Pryio
Daylight: You have an open and honest heart, and tackle things head-on.
Twilight: you see life in many shades and prefer complex, artistic pursuits to plainer things.
Night: You like to be left to yourself, and grow angry when someone intrudes on your private pursuits.

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Tribe
Bagheera (werepanther/wereleopard): Wise travelers, hungry for knowledge and even of temper -- for shapechangers.
Initial Rage: 2
Initial Willpower: 4
Beginning Gifts: Humbaba's Escape, Treeclimber
Balam
(werejaguar): Furious defenders of the wilderness, they hold a grudge against whites for demolishing their ancient people
Initial Rage: 4
Initial Willpower: 3
Beginning Gifts: Hunter's Mists, Storm of Pests
Bubasti (mystic Egyptian werecat): Mysterious and sinister, these cats pursue forbidden knowledge to regain their ancestors' glory - and to increase their own
Initial Rage: 1
Initial Willpower: 5
Beginning Gifts: Alms to the Poor, Scholar's Friend
Ceilican ("lost" faerie werecat): Thought extinct, they disguise their survival in erratic behavior and misdirection.
Initial Rage: 3
Initial Willpower: 3
Beginning Gifts: Mother's Blessing/Curse, Satyr's Wisdom
Khan (weretiger): The defenders of the earth and fists of the gods, they hold strength and honor as the greatest achievements.
Initial Rage: 5
Initial Willpower: 2
Beginning Gifts: Rhino's Favor, Skin of Jade
Pumonca (werecougar): Keepers of their native soil, these wanderers maintain a deep connection to elemental powers.
Initial Rage: 3
Initial Willpower: 4
Beginning Gifts: Mockingbird's Mirror, Wanderer's Boon
Qualmi (werelynx): Riddling shamans, these odd creatures delight in puzzles and enigmas.
Initial Rage: 2
Initial Willpower: 5
Beginning Gifts: Breakfast of Stones, Turned Fur
Simba (werelion): The dark kings, who would rule all catkind if they could, and dominate all within their grasp.
Initial Rage: 5
Initial Willpower: 2
Beginning Gifts: Majesty, Submit
Swara (werecheetah): Elusive and high-strung, they hold a deeper bond to the spirit world than any others of their kind.
Initial Rage: 2
Initial Willpower: 4
Beginning gifts: Diamond Claws, Impala's Flight

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Gifts Choose three Level One Gifts from General, Breed and Tribe, according to character concept.
Renown All character begin at Rank One.
Rage, Gnosis and Willpower See Tribes and Breeds, above

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Freebie Points
Trait Cost
Attributes 5 per dot
Abilities 2 per dot
Backgrounds 1 per dot
Gifts 7 per Gift (Level One Only)
Rage 1 per dot
Gnosis 2 per dot
Willpower 1 per dot

Jamak Traits
Jamak prefer to stay immaterial. They may speak to their patrons and appear as ghostly images, but unless a werecat goes into the Umbra, she won't have much "physical" contact with a Jamak. Rarely, a major crises or minor whim causes the spirit to manifest itself across the Gauntlet, or to join an Umbral fight. If this occurs, use the following guidelines for the spirit's Traits and feel free to add anything that seems appropriate. Remember, Jamak are avatars of a larger whole and may possess many startling abilities. Some basic Traits:
   *10 points of Power for every point in the Background Cost;
   *The Materialize Charm, plus Airt Sense, Healing, Reform, and any other Charms you feel would be appropriate;
   *10 to 15 points to divide between Rage, Willpower and Gnosis.
   The Jamak given bellow represent a small fraction of the Bastet spirit allies. Other notable Jamak include Bodingo the Yapping Dog, Burning Cat, Grandmother Spider, King Snake, Holo the Rhinoceros Lord, Gundee the Swollen (hippopotamus), Waloo the White Crane and Anjura the Lady of Hawks. Many Garou totems have personalized aspects as well, and the cats are often familiar with their names. Feel free to advise your own personalities for such spirits. After all, the dogs understand only part of the story....

