Kinfolk

Kinfolk are humans and wolves who are related to the Garou (werewolves). They are not themselves werewolves, only having a touch of werewolf blood inside of them. They cannot change shape, use Rage or enter the spirit world.

Kinfolk are the children (or grandchildren, or great-grandchildren, or so on) of werewolves. At some point in their family history, an ancestor was a Garou. The main advantage of being a Kinfolk is an immunity to the magical fear the werewolves generate (called the Delirium), and being considered family and usually being protected by the werewolves.

Wolves, like all animals, are immune to the Delirium as a matter of course. Delirium traditionally only affects humans. So an immunity to Delirium is not much of an advantage to a Kinfolk wolf. Instead, Kinfolk wolves are smarter than normal, almost sentient. This makes them easier to roleplay, as playing a normal animal would get to be rather dull and frustrating. However, keep in mind that they are still not quite as smart as humans, relying more on their instincts.

Also, Kinfolk can recognize Garou by sensing their inherent Rage. By making a successful Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty 10 - the Garou's Rage score), the Kin picks up on the various mannerisms and personality quirks that Garou have, something only Kinfolk, with their werewolf blood, can do.

Beyond this, a kinfolk is a normal human or wolf in all respects. Humans hold jobs, wolves hunt for food, etc. They just have big, angry, furry relatives. Think of Kinfolk not as inferior Garou, but as superior humans (or wolves).

Kinfolk hold a place in werewolf society sort of like second class citizens. They are not full werewolves, so they don't get the full status and rights the Garou do, but they are more than normal humans and wolves, so they are more respected and cared for. They are cherised family members. Kinfolk fulfill vital roles in Garou society.

One important duty is breeding. Garou stand a better chance of producing werewolf offspring if they mate with Kinfolk. Thus, Kinfolk are their preferred breeding stock. Some Kinfolk resent being classified as cub-making machines. Thankfully, few Tribes force Kinfolk into such roles. Most kin fullfill other roles in Garou society to prove they are important. Guardians, cooks, medics, investigators, hunters, nannies, accountants, lawyers...kinfolk can do many, many things for their werewolf brethern.

Black Furies: A Greek tribe of female werewolves. They are protectors of the Wyld places and defenders of the mistreated (women, children, minorities). While most of the werewolves are female, their kin are equally male and female. The Furies enforce Gaia's laws, and enjoy nothing so much as visiting divine retribution onto the heads of offenders. Their Kinfolk are little different. Although the Tribe is originally Greek, they have Kinfolk from many places in Southern and Eastern Europe, North America and even a few places in Africa.

Bone Gnawers: A down and dirty tribe of the dispossessed. Street bums, hillybillys, runaways, strays. Survival is utmost. The lowest among Garou, these werewolves treat their kin as equals, beause they understand what it feels like to be treated as lesser beings. Bone Gnawers and their kin are wily and tough. Their heritage encompasses all human ethnicities (poverty knows no race or creed). Their rare wolven Kinfolk consist of urban wolves and zoo escapees.

Children of Gaia: A tribe seeking peace and unity among the Garou Nation. They also stand up for human rights like the Black Furies. Often gentle and caring, but can be as ferocious as the next werewolf. Their Kinfolk originated in the Middle East, but the Tribe has taken in humans of all cultures.

Fianna: Celtic werewolves, they live throughout western Europe and North America. Wild and passionate, they are great warriors and bards, though they lack something in self-control. Their Kinfolk almost all hail from the Celtic stock of Western Europe (British, Irish, French, Spanish), and plenty of the Tribe consider themselves American today.

Get of Fenris: A hardy Tribe of warriors, hailing from cold, northern Europe. Their heritage is mostly Scandinavian and Germanic. Many live in America as well. The Fenrir respect strength above all else. Physical strength, mental strength, spiritual strength, moral strength. The Wolf God demands no less of his offspring.

Glass Walkers: Werewolves who choose to live in the hearts of the cities, involved in high technology, big business and organized crime. Their kin are the same, who encompass many cultures, from European to Asian. The Glass Walkers are distrusted by many other Tribes, seen as being too close to the ways of humans and technology.

