Protean 101

Why a wolf? Why a bat? Obviously in modern culture these two creatures are
most associated with the vampire, but in folklore many animals have links with the
undead. In Yugoslavia many animals, including cats, dogs, snakes and horses could
become vampires, often as a result of jumping over a corpse and being possessed by
the soul of the deceased, and rats, fleas and birds are all forms taken by one vampire
or another. Consequently, the forms taken by practitioners of Protean begin to seem a
little limited, a fact acknowledged in Vampire: the Dark Ages, in which a wide range
of forms are used by different vampires, and in Vrev, which offers the option of
different forms with the Storyteller’s approval.
Most Gangrel find an affiliation with two kinds of animal, most often the wolf
and the bat. Obviously, Protean also grants affinity with the elements of nature –
earth, air and water – as shown by powers such as Form of Mist and Earthmeld (and
fire, in the case of Body of the Sun), and it is therefore not difficult to assume that a
relationship with the forces of mother nature is also responsible for these animal
affinities. How exactly these two affiliations are determined is unclear; one seems
invariably to come from the Sire, but the other may mirror the Sire’s affinities, or be
something entirely different.
One theory, especially espoused by certain venerable Native American Gangrel,
states that one form is inherited from the Sire, the other from the Grandsire. So a
Gangrel might inherit the wolf from his Sire and the bat from his Grandsire. This
Gangrel’s childe would then inherit the bat, and the wolf from his Grandsire and so
within a given bloodline at least the two forms remain more or less constant.
In certain situations however, the Childe will manifest a different affinity. This,
the same Native American Gangrel suggest, is because a particular spirit animal has
an attachment to the Childe, and thus he takes that form instead. An example of this is
given by a Native American line, who take the forms of wolf and raven, and have
done so since the founder of the line – a European wolf-bat Gangrel – Embraced a
shaman whose totem in life was the Raven.
In almost all cases however, the two forms answer the calls of the earth and the
air. One walks, one flies. In exceptional cases however, there may be a difference, and
one of the forms may answer the call of water instead of earth or air. In such cases the
Gangrel invariably has some close tie to the river or the sea – often one which has
been long denied in life and unlife – and will take also one of her Sire’s two forms,
usually the aerial.

Merits and Flaws

The Call of Water (3 point Merit)

A Gangrel with this merit may assume the form of an aquatic creature, instead
of her terrestrial form. The aquatic form may, very rarely, replace the aerial, if the
Kindred also takes the Flaw Flightless.

Massive Form (3 point Merit)

Ordinarily a Gangrel cannot gain a substantial mass when shapeshifting,
limiting his form to that of an animal weighing no more than himself. A wolf is
slightly lighter than a human in most cases, and is about the largest form that can be
achieved. With this merit however, the Gangrel may assume a significantly larger
form, such as that of a tiger or bear, or of a horse or deer (see also Shadow of the
Herbivore). A large bear is the absolute outside limit for a terrestrial form, although
aquatic forms may go up to the size of a killer whale or a large shark, and a great
many aquatic forms do require it. The merit must be bought separately for each form
that is to be significantly heavier than the Gangrel’s human form, although it is rarely
required for the flying form. Gangrel with this merit are usually large and solid
individuals.

Flightless (2 point Flaw)

The Gangrel may take no flighted form. She has only one form, or two if she
has the Merit Call of Water.

Shadow of the Herbivore (1-3 point Flaw)

Your terrestrial form is that of a herbivore. Instead of a majestic wolf or a
proud panther, you become a stag, a horse, or – horror of horrors – a sheep. This has
two effects; firstly it limits your status with other Gangrel, especially if you have
acquired such animal features as hooves or a woolly pelt. More importantly though, it
limits your offensive capability. This is a one point flaw for an animal such as a stag,
ram or goat (blessed with horns or antlers), or three points for a horse, hind or ewe
(limited to kicking, biting and bleating angrily).

Affinity Restriction
As noted above, where a form is not inherited from a Sire or Grandsire it must
be a creature that the Gangrel has always had an affinity with. It must relate to the
country in which the Gangrel was born and raised, or in which he was killed and
Embraced. A Mongol might be expected to have an affinity with the horse, while a
sailor might find the form of the dolphin or shark came to him, rather than his Sire’s
wolf shape. Most notably, if a person had an animal totem in life, then that animal
will become one of the Gangrel’s affinities.
It is also worth noting that it is almost invariably in Gangrel – and not in other
Clans – that these variations occur. While other Kindred may learn Protean, they will
almost invariably inherit the forms of their teacher, regardless of their own tendencies.
It is believed by some that it is only possible to bond with a different form if you are
Embraced with a natural capacity for Protean; any other Embrace kills off any
spiritual connections you might previously have held, and you can never reclaim
them.