Favors: Citlacoatl winds between the worlds of life, death, consciousness and dream. To find him, a werecat enters a trance and goes seeking. Occasionally, the Serpent King Follows the werecat, if only for amusement. There's a lot of fun to be had in mortal warfare; Citlacoatl has an odd (some would say sick) sense of humor. Bastet who make him laugh or protect his kind might learn the Rite of Nine Lives or the Gift: Walking Between Worlds. More often than not, Citlacoatl just sends snakes to his allies' aid, or teaches them the Dance of the Cobra if they're admirably wise and persistent.
Ban: Although there are similarities between Citlacoatl and King Snake, the two have never come to an accord. A follower of one becomes the foe of the other. Citlacoatl also hates the agents of the Unmaker Wyrm; creation is too much fun to be destroyed.
Hatii the Thunderer
BAckground Cost: 5
One of the most powerful Jamak, this Elephant-spirit rarely chooses allies among catkind. There's too much bad blood between his protected cousins and the predatory cats. He will never choose a Simba ally, for it's been said that in the early years following the Impergium, the children of Akuma hunted elephants for fun. Hatii never forgives a slight, nor does he forget an act of kindness. To the Khan, he's a valued ally, a strong and wise friend who gifts his chosen few with tough skin and an excellent memory.
Favors: It takes an outstanding act of courage or wisdom to attract Hatii's attention;p werecats who heroically defend elephant herds, especially from other werecats, are his favorite allies. To them, this spirit grants an additional two points of Stamina in battle. This bonus only appears during a fight, and fades when that specific fight ends. Additionally, he may gift the werecat with the Photographic Memory Merit for one specific even per story, and occasionally offers a hint to some puzzle which confounds the Bastet (AN "under-the-table" hint from the Storyteller might come through as the elephant's guidance). On the grasslands of Africa or India, a herd of elephants might intervene to save one of Hatii's chosen from death.
Ban: Hatii's allies must defend herds of his cousins whenever possible, and should hunt down and kill anyone who murders an elephant for sport or ivory.
Ika-Ika the Monkey King
Background Cost: 3
A noisy and boisterous spirit, Ika-Ika represents caprice, mischief, nonsense and ferocity; his friends, however, understand the wisdom inherent in Monkey King's chaos, and respect his drive to break rules whenever possible. When he finds someone he respects (a rare occurrence), Ika-Ika is a loyal and powerful ally. While he might kid his friends, or play pranks on them,k he'll be the first Jamak to show up if something's wrong. The Bagheera and Swara find Ika-Ika amusing, while the more serious Khan and Simba resent his careless ways. Bubasti, as a rule, hate this mad spirit, and avoid those who befriend him. Naturally, he loves to annoy their kind, and favors a cat who does the same.
Favors: A Favor from the Monkey King means an extra dot in Dexterity and Acrobatics, which last the remainder of the day. On a more permanent basis, he sometimes teaches his friends the Gifts like Treeclimber, Farsight, Clawstorm and Monkey's Uncle. These last two Gifts he leaves for respected allies, not simple buddies; a Bastet must achieve at least Third Rank and maintain a long alliance with Ika-Ika to receive such valuable Favors.

Mantis
Background Cost: 2
The creator of the world according to some folklore, the wise and patient Mantis dreams its way out of trouble. This Jamak knows the seven levels of silence, from meditation to death, and teaches them to its allies. When some problem threatens, Mantis folds itself still and waits. Sooner or later, the solution comes. The Khan and Bagheera understand Mantis' wisdom, and the Simba of the Kalahari claim its example helped them temper their tribal rage.
Favors: Mantis sends dreams and prophecies to those who understand how to be still. In game terms, this lowers the difficulty for rolls involving Enigmas, Investigation or Occult. THis bonus depends on the successes the cat makes on a Willpower roll (difficulty 9) to remain still and clear her thoughts. Each success lowers the difficulty by one. Such discipline often takes an hour or more, and cannot be done in combat or hectic circumstances.
Ban: Allies of Mantis cannot be hasty or reckless. if they aren't smart enough to be still, the spirit leaves them alone.