Red Talons: A Tribe of all Lupus werewolves, they hate humans and fiercely protect the wilderness from invasion by "civilization." All their kinfolk are wolves. No human claims relations to the Talons, and any stupid enough to do so can expect a quick death.

Shadow Lords: A dark and power-hungry Tribe from Eastern Europe, they seek to rule the Garou Nation and usually control their kin with an iron fist. Their Transylvanian heritage is strongly evident.

Silent Striders: Originally from Egypt, this is a Tribe of loners who wander the world, seeking news and danger to deliver to the other werewolves. Although originally Egyptian, their Kinfolk have come to include Romani and other 'mysterious' cultures.

Silver Fangs: Rulers of the Garou Nation, nobles among werewolves. Orignally from Russia, they have noble houses all over the world. They keep careful track of the geneaologies, considering family lines very important. Their kin are usually well bred and highly educated.

Stargazers: Calm, introspective werewolves from Tibet and China, following the life of monks. They have recently pulled away from the other Tribes, so they and their kin are rarely seen outside of Asia today.

Uktena: Once a tribe of Native American mystics, they have absorbed kinfolk from many oppressed peoples that came to America. The tribe is now Native America, African, Hispanic and Asian. They are intensely curious about the occult and are often politcal in protecting minorities.

Wendigo: A bitter tribe of Native American werewolves of the far north, brothers to the Uktena. They dispise European Garou, living the life of cold warriors. Resentful and despondant, the Tribe has been strict in maintaining only Native American Kinfolk.

In some, the Garou heritage runs strong, though not enough to bring about their First Change. These characters begin with mortal Attributes (6/5/4), and Abilities(); suchcharacters may begin with up to two Ability Traits in Garou Lore, depending upon their character history. These characters also gain 5 Traits that may be spent in Backgrounds or Influences, though Garou-specific Backgrounds such as Past Life or Pure Breed cost double, either during character creation, or through experience. Note that it is common for Strong-blooded Kinfolk to have the flaw Short Fuse, for while they do not have Rage, still the beast is in the blood.

Strong Kinfolk determine Willpower based upon their Tribe, and gain all the benefits and disadvantages appropriate to their Tribe. The characters may have a single starting Gnosis, appropriate to Homids; increasing Gnosis costs one extra point (2 Freebie or 4 XP).

Some Kinfolk are granted a honorary Auspice, based upon their skills and abilities; however, Kinfolk do not have (and cannot purchase) Rage, nor does this effective Auspice gain them any other benefits. The only affect it has is to determine which renown chart the Kinfolk may follow, should they ever gain rank.

All Kinfolk (unless they have Storyteller permission) begin the game with no rank. They, like Cubs, must go through a Rite of Passage before gaining renown or learning Gifts. Strong Bloods get one gift each appropriate to their Tribe and Breed after attaining the rank of Cliath; other Tribal and Breed gifts may be purchased for the same cost as a Garou, while all other Gifts cost an extra two experience points each. Note that the normal rules for renown gains relative to gifts learned still applies, as do the rules for Ronin.

It is quite possible that during the course of a Chronicle, the Storyteller may offer Kinfolk players the option of going through their First Change. Such an opportunity for role-playing can be a lot of fun, and should be encouraged. In such a case, characters will retain any Traits and Gifts they already have, plus they gain Rage and an additional Gift appropriate to their new Auspice.

All Kinfolk are immune to the Delirium. Note that if a character is unaware of their Garou heritage, she will still be as surprised as any other mortal, but will not suffer the debilitating effects of the Veil.

Kinfolk may learn the Rite of Rending the Veil, or be taught the Gift Stepping Sideways; in either case, they then follow the normal rules for crossing over. In an emergency, those Kinfolk who know the Gift Pulse of the Invisible may spend a point of Gnosis to cross.

No, they can never under any circumstances learn the wolf speech since their senses just aren't sharp enough to pick up on all the subtle cues that make up this language. Animal Ken is the closest they can come. And as for the Garou speech, they can learn to understand it since it is a spoken language, but human throats just cannot manage the sounds. So understanding it can be taken as a linguistics dot, but it can never be spoken by Kinfolk.

