Paul Bode's Roleplay Game

Formori

Well I am sure you have all encountered these boys. They are our most common enemy and are the result of a bane possessing a human. The human becomes tainted and gets deformed by the Wyrm and either willingly or unwittingly serve the Wyrm from then on. Some Formori are made,  some are 'natural'. Often Formori have similar characteristics and it is a good way to detect which bane is responsible, although it is no guarantee of accuracy. I have made a Grade system for Formori to help class them, I call it the 'De Grace Scale'.

Grade 1 - Gorehounds, Shadow Fiends, Sick Lungs, Sons of Typhon, Pentex Guards, Seedlings, Under cover First Team Agents

These Formori appear a regular humans, they may have powers, but if so, they are able to hide them and their deformities. They may change shape, like us, into a combat form. Pentex can make these Formori very easily by an injection, that causes a part of the brain to become immune to the Delirium, but wild ones often do not have this benefit. Don't ask me to explain it, I am not a theurge. This type of Formori is often (but not always) weak, poorly equipped and they live by their smarts. They are the classic Pup training material posing only a small threat to a capable Ahroun.

Best Weapon: What ever comes to had these guys go down easy.

Grade 2 - The Hollow Men, First Teams, Flags, Boners

Grade 2's are no longer able to hide their taint unless it is with a rain mac. Their deformities are easily noticeable and you do not need Wyrm Sense to detect them, it is obvious. They are often stronger than Grade 1's (but again not always), and less smarter, relying on their brawn and Wyrm curses. Pentex does have some potent Formori at this stage, and they are often equipped into First teams with specialised equipment. Not all wildly occurring Formori at this stage are immune to the Delirium, but most of them are. Some of them may have real powers that can cause a genuine threat to a garou.

Best Weapon: Use your claws and Teeth, make it quick too, else they may get one on you.

Grade 3 - Frekfeet, Normalities, 

Grade 3's often are more like animals, they have lost much of their humanity. To look at, they often can resemble nothing like the human they once were, and it is a blessing you bestow on them to put them out of their misery. Grade 3's are often destroyed by Pentex, for being to unpredictable, wild and unontrollable. Their very nature is not the team and as such they tend to be solitary. Many are insane, but those that do exist are normally very potent with numerous Wyrm curses. They often lack any intelligence though and a thinking Garou will always beat them, but if you see one, better be prepared.

Best Weapon: Use your claws and Teeth, make it very quick, else they will get one on you.

Grade 4 - Formarch,  Formorols, Colliquators, Renitents

You don't often to get to see one, I don't know why with the way the world is, but these Formori are extremely heavily tainted. They can be intelligent, but the accounts I have read and my own experience suggest not. They have occured as leaders of gangs of formori and also as single entities that care nothing of their own brood. I have never seen an old one, which suggests the lifestyle they lead is short and brief or that aging is somehow slowed. They often require a pack, or a good Ahroun to take down. Pentex drains the blood of any killed or no longer useful we think, to inject into humans and other Formori that makes them more powerful. This blood toxin is called 'Formorol' and when given to humans creates a unique breed 'Formorols'. Only the sickest and depraved humans get given the drug. Formorachs are the greatest threat from this area of Wyrm.

Best Weapon: Hit it hard and fast, using a weapon fetish or your claws, if you have to bite, just don't swallow. If you follow my advice you might just make it through.

Enticers

Enticers are a type of Formori, that resemble Grade 1's. They are always very desirable, so much so, that it can give them away. Watch you don't fall for them though or you will become ensnared for life (which will not be very long). They have little combat ability and count on henchman and thugs to do their dirty work. Pentex gives them an addictive type of make-up which keeps them in control and when they do not do as told, it witholds the drug. Occasionally they become too powerful, with many allies and henchmen that Pentex tries to eliminate them, In fact newer Pentex Enticers have a explosive device put in their heads to stop this from happening. When they no longer need them, they activate the bomb. I once new one called Rosanna, and she helped me fight the Wyrm for sometime as she had a genuine hatred for Pentex. I would have killed her when her use was up but Pentex got to her first, which was just as well, I was coming under her spell.