Mistress of Catkind
Background Cost: 5
Creation, as the Bastet know, is a woman. From mad Mother Nala to the endless birth-death of Ahu and the comforting hands of Seline and Gaia, the cats recognize the female essence that gave them form. The Mistress of Catkind is that essence in spades, the embodiment of fierce maternity, nurture and passion. Through her many faces, the Bastet recognize the greater power she represents. Freyja, Durga, Hecate, Sekhmet -- all these names and more personify the Mistress to human eyes. The Bastet themselves echo her most obvious manifestation, Bast, in their racial name. Even so, the Mistress is a personable spirit. Like the King of Cats, she channels her divinity behind an accessible face. Let other boastful Jamak rival her for power; those who embody All need not make displays.
The Mistress appears in a variety of forms; sometimes she comes in the form of a great white cat, sometimes a woman clad in moonlight, a goddess in robes of war, a white buffalo or a tiny blue kitten. Unless she's angry, her voice is soft and her touch, and all sounds fade as she approaches. This spirit teaches all the skills of survival, from hunting to magical Gifts, and often appears when her followers need her, not before. Sometimes she takes human guise for fun, or becomes a white tiger on the Siberian cliffs. Whatever face she wears, the Mistress' followers recognize her instinctively. WhILE SHE NEVER expects them to bow to her, this Jamak deserves respect, and has no trouble getting it. As gentle as she seems, the Mistress can bed fierce and unpredictable. In defense of her children or of nature, she lashes out like a cornered lion. Doting mother, passionate lover, goddess of war, mystery-walker -- the Mistress of Cats is all those and more.
Favors: The Mistress comes to comfort her lost or fearful children, or to rally them for a good fight. In every aspect, the Mistress teaches all the Gifts of catking to those who deserve them. Occasionally, she grants some special power or sends animal minions to a follower's aid; under most circumstances, however, the Mistress prefers to come in person, advise a cat, and leave.
Ban: While the eternal Nala may be drawn to Cahlash, her Mistress aspect despises corruption. A fierce enemy to Asura, she has nothing to do with the servants of Cahlash, especially if those servants are cats. Needless destruction or perversion is anathema to her. A Bastet who joins Cahlash will lose this Jamak forever.

Tzinzie
Background Cost: 2
Buzzing eternally, Tzinzie the Fly Lord spins across the universe, biting whoever he pleases and pestering folks for the sheer hell of it. He stands for elusiveness, for a trickster nature which flits past larger, slower beings, tantalizes them with a false promises, and disappears, laughing.  Most Bastet pay no mind to this annoying spirit, but those who understand him (usually Bubasti, Ceilican or Qualmi) realize what a profound folly-finder Tzinzie can be. By dancing under the nose of the serious and the Wrathful, the Fly Lord points out their own foolishness. Those who join his dance find the steps becomes that much easier.
Favors: Cats who ally themselves with Tzinzie often learn the Catfeet, First Strike and Swipe Gifts, and gain an extra dot in Dexterity when feeing from a bigger, more powerful opponent.
Ban: Tzinzie's chosen must never bully the weak, nor should they let a self-important person rest peacefully.
Whispers
Background Cost: 2
The spirit of Secrets, Whispers leads her allies to discoveries. With a little effort, her chosen can decipher messages no normal person could understand. This Jamak drifts in the air, unseen and barely heard. It's said that she's the echo of the Jamaa themselves, of celestial voices that filter down to the mortal world as half-heard memories. She's a hard Jamak to find, and tends to reveal herself only to the wisest Bastet.
Favors: Whispers' allies reduce all Enigmas-related difficulties by -3 if they make their Perception + Awareness roll first (difficulty 7 or so). On a whim, she might bestow a Gift like Night's Passage, Cheshire Prank or Eavesdropper's Ear. No one makes assumptions about Whispers' motives.
Ban: Allies of Whispers must avoid making loud noises, especially while speaking.

