Animalism

ANIMALISM

Doolittling | Taming | Bestiae Sermo | Abombwe

Perhaps the vampire has more in common with animal than human. A dangerous set of instincts drive them, and it takes a lot for them to withhold the urge to just lash out. Much like a wild dog on a chain, a vampire’s Beast will never truly be tamed.

Some Kindred find a way of becoming one with their Beasts. Those who do are the masters of Animalism. Some accompany the use of this power with howls, snarls, and roars, or communicate with animals in the animal’s “language,” though this is an affectation and not a necessity.

The Animalism Discipline sees much use among vampires who struggle to fit in or have no taste for living among mortals. Often classed as one of Caine’s gifts of utility, allowing a vampire to thrive on unrefined blood or form companionship with non-sapient beings, it is also a devastating weapon against vampires who cling to their towers, and against inquisitors who suspect their enemies will only come on two legs. A swarm of blood-hungry rats invading a Kindred’s penthouse haven, the Animalism-proficient vampire who cows the Sheriff’s Beast in Elysium, or the beady-eyed raven that spies on a Society of St. Leopold chapter all serve to strengthen Animalism practitioners, and weaken their foes.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Type: Mental

• Masquerade Threat: Low to medium.
  While talking to animals might seem eccentric, only the most violent applications of the Discipline elicit more than a few raised eyebrows.

• Blood Resonance: Animal blood, preferably feral.

By default Animalism powers involving animals can only be used on vertebrates. Additionally, any use of the ability on herbivores adds one to the Difficulty of skill rolls involved.

LEVEL 1

BOND FAMULUS

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Animalism •

When Blood Bonding an animal, the vampire can make it a famulus, forming a mental link with it and facilitating the use of other Animalism powers. While this power alone does not allow two-way communication with the animal, it can follow simple verbal instructions such as “stay” and “come here." It attacks in defense of itself and its master but cannot otherwise be persuaded to fight something it would not normally attack.

Cost: The animal must be fed the user’s Blood on three separate nights, each of which requires a Rouse Check by the user. The amount of Blood needed to sustain the ghoul-state of the animal after this is negligible. Players starting with this power have completed this process and can chose a famulus for free.

Dice Pools: Charisma + Animal Ken

System: Without the use of Feral Whispers, below, giving commands to the animal requires a Charisma + Animal Ken roll (Difficulty 2); increase Difficulty for more complex orders. A vampire can only have one famulus, but can get a new one if the current one dies. A vampire can use Feral Whispers (Animalism 2) and Subsume the Spirit (Animalism 4) on their famulus for free.

Duration: Only death releases a famulus once bound. As long as it receives vampire Blood on a regular basis, the famulus does not age.

_{Core Book, pg. 245}

SENSE THE BEAST

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Animalism •

The vampire can sense the Beast present in mortals, vampires, and other supernaturals, gaining a sense of their nature, hunger, and hostility.

Cost: Free

Dice Pools: Resolve + Animalism vs Composure + Subterfuge

System: A win allows the user to sense the level of hostility in a target (whether the person is prepared to do harm or even determined to cause it) and determine whether they harbor a supernatural Beast, marking them as a vampire or another type of supernatural creature. On a win, a critical gives the user information on the exact type of creature (for example, a werewolf), as well as their Hunger (or equivalent) level, and their Resonance.. This power can be used both actively and passively, warning the user of aggressive intent in their immediate vicinity.

Duration: Passive

_{Core Book, pg. 245}

THRILL OF THE HUNT

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Animalism •

Your bestial instincts grow stronger with your blood thirst. You can harry wounded prey for miles and when you taste blood, there is no escape.

Cost: Free

System: When tracking prey add a bonus equal to your Hunger. After tasting someone's blood, living or undead, you can track them unerringly for the rest of the Scene. If your quarry is wounded, their blood calls to you as visible lines of crimson in the air, making it impossible for them to mask their scent with water or irritants. Smelling blood on the wind even allows you to determine its Resonance or other peculiarities with a Wits + Animalism roll at Difficulty 2. At the storyteller's discretion this last ability can be used on unwounded mortals within arm's reach of the vampire.

Duration: Passive

_{The Black Hand, pg. 76}

LEVEL 2

ANIMAL MESSENGER

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Animalism ••

Amalgam: Auspex •

The vampire’s Famulus can carry a short message to a person designated by its master, assuming they can reach them. Those within earshot hear the message as if the Famulus was speaking with their master’s voice.

Cost: One Rouse Check for each night.

