The Gurahl are werebears, one of the surviving Changing Breeds of the Classic World of Darkness.
Overview[]

Symbol used by the Gurahl to describe themselves
According to their own chronicles, the Gurahl were Gaia's original protectors, created to ward off the destructive power of the "Pattern Breaker". When it grew too powerful for them, they petitioned Gaia for help, and so she created the Garou.
Slow to anger, the Gurahl tend to be healers and protectors rather than warriors. Rare since the War of Rage, they were targeted for refusing to teach the Garou the secret of resurrecting the dead.
Gurahl are blessed by Gaia with strong wills and many traits of their bear cousins. Their sense of smell is far superior to that of humans, though when in non-human forms, their eyesight is poorer. They have a level of conscious control over their biorhythms, allowing them to alter the speed of their metabolisms, but are susceptible to the seasonal urges of bears, becoming sluggish and lazy in Winter.
Breeds[]
The Gurahl have only two breeds: Homid (born of humans) and Ursine (born of bears). There are no Metis Gurahl - their mates are chosen through a special ritual, and even should two Gurahl mate, no child is ever born of their union.
Auspices[]
Gurahl have five auspices which, like those of the Garou, correspond to phases of the moon. Gurahl auspices are not fixed, however; each Gurahl progresses through all five in the order below during their lifetime, though individuals may spend more or less time in certain auspices.
The Gurahl auspices, with their Garou equivalents, are:
- Arcas - the New Moon (Ragabash)
- Uzmati - the Full Moon (Ahroun)
- Kojubat - the Gibbous Moon (Galliard)
- Kieh - the Crescent Moon (Theurge)
- Rishi - the Half Moon (Philodox)
Forms[]

Gurahl forms
Gurahl forms are analogous to those of the Garou:
- Homid - human form.
- Arthren - near-man form. Considerably stronger and tougher than the glabro form of werewolves, Gurahl in Arthren form are thought to have inspired legends of the Sasquatch and similar creatures.
- Crinos - the war form. Extraordinarily strong and tough, not to mention huge: anywhere between 10 and 16 feet in height, and weighing up to 1200 kg.
- Bjornen - near-bear form. Resembling an ancient cave bear, with longer claws and fangs, the Bjornen form is almost as large and powerful as Crinos, with even more vicious bite and claw damage.
- Ursus - bear form. Homid Gurahl take the form of bears matching their Tribe.
Culture[]
There are four major Gurahl tribes, each representing a particular species of bear and geographical region (though exceptions to both do occur within each tribe):
- Forest Walkers - black bears from eastern North America, whose kinfolk are mostly Native Americans
- Ice Stalkers - polar bears from the Arctic regions, mostly Ursine with few Homids
- Mountain Guardians - mostly grizzly bears, based in western North America and who also claim Native American kinfolk
- River Keepers - brown bears whose population was decimated during the War of Rage; they are now mostly found in northern North America and Russia.
- Okuma - this fifth tribe was destroyed during the War of Shame; they were bears native to Asia, including moon bears, sun bears, and even giant pandas
Code of Ursa[]
- Cherish the Cubs
- Protect the Land
- Heal the Sick
- Nurture the Needy
- Teach the Supplicant
- Breed Wisely
- Cleanse the Tainted
- Guard the Secrets
- Rights of the Elder
- Remember Your History
- Punish the Guilty
- Avenge Wrongful Slaying
Gifts and Rituals[]
Gurahl gifts and rites are primarily concerned with healing and the purification of the land, and include few outright martial powers. All Gurahl can learn the healing gift called Healing Tongue (equivalent to the Children of Gaia gift Grandmother's Touch), and most do.
As noted above, the Gurahl's most extraordinary and well-guarded secret is returning the spirits of dead people to their bodies. This can only be achieved soon after death, and at great personal and spiritual cost, using the gift Gaia's Breath. In cases of dire need, Gurahl may perform the Rite of Fighting the Death Bear, in which they must challenge Mangi, the aspect of Bear attuned to death. This rite is only ever used to revive fallen Shapeshifters, and even then, almost never on non-Gurahl.
