First Change (WTA)

The First Change is the name for the first shapeshifting of a young Garou (and for most Fera). Usually it comes along with the first frenzy and the first usage of the Crinos battle-form in highly stressful situations. At some times however, the change can be more placid and straightforward, as the shapeshifter melds into another form.

Legacy[]

The First Change for most shapeshifters comes after adolescence for human born shifters, between 2 and 3 years for most animals, and around 8 years for Metis. The change can also come later in life and this is known as a late change, which happens most commonly with the Gurahl.

5th Edition[]

In Werewolf 5th Edition, the First Change most frequently occurs in young adulthood (roughly 18-25 for human-born Garou). Those born as Kin may go their whole lives without undergoing the right stimuli at the right time to let them realize their true nature, but no matter how old they are, the chance of experiencing their First Change never completely goes away. Similarly, Kin who Change prior to the age of maturity are rare, with First Changes below the age of 16 being almost unheard of.^[1]

The precise age range for wolf-born Garou are unclear, but likely correspond in terms of level of maturity.

Although young adulthood is the most common point, the First Change can happen at any time in a Kin’s life, whenever a moment of such especial tragedy shocks or forces an unknowing Garou out of their self-ignorance into a harsh and immediate realization of self-knowledge. Not every First Change happens so dramatically, though. Some individuals experience their First Change by taking the shape of a wolf in their dreams and waking to find it true, or themselves in communion with a place of natural beauty. Some individuals belong to human cultures with animistic traditions of their own, and have their spirituality guide them to understanding or even find themselves guided to it by a mentor or friendly spirit. These comparatively gentle realizations of the Garou condition are the exception rather than the rule, however. Most First Changes are turning points of violence, shame, tragedy, and regret.

There are other ways, crueler ways, to become a werewolf, but those other methods do not allow one to become Garou. A few depraved individuals, or ones driven mad by seeking such forbidden knowledge, do succeed in stealing the ability to shapeshift into wolf form — and for some, even something akin to the crinos form. Known as Stolen Moons, these false werewolves are near-universally reviled among Garou. Even in the cases where an encounter does not swiftly lead to hostilities, it is usually because the Stolen Moon in question did not or could not understand the circumstances that led to them becoming what they now are. But when the deed was done deliberately, the Garou offer no quarter.^[2]