Animalism (Discipline)
this is the one where you talk to animals :)
This Discipline is In-Clan for:
Camarilla Clans: Clan Nosferatu, Lhiannan Antitribu.
Sabbat Clans: Clan Lhiannan, Clan Tzimisce, Nosferatu Antitribu.
Independent Clans: Clan Ahrimanes, Clan Gangrel (+City, Country Bloodlines), Ghiberti Giovanni, Clan Koldun.
Animalism (Base Game)
Animalism has been a staple amongst many Clans for countless centuries. This Variant is most common amongst those in the Camarilla and Sabbat.
(Rank 1) “Feral Whispers”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
(No Cost)
All it takes is a little bit of know-how, and a Kindred could start speaking to the guard dogs outside your compound before sunrise.
System: No Roll needed, but eye contact is required w/ Animal to establish a connection. Speaking is free, but giving Commands requires a Manipulation + Animal Ken Roll @ DC 6-9, depending on the relative intelligence and personality of the Animal at hand. The Storyteller may choose to increase or decrease the DC depending on how hard of a time they’re wanting to give you, but as a general rule of thumb; the dumber the animal, the harder it’ll be to get them to do anything. Cannot force the Animal to do anything that’d potentially harm them, either.
(Rank 2) “Beckoning”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
1 Blood Point
By calling out into the night, the Kindred can summon the members of a particular Animal for their scheduled re-Ghouling, task assignment, or just because they happen to be lonely and enjoy the company of stray cats.
System: Roll Charisma + Animal Ken @ DC 6 and send out a call for a particular Animal. Per Success, you summon a higher quantity of said Animal within earshot. An Exceptional Success brings forth Animals that might not even be able to hear your call initially— they are instead instinctively made aware.
(Rank 3) “Quell the Beast”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
1 Blood Point
According to some Kindred, everyone has a Beast inside them. It comes out when you’re angry, when you’re hungry, when you’re horny— it’s just not as big as a Kindred’s, but that doesn’t prevent it from being manipulated.
System: Roll either Manipulation + Intimidation or Manipulation + Empathy @ DC 7, and choose a Target. The Kindred will require a # of Successes greater than or equal to their Target’s permanent Willpower rating. Upon Success, Mortals will have their “beast cowed,” effectively preventing them from spending Willpower for the rest of the Scene and making them placid and/or afraid. Supernaturals (such as Kindred or Rage-wielding Shifters) may be brought out of Frenzy using this power.
(Rank 4) “Subsume the Spirit”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
1 Blood Point
Some of the haughtier Tzimisce claim to look down on this Power, but then are caught possessing someone’s family lap-dog when the act suits their plans. What is debasement to a Kindred who simply needs something done? What is debasement to a Kindred who likes the feeling of being a cat every now and then?
System: Lock eyes with an Animal and Roll Manipulation + Animal Ken @ DC 8. Upon Success, the Kindred possesses the Animal in question, seeing through their eyes and acting as they do. Flying as a bird or scurrying as a rat might be fun for the night, but when it comes time to switch back to your body, you must Roll Willpower @ DC 7. If this Roll is failed, your mind gets a little muddy after the switch, and you inherit some traits of the Animal for the rest of the Week. A hawk might make you flighty and cold, whereas a rat might compel you to gnaw on things while you’re thinking.
Each Success also confers the ability to use 1 Discipline of your choice during the possession. This effect lasts for the duration of the night, since Kindred Souls feel the need to rest during the daylight hours.
(Rank 5) “Drawing Out the Beast”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
1 Blood Point, 1 Willpower
This Power might seem like the ultimate mastery of the Vampiric condition. After all, you’re free of your Beast, what could be better than that? The moment the side effects set in is when a Kindred usually starts to panic, and has to rush to contain the part of them that absolutely does not want to be contained.
System: Roll Manipulation + Self-Control @ DC 8 and choose a Target. 3 Successes is required to push your Beast out onto the Target you had intended, whereas 1 or 2 Successes forces it into the nearest individual. Doing so will cause the Target to immediately Frenzy (regardless of whether they’re capable of it or not), gaining a sudden boost of vampiric strength as they inherit your Potence, Fortitude, and Celerity Disciplines.
While this might seem like a good thing, the Beast is an integral part of a Kindred’s Soul, and without it they become lethargic and unable to spend or regain Willpower. This Power must be cast again on the Target to regain the Kindred’s Beast. The Beast is also transferred back upon the Target’s death, too. So, that’s always option B.
