Gameplay
What books are needed to play on Ahadi: East Africa?
Below you will find what is needed for each character-type in the Ahadi. Keep in mind that Ahadi: East Africa staff does not support the use of illegal copies of any and all gaming materials. Players accept all responsibility for obtaining, trading and transferring illegal copies of the following materials. You can find all of the following on White Wolf's http://www.drivethrurpg.com if you cannot find copies of said books on eBay, Amazon.com, or other book resources. There is no reason why players should not be able to obtain these resources. Excuses for not having the books or required PDFs will not be tolerated. If you cannot obtain the books or PDF files you cannot play the character of your choice.
Due to issues with understanding the setting, we require all players to have the Players Guide to the Changing Breeds (even Garou) and the core Werewolf book. We've found that those without access to the Ahadi chapter in PGttCB do not understand the background and vision of our game. Aside from the history and purpose of the Ahadi, it also describes the issues as to why we don't allow some of the Fera (Ananasi, Ratkin, etc). We would rather avoid this conflict. Players Guide to the Changing Breeds updates much of the older content, but it doesn't completely replace it, therefore, it is necessary to have the older books as well. We also don't want to have a disproportionate amount of Garou in our game because players are interested in us, but not having the Changing Breeds book. We apologize for the inconvenience
- Ajaba: Revised Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Breed Book: Bastet
- Bastet: Revised Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Breed Book: Bastet
- Corax: Revised Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Breed Book: Corax
- Silent Strider : Revised Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Players Guide to Garou. It is preferred that players obtain a copy of the Tribebook of the Tribe you choose to play, but it is not required.
- Kucha Ekundu: Revised Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Players Guide to Garou.
It is preferred that players obtain a copy of the Tribebook of the Red Talons, but it is not required.
- Mokole: Revised Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Breed Book: Mokole
An additional note on books: If you choose to use a specific Gift, Rite, Ability, Fetish, etc., from any additional book(s), you must have the book(s) or PDF(s) in your possession. This will cut down on confusion between Players and Storytellers, as both are then able to look up the page(s) in question.
Antagonists as PCs
Wyrm, Possessed, Fomori and supernatural antagonists are not supported on Ahadi: East Africa and never will be. Being on a different continent than any of the game setting books White Wolf has produced leaves a lot of room for variations of the Ultimate Foe.
The Wyrm, as a venue, is one that should and will be left to Storytellers who can responsibly handle the actions of antagonists in a game. With the combined Cosmologies of five different Member-Breeds, there are varying degrees of belief in what is or is not 'evil'. It's because of this that the Storytellers have taken it upon themselves to create, present and play all antagonists that are introduced on the Chat.
How many PCs are players allowed to create?
After two-to-three months of activity, players are allowed to add and additional Character to their account. Neither of those may be of the same Member Breed and no crossover will be allowed or tolerated from a player's knowledge of another character's actions. This is an offense that can cause characters to be unapproved. Additionally, multiple characters from the same player are not allowed to join the same pack or timu.
As the Chat grows, so will the setting and at that point we will consider making more than two characters available to players.
Does my Character have to start the game with a timu?
No. Your character does not have to begin in the game with a timu, they don't even have to stay with a permanent timu. It's very rare that timus become a permanent thing unless it is contrived of all one Member Breed. However, if you do not have a timu, you will be assigned by the ranking members to complete certain tasks with temporary timus.
Why can't I play a Kinfolk?
Ahadi: East Africa does not support Kinfolk as Player Characters for. The most focused reason for this is that the game, itself, is focused on a single game: Werewolf: The Apocalypse and a single venue: Fera and two Tribes of Garou. There is no reason to have Kinfolk as the supporting characters of this game, nor is there any reason for them to be involved in the actions and missions that take place on our outside of the island, Ushirikiano Kisiwa. While there are several Kinfolk maintaining behind-the-scenes positions, the Kinfolk shall remain behind the scenes. Our focus is and should be on the main heroes of the game, the Member Breeds involved in the Ahadi.
Ahadi: East Africa characters are, however, entitled to take on NPC mates, contacts and allies. This must, first, be discussed with a Storyteller about the responsibilities and ramifications of such an action. After that session is concluded the characters is free to pursue seeking out Kinfolk for their specific needs during in-character interactions.