Rites Chart
Type: Roll Difficulty
Kuasha: Charisma + Rituals 6
Moon: Manipulation + Rituals 9 - phase of the moon
Need: Wits + Rituals 7
Taghairm: Charisma + Rituals 7

Overlapping Rites

Many Bastet rites duplicate Garou rites in effect, if not in form. Storytellers and players should work together to define the variations in a rite, for example a Bastet might perform the Dedication Rite only at Twilight. The following rites are shared, if not in name, by both werecats and werewolves.
Kuasha: Dedication Rite (Rite of Talisman Dedication), Rite of Contrition
Moon: Bind the Spirit-Fetish (Rite of the Fetish), Rite of Summoning, Rouse the Sleaping Spirit (Rite of Spirit Awakening)
Need: Rite of Cleansing, Rite of the Opened Bridge
Taghairm: Festival of Flowers (Gathering for the Departed)

Rite of Recognition
Level Two
To be accepted into a new Rank, a Bastet must perform this rite before the spirits, his peers, or both. Like many werecat rituals, this ceremony can be done by a solitary cat, and it often is. A Balam in the wilderness doesn't have to travel to the nearest taghairm to be recognized - the spirits will carry tales of his deeds to other cats.
To petition for a new Rank, the cat stands in a circle prepared for the rite with herbs and, if possible, trophies of his achievements. Speaking the ritual phrases, he recites his deeds, relates his accomplishments since attaining the last Rank, and demands to be recognized for what he has done. If he succeeds, the others agree and declare his new standing; if not, they tell him why they're dissatisfied and deny his petition. These reasons can range anywhere from a lack of progress to bad politics. The Bastet may only perform this rite once per season.
System: In addition to the usual rite roll, the cat must make a good impression (either Charisma or Manipulation + either Enigmas, Etiquette, Expression, Leadership, Occult or Politics, depending on the cat, his audience, and the case he's trying to make). The difficulty for this roll often depends on what the cat has done in the past, and how he stands in the eyes of his jury. Unless the werecat does something truly striking between attempts, this rite rises in difficulty each time it's failed, then repeated. Neither the cats nor the spirits respect a loser.

Passing the Yava
Level Two
These secrets contain the seeds of survival or destruction for the entire tribe.
Passing them on to a youngster is a sign of the utmost trust and pride. Imagine handing a loaded gun to you child and telling him to shoot at a target behind your head; that's the kind of importance the Yava convey. They're not passed on lightly, or to fools. Thus, this exchange, often the last rite between the kit and her mentor, is deeply important.
This ritual, traditionally performed at dusk, involves a recitation of the three secrets, a reminder of their importance, and an admonishment to keep them safe. The kuasha informs her apprentice that someday he too will pass on the Yava, and that his judgment will reflect the future of the tribe. To betray the trust, even under torment, is the worst crime a Bastet can commit. Before this rite is performed, the mentor scans the area for spirits or other eavesdroppers. If the area is clear, the secrets are then between elder and kit. Afterward, the two spend their last night together and part ways at dawn. Although they may very well remain friends, the first Year has ended. The kit is on his own.
System: Although the kuasha traditionally checks and secures the ritual site before beginning the rite, this ceremony requires no special materials.

Moon Rites
(top)
These magical rituals can only be performed beneath the glow of Seline and the vault of Ahu. Moonlight is an essential part of all the following rites, so each of them occurs outside after sundown. Although cloudiness won't prevent the rite, it'll make performing it a bit more difficult (add 1 to the difficulty, add two if it's raining, unless the rite conjures a storm). Bastet often chooses full-moon phases to enact such rituals; the strength of Seline makes the rites easier and more powerful.
Moon Rites invoke the power of the Bastet patron, strengthening their ties with her and infusing them with her essence. All Moon rites have mystical effects; tales of them having colored human folklore and superstition for millennia. These are the most sacred rites of all; anyone caught spying on them will be hunted down. This punishment is rarely necessary; Moon Rites evoke such power that any non-Bastet - including wizards and other shapechangers - fell distinctly uneasy and physically sick. All spies must make Stamina + Enigmas rolls once or twice during the ceremony or freak out (the difficulty is 5 + the level of the rite). The effects of the breakdown depend on the spies and the Storyteller, but include insanity, uncontrolled nausea, total panic (as the Delirium) or phantom pains. Vampires and werewolves have been driven to frenzy, while sorcerers have fallen into Quiet as a result of peeking at Moon Rites. Bastet elders, of course, know what such signs betray, and the worst fate - being ripped apart by angry claws - often follows a spy's discomfort.

