Pure Breed is a Background trait that represents the purity of the lineage of a shapeshifter.
Overview[]
Garou revere werewolves with high ranks in Pure Breed as heroes of yore come to life, even when they are Ronin or Black Spiral Dancers (after all, even an individual villain can be noble). Pure Breed makes it more easy for such Garou to be heard by the Elders or receive the hospitality of a foreign tribe. Because Pure Breed is a nebulous combination of bloodline and spiritual inheritance, the effects only work when the Garou joins the tribe he descends from; otherwise, the traits are removed by the tribe's Totem. Any Garou can sense the purity of a werewolf and will expect him to act accordingly to his heritage.
Other Fera that trace Pure Breeding include the Bastet tribes, the Gurahl, the Nuwisha, the Mokolé, and Nagah, as well as the Ajaba (although their exile from Africa has lead to a diminishing in pure bloodlines). The Ananasi are unconcerned with breeding by decree of their queen, while the Rokea, who are biologically immortal and almost never breed with humans, simply see no value in the concept. Corax tend to see Pure Breed as an elitist fabrication, while the Ratkin have become too polluted by Wyld Taint and spawn too many members of their kind to maintain their pure breeding. Kitsune believe all werefoxes are purebred by definition, and make no distinctions.
References[]
- WTA: Players Guide to Garou, p. 203 (Kinfolk Background)
- W20: Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 138