Ashringa: 3 Horses Of War= Combat, Merits & Flaws

ASHRINGA Werehorses for White Wolf’s Werewolf: the Apocalypse  By Laura M. Henson © 2005

Chapter Three HORSES OF WAR: COMBAT, MERITS & FLAWS “The unicorn fights with the mouth and with the heels, the mouth biting like a lion and with the heels kicking like a horse” - Edward Topsell, 1608.

Combat: The Ashringa were created to rebuild Gaia not to combat the Wyrm, however the time of The Great Purification is at hand and sometimes the return to a better world can only be gained through the purgative powers of destruction. As a diseased limb must sometimes be amputated to save a life so sometimes a spirit or creature must die to prevent the further corruption of the Earth. The Combat maneuvers for the various forms using Dexterity + Brawl Maneuver (Difficulty) Bite (5)

Homid

Asbar

Centaurus

Chalico

Monoceros

Equine

Strength -1

Strength

Strength

Strength

Strength

Strength

Body Slam (7) ((( Claw (6)

See W: t A

See W: t A

See W: t A

See W: t A

See W: t A

See W: t A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Str + 2 @

N/A

N/A

Grapple

(6)

See W: t A

See W: t A

See W: t A

See W: t A

See W: t A

See W: t A

Horn

(6)

N/A

N/A

N/A

Str +1

Str +3 @

N/A

Kick

(7)

Strength

Str +1

Strength +1

Strength +1

Strength +1

Str +1

Punch

(6)

Strength

Strength

Strength

Strength

N/A

N/A

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Ashringa can do the following Special Maneuvers: Evasive Action (all forms), Hamstring (Monoceros - Equine), Jaw Lock (Chalico - Equine), Leaping Rake (Chalico), and Taunt (all forms). They also have the following exclusive maneuvers: Brush Off: This maneuver is used to get an attacker off of an Ashringa’s back. The werehorse scrapes his sides along fences, walls or trees (or runs under low branches) to dislodge a foe. He can also fall onto his back to crush an opponent. System: Roll Wits + Athletics (Difficulty = the rider’s Dexterity + Animal-kin). On a success the rider is knocked off and takes damage equal to the Ashringa’s successes. On a failure the rider stays on. On a Botch, the rider knows enough about horses that he can stay aboard like a trick rider and this maneuver automatically fails if used again. Used By: Centaurus - Equine. Actions: 1 Bucking: This is the classic rodeo art of leaping, rearing, bucking and thrashing about to throw a rider or predator off your back. System: The Ashringa has a contested Dexterity + Athletics roll (Difficulty = the rider’s Animal-ken + 3 for the Ashringa and the werehorse’s Brawl + 3 for the rider.) The winner of the contest gets to add one dice to her next roll while the loser loses one dice from his pool. The following occurs if a roll botches or a dice pool is reduced to 0. If the rider botches he is thrown off. If the Ashringa botches the horse is too exhausted to fight back any longer. Used By: Centaurus - Equine Actions: 1 Capriole: This feat is used to drive away foes when one is surrounded. The Ashringa leaps into the air and kicks his legs out behind him as if he is going to fly away like Pegasus. System: On a successful Dexterity + Athletics roll (Difficulty 3+ the number of opponents) the Ashringa clears a path behind him as the attackers dodge out of the way of his flying hooves. The Ashringa then pirouettes about and gallops away out of the now cleared path. If an opponent spends a willpower point to keep from dodging than that opponent takes the Ashringa’s Strength + 4 in normal damage and is knocked down for one turn. If the Ashringa fails than the opponents were able to dodge his flying heels and resuround him before he could flee. On a botch the Ashringa falls for one turn. Used By: Monoceros- Equine

Actions: 2 (leap + movement)

Charge: The Ashringa runs at full speed at a target and rams him with his horn for Strength +3 unshakable aggravated damage as the horn impales its victim. System: Dexterity + Brawl, Difficulty 8. Used By: Monoceros

Actions: 2 (move + stab)

Courbette: The Ashringa rears upright upon his hind legs than leaps forward while still standing upright in a series of short hops. This is a maneuver used to help a rider. Any rider on a courbetting steed may use a sword, lasso, spear or other melee weapon (but not firearms) at normal difficulty. System: The Ashringa rolls Dexterity + Athletics (Difficulty 6) to perform this action and each success is the number of yards hopped. The rider can attack once per hop at normal difficulty as long as he is using a hand held weapon. On a Botch the rider slips and must roll Dexterity + Animal-ken roll at a Difficulty of 8 or fall off. Used By: Monoceros - Equine

Actions: 2 (rear + hop)

Levade: Like the courbette this is an old warhorse trick to assist a rider in combat. The Ashringa rears upward and crouches on his hind legs with his hocks almost touching the ground. Like a statue he holds this position while the rider while the rider uses a handheld weapon (even weapons requiring two hands or firearms) at normal difficulty.

