u/Equivalent_Vast_6030

I apologize—English isn’t my first language—but I wanted to share my thoughts on the fifth edition of Werewolves, the new book, and Metis. I’ll say right off the bat that while I’m familiar with the werewolves from previous editions, I don’t know them as well as I know vampires, so some of my thoughts may be based on incorrect information

I started reading "Tribes of Gaia", and so far, for me, it’s the best book in the fifth edition of the Werewolves series—from the illustrations to the text and the information. But then I got to the “Children of Gaia” section and saw a familiar horned face in the form of “Cries Havok,” and a flood of questions came to mind. As far as I can tell from the book, in this edition he grew horns after his first transformation, rather than as a result of a Metis Deformity. After reading this entire section, I got the distinct impression that as soon as the authors decided to expand the werewolf metaplot, they immediately regretted having completely removed the Metis from the canon. I understand that the topic of Metis is a sensitive one, but I’ve always believed that sensitive topics should be addressed properly, rather than ignored. Now, the entire fifth edition of werewolves feels to me like it’s in limbo—it continues to rely on previous editions while simultaneously trying to push its own thing, which, to be honest, is starting to get on my nerves.

I wanted to mention that in my home games, I’ve combined the old editions with the changes from the new one. I explained this by saying that if Gaia dies, it affects the Garu accordingly. That’s why it’s difficult for them to remain in a stable state in Crinos for long, because that’s the most “spiritual” form. And metis are no longer being born because Garu’s blood has been diluted, which also adds to the conflict between the old and the new and the elders’ resentment toward the fact that Garu’s connection with Garu no longer has critical consequences, as well as the young ones’ struggle for change.

What do you think about this? Share your thoughts.

Especially unarmored defense and wild shape, or your character abilities is fully overrode by wild shape?

This question applies to all editions.

My wife and I had an interesting debate about whether sex can trigger a frenzy and, consequently, a shape-shift during the process. Personally, I believe it cannot, since sex is often a means of reducing frenzy, and as far as I recall, the Revised Edition of Children of Gaia mentions a ritual related to this. I also believe that a particularly strong provocation is necessary for a frenzy, and something like that is extremely unlikely during sex. Also, purely from a metaplot perspective, this feature would clearly harm the already modest werewolf population.

My wife, on the other hand, believes that sex can trigger a lot of conflicting and intense emotions, which could lead to unexpected results, including a frenzy. Also, as far as I recall, W5 mentioned that sex can both lower and raise rage.

What do you think about this?

How exactly do bonus health and damage distribution work in Crinos? Suppose Garu takes 3 damage in Crinose—will that damage carry over after switching to Homid? If so, then the form’s bonus health doesn’t make much sense, since if the damage brings his health down to a certain point, Garu will immediately enter a pre-death state upon switching from Crinos.

I’ve started looking at the section of the book dealing with antagonists, and in some cases, I simply can’t match certain antagonists to anything that already exists in the World of Darkness 5th Edition or in previous editions of other games I’m familiar with. Should the fifth edition of the Hunters be considered the same kind of reboot as the werewolves, or did the transformation of humans into paintings and other oddities already exist in previous editions?