Animalism Modifications

This Discipline shows two sides of the same coin, first the connection of the Kindred with the Beast within her and within other beings from normal animals or humans to supernatural creatures, such as other vampires and even Lupines. On the other hand, is also a channel to the natural environment, specifically animals. Therefore each level of understanding in this Discipline allows the kindred to achieve prowess in both sides up told, having two similar effects for two different purposes, depending on the target and the kindred's will.

• Feral Whispers:
  

The Kindred insight about the ways of the beast allows him to communicate with lesser animals and other Beasts as well. By looking into the eyes of its target the kindred can start a nonverbal communication, which would be easier with evolved animals or Beast; and very difficult with lesser animals without natural social behavior. Hence, the animal not necessarily can answer back, even if the kindred compels it to.

A successful use of this power on animal compels the creature to act in favor of the vampire, changing his usually hostile behavior against the undead to a friendly state fulfilling its master desires as long as their instinct allows it. Alternatively, the vampire can choose to scare the animal away and acting cowardly in his presence for the rest of the scene.

When Feral Whispers is used on another Beast within a supernatural creature, the kindred transmits a nonverbal message based exclusively in emotions and even images, no sound messages or telepathy. This instinctively communication works with other supernatural beings in animal form or that have a Beast within them.

System: after eye contact is fixed a roll of Charisma + Animal Ken is required to activate this power. The roll difficulty depends on the following table, which is reduced by one if the kindred imitates the animals natural sounds and by two if the target is under a blood bound to the kindred:

Creature	Difficulty
Superior mammals ie. Gorilla, Dog	4
Inferior mammals ie. rats, mices	5
Superior birds ie. Eagles, Owls	6
inferior birds ie. Canaries, chicken	7
Supernatural Beasts	4

Each success makes the communication channel more efficient. The kindred obtain a one-direction message, not a conversation. Transmitting a simple emotion or image per success, the result depends on the target, while animals will feel compelled to do as the kindred requested, supernatural beings will understand a clear message.

Alternatively, when targeting animals the kindred may spend one blood point to command the animal to do a task, this command most be suitable for the animal instinct and the message must clearly communicate the order, complex command requires more than one success. The command lasts for an extended period of time, according to the following table:

Number of successes	Time
1	One turn
2	One scene
3	One night
4	One week
5	One month

* additional successes increase the time by a month.
** an extended roll may be allowed by the ST depending on the circumstances.

** Call of the Wild

The vampire's connection to he Beast grows strong enough that he may call out in the voice of a specific type of animal - howling like a wolf, cawing like a raven, etc. This call mystically summons creatures of the chosen type. Since each type of animal has a different call, Beckoning works of only a single species at a time. All such animals within earshot are summoned, but may choose individually whether or not to respond. While the vampire has no control over the beasts who answer, the animals who do are favorably disposed toward him and are at least willing to listen to the Kindred's request.

Alternatively, the kindred may use this power to communicate with those under blood bound to thy without the need of eye contact but within the earshot of his calling, regardless of the creature type. Again this communication is purely emotional, images or smells, therefore complex ideas are harder to transmit from Beast to Beast, as a collection of more simple ideas.

System: The player spend one blood point and rolls his Charisma+Survival (difficulty 6) to determine the range of the character's call; of 100 meters per success. All animals in the range that can hear the cry will respond. If the Storyteller decides no animals of that type are within earshot, the summons goes unanswered. The call can be as specific as the player desires. A character could call for all bats in the area, for only the male bats nearby, or for only the albino bat with the notched ear he saw the other night.

Alternatively, the system for Beckoning blood bound targets is the same of feral whispers but massively.

*** Quell/Summon the Beast

As the supreme predators of the natural world, Kindred are highly attuned to the bestial nature that dwells within every mortal heart. A vampire who develops this power may assert his will over a mortal (animal or human) or supernatural subject, subduing or inciting the Beast within her. This quenches all powerful, assertive emotions - hope, fury, inspiration - within the target or destructive urges and blood lust. The Kindred must either touch his subject or stare into her eyes to channel his will effectively.

