Difference between revisions of "Animal Powers (FiD)"

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{{FiD}}
 
{{FiD}}
[[Powers_(FiD)#Common_Power_Effects|Main Page is Powers]]
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{{FiD-Powers}}
Animals are an important part of mystic experience. You will often have a particular animal, and your relation to other animals is colored by the totem. Wolf totem is respected and feared by other animals, sheep totem is liked and regarded as harmless, and so on.
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Animals are an important part of mystic experience.  
  
Animal attacks create phantom animal features such as teeth, claws, antlers, or horns to attack with. You can do things like grab, tackle, or knock back.
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The entire domain of living creatures is governed by the [[Life Powers (FiD)|Life]] power, but this is subdivided into different realms:
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[[Mind_Powers_(FiD)|Mind]] governing creatures that think and act,
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[[Animal Powers (FiD)|Animal]] governing creatures that act but do not think,
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[[Plant_Powers_(FiD)|Plant]] governing life that doesn't act or think.
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[[Animal Powers (FiD)|Animal]] governs the minds and bodies of natural animals as well as creatures and spirits related to animals.
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The defining trait of all these creatures is that they are not [[Mind_Powers_(FiD)#Expanded_Mind_Powers|Sapient]], don't build societies, and are motivated by instincts and drives.
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Some can be trained or even domesticated making them a part of the society of [[Mind_Powers_(FiD)|Humans and other sapient Folk]], but they do not form society by themselves.
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Eusocial animals are a borderline case, but still animals as they don't think.
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Messing this up is that elemental [[Powers_(FiD)|Powers]] also deal with animals that are connected to their elements.
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* [[Air Powers (FiD)|Air]] governs flying animals.
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* [[Earth Powers (FiD)|Earth]] governs burrowing animals.
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* [[Electricity Powers (FiD)|Electricity]] governs the few electric animals, such as electric eels and sharks with electrosense.
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* [[Fire Powers (FiD)|Fire]] governs desert animals.
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* [[Ice Powers (FiD)|Ice]] governs arctic animals.
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* [[Water Powers (FiD)|Water]] governs aquatic and amphibious animals.
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All these creatures are still under the [[Animal Powers (FiD)|Animal]] power as well as these elemental powers.
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So a bird is affected by both [[Animal Powers (FiD)|Animal]] and [[Air_Powers_(FiD)|Air]] powers.
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Animal monsters exist with all kinds of weird powers, often reminiscent of tribal myths, but they are all creatures of flesh and blood.
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These can be affected by [[Animal Powers (FiD)|Animal]]  as well as all the Powers they can use.
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Elementals, creatures that are entirely made of elemental materials are not governed the [[Animal Powers (FiD)|Animal]] power.
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[[Animal Powers (FiD)|Animal]] spirits are similar to animals or animal monsters, but are more intelligent.
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When you talk to an animal, you are often actually communication with a spirit residing inside that animal, allowing more advanced conversations than you could have with an entirely physical animal.
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This is covered in the relevant [[#Command|Command]] and [[#Sway|Sway]] powers.
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'''Totem'''
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You can choose to have a special relationship to a particular kind of animal, and your relation to other animals is colored by the totem. For example, wolf totem is regarded by animals as a wolf and feared by prey animals, sheep totem is liked and regarded as harmless, and so on.
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[[Animal Powers (FiD)|Animal]] attacks create phantom animal features such as teeth, claws, antlers, or horns to attack with. You use them to do stunts like grab, tackle, or knock back.
  
=== Animal Power Effects ===
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== Animal Power Effects Table ==
 
{| class="wikitable"  
 
{| class="wikitable"  
|align="center" width="100" |   '''Action''' ||align="center" width="20%" | '''Free''' ||align="center" with=20% | '''Equipment''' ||align="center" with=20% | '''Willpower''' ||align="center" with=20% |   '''Trauma'''  
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|align="center" | '''Action'''  
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|align="center" | '''Basic'''   <br> No minimum    <br> 4 Stress
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|align="center" | '''Advanced''' <br> Minimum 2 Dice <br> 5 Stress
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|align="center" | '''Master'''   <br> Minimum 4 Dice <br> 6 Stress
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|align="center" | '''Apex'''     <br> Minimum 6 Dice <br> 7 Stress
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Attune'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Attune'''
|valign="top"| '''Perceive''' <br> You can detect animals and animal powers. Animals are not normally summoned, but animal spirits exist with all kinds of weird powers, often reminiscent of tribal society myths. Animals with elemental powers like air or lightning are tied to that power, not animal. If you have a totem animal and summon an animal spirit of that type, even one larger than normal, it is friendly to you and will serve as a loyal minion.
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|valign="top"| '''Wild Watch'''     <br> Detect Animal powers and animals with powers.  
|valign="top"| '''Dismiss''' <br> You can force animals that are native to another plane of existence to return to that plane, or to end the operation of an animal power.  
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|valign="top"| '''Wild Ward'''     <br> Dismiss animals. End Animal powers.  
|valign="top"| '''Summon''' <br> You can summon animals. This is generally an unwilling servant unless they are of your totem. A summoned animal will obey one command from you and this can be extended. Learning who to summon may require study or be a a score in itself.
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|valign="top"| '''Wild Wrangling''' <br> Summon animals and animal spirits.  
|valign="top"| '''Gate''' <br> You can create a portal that allows travel to and from the animal spirit realm.  
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|valign="top"| '''Wild Window'''   <br> Create a portal that allows travel to and from the animal spirit realm.  
  
