GURPS Classic: Shapeshifters

131 Pages·2003·53.851 MB·English

by  Robert M. Schroeck

By Robert M. Schroeck
Additional material by
Chris W. McCubbin, David Pulver,
Sean Punch, S. John Ross,
and William H. Stoddard
Edited by William H. Stoddard
Illustrated by Alex Fernandez
GURPS System Design Steve Jackson
Managing Editor Andrew Hackard
GURPS Line Editor Sean Punch
Art Director Loren K. Wiseman
Production Artist Alex Fernandez
Project Administrator Monique Chapman
Print Buyer Monica Stephens
GURPS Errata Coordinator Andy Vetromile
Sales Manager Ross Jepson
LeadPlaytester:JeffWilson
Playtesters:EdBecerra,C.J.Beiting,FrederickBrackin,
BarryCadwgan,BenedictChapman,J.C.Connors,
Dr.JohnS.Eickemeyer,LeonardoM.Holschuh,HunterJohnson,
JonathanLang,JoeMucchiello,CurtisShenton,
andBrianC.Smithson.
Specialthanksto:MarkFergerson,GeoffreyA.Landis,MichaelJ.Lush,“ArchangelBeth”McCoy,DavidPalmer,RichardPerson,
MartinRose,RaiShinshi,JyrkiValkama,andDanWells,plusAllynYonge,“Yukatado,”andmanyothersfromtheFFML.
Special“NSOH”awardtoGaryKleppe.
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ISBN1-55634-452-X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
STEVE JACKSON GAMES
C
O N T E N T S
INTRODUCTION........................ 3 Skin-ChangersandOther ETHOMORPH..................................85
ShamanicManifestations.................48 Characters...............................87
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR ............................3 ShapesoftheGods........................48 OtherSettings............................87
1. THE HISTORY AND ModernShamans .........................49 Variations ...............................87
IndependentShapechangers ................49 JamesWilliamDennison/TheHun............88
MYTHOLOGY OF THE
HiddenSubcultures .......................50 SHAPESHIFTINGCURSES.........................89
SHAPESHIFTER........................ 4 Were-FormsasPunishmentsfromtheGods ....50 InstructionalCurses.......................90
PREHISTORICSHAPESHIFTERS......................5 ShiftingDrugs ...........................50 SturmbannführerWernerPfrommer...........92
ShamansandHunters.......................5 DETECTINGANDTHWARTINGSHAPECHANGERS .......51
CLASSICALSHAPESHIFTERS .......................5 AnticipationandSuspicion .................51
EgyptandMesopotamia ....................5 TacticsandCountermeasures–
Europe ..................................5 FindingtheInfiltrator....................52
St.PatrickandHisWerewolves ...............6 ASampleShapechangerRace ...............52
Elsewhere................................6 CuresforShapechangers ...................53
THEMEDIEVALANDRENAISSANCESHAPECHANGER.....7 Moly ...................................54
HistoricalWere:AnnofMeremoisa............7 Vulnerabilities ...........................55
Wolfvs.Werewolf ..........................8 KnowingYourOwn.......................55 BENANDANTI–THEWITCHHUNTER
AsiaandthePacific ........................8 PREJUDICEANDPRIDE:LIONSOFTHEPURE..........56 WEREWOLVES ...............................93
Africa ...................................8 Chanarkesh..............................56 Psychology..............................95
TheAmericas .............................8 AdaptingtheSetting.......................57 Ecology ................................95
TheWerewolfofAnspach....................8 TheGlinizi ..............................58 Culture .................................95
HistoricalWere:SusannaMartin, TheCreationoftheJayagatTendrab..........59 Politics .................................95
theWerecatofSalem .....................9 TheVowsoftheJayagat....................60 IntheCampaign..........................95
THEMODERNERA.............................10 PlayerCharacters .........................61 OtherSettings............................96
SpiritualityandSorcery ....................10 UltimateOutcome ........................61 BenandantiinGURPSInNomine ...........97
PopularMedia ...........................11 Characters...............................97
DayoftheDolphin........................11 4. . . . OF ALL SHAPES Variations ...............................98
“REAL”LYCANTHROPY .........................12 AND SIZES . . . ..................... 62 CarloRavelli ............................98
KITSUNE ....................................99
2. SHAPESHIFTING................... 14 DOPPELGÄNGER ...............................63 Psychology.............................100
Psychology..............................63 KitsuneMagic ..........................100
PARADIGMS ..................................15 Ecology ................................64 Ecology ...............................101
SpellsandDevices ........................15 DoppelgängerNames......................65 Fox-SpiritPossession .....................101
BUILDINGASHAPESHIFTER.......................16 Culture .................................65 Culture ................................102
TheTemplate ............................16 Politics .................................65 EarningandGrantingTails................102
AnimalTemplate:Wolf.....................17 IntheCampaign..........................65 KitsuneNames ..........................102
BuildingaMorph.........................17 OtherSettings............................65 OtherSettings...........................103
BuildingaWere ..........................19 Characters...............................66 Politics ................................103
YouTurnIntoWHAT? .....................20 SampleCharacter ........................66 IntheCampaign.........................103