Rite of Warding
Level One
A simple precaution taken around any site of importance, this rite is typically performed before the guests for a taghairm arrive. By calling up spirits, securing the corners of entrances of the site and charging the safety of the area to Seline, the Bastet sets up an "alarm system" which bars the site against lesser intrusions and alerts the ritespeaker against greater ones.
System: By spending a Gnosis point, the ritespeaker ties herself to the place for the duration of the Warding. This warding continues for one hour per success unless the ritespeaker either leaves the area or dismisses the guard. For as long as it lasts, any non-Bastet who enters the area triggers a mystic feeling of unease; the ritespeaker will not know exactly who or what the culprit is, but she'll know something isn't right. Intruders cannot enter a warded site at all without succeeding in a Willpower roll (difficulty is 5 + the caster's successes) - the energies of the place simply drive them away for no explicable reason. Even spirits cannot pass through a warded area without alerting the ritespeaker.

Call the Four Winds
Level Five
Cats are renowned masters of the weather. While many Gifts reflect this talent to a small degree, Call the Four Winds affects weather patterns across whole sections of a country.
Unlike many rites, the Call demands the presence of five Bastet. One leader, the ritespeaker, decides what changes to request and begins the ritual. The others take the roles of the four corners of the earth and invoke the powers of each of them in turn. The ritespeaker acts as the center, and stands amid the others in a prepared circle, channeling their power. As the rite progresses, the power builds until the circle is swept through with elemental force. Spirits swirl screaming past the ritespeaker, who sends them up into the sky to bind the clouds and invoke the werecats' will. In time, storms gather or disperse, rain comes, winds rise, blizzards begin, tempests rage or calm.... A whole range of weather effects, from Dust storms to squalls, can be evoked with a pride of cats, this rite, and a knowledgeable leader.
System: The exacts of the Call are left to the Storyteller. These should depend on the wishes of the ritespeaker, the successes she rolls, the local climate, and the dictates of the story. A severe weather front will be harder to raise or disperse than a subtle shift, and a long-lasting change will be harder to affect than a brief storm. Unseasonal patterns, like blizzards in summer, should be considered difficulty 9 or 10, but may be possible if the story allows.

Rite of Nine Lives
Level Five
The secret knowledge granted by Seline to the wisest of her children allows them to literally return from the dead. This rite, which may only be performed once in a werecat's life, allows her to return from the dead as many as eight times before her spirit departs for good.
To begin, the werecat sets aside a ritual space outside and calls upon Seline's favor. After mixing a bit of blood, water, spit and fur in a bowl, she holds the bowl up to the moon and chants the rite. Once finished, she drinks the broth and hopes for the best. Seline will be the final judge as to whether the cat survives her death or not.
System: Standard roll, plus two Gnosis points. This rite can be performed only once, and the success of it uncertain until something kills the werecat. If successful, the Bastet recovers from her death; her spirit remains in the body and wills it to return to health. Depending on how she perishes, this may take some time. A Bastet who's "merely" mauled will return in a day or two; if she falls off a 40-story building, it may take a week to recover; a really nasty demise, like immolation or entombment, may take her weeks to confound. The recovery process is slow and painful - a Bastet who had been skinned to death may wish she had stayed dead before she heals completely. As you can imagine, a werecat who returns from death often has some serious scores to settle upon her return....
Once the cat lives again in all senses of the word, she may still face difficulties. If she was buried, she'll have to dig herself out. This may kill her a second time before she can escape. Dismemberments do not prevent resurrection - some gruesome tales speak of werecats who were hanged, drawn and quartered, only to drag their limbs from their crossroads graves to rejoin somewhere in the middle. Once recovered, the werecat loses one permanent point of each her Rage, Gnosis and Willpower. These point may never be regained; hence, a Simba who died eight times finishes his life with a maximum of two dots in each of these Traits. Any part of the cat that is destroyed (see below) is lost forever; resurrected cats often lose limbs or retain other disfigurements. Aside from that, the werecat is her old self (though some deaths leave permanent emotional and psychological scars).
Naturally, some deaths cancel out even this arcane secret. If a Bastet dies in one of these ways, she won't come back, and must face her fate like the rest of Gaia's children.