Renown[]
Gurahl recognize three types of renown: Honor, for devotion and respect; Succor, for acts of healing, purification or giving aide to others; and Wisdom, for restoring, preserving or uncovering knowledge or gaining a deeper understanding of oneself.
Relationships with others[]
Gurahl live solitary lives often in areas of remote wilderness, and seldom encounter other Fera. They have limited familiarity with the Ananasi or Rokea, and almost none at all with the Ajaba, Nagah, or Kitsune.
While they are happy the Ratkin remain in their cities, they maintain friendly relations with the Bastet, Corax, Mokolé, and Nuwisha, particularly missing the company of the latter. While they still feel great anger from the War of Rage, they are willing to look past their grievances and work with the Garou, who they once knew as their little brothers, to stave off the Apocalypse.
Known Gurahl[]
- Amos
- Arturus
- Aurgra
- Bill the Bear
- Eldridge Bonecrusher
- Hezekiah Blake
- Kirima Skye
- Leaping Bear
- Michael
- Most Ancient of Bears
- Oleyah Voice-of-Mourning
- Orphea Lightwalker
- Sarah Childslayer
- Snarl Tooth Tangle Fur
- Tessa Speaks-the-Truth
- Turgiv Bruzov
- Ursula Berensen
Gallery[]
Version Differences[]
First Edition[]
Werewolf: The Apocalypse Rulebook (1992) mentions the Sons of the Bear (werebears) under the Bear Totem; Rite of Passage (1992) has a Children of the Bear character play an important part in the chronicle who believes that he is the last of the werebears; Dark Alliance: Vancouver (1993) only depcits an image of a Gurahl (See Trivia Below); GURPS Werewolf: The Apocalypse (1993) mentions a were-polar bear and Rage Across Russia (1993) Gurahl are mentioned in the opening page of Chapter Three.
Werewolf Players Guide (1993) introduces the Gurahl, with their history, Great Council of Bears, powers of Life and Death, War of Rage, Bear and Ursa Major as Totems, Breeds (Homid, Ursine and no Metis), Forms, being unable to spend Rage to gain extra actions, gaining extra Strength dice by spending points of Rage, only spending Rage up to the limit of their Strength, Auspices being associated with the age of the Gurahl, Rank (Succor, Honor and Wisdom), mention that certain Garou Gifts come from the Gurahl originally (Mother's Touch, Sense Wyrm, Strength of Purpose, Scent of the True Form and others), Rite list and a Gurahl character from Vancouver.
Form Statistics
Strength | Stamina | Dexterity | Appearance | Manipulation | Performance | Difficulty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Glabro: +3 | Glabro: +3 | Glabro: - | Glabro: -2 | Glabro: -1 | Glabro: - | Glabro: 7 |
Crinos: +5 | Crinos: +4 | Crinos: -1 | Crinos: 0 | Crinos: -2 | Crinos: -1 | Crinos: 6 |
Hispo: +4 | Hispo: +5 | Hispo: -2 | Hispo: - | Hispo: -2 | Hispo: - | Hispo: 7 |
Ursine: +2 | Ursine: +3 | Ursine: -1 | Ursine: - | Ursine: -3 | Ursine: - | Ursine: 6 |
The GURPS Werewolf: The Apocalypse Companion book was canceled, since the Vampire version is the Players Guide, this book would have featured the Gurahl in it if it was published.
Second Edition[]
Werewolf: The Apocalypse Second Edition (1994) the Gurahl are mentioned under the Bear Totem, Werewolf Storytellers Handbook (1994) discusses the Gurahl in the War of Rage section and Who's Who Among Werewolves: Garou Saga (1994) mentions the Gurahl in Klaital's Journey, Rage Across Appalachia (1995) lists a Gurahl character, World of Darkness: Midnight Circus (1996) has a Gurahl stuck in the Circus and Call to Battle: The Saga of Jay No-Name (1996) has a dead Gurahl that has been collected and persevered by a Progenitor Mage for cloning purposes.
