The Ananasi are perhaps the strangest of the beté, and are ludicrously powerful, being built on 1,000+ points, although most of this goes towards the very expensive Ananasi package.
As with the Werewolf package, all the Werespiders non-human forms are based upon the Homid form.
The Ananasi Template
Many of the Ananasi package covers the distinctive features of each form, which are described in detail below. Those traits not specific to any particular form are:
Advantages: Blood Healing (25 points); Combat Reflexes (15 points); Regrowth (50 points); Sharp Teeth (05 points); Step Sideways (62 points); Were Form (20 points)
Disadvantages: Duty (Other Ananasi, Sometimes, -05 points); Secret: Were (-30 points); Enemy (varies with Auspice, -60 points)
The Ananasi package totals 924 points, plus the variable cost for Lilian form (see below).
In addition to Gnosis, as detailed in the main rulebook, Ananasi have a trait normally assigned only to Vampires; Blood Pool. All Ananasi have a Blood Pool of 10. This can only be used to regenerate, unlike that of the Vampires. Ananasi do not possess Rage.
Female Ananasi are often bigger and stronger than males, and so the two may receive different attribute bonuses in Lilian and Pithus forms; with females being stronger and males being faster. At this point the player may decide if this applies to his/her character or not. This makes no difference to the points cost of the Ananasi, but it cannot be changed after character creation.
There are only two breeds of Ananasi; Homid and Arachnid. There are no Metis werespiders.
Arachnid
Arachnid characters have Extra Gnosis +4 (32 points) and Strong Will +2 (8 points). They have the same skill restrictions as Lupus Garou (p.WtA46).
Homid
Homid characters are built as normal humans, with no modifiers.
Unlike Garou, who have Auspices based on the Moon, the Ananasi base theirs on who they serve; the Weaver, Wyld or Wyrm. Those who serve the Weaver are called Skein-Spiders, those who serve the Wyld are called Kumoti (or Wyld Spiders), and those who serve the Wyrm are called Hatar (or Goblin Spiders). All three Auspices maintain unhealthy close ties for all their differences, and Gaia help the Garou who thinks that they will not all unite to fight an outsider. In Asia, the Kumoti and Hatar are the most common Auspice, and are collectively known as Kumo. Skein-Spiders, the most common overall, prevail in the West.
Beyond what Gifts they may take, there are no mechanical differences between the different Auspices other than what their Enemy disadvantage lists. Kumoti have the same enemy as Garou: The Wyrm. Hatar take Garou & other Gaia kind. Skein-Spiders take both, but the frequency of appearance is lowered, providing the same points cost. Garou and the Wyrm are focused on each other, and tend not to engage to Weaver too much.
For the most part, the Ananasi can be assumed to use Garou Gifts.
For Breed Gifts: Homid Ananasi take Homid Garou Gifts, and Arachnids use Lupus Garou Gifts.
For Auspice Gifts: Kumoti use Red Talons Gifts; Hatar use Black Spiral Dancer Gifts (see the Book of the Wyrm, which I may yet adapt to GURPS); and Skein-Spiders use Glass Walker Gifts.
Rites
Kumoti use Uktena Rites; Hatar use Black Spiral Dancer Rites; and Skein-Spiders use Glass Walker Rites.
Standard human form. No modifiers.
Each Ananasi has a unique Lilian form, though they are near-universally horrific. Each Lilian has eight limbs - when the Ananasi character is being created, four extra limbs must be bought for this form only. These can be legs or arms, capable of manipulating or not. See below for more details.
Attributes: ST +8; DX +8. (if the optional rules are being used, male Ananasi instead receive ST +5 and DX +10 in Lilian form)
Advantages: Claws (sharp, hand-to-hand damage is now cutting); the Delirium; 5 Extra Hit Points; Extra Limbs (see below).
Disadvantages: Minus one level of Appearance.
Skill Modifiers: -5 to both Fast-Talk and Diplomacy.