Dice Pools: None, though the Famulus must test Resolve + Streetwise / Survival (or equivalent) if the target’s location is unknown.

System: The vampire whispers a single sentence to the Famulus and states the target. If the location of the recipient is unknown the Famulus must track them down, making a tracking test (see above) at a Difficulty of 2, or resisted by the target’s Intelligence + Streetwise / Survival if they are actively trying to hide (from the famulus or from other perceived threats). The attempt can be made once per night. The message is delivered as soon as the Famulus makes eye contact with the target, at which point they return to their master.

Duration: One or more nights depending in length of search

_{Players Guide, pg. 69}

ATAVISM

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Animalism ••

By subtly projecting their Beast into a mortal animal, the vampire may cause it to revert to its most base and primal of instincts. Loyal guard dogs suddenly become ravenous, slathering curs and prized thoroughbreds throw their riders a they champ and buck in mad panic.

Cost: One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: Composure + Animalism

System: The target must be able to sense (smell, hear, or see) the user in question to use this power. Roll Composure + Animalism vs. Difficulty 1-4, depending on type of animal, its training, and whether or not it is a ghoul. A win against the target allows the user to choose one of two primal responses: Fight or Flight. Ir Fight is chosen, the creature reacts in kind, lashing out at the closest perceived threat or prey. If Flight, the creature instead flies into a panic, trying to escape its surroundings at any cost to their safety. Well-trained and faithful animals tend to shake off this reaction quickly, and so, clever users tend to time their uses of this power in order to create maximum effect.

Duration: A number of rounds equal to the test margin plus one, or the entire Scene in the case of a critical win.

_{Winter's Teeth, vol. 3}

FERAL WHISPERS

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Animalism ••

The vampire can commune with the beasts of the wild and the city. Feral Whispers allows two-way communication with animals. A cat might not be interested in debating Matisse’s use of color but happily discusses the lack of prey around the brownstone building across the street. Depending on the vampire’s skill, they can even persuade animals to perform services; like humans, animals seldom agree to things that go against their nature or endanger them.

Vampires can also use Feral Whispers to summon a chosen type of animal (see Animalism limitations above) but the animals must be present to answer. Nothing prevents a vampire trying to summon an orca in Central Park, but success seems unlikely. Summoned animals listen to the summoner, but scatter or attack if endangered.

Cost: One Rouse Check per type of animal chosen for the scene. Allows one summoning and unlimited communication. Free when used on famulus.

Dice Pools: Manipulation + Animalism, Charisma + Animalism

System: Simple communication requires no dice pool test. Persuading an animal to perform a service requires a Manipulation + Animalism roll; the Difficulty depends on the task required. Having a bird keep an eye out for anyone entering the park at night is Difficulty 3, while ordering any animal to defend a place with their lives is Difficulty 6.

Summoning animals uses a Charisma + Animalism roll; Difficulty depends on the scarcity of the animals summoned. The number of animals summoned depend on the margin on the test; a critical win summons most, if not all, animals of the type in the area.

Duration: One Scene

_{Core Book, pg. 245}

VERMIN BLOOD

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Animalism ••

Amalgam: Blood Sorcery •

You can awaken the dormant diseases and infections in your dead blood, passing the contagion on to your pets. Sabbat often use this power to quietly clear out any squatters from a potential haven or safe house.

Cost: One Rouse Check

System: After activating this power you pour your blood out for your unwitting animal servants. Vermin, insects and other lower beasts are drawn to the pool of blood and those that feed from it become virulent disease carriers. These beasts usually succumb to the disease in their system by the end of the week unless the vampire replenishes the blood pool before the week ends. Unless special preparations are made, usually nothing larger than a rat or pigeon can be infected by the blood pool. These infected from the blood pool after becoming addicted to it, but they will continue to scavenge for food and seek out mortals to infect within their territory.

Mortals who come into direct contact with these diseased creatures or the pool of blood develop an acute viral infection within a few hours. Common symptoms include fever, headache, chills, fatigue, swollen glands, and painful pus-filled buboes. These symptoms inflict a -2 die penalty on an infected mortals die pools until the power expires and Weak Mortals (see V5 Corebook pg. 185) die within 24 hours without medical aid. Vampires slake one less Hunger from any animal or mortal infected by this power unless they have the Iron Gullet Merit or a similar ability.

Duration: One week

_{The Black Hand, pg. 76}

LEVEL 3

ANIMAL SUCCULENCE

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Animalism •••

The vampire can slake additional Hunger by feeding on animals. In addition, the vampire can consume its famulus, gaining nourishment far beyond what would be gained from an animal of similar stature and absorbing a sliver of its primary trait.