Best Weapon: Being Alert to them really helps, use Wyrm taint on every stunning person you see. Don't give them a chance to talk - Claw to the head.

Banes

Now this is a big area. For every foul act, every evil, every unfair, unjust thing there is a type of Bane. There is no way to cover them all. Firstly they are spirits of the Wyrm, and normally very powerful. Although weak ones do exist, these weak ones will flee at the first sign of trouble. The big ones though will make you run at the first sign of trouble, I joke you not. Banes exist in the Umbra and much spend much of their energy to appear in the physical. They prefer to corrupt humans, animals and even plants, using their powers to do so. They can possess, corrupt, and cause people to do awful things. Many of them are clever and cunning, but there is also a warrior type of Bane too. They take on many forms, and can often appear as your friend. A select few can hide their Wyrm taint or can walk among humans, and these are the extremely dangerous ones. Never fight one on your own, use your pack, and the advice of your elders. We lose too many Garou that way. Here is a few of them.

Spectator Bane

These are the Wyrm's spies. They will run from combat but have the ability to scry and observe, some can see through walls too. They are cowardly but not stupid, and can manipulate the Gauntlet so avoid stepping sideways when they are near, else you may become stuck. When injured and aware you are a threat though they will often leave you alone, they seem to remember you and avoid you from then on. 

Best Weapon: They often keep their distance, so a gun with a Talen bullet is the best bet, while it is reeling close with your claws.

Stalker Bane

Stalker Banes are a theurges nightmare. They will wander the Umbra and the physical hunting down Gnosis rich areas which they drain it away. They are often too smart to approach a caern, but a lone Theurge is another matter. Before he/she realises they are spiritual weak and the leech is already on his way out of there. They have a variety of forms and ways to appear, but there is always a bird element about them, and most of them fly or levitate in the umbra.

Best Weapon: Ambush them when they are unaware.

Thrasher

These bastards have taken many of my old friends among Garou and Kinfolk. I think it is a pile of bane's rather than one, or at least a single bane with many worm like bodies. They amass like spaghetti and can propel themselves at you, when they hit you, they entangle you, trying to enter your body by any orifice. Once inside they can quickly possess you, and you will become a servant of the Wyrm doing and saying things you would not normally do. They can be removed though then the victim will recover, providing the taint and any mutations are removed. Never under-estimate them, although small they are a worst nightmare to an unprepared Garou.

Best Weapon: Cricket bat - ' knock them for four', and don't let them get close. 

'Brain Dog'

Another nasty Bane, these ones are masters of illusions and once caused 'The Caern of Lost Pups' great hardships when we were beset by them. Don't under-estimate them though because they are now a 'known' enemy, cause illusions can kill, just as easily as the real thing. Mainly because your brain will believe they can and imagined wounds can become real ones called 'ghost injuries'. About the size of a pit bull, these banes are now less common than they once were, and specialise in Ambush and turning you against your own pack. They are often very clever, and have sufficient power to trick two or three packs into killing each other. 

Best Weapon: Their weakness is their poor ability at manifesting in the Physical, it takes much of their energy and although their bodies can exist in both realms, their consciousness can be only in one at a time. Keep stepping sideways to confuse them and waste their precious energy. The gift 'Aura of Confidence' and Fatal Flaw' can be used to detect them. So Shadow Lords are often essential to help combat them. If you don't have a Shadow Lord wear down their energy through causing them to create illusions until they are too weak to defend themselves. Then rip them to pieces.

Kalus

A Bane that specialises in making people do bad things, and are often birthed by evil people forming in houses of torture and horror. It looks for a victim, then latches on to the mind, putting suggestions in to the victims head. It creates serial killers, rapists and pedophiles, not that humanity cannot create them on its own, but these things create a new breed of horror to what one man can do to another. It can be seen in the Umbra only, or in a dreams, there is no reports of them manifesting onto the physical. Maybe they are not powerful enough or they can exisit only in the umbral realms. 

