The purist , non-conformist, jaded subhuman terrorist,
From flesh to steel and blood to blade I fight to exist,
A rival of justice, extreme rush of hatred
Survival in a twisted world where nothing is sacred.
---Fear Factory, "Edgecrusher"
The Bastet aren't simply man-sized kitties with an attitude problem. They're supernatural creatures with a passion for riddles, a nose for trouble, and a hunger for life. Though every werecat is fiercely individualistic, all of them share a few common birthrights, powers and weaknesses.
Bastet are alluring folk---exotic, sensual and enigmatic. To them, learning secrets is a divine right, a power and an art. Their love for mysteries translates into an almost insatiable curiosity, and their keen grace and senses make them the most glamorous of the changing breeds. Even so, that beauty has an edge. No animal is as beloved and yet as hated as the cat. The challenge of playing a werecat is capturing the feline mystique and blending it with familiar---and not so familiar---humanity.
Nor are they cute little kittens. By human standards, werecats seem spiteful, cruel and savage. Although more refined than their lupine cousins, werecats are still wild animal-folk, fiercely passionate and murderously territorial. With their Kinfolk and prey hunted to near-extinction, these huge shapeshifters are fed up with human carelessness. Those who tread upon the tiger's tail will be bitten---badly.
Cats are like Baptists, they raise hell but you can't catch 'em at it.
-Unknown
From nine families, the Bastet come---nine ancestors plus a disowned sister. The original parents sire 11 families; one of them is long extinct, and the others survive as the Nine Tribes of Catkind, plus one:
The Bagheera, werepanthers and wereleopards who embody the noblest and most ferocious sides of the Bastet.
The Balam, werejaguars who supposedly came from two different branches of the family, but now fight for the survival of their ancestral homelands.
The odd Bubasti, who plumb the mysteries of magic and science to discover a way to undo the extinction of their Kinfolk.
The Ceilican, werecats in the truest sense, who supposedly died off centuries ago, but still survive in the modern world, wreathed in their own madness.
The Khan, mighty weretigers sworn to battle the Asura demons on their own terms. If any tribe could lead the Bastet, the Khan would be one of the ones to do so.
The Pumonca, wandering werecougars who keep a watchful eye on the lands of North America.
The Qualmi, riddling werelynxes who confound their companions with enigmatic remarks and tricksters' tales.
The Simba, proud werelions who believe even now that they were born to rule the other tribes, by force if necessary.
The Swara, werecheetahs who embody the messenger's speed and the traveler's urge. Unknown to most Bastet, these sleek and subtle creatures hide a spiritual power few other werecats can match.
And the Ajaba, forsaken hyena-folk who were cast out from the Tribes long ago, and who were more recently driven from their homelands by the Simba's scourge.
The Five Forms-
If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve the man but deteriorate the cat.
-Mark Twain
Like their Garou cousins, werecats have five different forms. Shifting forms for Bastet works exactly as it does for Garou(including shredding any non-dedicated clothing), save that a real crisis might provoke an out-of-control transformation.
Homid(Difficulty 6)- The human form, which carries the werecat's ethnic ancestry. Although physically weak, the Homid form is the most flexible(and often innocuous) of the Five. Even so, the Bastet's catlike body language often carries over into her human aspect.
Sokto(Difficulty 7)- This ancestral form summons forth the werecat's feline heritage into a wild and compelling mix. A Sokto Bastet has supple muscles, elongated limbs, vestigal whiskers, sharp cheekbones and long, fanglike incisors. Her eyes grow huge and her pupils slitted. Her ears lengthen, and her hair glows wildly and assumes some of the cat-form's markings, while small claws extend from her fingertips upon command. In this form, the Bastet becomes compellingly exotic, yet disturbingly human.
Crinos(Difficulty 6)-The massive half-form combines the most powerful elements of human and cat. Although fearsine, the Crinos Bastet is beautifully impressive, lithe rather than huge. Even the obvious warriors have an aura of mystic power around them, and werecats who follow the magical arts--especially Bubasti--seem to glow with power in this form. Bastet in Crinos form invoke the Delirium, although to a lesser degree than usual(see The Werewolf Players Guide for details).
Chatro(Difficulty 7)-This primordial war-form combines the "modern" feline with the prehistoric smilodon into a gigantic sabertoothed throwback. The markings and features of the big cat in its usual feline aspect are obvious, but the cat's build is more massive, her claws are larger and longer. Her upper canine teeth extend past her lower jaw line; her chin recedes to accommodate the saber teeth; her back humps between the shoulders, and her tail shortens to reflect her body's new center of gravity. The Chatro form is a link to a totally untempered past, a wild-eyed killer from the Impergium. Mortals remember this terror in a hidden corner of their minds; a Chatro Bastet evokes the Delirium as potently as any Crinos Garou. She also adds one die to her bite damage Dice Pool.
Feline(Difficulty 6)- Like the werecat's Homid form, the Feline werecat's shape should be obvious. In all cases, the hefty Feline form is strong, fast and perceptive, but lacks the raw power of the Cat's Crinos aspect or the possibilities of her Homid form.
Blessings-
Werecats enjoy a variety of powers, balanced out by their inherent weaknesses. Most of these Traits apply to every form the Bastet assumes. The only exceptions are their vulnerability to silver and their regenerative powers, neither of which affects a homid or feline werecat in her breed form(see below).
