gaia promised that the werefoxes would survive the Apocalypse.

The Kitsune are not warriors or berserkers like many of the other Fera. They are cunning, mystical and clever, surviving by their wits rather than by sheer strength and regeneration. They are much more fragile than the other breeds, but they occupy a special place in their native Asian cultures —known as tricksters, they are revered as much as feared.

Breeds: Kitsune, like Garou, have three breeds: Kojin (homid), Roko (fox), and Shinju (metis). Their metis are not born disfigured and are not stigmatized, though not every Kitsune/Kistune pairing results in one — only about one in ten such pairings leads to a werefox kit. Werefoxes must beware, though; any time a Kitsune is born, one or both of the parents may perish.

Kojin Kitsune have Gnosis 3, roko have Gnosis 5, and shinju have Gnosis 4.

Paths: Kitsune follow one of four paths corresponding to a blending of two elements. Those paths are Kata­

ribe (clay, combining earth and water); Gukutsushi

(fog, combining air and water); Doshi (lightning,

combining fire and air); and Eji (lava, combining earth and fire).

Kataribe are builders and crafters, as well as lore-collectors and poets. They begin with Rage 2.

Gukutsushi are called dreamweavers, and they are

illusionists and healers. They begin with Rage 2. Doshi are sorcerers and shamans who enslave Banes to use for their own ends; they begin with Rage 3. Eji are the warriors of the Kitsune, but they must act carefully and surgically if they are to survive.

They begin with Rage 4.

Traits:

• Kitsune use Rage and Gnosis the same way Garou do, save that they cannot enter berserk frenzy. Appro­ priately, they are only susceptible to fox frenzy.

• All Kitsune begin with Willpower 5. • Kitsune do not regenerate. They can soak aggra­ vated damage in all forms, however.

• Kitsune can soak silver and suffer lethal damage from silver weapons.

• Every time a Kitsune gains a rank, she gains another tail and her lifespan doubles.

• Kitsune can learn the Gifts of any of the Fera. They are highly magically diverse.

• Kitsune gain a free dot of Dexterity during charac­ ter creation, and they cannot botch dodge rolls (though they can fail them).

Forms: Kitsune assume five forms, similar in aspect to the Garou but very different in function. In all forms but human, the difficulty of hearing-related Perception rolls is reduced by two.

Hitogata: A normal human being, always of Asian extraction and usually lithe and mischievous.

Sambuhenge: Very similar to human form, this Glabro-analogue is no taller than the Hitogata form and only slightly heavier. It boasts whiskers, a tail and fox-like features. Modifiers: Dex +1, Sta +1, Man –1

Koto: Only inches taller than Hitogata form, the Kitsune’s “Crinos” form is comparatively ill-suited to combat. The teeth of a Koto inflict aggravated damage, but the Kitsune tend to use this form for courtly affairs.

The Koto does not inflict Delirium. Modifiers: Str +1, Dex +2, Sta +2, Man –1, Per +1

Juko: This form is that of a wolf-sized fox. It is ca­ pable of walking on hind legs and its mouth is dexterous enough to wield weapons. Modifiers: Dex +3, Sta +3, Man –2, Per +1

Kyubi: An ordinary red (or, very rarely, gray) fox. Dex +4, Sta +2, Man –1, Per +2

Sample Gifts: Kitsune, as mentioned, can learn the Gifts of any of the Changing Breeds. In addition, they have their own magical tricks, which run the gamut from speaking with ghosts to jumping prodigious distances to calling down lightning.

STEREOTYPES

Stargazers: Come home, brothers.

Glass Walkers: They come here and walk among our people, in our cities. We don’t mind this. They make for good stalking horses.

Nezumi (Ratkin): They perform a necessary function, and they bear the stench it brings them with grace. Theirs is a good example.

Tengu (Corax): Not even the Garou had to be told to treat the ravens well. They are, perhaps, the most valuable of any of the shen (Fera).