Best Weapon: Spirit Combat... get a Theurge. 

Psychomachiae

These are evil spirits that feed on life force and fear and a common enemy around cities or places of human occupation. They will possess disturbed individuals and turn them into psychotic serial killers at the worst, and at the least cause good people to do random acts of violence. Physical manifestations of them can be horrible and dangerous...A living mass of barbs, teeth, spikes and built in instruments of torture. Don't take them lightly, they are often strong, fast and hit hard and can have huge banks of power.

Best Weapon: Spirit Combat... get a Theurge. Or really on long range weapons like spears, bane arrows, and Talen bullets. 

Haephodant

A Bane from another Planet it seems. Information is sketchy at best, but these creatures have the power of mimicry and deceit. They can imitate anyone by a glance. They can imitate genetically accurately with a sample of the victims blood but have little knowledge of that persons life.  They can spend a long time manifested in the Physical, without much rest. They need to drink a lot of water though when in the physical and will often stay near bodies of water to top up their strength. The more skilled Haephodants can form objects, walls and silver and I am told steal memories by drinking blood like a vampire. 

Best Weapon: Salt, it causes them a lot of distress. They dehydrate very quickly when exposed to it. 

Blight Child

Blight Child's are tainted trees and plants. Normally only in the umbra and they are often asleep, they can become active and attack and can blight things near them. So steer clear unless you want to be Wyrm tainted. 

Best Weapon: Rite of Cleansing, or Fire.

Scrag

Warrior Banes that can have many forms, but they always crawl or slouch on two or more legs. They also occur in packs as well, it is rare to find a solitary Scrag. They possess people giving them violent behavior, fits, and  hunger for raw meat. The Formori they create are cannibals. Once the bane has left it's host they have no knowledge of what happened and they return to normal. Often under arrest though.

Best Weapon: Combat, Scrags will rarely run once in combat. 

Nexus Crawler

Few minions of the Wyrm cause this amount of fear. I was told they come from another dimension and as a result can change reality like a Mage. Banes from this category I call 'Teflar Banes'. In the Umbra they look like a black cloud and make a scratching noise, but in the physical they take the most horrible of forms. It can reform it's body in a round, so as you hack heads of, it just grows another. It's power of entropy is the worst though. I have seen Garou melt, turn into silver, burst into flames, unravel internally, explode and get churned up by appearing meat grinders all in seconds of coming into contact with this beast. Forget the Litany, with these guys and run. You can atone for your cowardice later, assemble a crack unit of Garou and make a plan to deal with it on your terms.  The only one I ever heard of being destroyed was in Colchester Zoo by the Shadow Lords. It killed most of the Sept, including Kendrick's brother 'Adrick' before it fell. These things can take out entire Caerns so take them very seriously. 

Best Weapon: Don't be stupid - run. When you have a great and mighty pack, with a clever plan, I will advise you further.

The Others

Vampires

Our ancestral enemies. They maybe physically weak to us, but rest assured, catch their eyes and you will be rolling over and fetching a stick when they beckon. Some Garou especially Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers make deals with them to hold a truce. Very dishonorable, I suggest you do as I, kill them on sight. Don't talk to them, they think us savage animals, let's keep it that way. The older Vampires can be very powerful indeed but you should have no problem dispatching the younger ones, providing you follow my guide.

Best Weapon: Really quick attacks. Claws and teeth. Don't Swallow. If you want to be real nasty, set fire to your fur and attack them, sure it hurts but you will survive it, and they will flee from fire like the Delirium.

Black Spiral Dancers (BSD)

These guys are the worst of traitors. They have given up on Gaia's way and embraced the Wyrm. Never say the full name of their tribe as it brings bad luck and invokes the curse. Always use BSD instead. These Bat like werewolves make me sick, so I will say no more about them.

Best Weapon: I would say Silver but they do not deserve such a clean death.