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System: The Ashringa rolls Stamina + Athletics (Difficulty 8) and each success is the number of turns the werehorse can maintain the levade before he must return to all fours. Used By: Monoceros - Equine

Actions: 1

Mule Kick: The Ashringa stands on his fore hooves and kicks back with both hind feet for strength + 4 normal damage. System: Roll Dexterity + Brawl, Difficulty 7. Used By: Centaurus - Equine

Actions: 1

Slamming Hooves: The Ashringa rears upon his hind legs and slams both fore hooves (or claws in Chalico form) into a target for strength +2 damage. In addition the victim must roll Dexterity + Athletics (Difficulty = the Ashringa’s successes) or fall down. A fallen victim can take no action for one turn (three turns if he botches) and may be trampled or otherwise attacked by the werehorse at -1 difficulty. System: Dexterity + Brawl (Difficulty 8). Used By: Centaurus - Equine

Actions: 1

Slashing Bite: Wild stallions use this maneuver to rip out the throat, cripple the limbs, or even to castrate rival males. The werehorse holds his head low to the ground and then whips his head out like a striking snake to bite his opponent in a particularly vulnerable area. The bite inflicts aggravated damage and even worse the target must roll on the battle scars chart while adding one to the chart for each point of damage he was unable to soak. These scars do not give Ashringa who bear them automatic Glory as they prove his weakness in combat. It is considered unseemly for females to learn this maneuver. System: This maneuver takes up two Brawl slots instead of one and is performed by rolling Dexterity + Brawl at Difficulty 8. The damage is strength +1 aggravated. Used By: Chalico - Equine

Actions: 1

Trample: The Ashringa actually runs over an opponent. Damage is taken from all four hooves if the victim fails to dodge away in time. System: The Ashringa rolls Dexterity + Brawl (Difficulty 6) and the damage is strength +4. Used By: Centaurus, Monoceros, and Equine

Actions: 2 (move + stomp)

Iron and the Ashringa In the beginning Alma, the Great Mother transformed herself into the white mare of the moon to

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wed the sun stallion. Their child was the Unicorn who gave birth to Rishyashringa. The Ashringa are thus the children of both the sun and the moon, the wind given physical shape, so it is the metal of the sky (iron) that inflicts unshakable aggravated damage upon them. All the rules used for silver in werewolves apply to Ashringa but replace silver with iron. Iron is a very common metal but luckily for the Ashringa only pure iron is deadly to them. Steel and other alloys only cause normal aggravated damage and do not cause gnosis loss. In addition Ashringa in Homid or Equine form are not harmed by sky metal.

Rage Ashringa find it much harder to Rage than do werewolves. After all they were created to heal not harm. Follow the normal rules but at the following difficulties: New Moon Crescent Moon Half moon

10 9 8

Gibbous Moon Full Moon Eclipse

7 6 7

The Delirium Humans were never preyed upon by horses but both the Chalico and Monoceros form cause a form of delirium. Racal memories of the chalicotherium with its wicked claws causes true delirium effects (as in W: tA) while the Monoceros form causes the wonderment derived from seeing the awesome power of the unicorn. Like most changing breeds, the Ashringa are not as innately frightening as the Garou and all delirium rolls (wits + occult)are at difficulty 5 (instead of 7 as in werewolves) or add 2 dice to willpower instead. Note that unless the viewer has an unmodified willpower of 8 or higher than he will remember the Monoceros only as a beautiful horse (“must have been an Arab”) and will try to rationalize the Chalico (“a bear, it had to have been a bear”), whenever possible. A good example of this is in the movie The Last Unicorn when the unicorn flicks a farmers lasso away with her horn the man thinks that he must have slipped when trying to catch the Arabian horse. Willpower

Reaction: Fear

Reaction: Awe

1

Catatonic Fear: The viewer rolls into a ball and whimpers until the chalico is gone.

Shock: The viewer falls on his rump and stares whimpering in disbelief. Will remember nothing.

2

Panic: Runs away at full speed smashing through anything in his way.

Religious Awe: Falls to his knees in and prays at the sight. Will only remember an angelic presence.

3

Disbelief: “I must be going crazy.”

Disbelief: “There’s no such Thing!”

4

Berserk: Will run in a blind frenzy, but will not harm him self in the process.

Berserk: Goes crazy with joy, clapping, screaming, dancing, and praying aloud.

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5

Terror: Will run but will look for a place to hide and will stop once he seems to be safe.

Fascinated: Will just stand and stare, “It’s a unicorn, holy smoke it’s a unicorn!”

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Conciliatory: Will stay calm and try anything not to get hurt.

