An introduction: I want to begin by saying that, of course, this information is by no means canon, and simply reflects my view on the nature of the three middle breeds. My issues with the depictions of these three often have little to do with their ability or their perceptions, but their physical properties, anatomy, and their illustrations in the Werewolf: the Apocalypse game line. Excellent information on the sensory capabilities of each of the forms is provided in the revised Werewolf Storytellers Handbook. Lastly, the art presented here was created by me, and as such it would please me if you didn't use it elsewhere. If you want to, you need only ask - I just want recognition for the work.

Glabro: the Near Man

The old tongue called it the man-sheath - it is the form closest to homid, and thus, most easily understood of the three middle forms by we, the players. The glabro form is a simple revision upon the human form, and the change between homid and glabro is mostly one of physical strength, size, and appearance. Senses sharpen slightly, but the sense of smell is still quite weak, and of little use.

Glabro form is distinctly humanoid, but clearly not quite human. It is bestial and primitive, hulking and fearsome. Even the most attractive and well-groomed of Garou will look unkempt and neanderthalish to the average person. The sheer combination of features - unusual size and strength, increased body hair, pointed ears - makes for a threat to the veil. As such, it can only be used for "extra muscle" just short of breaking the veil in instances where you can get away with such a think - an alley at night, for instance.

My main issue with the way that the glabro form in Werewolf: the Apocalypse is a gender-specific thing. The obsession with women adhering to cultural standards of beauty has led most female Garou to mysteriously possess the "Fair Glabro" merit whenever drawn. It has to be reiterated that the average female Garou is going to be downright *ugly* in glabro form, and even an attractive person is probably only going to appear tolerable. The steep increase in bodily hair seen in male Garou occurs also to the females. Legs that may have been clean-shaven in homid form become quite fuzzy - the same goes for the underarm. Other places that generally are known for thick body hair in men only suddenly sprout hair even for women in glabro, such as on the abdomen, chest (especially around the breasts), and various regions of the back.

Yes, this means even the face grows hair. A werewolf woman will usually discover a thin mustache, a thick unibrow, and increased hair around the sideburns and perhaps even the jaw.

Crinos: the Wolf-Man

For obvious reasons, the crinos form receives the most coverage of the three middle forms. A peculiar mix of wolf, man and the very essence of war, this form is designed for one thing - battle.

The anatomy of the war-form would seem a nightmare to any biologist. Capable of traveling on both all fours and on its hind legs, the crinos form is perfectly suited to neither. Although quite capable of short runs, and clearly skilled in quick maneuvering in combat, this middle form is not suited for long-term movement. This is, of course, a tertiary problem - few Garou would opt to remain in this form for any extended period of time unless necessary. Werewolves in this form find it difficult to think calmly or rationally - they think with a red-hot instinct to destroy threats, and almost anything can be perceived as a threat in this form.

The head of the crinos form is little different than an oversized wolf skull. The shoulders may sometimes seem a little narrow, and held further forward than in humans - an effect of the skeletal changes necessary to allow the crinos form to move on all fours as well as on two legs. The torso is otherwise quite human, if oversized, furred, and obscenely muscled. The arms are rather long, as much to allow four-legged movement as to give the war-form greater reach than its opponents.

The legs of the war form are vaguely shaped like a wolf's, in that they are digitrade, but they are far more heavily muscled (especially lower on the leg) and far different in proportion. It is important to note that the legs have a much more limited range of movement than in human form - the crinos form is incapable of performing a split, for example. The sheer size of the crinos form requires that the legs take the more stable, digitrade solution of having a limited movement. This makes running more stable and sure, as well. The tail has a tendency to be rather long, to help the ungainly creature that is the werewolf balance.

Hispo: the Near-Wolf

Of all the forms, this form is easily the most misunderstood. Both in art and description, this form suffers greatly. As such, I shall begin at the root of the problem.

The hispo form is described as being similar to the dire wolf of the Pleistocene. Unfortunately, few people know the actual physical traites of Canis dirus, and often consider it an oversized version of Canis lupus. This is quite far from the truth. Canis dirus was quite similar to the size of the modern-day wolf, perhaps a little larger in weight but not so in dimensions. The true differences of this animal lie in its structure. The dire wolf had a solid head with a stronger jaw than in the gray wolf, and its teeth are nothing short of massive.

The legs of the dire wolf were also shorter than in its relative, as well as thicker, more stout. Even more noticable is that its hind legs are shorter than its front ones - it evokes a very hyena-like appearance, and indicates that the dire wolf was a poor runner. This, coupled with the size and stress on its teeth and jaws indicates that the dire wolf occupied a hyena-like niche, hunting large prey and feeding upon carcasses, cracking open bones that others couldn't manage.

Of course, the hispo form is not an exact duplicate of the dire wolf. The hispo form seems to suffer from the misconception that it is smaller than the crinos form, which is untrue - it is about as big, but the matter is distributed differently. The claws also tend to be much larger and sharper than in any canine, as the hispo form can use them as a clumsy weapon if pressed.

The hispo form is a very useful form, despite how often it is overlooked. Many lupus Garou opt to use it as their warform instead of crinos, preferring the familiarity of four legs, and the use of jaws - not claws - to defeat their foes. Hearing and smell are sharper in this form than in crinos, and although more suited to instinctive thoughts than higher processes, its mind is at least not so clouded with Rage as in the crinos form.

Werewolf: the Apocalypse is copyright White Wolf Publishing, inc. Images and site by Julia Grace Rogers, 3/11/2003.