Like Garou, Bastet heal quickly, resist disease, transform through Rage(Werewolf, pages 196-201) and draw on Gnosis to use mystical Gifts and rites. Sadly, the dogs have an upper hand when it comes to the spirit world. Stepping sideways is a gift, not a birthright, and many werecats never learn how to do it. They have a few other talents, however, which almost make up for this lack---a secret even Bastet cannot, as a whole, master.
Heightened Senses- Like real cats, Bastet are perceptive folk who survive on the sharpness of their senses. They aren't called "the Eyes of Seline" for nothing. In most forms, werecats have whiskers which can guide them by touch even in absolute blackness. Any form can use padaa, a combination of taste and smell a Bastet employs by curling his upper lip back from his teeth and breathing in, "tasting" the air.
In any form but Homid, these acute senses reduce the difficulty of all Perception-related rolls by two, and let your character see normally in anything but total darkness. In story terms, the werecat expiriences various sights, sounds and scents as an eternal surprise. To most Bastet, like is an array of sensual impressions, and they greet each day as a package of novelties to be savored and enjoyed.
A Common Language-All Bastet speak a common language or chirps, meows, howls, cries, snarls and rumbles, as well as a more elaborate system of sniffs, licks, stares, whisper twitches and postures. This ancestral tongue, while limited, crosses all cultures, breeds and forms, enabling a Nigerian Simba in Crinos form to speak to a British Khan in Homid. It's hard to express abstract or complicated thoughts in this language(Kehuar, pronounced "kew-arr"), but simple warnings or message aren't difficult. More complex conversations demand a shift to Homid or Feline forms for clarity. Bastet lore claims Kheuar came from the original conversations of the First Pride, and its subtleties are passed to new kits by their Kuasha. Thus, a Bastet who hasvn't been taught the ways of the Folk wont be aware of the subtleties of the group language, although communications like "Get the hell outta my way!" are always clear enough.
The Price-
As a Bastet, you pay the price for your blessings. In addition to Rage, frenzy, and the Thrall of Darkness(the Wyrm), the Curse and Delirium(Werewolf, pages 197-203), werecats suffer a few other limitations. These weaknesses are universal, and apply to all breed forms and tribes:
Accidental Shifting-Bastet are temperamental folk; for all their cool exterior, werecats always retain a hunter's edge. When pressed, a Bastet might "jump forms" and become a cat or human before she knows it. Many First Years begin when some crisis triggers an accidental change. The chaos this causes brings your old life to an end and often alerts a elder to your predicament, and to your youth.
In game terms, this change happens if your character fails or botches a Willpower roll. Immediately, you'll have to make another Willpower roll for her, often difficulty 7. If she fails this one as well, the change begins, shifting from one form to the next without control. This transformation often takes a cat across the spectrum, from Homid to Feline or vice versa, but occasionally ends in Crinos, which is even worse. Only a Willpower point stops and reverses the transformation. Depending on the circumstances, it might already be too late...
The Yava-At the end of her First Year, a new-changed werecat finds herself alone. Before the Kuasha wanders off into the mist, he gives the newcomer a great gift---the three ultimate tribal secrets. These secrets, collectively called the Yava, must never be revealed. An outsider who knows a Tribe's Yava could pose a real threat to any member of that tribe, including the one who gave him the information. Any one of the three Yava might be true---perhaps all three are. This secret among secrets is the final initiation into full Bastet society; it's a sign of trust and responsibility.
By Seline's decree, a Yava can only be passed on with your consent. No force of mental magic can pry the secret from a cat who doesn't want to reveal it. As some hunters have discovered, the Yava can be pried from a Bastet's mouth with torture; some say the early Garou ripped the secrets from their werecat captives and used them to decimate the tribes.
A kit who's not responsible enough to handle such a dangerous secret is simply left along. The kuasha tells her "You're not worthy of this yet. Proce me wrong, little one," and walks away. Over the next few months, the elder watches over the kit from a distance, never interfering, letting her stand on her own. If the matures, her teacher returns and tells her the tribal Yava. If, after another yearm the kit still hasn't learned how to handle herself, the kuasha gives up on the kity and goes his own way. He spreads word to the other of their tribe, letting them know that the new werecat isn't fit to learn the Yava.
A Yava opens mystic channels between the tribe and anyone who discovers it's secrets. Most Yava concern taboos or weaknesses, but their power extends beyond those things. Any supernatural creature(mage, Garou, vampire, etc.) who knows a tribal Yava finds it easier to use its own powers against werecats from that tribe. In game terms, an individual who knows the Yaba reduces his difficulties by two when he uses some mystical working(Discipline, Sphere Effect, Gift, etc.) against the werecat race in question. The werecats raise their own magical difficulties by two when they challenge the keeper of the Yava.
These effects apply only against members of a given tribe; knowing the three secrets of the Bubasti wont help you cast a spell on a Simba. Maximum modifiers, like those given to Sphere magick Effects, may limit this bonus somewhat, and it only applies to mystical workings like cantrips, Disciplines and Gifts. Normal physical or social contests are unaffected.
Yava are not commonly known outside the tribe. The Ceilican and Ajaba suffered horribly when their tribal secrets were known, and even now, those Yava are closely guarded. No Bastet willingly gives up his tribe's Yava, and few know those of other tribes. Telling some outsider your tribal Yava voluntarily isn't a sign of trust---it's betrayal of your entire race.
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over the harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