The Gurahl are mentioned in various Tribebooks, usually under the "Views" sections: Red Talons Tribebook (1995; in the War of Rage section), Shadow Lords Tribebook (1996), Silver Fangs Tribebook (1997; in the War of Rage section), Stargazers Tribebook (1997), Uktena Tribebook (1998), and Wendigo Tribebook (1998).
At least one Gurahl is featured in Rage's Basic Set (1995) and the book, Rage: Warriors of the Apocalypse (1996). One Gurahl character would also be in Rage Across Las Vegas (1997-1999) by Five Rings Publishing Group. However, they were only represented as character cards one could add as support to a Garou deck, they never received enough material in either game to run an all Gurahl themed deck.
The various Breed books would also mention the Gurahl under the "Views" sections: Bastet (1997, in The Changing Breeds – First Twilight Section), Nuwisha (1997), Corax (1998), Ratkin (1999), Mokolé (1999, War of Rage and War of Shame section), Ananasi (2000) and Nagah (2001). Both Mokolé and Hengeyokai: Shapeshifters of the East (1998) introduces the Okuma, the lost Asian Gurahl.
Kinfolk: Unsung Heroes (1997), has a section on their Kinfolk by Duran-nah, who is also a Dreamspeaker. Laws of the Wild (1997) has a section on the Gurahl.
The Gurahl book (1998) discusses their lexicon, history, legends, gatherings, the tribes are introduced (Forest Walkers, Ice Stalkers, Mountain Guardians and River Keepers), Code of Ursa, the Okuma, Umbral Glades, views on others, auspices, use of Rage to increase Strength, frenzy and Wyrm frenzy, regenerate as the same as the Garou, aggravated damage caused by silver, forms, totem (Faces of Bear: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Mangi the Death Bear), falling into deep sleep, Bhernocht, abilities, backgrounds, Merits, Flaws, Gift list, Rites, Renown, Rank (Kovi, Verden, Sorna, Talchwi and Matae), Fetishes, templates, characters of note and how to storytell Gurahl Chronicles.
Form Statistics
Strength | Stamina | Dexterity | Appearance | Manipulation | Performance | Difficulty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arthren: +3 | Arthren: +3 | Arthren: - | Arthren: -2 | Arthren: -2 | Arthren: +1 | Arthren: 7 |
Crinos: +5 | Crinos: +5 | Crinos: -1 | Crinos: 0 | Crinos: -3 | Crinos: -1 | Crinos: 6 |
Bjornen: +4 | Bjornen: +4 | Bjornen: -2 | Bjornen: - | Bjornen: -3 | Bjornen: +2 | Bjornen: 7 |
Ursus: +3 | Ursus: +3 | Ursus: - | Ursus: - | Ursus: -3 | Ursus: +2 | Ursus: 6 |
Werewolf Players Guide Second Edition (1998) lists a Gift List, Breeds, Forms, Description, Organization, Traits, Tribes, Umbral Glades, Rite and Stereotypes.
Rage Across the Heavens (1999) discusses the importance of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor to Gurahl cosmology. In addition, they also honor Polaris, Sirius and the Pleiades. They look to Serpentarius for guidance and see Eshtarra as their planetary Incarna patron. The Book of the Weaver (1999) has a Gurahl discuss the Weaver, World of Darkness: Blood-Dimmed Tides (1999) mentions the Ice Stalkers, The Silver Record (1999), Guardians of the Caerns (2000) discusses how Gurahl operate Umbral Glades, Croatan Song (2000) mentions them under Other Shapeshifters and A World of Rage (2000) mentions an Ice Stalker in Canada.