Animalism (Spiritus)
Developed by Clan Ahrimanes, Spiritus is a Variant of Animalism that focuses on tapping into the fundamental animal nature of Vampire-kind. By using their Vitae as a magical conduit, the Ahrimanes came to a strangely holistic view of the world around them, and they are often mistaken by other Kindred as being Shifters for it.
Those non-Ahrimanes who develop this Variant of Animalism are treated like hippies generally, and always need to show some fang before they’re properly respected.
(Rank 1) “Aid from Spirits”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
1 Blood Point
The Ahrimanes found that there’s a slumbering Spirit in everything, and if you know how to concentrate your Vitae into it, you can rouse them into action temporarily.
System: Roll Charisma + Occult @ DC 8 and touch an object. Success means you rouse the Spirit within the object, giving it a boost from your Vitae and granting you +2 Dice to your next Action utilizing it. This Power may not be used multiple times on the same object.
(Rank 2) “Summon Gaffling”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
2 Blood Points
While the Ahrimanes don’t call them Gafflings, they found that they could further their previous technique into invoking territory, plucking small useful Spirits from the Umbra to perform tasks related to their existence.
System: Roll Strength + Occult @ DC 8. Upon Success, the Kindred summons a Gaffling native to the area they’re in, usually an Animal Spirit, to perform a relevant task. Per Success, this Spirit will be more relevant to what the Kindred was looking to do— if the Kindred wanted to open a locked door, a Keycard or Lockpick Gaffling would be a good choice, but that might require 3 Successes. Once the Gaffling has done what it was brought to do, it blinks back into the Umbra.
(Rank 3) “Wearing the Spirit”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
2 Blood Points
Either by dominating their Beast or convincing it that the decision will make it more powerful, the Ahrimanes figured out a way to enhance their undead bodies by forcing Gafflings to partially possess them.
System: Roll Stamina + Occult @ DC 8. Upon Success, the Kindred allows a local Animal Gaffling to share her body, granting her a Die bonus equal to the # of Successes gained. Depending on the Animal Gaffling that she invites in, this Die Bonus will be assigned to a different area— a dove Gaffling would grant it to Survival, where a cat Gaffling might grant it to Dexterity. This effect lasts the Scene.
(Rank 4) “Consume Engling”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
(No Cost)
Englings are dangerous prey, but far too enticing to pass up. Clan Ahrimanes are known for posing an annoyance to local Shifter packs, acting as an outside hunting force for the Spirits used in their rituals.
System: The Kindred is now capable of detecting Englings, or Spirits of Sacrifice, that are usually utilized in rituals native to Shifters. These Englings can be caught and devoured, replenishing 2pts of Blood and 1pt of Willpower p/Rank of the Engling.
(Rank 5) “The Wild Beast”
Source: VtM 20th Anniversary
3 Blood Points
“Gaia”? You mean the Earth? No, there’s no celestial blessings involved here— the Ahrimanes are simply shaping their Beast into something that feels right to them. At least, that’s what they want the other Clans to believe.
System: No Roll is required as the Kindred grows to 1.5x their normal size, growing a pair of Aggravated-dealing claws and coating themselves in a thin, yet noticeable amount of fur. The Kindred’s Strength gains +3, their Dexterity and Perception gain +2, and their Appearance drops to 0— hey, wait, isn’t this just a Werebeast-form for Kindred?
This effect lasts for a number of hours equal to the Kindred’s Willpower rating, and cannot be utilized more than once a night.
Animalism (Coil of the Wyrm)
At some point, the Kolduns attempted to create a Variant of Animalism that was dedicated to mastering their Beast. While slavic nobility had a hard time putting the pieces together right, once Clan Gangrel got their paws on the research, Coil of the Wyrm was quickly finished and began extensive use amongst those in eastern Europe.
(Rank 1) “Stir the Beast”
Source: VtR 2e CORE
1 Blood Point
How do you control a Beast? You learn to talk to it. You learn what it wants, what it likes— and you learn how to speak in such a way where it wants to listen.
System: Roll Charisma + Animal Ken @ DC 12 (minus your Humanity). Upon Success, you Frenzy, but you may give your Beast a single-sentence command that becomes its objective while it drives. From there, you have no control over the Frenzy, and you may not attempt to end it yourself. The Frenzy will end on its own once the command has been satisfied.
(Rank 2) “Beast’s Hunger”
Source: VtR 2e CORE
(No Cost)
All Kindred know that their Beast is the hungry part of them. Not all Kindred know that the Beast is far hungrier than they ever will be, and that tapping into that hunger can be potent.
System: While Frenzying, the Kindred gains double the Blood Points from feeding. This Power’s effects are permanent.
