Lineage System

From Ascension Sojourns

Generational Game

Ascension Sojourns is a generational game. This is a major component of Garou/Kinfolk theme, and it is illuded to in some Mage Tradition write-ups, such as the Verbena. As such, we have rules and rolls for having offspring.

When you decide your character is going to have a child, please open a +lineage job. Staff make the appropriate rolls and give you the results. We also need to know who the biological parents are.

A +lineage job can also be opened if you want to adopt a child. This is World of Darkness, most of those up for adoption will end up being regular mortal children, there is a chance to receive a kinfolk, lost cub (shifter before their first change), or a mortal with a predisposition toward awakening or wild magic.

If you want to PUT a child up for adoption, open a +lineage job. We will need to know who the biological parents are, and when the child will be born. Staff will handle the rest.

Failure to open a +lineage job for any child may result in bad things(tm) happening.

Sample Request

+lineage <parent1-parent2>

The above is all you need to submit. Staff will do the rolls for you. See Magickal Interventions (under Base rolls below) to choose your option if you want any of them. Any "healer" or "assistant" with powers that might help a pregnancy and birth go smoothly will need to be identified. Their skills will be used to mitigate the rolls.

As we understand the topics below can be triggering to some, you are not required to roleplay any of it out on camera unless you want to. If you wish to avoid all rolls, you still need to submit the job, and also provide a log of getting "Blessed" by someone with the appropriate supernatural skills. This may be a blessing by your local priest, a 'checkup' by the local midwife,etc. Shifters mothers automatically avoid all complication and condition rolls due to their nature, unless they take a direct physical attack to their torso.

House Rules

Details
  • Mate/spouse/baby-daddy/baby-momma/sperm-donor/egg-donor -- the other half required to provide the needed genetic material for offspring may be an NPC. This will need to be +noted.

  • For ease of calculating results as percentages, and options, this system uses a D100 for rolls
  • The shifter books make it quiet clear that while most garou and kinfolk believe in a "garou gene"; all attempts to find this have been unsuccessful. Some believe that is because the gene is half-spirit and half-physical. We also quiet like this idea to explain why magick (Mage) can often run along family lines, why some avatars stay in the same families like some familiars do. A Mage may certainly awaken for any number of reasons, and from any number of causes, in some Traditions these mystical genetics might play a part.

  • Bygones can only beget offspring with another bygone of their type.
  • Demons are sterile. Their human vessel may have produced children before the Demon took over. These can be accounted for in the character background. Some mention of the demon's relationships with them, or feelings towards them should be noted.
  • Shifters don't suffer miscarriages

Base Rolls

Details

Roll 1D100 - Staff will roll for you and post to your job.

Conception Rolls # of babies Gender
(1 roll per baby)
1-33 not ovulating, not pregnant
34-67 pre-ovulation, pregnant
68-70 ovulating, not pregnant
71-100 menstruating, not pregnant
1-96: Singleton
97-99: Twins
100: Triplets
1-49 male
50-98 female
99-100 Intersexed
Magickal Interventions
New Moon tea
to prevent pregnancy
Venus Tea
to encourage pregnancy
Gaia's Blessing
multiple increase
Grandmother's Wisdom
ensured health
Available at NDA
proof of purchase required
single use vial
NOT pregnant. Full Stop.
Available at NDA
proof of purchase required
single use vial
Singleton pregnancy guaranteed.
Available at NDA
Completion of Quest required
Chance of a multiple
pregnancy increased
5% quints, 10% quads,
20% triplets, 65% twins
Available at NDA
proof of purchase required
single use vial
skip Miscarriage chance rolls
go to Preg. conditions
NDA - New Dimensions Apothecary (Coord 51)
Miscarriage Chance
Miscarriage Chance Fetus Complications Mother Complications
1-80 No Issues
81-90 Non Lethal Bleeding Scare
91-100 Miscarriage-go to
fetus complications
1-20 Life Threatening Complications
(Baby lost during 2nd term)*