Wishing Waves
Level Five
By yowling spitting and dancing around a lake or sea, a werecat can stir the surface into waves. Ceilican who drowned their enemies this way gave rise to tales of witches who danced with cats to create storms at sea. Although this tribe claims to have originated the Rite, the Bubasti say otherwise. In their stories Bast herself taught her children to wreck invaders on the Nile, and supposedly used it to punish Pharaoh Snefru II, who persecuted her kind.
System: This rite must be performed on a cliff or beach overlooking the sea. To begin the tempest, each player makes the standard roll and spends two Gnosis points. If more than one cat performs the rite, all their successes are added together. Each blood-Kinfolk present adds an additional success to the total. One roll is made for each hour spent dancing, at successively higher difficulties; each new roll costs an additional two gnosis points and a point of Willpower. The turbulence extends out for one mile for every Bastet participating in the rite, and dies down an hour or so after the dance ends.
The severity of the storm depends on the successes gathered; obviously, most Bastet perform this rite as an extended roll, accumulating successes until they reach the desired effect. Each success level makes the waves a bit more powerful: One or two create choppy little waves; three to five turn the water rough; six to eight create trouble for small craft; nine to 10 make sailing difficult for large boats, almost impossible for small ones; 10 to 15 successes can capsize anything smaller than an old sailing ship, although large vessels remain unmoved. 15 o 20 can create problems for freighters and small navy ships, while 21 or more can swamp large warships and tangers. The waves often spill across shore, and might threaten the dancing cats before the rite is finished.

Rite of Fear
Level Three
A relic of the Madness and the tiger hunts, this rite sends a cloud of terror across the land, conjuring nightmares and spreading panic. Animals may stampede, riots may flare and brave men may decide that now is a good time to leave....
To begin the rite, the cat assumes her Crinos form and dances madly, howling her hatred to the moon. As her fury rises, she rips everything around her to shreds, living or otherwise, and flings the pieces across the site. Screeching, spitting, arching and slashing, she sends her fury outward to infest the minds of everyone in reach. Once there, the terror festers, bursting outward through dreams into waking and sending the locals into a panic. At the end of the ritual she falls exhausted, but has begun a wave of fear that continues until the second sunrise.
System: The Rite of Fear requires two Rage points and a standard roll, and spreads one mile for every success. Every additional cat can add to the total (like Wishing Waves), but anyone close by is at risk, including the other cats. A werecat enacting the rite is considered to be in a frenzy until the ceremony ends; when it ends, she falls asleep.
Obviously, the Rite of Fear is performed at night; a full moon lowers the difficulty to 5, and a gibbous one to 6. Across the land, savage nightmares and anxiety attacks plaque every living thing for a night and a day; any characters in the area must make Willpower rolls (difficulty 8) to get through the day without acting irrationally. Other effects are left to the Storyteller; children, old people and farm animals are especially sensitive to the Fear, and any number of things can happen.

Taghairm Rites
(top)
Bastet aren't social animals as a rule, so when they gather, certain rituals must be observed. These rites create an aura of fellowship and trust - essential ingredients for a gathering of territorial Folk - and keep things proceeding smoothly.
During each taghairm, one Bastet is chosen as the ritespeaker, either by the roup or by the host of the gathering. From then on, that person carries the respect and responsibility of her office. Most regular taghairms have permanent ritespeakers; these cats gain additional status with the post (see "Renown" in Chapter Three). Although the ritespeaker performs most Taghairm Rites in that location, she'll often appoint assistants in case she leaves between gatherings, or to help her perform elaborate rites.