TheChange .............................20 THEENYYN ..................................67 Character ..............................103
ADVANTAGES,DISADVANTAGES,ANDSKILLS .........20 Psychology..............................68 Variations ..............................103
TheWere-CreaturesofGURPSCompendiumI ..22 Ecology ................................68 MitsukiGizensha ........................104
NReevweaDliinsgadTvraanittsag.e.................................................2266 PCoullittuicres ..................................................................6699 “MAVPEsRyIcChKo”loMgUyLT.I.F.O.R.M..B.I.O.D.R.O.ID..............................110056
NewEnhancementsand EnyynaNames ...........................69 IntheCampaign.........................107
LimitationsforShifters ..................26 IntheCampaign..........................70 Names.................................107
OptionalEnhancement.....................29 OtherSettings............................70 OtherSettings...........................107
SearchingforaCure ......................30 Characters...............................70 Characters..............................107
LunarChanges...........................31 SampleCharacter ........................71 Rockhound .............................108
HTeomwpltaoteBeRceoamsseiganWmeernet ........................................3323 THEHTAhWeKTySpHiAcWalBHIOaRwOkIsDha.w..S.k.il.l.S.e.t...........................7722 SELKITEhSe.S.k.in.c.h.a.n.g.e.r.A..rc.h.e.t.y.p.e.................................110098
AlternateProjectingWeres..................34 Psychology..............................73 Psychology .............................110
TrueAstralWere-Forms ....................34 HawkshawNames ........................73 SummoningaSelkie ......................110
“OnceOnly”Shifting .....................36 Ecology ................................74 Ecology................................110
ShiftersandMana ........................37 IntheCampaign..........................74 Culture ................................110
VARIETIESANDFLAVORS ........................38 Characters...............................74 SelkieNames............................111
CursesandEnchantments ..................38 OtherSettings............................74 Politics ................................111
WhatMakesItaCurse?....................38 ModelVariationsand IntheCampaign.........................111
UndeadandShapeshifting ..................38 Competitors’Knock-Offs.................75 SelkieCharacters ........................111
ShapeshiftingRaces.......................39 SampleCharacter ........................76 Variations ..............................111
VesselsandGURPSInNomine .............39 THEMETAMORPHICINVADER.....................77 MoiraSeabourne ........................112
SHheanpgeesyhoikftainig–aRnedveCrhseildWbeearersing............................4400 PEscyoclohgoylog.y.............................................................7789 JAGUAPRsyWchAoRlRoIgOyRS........................................................111135
Weremachines ...........................40 Names..................................80 Culture ................................115
SampleWeremachineCharacter .............42 Culture .................................80 Politics ................................115
“Scientific”Shifting.......................42 Politics .................................80 IntheCampaign.........................116
“WhatDoYouMean,YouAteWhile IntheCampaign..........................80 IxokMun ...............................117
PsiYoonuicWser.e.a..M..o.u.se.?.”..........................................4433 CVahrairaatciotenrss..............................................................8800 THESInHAthMeACNa.m.p.a.i.g.n...................................................111187
ShifterSupers............................44 OtherSettings............................81 Characters..............................118
Item-BasedShifting .......................44
Variations ..............................118
ShapeshiftingandtheAbsorbSuperSkills .....44 5. I AM THE MOON’S
MisuunKagitaka,ShamanofthePeople......119
RITUALMAGIC ...............................45 INDENTURED SERVANT . . . ...... 82
ThePathofForm.........................45 THECINEMATIC“MONSTER”WEREWOLF............83 GLOSSARY............................ 120
3. CAMPAIGNS........................ 47 Psychology..............................84
Ecology ................................84 BIBLIOGRAPHY...................... 122
SHAPECHANGERSINSOCIETYANDRELIGION .........48 IntheCampaign..........................84
PrivilegeandPower.......................48
Characters...............................84 INDEX ................................ 127
DavidHenryHeresford ....................85
2 C O N T E N T S
I
N T R O D U C T I O N
ApproachthouliketheruggedRussianbear,
Thearm’drhinoceros,ortheHyrcantiger; About GURPS
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Amongthemostancientofmythsisthatoftheshapeshifter,theskin- addressed,stampedenvelope(SASE)anytimeyouwrite
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Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Our
myth and folklore; shapechangers of all descriptions appear throughout
online magazine includes new GURPS rules and arti-
literature, from the oldest of legends to the latest science fiction.While cles. It also covers Dungeons and Dragons, Traveller,
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Newsupplementsandadventures.GURPScontin-
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discussionofGURPS.Tojoin,pointyourwebbrowserto
this was certainly appropriate,
www.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l/.