Gifts, Rites, and Magic
Can I learn out of auspice, breed, tribe gifts?
All gifts that are learned outside of breed, auspice or tribe must consist of the auspices, tribes or breeds present and available to your character on Ushirikiano Kisiwa. For instance: A Silent Strider may not learn a Black Fury gift as Black Furies are not Characters involved in Ahadi: East Africa.
The learning of these gifts must be approved by a Storyteller and must fit into your character's proverbial paradigm. Gifts from other auspice, breed and tribe must be learned through a Storyteller-run scene as these gifts are more difficult to learn than those available to your tribe, breed and auspice.
Healing Gifts
The traditional method of healing requires a roll of Intelligence and Medicine for gifts such as Mother’s Touch or Lick Wounds. Healing is a gift of the spirits which doesn’t require the use of a medical degree or training in the medical field in most cases. Quite a few psychic healing methods have been studied in ancient and present cultures the world over. Methods such as Reiki, Auraopathy, Faith Healing and Energy Paradigm have been present in the Occult field for decades. It is because of these methods that Ahadi: East Africa has decided to put a spin on the long-time rule of the use of medicine. Because these types of healing require studies in the occult we have changed all healing rules from a roll of Intelligence+Medicine to Intelligence+Occult. Medicine is still an operative and viable trait, it still tells users of the trait if bones are broken, what medical conditions their patient is under and what would be needed to heal wounds with traditional medicine. However, because of the stipulations of the trait (as per the book’s descriptions), to become an expert in healing one would need to obtain a medical degree or even a doctorate to become an avid healer. This has long been viewed as unrealistic, especially for those healers who may be of feral birth. Because healing is considered a gift of the spirits that requires a Shifter’s connection to Gaia (Gnosis) this rule has been shifted to fit the needs of the game. All characters making rolls for gifts that heal will be required to roll their Intelligence+Occult.
Can my character create custom gifts and rites for use on Ahadi: East Africa?
Custom Gifts and Rites are not currently allowed on Ahadi: East Africa. Players should not request this. If it becomes available, Storytellers will inform you.
Swiping Gifts
A tale of the War of Rage reminds Bastet that in the Old Times many of the Bastet spied on their then enemies, the Garou. During this time Bastet would ask, or try to force, spirits to teach them the gifts of their enemies. They also tracked their enemies for weeks in efforts to unravel their mysteries. It is said that during this time many secrets and gifts were stolen on both sides. This type of behavior, however, only caters to areas in which spirits serve both sides of the coin (i.e. Garou and Bastet) such as East Africa or South America.
Systematic Problems with Swiping Gifts:
- Some gifts simply will not work for a Bastet. Gifts that are particularly tied to auspices and thus the Garou’s relationship with Luna, may not work for a Bastet.
- If here is a similar gift that is available at a higher or lower rank for the Bastet, they will be unable to learn the gift until they have reached that level. For example: A Bagheera tries to swipe the Swara’s ability to sidestep into the Umbra at level 2, but is unable to do so because the Simba’s natural aptitudes are already established. Similarly the Swara would be unable to learn a side-stepping gift at rank one if she found a shifter with said gifted abilities.
- A Bagheera trying to learn a Philodox gift is possible. Trying to learn a Mokole gift, however, is simply impossible. Common Sense must be used in these actions.
- Cost: Level of Gift outside of Member Breed x 7. That would be 7 for a rank 1 gift, 14 for a rank 2 gift and so on. In any case, learning a gift above rank 2 outside of your Member Breed is extremely unlikely.
- Rule: The ability to learn any gift outside of your character’s Member Breed is Story Teller Discretion. No arguments will be had about this. If an ST tells you it’s impossible, it is impossible for a reason and one your character may learn later in the game.
- System: Ask a Storyteller which rolls should or need to be made in order to swipe gifts.