The First Ronin

A legend, with a ring of truth. The First Ronin is also the First Metis and he has been an eternal life of suffering and hatred by the Wyrm. He comes and claims Garou who have not been worthy of Gaia's gift. They apparently see their name, description and time of death tattooed on his shaved albino flesh. He learns all the rites and gifts from the Garou he kills, so rest assured after all this time he knows all our tricks and then some.

Best Weapon: I would say Silver but they do not deserve such a clean death.

Changing Breeds

Some of the changing breeds hold Wyrm taint, the Rat changers and the Spider changers to name but a few. The others often attack and kill Garou. In my book killing Garou helps the Wyrm, so they appear in my Wyrm list, though I have also heard of some changing breeds also calling a truce and aiding us. Personally though I do not put much faith in this rumors.

Best Weapon: Use your claws, gifts and strength, There is a reason Gaia made us her warriors.

Watchers

I have not made up my mind yet in these guys. Okay they have no Wyrm taint, but they do attack Garou, maybe they are spirits of the Wyld. Watch them, if they attack, destroy them quickly. They have no body inside their robes, so don't pull the robe of less they become invisible. They tend to be appear around Caerns where fights are common, and help aid the Caern in times of Wyrm assault. On the day of my blooding a Watcher mauled me for coming to close, so I give them a wide berth now.

Best Weapon: Claws, it rips there robes quickly.

Digital Raven

My old enemy, fortunately there is only one of these guys! He is a Black Spiral, and from my information he is a x glass Walker, which is not to surprising. He manages to hide in the Internet, and can appear at any time, he is the brains behind many a Wyrm operation. His presence can be felt, but I am always one step away from getting my claws on him, but he covers his tracks well. He has the Grand Glaive 'Moljorna', taken from a Fang he killed, from my first Caern - which I have promised to reclaim. He is a sarcastic and spiteful Garou, probably Wyrm ridden due to the lack of girls 'interested' him in his teenage years. 

Best Weapon: Anything, just get your claws on him. Although the only way to get him is to out smart him - not easy.

Skull Pig's

Along time ago a whole species was corrupted by the Wyrm. The line of giant ground hogs was corrupted into these beasts. A few of them are smart, but for the most part they are dumb, just savage animals. There look deathly and you will recognise them by the smell before you see them. Skull Pig's often appear in groups, unless it is the Boar, who is solitary. 

Best Weapon: The strength of the pack. Four Garou working together can easily fell one of these big beasts. The same way a pack of wolves fells a adult deer. 

Wyrm Elementals

These creatures are a misdemeanor! Elementals of the Wyrm, sounds ridiculous but in the last days the Wyrm has corrupted many different creatures, and Elemental spirits are sadly among them. Treat all of them with respect, as they are just as powerful as their Gaian cousins.

Hoglings (Smog)

They often appear in clouds of traffic smog, and they are indistinguishable unless you are in the Umbra, they can choke and poison the greatest of Ahrouns, and can reform in your lungs and kill you from the inside.

Best Weapon: Gas Masks - seriously, you need a Thurge to distract it, while the warriors harry it. Use a 'Cleanse the Blight' or a 'Rite of Cleansing' if you can get it off.

Furmlings (Balefire)

Nasty! The only word for it, they burn you with corrupt flames, and can napalm whole rooms. They are often luminous in the Umbra, like an oddly shaped angel.

Best Weapon: If you ever beat one let me know and I will fill this in!

H'rugglings (Sludge)

A rolling pile of Slime, like a moving animated jelly. They can pour through an gap and will choke you to death if they get in contact with the mouth.

Best Weapon: Fire works well. Although certain H'rugglings when burnt can become Hoglings, be warned.

Wakshanni (Tokins)

The one I hate the most, these things cause 'the blight' upon you, your skin will become blotchy with veins and warts. After one minute of exposure, bam - you look like the Elephant man! Regeneration always struggles with the effects, and many injuries will be permanent. 

Best Weapon: Use a Fianna against it. Certain Fianna are capable of resisting the effects, and if they don't, hey it's only another Fianna Irish man. Plenty to go around.

Drattosi, Umbra only.

