Default Shifter Information

❃ DEFAULT WEREWOLF STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
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STRENGTHS
I. Pain Tolerance - In shifted forms, werewolves have an extremely high pain tolerance.
II. Base physical stats (human form) are that of peak human (ie: Olympian)
III. Increased strength / stamina / speed when taking a form other than human. (Wolf and Werewolf)
IV. Werewolves have very high metabolisms, and as a result, it is almost impossible to effectively sedate one of them, or treat them for pain.
V. The ability to form packs, and benefit from them.
VI. Heal very quickly in shifted forms and are almost possible to scar short of a life threatening wound caused by silver
VI. Werewolves may have human lifespans, but they in general appear 5-20 years younger than actual age, and maintain physical attributes at a peak for a very long time.
VII. Instincts - strong survival.

WEAKNESSES / FLAWS
I. Silver - Wounds caused by silver will only heal at a normal human rate. Additionally silver is painful and burns on contact. (The exception is when in human form).
II. Excessive rage can trigger an uncontrolled shift
III. The drawback to increased pain tolerance is that the were-creature may not know when to retreat in a fight, and become incapacitated. There have been werewolves who have absorbed incredible amounts of damage only to drop dead the moment the fell out of their Berserk State.
IV. Instincts are a double edged sword. A werewolf who experiences strong emotions; anger/humiliation / fear / embarrassment / pain may lose control and become Berserk or go into Flight Mode. (See Instincts below)
V. Normal Human Life Span.
VI. Sensitive to any threat to their dominance from another wolf outside of the established dominance hierarchy.
VI. Werewolves are born sterile and cannot have children

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❃ Lunacy - Howling at the Moon
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Werewolves have always had an affinity for the moon. This connection is a particularly strong Instinct for werewolves as they are generally nocturnal and sensitive to the light phases of the moon. The approach of the full moon energizes the Wolves. They become more active and can be wilder, which may result in parties, mayhem, hunts, more extremes in behaviors etc. In short, the more light, the more powerful and guided by Instinct they feel.

Running wild in this matter in a safe environment away from the prying eyes of man is healthy and cathartic for a wolf. Letting the animal side of themselves out acts as a safety valve and gives them a greater measure of control over their Instincts. The more they throw themselves into the Full Moon, the greater control they gain the rest of the month This does not keep them from entering a Berserk State, but offers a greater resistance before they reach the point that Instinct takes over (Berserk) and they involuntarily shift,

If moonlight is denied for two long period (months) it can disrupt this rhythm causing a werewolf to sink into a depression and become lethargic.

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❃ DOMINANCE - The Natural Hierarchy
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The disposition of an individual to assert control in dealing with others.

Animal Behavior: High status in a social group, usually acquired as the result of aggression, that involves the tendency to take priority in access to limited resources such as food, mates, or space.

The Dominance Hierarchy is an instinct driven natural selection of survival and leadership. Understanding one's place within it is an important part of pack life, werewolf society, and the emotional well-being of individual wolves.

A. New/Loner/Drifter/Omega: Learning, Go with the flow, keep your head down.
B. Middle of the Pack: Established understanding of where you are in the pack and community, how you fit it. To humans you come across as a strong 'Type A' personality.
C. Guardians/Soldiers/Warriors: You must RP distinctly dominant, challenges (real or perceived) are dealt with. You understand your roll in the pack but will push the envelope and challenge the Alpha on some matters, and seek to replace them when they falter.
D. Lead Wolf: You make the hairs on the backs of human's neck stand up. They feel uneasy around you and will try not to spend too much time in your company. Wolves take notice of you treating you with awe and respect. Some are wary, showing fear while others seek to please you hoping for your favor and continued company.

Note:
If a wolf is slightly to more Dominant than you: The Instinct is to show some respect / caution
If a wolf is obviously more Dominant than you: The instinct is to show respect and some awe
If a wolf outstrips your Dominance: The instinct is to show respect, awe, and fear and can be compelled verbally. Typically wolf would (as survival mechanism) seek to please or obtain protection.

A werewolf innately cannot openly challenge another wolf that is too far above them in Dominance. (New/loner will not challenge a soldier)

Dominance is an integral part of role play for Werewolves. It can be lost through IC decisions or gained through superior and consistent role-play.

NOTE: Wolves can instantly instinctively sense other werewolves in close-mid range proximity. (Read profiles, IM players to confirm they are a werewolf and confirm their dominance as this would be sensed and is ok to read the Meta)

This sense only works for identifying other wolves, not other races.

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❃ Packs - Security, Safety, Reassurance, Unity.
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Werewolves tend to bow to the instinctual need to gather and form packs. There is comfort and stability in this social structure. Uniting with your own increases your chances of survival and provides a sense of belonging, of family.

Minimum number of members required to start a pack is 4 (whether coming into the game as a pack or starting one IC'ly in the game itself)

Benefits of a Pack
The Alpha shares an empathic connection with their pledged wolves. They can get a sense of what their wolves are feeling and share it with the rest of the pack (Emotions only). This is not a form of reallocation or telepathy.

Pack Healing-A severely wounded werewolf can be brought back from the brink if the pack gathers and presses around their fallen pack mate focusing their strength on the injured. If the pack is large enough it might take a night to pull the wounded from deaths door. The healing might two to three days with a small pack.

Traditional Werewolf Hierarchy. A pack can establish their own names and symbols for ranks, but the roles and hierarchy dictated by Instincts remains the same. As such, Dominance plays an important role in the determining one's place within a pack.