shapeshiftersarefarfromspecificto The GURPS Shapeshifters web page is at
thatgenre,asanyfanofX-Files,X-Men,orJapanesepopularculturecan www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/shapeshifters/.
tellyou.Adeliberateeffortwasmadewiththisbooktoshowmorethan
justtheexpectedshifters.
Page References
Grabyourcharactersheetsandyourcalculators–it’stimetochange.
Rulesandstatisticsinthisbookarespecificallyfor
About the Author the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition.Any page refer-
encethatbeginswithaBreferstotheGURPSBasicSet
–e.g.,p.B102meansp.102oftheGURPSBasicSet,
RobertM.Schroeckgotintotheshapeshifterbusinessquitebyacci-
Third Edition. Page references that begin with CI indi-
dent,throughsuperheroroleplaying.Hehashandledshapeshiftingbeast-
cateGURPSCompendiumI.OtherreferencesareAto
ies in three other GURPS books: GURPS SupersAdventures, GURPS
GURPSAliens,BEtoGURPSBestiary,ThirdEdition,
Bestiary, Second Edition, and GURPSWerewolf: TheApocalypse. His BIOtoGURPSBio-Tech,CAtoGURPSCamelot,Gto
other past efforts in GURPS include GURPS International Super GURPSGrimoire,HtoGURPSHorror,INtoGURPS
Teams,GURPSCamelot,GURPSRobinHood,GURPSISTKingston, InNomine,JtoGURPSJapan,MtoGURPSMagic,
GURPSY2K,andGURPSMage:TheAscension.Hehascontributedto MA to GURPS Martial Arts, MI to GURPS Magic
Items1,ROtoGURPSRobots,RUtoGURPSRussia,
andeditedseveralInNominebooks.Bobisalsoknownfortheinfamous
SPItoGURPSSpirits,STMtoGURPSSteampunk,SU
multigenreGURPStournamentshehascreatedorco-createdforvarious
to GURPS Supers, UN to GURPS Undead, VE to
gameconventions,includingthefirstofficialGURPSWorldMultigenre
GURPS Vehicles, and VO to GURPS Voodoo. The
ChampionshipatDexcon6. abbreviationforthisbookisSH.Forafulllistofabbre-
Agamer since the late 1970s, Bob collects anime, books, outdated viations, see p. CI181 or the updated web list at
software,anddust.HeandhiswifePeggy(herselfasometimeGURPS www.sjgames.com/gurps/abbrevs.html.
writer,althoughshe’lldenyitifasked)liveinSomerset,NJ.
I N T R O D U C T I O N 3
C 1
H A P T E R
TT HH
HH EE II SS TT OO RRYY AA NN DD
T H E H I S T O R Y A N D
MM
YY TT HH OO LL OO GG YY OO FF TT HH EE
M Y T H O L O G Y O F T H E
SS
Nothingintheentireuniverseever
HH AA PP EE SS HH II FF TT EE RR
S H A P E S H I F T E R perishes, believe me, but things vary,
and adopt a new form. The phrase
“beingborn”isusedforbeginningto
be something different from what one
was before, while “dying” means
ceasing to be the same. Though this
thingmaypassintothat,andthatinto
this, yet the sum of things remains
unchanged.