Mortals who lack the fire of their inner Beasts are quite tractable, reacting to even stressful situations with indifference, while engulfed with powerful destructive emotions they snap at the slightest excuse. Even the most courageous or maddened mortal becomes apathetic or bestial monsters, while an especially sensitive individual may suffer from a phobic or paranoid derangement while under the power's influence.

Different clans evoke this power in different ways, although the effect itself is identical. Tzimisce call it Influence of the the Beast, since they force the mortal's weaker spirit to cower in fear before the Kindred's own inner Beast or inspire bestial thoughts in their victim.

Supernatural creatures are more resilient to this manipulation of their Beast but not immune, specially if their Beast is more powerful than the kindred's.

System: If the player is targeting a supernatural creature a blood point expenditure is required then she rolls Manipulation + Intimidation if forcing out the Beast through fear or Manipulation + Empathy if inciting it into rage. The roll is made versus difficulty equal to the targets Willpower rating +2 if the target is a supernatural creature such as a vampire or lupine, in either case. The Storyteller may increase of lower the difficulty depending on the comparative strength between the subject's Beast and that of the kindred.

Supernatural creatures are forced to do a reflexive Self-control roll with modified difficulty determined by the storyteller depending on the difference in power between the contesting beasts, to resist the effect. Also each success to quell/summon the Beast reduces or increases the next Frenzy check difficulty by 1, respectively.

When a mortal's Beast is cowed or soothed, she can no longer use or regain Willpower. She ceases all struggles, whether mental or physical. She doesn't even defend herself if assaulted, though the Storyteller may allow a Willpower roll if the mortal's life is threatened. If the mortal is enraged then he may suffer from paranoia and sociopathic related disorders, having nightmares, insomnia or self destructive thoughts. To recover from this power, the mortal rolls Willpower (difficulty 6) once per day until she accumulates enough successes to equal the vampire's activation roll.

This power can be used to counter any of its previous uses.

**** Subsume the Spirit

By locking his gaze with that of a beast, the vampire may psychically connect with the animal. Some older Kindred believe that since animals have no souls, only spirits, the vampire can move his own soul into the animal's body. Most younger vampires think it is a matter of transferring one's consciousness into the animal's mind. In either case, it's agreed that the beasts' weaker spirit (or mind) is pushed aside by part the Kindred's own consciousness. The vampire is less aware of his body as he controls further lesser creatures until he falls into a motionless state akin to torpor while his mind takes control of the animals' actions, remaining this way until the Kindred's consciousness returns.

Tzimisce seldom use this power, considering it debasing to enter the body of a lesser creature. When they do stoop to using it, they possess only predators. Conversely, Gangrel revel in connecting to the natural world in this fundamental way. They delight in sampling different animal's natures.

Alternatively, the kindred may attune with those under blood bound to him, perceiving emotions and general state of health by communicating directly with their Beast.

System: The player spends one blood point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (Difficulty given by the same Feral Whisper's Table) as the character looks into the animal's eyes only one success is needed to connect with the animal while additional successes increase the duration of the connection as in the Feral Whispers command duration table. The kindred may connect simultaneously with as many animals as her Perception trait level, reducing his Perception by one with each connection. During this trance the vampire may not roll a higher dice pool in any action using her original body than her reduced Perception + Alertness dice pool, if the Perception reaches zero the vampire enters in a torpor like state.