Possessive: Wishes to capture the Monoceros, “what a beautiful horse!”

7

Controlled Fear: May be scared but will remain rational.

Protective: Will want to help or touch the Monoceros at all costs.

8

Curiosity: More fascinated than frightened. Will run if it seems appropriate.

Curiosity: Will be absolutely fascinated and will probably follow or ask questions of the Monoceros.

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Anger: “Ain’t no man afraid of no hoss!”

Hunter: Will be filled with desire for the Monoceros’ horn and will want to capture the Ashringa.

10

No special reaction.

No special reaction.

MERITS AND FLAWS Ashringa may choose most of the merits and flaws listed in the Werewolf Players Guide with the exception of Mark of the Predator, Sign of the wolf, and Strict Carnivore. Change Wolf Years to Horse Years and add the Mokolé flaws Exclusive Herbivore and Sterile/Barren (for geldings) to the list. Below are a list of merits and flaws unique to the Ashringa. Cold Blood (2 point flaw) You have the blood of domestic draft horses somewhere in your ancestry. You cannot take the trait of Primal Urge and have no dexterity bonus to movement in Equine, Monoceros, or Centaurus form because you move with the plodding gait of a cart horse. Only Avarim, Killina, Nabrima, and Nhurim may choose this flaw. Deformed Horn (2 point flaw) Your horn is not that of a typical unicorn. It may lean in an odd angle (far forward, backward or twist to one side) or resemble the antler of a deer. Some Ashringa may even have two horns or even a fleshy stub. This form appears only in Monoceros form (unless a gift is used to give a horn in other forms) and it adds +2 to all difficulties to use the horn. Métis characters can take this flaw as their deformity. Fangs (1 point flaw) Your teeth resemble those of a predatory animal, such as a wolf, and your canines (if you are male) resemble the tusks of a boar. You do strength +1 aggravated damage with your bite but you have trouble eating vegetation, cannot crop grass like a normal horse and you have a -3 penalty to appearance. Métis characters may take this flaw as their deformity.

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Horse of a Different Color (1 point merit) Your Monoceros form is colored in a way never found in nature. Sky blue, green, purple, flame red etc. In some Ashringa the mane and tail may be rainbow colored or even resemble the tail of a peacock. Ashringa whose equine form is spotted or striped may even be multi colored (an orange zebra with lime green stripes or a pink with purple polka-dot appaloosa, for example). Ashringa with this merit cause the Delirium at difficulty 7 when in Monoceros form. Hot Blood (2 point merit) One of your ancestors was an Arabian horse or a Caspian pony and you have the slim legs and light build of one of these princely horses. You add +2 to all appearance rolls when in Monoceros or Equine form. Only Avarim, Killina, Nabrima, and Nhurim may choose this merit. Monstrous Centaurus (5 point flaw) In centaurs form you have no human torso or arms. You resemble a horse with a human head. This human headed horse cannot manipulate objects as it has no hands and is so ugly that it has a -3 penalty to appearance. Métis characters can take this as their deformity but they must keep the human head in their Monoceros form as well as in Centaurus. No Hooves (1 point flaw) You are a throwback to prehistoric Eohippus and other fossil horses which had dog like paws instead of hooves. You are -2 to all appearance rolls. You may take this flaw as your Métis deformity. Two Heads (4 point flaw) You are monstrously deformed and have two forms in all of your forms. You are -5 to appearance, -1 to dexterity, and +2 to perception. Métis characters may take this as their deformity.

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Uneven Feet (2 point flaw) Your front feet do not match your hind feet. You may have webbed rear feet like a duck in all forms or perhaps you have the feet of an elephant in the front when in animal shape or even horse’s hooves on the forefeet and goat’s feet behind. In all cases you get no dexterity bonus to movement due to your uneven gait and you are so odd looking you are -2 to all appearance rolls. Métis characters may take this as their deformity. Wings (3 point merit) Your ties to the spirit world are stronger than in most werehorses and you have a pair of wings in Monoceros form. These wings may be bird, bat, or even butterfly like. The wings allow the Ashringa to fly at double running speed for a number of turns equal to stamina (in combat) or 20 miles per dot of stamina when traveling at an easy pace. Wyrm Steed (5 point flaw) Your aura is one of fear and danger instead of the awe and joy radiated by most Ashringa in Monoceros form. When in Monoceros form you trigger memories of nightmares, kelpies, and demons rather than Gaia’s love in mortals. This causes your Monoceros form to cause true fear as in werewolves instead of awe on the Delirium chart. Even worse the Ashringa also appears as an untrustworthy sneak or bully in human form and as a vice filled nag in horse form giving you a -1 penalty to social rolls. Métis Ashringa may take this as their deformity.

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