Social Problems with Swiping Gifts:
- Swiping Gifts is considered dishonorable among peers in the Ahadi. Should a Bastet want to learn a gift that only a Garou has, she has only but to ask. However, this does not mean that the Werewolf is indebted to the Bastet and must teach it to her. Gifts are gifts from the spirits and Garou covet them as closely as Bastet covet their sacred abilities. Should a Garou turn down a Bastet for learning one of their gifts and the Bastet shows up using it a few weeks later, you can bet there will be hell to pay.
- Possible Renown loss will be dealt by any and all offenders. The covenant was build on respect and tentative trust, to break that respect and trust is to break The Ahadi Code. The Spirits of the Island are always watching, so you can expect to get caught and take a hit for it if you commit such actions against another Ahadi Member. Swiping Gifts in the Ahadi is considered as dishonorable as lying about renown.
- Gifts are gifts from the Spirits and the preferred way of learning a gift is going through them. It is part of their bond with the Fera. To deny them this ability and to swipe would most certainly anger the Spirits. Additionally, the difficulty to master a gift that is not taught by the spirits could have considerable drawbacks. These flaws may include a higher difficulty on the roll than stated in the books, automatic failure and spirits who will turn their backs on you when asked for aid.
- A character who tries to learn a gift and cannot for any reason will not be required to forfeit the point expenditure. If it is impossible, your experience points will not be docked for trying to learn.
Swiping gifts was a last resort for Bastet in need during dire times. Such dire times may again approach. But as it stands here and now in the Ahadi there is no reason for such an ability to be used. In the end it is considered more honorable to approach the Fera in question to ask about the gift, and then to seek out a spirit who may or may not be able to teach it to a Bastet.
Detecting Garou/Fera/Kinfolk
There is something in a were-creature’s nature that tells them when someone else is like them. Whether it’s the animalistic way they carry themselves or the raw primal nature of the beast that resides within them, there is something different about those who fall under Gaia’s creations.
All characters seeking to awareness of another must have a detection gift (such as Scent of the True Form) in place in order to determine the nature of the beast within. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- A character’s status as a were-creature will not enlighten you as to the tribe/breed/auspice of that character, it merely tells you that your gut feeling was correct.
- A roll is required to detect Kinfolk of any breed. The difficulty to detect a kinfolk is 8- pure breed in which case the difficulty will not drop below 3.
- The exception to the rule: In the case of feral, or obvious breed-matches, the difficulty may be lowered or a roll may not be required. Example: You suspect a cheetah on the savanna is kin to your people, your testing its wits and willingness to be within five feet of you is enough to tell that this animal can tolerate your rage and is, therefore, kinfolk to the Swara. This may not be the case, however, if you are approaching the animal in your homid form, the creature may then flee because it is not comfortable with your form. You may then make a roll per the rules above to determine the animal’s status with your tribe or breed.
Hedge Magic
While Bastet are the only members of the Ahadi that can achieve Hedge Magic abilities, it will not be supported. These abilities take time, dedication and years of study that would take away from an Ahadi Member's duties. It was also rumored that the genocidal Black Tooth achieved his most heinous attacks against the shifters of Africa through Hedge Magic and the Dark Arts. It is because of this that the ranking members of the Ahadi have called for a ban on learning such abilities for use unless under the strict supervision of a talented Hedge Mage. To date, no one in the Eastern Axis has yet achieved these abilities, nor have they heard of its use from the ranking Bastet. On the Out Of Character perspective, Hedge Magic involves the use of Mage: The Ascension which is not supported at this time on Ahadi: East Africa.
Again, Ahadi: East Africa staff would like to keep a focus on a single game and the abilities therein without throwing the complications of another game and system into the mix.
Backgrounds
For backgrounds as a character trait, please see the Backgrounds page of House Rules
Do all characters require a background?
Yes, all characters on Ahadi: East Africa are required to submit a background through the character creation process. There are no exceptions to this rule. When you fill out your character sheets through the Character Management System, the Spark of Life form will prompt you to give answers about your characters past.
These sections should not be shirked or 'half-assed', you should offer as much information as possible. This makes the approval process easier on your Storyteller and faster for you, as a player. This is your chance to gift justifications for certain backgrounds, abilities, etc., and should be practiced with each and every character you submit. For more information on what we want from this page of the character system, check out the Character Creation Guidelines.