At any given round during the connection the kindred may exert a greater focus on a particular connection by rolling Manipulation + Animal Ken ( difficulty 8 ), if successful the kindred starts receiving all sensorial input from that animal, along with his relative position to the kindred for one round, extending this special focus requires a willpower point expenditure although another roll is allowed. Additional successes allow the kindred to further override that animal's spirit allowing the Kindred to use his mental traits and disciplines through it, to a maximum level equal to the successes roll in its activation and discipline type according to the following table:

#Successes	Disciplines available
1 success	Sensory Input and the Kindred may use Feral Whispers reflexively on the animal to command it.
2 success	The kindred knows the animal relative position and the animal may roll using the kindred's Talents
3 success	Auxpex and Animalism. The animal may roll using the kindred's Mental attributes
4 success	Presence and Dementation. The animal may roll using the kindred's Skills
5 success	Chimestry and Dominate (without verbal unless the animal is able to speak). The animal may roll using the kindred's Knowledges
6 success	Thaumaturgy and Necromancy

The Vampire suffer half of the penalties due to physical damage sustain by the animal with more damage for as long as the connection last. If the animal is killed during this trance the vampire loses one temporal willpower point, if the vampire's pool is empty then a permanent willpower point is lost and the remaining pool replenish also the Kindred obtains a Derangement of the Storyteller's choice.

The character may travel as far from his own body as he is physically able while possessing the animal. The vampire may also venture our during the day, albeit in the animal's body. However, the character's own body must be awake to do so, requiring a successful roll to remain awake. If the character leaves the animal's body (by choice, if his body falls asleep after sustaining significant injury), the vampire's consciousness returns to his physical form instantaneously.

Alternatively, the kindred may connect with as many blood bounded creatures to him as its Perception trait level, reducing it by one with each connection. When exerting an special focus over the subject if the target is an animal the connection work as up told with a difficulty reduced by two but if the creature is another kindred or intelligent creature the difficulty is not reduce and the thrall is empowered by the Kindred traits and disciplines as the up told table instead of replacing her consciousness.

***** Mind over Beast/Beast over Mind
This level of understanding the Beast and its connection to the kindred's soul and mind allows the vampire to transform the subject's mind to any state between primal to advance human intellect. The first application of this powerful ability is to leave the human conscious mind to be animalistic and primitive, the second application is to enhance a lesser being's mind to a human level of consciousness.

In essence the mental attributes of the subject are altered, not just adjusting the trait level but intrinsically giving them another connotation about them. A dog with level one intelligence is indeed less capable of solving problems that any human with the same intelligence rating could solve easily and is the same all the way around.

If the mind of the target is downgraded to a primitive state the subject is unable of abstract thinking, beyond any major mammal capability, his language and calculations are limited to a minimum and loses all consciousness of a higher purpose or calling except for the range of its instincts. Flipping that coin, if an animal's mind is upgraded to human level, it gain what in the up told reference is lost, this use also counters the changes done by another kindred.

When this power is used on subjects that are blood bounded to the kindred the effects last longer, even permanently.

Supernatural creatures such as mages, vampires and werewolves are immune to these effects.

System: once the character has established eye contact with the subject, the player spends a temporary willpower point and rolls Wits + Animal Ken, the difficulty is equal to the target's Consciousness + Self-control or Humanity rating, whichever is lower. If successful, both, the subject and the kindred, are locked into each other’s gaze, unable to move or talk until the transformation of the mind is complete or the kindred ends the effect, while breaking for the subject to break the trance a willpower point expenditure and willpower roll difficulty 8 is required and to achieve at least as many successes than the kindred.

The vampire must achieve as many successes as the victim's willpower rating in an extended roll, additional successes reduces or increases the subject's intelligence by one, to a maximum of three and a minimum of one. Also, further rolls can unable a human or enable an animal the use of one knowledge or skill per success that he shared with the kindred, upgrading or downgrading its level accordingly, to a minimum of zero and a maximum of the kindred's own rating.

This process is slow, each roll is equivalent to 1minute (10 rounds) in which time the kindred may spend as many blood points as he can to increase the duration of the effects. Each blood point invested maintains the effect for one night. The kindred may choose to make the effect permanent if the subject is also blood bounded to him by dedicating one of his permanent willpower points to his victim, which are the max number of active jinx the kindred can have simultaneously.

If the subject of this permanent jinx is destroyed (or killed) then the permanent willpower point is lost.