21-50 Minor Complications (Baby lost during 1st term)
51-90 No Complications (Baby lost during 6 weeks after conception)
91-100 Life Threatening Complications*
(Baby lost during 1st term)

*go to mother complications
1-2 Mother Lives (But becomes sterile)
3-12 Mother Dies
13-60 Close Call (Mother lives)
61-100 Mother lives long recovery (wait 9-12 IC months)
Pregnancy Condition Rolls
Skip if Shifter Mother
Term of Pregnancy Ease of Pregnancy
1-10 Pre-term 24-25 weeks*
11-21 Per-term 26-30 weeks*
22-32 Pre-term 31-35 weeks
33-100 Full term (36-40 weeks)
*roll on live birth chart
1-50 Easy Pregnancy
-(Normal morning sickness, normal discomfort)
51-70 Moderate Pregnancy
-(Above normal morning sickness, above normal discomfort.)
71-100 Hard Pregnancy
-(Extreme morning sickness, extreme discomfort.)
Results may be increased to better status level with midwife or assistant that has Spark of Life, Mother's Touch, or other suitable powers. Identify attendant to take advantage of these powers.
Birth Condition/Complications Charts
Skip if Shifter Mother
Ease of Birth Birth Complications Survival
1 roll each
Live Birth?
1-50 Easy Labor-go to live birth
51-70 Moderate Labor-go to live birth
71-100 Difficult Labor**
-go to complications
1-20 Life Threatening Complications*
21-60 Minor Complications
61-100 No Complications
1-88: Close Call
89-90: Mother lives but is sterile
91-100: Mother dies

1-93: Baby lives
94-95: Baby lives but is sickly
96-100: Baby dies
1-10 Still Born
11-100 Live Birth
Results may be increased to better status level with midwife or assistant that has Spark of Life, Mother's Touch, or other suitable powers. Identify attendant to take advantage of these powers.
Baby Appearance
Eye Color Hair Color Physical Traits (freckles,dimples,distinguishing feature)
Roll 1 D10 for each above: 1-5 takes after Father, 6-10 takes after mother.

Shifter traits, see below.

Mage

Details

Mage parent(s) will be required to take the WARD flaw as well. Families are a huge responsiblity, and sometimes a liability as well.

Mages may handle pregnancy and birth as it comes naturally with all the above rolls made. With appropriate spheres you may ensure your pregnancy and birth is uncomplicated.

Spark of Life (and similiar merits) if present during the birth, with automatically create an uncomplicated birth and perfect health in mother and baby.

If any mortal or mage has daily access (such as 10 minute massage) to Spark of Life (that is not themselves), the merit will prevent morning sickness entirely. If they are away from the Spark for over 24 hours, morning sickness will return.

Since even in RL we still can only guess at what triggers morning sickness, this is not something Life Sphere can mitigate entirely. You may balance your hormones and other magickal effects and lessen the intensity to almost non-existent, to little more than a nagging sensation, but it won't go away entirely till the end of the third month. There are some secrets the universe isn't willing to let go of yet.

Shifter Offspring and Pure Breed

Details
  • KPB = Kinfolk Pure Breed

Rolls on D100

Parents' races Parents' breeds
(Garou, Bastet, etc.)
Same tribe? % chance of shifter baby % chance kinfolk %chance neither References
Shifter, kinfolk Same Same 10 + (5 * KPB) 90-(5*KPB) no chance K:UH 13, 51
Same Different 10 90 0 PGG 203
Different n/a 10 90 0
Two kinfolk Same Same 1 + (sum of KPB) 50 49 - (sum of KPB) K:UH 13, 51
Same Different 1 50 49 PGG 203
Different n/a 1 50 49
Two shifters Same Either 100 (metis, Fera limited by breed) 0 0
Different (mother homid) n/a 20 80 0 WPG 2nd 190
Different (mother lupus/etc.) n/a 10 90 0 WPG 2nd 190
  • K:UH = Kinfolk: Unsung Heroes (2nd ed) *PPG = Players Guide to Garou (Revised) *WPG = Werewolf Players Guide (2nd ed)