–Ovid,Metamorphoses
It is impossible to point at any one civilization or myth oftheEarththatdoesnothaveashapeshiftermyth;mankind
and say, “There! That’s where we get shapeshifters from!” has ever been fascinated and/or repulsed by the difference
The myth of the shapechanger or shapestealer is one of the betweenhumansandbeasts–andtheideathatthisdifference
oldestinhumanhistory.Thereisalmostnocultureontheface canbetranscended.
P S
REHISTORIC HAPESHIFTERS
Theoriginoftheshapeshifterinmythandlegendtraces “virtues”andbecomingbetterhunters.Cavepaintingsdating
backtotheverybeginningofhumanityitself.Deepbelowthe backto6000B.C.andearliershowhunterswearingthepelts
Pyrenees,thereisacaveinwhichcanbefoundaPaleolith- ofleopardsandotherpredatorybeastsastheymaketheirkills.
ic wall painting known as the “Sorcerer ofTrois Fréres.” It Ifstudiesofsurvivingprimitivepeoplesareanyindication,a
depictsafigureofmixedanimalandhumantraits.Whilehe conceitoractualbeliefthat(undertherightconditions)they
stands upright, his posture threatens to turn into the four- wereabletotaketheactualformsoftheir“totems”soonfol-
footed gait of the bear, whose paws he possesses. Proudly lowed.
antlered, with a wolf’s tail and other animal features, he Theshamanwasthemediatorbetweenmenandbothani-
standsonthethresholdbetweenhumanandnot-human,afig- mals and spirits. The spirits of animals exploited or killed
ure of shamanic power acquired by becoming the animals were of concern to early man; the shaman’s duties included
whoarethesourceofthatpower. not only placating these spirits after a kill, but getting their
permissionandcooperationbeforehand.Becausethesespirits
Shamans and Hunters dweltinthelandofthedead,theshaman’sauthoritystemmed
fromhisabilitytocontrolhisownspiritsufficientlytoenter
Theassumptionofanintimateconnectionbetweenman the land of the dead as an ersatz animal, borrowing an ani-
and beast is perhaps the primary characteristic of primitive mal’sspiritualpowertoaccomplishhisgoals.
thought.Itmanifestsmostcommonlyintheritualsofthehunt Here are the ultimate ancestors of the shapeshifter: the
andofshamanism,asakindofsympatheticmagic. hunters who sought to take on a predator’s skills, and the
Primitivehunterssoughttoassumethequalitiesofpred- shamanwhomasqueradedasthespiritofananimal.Almost
atorswhoseprowesstheyenvied.Tothisendtheywoulddon every shapechanger that has since appeared in any culture
the skins of such animals with the intent of gaining their owessomethingtothesetwofundamentalsources.
C S
LASSICAL HAPESHIFTERS
By the start of recorded history, most of humanity had wearer – a “skin-changing” ritual that owed much to more
replacedshamanismwithmoreorganizedreligions,eachwith primitiverites.
its own body of folklore and myth. Within this lore, faint
memories of the older ways of the hunter and shaman Europe
remained; mutating and changing as cultures evolved, they
becamethebasisfornewstoriesandaddedcolortooldones. It was the ancient Greeks, though, who took their half-
At the same time, certain cults preserved aspects of the forgottenmemoriesoftheseprehistorictraditions,filteredand
ancientwaysmoreaccurately.Afewsuchevensurvivedinto revised them, and formed from them a multitude of theri-
moderntimes. omorphs. From the myth of Lycaeon (itself probably a dis-
tortedmemoryofawolf-brotherhoodofhunters),throughthe
Egypt and Mesopotamia isle of Circe in Homer’s Odyssey and Euanthes’ story of
Antaeus(citedbyPliny),totheRomanpoetOvid’sdefinitive
Theearliestliterarytracesoftheshapeshifterarefoundin Metamorphoses, classical myth and literature are filled with
Mesopotamia and date from approximately 2000 B.C. The storiesofmenchangedtoanimals,nonemorefrequentlythan
EpicofGilgameshincludesashortpassageinwhichthegod- thewolf.