Cost: Free

System: Feeding from animals slakes 1 additional Hunger, and the vampire counts their Blood Potency as two levels lower in regards to penalties to slaking Hunger from animal blood.

Consuming one's famulus slakes 4 Hunger, regardless of animal size. This act can never remove the final Hunger die. In addition, consuming one's famulus increases the vampire’s Attribute most associated with that animal (as determined by the Storyteller) by two dots. Consuming a cat might raise Dexterity or Composure; consuming a dog might raise Charisma or Resolve. Storytellers may vary the reward from famulus consumption: draining an owl might raise the Attribute in any perception pool by two dots, or in pools involving wise decision making. The bonus lasts until the vampire’s next feeding or until their Hunger reaches 5.

Duration: Passive

_{Core Book, pg. 246}

QUEEL THE BEAST

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Animalism •••

By locking eyes with a target, the vampire cows their inner Beast into temporary slumber. Mortals affected thus become apathetic, unable to take any actions other than to stay alive, while vampires’ bestial urges temporarily abate, for better or worse.

Cost: One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: Charisma + Animalism vs Stamina + Resolve

System: Roll Charisma + Animalism vs Stamina + Resolve. A win against a mortal target incapacitates them for that scene, instilling severe lethargy. They act only to preserve themselves, not against the user or anyone else. A win against a vampire prevents the target from performing Blood Surges. While their Beast is quelled, vampires do not score messy criticals. Against vampires, this power lasts a turn plus a number of turns equal to the win margin on the contest. A critical win against a vampire target also ends their frenzy.

Duration: One scene, or a number of turns equal to the test margin plus one.

_{Core Book, pg. 246}

UNLIVING HIVE

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Animalism •••

Amalgam: Obfuscate ••

Most often seen amongst the Nosferatu, this unnerving power allows the user to extend their animal influence to swarms of insects such as flies or roaches. Certain vampires even go so far as to adopt swarms as famuli, giving them a permanent home within the folds and orifices of their malformed flesh.

Cost: No additional cost

System: This power extends all powers previously restricted to vertebrates to insect swarms, treating a swarm as a single creature. The vampire can bind the swarm as a famulus, and some even give it the ability to nest inside the cavities of their body. This hides the swarm from sight while allowing it to nurse the minute amounts of Blood needed to sustain it indefinitely. While nested, the swarm is undetectable by anything less than X-rays.

Swarms do little damage in combat. They have Health 5 and a pool of 8 dice to resist attacks. Swarms take Superficial damage from Brawl; flame and insecticide cause Aggravated damage. Vampires can use swarms for spying, as distractions (resulting in a two-dice penalty on any roll for a single swarmed individual), or to intimidate mortals (add between one and three dice to Intimidation pools, depending on the type of insect and the victim’s phobias). Players and Storytellers can doubtlessly come up with even more creative uses of this power.

Duration: Passive

_{Core Book, pg. 246}

EYES OF THE PACK

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Animalism •••

Amalgam: Auspex ••

Using this amalgam, one can see through the eyes of surrounding animals, moving from one to the next at-will.

Cost: One Rouse Check

System: The user can see and hear through the eyes and ears of surrounding animals (150 yard / meter radius per level of Animalism). They must close their eyes and focus as they do so, and can only experience the senses of one animal at a time, although they can switch between animals at-will. The user is helpless during this period, and cannot see or hear through their own senses. Note that unlike Subsume the Spirit, the user has no control over the animals whose senses they borrow.

Duration: One Scene, unless prolonged for another by repeating the cost.

_{Fall of London, pg. 148}

SCENT OF PREY

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Animalism •••

The mind-numbing fear of realizing one’s role as prey is unique, and vampires versed in sensing the Beast can learn to recognize it in those who experience it. This power allows a vampire to become aware of any mortal in an area projecting the distinct note of fear produced by prey animals having come face to face with their predator, allowing them to quickly track and silence those who would threaten their clandestine presence.

Cost: One Rouse Check

Dice Pool: Resolve + Animalism

System: The vampire sniffs the air and rolls Resolve + Animalism. Each success on the roll allows them to sense and track the position of a mortal who has witnessed what a Camarilla Kindred would call a “Masquerade violation.” (The user senses the closest mortal first if there are more than one and order matters.) The effect lasts for one scene, or one night on a critical win. The power is ineffective on mortals who are familiar enough with vampires to sublimate the note of fear, such as ghouls, vampire retainers, or dedicated hunters.

