Animalism

Animalism is communion with the primal. It speaks to the Beast that every vampire carries, the feral intelligence lurking beneath centuries of etiquette and careful self-control, and to the simpler, more honest beasts that share the world with you. A Kindred with Animalism can command animals as well as understand them, negotiate with them, and when necessary, bend them to their will. More dangerously, they can reach into another creature's chest and pluck at the strings of the Beast itself.

The Discipline operates on two axes. The first is animal: communication, bonding, commanding, and protecting the creatures of the natural world. The second is Bestial: sensing, calming, redirecting, and weaponizing the supernatural instincts that drive every Kindred. The animal axis makes you a weirdo who talks to pigeons. The Bestial axis makes you terrifying.

Animalism carries a low Masquerade risk under normal circumstances. Talking to a cat looks eccentric, not supernatural. A raven perching on your shoulder is charming (and exceedingly goth). A rat running an errand is just a rat running, possibly even dragging a slice of pizza. But when a pack of stray dogs tears someone apart at your silent command or a swarm of cockroaches pours out from under your collar, the "eccentric" explanation stops holding up. The more violent the application, the higher the risk.

By default, Animalism Powers involving animals can only be used on vertebrates. Unliving Hive is the exception.

There is no inherent resistance to Animalism. Powers that affect a creature's Beast are resisted by Staying Chill, same as any other attempt to provoke or suppress Frenzy.

Feral Whispers (Discipline Perk)¶

You can bidirectionally communicate with any animal in a language you both understand. This isn't telepathy; you speak and the animal responds in kind, though the actual "language" varies (a dog might communicate through body language and vocalizations you instinctively parse, a raven through clicks, trills, and tilted glances, a cat through withering disdain). No roll or Hunger Check is required for conversation.

Animals know things. The bodega cat knows who comes and goes at 3 AM. The pigeons on the fire escape watched the whole robbery go down. The rats in the basement already have dirt on the new tenants. Animals are limited by their perspective and intelligence, but they're excellent observers within their domain, and they don't lie. Except cats, who might do so just to mess with you unless you pony up a treat.

When you call out for a specific type of animal in the area, make a Hunger Check. If you have the Farmer Predator Type, make this Hunger Check with Advantage. The animals must actually be present nearby to answer; nothing technically prevents you from trying to summon an orca in Central Park, but you should do the math on that idea before committing. Summoned animals listen to you and follow reasonable requests but scatter or turn hostile if seriously endangered. This is not a Hunt; Feral Whispers calls animals for utility, scouting, or companionship, not for getting eaten.

Level 1¶

Bond Familiar¶

You can Blood Bond with an animal, turning it into your Familiar: a supernaturally loyal companion bound to you by Vitae and consistent good treatment. The process requires giving the animal your Vitae on 3 separate nights (each giving you +1 Hunger), just as creating a Ghoul from a human would. Unlike standard Blood Bonds, this one does not decay over time as long as you maintain it with a small dish of Vitae every few nights (no extra Hunger cost, purely narrative). Think of it as responsible pet ownership.

Your Familiar follows verbal commands, defends you instinctively, and fights on your behalf, though it retains enough self-preservation not to throw itself at something obviously suicidal without extraordinary prompting. You can only have one Familiar at a time, but can Bond a new one if yours dies. Choosing this Power at character creation allows you to already have a Familiar when the game begins, if you'd like.

When you summon your Familiar from a distance, make a Hunger Check. It arrives as quickly as its natural speed allows, taking the safest and most direct route available. If your Familiar has died and you wish to Bond a new animal, begin the 3-night process again.

Using Feral Whispers and Subsume the Spirit on your Familiar requires no Hunger Check.

Scent of Prey¶

(Requires: Auspex access)

When you open your senses to the fear-scent of prey that has witnessed something it shouldn't have, make a Hunger Check and roll +Blood. You can detect any mortal in the area who has recently witnessed a Masquerade breach. They carry a distinct scent that prey animals produce when confronted by an apex predator, and your Beast recognizes it instantly.