Hanshii
Level Two
Some grudges can only be settled by force. To keep the peace, a host might demand that quarreling Bastet enter a ritual combat to decide the issue. All attendees and their allies agree to abide by the decision.
The formalities depend on the host's tribe, the grudge and the location of the gathering. The combatants are obliged to follow the host's rules regardless of their tribe. The Balam, Khan and Simba favor death-matches more than the other tribes do; Ceilican and Qualmi prefer tests of wits, while Bagheera and Bubasti respect test of judgment. The Swara often send both parties questing in the Penumbra, opening a "window" to watch their progress. Pumonca let the elements decide, and sponsor tests by fire or exposure. No use of Gifts or outside assistance is allowed. The rite ensures that both sides play fair; those who cheat are magically marked.
As the duel begins, the ritespeaker chants a litany extolling challenge, fairness and honor. From there, she watches what transpires, watching especially for fair play. If someone does chat, the ritespeaker feels a sharp tingling and calls the contest to a halt. The cheater's skin or fur blazes with a sickly yellow or green light. His punishment depends on the host. If a winner is declared, the dispute is considered over. While this often ends the problem, a few Bastet take their grudge home with them and handle it without witnesses next time...
System: Standard roll, plus a Gnosis point, from the ritespeaker. The cheater's glow lasts for one day and costs him five to 10 point of Honor (see "Renown") until he redeems himself.

Exile
Level Three
Taghairms are gatherings of trust; if someone breaks that trust, the others throw him out. The rite marks such betrayals, and carries the stigma of shame to other gatherings. A werecat's future companions may judge him by this sign. When the host has declared an Exile, the other cats must vote. If the majority agrees, the ritespeaker begins the ritual. In some cases, the gathering must decide unanimously; in others, the host may simply demand a majority vote. The rite itself involves a revocation of the Grooming ritual, a recitation of the exile's crimes and usually a few choice words. As the ritespeaker spins a cloak of words, the exile's forehead begins to glow; by the end of the rite, the sigil of an oathbreaker appears. As the glow fades, the sigil remains and the other cats chase the offender from their gathering. If they catch him, they'll beat him to a pulp, but leave him alive to remember his shame. The mark fades from view by morning, but remains a part of the exile's soul. Any subsequent Grooming rite reveals the mark; only the forgiveness of the host ( a separate rite of the same Rank) or some powerful quest will was ha way the mark. System: The ritespeaker makes her standard roll and spends a point of Rage to apply the brand. Some Gifts , like Sense the Truth and Righteous Gaze, expose the mark to the viewer. An Exile loses all Honor and Wisdom Renown. Sometimes, falsely convicted (or powerful) Bastet can get help from supporters or sympathetic parties; more often, the effects of this rite linger for a lifetime.

