@Warma-Sheen said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:
If you're talking direct combat, sure. But in other areas Werewolves are lacking.
Do you mean "lacking" or "inferior"? Because when a fully-complemented werewolf pack is on the Hunt, it is almost unstoppable.
I've heard this said before, and I used to agree regarding 1E, but 2E Werewolves are naturally-built to destroy, which means that folks can dump points into other areas and still be an effective combat-beast. And if you're coming in with a pack, everyone's role is defined and their Gifts are narrowly-tailored but incredibly powerful. While Mages and Vampires can form Cabals and Coteries, they don't synergize as effectively as a Pack.
The real power/trick lies in the low XP cost for Facets. For example, for the Gift of Hunting, pair up Honed Senses (Cunning) and Impossible Spoor (Wisdom). The first reduces the exceptional success threshold to 3 for any Perception roll; the second gives you an additional 2 successes to any Tracking roll. With a reasonable score for both rolls or paired with the Trained Observer Merit, you can pretty much hunt down anyone, anywhere, any time. Your requirements: having 1 point of Cunning, 1 point of Wisdom, and 2 XP. 2 XP.
To "master" a Gift, you only need 11 XP for Affinity Gifts and 13 XP for Non-Affinity Gifts. And so long as your Werewolf spreads their Renown enough to pick up 1 in each (which only costs 9 XP to do, by the way), you can "master" every single Gift, excepting Moon Gifts. They did gimp Rites -- which I disliked in general because, yay, go ritemasters -- but they gave Gifts such a boost in the arm that I don't think anyone else gives a fuck.
So, yeah. I'm of the opinion that Werewolves are the new OP'd race. Then again, I'm pretty sure that werewolves were not calculated to mesh or interact with other races on a regular basis.
They would make neat antagonists, though, to keep other races in check.