This Power is ineffective on mortals who are accustomed to the supernatural: Ghouls, vampire-aware retainers, most actual goths, dedicated Hunters, and anyone else whose familiarity with Kindred has dulled the prey response.

On a 12+, you identify every eligible mortal in the area and can track them unerringly for the rest of the night. You know their exact number, direction, and approximate distance. You gain +2 Ongoing to any roll made to reach, intercept, or nonlethally silence them.

On a 10+, you detect the closest eligible mortal and can track their position for the rest of the scene. You know their direction and approximate distance.

On a 7–9, you get a hit but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The trail is fading; you detect the fear but the target slips away before you can pin them down, and you'll need to work to pick it back up
Someone else in the area smells far more strongly of supernatural terror, pulling your attention to them instead; they may or may not be relevant to the breach
You find the witness, but they're in a position that makes approaching them a problem (crowded area, police presence, in an enclosed space, on camera, etc.)

On a 6-, you lock onto a scent. The Storyteller decides whether it's actually the right person or a false positive: a mortal who's afraid of something else entirely, or someone whose emotional state just happens to read the same way. You won't know the difference until you act on it.

Sense the Beast (Passive)¶

When you focus on the primal currents around you, your perception of the Beast sharpens into clarity. You gain the following additional questions when you Discern Vibes or Catch the Scent:

Are they harboring a supernatural Beast? (Identifies vampires, werewolves, and similar creatures)
How hungry/desperate are they? (Detects Hunger level in vampires, general state of need in others)
Are they on the verge of losing control? (Detects imminent Frenzy, emotional breaking points, or suppressed violent intent)
What is the dominant instinct driving them right now? (Fear, hunger, territorial aggression, protectiveness, submission)

These questions cost Hold as normal. The answers come through instinct rather than analysis; you feel what their Beast feels, reading its posture and tension like you would a wild animal's.

Level 2¶

Animal Messenger¶

(Requires: Bond Familiar)

When you whisper a message to your Familiar and name a recipient, make a Hunger Check. Your Familiar sets out to find the target by the safest and most direct route available. When it arrives and makes eye contact with the recipient, it speaks your message aloud in your voice. Its lips move like they're bad CGI.

One or two short sentences is ideal; longer messages are possible but the Familiar may editorialize. If the recipient's location is unknown, the Familiar must track them down, which could take hours or days depending on distance. The Storyteller determines travel time based on the fiction. After delivering the message, the Familiar returns to you unless given other instructions.

If you also have Auspex: instead of speaking aloud, your Familiar can deliver the message telepathically to the recipient, provided it is within Hand Range of them. The message arrives as a clear thought in the target's mind, also in your voice. The target knows the message came from outside their own head but may not know who sent it unless you identify yourself or they know your voice well. The recipient is encouraged to pet your Familiar and give them a snack for their trouble.

Animal Succulence (Passive)¶

Feeding from animals nourishes you more than it does for most Kindred. When you Feed from an animal, slake 1 additional Hunger beyond what the roll provides. Your Blood Potency counts as 2 lower (minimum 0) for the purposes of any Feeding restrictions or penalties related to animal blood.

You may also choose to consume your Familiar entirely, draining every drop of its supernaturally enriched Vitae. This is permanent and irreversible; the animal dies, the Bond is severed, and something quiet and important inside you goes with it. Slake 4 Hunger. Additionally, the Storyteller determines which of your stats is most closely associated with the consumed animal, and you gain +2 to that stat until the next dawn. A consumed cat might raise Wits or Shadow, a dog might raise Resolve or Blood, a raven might raise Wits or Demeanor. The Storyteller has final say.

This stat bonus does not stack with itself. Only one instance at a time is permitted. The Storyteller may also rule that consuming your supernaturally loyal companion warrants Stains.

Augury¶

(Requires: Auspex access)

When you spend a few minutes gathering knowledge from a swarm of animals, gain +1 Hunger and roll +Blood. You dispense a trace of your Vitae to the flock, swarm, or school to momentarily link their collective awareness. They know things: the pigeons saw who entered the building, the rats heard the conversation through the walls, the stray cats know every face on the block (especially those that don't stop to scratch them).