БАГЕЕРА

Humbabas Escape (Level One) One of the tribes first and most valuable tricks, this Gift allows a wereleopard to dislocate her limbs and slide through small openings. Though the Bagheera claim that the wise cat Humbaba invented the trick, the Simba maintain that he originally learned it from Mouse-spirits. System: The player rolls Dexterity + Athletics to dislocate her cats limbs. The harder the attempt, the higher the difficulty becomes. Undoing her wrist to get out handcuffs would be difficulty 6, while dislocating your spine and ribs to get through an air shaft would be 10. While the cat is out of joint, her Stamina rating drops by two. Simple adjustments dont cost any Gnosis, but large-scale body-shifts cost one point.
Treeclimber (Level One) As the Common Gift of the same name. Leopards excel at climbing, and most kuasha teach this secret first. Lawgivers Legacy (Level Two) In the distant past, it is said that the Bagheera were intended to be the arbitrators of the cat-folk. The position never materialized, but this Gift offers an edge to Bagheera trying to exercise this ancient right with minimal force. With it, a panther can raise her voice to drown out all others without actually shouting, and it adds a note of command that makes even Simba take the panthers words seriously. System: This Gift works like the Level One Common Gift: Command Attention, but the effects last for an entire scene. Anyone who wants to contest the Bagheeras authority must win a resisted Willpower roll with the panther (difficulty 7).
Ojas Surge (Level Two) By channeling ojas, the mystical energy inside us all, a Bagheera can boost his physical and perceptual abilities beyond their normal limits. To do so, he attains a posture and meditates for a moment, then guides the ojas through his body, directing it to whatever his needs might be. System: To perform the Gift, the panther must meditate first. This usually takes some time, and depends on experience; it usually takes a First Rank Bahgeera five turns (minutes) to center himself, while a Fifth Rank cat can do it in one. As he attains this state, he rolls his Gnosis (difficulty 7). Each success he wins can then be applied as a dot in one or all of the following Attributes; Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Charisma, Perception or Wits. The Surge also brings a rush of ecstasy, a tingling wash that sharpens the senses and lightens the heart. The Attribute bonuses last for one scene, and cannot be stacked. The feeling of well-being lasts all day. The Surge can be done as many times as the Bagheera desires, but each additional try after the first raises the difficulty by two and doubles the meditating time. If an attempt to channel the rush fails, the cat gets depressed and cannot try again that day. A botch may provoke a frenzy.
Cobras Dance (Level Three) Long ago, a panther named Tola entered into negotiations with King Snake. After weeks of discussion and debate, the two came to an understanding of sorts. No one knows what secrets Tola offered King Snake, but he learned this Gift as part of the exchange. The Dance allows a cat to freeze prey with a glance. Some old Bagheera claim to know other secrets of the serpent folk, but if any other gifts have survived, theyre not well known. System: To begin the Dance, a panther sways in place; the player rolls Manipulation + Expression and spends a Gnosis point. This requires at least one turn spend dancing, and the effect lasts one turn per success. The rolls difficulty depends on the target: hypnotizing most animals is easy (5), while freezing a hostile vampire is anything but (10). To break the spell, the target must win a Willpower contest with the cat (difficulty 8).Otherwise, hes held stunned and helpless until the gift wears off. Once the Dance takes hold, the cat can do whatever she likes such as leaving, talking or mauling the target.
Travelers Tongues (Level Three) As the Rank three Homid Gift: Babels Cure.
The Paradox of Time (Level Four) To most followers of Hinduism, time is not the linear stream Westerners believe it is. Rather, all times are one time, viewed from a perspective that shifts. In other words, it only appears to move because we believe it does. A skilled Bagheera can employ this seeming paradox to utterly confuse an enemy or enlighten a pilgrim. By showing him the relative nature of time, the panther can offer him a glimpse of his folly or baffle him for minutes on end. System: While the cat talks to his target in low, hypnotic tones, the player rolls Manipulation + Enigmas against the targets current Willpower rating. For each success, the subjects perceptions skew slightly, disorienting him for two turns. Until the Gift wears off, he subtracts three dice from all Dice Pools due to terminal onfusion. Mages who understand the Time Sphere are totally immune to this Gifts effects.
Potters Clay (Level Four) As the Level Three Homid Gift: Craft of the Maker.
Part the Curtain (Level Five) Like the Level Four Common gift: Walking Between Worlds, this spell allows a leopard to cross into the Near Umbra. This variation, however, lets her bring others across as well. The Mistress of Catkind is said to have brought this Gift to several Bagheera elders during the British occupation of India. Working with allies from the Swara and Khan, these old cats turned several staid English manors into shrieking chaos. System: All systems resemble the aforementioned Gift, except that the Bagheera can take one additional ally through for every point of Gnosis she possesses.
Shivas Might (Level Five) In one of the most impressive feats of godlike destruction this side of a nuke, a Bagheera may change into a form reminiscent of Shiva the Destroyer or Kali the Dark Mother (depending on the cats gender). In a burst of holy light, the Bastet becomes a 12-foot-tall, six armed Crinos-form werepanther wielding flaming weapons. Until the ground is littered with bodies, the engine of feline wrath hacks everything around it foe and otherwise into bloody giblets. Obviously, this is a last resort, but a very effective one. System: The player invoking this godlike manifestation spends two Rage points and Two Gnosis points, then immediately rolls for frenzy (difficulty 3). If he wins five successes or more, the Bagheera springs into Crinos form, grows three feet taller, and sprouts four more arms, each bearing a flaming weapon. This destroyer form, the Juddho, goes into a sudden killing frenzy which lasts for one turn for every point of Rage in the Bastets permanent rating. If he fails, nothing happens; a botch brings on a fox frenzy instead. The stats for Juddho form are: Strength + 6 Dexterity + 3 Stamina + 6 Appearnace 0 Weapons Strength + 4 (aggravated) No one is safe from Shivas Might anyone in sight will be attacked. The Bagheera is totally incapable of any form of rational communication or combat strategy. Until the Juddho form disappears, he knows only how to kill. In his mind, he wanders through the hells of Asura, slashing and biting everything he meets. When the Gift finally fades, the panther drops to 0 Rage, assumes his breed form, and falls asleep for at least four hours.