Duration: One Scene or night

_{Sabbat Sect Book, pg. 47}

MESSENGER'S COMMAND

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Animalism •••

Amalgam: Dominate •

Prerequisite: Animal Messenger, Compel or Mesmerize

The vampire is able to use Compel or Mesmerize with a command carried by the Famulus, enforcing their will upon the target of the message.

Cost: None.

Dice Pools: See Compel or Mesmerize, but the Dominate rating cannot exceed the user’s Animalism.

System: See Animal Messenger, above. Make the Compel or Mesmerize test as soon as the Famulus makes eye contact with the target.

Duration: See Animal Messenger

_{Players Guide, pg. 69}

PLAGUE OF BEASTS

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Animalism •••

The vampire can mark an individual, making them the target of focused animal attention. Whatever beasts or vermin are in the area seek the target out to bark, peck, scratch, and generally make their night miserable. While the animals retain enough instincts to not entirely threaten their self preservation, they make it very hard for the victim to do anything but fend them off.

Cost: One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: Manipulation + Animalism vs Composure + Animal Ken

System: The vampire picks a target within their line of sight and tests Manipulation + Animalism against the target’s Composure + Animal Ken. On a win the target becomes the focus of attention for all animals in their vicinity for the rest of the night, suffering a dice penalty to all Skill pools equal to the margin on the win unless they can physically isolate themselves from the local wildlife. The target also becomes easier to track, with any pursuer receiving a bonus equal to the same margin. The Skill penalty does not apply to physical conflicts, as the animals aren’t suicidal enough to stick around when fists and bullets start flying, though they return once the dust settles.

Duration: One night

_{Players Guide, pg. 69}

BESTIAL SPIRITS

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Animalism •••

Amalgam: Presence •

You can project your Beast's urges on to the mortals around you, assaulting them with its depraved desires and hunger for blood and violence. The weak willed and unstable often crack under this sudden barrage of animalistic and intrusive thoughts.

Cost: One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: Charisma + Animalism

System: For every success rolled one Weak Mortal (see V5 Corebook pg. 185) within your immediate vicinity succumbs to a psychotic break as they are unable to hold back the violent urges of your Beast. On a critical win this power effects the same number of animals or Average Mortals. You cannot target specific mortals with this ability and vampires, ghouls and other supernatural creatures are immune to this power. Mortals and animals effected by this power should be treated as having succumbed to Rage Frenzy, though they gain none of the mechanical advantages of that state. They will often lash out at those closest to them or seek to harm themselves with whatever object is closest at hand. If subdued, isolated, or distracted these mortals quickly regain their composure if the vampire who used this power is no longer present.

Duration: One scene

_{The Black Hand, pg. 77}

LEVEL 4

SUBSUME THE SPIRIT

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Animalism ••••

The vampire can completely transfer its mind into the body of an animal. They can control the animal and use its senses freely, even during the day should they manage to stay awake. While doing this, the vampire’s body lies immobile as if in torpor.

Cost: One Rouse Check. Free if used on famulus.

Dice Pools: Manipulation + Animalism

System: Make a Manipulation + Animalism test; Difficulty 4. On a win, the vampire can inhabit the animal’s body for one scene. On a critical win, the vampire can inhabit the animal indefinitely.

Extending this possession into the daylight hours requires the vampire to stay awake (p. 219); seeing the sun requires a test for fear frenzy though the sunlight does not damage the animal being ridden. The user remains oblivious to their original body, but harm to it pulls them out of the trance and releases the animal. Death of the possessed animal also ends the trance, and the vampire takes a point of Aggravated Willpower damage from the shock.

Duration: A scene / indefinitely (see above)

_{Core Book, pg. 247}

SWAY THE FLOCK

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Animalism ••••

The vampire can influence the general mood of animals over a wide area. While they cannot control the specific actions of the beasts, they can steer their behavior toward anything from sleepy indifference to indiscriminate aggression. Use of this power can be subtle, with nothing to show but a lack of birdsong, or it can be pure bedlam, with people barricading themselves indoors, carcasses littering the ground as beasts rip anything that moves apart in a frenzy.

Cost: One or more Rouse Checks

Dice Pools: Composure + Animalism

System: The vampire decides on the behavior they want to encourage in the local animals and makes a Composure + Animalism test. The effect scales with the number of successes: At one success animals aren’t noticeably affected, while at five their behavior will be completely dominated by the desired impulse, with calmed animals falling asleep or riled ones attacking anyone or each other with no provocation. Any mundane attempt to control the animals increases in Difficulty equal to the number of successes on the test. The size of the area affected is roughly the size of a football field, though it can be extended with additional Rouse Checks, up to five for a small town.