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Command'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Command'''  
|valign="top"| '''Communicate''' <br> You can communicate with creatures based on your power even if normally couldn't, allowing you to use the command action normally on them.  
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|valign="top"| '''Beast Boast'''     <br> Command with animalistic authority.
|valign="top"| '''Translate''' <br> You and allies can communicate with animals. When commanded by you, animals act as if trained to perform what you are ordering them to do.  
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|valign="top"| '''Beast Message'''   <br> Communicate long-distance with or using animals.  
|valign="top"| '''Authority''' <br> You can give commands to animals, as if you were their superior. This does not remove existing loyalties, which can lead to conflicts.  
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Authority''' <br> Commands to animals as if you were their alpha.
|valign="top"| '''Enslave ''' <br> You can permanently bind creatures to service. Unless affected by other powers, they will stay in one location and act according to your instructions, like very loyal and literal-minded goons.
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|valign="top"| '''Enslave Animals''' <br>Permanently bind creatures to service.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Consort'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Consort'''  
|valign="top"| '''Mask''' <br> You can give yourself or your outfit cosmetic animal traits. This can mask your identity or create fabulous outfits.  
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Mask'''           <br> Gain cosmetic animal traits to mask your identity or create a fabulous look.  
|valign="top"| '''Shapechange''' <br> You assume the form of an animal or human-animal hybrid. Add or subtract 1d to pairs of actions depending on your new shape, or even more if other player's agree.
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Shape'''         <br> Assume animal form or human-animal hybrid form.
|valign="top"| '''Transform''' <br> You can shapechange a willing or helpless creature. This can be a curse, it can be broken but it is not easy. You can easily break the effect.
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Transformation''' <br> You can use Animal Shape on a willing or helpless creature.
|valign="top"| '''Wild Hunt''' <br> You can transform a large number of willing or non-sentient creatures and give them a simple instruction, typically someone for them to hunt.
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|valign="top"| '''Wild Hunt'''             <br> Transform a number of willing or non-sentient creatures and give them a simple instruction.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Finesse'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Finesse'''  
|valign="top"| '''Ride''' <br> You can ride any animal capable of carrying you and all animal-powered vehicles, even if the animal is not trained.
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|valign="top"| '''Beastly Bridle''' <br> Ride any animal or animal-powered vehicle.
|valign="top"| '''Fine Local Control''' <br> You can use the power as a fine and potent close-range attack, similar in effect to a fine potent dueling sword or pistol, or you can give your friends the Ride ability for the duration of a score.
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|valign="top"| '''Fine Claw'''     <br> A fine and potent close-range attack. Give crew Beastly Bridle.
|valign="top"| '''Manipulate''' <br> allows you to assume control of an animals body like a string puppet. If the animal trusts you, this control is very fine indeed, allowing that animal to do what is normally beyond its intelligence.
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|valign="top"| '''Control Animal''' <br> Control an animal like a string puppet.
|valign="top"| '''Surge''' <br> Your power manifests like a storm of fangs, suppressing the effect of multiple opponents and acting as a fine potent weapon. You can choose to affect multiple targets.  
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|valign="top"| ''''''Wild Ride'''  <br> Ride ignoring terrain.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Hunt'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Hunt'''  
|valign="top"| '''Track''' <br> You can track by scent, similar to a well-trained tracking dog.
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|valign="top"| '''Scent Seeker'''   <br> Track by scent, similar to a well-trained tracking dog.
|valign="top"| '''Fine Ranged Attack''' <br> You can use your power to attack, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle.
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|valign="top"| '''Beast Bolt'''     <br> Flying fangs, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle.  
|valign="top"| '''Area attack''' <br> You can use your power to attack similar to a fine  and potent grenade. This allows you to fight many creatures in the same area very effectively, but there is a risk of collateral damage.
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|valign="top"| '''Herd Mind'''       <br> Influence many animals at once.
|valign="top"| '''Barrage''' <br> You call down the equivalent of a fine potent artillery barrage, attacking everything and everyone in a wide area. Depending on your power, this can raze buildings and create rubble. Usually enough to provide cover for any escape.
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|valign="top"| '''Beastly Barrage''' <br> Attack like fine and potent grenade.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Prowl'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Prowl'''
|valign="top"| '''Reconnaissance''' <br> You can assume the appearance of an animal of about your size, effective concealment in environments where animals are common.
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|valign="top"| '''Camouflage'''   <br> Assume the camouflage pattern of an animal, hide where that animal could.
|valign="top"| '''Maneuver''' <br> You can use the movement capabilities of animals, to climb on animals, move through herds or packs of animals, and even move through the bodies of animals. You could hide inside a large animal or hide a small animal inside your own body.  
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|valign="top"| '''Beast Stride''' <br> Use the movement of animals. Move through herds or packs of animals.
|valign="top"| '''Travel''' <br> You can bring allies along when you use Reconnaissance and Maneuver.
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|valign="top"| '''Pack Prowl'''   <br> Bring crew when you use Camouflage and Beast Stride.
|valign="top"| '''Transport''' <br> You and allies can teleport from one animal den to another. This is regional travel, you stay within the same city or region, but it is generally sufficient to enter or escape just about any situation or location.
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|valign="top"| '''Roaming'''     <br> You and allies teleport from one animal den to another.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Skirmish'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Skirmish'''
|valign="top"| '''Skirmish Attack''' <br> You can use the power as a close-range attack, similar in effect to a melee weapon or pistol.  
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|valign="top"| '''Avoid Animals''' <br> Resist Animal damage.  
|valign="top"| '''Fine Skirmish Attack''' <br> Same as Skirmish Attack, except the weapon is fine and potent.
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|valign="top"| '''Ravage'''       <br> Fine and potent animal attack.
|valign="top"| '''Obstruction''' <br> Your power creates distractions and obstructions that prevents the enemy from benefiting from numbers and otherwise works as a fine potent weapon.
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|valign="top"| '''Onslaught'''     <br> Create distractions that prevents scale.
|valign="top"| '''Flurry''' <br> Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area.
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|valign="top"| '''Pack Attack'''   <br> Attack all enemies in an area.  
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Study'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Study'''
|valign="top"| '''Analyze''' <br> You can identify animals and objects relating to animals.  
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Analyze''' <br> You can identify animals and objects relating to animals.  
|valign="top"| '''Research''' <br> You know the powers and abilities of something you analyze.
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Lore'''   <br> Learn the powers and abilities of something you analyze.
|valign="top"| '''Hindsight''' <br> You can read the past events of something you analyze. This includes previous owners and how the object has been moved around as well as significant scenes.
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|valign="top"| '''Pedigree'''       <br> Read past events of an animal or animal product.
|valign="top"| '''Omniscience''' <br> You research every animal in a wide area. This is easy to do where you are, more difficult at range. You can then use hindsight on some of these targets.
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|valign="top"| '''Omniscience'''   <br> Animal Lore in a wide area, then Pedigree on chosen targets.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Survey'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Survey'''  
|valign="top"| '''Detect''' <br> You can sense know is there; you can perceive as if you were at that animal. A dog's perception focuses on scent, a cat's on hearing and the ability see motion even in the dark, and so on.
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|valign="top"| '''Sense Animal'''    <br> Sense animals and animal remains at a distance. Gain the senses of a chosen animal.
|valign="top"| '''Scry''' <br> Choose a location or creature. You gain a sensor at the nearest animal, which is often close enough to perceive the target.
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|valign="top"| '''Beast Perception''' <br> Tap into the perception of an animal you know is there and perceive as if you were that animal.
|valign="top"| '''Omnipresence''' <br> You perceive from all animals at once over a wide area.  As long as you concentrate you retain this perception and can report what you see to others.
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|valign="top"| '''Pet Perception'''   <br> Choose a location or creature. You gain Beast Perception at the nearest animal.
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|valign="top"| '''Wild Sense'''       <br> You perceive from all animals over a wide area.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Sway'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Sway'''  
|valign="top"| '''Communicate''' <br> You can communicate with animals, allowing you to use the sway action normally on them.  
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|valign="top"| '''Read Animal'''   <br> Understand animal motives and what they are about to do and to avoid provoking them.  
|valign="top"| '''Translate''' <br> You and allies can communicate with animals. You can also influence folk to be lustful and competitive.
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Tunges''' <br> Your crew can communicate with animals. Influence folk to be lustful and competitive.
|valign="top"| '''Mesmerize''' <br> You can post suggestions in the mind of an animal, which will be triggered under conditions you specify. Common suggestions are to steal something, attack someone, or ignore some event. This is a subtle power, but easier to spot once triggered.  
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|valign="top"| '''Program Animal''' <br> Post suggestions in the mind of an animal.  
|valign="top"| '''Inculcate'''   <br> You change the personality and motivations of animals. This power is permanent, but blatant. The target remember their past, but regard it as unimportant compared to their new motivations.
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|valign="top"| '''Domesticate'''   <br> Permanently change the personality and motivations of an animal.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Tinker'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Tinker'''  
|valign="top"| '''Handle''' <br> You work with animal products like leather, bone, teeth, sinew, and horn as if you had the appropriate tools and protective devices. Items you work with can have small parts made of other materials, such as metal eyelets or synthetic thread.
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Crafts'''   <br> Work animal products as if you had the appropriate tools.
|valign="top"| '''Shape''' <br> You can shape materials that manifest your power as if they were of clay, and they will retain their new shape for some time even if they would normally not, such as water, sand or smoke.  
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|valign="top"| '''Animal Shaping'''   <br> You can shape materials that manifest your power as if they were of clay.  
|valign="top"| '''Create''' <br> You can create objects manifesting your power out of nothing, or transform an object from one material to another as long as you know the power required for both the starting and final form. This can create complex tools, such as fine and potent items appropriate to the power(s) used.
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|valign="top"| '''Beastcraft'''       <br> Create objects made from animal parts out of nothing, or transform an object from one material to another.
|valign="top"| '''Fabricate'''   <br> This is similar to create, above, but you mass produce objects, even a set of different objects. You can also make something large, such as a vehicle or building.
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|valign="top"| '''Wild Fabrication''' <br> Similar to Animal Shaping, but you mass produce objects or make something large, such as a vehicle or building.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Wreck'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Wreck'''  
|valign="top"| '''Jimmy''' <br> You can jimmy organic materials either made of animal products, or that animals could reasonably destroy. Noisy and leaves a twisted object in place. Can attack in melee.
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|valign="top"| '''Mangle'''     <br> Jimmy organic materials that animals could destroy. Noisy and leaves a twisted remains.  
|valign="top"| '''Smash''' <br> You can imitate the effect of accelerated bacteria, fungi, and insects like woodworms. Still slow but powerful. Works as a fine potent sledgehammer in combat.
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|valign="top"| '''Decompose'''   <br> Apply the effect of reducers like bacteria and insects like woodworms. Slow but powerful.
|valign="top"| '''Disintegrate''' <br> Similar to smash, but destroyed targets silently disappear or are reduced to a fine dust.
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|valign="top"| '''Wildwarp'''   <br> Decompose or Mangle, but destroyed targets silently disappear or are reduced to a fine dust.
|valign="top"| '''Obliterate''' <br> Similar to smash, but over a large area. This can level a city block, empty a canal system of water, raze a city wall, and similar massive destruction.
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|valign="top"| '''Infestation''' <br> Decompose or Mangle over a large area. This can do massive destruction over time.  
 