Regardless of the result, you may ask the Storyteller 1 question about anyone or anything within the city, filtered through what the targeted group of animals could reasonably have observed. The Storyteller answers by describing the image the swarm forms: murmurations of starlings tracing the shape of a building, cockroaches arranging themselves into a crude map, fish swimming a pattern that makes sense only to you (and maybe your Malkavian buddy).

This experience terrifies the animals you harness, and their terror scars your connection to the Beast. For the rest of the night, all of your Animalism rolls take −1 Ongoing for each time you've used this Power tonight.

On a 12+, the answer is precise, actionable, and reveals something important beyond what you directly asked. Take +2 Ongoing when acting directly on the information until the situation is resolved or the night ends.

On a 10+, the answer is accurate and clear enough to act on. Take +2 Forward when acting on the information.

On a 7–9, the answer is vague, incomplete, or filtered through animal logic that doesn't quite translate. The Storyteller gives you something useful, but not the whole picture, and possibly about a different topic.

On a 6-, the swarm gives you a clear, confident answer and you believe it completely. It is wrong. The Storyteller fabricates a plausible but misleading answer that you have no reason to doubt until events prove otherwise. They're animals! What did you expect?

Enduring Beasts (Passive)¶

(Requires: Bond Familiar)

Your Familiar and any animals you summon through Feral Whispers are tougher than nature intended. They gain bonus HP equal to your Blood Potency, and their natural attacks deal 1 additional Harm.

If you also have Fortitude: your animals also halve all incoming Superficial Harm (rounded down, minimum 1). Your Familiar has survived things no ordinary animal should survive, and it's starting to act like it knows that.

Level 3¶

Messenger's Command¶

(Requires: Animal Messenger)

When your Familiar delivers a message via Animal Messenger and you weave a supernatural command into its words, make a Hunger Check and roll +Resolve. On delivery, the Familiar's gaze carries the weight of your will.

On a 10+, the target is affected as if you had successfully Influenced them with a 10+ result. The command must be achievable through a single sentence.

On a 7–9, the command lands but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The target obeys but recognizes the command as supernatural in origin; they know someone sent this
The compulsion is shaky; the target follows through but interprets the command in whatever way inconveniences them least
Your Familiar draws unwanted attention during delivery; someone else witnessed the exchange

On a 6-, the command fails entirely and the target is immediately aware that the animal just tried to do something really weird to them. Your Familiar is in danger, and the target knows something sent it.

If you also have Dominate, Presence, and/or Melpominee: you can deliver any Dominate, Presence, or Melpominee Power you know through the Familiar, using that Power's normal rules. The Familiar's gaze counts as your eye contact, and its physical location counts as your own.

Plague of Beasts¶

When you mark someone with the scent of prey and let the local wildlife know dinner is served, make a Hunger Check and roll +Blood. The effect lasts until the next dawn.

On a 10+, the target is swarmed. Every animal in the vicinity converges and cooperates to harass them: stray dogs circle and snap, birds dive and peck, rats pour from storm drains and crawl up their legs. The target takes −3 Ongoing to all rolls from the constant harassment unless they can physically isolate themselves from all wildlife (and good luck with that outdoors). Any attempt to track the target gets +2 Forward from the very obvious trail of agitated animals.

On a 7–9, the harassment is persistent but less overwhelming. −2 Ongoing to all rolls, +1 Forward to tracking. The Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The animals are aggressive enough to draw human attention and documentation; if mortals are present, the Masquerade Clock advances
One particular animal fixates on the target and refuses to leave; it's large, loud, and/or conspicuous
The target quickly realizes the animals aren't behaving naturally and starts looking for a supernatural source

On a 6-, the animals show up, but they adore the target. Cats purr and rub against their ankles. Stray dogs roll over for belly rubs. Birds land on their shoulder and sing like they're a Disney princess wandering through a gothic horror setting. The target suffers no penalty and instead gains +3 Forward to their next social roll because they seem absolutely delightful to be around. You are not having a good night.