It's not a bane, but it looks like one, a armoured crab like creature. Often find them near Radioactive dump sites, either they feed of the Radiation or the Radiation creates them. They can be defeated, but it takes bravery. You only ever really see them on the Umbra, I am not sure if they can materialise into the Physical. If you see them, kill the Radioactive bane as a priority. No radiation - no Drattosi.

Best Weapon: They are heavily armoured, use Fur Gnarl to make weak points, then smash your way in and out the back. If they don't die, it will look spectacular (and it will really hurt).

Ooralath 

A digger and a swimmer, just bear that in mind. We have had problems at St Albans with these runts. I am told they are a class of Bane, but I personally am unsure (so they have their own slot). They often lurk underground and will worm the way into a Caern. They leave big burrows, they look like a dinosaur type of dog with pincers, and although not smart they know the capabilities of  a Garou, and our weakness. 

Best Weapon: They are hunters, and they will even leave a combat to hunt down their favourite prey - A net spider. They are also not keen on sunlight and fight poorly under Helios' rays. 

Seeders

Watch your kinfolk, for these creatures will prey on them. These creatures materialise in the Physical, stun a human or kinfolk, drag them into the Umbra, then operate on/butcher them. The resulting actions kill or worse turn the Homid into a type of  Formori called Seedlings. They often look like a Praying Mantis Lizard and grow needles and chainsaws with bone blades to their bodies.

Best Weapon: Kill them on sight, don't let them get away. They dislike Umbral fire. 

Phantasmi

Unlucky Formori don't die! Any Formori killed in combat with a shape changer could become one of these guys. An animated corpse. We have had problems with them many times - the Undead. The closer to the Apocalypse the more there seems to be. If long dead they will make themselves a body out of whatever is left, garbage, broken glass and even sewage. 

Best Weapon: Fire or dismemberment. These guys will keep on coming. Only the fire and a Rite of Cleansing puts them completely out of commission. Phantasmi love killing Garou so much they often attack Black Spirals.

Bitter Rages, Umbra Only

These guys will take your mind, possession is there curse, and they are good at it. They will turn pack mates against you. They can't materialise so they need a body to travel in when in the Physical via possession. We lose valuable Garou to the Spirals by these creatures, remember that!

Best Weapon: Deny them a body by eliminating bystanders then push the fight to the Umbra quickly and finish them of.

Oases

They look like paradise in a city. Be suspicious as they hide the Wyrm inside their spell area. In the physical it appears as harmony with Gaia (a forest or jungle), in true sight in the umbra it is a blight. Remember Oases are animals, so they can be fooled. I was told by a Stargazer that these blights form when a Caern falls.

Best Weapon: They are dumb and predictable. They never try anything new. Just don't believe your senses, and you can out wit them.

Nocturnae (Night Hag)

Now if there was ever a Garou to have had so many problems with this Wyrm brood then it would be me. It seems my destiny to be constantly dealing with Nocturnae. Back in France we call them 'Night Hags', or that's the direct translation of it. They effect dreams, and twist them slowly, changing your unconscious thoughts to nasty ones, it makes you angry and unpredictable. They are often connected with still waters, their hair is long and tangled and animates. The hair can extend its length and is surprisingly strong. They vomit puss, and will hold you still and force feed you their vomit by kissing you, while ensnared by the hair. You often to go into their lairs, in a pocket dream realm in the Umbra.

Best Weapon: Have many to hand, as well as brute strength and claws. Do not swallow if you have to bite, and avoid tasting their blood.

Green Peggy

She is worth a mention as she disrupted my life for so long. She lived by a lakeside in Hertfordshire, and would often tempt children with dreams to a watery grave. Those that could not resist her dreams served here, bringing kids to the waterside. There she drowned and devoured them. She inhabited the lake for over 1,000 years and there was folk tale stories about 'Old Green Peg'. We battled with her through the years in the Legendary Realm, when we knew where her lair was, we attacked her in the Penumbra. The realm shifted as we swam downwards and me, John Constantine, Kendrick's friend Mike and a Pentex hating Enticer called 'Rosanna' engaged the Old Peg. Mike died and Constantine and myself only barely survived thanks to the Enticer. So she died later. You need to be careful though, as this type of creature is becoming more common at watersides, especially contaminated water.