|}
 
|}
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== Expanded Animal Powers ==
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Connect with the natural world and harness the power of animals for various purposes.
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=== Attune ===
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Harness the power of Attune to perceive and manipulate supernatural energies, allowing you to detect and interact with beings and phenomena from other planes of existence.
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The consequences usually depends on what happens around you when you do it.
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Having helpers and bodyguards reduces the consequences, and sometimes a creature wants to be dismissed and the consequence might be that it loses control of itself, or that other creatures appear to intervene.
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'''Wild Watch
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Detect Animal powers and animals with powers.
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This is usually done to spot a spirit or a disguised creature.
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However, it can also help identify a creature's connection to powers, providing valuable insights into their nature.
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Limited effect suffices against a creature you can clearly see.
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If you know several different powers, you can scan for all of them at the same time.
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Limited outcome suffices against a creature you can clearly see. You need greater outcome against against a creature that is hidden (standard outcome) or behind a wall (great outcome). The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you missed the opportunity and cannot try again until the situation changes.
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'''Wild Ward
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Dismiss animals. End Animal powers.
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Dismissing a creature is hard and usually requires great effect.
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A creature that has been wounded or otherwise weakened only needs standard effect.
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A creature that wants to be dismissed requires only limited effect.
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You can dispel Animal effects and powers that affect Animal creatures. {{ : Materialize Spirits }}
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'''Wild Wrangling
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Summon animals and animal spirits.
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Summoning brings you allies to fight or labor for you, giving you scale.
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Summons can use simple effects of their power and maintain power effects you have created.
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You can summon mundane animals from other planes, including extra large and legendary animals and Animal creatures with Powers other than Animal.
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The limit is that animals are not [[Mind_Powers_(FiD)|Sapient]] or capable of speech. 
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Most mundane animals are native to this world and have no special vulnerability to Attune power effects.
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You must know what you are to summon.
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In general, you can summon generic creatures one tier lower than yourself without having to do a flashback.
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Such a creature is similar to a gang member in ability and are often summoned in groups to add scale.
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To summon a particular creature, similar to a cohort, you need its unique identity, often called true name in the mystical power traditions. For a technomancer this would be a  type id number, a blueprint, or a block of data.
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Learning about the right creature to summon is a task in its own right, often requiring a flashback or downtime activity to use Command, Consort, Study, or Sway to Gather Information. 
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Depending on your degree of effect the creature is willing to do different things.
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* Limited effect allows you to demand a service that aligns with the animal's nature. A beaver will cut down trees, a horse will carry riders or pull loads, a predator will hunt. 
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* Standard effect allows you to ask for any service not alien to the animal.
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* Great effect allows actions any action that does not require intelligence.
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Typical consequences include:
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* The creature strikes out at you once.
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* The creature breaks things around you or demands concessions from you.
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* The creature deliberately does its tasks poorly.
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* The creature challenges you and will obey if put in its place.
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* A tightwire struggle to keep the creature under control.
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Offering a creature appropriate food can make the position controlled, with consequences limited to half-hearted efforts, demanding not to be summoned again until some time or event has passed, or just general sulkiness.
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This is essentially a Devil's Bargain, accepting an automatic consequence.
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{{ : Summon Process (FiD) }}
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'''Wild Window
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Create a portal that allows travel to and from the Animal spirit realm, a vast wild land with many different biotopes inhabited by all kinds of wild animals.
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Many animals in this land are [[Mind_Powers_(FiD)#Expanded_Mind_Powers|Inteligent]] and can speak.
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Humans are only visitors here, tolerated and even allowed to hunt as long as they don't disturb the natural order.
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{{ : Gate Shared Rules (FiD) }}
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=== Command ===
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Command and intimidate animals, projecting authority.
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Position and effect depend on the situation and your relationship with the listeners.
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'''Beast Boast'''
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Command with animalistic authority.
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You can growl, roar, raise your hackles, and otherwise use animalistic traits to heighten your authority, similar to what could be a achieved with threat such as displaying a weapon.
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This can provide the leverage needed to use Command to intimidate without a spoken threat of violence.
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Animals might recognize you as a figure of authority.
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'''Beast Message'''
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Communicate long-distance with or using animals.
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You can communicate with Animal creatures over any distance as long as you know the target, and a line-of-sight even if you do not. You can communicate with the most powerful creature related to your power in a vehicle or installation as long as you can see the exterior. The communication is simple and direct, as is typical of the Command skill.
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You can have animals carry messages for you to a specific place, or with great effect to specific people. The animal has to travel there by its own means.
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'''Animal Authority'''
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Commands to animals as if you were their alpha.
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Animals will see you as an alpha or as if you just successfully faced them down.
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Limited effect makes the creature do what it usually does, but in a way you decide, like a predator attacking or a pack animal fleeing.
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Standard effect means targets will ignore their normal routine and go out of their way to please you, like acting as a guide and escort.
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Great effect makes the animal do anything it is physically capable of doing.
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Mundane animals are capable of following complex orders because of the mediation of Animal spirits in the environment.
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The position depends on the creatures' actual relationship to you.
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A controlled position comes from a creature that agrees you are superior, usually just making retrying harder.
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A risky position is typical against a creature that sees itself as your equal and not your enemy.
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Ordering a creature that sees itself as your superior is a desperate position.
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Consequences often indicates rebellion, possibly leading to heat, misunderstood orders, or even violent attack.
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'''Enslave Animals'''
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Permanently bind creatures to service.
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Animal Authority, but permanent.
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These orders have to be direct and specific.
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You can tell an animal to escort and guard something, but if you then want it to do something different, you have to Command it again.
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=== Consort ===
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Consort powers changes your form and later that of other creatures.
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These powers also facilitate Consort rolls where being an Animal is an advantage, often giving a bonus to effect or improved position or even allow an action that a human could not do. Don't make separate Consort for using the power and for consorting in this form, it is all one roll.
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A common consequences is that you are mistaken for someone, or that your assumed form is somehow a hindrance.
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You might be obnoxiously attractive, trigger prejudices, or suffer unexpected handicaps.
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'''Animal Mask'''
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Gain cosmetic animal traits to mask your identity or create a fabulous look.
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You do minor physical changes to yourself, such as adding an animal nose, fur, ears, or tail.
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You can also more subtly make yourself reminiscent of an animal, such as making yourself ratlike or catlike in stance while keeping your general form.
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The effect is usually limited and the position controlled.
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'''Animal Shape'''
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Assume animal form or human-animal hybrid form.
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This is a true physical transmutation.
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You need not assume the form of an existing creature, as long as the gamemaster agrees your new form is an animal, including legendary animals.
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Shapechange can work as a set-up action for a number of other actions but may penalize other things, as appropriate to your new form.
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Your new form can use appropriate Basic and Advanced Animal powers inherently without risking stress.
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With ''limited effect'' you can transform into yourself like you would have been, had you grown up as the creature whose form you assume. Those familiar with you will recognize you.
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''Standard effect'' can make you a generic creature, very hard to recognize as yourself.
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''Great effect'' allows you to assume the shape and some of the personality of a specific creature you have studied.
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'''Animal Transformation'''
 +
You can use Animal Shape on a willing or helpless creature.
 +
 +
This is Animal Transformation applied to another creature that is either helpless or cooperative.
 +
The duration depends of the effect, limited effect is very temporary.
 +
Standard effect lasts for the duration of a score.
 +
Great effect lasts a long time and potentially become permanent, depending on the the story.
 +
If you also want to make the target unrecognizable, that requires additional effect, see Animal Transformation.
 +
 +
This is sometimes used as a kind of poetic justice, transforming the target as a punishment, a curse that is very hard to break.
 +
 +
'''Wild Hunt'''
 +
Transform a number of willing or non-sentient creatures and give them a simple instruction.
 +
 +
{{ : Apex Consort }}
 +
 +
=== Finesse ===
 +
Exercise finesse with your power, manipulating and attacking with precision
 +
 +
'''Beastly Bridle'''
 +
Ride any animal or animal-powered vehicle.
 +
 +
This allows you to use Finesse with mounts and animal-drawn vehicles you are not familiar with.
 +
You can ride beasts even if they are not trained to carry a rider.
 +
They must still be physically able to carry you.
 +
Finally, you can run as an animal, which gives you a very fast sprint over short distances.
 +
 +
You can move as if you were an animal, which improves the effect of short sprints.
 +
 +
'''Fine Claw
 +
A fine and potent close-range attack. Give crew Beastly Bridle.
 +
 +
Claw, bite, smash, or crush like an animal.
 +
Animal attacks create phantom animal features such as teeth, claws, antlers, or horns to attack with. You can do things like grab, tackle, or knock back.