Duration: One night

_{Players Guide, pg. 69}

NATURAL NETWORK

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Animalism ••••

Amalgam: Dominate •

The vampire uses the animals as a security network, watching for intruders or searching for specific individuals.

Cost: Free or One Rouse Check

Dice Pool: Wits + Animalism

System: Add half your Animalism (rounded up) to your Domain’s Portillon. Intruders must pass a Stealth or Animal Ken test against your Animalism rating to enter your Haven unnoticed. A failure on these rolls means that a witnessing animal is compelled to notify you of the intruders through the use of Feral Whispers. You are notified at the end of the Scene unless they find a quicker way.

At any time, you may forgo this surveillance to instead compel the animals of the city to find a specific target by doing a Rouse Check. This also requires you to succeed on a Wits + Animalism roll against a Difficulty of 3 if they are in your Domain, or 5 if they are in the same city. Finding them takes between one Scene and one Night depending on the subject's precautions and security (Storyteller’s discretion). The animals in question will be able to guide you to the person’s location.

While all of the animals in your domain are compelled with this power, they are not loyal. If someone else with an overlapping domain uses this power, they will serve both you and them without conflict.

Duration: Passive. One scene or one night

_{Homebrew Content, pg. XX}

DRAIN THE SPIRIT

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Animalism ••••

You know the key to survival is in maintaining an indomitable will. Rumors whisper of the so-called "Hungry Dead" using this power almost habitually.

Cost: One Rouse Check

Dice Pool: Composure + Animalism

System: When feeding, you draw Willpower into you as well as blood. Gain 1 dot of Willpower. Gain 2 dots of Willpower if you kill your victim by draining them completely dry.

Duration:One scene

_{Homebrew Content, pg. XX}

LEVEL 5

ANIMAL DOMINION

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Animalism •••••

The power the vampire holds over beasts is now great enough to command flocks and packs as if they were extensions of their own body. At a gesture, animals lay down their lives by the dozens, even hundreds, to appease their master.

Cost: Two Rouse Checks

Dice Pools: Charisma + Animalism

System: Chose a type of animal and make a Charisma + Animalism roll with a Difficulty depending on the nature of the animals and the order given. Getting a flock of crows to disperse and look for a specific individual (given some means of identifying their target) is relatively easy (Difficulty 3), but getting a pack of dogs to give their lives in a suicidal attack on another vampire is more of a challenge (Difficulty 5). The power does not allow the user to summon animals, but compels those already present to obey. The vampire can command the animals to return after completing their task, if they have means to do so.

Duration: A single scene or until the directive is fulfilled, whichever is shortest.

_{Core Book, pg. 247}

DRAWING OUT THE BEST

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Animalism •••••

The vampire can project their Beast at the moment of terror or fury frenzy, transferring it into a nearby subject, either mortal or vampire. That person immediately experiences the frenzy instead, going on a merciless rampage or fleeing in terror depending on the trigger.

Cost: One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: Wits + Animalism vs Composure + Resolve

System: Instead of the Willpower roll to resist a terror or fury frenzy, roll Wits + Animalism vs Composure + Resolve of the target. If the user fails, they enter frenzy as though they had failed the Willpower roll. On a win, the target experiences that frenzy instead of the user. Later stimuli can still provoke frenzy in the user, but they can use this power as long as they can make Rouse Checks and further targets remain available.

This power cannot transfer a hunger frenzy.

Duration: Frenzy duration (see p. 220)

_{Core Book, pg. 247}

COAX THE BESTIAL TEMPER

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Animalism •••••

The vampire exerts a subtle influence on the Beast of all vampires present and is able to rile or subdue the vampiric instincts on all Kindred in close proximity. By singing, humming, or growling softly the user plucks at the strings of all Beasts, and tempers rise or fall depending on their whim.

Cost: One Rouse Checks

Dice Pools: Manipulation + Animalism

System: The vampire decides whether they want to agitate or calm, hums a wordless melody or similar subtle sound, and makes a Manipulation + Animalism test at Difficulty 3. Each success in the margin raises or lowers the Difficulty to resist frenzy by one for all other vampires within earshot. If the difficulty is lowered, all vampires already in frenzy can make a new test to resist it, snapping out of their Frenzy if they succeed.

Duration: As long as the user keeps humming

_{Players Guide, pg. 70}