dessIshtarturnsashepherdintoawolf.Thisisthefirstknown The vast majority of the Grecian transformations were
trace of the creature that millennia later would become the involuntary – they happened either as punishment or at the
archetypalshapeshifter:thewerewolf. whim of some divine agency. It is not until the Roman poet
At the same time, the Egyptians performed rituals that Virgil’s eighth Eclogue, written approximately 30 B.C., that
drew upon ancient shamanistic traditions. These rituals thevoluntaryshapeshifterreappearsfromthemistsofmemo-
expandedtheEgyptianfascinationwithcatstoincludesome ry.Inthattale,thewarlockMoeriscanturnhimselfintoawolf
distinctly were-like beliefs. In a process called “the passage atwill,amongallhisnecromanticandotherpowers.Whilehis
throughtheskin,”forexample,apanthertailwaswornabout sympatheticandindeedbenevolentcharacterizationisacom-
thewaistorknottedabouttheneckwiththeintentofdrawing plexprecursoroftheBalticlands’werewolftraditions,healso
onthepoweroftheanimaltohelpprotectandstrengthenthe presagedother,lessmorallycomplicatedimages.
THE HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE SHAPESHIFTER 5
Were-creatures weren’t the only shapeshifters in Greek St. Patrick and
myth.TheOlympianswerefrequentlyshowntohavemorph-
ing talents, and none more so than the sea-god Proteus. Son His Werewolves
ofPoseidonandknownalsoforhisgiftofprophecy,Proteus
defined the polymorphic shapeshifter to the point that his According to Kongs Skuggsjo (also known as Speculum
name is synonymous with the ability to change one’s form Regale), a Norse account from 1250, Patricius (better known as
SaintPatrick)wassubjectedtoconsiderableharassmentduringthe
withoutlimit.TheOdysseydescribeshistakingtheshapesof
missionheundertooktothen-paganIreland.Thetextsaysthat“one
animals,oftrees,andevenofrunningwater.Ovidoffhanded-
greatrace”(mostlikelyoneofthelargerCeltictribes)wasquitehos-
lymentionsthathecouldalsobecomearockoraflame.The
tiletohim,eventryingtoinjureorkillhim.Hemetwiththemenof
LatinmythographyFabulaebyHyginusmentionsthatitwas this“race”inagreatassembly,butwhenhespoketheyheckledhim
necessarytobindhimwithachainsothathecouldberecog- byhowlinglikewolves.Then,astheaccountsays:
nizedinallhismyriadforms.Althoughtherewasapparently . . . he became very wroth, and prayed God that he might
no limit to what he could become, bears, boars, snakes, and avengeitonthembysomejudgment,thattheirdescendantsmight
foreverremembertheirdisobedience.Andgreatpunishmentandfit
lions were among his favored shapes, and Nonnos’ epic
and very wonderful has since befallen their descendants; for it is
Dionysiacaseemstohintthathemighthavehadahandinthe
saidthatallmenwhocomefromthatracearealwayswolvesata
originsoftheselkies(pp.108-112).
certaintime,andrunintothewoodsandtakefoodlikewolves;and
Not all classical shifters were relegated to tales of the theyareworseinthisthattheyhavehumanreason,foralltheircun-
gods; some were part of day-to-day life. Around 500 B.C. ning,andsuchdesireandgreedformenasforothercreatures.And
HerodotusrecordedthattheScythiansbelievedthattheNeuri, itissaidthatsomebecomesoeveryseventhyear,andaremendur-
aneighboringtribe,werewerewolves,forcedtospendpartof ingtheinterval.Andsomehaveitsolongthattheyhavesevenyears
atonce,andareneversoafterwards.
theirlivesasanimals.Andahundredyearslater,accordingto
the second-century writer Pausanias, an Arcadian boxer
namedDamarchuswhohadspentnineyearsasawolfwonan
Olympicvictory.
Furtherwest,theDruids’mystiqueincludedareputation
fortakinganimalforms.Celticlorealsoincludedthefáelad,
families who numbered lycanthropy among their legacies.
TheFourthBranchoftheMabinogiontellshowthemagician
GwydionturnedBlodeuweddintoanowl.