 +
Besides variety, this only substitutes for equipment, fine and potent finesse weapon is just as effective.
 +
In a fight, using this does not take any more time, activating your attack power is equivalent to drawing a weapon.
 +
 +
'''Control Animal'''
 +
Control an animal like a string puppet.
 +
 +
Make an animal do a small and precise movement.
 +
This is often an animal that is not involved in the scene, like a pet, mount, or vermin that happens to be in the area.
 +
The control is very precise, but momentary.
 +
The animal's intelligence is not a factor, but it needs to have a suitable body part for you to use.
 +
This allows you to open doors, trigger or hinder mechanisms, or perform other quick, minor manipulations.
 +
This can also cause an animal to fumble an attack or action.
 +
 +
'''Wild Ride'''
 +
Ride ignoring terrain.
 +
 +
You and vehicles and mounts you and your crew, mounts, and vehicles ride adapt to terrain, moving as if they were native to the terrain you are moving across.
 +
This does not apply to situations where you need to use [[#Prowl|Prowl]], but lessens the Finesse penalty in situations where you might use either skill, but Prowl would be better.
 +
 +
=== Hunt ===
 +
Track, attack, and unleash devastating barrages with the power of Hunt.
 +
 +
Throw spines or entire semi-material beasts at your targets at range.
 +
In melee this can be dangerous to you and yours.
 +
 +
'''Scent Seeker'''
 +
Track by scent, similar to a well-trained tracking dog.
 +
 +
Consequences here are mainly to lose the trail, but depending on the environment and targets, it might lead you to get lost, into traps, or even into an ambush.
 +
 +
'''Beast Bolt'''
 +
Flying fangs, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle.
 +
 +
A claw, bite, bash, or other animal attack, but at long range.
 +
How this looks is a matter of taste and setting; ephemeral claws or teeth, or even very temporary animals you summon to attack.
 +
This serves as a replacement for traditional equipment; a fine and potent ranged weapon would be equally effective.
 +
 +
'''Herd Mind'''
 +
Influence many animals at once.
 +
 +
Imprecise control of many animals over an entire scene.
 +
This can make mounts unruly, make herd animals stampede, livestock become unruly and make noise, dogs and other guard animals to bark or stay silent.
 +
This is not a direct attack, it gives control of animals who in turn affect the environment.
 +
 +
'''Beastly Barrage'''
 +
Attack like a fine and potent grenade.
 +
 +
An escalation of Beast Bolt.
 +
Less precise, this affects all creatures at a location, with a risk of collateral damage.
 +
Targets in trenches, behind walls, or otherwise shielded are not in direct damage, but tend to keep their heads down, which gives your side the initiative.
 +
 +
=== Prowl ===
 +
Sneak and move with animal agility. 
 +
 +
'''Camouflage'''
 +
Assume the camouflage pattern of an animal, hide where that animal could.
 +
 +
This allows you to hide in impossible places as long as you know of animals that can do so.
 +
This is never perfect but especially good in natural settings.
 +
It otherwise works just like any other attempt to use Prowl to avoid notice.
 +
 +
'''Beast Stride'''
 +
Use the movement of animals. Move through herds or packs of animals.
 +
 +
This allows you to climb, jump, and swim like an animal.
 +
This is better than a normal human, but not on par with animals hyper-specialized in this kind of movement.
 +
To gain the full movement capabilities of an animal, see Consort: Animal Shape.
 +
 +
'''Pack Prowl'''
 +
Bring crew when you use Camouflage and Beast Stride.
 +
 +
You can now share Camouflage and Beast Stride with your crew, but they still use their own Prowl action.
 +
 +
'''Roaming'''
 +
You and crew teleport from one animal den to another.
 +
 +
This is regional travel from one animal den to another den you know. Both must be large enough to house the largest of you.
 +
If the den can't hold you all, early arrivals will be pushed out of the den.
 +
This is regional travel within a city or county.
 +
 +
=== Skirmish ===
 +
Prosper in the chaos of battle.
 +
 +
'''Avoid Animals:'''
 +
Resist Animal Harm.
 +
 +
This allows you to ignore harm from Animal powers and attacks by animals.
 +
{{ : Damage Resistance Template (FiD)}}
 +
 +
'''Ravage'''
 +
Fine and potent animal attack.
 +
 +
Attack like an animal, temporarily manifesting physical or ethereal animal parts to attack with.
 +
 +
'''Onslaught'''
 +
Create distractions that prevent scale.
 +
 +
You create or call animals to participate in the fight.
 +
They don't actually attack, but they prevent the enemy from benefitting from scale.
 +
You yourself gain the benefits of Ravage.
 +
 +
'''Pack Attack'''
 +
Attack all enemies in an area.
 +
 +
Like Onslaught, but the animals actually attack, letting you hurt all enemies in the skirmish.
 +
 +
=== Study ===
 +
Study and analyze objects made by or from animals.
 +
The effect required depends on range, limited effect for touch, standard effect for line-of-sight, and great effect to reach a target you know of or have some link to, but which is out of line-of-sight.
 +
 +
Position depends on the situation. Safely in your base the position is controlled. In the middle of a fight or when pinned down the position is desperate.
 +
Sometimes the thing you are researching it dangerous in itself, worsening position.
 +
Consequences may give you knowledge that is faulty or lacks crucial details or depend on the situation such as a stray shot finding you when divining in battle.
 +
 +
'''Animal Analyze'''
 +
You can identify animals and objects relating to animals.
 +
 +
This gives the name and very basic information in narrative terms, but not details or actual rules.
 +
You can tell which animal left certain spoor, that this is the shed skin of a certain type of snake, that a bird spider made this well, and the like.
 +
 +
'''Animal Lore'''
 +
Learn the powers and abilities of something you analyze.
 +
 +
You learn of any powers or special abilities an Animal creature or object has.
 +
This includes actual rules and game effects.
 +
Examples include that the hatchling of this snake is quite dangerous, what animal wove this web, that an animal weaves dangerous webs and how they work, what is needed to counteract this venom, and so on.
 +
 +
'''Pedigree'''
 +
Read past events of an animal or animal product.
 +
 +
This includes previous owners of an item and how the object or animal has moved around as well as significant scenes from its history.
 +
It also gives breeding information and shows the relationship between animals analyzed.
 +
The power zooms in on events and information of interest to you.
 +
 +
'''Omniscience'''
 +
Animal Lore in a wide area, then Pedigree on chosen targets.
 +
 +
Provides a detailed view of events involving animals as far as you can see, pinpointing locations of interest like territory, dens, and stables.
 +
You can then use Pedigree to learn the history of up to three such locations.
 +
 +
=== Survey ===
 +
Perceive and locate Animals and Animal powers.
 +
The outcome you need depends on the target's concealment.
 +
Limited outcome finds those hiding behind cover and in far places you can only barely see.
 +
Standard outcome can look behind walls and into hard cover.
 +
Great outcome can look into far-away places and spots you had no idea existed.
 +
 +
'''Sense Animal'''
 +
Sense animals and animal remains at a distance. Gain the senses of a chosen animal.
 +
 +
This is a basic spotting power, selectively sensing things related to your power. The effect you need depends on the target's concealment.
 +
Limited effect finds targets in concealment.
 +
Standard effect finds those hiding behind cover and in far places you can only barely see.
 +
Great effect can look behind walls and into hard cover.
 +
 +
You can also choose an animal and gain its sensory abilities.  A dog's perception focuses on scent, a cat's on hearing and the ability see motion even in the dark, and so on.
 +
 +
'''Beast Perception'''
 +
Tap into the perception of an animal you know is there and perceive as if you were that animal.
 +
 +
See Sense Animal for notes on animal senses.
 +
You can use an Advanced Command or Sway power to have the animal move into a new position.
 +
 +
'''Pet Perception'''
 +
Choose a location or creature. You gain Beast Perception at the nearest animal.
 +
 +
Similar to Beast Perception but allows you to focus on a specific creature or position—these need not be animal-related. Automatically targets the animal with the best vantage point. Fails if no suitable animal is available.
 +
 +
'''Wild Sense'''
 +
You perceive from all animals over a wide area.
 +
 +
Enhances your senses impossibly, as if you were all of the animals spread across the scene. Creates a comprehensive mental image of the area, revealing numerous details simultaneously and gives you the ability to integrate all this into a metal image.
 +
 +
=== Sway ===
 +
Communicate, mesmerize, and manipulate animals. Position and effect are determined normally, depending on the situation and your relation to listeners. 
 +
Animals are more able to understand and negotiate because they gain the help of ambient animal spirits actin as the agents.
 +
 +
Limited effect can convince a target with no particular stake in the matter.
 +
Standard effect will convince a reluctant target, but not a passionate one.
 +
Great effect can convince any animal physically capable of what you want them to do.
 +
 +
'''Read Animal'''
 +
Understand animal motives and what they are about to do and to avoid provoking them.
 +
 +
Gauge the mood and motivations of animals and read any communication they use.
 +
This does not allow you to be understood. 
 +
You can also sense when any kind of creature is in a mood to be animalistic, lustful, or competitive.
 +
 +
'''Animal Tongues'''
 +
Your crew can communicate with animals. Influence folk to be lustful and competitive.
 +
 +
This allows you to use the Sway action with full effect, communing with animals better than they can communicate with each other.
 +
In addition you can influence any creature to be animalistic, lustful, and competitive.
 +
 +
'''Program Animal'''
 +
Post suggestions in the mind of an animal.
 +
 +
This is essentially an enhanced Animal Tongues, allowing you to implant suggestions that will trigger under conditions you set. The power remains subtle until the suggestion is activated. 
 +
 +
Suggestions cannot be absurd to the target. A typical use would be to sway a guard animal to stay in its den. Suggestions fade over time depending on the level of effect achieved: limited effect lasts for the immediate situation, normal effect lasts for the duration of the score, and great effect can extend beyond the score if it fits the story.
 +
 +
'''Domesticate'''
 +
Permanently change the personality and motivations of an animal.
 +
 +
This power is permanent but blatant.
 +
The animal must be helpless or willing.
 +
Domesticate changes the animal on a deep level, altering priorities and loyalties. Target remember their past but considers it unimportant compared to their new motivations. Exceptional creatures and circumstances can break this change.
 +
 +
=== Tinker ===
 +
Manipulate, shape, and create objects made from animals, including skin, bone, leather, feathers, and fur. The effectiveness and durability of your constructions depend on the effect. More powerful devices are harder to sustain and will not last as long. Most creations will endure until the end of a score.
 +
 +
Position depends on the tranquility of your workspace and if you are working on something dangerous in itself.
 +
 +
For long-term projects, Tinker powers can substitute for missing tools, but that is all they do until you can use Wild Fabrication.
 +
 +
'''Animal Crafts'''
 +
Work animal products as if you had the appropriate tools.
 +
 +
Work animal products like leather, bone, teeth, sinew, and horn as if you had the appropriate tools and protective devices. Items you work with can have small parts made of other materials, such as metal eyelets or synthetic thread.
 +
 +
'''Animal Shaping'''
 +
You can shape materials that manifest your power as if they were of clay.
 +
 +
Manipulate animal parts as if you were in a workshop.
 +
* Make quick fix repairs to leather and bone items.
 +
* Quickly break a carcass down to extrakt useful parts.
 +
* Quickly build simple large things like traps and barricades out of cadavers.
 +
 +
'''Beastcraft'''
 +
Create objects made from animal parts out of nothing, or transform an object from one material to another.
 +
 +
You can create objects made from animal parts out of nothing, or transform an object from one material to another as long as you know the power required for both the starting and final form.
 +
 +
You can create complex tools, such as fine and potent items.
 +
You can do Animal Shaping without access to cadavers or raw materials.
 +
 +
'''Wild Fabrication'''
 +
Similar to Animal Crafts, but you mass produce objects or make something large, such as a vehicle or building.
 +
 +
You can mass produce objects or create large structures like ships or buildings that normally require a work force and facilities.
 +
In long-term projects involving construction or crafting, Wild Fabrication makes many dozens of items with the same effort as one item.
 +
 +
=== Wreck ===
 +
Destroy, dismantle, and obliterate animal products.
 +
Rip and rend like a wild beast.
 +
 +
The position depends on the situation. A quiet workspace is controlled, the general hustle of adventure risky, dealing with a fight, massive crowds, or dangerous construction is desperate.
 +
 +
'''Mangle'''
 +
Jimmy organic materials that animals could destroy. Noisy and leaves a twisted remains.
 +
 +
Just as crude as it sounds. You destroy animal products and strike with the force of a bear paw in combat.
 +
What you can wreck depends on the size and structural strength of your target. Standard effect is a car-sized hole in a brick or mortar wall. Construction significantly weaker than this only demands limited effect. A smaller hole stil need the same effect. Something larger and/or stronger requires great effect.
 +
 +
Animal attacks create phantom animal features such as teeth, claws, antlers, or horns to attack with. You can do things like grab, tackle, or knock back.
 +
As usual, Wreck may be at an advantage or disadvantage compared to Hunt, Finesse and Skirmish, depending on the situation.
 +
 +
'''Decompose'''
 +
Apply the effect of reducers like bacteria and insects like woodworms. Slow but powerful.
 +
 +
This bypasses the strength of materials, allowing you to break even the strongest barrier, but it takes time. Minutes for organic barriers, hours for metals, days or weeks for stone. You can also use this to smash like a fine, potent claw.
 +
 +
'''Wildwarp'''
 +
Decompose or Mangle, but destroyed targets silently disappear or are reduced to a fine dust.
 +
 +
The real difference here is that wrecking things is now silent. Leave less traces, as what you wreck disappears. Get rid of evidence, as long as that evidence are animal remains and products.
 +
 +
'''Infestation'''
 +
Decompose or Mangle over a large area. This can do massive destruction over time.
 +
 +
Rather straightforward, this just scales things up.