Renown and XP
Renown
Please also see the information on how we treat Renown as a function of the game.
Ahadi: East Africa follows the Renown Charts located in Werewolf: The Apocalypse 3rd edition, Werewolf: Storyteller’s Companion and Players Guide to the Changing Breeds. As the book states, 10 temporary points of Renown are converted to 1 permanent point of Renown following the Rite of Accomplishment or the Rite of Recognition. However, Ahadi: East Africa will be a slow-gain system in which you must choose one Renown trait (i.e. Glory, Honor, or Wisdom) to raise at the monthly Moot Rite. You may not choose to raise any two or any three to a permanent status in any given month. We believe this system is more rewarding and therefore more coveted by players who want a tempered rank system.
In addition to only raising one eligible trait per month, regardless if others are also at 10 temporary, too, you may not bank temporary points above 10.
For example, you can't have 14 temp points of Glory and expect that after the rite that you will have a permanent point and 4 temp points still, nor could you get 20 temp points and assume you will get 2 permanent points.
You may also not attempt to circumvent this system by applying for renown after the fact. All renown for any particular month's awarding must have occurred within the 4-week period of the month in which you submit it for. This reflects your monthly chores, duties, success and failures.
Experience (XP)
For information on our XP Award system, please see the XP page.
Experience points are valued at the current rating × value, as per Werewolf: The Apocalypse, page 181.
Because of the nature of Ahadi: East Africa, it has been discussed that in most online games characters advance rapidly without justification for periods that would correspond to downtime in a table top game. It's because of this that we have developed a sliding scale for purposes of fleshing out the character, not the character sheet.
The sliding scale is broken down into three separate categories, with three levels per category. For each level, you are eligible for one experience point. However, to reach the second experience point for that category, you must have been awarded the first, and to be given the third XP, you must reach the second. For example, you can not get awarded for the first and the third point in each category. The categories include: Roleplaying, Cooperation, and Story Involvement. The maximum amount from these three tiers is 9 points of experience points in 1 month’s time. Additionally experience points may be given provided the Storyteller should feel it is earned through extra credit, or superb roleplaying.
Additional traits may be added to your character sheet, per the storyteller's discretion, or for purposes of developing a character within reason.
Miscellany
Regaining Rage, Gnosis and Willpower
Because of the nature of online roleplaying, it will be assumed that your characters will be meditating to regain their connection to Gaia and Luna in the downtime of the chat. All characters will begin will full Rage, Gnosis and Willpower every 24-hour period.
However, if you are in the middle of an on-going Storyline, or you are in the middle of a battle and you must leave and/or quit for the time being your Rage, Gnosis and Willpower expenditures will be recorded and you will be expected to resume the scene with those scores in tact unless stated otherwise by a Storyteller.
Cosmology
Cosmology will be used as an additional skill, not a Lore. While the functionality of the trait remains largely the same, characters will now be able to use this trait in rolls through the use of knowledge rather than Lore. In some cases, the user will need to unravel the mysteries of what is set in front of them (much like enigmas) and may require extended rolls and actions.
Camps and Tribal Flaws
Because of the limited Garou population on Ahadi: East Africa and the unique personalities of the tribes involved, Werewolf Camps and Tribal flaws will not be allowed on this chat.
You may:
- Choose to purchase a flaw that reflects the stereotypes of your tribe, given it is not banned or restricted.
- Create a character whose concept fits into that of any given tribal Camp.
You may not:
- Purchase Camp Gifts or Rites.
- Create a character who is part of a Camp or that requires a Camp to be a viable character.
Yava
Yava has always been a widely debated topic among Bastet players that was open to interpretation and based on folklore. With very few instances in which the tribal ‘flaws’ would be active, and very few consequences for these actions the Yava was labeled ‘silly’ and unnecessary.
In the Revised installment of Fera, as seen in Players Guide to the Changing Breeds, Yava was not mentioned as a trait of the 8 remaining tribes of Bastet. While in the Bastet Breedbook it was stated as one of the most dangerous and perilous of Secrets among the breed, its importance was rarely played up or given the opportunity in which to be played.
It is because of this that Ahadi: East Africa has chosen to remove Yava from the game.