Quell the Beast¶

When you lock eyes with a creature and reach inside to still the Beast within them, make a Hunger Check and roll +Resolve.

Against mortals, a success renders them deeply apathetic for the rest of the scene. They lose all motivation, aggression, drive, and their Blood Resonance instantly becomes Acute Phlegmatic. They won't attack, won't flee, and won't resist much of anything. They act to preserve their own life if directly threatened but otherwise sit, stare, and wait for the world to start mattering again. It passes, but they won't forget how empty it felt.

Against supernatural creatures:

On a 10+, the target's Beast is suppressed for the rest of the scene. They cannot Blood Surge, and any roll that would result in a 12+ is treated as a 10+ instead. If the target is currently in Frenzy, it ends immediately.

On a 7–9, the suppression takes hold but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The effect is brief; it lasts only a number of turns equal to 1 + your Resolve stat
The target's Beast thrashes on the way down; they lash out once at the nearest target (which might be you) before the calm settles
The suppression is imperfect; the target can still Blood Surge but takes −1 Forward on any roll that benefits from it

On a 6-, the target's Beast snarls back at yours. Not only does the suppression fail, but your own Beast recoils from the confrontation. You must immediately Stay Chill or Frenzy. The target knows exactly what you tried to do and they are not happy about it, thank you very much.

Unliving Hive (Passive)¶

(Requires: Bond Familiar)

When you extend your Animalism to creatures that crawl, swarm, and skitter, you can Bond and command swarms of animals as if they were a single creature. This Power removes the vertebrate restriction for swarms of arthropods (flies, roaches, spiders, wasps, centipedes, moths, etc.) and allows control over a whole murder of crows or schools of fish. You can even Bond a swarm as your Familiar.

Some vampires allow their swarm to nest inside their body, making a home in the folds, cavities, and orifices of their undead flesh. While nested, the swarm is completely hidden from sight short of an X-ray. They nurse on negligible amounts of your Vitae and remain indefinitely.

This Power is deliberately open-ended. A nested swarm can serve as spies, scouts, distractions, intimidation tools, or anything else you and the Storyteller can dream up. Swarms deployed in combat can harass a single target (imposing −1 to −2 Ongoing on their rolls, at the Storyteller's discretion) but aren't lethal on their own. They scatter under fire, pesticide, or sufficiently panicked flailing.

A walking Nosferatu whose trench coat erupts into a living carpet of cockroaches is, to put it mildly, noticeable. If mortals are present when the swarm deploys in a clearly supernatural manner, the Masquerade Clock advances.

If you also have Obfuscate: your swarm operates silently and draws no attention when deployed. No buzzing, no visible trail, no panicked onlookers. The Masquerade Clock does not advance from swarm activity alone, and the swarm can usually infiltrate locations without being detected by mundane means.

Level 4¶

Awaken the Parasite¶

When you reach into a creature's dead flesh and command every dormant thing living inside it to wake up, make a Hunger Check and roll +Blood. Vampires are dead, but they are not empty. Parasitic eggs, larvae, bacteria, and nameless things nest in the folds and cavities of undead flesh, sustained by trace amounts of Vitae. This Power forces them to mature in seconds. The target must be within Close Range.

On a 12+, the eruption is catastrophic. Pupating arthropods burst from the target's skin in a shower of gore. Mortals are killed outright, but usually stick around long enough to witness their own demise. Vampires take Aggravated Harm equal to your Blood Potency and cannot speak as their throat fills with writhing larvae; they take −2 Ongoing to all rolls for the rest of the scene. If the Harm kills them, the maggots take care of the body for you. If mortals witness this, the Masquerade Clock advances by two segments.

On a 10+, larvae burst from the target's flesh in significant numbers. The target takes Superficial Harm equal to your Blood stat and takes −2 Ongoing to all rolls for the rest of the scene. Social interaction becomes effectively impossible. If mortals are present, the Masquerade Clock advances.