Latest revision as of 12:10, 19 May 2025

Fox in the DarkFox in the Dark logo
Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page
Powers (FiD)Fox in the Dark logo

Animals are an important part of mystic experience.

The entire domain of living creatures is governed by the Life power, but this is subdivided into different realms: Mind governing creatures that think and act, Animal governing creatures that act but do not think, Plant governing life that doesn't act or think.

Animal governs the minds and bodies of natural animals as well as creatures and spirits related to animals. The defining trait of all these creatures is that they are not Sapient, don't build societies, and are motivated by instincts and drives. Some can be trained or even domesticated making them a part of the society of Humans and other sapient Folk, but they do not form society by themselves. Eusocial animals are a borderline case, but still animals as they don't think.

Messing this up is that elemental Powers also deal with animals that are connected to their elements.

  • Air governs flying animals.
  • Earth governs burrowing animals.
  • Electricity governs the few electric animals, such as electric eels and sharks with electrosense.
  • Fire governs desert animals.
  • Ice governs arctic animals.
  • Water governs aquatic and amphibious animals.

All these creatures are still under the Animal power as well as these elemental powers. So a bird is affected by both Animal and Air powers. Animal monsters exist with all kinds of weird powers, often reminiscent of tribal myths, but they are all creatures of flesh and blood. These can be affected by Animal as well as all the Powers they can use. Elementals, creatures that are entirely made of elemental materials are not governed the Animal power.

Animal spirits are similar to animals or animal monsters, but are more intelligent. When you talk to an animal, you are often actually communication with a spirit residing inside that animal, allowing more advanced conversations than you could have with an entirely physical animal. This is covered in the relevant Command and Sway powers.

Totem You can choose to have a special relationship to a particular kind of animal, and your relation to other animals is colored by the totem. For example, wolf totem is regarded by animals as a wolf and feared by prey animals, sheep totem is liked and regarded as harmless, and so on.

Animal attacks create phantom animal features such as teeth, claws, antlers, or horns to attack with. You use them to do stunts like grab, tackle, or knock back.