Werewolf: The Wild West (1997) mentions them in the Changing Breeds section, Laws of the Wyld West (1999) has a section on the Gurahl and Werewolf: The Dark Ages (1999) mentions how the Gurahl suffered greatly in Europe under the War of Rage.
The Wild West Companion (1998) discusses their description, organization, traits, breeds, forms, gift list, rites and stereotypes. Urus form is renamed back to Ursine only in the form statistics. Arthren's Difficulty is changed from 7 to 6 and Crinos is changed from 6 to 7.
Revised Edition[]
Werewolf Storytellers Companion (2001) has a section on the Gurahl and lists a Gurahl Forest Guardian for use in games; in Umbra Revised (2001) the Gurahl are welcomed in the Wendigo Homeland.
The Gurahl are usually mentioned in the viewpoints in the Revised Tribebooks, these include: Tribebook: Black Furies (2001), Tribebook: Bone Gnawers (2001), Tribebook: Children of Gaia (2002), Tribebook: Fianna (2002), Tribebook: Get of Fenris (2002), Tribebook: Glass Walkers (2002), Tribebook: Red Talons (2002), Tribebook: Shadow Lords (2002), Tribebook: Silver Fangs (2003), Tribebook: Stargazers (2003, War of Shame section about the Okuma), Tribebook: Uktena (2003) and Tribebook: Wendigo (2003).
Players Guide to the Changing Breeds (2003) presents the Gurahl legend, lexicon, organization, Code of Ursa, traits, advantages, vulnerabilities, bhernocht, backgrounds, abilities, breeds, Auspices, Totem (the faces of Bear), Tribes, forms, gift list, rites and stereotypes.
Form Statistics
Strength | Stamina | Dexterity | Appearance | Manipulation | Difficulty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arthren: +3 | Arthren: +3 | Arthren: - | Arthren: -2 | Arthren: -2 | Arthren: 7 |
Crinos: +5 | Crinos: +5 | Crinos: -1 | Crinos: 0 | Crinos: -3 | Crinos: 6 |
Bjornen: +4 | Bjornen: +4 | Bjornen: -2 | Bjornen: - | Bjornen: -3 | Bjornen: 7 |
Ursus: +3 | Ursus: +3 | Ursus: - | Ursus: - | Ursus: -3 | Ursus: 6 |
Werewolf Storytellers Handbook Revised (2002) discusses how to storytell the Gurahl in the Fera section, Possessed (2002) discusses Gurahl Drones; Book of the City (2002) mentions that is very rare for a Gurahl to enter a city and that only a dire or strange event would drive them to such a task; Tribe Novels: Bone Gnawers & Stargazers, Children of Gaia & Uktena (2002) mentions them; Hammer & Klaive (2003) lists Gurahl Fetishes and discusses the culture around fetish-making with the Gurahl; and Dark Ages: Werewolf (2003) discusses the Gurahl in the Fera section. Apocalypse (2004) discusses the Gurahl in the Opening Salvo chapter, in the Ragnarok scenario they defend places known as Earth centers, if any living creatures survive, the Gurahl are essential to Gaia's continued existence. The book also features a Gurahl character and rite in the Appendix. The Last Battle novel (2004) features the Most Ancient of Bears.
Mind Eye Theatre books include: Laws of the Wild Revised Edition (2001) has the Gurahl in the Changing Breeds section; Laws of the Wild: Changing Breeds 2 (2000), Book of the Wyrm (2001) introduces the Purgers and Hengeyokai: Way of the Beast Courts (2002) discusses the Okuma.
20th Anniversary Edition[]
Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition (2013), Changing Breeds (2013), presents their history, organization, lexicon, Code of Ursa, traits, renown, advantages, vulnerabilities, backgrounds, Abilities, Tribes, bhernocht, auspices, forms, Totem (Bear and her faces), gift list, rites, fetish, and stereotypes. The Gurahl's Crinos form incites reduced Delirium, they are incapable of fox frenzy, can only step sideways within an Umbral Glade or the Rite of Rending the Gauntlet. The Okuma are listed under the Lost Breeds chapter.