On a 7–9, maggots burrow and writhe beneath the target's skin, visibly rippling the surface. The target takes −1 Ongoing to social and mental rolls for the rest of the scene. The Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The infestation is clearly supernatural in origin; anyone who sees it knows this isn't just some horrible medical condition they saw on TV
The target's panicked reaction draws exactly the kind of attention you didn't want
Some of the parasites are drawn to you; take −2 Forward as they crawl eagerly onto/into you

On a 6-, you reach for the swarm and are swept along with them. The infestation erupts from your flesh instead, dealing Aggravated Harm equal to half your Blood Potency (rounded up) and giving you Disadvantage on all rolls for the rest of the scene. The target is unaffected (and probably very relieved). This is exactly as disgusting as it sounds.

If you really want to, you can use this Power on yourself deliberately, skipping the roll entirely. The parasites erupt from your body as if you'd rolled a 7–9, but you're the complication now. If you're a Nosferatu with the Infestation Variant Bane, treat any roll of 6- for this Power as a 7–9 instead.

Subsume the Spirit¶

When you pour your consciousness into your Familiar or a nearby animal and let your own body fall still, make a Hunger Check and roll +Blood. Using this Power on your Familiar requires no Hunger Check.

Your body collapses into a kind of Torpor. You have no awareness of it while possessing the animal. If your body takes Harm, you are yanked back into it immediately, ending the possession. If the animal dies while you inhabit it, you snap back into your body and take 1 Aggravated Harm from the psychic shock.

On a 10+, you fully inhabit the animal. You control its body, perceive through its senses, and can use Feral Whispers and Sense the Beast through it. You remain in control for the rest of the scene, or longer if you choose to extend the possession (each additional scene requires another Hunger Check).

On a 7–9, you're inside, but the animal's instincts fight you. The Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The animal's natural behaviors bleed through; you occasionally act on instinct instead of intent (cat chases a laser pointer, dog barks at the postal worker, bird tries to steal/eat a shiny thing, etc.)
Your control is physically clumsy; fine motor tasks and body language communication are impaired
The animal's senses are overwhelming and alien; take −2 Forward as you recalibrate

On a 6-, the animal rejects you. You slam back into your own body with a splitting psychic headache that deals 1 Superficial Harm, and the animal bolts. If it was your Familiar, it returns eventually on its own and may not be called until then. If it wasn't, it avoids you and tells its loved ones weird stories about you.

Daylight Operations: If you wish to remain inside the animal past dawn, roll +Resolve. On a 7+, you stay in control through the day. On a 6-, the sun drags your consciousness back to your sleeping body and the animal regains control. Seeing sunlight through the animal's eyes requires you to Stay Chill (your instincts scream even though the animal is perfectly safe), but the sunlight does not damage the animal or you. On a 6-, you just have to flee to the nearest shadow and cower for a while.

Sway the Flock¶

When you reach out to the animal world around you and impose your will upon it, you can alter the behavior of every animal in a wide area. Choose the emotional tenor: calm, aggression, fear, focused attention, or indifference.

Make 1 or more Hunger Checks, up to a maximum of 5. Each Hunger Check expands the scale:

1 Hunger Check: A single room or immediate vicinity (Close Range)
2 Hunger Checks: A building or city block (Far Range)
3 Hunger Checks: A neighborhood (Distant Range)
4 Hunger Checks: A district or large park
5 Hunger Checks: A small town or equivalent area

Roll +Blood. The effect lasts until dawn.

On a 10+, the animals respond completely. Calmed animals fall asleep or become docile. Agitated animals attack anyone and each other with no provocation. Focused animals converge upon a target or patrol a designated area. You can issue specific directives (guard this building, drive everyone out of this park, find this person and follow them) and the animals comply as best their intelligence allows.

On a 7–9, the emotion takes hold but you can't fine-tune it. The animals respond to the mood you set but act on their own instincts within that frame. The Storyteller determines the specifics.

On a 6-, the animals respond, but the mood twists into something you didn't intend. Calm becomes eerie, oppressive silence. Aggression turns toward you. Focused attention alerts the target that something unnatural is watching them. The effect still lasts until dawn and you can't override it. Maybe sit this one out.