Animal Power Effects Table

Action Basic
No minimum
4 Stress
Advanced
Minimum 2 Dice
5 Stress
Master
Minimum 4 Dice
6 Stress
Apex
Minimum 6 Dice
7 Stress
Attune Wild Watch
Detect Animal powers and animals with powers.
Wild Ward
Dismiss animals. End Animal powers.
Wild Wrangling
Summon animals and animal spirits.
Wild Window
Create a portal that allows travel to and from the animal spirit realm.
Command Beast Boast
Command with animalistic authority.
Beast Message
Communicate long-distance with or using animals.
Animal Authority
Commands to animals as if you were their alpha.
Enslave Animals
Permanently bind creatures to service.
Consort Animal Mask
Gain cosmetic animal traits to mask your identity or create a fabulous look.
Animal Shape
Assume animal form or human-animal hybrid form.
Animal Transformation
You can use Animal Shape on a willing or helpless creature.
Wild Hunt
Transform a number of willing or non-sentient creatures and give them a simple instruction.
Finesse Beastly Bridle
Ride any animal or animal-powered vehicle.
Fine Claw
A fine and potent close-range attack. Give crew Beastly Bridle.
Control Animal
Control an animal like a string puppet.
'Wild Ride
Ride ignoring terrain.
Hunt Scent Seeker
Track by scent, similar to a well-trained tracking dog.
Beast Bolt
Flying fangs, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle.
Herd Mind
Influence many animals at once.
Beastly Barrage
Attack like fine and potent grenade.
Prowl Camouflage
Assume the camouflage pattern of an animal, hide where that animal could.
Beast Stride
Use the movement of animals. Move through herds or packs of animals.
Pack Prowl
Bring crew when you use Camouflage and Beast Stride.
Roaming
You and allies teleport from one animal den to another.
Skirmish Avoid Animals
Resist Animal damage.
Ravage
Fine and potent animal attack.
Onslaught
Create distractions that prevents scale.
Pack Attack
Attack all enemies in an area.
Study Animal Analyze
You can identify animals and objects relating to animals.
Animal Lore
Learn the powers and abilities of something you analyze.
Pedigree
Read past events of an animal or animal product.
Omniscience
Animal Lore in a wide area, then Pedigree on chosen targets.
Survey Sense Animal
Sense animals and animal remains at a distance. Gain the senses of a chosen animal.
Beast Perception
Tap into the perception of an animal you know is there and perceive as if you were that animal.
Pet Perception
Choose a location or creature. You gain Beast Perception at the nearest animal.
Wild Sense
You perceive from all animals over a wide area.
Sway Read Animal
Understand animal motives and what they are about to do and to avoid provoking them.
Animal Tunges
Your crew can communicate with animals. Influence folk to be lustful and competitive.
Program Animal
Post suggestions in the mind of an animal.
Domesticate
Permanently change the personality and motivations of an animal.
Tinker Animal Crafts
Work animal products as if you had the appropriate tools.
Animal Shaping
You can shape materials that manifest your power as if they were of clay.
Beastcraft
Create objects made from animal parts out of nothing, or transform an object from one material to another.
Wild Fabrication
Similar to Animal Shaping, but you mass produce objects or make something large, such as a vehicle or building.
Wreck Mangle
Jimmy organic materials that animals could destroy. Noisy and leaves a twisted remains.
Decompose
Apply the effect of reducers like bacteria and insects like woodworms. Slow but powerful.
Wildwarp
Decompose or Mangle, but destroyed targets silently disappear or are reduced to a fine dust.
Infestation
Decompose or Mangle over a large area. This can do massive destruction over time.

Expanded Animal Powers

Connect with the natural world and harness the power of animals for various purposes.

Attune

Harness the power of Attune to perceive and manipulate supernatural energies, allowing you to detect and interact with beings and phenomena from other planes of existence.

The consequences usually depends on what happens around you when you do it. Having helpers and bodyguards reduces the consequences, and sometimes a creature wants to be dismissed and the consequence might be that it loses control of itself, or that other creatures appear to intervene.

Wild Watch Detect Animal powers and animals with powers.

This is usually done to spot a spirit or a disguised creature. However, it can also help identify a creature's connection to powers, providing valuable insights into their nature. Limited effect suffices against a creature you can clearly see. If you know several different powers, you can scan for all of them at the same time. Limited outcome suffices against a creature you can clearly see. You need greater outcome against against a creature that is hidden (standard outcome) or behind a wall (great outcome). The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you missed the opportunity and cannot try again until the situation changes.

Wild Ward Dismiss animals. End Animal powers.

Dismissing a creature is hard and usually requires great effect. A creature that has been wounded or otherwise weakened only needs standard effect. A creature that wants to be dismissed requires only limited effect.

You can dispel Animal effects and powers that affect Animal creatures.

  1. REDIRECT Include Attune Dispel Materialize Spirits (FiD)

Wild Wrangling Summon animals and animal spirits.

Summoning brings you allies to fight or labor for you, giving you scale. Summons can use simple effects of their power and maintain power effects you have created.

You can summon mundane animals from other planes, including extra large and legendary animals and Animal creatures with Powers other than Animal. The limit is that animals are not Sapient or capable of speech. Most mundane animals are native to this world and have no special vulnerability to Attune power effects.

You must know what you are to summon. In general, you can summon generic creatures one tier lower than yourself without having to do a flashback. Such a creature is similar to a gang member in ability and are often summoned in groups to add scale.

To summon a particular creature, similar to a cohort, you need its unique identity, often called true name in the mystical power traditions. For a technomancer this would be a type id number, a blueprint, or a block of data. Learning about the right creature to summon is a task in its own right, often requiring a flashback or downtime activity to use Command, Consort, Study, or Sway to Gather Information.

Depending on your degree of effect the creature is willing to do different things.

  • Limited effect allows you to demand a service that aligns with the animal's nature. A beaver will cut down trees, a horse will carry riders or pull loads, a predator will hunt.
  • Standard effect allows you to ask for any service not alien to the animal.
  • Great effect allows actions any action that does not require intelligence.

Typical consequences include:

  • The creature strikes out at you once.
  • The creature breaks things around you or demands concessions from you.
  • The creature deliberately does its tasks poorly.
  • The creature challenges you and will obey if put in its place.
  • A tightwire struggle to keep the creature under control.

Offering a creature appropriate food can make the position controlled, with consequences limited to half-hearted efforts, demanding not to be summoned again until some time or event has passed, or just general sulkiness. This is essentially a Devil's Bargain, accepting an automatic consequence.

Summons are Chohorts: Creatures you summon function as temporary cohorts — either an Expert or a Gang — with added Powers from their Form. An Expert is a skilled individual who can offer advice, Assist, or act independently. A Gang is a group (numbers based on your Tier, p. 221) that primarily provides Scale in combat and labor.

You can always summon a Gang of creatures one Tier below yours. Summoning a specific Gang or Expert requires knowing its unique identity — called a true name in mystical traditions. For a technomancer, this might be a type ID, blueprint, or genetic code. Learning a creature’s true name may require a flashback, or in complex cases, the research downtime activity or a reward from a score.

Summoning a Creature: The summoning itself is quick but dangerous. When you have time and resources, it is wise to use wards and Barriers, but in action this is usually impossible and you must face the risks. Having allies present for safety is advisable. Offering a creature gifts or services appropriate to its nature and power can be a literal Devil’s Bargain — accepting an additional consequence to gain an advantage.

Depending on your degree of outcome, a creature is willing to do different things:

  • Limited Outcome allows you to ask questions of an Expert or demand a short period of physical labor from a Gang. They will not fight for you.
  • Standard Outcome allows any service appropriate to the creature’s type, having it act in its typical role. Most creatures don’t mind fighting, but may have preferences about how they do it and what they do outside a fight.
  • Great Outcome allows service outside the creature’s comfort zone, though not against its nature. Lengthy service — even within its comfort zone — also requires a Great Outcome, such as guarding treasure until it is stolen.

The position usually starts at Risky — the creature is compelled and may resist. Typical consequences, in ascending order of severity:

  • General sulkiness
  • Half-hearted efforts
  • Demanding not to be summoned again
  • Breaking things or demanding concessions
  • Overly literal interpretations of your commands
  • A test attack to assert dominance
  • Deliberate sabotage of tasks
  • A constant struggle to maintain control

Wild Window Create a portal that allows travel to and from the Animal spirit realm, a vast wild land with many different biotopes inhabited by all kinds of wild animals. Many animals in this land are Inteligent and can speak. Humans are only visitors here, tolerated and even allowed to hunt as long as they don't disturb the natural order.