Example Rolls:
Shifter/kin(PB5) same tribe: Roll D100: 1-35 shifter, anything above 35 kin
Shifter/kin(PB3) different tribe: Roll D100: 1-11 shifter, 12-100 kinfolk
Kin(PB3)/Kin(PB5) same tribe: Roll D100: 1-13 shifter, 14-57 kinfolk, 58-100 neither
Kin/Kin different tribe: Roll D100: 1 shifter, 2-52 kinfolk, 53-100 neither


A shifter baby's birth form (homid/lupus or Fera equivalent) matches their mother. Female werewolves who bear offspring always wear their breed form when giving birth. (WtA 30-31, 59, also identified as "breed" in these passages)

Baby's Pure Breed:

  • Same breed (Garou, Bastet, etc.) and tribe: Baby's Pure Breed is at least as high as higher rating among parents.
  • Different breed and/or tribe: Baby's Pure Breed (if any) matches mother, but is 1 lower. (Breed also matches mother, in case of different breeds.)

Exceptions:

  • If both parents are shifters and the mother is homid, then flip a coin to choose a parent to see which parent the baby favors.
  • A shifter/kinfolk of one breed doesn't count as a shifter or kinfolk of any other breed (WPG 2nd 190), regardless of ancestry.
  • For breeds without tribes (e.g. Ratkin), if the parents are both of that breed, then they're also considered 'same tribe'.
  • If either parent is neither shifter nor kinfolk, then the baby is neither shifter nor kinfolk. (This is a major reason why kinfolk are so important to the shifters.)

PGG 204 mentions occasional exceptions to some of these rules, but these are rare plot-device situations and limited at Gaia's (OOC: staff) discretion.

Biology

Per WW20 Changing Ways:

  • Female garou still have a monthly cycle but rarely experience debilitating cramps, bloating, or other forms of discomfort, and even these mild symptoms vanish when taking any of the intermediary battle forms: Glabro, Crinos, or Hispo.
  • Garou women, generally don’t experience menopause until their early 60s.
  • A pregnant Garou almost always carries her fetus to term. Her body rejects chemical means of terminating the pregnancy and, while homids can undergo physical abortion due to their lack of regeneration in breed form, not shapeshifting in the face of such stress and pain is very difficult.
  • Werewolf pregnancies follow the normal gestation period for the werewolf’s breed.
  • no movement penalties until the third trimester, at which point they must contend with a mere -1 to strenuous physical activities.
  • A werewolf’s womb is as durable as the rest of her body, providing excellent protection to her unborn child, and the placental barrier eradicates most of the toxins and adverse chemicals long before they’re passed on to the fetus.
  • Miscarriages are rare, only a powerful direct attack to the torso can threaten a child carried by a werewolf. Gaia designed Her warriors to be fully battle-capable right up until the birthing bed, where the werewolf becomes locked into her breed form for the duration of her labor.
  • She remains visibly pregnant in all forms save Crinos, where the womb draws deeper and higher into the form’s enormous torso, protected behind thick layers of muscle, such that only late in the third trimester is her pregnancy visible at a glance.
  • The fetus remains present and unchanged by any transformations.

Metis Biology

Metis pregnancies are highly discouraged. There is a reason it was mentioned in the Litany.

  • A werewolf carrying a Metis pregnancy is restricted to Crinos at the second trimester. Wearing any other form causes the fetus to die.
  • Metis births are more prone to birth complications due to the arrangement of Crinos hips. This often results in a very traumatic birth experience for mother and baby.
  • A Metis baby may frenzy during birth, and if it does, it rips its way out of the mother likely killing her.
  • A C-section can not be performed.
  • There is a high likelihood that a Metis baby will not be healthy enough to survive more than a few hours after birth.