Level 5¶

Coax the Bestial Temper¶

When you vocalize a low, wordless sound to the Beasts of every supernatural creature within earshot, make a Hunger Check and roll +Blood, then choose whether the sound is Calming or Agitating.

This Power has no effect on mortals. They might find the sound unsettling, but their lack of a Beast means there's nothing to grab onto. This Power works just fine on your Coterie members.

On a 10+, all supernatural creatures within earshot are affected:

If Calming, they gain a Forward bonus equal to half your Blood Potency (rounded down) to their next Stay Chill roll. Any creature currently in Frenzy may immediately attempt to Stay Chill again with the same bonus.
If Agitating, they take a Forward penalty equal to half your Blood Potency (rounded down) to their next Stay Chill roll. If someone is already teetering at the brink of Frenzy, this might be all it takes.

On a 7–9, the effect takes hold but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The effect is noticeably supernatural; every vampire in range feels someone tugging at their Beast and they can tell which direction it's coming from
The effect lingers past your control; the bonus or penalty applies to the next two Stay Chill rolls instead of just the next one, and you can't end it early

On a 6-, the Beasts in the room recoil from your touch, including your own. All affected creatures (yourself included) must immediately Stay Chill as the psychic backlash ripples through every Beast present. Failing that roll pulls their Beast to the surface and immediately induces Frenzy until the scene ends.

Drawing Out the Beast¶

When you are about to Frenzy and you refuse to let the Beast have you, you can redirect it. Choose a target within Close Range. No roll is required on your part; the Beast simply lunges where you point it.

The target must immediately Stay Chill to resist the incoming Frenzy. If they succeed, the Beast snaps back to you and you Frenzy as normal. If they fail, they Frenzy in your place and you are left calm, collected, and uncomfortably empty for the rest of the scene. If you're at 5 Hunger, it drops to 4.

Against mortals, this is devastating. They have no Beast of their own, no practice resisting one, and no understanding of what's happening to them. A mortal hit with Drawing Out the Beast goes berserk: smashing things, attacking bystanders, screaming incoherently, and potentially hurting themselves very badly. It passes when the Frenzy duration ends, but the aftermath can be severe and the mortal will have no idea what came over them. The Storyteller may rule this warrants Stains, especially if things get violent.

You can only use Drawing Out the Beast at the moment of Frenzy. It cannot be preemptively activated or held in reserve. If a Power on your turn pushes you to 5 Hunger (triggering Frenzy at the start of your next turn), you can use this Power. If a Stay Chill failure would cause you to Frenzy, you can use this Power instead of losing control.

While your Beast is elsewhere, you cannot Blood Surge, and any roll that would result in a 12+ is treated as a 10+ instead. Your Beast returns to you when the Frenzy ends, one way or another. Is it weird that you missed it?

Spirit Walk (Passive)¶

(Requires: Subsume the Spirit)

Your mastery of Subsume the Spirit deepens. When you successfully possess an animal, the duration extends to the full night rather than a single scene, and extending into additional scenes no longer requires further Hunger Checks.

When you leap from one possessed animal directly into another without returning to your body first, roll +Blood. The target animal must be within the possessed animal's line of sight.

On a 10+, the transfer is seamless. Your consciousness flows from one animal to the next without interruption and it tingles in a good way. Your body remains in Torpor, undisturbed, flourishing, in its lane.

On a 7–9, you make the jump, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The transition is jarring; you lose awareness for a few seconds during the transfer and miss something important, and you also look like a bumbling fool to any other animals nearby
The animal you left behind panics and bolts, drawing attention to the area and potentially leading someone back to your body
The new host's instincts are overwhelming; take −1 Forward to your next 3 rolls as you acclimate

On a 6-, the jump fails. You're ejected from both animals and slammed back into your own body, taking 2 Aggravated Harm from the psychic whiplash. Both animals flee. If it's daytime, you're now awake in your body and need to deal with that. Hopefully you were in your Haven when you started the whole ordeal.