There are things that are possible to do here that are not allowed in the regular world. Appropriate effects are reduced one step in difficulty, from advanced to basic, master to advanced, and apex to master. This opens the possibility of new super-apex powers that have to be negotiated with the game master. Such effects rarely reach outside the plane of origin, but if they affect creatures there the effect may remain when you return to the mundane world.

This can also be used to contact creatures too powerful to summon. This allows you to ignore tier when creating the gate, but gives you no power over the target. The creature may then use the gate to come to you, call you into its presence, send minions, or communicate with you at a distance.

Command

Command and intimidate animals, projecting authority. Position and effect depend on the situation and your relationship with the listeners.

Beast Boast Command with animalistic authority.

You can growl, roar, raise your hackles, and otherwise use animalistic traits to heighten your authority, similar to what could be a achieved with threat such as displaying a weapon. This can provide the leverage needed to use Command to intimidate without a spoken threat of violence. Animals might recognize you as a figure of authority.

Beast Message Communicate long-distance with or using animals.

You can communicate with Animal creatures over any distance as long as you know the target, and a line-of-sight even if you do not. You can communicate with the most powerful creature related to your power in a vehicle or installation as long as you can see the exterior. The communication is simple and direct, as is typical of the Command skill.

You can have animals carry messages for you to a specific place, or with great effect to specific people. The animal has to travel there by its own means.

Animal Authority Commands to animals as if you were their alpha.

Animals will see you as an alpha or as if you just successfully faced them down. Limited effect makes the creature do what it usually does, but in a way you decide, like a predator attacking or a pack animal fleeing. Standard effect means targets will ignore their normal routine and go out of their way to please you, like acting as a guide and escort. Great effect makes the animal do anything it is physically capable of doing. Mundane animals are capable of following complex orders because of the mediation of Animal spirits in the environment.

The position depends on the creatures' actual relationship to you. A controlled position comes from a creature that agrees you are superior, usually just making retrying harder. A risky position is typical against a creature that sees itself as your equal and not your enemy. Ordering a creature that sees itself as your superior is a desperate position. Consequences often indicates rebellion, possibly leading to heat, misunderstood orders, or even violent attack.

Enslave Animals Permanently bind creatures to service.

Animal Authority, but permanent. These orders have to be direct and specific. You can tell an animal to escort and guard something, but if you then want it to do something different, you have to Command it again.

Consort

Consort powers changes your form and later that of other creatures. These powers also facilitate Consort rolls where being an Animal is an advantage, often giving a bonus to effect or improved position or even allow an action that a human could not do. Don't make separate Consort for using the power and for consorting in this form, it is all one roll.

A common consequences is that you are mistaken for someone, or that your assumed form is somehow a hindrance. You might be obnoxiously attractive, trigger prejudices, or suffer unexpected handicaps.

Animal Mask Gain cosmetic animal traits to mask your identity or create a fabulous look.

You do minor physical changes to yourself, such as adding an animal nose, fur, ears, or tail. You can also more subtly make yourself reminiscent of an animal, such as making yourself ratlike or catlike in stance while keeping your general form. The effect is usually limited and the position controlled.

Animal Shape Assume animal form or human-animal hybrid form.

This is a true physical transmutation. You need not assume the form of an existing creature, as long as the gamemaster agrees your new form is an animal, including legendary animals.

Shapechange can work as a set-up action for a number of other actions but may penalize other things, as appropriate to your new form. Your new form can use appropriate Basic and Advanced Animal powers inherently without risking stress.

With limited effect you can transform into yourself like you would have been, had you grown up as the creature whose form you assume. Those familiar with you will recognize you. Standard effect can make you a generic creature, very hard to recognize as yourself. Great effect allows you to assume the shape and some of the personality of a specific creature you have studied.

Animal Transformation You can use Animal Shape on a willing or helpless creature.

This is Animal Transformation applied to another creature that is either helpless or cooperative. The duration depends of the effect, limited effect is very temporary. Standard effect lasts for the duration of a score. Great effect lasts a long time and potentially become permanent, depending on the the story. If you also want to make the target unrecognizable, that requires additional effect, see Animal Transformation.

This is sometimes used as a kind of poetic justice, transforming the target as a punishment, a curse that is very hard to break.

Wild Hunt Transform a number of willing or non-sentient creatures and give them a simple instruction.

This is where Consort becomes similar to an Attune Summon power effect. You transform a number of existing creatures and give them a task that they will perform with gusto, turning them into single-minded minions. Targets must be willing, Non-Sentient like animals, or just very minor figures in the plot, many tiers below you.

This is usually used to create a host of goons that they can be given bit parts as servants or laborers or fight and chase for you. Such goons are more useful for chasing and cornering targets than in actual combat.

Finesse

Exercise finesse with your power, manipulating and attacking with precision

Beastly Bridle Ride any animal or animal-powered vehicle.

This allows you to use Finesse with mounts and animal-drawn vehicles you are not familiar with. You can ride beasts even if they are not trained to carry a rider. They must still be physically able to carry you. Finally, you can run as an animal, which gives you a very fast sprint over short distances.

You can move as if you were an animal, which improves the effect of short sprints.

Fine Claw A fine and potent close-range attack. Give crew Beastly Bridle.

Claw, bite, smash, or crush like an animal. Animal attacks create phantom animal features such as teeth, claws, antlers, or horns to attack with. You can do things like grab, tackle, or knock back. Besides variety, this only substitutes for equipment, fine and potent finesse weapon is just as effective. In a fight, using this does not take any more time, activating your attack power is equivalent to drawing a weapon.

Control Animal Control an animal like a string puppet.

Make an animal do a small and precise movement. This is often an animal that is not involved in the scene, like a pet, mount, or vermin that happens to be in the area. The control is very precise, but momentary. The animal's intelligence is not a factor, but it needs to have a suitable body part for you to use. This allows you to open doors, trigger or hinder mechanisms, or perform other quick, minor manipulations. This can also cause an animal to fumble an attack or action.

Wild Ride Ride ignoring terrain.

You and vehicles and mounts you and your crew, mounts, and vehicles ride adapt to terrain, moving as if they were native to the terrain you are moving across. This does not apply to situations where you need to use Prowl, but lessens the Finesse penalty in situations where you might use either skill, but Prowl would be better.

Hunt

Track, attack, and unleash devastating barrages with the power of Hunt.

Throw spines or entire semi-material beasts at your targets at range. In melee this can be dangerous to you and yours.

Scent Seeker Track by scent, similar to a well-trained tracking dog.

Consequences here are mainly to lose the trail, but depending on the environment and targets, it might lead you to get lost, into traps, or even into an ambush.

Beast Bolt Flying fangs, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle.

A claw, bite, bash, or other animal attack, but at long range. How this looks is a matter of taste and setting; ephemeral claws or teeth, or even very temporary animals you summon to attack. This serves as a replacement for traditional equipment; a fine and potent ranged weapon would be equally effective.

Herd Mind Influence many animals at once.

Imprecise control of many animals over an entire scene. This can make mounts unruly, make herd animals stampede, livestock become unruly and make noise, dogs and other guard animals to bark or stay silent. This is not a direct attack, it gives control of animals who in turn affect the environment.

Beastly Barrage Attack like a fine and potent grenade.

An escalation of Beast Bolt. Less precise, this affects all creatures at a location, with a risk of collateral damage. Targets in trenches, behind walls, or otherwise shielded are not in direct damage, but tend to keep their heads down, which gives your side the initiative.

Prowl

Sneak and move with animal agility.

Camouflage Assume the camouflage pattern of an animal, hide where that animal could.

This allows you to hide in impossible places as long as you know of animals that can do so. This is never perfect but especially good in natural settings. It otherwise works just like any other attempt to use Prowl to avoid notice.

Beast Stride Use the movement of animals. Move through herds or packs of animals.

This allows you to climb, jump, and swim like an animal. This is better than a normal human, but not on par with animals hyper-specialized in this kind of movement. To gain the full movement capabilities of an animal, see Consort: Animal Shape.

Pack Prowl Bring crew when you use Camouflage and Beast Stride.

You can now share Camouflage and Beast Stride with your crew, but they still use their own Prowl action.

Roaming You and crew teleport from one animal den to another.

This is regional travel from one animal den to another den you know. Both must be large enough to house the largest of you. If the den can't hold you all, early arrivals will be pushed out of the den. This is regional travel within a city or county.

Skirmish

Prosper in the chaos of battle.

Avoid Animals: Resist Animal Harm.