Tothenorth,theshamanistictraditionswerere-emerging
inthesourcesoftheOldNorsemythsIntheVölsungaSaga,
Sigmundr and his son Sinfjolti steal the wolf-skins which
belong to two “spell-bound skin-changers” to change into
wolves themselves so that they can go berserking in the
woods. And outside of the sagas, the warriors known as
ulfhethnar and beserkir (singular berserkr; see p. 49),
like their prehistoric forebears, wore the skins of
wolvesandbears,respectively,todrawtothemselves
theanimal’sprowessinbattle.
Elsewhere
In the Americas, shifters took other
forms, familiar to the native peoples. The
Yaki,Tarahumara,andSerisIndiansworried
inthedarkofnightaboutthenahuales,war-
locksgiventotakingtheformofblack-furred
coyotes. Their cave drawings clearly depict
thecreaturesthatreceivedtheirattention.The
nahualwasboththemagicianandthemagic,
theprimitivespiritpossessedbyeachperson;
ifamancouldcometoknowit,theybelieved,
he could practice magic and cure the sick –
onceagain,aholdoverofshamanisticbeliefs.
Their cousins to the south, the Aztecs,
didn’t fear the nahuales – they venerated them.
The empire protected sorcerers as sacred to Tez-
catlipoca,thegodofwarandsacrifice.
6 THE HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE SHAPESHIFTER
T M
HE EDIEVAL AND
R S
ENAISSANCE HAPECHANGER
AsEuropeslowlyrecoveredfromthefalloftheRoman there through most of the world). By the 1400s, both the
Empire, the classical shapeshifter eventually reconverged Church and the law in Europe – specifically, in medieval
witholdertraditionsnativetotheonce-conqueredterritories. France – had conflated the state of being a werewolf with a
Inparallelwiththegrowthofnewculturesinthoselands,new variety of mental disorders that often drove their victims to
myths formed, often far different from those that spawned cannibalism.
them. The definitive instance of this practice is the so-called
Scandinavia spawned the werebear, who was usually a “Werewolf of Chalons,” who was discovered in circum-
heroic figure. Bothvar Biarki, one of the first werebears, stancessobloodyandgrotesquethatthePariscourtthatcon-
appearsinHrólfssagaKraka.Thistraditionwas,alongwith victed him on December 14, 1598, suppressed almost all
much else, shared with Germanic mythology. (Later, were- documentsbearingonthecase.Theaccusationoflycanthropy
bears would migrate into modern fantasy gaming via the leveled upon him was based entirely on the evidence of his
worksofJ.R.R.Tolkien.)Scandinavianfolklorealsohadits murders.Inthisandothertrials,theevidenceofcannibalism
shareofevilshifters;magpies,forexample,werebelievedto alone was in almost every case sufficient ground to accuse
besorcerersflyingtounholygatherings. andconvicttheindividualoflycanthropyaswell,evenifno
LegendsgrewinScotlandofhumanswhocouldchange “witness” to his transformation or depredations in animal
intoseals,andsealswhocouldchangeintohumans–selchies form could be found or manufactured. The punishment for
or selkies. Their origin was varied: most commonly, the bothcrimeswasalwaysthesame–deathbyoneunpleasant
selkies were seen as a separate race, related to but separate meansoranother.
frommankind,butordinaryhumanscouldbecomeselkiesas This is something to keep in mind, especially in a cam-
well, either because of a curse or by working magic upon paign set in medieval Europe.Aparticularly evil or vicious
themselves. In the most extreme tales, they were seen as Enemy may well decide to rid himself of one or more pests
angelsfallenfromgrace,butnotsofarastobecomedemons. (read “adventurers”) by arranging for them to appear to be
In France was born the man-wolf. Unlike most other cannibals. Escaping such a charge, especially with properly
European weres, the creatures that would be called loup- bribedwitnessestobackitup,wouldbeallbutimpossible.
garou were diabolical, driven by cannibalistic urges and the ThequestionofwhymedievalFrancehadsomanycan-
desiretodoharmtoinnocentfolk.(Seebox,p.8.)TheInqui- nibals(orwerewolves,dependingontheframeofreference)
sition seized upon the loup-garou, with its irredeemably evil thatsuchaprecedentandprotocolfordealingwiththemhad
nature and sorcerous roots, as the orthodox definition of the developedisleftuptothereader.(AndtotheGM,todecide
werewolfofmedievalCatholicbelief.Alongwithwitches– fortheedification–ordetriment–ofhisplayers.)