Kinfolk can directly take an active part in the human word in a way that Garou can't. Kinfolk never have Rage and therefore carry neither the Curse nor a risk of Frenzy around with them. Some Kinfolk may be expected to guard or tend for tribal grounds or the like depending on the tribe, but the usual role of Kinfolk will be to act as human allies to their Changing cousins.

They have jobs and so provide shelter, food, financial support and hiding places to the Garou. They work as policemen, security guards, warehouse managers, teamsters, forest rangers, attorneys, journalists, politicians, judges, firemen, social workers, farmers, paramedics, shopkeepers, craftsmen, construction workers, pickpockets, fences, architects, businessmen, petty bureaucrats, motel managers, barkeeps, public figures, psychiatric professionals, doctors, PI's, bounty hunters, truckers, dockworkers, insurance adjusters, telemarketers, activists, brewers and entertainers to name a few possibilities. Think on how any of these might be useful to the Nation and the Tribe. The possibilities are endless.

They are often the tribe's eyes and ears in the city, and the average kinfolk will live in town. Most should not expect to see garou other than lovers or guardians on a regular basis, or really even them since one is off on quests or at the Bawn on Sept business et cetera more than having a real human life. A Kinfolk doctor might be awakened in the middle of the night at home by a gruff person he has never met and be expected to extract silver bullets from the person's back, all with no questions asked and no real reward. They get phone calls directing them to take action on some political agenda without explanation, and so on. The Garou are Gaia's warriors, but the Kinfolk are her workforce and support staff. They fight the same war but not usually on a battlefield in some Gaia-forsaken Wyrm pit. Sometimes the more combat-worthy Kinfolk such as policemen may be asked to provide combat support, but not as frontline troops.

Then of course Kinfolk care for the children (their own and those of others- often the Metis get handed off to Kinfolk to worry about), friends, siblings, parents, children, confidantes and lovers to the Garou.