This allows you to ignore harm from Animal powers and attacks by animals. You increase the effect of Skirmish rolls for endurance in such environments. Roll Skirmish to resist such Harm. 1-3: No reduction. 4-5: Reduce Harm by 1 level. 6: Reduce Harm by 2 levels. As an Advanced power, you can protect an ally for a score; as a Master Power, you can protect your crew. Targets roll their own Skirmish action.

Ravage Fine and potent animal attack.

Attack like an animal, temporarily manifesting physical or ethereal animal parts to attack with.

Onslaught Create distractions that prevent scale.

You create or call animals to participate in the fight. They don't actually attack, but they prevent the enemy from benefitting from scale. You yourself gain the benefits of Ravage.

Pack Attack Attack all enemies in an area.

Like Onslaught, but the animals actually attack, letting you hurt all enemies in the skirmish.

Study

Study and analyze objects made by or from animals. The effect required depends on range, limited effect for touch, standard effect for line-of-sight, and great effect to reach a target you know of or have some link to, but which is out of line-of-sight.

Position depends on the situation. Safely in your base the position is controlled. In the middle of a fight or when pinned down the position is desperate. Sometimes the thing you are researching it dangerous in itself, worsening position. Consequences may give you knowledge that is faulty or lacks crucial details or depend on the situation such as a stray shot finding you when divining in battle.

Animal Analyze You can identify animals and objects relating to animals.

This gives the name and very basic information in narrative terms, but not details or actual rules. You can tell which animal left certain spoor, that this is the shed skin of a certain type of snake, that a bird spider made this well, and the like.

Animal Lore Learn the powers and abilities of something you analyze.

You learn of any powers or special abilities an Animal creature or object has. This includes actual rules and game effects. Examples include that the hatchling of this snake is quite dangerous, what animal wove this web, that an animal weaves dangerous webs and how they work, what is needed to counteract this venom, and so on.

Pedigree Read past events of an animal or animal product.

This includes previous owners of an item and how the object or animal has moved around as well as significant scenes from its history. It also gives breeding information and shows the relationship between animals analyzed. The power zooms in on events and information of interest to you.

Omniscience Animal Lore in a wide area, then Pedigree on chosen targets.

Provides a detailed view of events involving animals as far as you can see, pinpointing locations of interest like territory, dens, and stables. You can then use Pedigree to learn the history of up to three such locations.

Survey

Perceive and locate Animals and Animal powers. The outcome you need depends on the target's concealment. Limited outcome finds those hiding behind cover and in far places you can only barely see. Standard outcome can look behind walls and into hard cover. Great outcome can look into far-away places and spots you had no idea existed.

Sense Animal Sense animals and animal remains at a distance. Gain the senses of a chosen animal.

This is a basic spotting power, selectively sensing things related to your power. The effect you need depends on the target's concealment. Limited effect finds targets in concealment. Standard effect finds those hiding behind cover and in far places you can only barely see. Great effect can look behind walls and into hard cover.

You can also choose an animal and gain its sensory abilities. A dog's perception focuses on scent, a cat's on hearing and the ability see motion even in the dark, and so on.

Beast Perception Tap into the perception of an animal you know is there and perceive as if you were that animal.

See Sense Animal for notes on animal senses. You can use an Advanced Command or Sway power to have the animal move into a new position.

Pet Perception Choose a location or creature. You gain Beast Perception at the nearest animal.

Similar to Beast Perception but allows you to focus on a specific creature or position—these need not be animal-related. Automatically targets the animal with the best vantage point. Fails if no suitable animal is available.

Wild Sense You perceive from all animals over a wide area.

Enhances your senses impossibly, as if you were all of the animals spread across the scene. Creates a comprehensive mental image of the area, revealing numerous details simultaneously and gives you the ability to integrate all this into a metal image.

Sway

Communicate, mesmerize, and manipulate animals. Position and effect are determined normally, depending on the situation and your relation to listeners. Animals are more able to understand and negotiate because they gain the help of ambient animal spirits actin as the agents.

Limited effect can convince a target with no particular stake in the matter. Standard effect will convince a reluctant target, but not a passionate one. Great effect can convince any animal physically capable of what you want them to do.

Read Animal Understand animal motives and what they are about to do and to avoid provoking them.

Gauge the mood and motivations of animals and read any communication they use. This does not allow you to be understood. You can also sense when any kind of creature is in a mood to be animalistic, lustful, or competitive.

Animal Tongues Your crew can communicate with animals. Influence folk to be lustful and competitive.

This allows you to use the Sway action with full effect, communing with animals better than they can communicate with each other. In addition you can influence any creature to be animalistic, lustful, and competitive.

Program Animal Post suggestions in the mind of an animal.

This is essentially an enhanced Animal Tongues, allowing you to implant suggestions that will trigger under conditions you set. The power remains subtle until the suggestion is activated.

Suggestions cannot be absurd to the target. A typical use would be to sway a guard animal to stay in its den. Suggestions fade over time depending on the level of effect achieved: limited effect lasts for the immediate situation, normal effect lasts for the duration of the score, and great effect can extend beyond the score if it fits the story.

Domesticate Permanently change the personality and motivations of an animal.

This power is permanent but blatant. The animal must be helpless or willing. Domesticate changes the animal on a deep level, altering priorities and loyalties. Target remember their past but considers it unimportant compared to their new motivations. Exceptional creatures and circumstances can break this change.

Tinker

Manipulate, shape, and create objects made from animals, including skin, bone, leather, feathers, and fur. The effectiveness and durability of your constructions depend on the effect. More powerful devices are harder to sustain and will not last as long. Most creations will endure until the end of a score.

Position depends on the tranquility of your workspace and if you are working on something dangerous in itself.

For long-term projects, Tinker powers can substitute for missing tools, but that is all they do until you can use Wild Fabrication.

Animal Crafts Work animal products as if you had the appropriate tools.

Work animal products like leather, bone, teeth, sinew, and horn as if you had the appropriate tools and protective devices. Items you work with can have small parts made of other materials, such as metal eyelets or synthetic thread.

Animal Shaping You can shape materials that manifest your power as if they were of clay.

Manipulate animal parts as if you were in a workshop.

  • Make quick fix repairs to leather and bone items.
  • Quickly break a carcass down to extrakt useful parts.
  • Quickly build simple large things like traps and barricades out of cadavers.

Beastcraft Create objects made from animal parts out of nothing, or transform an object from one material to another.

You can create objects made from animal parts out of nothing, or transform an object from one material to another as long as you know the power required for both the starting and final form.

You can create complex tools, such as fine and potent items. You can do Animal Shaping without access to cadavers or raw materials.

Wild Fabrication Similar to Animal Crafts, but you mass produce objects or make something large, such as a vehicle or building.

You can mass produce objects or create large structures like ships or buildings that normally require a work force and facilities. In long-term projects involving construction or crafting, Wild Fabrication makes many dozens of items with the same effort as one item.

Wreck

Destroy, dismantle, and obliterate animal products. Rip and rend like a wild beast.

The position depends on the situation. A quiet workspace is controlled, the general hustle of adventure risky, dealing with a fight, massive crowds, or dangerous construction is desperate.

Mangle Jimmy organic materials that animals could destroy. Noisy and leaves a twisted remains.

Just as crude as it sounds. You destroy animal products and strike with the force of a bear paw in combat. What you can wreck depends on the size and structural strength of your target. Standard effect is a car-sized hole in a brick or mortar wall. Construction significantly weaker than this only demands limited effect. A smaller hole stil need the same effect. Something larger and/or stronger requires great effect.

Animal attacks create phantom animal features such as teeth, claws, antlers, or horns to attack with. You can do things like grab, tackle, or knock back. As usual, Wreck may be at an advantage or disadvantage compared to Hunt, Finesse and Skirmish, depending on the situation.

Decompose Apply the effect of reducers like bacteria and insects like woodworms. Slow but powerful.

This bypasses the strength of materials, allowing you to break even the strongest barrier, but it takes time. Minutes for organic barriers, hours for metals, days or weeks for stone. You can also use this to smash like a fine, potent claw.

Wildwarp Decompose or Mangle, but destroyed targets silently disappear or are reduced to a fine dust.

The real difference here is that wrecking things is now silent. Leave less traces, as what you wreck disappears. Get rid of evidence, as long as that evidence are animal remains and products.

Infestation Decompose or Mangle over a large area. This can do massive destruction over time.

Rather straightforward, this just scales things up.