Second-Generation Werewolf (W2s) — PC
There are two kinds of new-breed werewolves (W2s OOCly, sometimes called “Mutts” or “Mongrels” ICly): those chosen to join the ranks of the Werewolves and those who were accidentally infected. The former are usually thought to bring something to the group, whether it is strength or resources or wits. Some were invited, some may have even asked to be infected, and some were infected without consent by their Otherworld creators; no matter the reason, they were chosen. The others are those who were infected accidentally in a fight with an Otherworld Wolf. It may have been self defense on the part of the wolf, it may have been the wolf intended to kill for whatever reason, and the human escaped, or it may have been because the human was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got hit in the crossfire, so to speak.
While these folks do not automatically change their personality, the method and motive behind their metamorphoses can color their outlook on the world. Those who had been attacking an Otherworld Wolf find themselves suddenly on the other side of the divide, which can be confusing, to say the least; those who were infected by consent take to their new lives more easily, and so forth.
If they are infected after a scratch or bite (50-50 chance), the human will be ill with a fever until the next full moon. At the full moon, they will become a wolf for the first time. After that, they only become a wolf in a fight-or-flight situation. The wolf form of a W2 is identical to a gray wolf, except much larger, basically adding the size of the human to the size of the wolf. A male gray wolf tops out at 100 pounds while a female tops out at about 85; therefore, a 200-pound man would become a 300-pound wolf, while a 140-pound woman would become a 225-pound wolf. The shift happens only when the werewolf feels they are in mortal danger or if someone in their close-knit circle needs protection. The shift to wolf form is short-lived, like an adrenaline rush; once the danger has passed, the wolf shifts back to its human form immediately.
The W2s are hardier than they were as humans, with a natural resistance to disease. Normal injuries will hurt and heal normally (unless the wolf has self-healing as an ability) but unless extremely traumatic, are unlikely to kill the werewolves. However, silver — be it by bullet, blade, arrow, or even liquid form — is especially dangerous to them, and cannot be healed magically, and a wound caused by the metal will take twice the amount of time to heal as it would in a normal mortal. Likewise, wounds inflicted by a vampire’s teeth will take twice as long to heal as normal. They age normally, though increased health means those who do not die from trauma tend to live longer lives than average humans.
These wolves, like their Otherworld counterparts, are also discernable by a gold reflection in their pupils. They tend to be drawn toward one another, though there are always the “lone wolves.” They are expected to treat the Otherworld wolves with respect as their alphas, but there is not a clearly-defined hierarchy among the W2s themselves.
W2s are gifted with three abilities from the following list at a +6 (whereas all Otherworld Wolves have all of the gifts at 7-8):
- Dominance: This ability allows the W2 to seem more powerful and foreboding than they are, causing a target to back down. If a roll is needed, the target defends with Discipline or Conviction (whichever is higher).
- Venomous Claws: This ability is only used when the W2 is in wolf form. His claws are venomous and will cause extreme, searing pain in addition to the pain caused by their force; the victim will become violently ill within about five minutes and lasting for about an hour, unable to continue their own attack.
- Night Vision: The ability to see well in the dark without equipment. This ability is limited to the normal distance range of vision for a human. Dark objects are harder to see than light ones. Cannot see someone using Shadow Cloak. Can be temporary disabled by bright lights in the eyes; will take 20 minutes or so to return to full power.
- Superhuman Hearing: The ability to hear at a superhuman level, even in human form. One-block radius for quiet sounds (footsteps, normal speech); one-mile radius for louder sounds (scream, siren). This does not mean all loud sounds are deafening. See the FAQ for more information.
- Superhuman Scent: The ability to smell at a superhuman level, even in human form. One-block radius for personal scents (a specific person, perfume, a gun, blood); one-mile radius for larger concentrations (50 vampires in a building, smoke from a campfire). This does not mean all scents are overwhelming. See the FAQ for more information.
- Supernatural Sense: This is the ability to sense something that normal humans would not (e.g. to smell a lie, taste fear, or feel danger present. This will need to be described in character generation and approved.
- Kinship with Canines: This ability allows the W2 to mentally call other canines (dogs, coyotes) within a two-mile radius to his or her aid or to communicate with them with a very simple telepathy (images or smells rather than words).
- Pack Mind: This ability allows telepathy with selected Werewolves who have the same ability (any W2s who have the same ability and all Otherworld Wolves) within a five-mile radius.
- Self Healing: Allows healing at about twice the normal rate for all wounds except those caused by silver or a vampire’s bite.
See Abilities for more information.
In addition, W2s can be gifted beyond human ability (to a +6) in three of the following skills:
- Might
- Endurance
- Athletics
- Fists
- Alertness
- Survival
Otherworld Werewolves — NPCs
Like the Vampire, the Werewolves have been crossing the border between the mundane and the Otherworld for thousands of years, giving nearly every culture their myths and lore of shapeshifters among us. The Otherworld werewolves are more of shapeshifters or skinwalkers than the second-generation werewolves that they create, as the Otherworld wolves can shift at will; the new breed can only change into the wolf in times of extreme danger, when the fight or flight instinct kicks in.
The stories of old are true; it is hard to kill an Otherworld werewolf with anything but silver, given their regenerative abilities; they almost instantly heal any wound caused by anything else. Wounds from silver blades or silver bullets cannot be healed magically, and take twice as long to heal on their own as a similar wound on a human. Unlike vampires, werewolves do not live immortal lives, though due to their resistance to disease and their resilience to trauma, they tend to live long and lively ones, aging slowly. A werewolf who is not killed in violence usually lives to about 100 in mortal years. They do not attack humans for food but for self preservation, revenge, or some other motive.
The Otherworld wolves, like the vampires, have all of the abilities or gifts that the newer generation do (at a level 7-8) in addition to their ability to shift at will. They can shift into either a pure wolf or a half-man, half-wolf hybrid, whereas the new generation can only become wolves and have no hybrid form. Neither form can talk, but the Otherworld wolves are able to speak telepathically to the members of its pack — pack is loosely determined based on the situation rather than any official hierarchy.
In the Otherworld, the wolves lived mostly rural and nomadic lives, given their preference for the wilds; to survive in the mundane world, however, many have become city dwellers. They control the seedy underworld of the city, dealing in guns, drugs, and violence and trying to get silver out of the hands of the vampires and other hostile groups. All Otherworld wolves are considered higher in the wolf society than one of the new breed, though amongst themselves, there is a hierarchy usually based on age and experience, until those factors become a liability rather than a benefit.
The Otherworld wolves look human at a glance, but their pupils reflect gold in the light. The wolves don’t always follow the rules of “human” civilization — they may sniff someone, ignore the boundary of personal space, growl to express anger, et cetera.
Being a werewolf in the Otherworld seems to be genetic, but mortals have been made into werewolves throughout history, usually by accident rather than design. Since the Breach, the Otherworld werewolves have not been able to breed, and some have taken to deliberately creating other wolves, although the mortals are always weaker, diluted in a sense. Other werewolves have accidentally created the new-generation wolves in fights or self defense. A bite or a scratch from an Otherworld werewolf can create a new wolf with about a 50 percent chance. A bite or scratch from a new-generation wolf, however, will not make another human into a wolf but only make them ill for a short period of time.