	Wolfwood Castle What are Kinfolk? Kinfolk are humans and wolves who are related to the Garou (werewolves). They are not themselves werewolves, only having a touch of werewolf blood inside of them. They cannot change shape, use Rage or enter the spirit world. Kinfolk are the children (or grandchildren, or great-grandchildren, or so on) of werewolves. At some point in their family history, an ancestor was a Garou. The main advantage of being a Kinfolk is an immunity to the magical fear the werewolves generate (called the Delirium), and being considered family and usually being protected by the werewolves. Wolves, like all animals, are immune to the Delirium as a matter of course. Delirium traditionally only affects humans. So an immunity to Delirium is not much of an advantage to a Kinfolk wolf. Instead, Kinfolk wolves are smarter than normal, almost sentient. This makes them easier to roleplay, as playing a normal animal would get to be rather dull and frustrating. However, keep in mind that they are still not quite as smart as humans, relying more on their instincts. Also, Kinfolk can recognize Garou by sensing their inherent Rage. By making a successful Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty 10 - the Garou's Rage score), the Kin picks up on the various mannerisms and personality quirks that Garou have, something only Kinfolk, with their werewolf blood, can do. Beyond this, a kinfolk is a normal human or wolf in all respects. Humans hold jobs, wolves hunt for food, etc. They just have big, angry, furry relatives. Think of Kinfolk not as inferior Garou, but as superior humans (or wolves). Kinfolk hold a place in werewolf society sort of like second class citizens. They are not full werewolves, so they don't get the full status and rights the Garou do, but they are more than normal humans and wolves, so they are more respected and cared for. They are cherised family members. Kinfolk fulfill vital roles in Garou society. One important duty is breeding. Garou stand a better chance of producing werewolf offspring if they mate with Kinfolk. Thus, Kinfolk are their preferred breeding stock. Some Kinfolk resent being classified as cub-making machines. Thankfully, few Tribes force Kinfolk into such roles. Most kin fullfill other roles in Garou society to prove they are important. Guardians, cooks, medics, investigators, hunters, nannies, accountants, lawyers...kinfolk can do many, many things for their werewolf brethern. Garou are not the only werebeasts with Kinfolk. Other Changing Breeds have them, too. Black Furies: A Greek tribe of female werewolves. They are protectors of the Wyld places and defenders of the mistreated (women, children, minorities). While most of the werewolves are female, their kin are equally male and female. The Furies enforce Gaia's laws, and enjoy nothing so much as visiting divine retribution onto the heads of offenders. Their Kinfolk are little different. Although the Tribe is originally Greek, they have Kinfolk from many places in Southern and Eastern Europe, North America and even a few places in Africa. Bone Gnawers: A down and dirty tribe of the dispossessed. Street bums, hillybillys, runaways, strays. Survival is utmost. The lowest among Garou, these werewolves treat their kin as equals, beause they understand what it feels like to be treated as lesser beings. Bone Gnawers and their kin are wily and tough. Their heritage encompasses all human ethnicities (poverty knows no race or creed). Their rare wolven Kinfolk consist of urban wolves and zoo escapees. Children of Gaia: A tribe seeking peace and unity among the Garou Nation. They also stand up for human rights like the Black Furies. Often gentle and caring, but can be as ferocious as the next werewolf. Their Kinfolk originated in the Middle East, but the Tribe has taken in humans of all cultures. Fianna: Celtic werewolves, they live throughout western Europe and North America. Wild and passionate, they are great warriors and bards, though they lack something in self-control. Their Kinfolk almost all hail from the Celtic stock of Western Europe (British, Irish, French, Spanish), and plenty of the Tribe consider themselves American today. Get of Fenris: A hardy Tribe of warriors, hailing from cold, northern Europe. Their heritage is mostly Scandinavian and Germanic. Many live in America as well. The Fenrir respect strength above all else. Physical strength, mental strength, spiritual strength, moral strength. The Wolf God demands no less of his offspring. Glass Walkers: Werewolves who choose to live in the hearts of the cities, involved in high technology, big business and organized crime. Their kin are the same, who encompass many cultures, from European to Asian. The Glass Walkers are distrusted by many other Tribes, seen as being too close to the ways of humans and technology. Red Talons: A Tribe of all Lupus werewolves, they hate humans and fiercely protect the wilderness from invasion by "civilization." All their kinfolk are wolves. No human claims relations to the Talons, and any stupid enough to do so can expect a quick death. Shadow Lords: A dark and power-hungry Tribe from Eastern Europe, they seek to rule the Garou Nation and usually control their kin with an iron fist. Their Transylvanian heritage is strongly evident. Silent Striders: Originally from Egypt, this is a Tribe of loners who wander the world, seeking news and danger to deliver to the other werewolves. Although originally Egyptian, their Kinfolk have come to include Romani and other 'mysterious' cultures. Silver Fangs: Rulers of the Garou Nation, nobles among werewolves. Orignally from Russia, they have noble houses all over the world. They keep careful track of the geneaologies, considering family lines very important. Their kin are usually well bred and highly educated. Stargazers: Calm, introspective werewolves from Tibet and China, following the life of monks. They have recently pulled away from the other Tribes, so they and their kin are rarely seen outside of Asia today. Uktena: Once a tribe of Native American mystics, they have absorbed