Form Statistics
Strength | Stamina | Dexterity | Appearance | Manipulation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arthren: +3 | Arthren: +3 | Arthren: +0 | Arthren: -2 | Arthren: -2 |
Crinos: +5 | Crinos: +5 | Crinos: -1 | Crinos: 0 | Crinos: -3 |
Bjornen: +4 | Bjornen: +4 | Bjornen: -2 | Bjornen: - | Bjornen: -3 |
Ursus: +3 | Ursus: +3 | Ursus: - | Ursus: - | Ursus: -3 |
Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds (2014), features a story with a Gurahl; Rage Across the World (2013) has two Ice Stalker characters mentioned; Kinfolk: A Breed Apart (2016), discusses Gurahl Kinfolk; Wyld West Expansion Pack (2014) discusses the Gurahl in the Western Fera section; and the non-canonical Shattered Dreams (2016) features the Gurahl and the Okuma.
Mind's Eye Theatre: Werewolf: The Apocalypse (2016) features the Gurahl.
5th Edition[]
Bear-shifters (whether or not they still use the term 'Gurahl' for themselves or some other term is kept ambiguous) have had their survival of the War of Rage confirmed in 5th edition. Aside from the changes uniformly made to all Fera (such as being more diminished by the War of Rage and emerging through mostly random Kin rather than Kinfolk bloodlines), they are by and large unchanged from their original characterization and abilities. They are given the universal ability to go into hibernation for several days at a time and even induce similar hibernation in others, in order to rapidly heal Aggravated damage without the need for Rage, though inducing such in a werewolf results in them losing the wolf upon waking.
In addition to the standard benefits and drawbacks of the natural animal forms of all Fera, a bear-shifter's bear form gives them +3 dice to all Strength-based tests but a -3 dice penalty to all Resolve-based tests.
A Bear Shifter miniature is featured in one of the Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Retaliation expansions.
Trivia[]
- Being one of the earliest created Changing Breed for the setting, the Gurahl originally went by "Children of the Bear" or "Sons of the Bear" in very early First Edition books of Werewolf: The Apocalypse.[1][2] The change to Gurahl happened in the Werewolf Players Guide by 1993.
- In Dark Alliance: Vancouver, there is a full-page art piece by Ron Spencer depicting a Gurahl and Corax together. However, there is no chapter or text about them, which might have been lost errata that never made it to the printers.
- The Gurahl are named after the roaring and growling sounds bears make (Roo-al).
- The Gurahl are inspired by the Norse berserkers (bearskin) and shapeshifting Native American Bear Shamans.
- The Ursine family includes: the Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear, Polar Bear, Asian Black Bear, American Black Bear, Sun Bear, Sloth Bear, Spectacled Bear, the Giant Panda, etc.
- Extinct species include: Arctodus (Short-faced bear), Arctotherium, Tremarctos floridanus, California grizzly bear (1924), etc.
References[]
- ↑ WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Rulebook, p. 264
- ↑ WTA: Rite of Passage, p. 32-33, 54, 59
- WTA: Werewolf Players Guide, p. 144-148
- WTA: Breedbook: Gurahl
- WTWW: The Wild West Companion, p. 124-129
- WTA: Werewolf Players Guide Second Edition, p. 152-157
- WTA/cMET: Laws of the Wild: Changing Breeds 2, p. 7-103
- WTA: Player's Guide to the Changing Breeds, p. 84-97
- W20: Changing Breeds, p. 103-121
Werewolf: The Apocalypse Fera | |
---|---|
Gaian Breeds | Ajaba · Ananasi · Apis · Bastet · Camazotz · Corax · Garou · Grondr · Gurahl · Kitsune · Mokolé · Nagah · Nuwisha · Ratkin · Rokea |
Wyrmish Breeds | Anurana · Kerasi · Samsa · Yeren |