Best Weapon: Peggy vomited oil not puss, we found phosphorus worked well and set her ablaze under water. Also as we are not designed to fight underwater, use harpoons and underwater flares. 

Meat Puppets

The classic Zombie, dumb, animated, eat human flesh but worst of all, Meat Puppets inhabit the bodies of children or pets. So although not strong, there is a horribly emptiness in killing little girls carrying dolls. Although they often amass in large groups and enough of them will bring even an adult Garou down. Literally eating you alive. In my experience they are normally thrown in with Hunters...so be careful.

Best Weapon: Fire or dismemberment. These guys will keep on coming. Only the fire and a Rite of Cleansing puts them completely out of commission. 

Shade Spiders

Guk! These things make me sick. They amass in great hordes and attack relentlessly. Young ones look like what they have come from - a hand, but older ones grow new 'legs' and feelers. Although small they can leap great distances and have only one target, your hands, they will rip them of to turn into new Shade Spiders. Worse still they don't grow back unless you have a healing Thurge close by.

Best Weapon: Lots of small repeatable attacks, one blow will crush them, regardless of strength. Often though even the speed of Rage is not enough, you will be swarmed.

Mall Walkers, Umbra only

I am told it is another Bane, but again I put them in their own class. They only appear in the Umbra as a floating watery sponge. They feed on the Intelligence and Wits of young people, reducing them into a mindless drone, patrolling the city streets or shopping malls. Drones are highly susceptible to influence and join groups of Scallies or Goths. The two factions hate each other without knowing why, and take mind altering drugs readily. Although Drones are not 'of the Wyrm' they are just victims, the Red Talons hunt them down with great fervor. Often all that is left is a baseball cap and trainers or a skull necklace and bit of face paint. 

Best Weapon: Mall Walkers will flee if engaged, they are cowards with no means of offence. 

Raptors

These banes feed of sexual lust, they encourage particularly men to go deeper and deeper into perversions. They often choose people who are desperate and lonely and use them to gain energy. The Raptor encourages the perversions to worsen and if left the host descends into rape, degradation and even murder. Over a year of being a host and even Freud's 'sexual nightmares' seem tame. 

Best Weapon: Raptors hate and despise Pentex created Enticers and will use their Formori hosts against them, the ghastly rape that ensues has more to do with pain and suffering than any kind of sexual lust. This intense hatred is their greatest weakness and if done correctly can turn Pentex minions against each other. You won't even need to use your claws.

Scryers 

Another type of Bane that is to weak to fight actively, instead they are in service to more powerful banes. They are often given menial tasks that more powerful Banes loath, such as messengers, spies, diplomats and general work horses. Black Spirals also use them as pets. They will flee if forced into combat

Best Weapon: A kick is usual quite satisfying. I also recommend the baseball bat.

Thunder Wyrms

A huge Wyrm like monster ranging from 5 foot in length to 500 foot for the bigger ones. Although ones in excess of 1,000 feet have had unconfirmed sightings. They resemble giant armored earth worms with rows of serrated teeth in a wide opening mouth. Spirals are meant to help breed them as combat attack vehicles, and often appear in assault groups with the Spirals emerging from the beasts mouth. They move quickly through the earth and shrug of damage, trying to squash you in combat. 

Best Weapon: If you can hit them hard in one place (like the madrif), it can often cause them to split in two. This is not easy though and both the Get-of-Fenris and the Glass Walkers employ heavy assault weapons against them. A well placed grenade in the mouth is advised as the Spirals try to come out. 

Vhujunka

I have never seen one, and I know no one who has, but the Wyrm is meant to have an entire army of these things hiding underground, waiting for the last day of the Apocalypse. It could even be just a legend, as no one knows for sure, not even the Wyrm minions if forced to talk. 

Best Weapon: I have no idea!