with which they were usually conflated – werewolves In contrast, the werewolves of the Baltic
wereatthetopoftheChurch’slistofactiveworksof andRussian(andsomenear-Mediterranean)
theDevilonEarth.Sofirmlywasthisanchoredin areaswerefarmorebenevolent,andocca-
the medieval Catholic mindset that doubting or sionally even comical. Typical of these
denying the existence of werewolves was con- weretheBenandanti(seepp.93-98)and
sidered heresy and, in some areas, grounds for similar descendants of ancient fertility
an Inquisitorial visit. As a result of its subse- cults. These self-proclaimed were-
quent distribution throughout Europe, the wolves saw themselves taking animal
Frenchcannibalwerewolfbecamethedominant form “in the service of God.” Other,
shifter stereotype in Western culture (and from more folkloric, werewolves prowled vil-
lagesinsearchofbeerandliquororplayed
pranksontheunwary.
Historical Were:
The classic bipedal “wolf-man,” far from
Ann of Meremoisa beinganinventionoflow-budgetcinema,datesfrom
this period and is an element of both French and Baltic
Accordingto“EstoniaI:WerewolvesandPoisoners,”byMaia medievalwerelore.Naturally,thedetailsdiffered.TheBaltic
Madar(achapterinBengtAnkarlooandGustavHenningsen’sEarly werewolfwasanordinarywolfthatwalkedonitshindlegs,
ModernEuropeanWitchcraft),ina1623trialinEstoniathedefen- whiletheGallicvarietywasclosertothecinematichalf-man.
dant,knownonlyas“Ann,”testifiedtoafour-yearcareerasawere- Atthesametime,otherlegendswereappearing.InGer-
wolf, although the extent of her depredations was limited to one
many there arose the tale of the doppelgänger, the evil twin
horseandseveralsmallanimals.Awolfskin,whichshekepthidden
whoseappearanceforetoldeviltocome.AndtheAlpinecul-
underastoneinafield,wasrequiredforherchange.
tureshadtheirmorphinggoblins.
THE HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE SHAPESHIFTER 7
Wolf vs. Werewolf (In stark contrast to this abundance, shapeshifting crea-
tures do not appear at all in the mythology of the aboriginal
Beforethe20thcenturyandcinema,Europeanfolkloremadeit peoplesofAustralia.)
clearthattherewerevisibledifferencesbetweenawerewolfanda
“real”wolf.Oneoftheoldest,mostcommon–andmostnoticeable Africa
– of these was the surprising claim that the werewolf has no tail,
althoughothermoreobscureorarcane“marks”havebeencited.
WhileitislikelythatthewidevarietyofAfricanbeliefs
Thereisastraightforwardreasonforthis,unassociatedwithany
actuallystabilizedfarearlier,itisatthispointinhistorythat
supernaturalcause.Realwolves–althoughfrighteningpredatorsin
Europeanswerefirstexposedtothem.AsinAsia,themajor-
their own right – are not normally horrific enough to be the tradi-
tional “monster” required by both folklore and medieval religious ityofAfricanwereswerefelines,althoughowlsandevenalli-
dogma.(Foranexception,though,seeRabies,p.13.)Itbecamenec- gators had their were counterparts. But unlike many other
essarytodistinguishbetweenthenatural(ifdespised)predatorand regions,heretheancientshamanisticbeliefspersisted,though
thehell-borncreaturethatshareditsgeneralappearance. evolvingaswell.Shapeshifting,accordingtotypicalAfrican
Thiswasn’tastatic,one-timechange;asthewerewolfbecame
beliefs,wasadivinegiftfromaspiritoragod,providedfor
increasinglydemonizedbytheChurchandfearedbythecommon
the purpose of socially endorsed revenge.African weres did
people,itgrewincreasinglydistantfromtheanimalonwhichitwas
not rampage like their Gallic cousins. Instead, they attacked
based.Eventually,theimageofthehumanoidman-wolf(laterpop-
ularizedbyhorrormovies)appearedacrossEuropeastheultimate only those who had harmed them in their human forms.