(Distilled from GURPS Character Compendium 1)
Extra arms cost base 10 pts each. Short Arms cost 5 pts and cannot swing. Longer arms cost an additional 10 pts per hex, and includes a +1 swing damage per hex. If an arm cannot be used to attack, it costs 5 points.
Extra Legs cost 5 points for three or four (in total), 10 for five or six, and 15 for seven or more. Legs can kick 1-hex for thrust/crush damage. An extra 10 points increases range by one hex, cumulative. Reduce cost of legs by 5 points if they cannot kick.
Full Coordination costs 50 points per attack, and requires a different limb for each attack.
Extra flexibility cost 5 points for 1 limb, or 10 points for the whole body, and allows all sorts of maneuvers.
The Pithus form is as horrific as the Lilian; it is a massive spider of whatever species is appropriate, some 5'+ across, with females being considerably larger than males.
Attributes: ST +10; DX +5. (if the optional rules are being used, male Ananasi instead receive ST +8 and DX +8 in this Pithus form)
Advantages: The Delirium; 8 Extra Hit Points; Fangs (do impaling damage based on ST, as per p.B140); 8 Legs (cannot kick); Perfect Balance; Webbing (+10 ST mod).
Disadvantages: Mute; No Manipulators; minus two levels of Appearance.
Skill Modifiers: -8 to both Fast-Talk and Diplomacy.
The Crawlerling form consists of hundreds of spiders, as the Ananasi's body breaks down into a sentient swarm (another way of looking at it is that the other forms are an amalgamation of the natural sentient swarm; this all depends on Breed.) The spiders are all of the relevant species for the Ananasi, and of appropriate size; whether that be minute or tarantula-sized. The smaller the spiders, the more of them there are. It is very hard to kill an Ananasi in this form: even if most of the spiders present are destroyed, those that survive can devour others and eventually gain sufficient numbers to reform.
Attributes: ST 0; DX +13.
Advantages: Fangs; Silence (+1 to Stealth); Speak With Animals (Spiders Only); Webbing.
Disadvantages: Inconvenient Size (Smaller); Mute; No Manipulators.
Normally, Appearance cannot be modified after character creation (barring surgery or unfortunate accidents), but Ananasi have a special loophole in this, though not a pleasant one. If more then 50% of an Ananasi in Crawlerling form is destroyed (it is reduced to 0 Hit Points), then the reformed werespider often looks very different. To reflect this, appearance may be bought up or down (with relevant CP costs/bonuses) if this situation occurs.
On a similar note, the specifics of the extra limbs purchased for Lilian form may also be altered after such an event, though again CPs must be kept in mind at all times.
This is the same as the advantage on p.VtM 58. Ananasi may only spend 1 Blood Point per turn.
This is again a superset of the Multiple Forms super-advantage from GURPS Supers.
The Ananasi have four forms in a continuum, and to get from one to another, all the intervening forms must be assumed temporarily, as described on p.WtA60.
It is broken down thusly:
Were Form, 3 additional forms: 15 points
Active Change +20%
Shared points over 20% of total allowed +20%
Responds to Change Control Skill +10%
Forms are a continuum that must be traversed -20%
Final Cost: 15 x 130% = 20 points
As detailed above.
Instead of the Garou system of Renown (Glory, Honour and Wisdom), Ananasi use Cunning (Wyrm), Obedience (Weaver) and Wisdom (Wyld). The importance of each of these is based on Auspice, though there is a strange degree of crossover. Ananasi never take the Litany as a Code of Honor, or indeed honor it at all. It is very rare that an Ananasi would take a Code outside their Auspice, but it has been known to happen.
The Code of Cunning (-10 points): I shall hold to my word only while it is to my benefit. I shall know my enemies. I shall know myself. I shall turn everything, every situation, to my advantage. I shall never give forknowledge of my actions. (this is taken from the Book of the Wyrm)
The Code of Obedience (-10 points): I shall obey my superiors. I shall not allow disobedience below me. I shall maintain order. I shall oppose chaos in all its forms. (this one is by me, but has yet to be playtested.)
The Code of Wisdom (-10 points): As p.WtA52.