kinfolk from many oppressed peoples that came to America. The tribe is now Native America, African, Hispanic and Asian. They are intensely curious about the occult and are often politcal in protecting minorities. Wendigo: A bitter tribe of Native American werewolves of the far north, brothers to the Uktena. They dispise European Garou, living the life of cold warriors. Resentful and despondant, the Tribe has been strict in maintaining only Native American Kinfolk. Strong Bloods In some, the Garou heritage runs strong, though not enough to bring about their First Change. These characters begin with mortal Attributes (6/5/4), and Abilities(); suchcharacters may begin with up to two Ability Traits in Garou Lore, depending upon their character history. These characters also gain 5 Traits that may be spent in Backgrounds or Influences, though Garou-specific Backgrounds such as Past Life or Pure Breed cost double, either during character creation, or through experience. Note that it is common for Strong-blooded Kinfolk to have the flaw Short Fuse, for while they do not have Rage, still the beast is in the blood. Strong Kinfolk determine Willpower based upon their Tribe, and gain all the benefits and disadvantages appropriate to their Tribe. The characters may have a single starting Gnosis, appropriate to Homids; increasing Gnosis costs one extra point (2 Freebie or 4 XP). Some Kinfolk are granted a honorary Auspice, based upon their skills and abilities; however, Kinfolk do not have (and cannot purchase) Rage, nor does this effective Auspice gain them any other benefits. The only affect it has is to determine which renown chart the Kinfolk may follow, should they ever gain rank. Renown and Gifts All Kinfolk (unless they have Storyteller permission) begin the game with no rank. They, like Cubs, must go through a Rite of Passage before gaining renown or learning Gifts. Strong Bloods get one gift each appropriate to their Tribe and Breed after attaining the rank of Cliath; other Tribal and Breed gifts may be purchased for the same cost as a Garou, while all other Gifts cost an extra two experience points each. Note that the normal rules for renown gains relative to gifts learned still applies, as do the rules for Ronin. First Change It is quite possible that during the course of a Chronicle, the Storyteller may offer Kinfolk players the option of going through their First Change. Such an opportunity for role-playing can be a lot of fun, and should be encouraged. In such a case, characters will retain any Traits and Gifts they already have, plus they gain Rage and an additional Gift appropriate to their new Auspice. Delirium All Kinfolk are immune to the Delirium. Note that if a character is unaware of their Garou heritage, she will still be as surprised as any other mortal, but will not suffer the debilitating effects of the Veil. Umbra Kinfolk may not enter the Umbra on their own, though they may be brought across by other Garou; character with Gnosis may still "peek" through the Gauntlet to view the other side. Kinfolk may learn the Rite of Rending the Veil, or be taught the Gift Stepping Sideways; in either case, they then follow the normal rules for crossing over. In an emergency, those Kinfolk who know the Gift Pulse of the Invisible may spend a point of Gnosis to cross. Can Kinfolk learn and speak the Garou tongue? What about wolf speech? No, they can never under any circumstances learn the wolf speech since their senses just aren't sharp enough to pick up on all the subtle cues that make up this language. Animal Ken is the closest they can come. And as for the Garou speech, they can learn to understand it since it is a spoken language, but human throats just cannot manage the sounds. So understanding it can be taken as a linguistics dot, but it can never be spoken by Kinfolk. Is there anything kinfolk can do that Garou can't? Kinfolk can directly take an active part in the human word in a way that Garou can't. Kinfolk never have Rage and therefore carry neither the Curse nor a risk of Frenzy around with them. Some Kinfolk may be expected to guard or tend for tribal grounds or the like depending on the tribe, but the usual role of Kinfolk will be to act as human allies to their Changing cousins. They have jobs and so provide shelter, food, financial support and hiding places to the Garou. They work as policemen, security guards, warehouse managers, teamsters, forest rangers, attorneys, journalists, politicians, judges, firemen, social workers, farmers, paramedics, shopkeepers, craftsmen, construction workers, pickpockets, fences, architects, businessmen, petty bureaucrats, motel managers, barkeeps, public figures, psychiatric professionals, doctors, PI's, bounty hunters, truckers, dockworkers, insurance adjusters, telemarketers, activists, brewers and entertainers to name a few possibilities. Think on how any of these might be useful to the Nation and the Tribe. The possibilities are endless. They are often the tribe's eyes and ears in the city, and the average kinfolk will live in town. Most should not expect to see garou other than lovers or guardians on a regular basis, or really even them since one is off on quests or at the Bawn on Sept business et cetera more than having a real human life. A Kinfolk doctor might be awakened in the middle of the night at home by a gruff person he has never met and be expected to extract silver bullets from the person's back, all with no questions asked and no real reward. They get phone calls directing them to take action on some political agenda without explanation, and so on. The Garou are Gaia's warriors, but the Kinfolk are her workforce and support staff. They fight the same war but not usually on a battlefield in some Gaia-forsaken Wyrm pit. Sometimes the more combat-worthy Kinfolk such as policemen may be asked to provide combat support, but not as frontline troops. Then of course Kinfolk care for the children (their own and those of others- often the Metis get handed off to Kinfolk to worry about), friends, siblings, parents, children, confidantes and lovers to the Garou.