alternativetothenaturalwolf’sappearance. Like the Benandanti and similar groups in the Americas,
bands of men who shared a transformation (or believed
Game Use
they did) would gather for military or ritual purposes. The
Incorporating this traditional feature can add considerably to bestknownofthesewerethevariousgroupsknowncollec-
theflavorofacampaignsetinorstronglyinfluencedbymedieval tively as the “leopard societies,” which survived until the
European were mythology. When the campaign employs several
early20thcentury.
differentshiftertypes(asisthecaseinYrth),theGMmaychoose
Still,notallAfricanshifterswerebenignorfeline.Folk-
the same trait for all of them or may provide separate telltales for
lorewarnedofsorcererswhotooktheshapeofowlstowork
each individual variety. The more flag traits there are, the more
“falsepositives”mayoccur,andwoetoanypoorinnocentstranger mischiefinthenight.Andwerejackals–perhapsaspartofthe
whoisfoundinthevicinityofanordinaryanimalwithadeformity. eternal cat-dog dichotomy – were as common in legend as
GMswhoareconsideringthisoptionintheirgamesshouldsee werelionsandwereleopards.
theUnnaturalFeaturedisadvantageonp.CI85.
The Americas
Asia and the Pacific At this same time, the Aztecs and the other pre-
ColumbiancivilizationsoftheAmericasbeganformingvari-
Duringthisperiod,thegreaterpartofJapanese(andtoa ous animal warrior cults. Like many others, these bands –
lesser degree Chinese) shapechanger folklore evolved, with roughlyequivalentinfunctionandstatustoEurope’svarious
the concept of the hengeyokai – animals who could become ordersofknighthood–soughttoachieveprowessinbattleby
human(seep.40).TheJapaneseturnedtheusualarrangement emulatingthepredatorstheyadmired;itisnotsurprisingthat
onitshead,withhuman-to-animalshifters(inimicalorother- were-mythsspranguparoundthem.
wise) almost unknown while the far less malevolent kitsune Thebestknownofthesecultswerecenteredonjaguars–
andtanukipredominatedinthetalestoldfromgenerationto especiallymelanisticjaguarswithsolidblackfurratherthan
generation.While not unknown in the rest of the world, this spots.Itsimportancewassurprisinglyuniversal.TheArawak
becametheprimaryimageofAsianshapeshifters.
At the same time, more sinister weres appeared in the
The Werewolf of Anspach
folklore of mainland Asia, India, and the Pacific basin. In
India as in parts of Europe, were-creatures were believed to
During 1685, a large, vicious wolf terrorized the town of
be physical forms housing the spirits of evil persons being
Anspach(nowAnsbach)inBavaria.Itwasresponsibleforasignif-
punished after death. It would seem that as a post-mortem
icant death toll, including many women and children and a large
punishment this was less than effective, for the creatures so numberofdomesticanimals.Forreasonsnotentirelyclear,thetown
spawnedwerenolessevilthantheyhadbeeninlife,andfar cametotheconclusionthatthewolfwasawerewolf.Andnotjust
moredestructive. anywerewolf,butthereincarnationofAnspach’sthoroughlydetest-
Other shifters, primarily werecats, were less inimical. edandrecentlydeceasedburgomeister(mayor).
Local hunters eventually cornered and killed the wolf, which
Malaysianlegendhassympatheticwerefelines.AndBuddhist
inconvenientlydidnotturnbackintothelatemayor.Tomakeupfor
loretellsthestoryofMilarepa,Tibet’spoet-saint,strandedfor
thisfailure,thetownsmendressedtheanimal’scarcassasthebur-
six months in the Great Cave of Conquering Demons, and
gomeister,goingsofarastowrapitinaflesh-coloredsuitandputa
howhetransformedintoasnowleopardinordertosurvive. mask and beard on it so that it might better resemble the late and
Polynesiancultures,closelytiedtothesea,generatedleg- unlamentedmayor.
endsofocean-goingweres.Possiblythemostfrighteningofall Thecarcass,thuscostumed,washungonagibbetinAnspach
were-creaturescomesfromtheirstories;theweresharkwasa for all to see. Later, it was put on permanent display in the town
museumasproofoftheexistenceofwerewolves.
tireless,rapaciouskillerpossessingnoredeemingqualities.
8 THE HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE SHAPESHIFTER