Alphas may achieve their status by means of superior physical prowess and/or through social efforts and building alliances within the group.

Regardless of dominance, all who pledge to an Alpha regardless of dominance of those involved, the leader is considered to be dominant enough over the pledged wolf to verbally compel them. The pledged wolf's natural instinct will be to show awe/fear/respect depending on the situation. This is in effect as long as the pledged wolf is part of the pack. It is the combined strength of the pack itself that gives the Alpha their boost in Dominance. Again Instinct plays a hand in this. In order to thrive a pack requires a strong alpha capable of leading and guiding. The sharing of a portion of Dominance with their alpha helps ensure this.

Many packs have their own titles, positions, responsibilities and pecking orders but the following are the basic positions found within all of them in one form or another. Larger packs will have more levels of responsibilities and ranks.

Ranks Symbol
Alpha α Pack leader
Beta β 2nd in Command, the Alpha's right hand, granted a large array of responsibilities and power. A large pack might have two Betas
Omega ω See Below

Loners ◊ See Below

Lone Wolves, referred to by a number of names (sola, Solus (Latin for 'loner'), solitaires, loners, odds), are tolerated by packs but still considered strange as there is an instinct to seek out the company of other wolves. There are no Omega lone wolves as they cannot survive on their own.

Omegas are Restricted and must be approved by staff. They are rare and have to find a place in a pack as soon as possible as they need the social structure of other wolves to survive. An Omega has 21 days from the day of their character approval to join a pack. If not they will be killed or chased off the island by the other werewolves. A pack will only accept one Omega.

Omega werewolves are subordinate to all others in the community, and are expected by others in the group to remain submissive to everyone. Omegas may also be used as pack scapegoats or outlets for frustration, or given the lowest priority when distributing food, etc. Omega's always the lowest on in Dominance Hierarchy.

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❃ The Family (folks, blood, tribe, band, etc.)
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The Family are those humans who carry the werewolf gene.

Those that are aware of the 'family secret' are valued members of werewolf society. They are advisors, they act as ambassadors and buffers between wolves and human society when necessary. They provide stability and access to much needed skills and knowledge. It is rare that a werewolf is able to earn a degree or become a doctor unless their first transformation does not happen until much later in life. Family know to be careful around Wolves, that Instincts drive their loved ones, and at times they must show deference in order to appease the beast. On the whole, family members are treasured by werewolves and they are known to act as match makers, sometimes to the annoyance of their human relations. There have known to be tensions between packs over Family and their Instincts have got the better of them but it usually gets sorted quickly, with the human deciding their place.

There have been packs that collect and treat Family like but it has never ended well.

It is up to the each Wolf and Alpha how they will treat and relate to Family.
Family ⋈
Father ∆
Mother ∇

Father and Mother being titles bestowed upon Family members who have earned their place in Werewolf Society and the respect of the Pack.

The Family are normal humans and can only be sensed by Werewolves when they are in close proximity.

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❃ THE FORMS
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I. Human
A normal human of peak health, strength, and endurance.
When a werewolf is rendered unconscious or killed they return to human form.
Silver makes them uncomfortable in this form. They cannot sense it unless they are exposed to it. When human it causes a moderate metallic allergy.

II. Wolf
A normal wolf of peak health, strength, and endurance.
Heightened Senses, Claws, Fangs. Endurance and speed well beyond that of a human. Fur coat allows greater resistance to the elements.
Moving on all fours and having a tail also increases balance.
Werewolves cannot speak in this form but convey concepts through body language and vocalizations; howls, yips, barks which are a language unto themselves but very simplistic. A Howl might be a call to arms, HELP ME!, or a joyous WHOOOO I KICKED ASS! While whining might be a showing sympathy, displaying pain, or asking for help.
Any action requiring opposing thumbs is obviously out of the question.

III. Werewolf
This form is the man-beast of legend and the eponymous of their Race.
When werewolves take this form they gain two to three feet in height and bulk out, tripling their weight as their frame fills out with muscle. A thick coat of fur covers their body and allows for protection and resistance to the elements.
They gain; heightened senses, massive claws and fangs, superhuman speed/agility, strength and endurance.
Wolves are able to heal damage at an accelerated rate in this form, except for wounds caused by fire and silver.
Silver is deadly in this form; its very touch burns, blackens flesh and causes weakness.

The amount of damage a Werewolf can absorb and still keep going is truly frightening. They have the ability to stay on their feet and functional despite massive wounds. For short periods of time they can even overcome wounds that would normally kill but Instinct takes over. When the short burst of adrenaline ends the cumulative effect of the injuries catch up with them. Many werewolves drop dead on the spot.
Decapitation, transection, or silver wounds to the brain or heart cause instant death. Removal of the heart and/or lungs causes death within one round.


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❃ SHIFTING
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I. Wolf of average Dominance: 2 posts to shift. An Omega might take up to 3 posts.
II. An Alpha or Lead wolf: 1 posts to shift
III. Restricted Dominance levels reaching higher: Ranging from 1 full post, to using just 1 action within a 2 action post.

Werewolves who lose themselves to their Instincts and become Berserk instantly shift into their werewolf form.
Wolves who lose themselves to fear Instincts shift to their wolf form if there is room to run away, and werewolf form to attack whoever stands between them and escaping before running.

Partial shifts are not allowed for non-restricted roles. You are not functional until you have completed your shift, i.e. - you can absorb great damage during the shift but you cannot dish it out until you are fully shifted.