(Rank 3) “Riding the Beast”
Source: VtR 2e CORE
Variable Blood Cost
When Frenzy comes, and it always does, there are those in the Sabbat who claim to know how to “ride the wave”. Those practicing this Variant laugh— those poor bastards are letting the Beast ride them, not the other way around.
System: While Frenzying, the Kindred may spend Blood Points to directly influence the next Action their Beast takes. This does not require a Roll on the Kindred’s part, but the Beast must Roll Humanity @ DC 10 (minus the Kindred’s Humanity) to not ignore the request. This Power’s effects are permanent.
(Rank 4) “Beast’s Power”
Source: VtR 2e CORE
1 Willpower
There is immense power to be utilized within any given Beast. Adepts in this Variant become monsters among their fellow monsters when their Beast takes the stage.
System: While Frenzying, the Kindred gains an automatic Success to all Rolls involving Physical Attributes p/Point of Willpower spent. This effect is permanent.
(Rank 5) “Eternal Frenzy”
Source: VtR 2e CORE
(No Cost)
There is something eternal, something endless about the Beast’s want, about the Beast’s need to stay alive. The pinnacle of Coil of the Wyrm allows the Kindred to tap into that unwillingness to die.
System: While Frenzying, the Kindred does not drop into Torpor when reduced to 0 Health Steps, simply able to keep fighting despite being potentially dismembered or even beheaded. If the Kindred would fall into Torpor once the Scene is over, they do so. If the Kindred would die once the Scene is over, they spend all of their remaining Blood Points attempting to fix themselves, and if they are able to, they THEN fall into Torpor.
Animalism (Tezcatl)
While the angle of seeing your Beast as something separate, something different from “you” isn’t new to the Kindred as a whole, the Nahualli (a group of Gangrel native to Mexico) who sought to harness the power of Animalism to keep their Beast out of their undead lives. They called their Variation Tezcatl, or “mirror” in Nahuatl.
(Rank 1) “Conciliation”
Source: VtR Bloodlines: The Hidden
1 Blood Point
First thing to keeping that damn Beast out of your life is to make sure nobody else around you can sense it’s there.
System: Roll Strength + Expression @ DC 6. Upon Success, the Kindred hides his Vampiric nature from those who can see him. Per Success, he reduces the Dice Pools of those attempting to see what he truly is by -1. This effect lasts for the Scene, and is immediately canceled upon the Kindred Frenzying.
(Rank 2) “Life’s Reflection”
Source: VtR Bloodlines: The Hidden
1 Blood Point
The benefit to building a soundproof room for the Beast to reside in is that Mortals stop looking at you like you’re going to eat them, and the local dogs stop barking at and chasing you down the road.
System: Roll Strength + Expression @ DC 8. Upon Success, the Kindred is able to hide his approximate Humanity Rating from those who might look for it, appearing perfectly Mortal to those who witness him. Additionally, any air of disquiet surrounding the Kindred is dispelled, and replaced with an air of calm and ease. Animals are also no longer discomforted by his presence. This effect lasts for the Scene, and is immediately canceled upon the Kindred Frenzying.
(Rank 3) “Focus the Aspect”
Source: VtR Bloodlines: The Hidden
1 Willpower
“What IS that thing?!” they start to scream. The terror your Beast exudes plays an important part in disconnecting yourself from it, as there’s no way someone like YOU could be THAT scary, right?
System: While Frenzying, the Kindred may spend a point of Willpower to invoke an aura of pure bestial terror in those around him. Mortals who witness him must Roll Self Control @ DC 5 (plus the Kindred’s Animalism (Tezcatl) rating) to not either immediately scream and flee, or curl up into a catatonic ball if fleeing is not an option. Other Supernaturals also must make this Self-Control Roll, but they may spend a point of Willpower for each Action they wish to utilize, pushing past their own fear through will.
This effect lasts for the Scene, and is immediately canceled upon the Kindred’s Frenzy ending.
(Rank 4) “The Smoking Mirror”
Source: VtR Bloodlines: The Hidden
2 Blood Points, 1 Willpower
Waking up naked and covered in viscera isn’t an enjoyable experience, but everyone seems relieved to see that you made it out of there in one piece. There was a monster on the loose, and it tore through everything it could find.
System: If the Kindred is faced with a Frenzy Roll, he may instead spend the listed resources to invoke Blind Frenzy. In addition to gaining +1 to all Physical Attributes, during this time the Kindred is not considered himself by any who witness him, and even his coterie will not acknowledge the connection between the Kindred and the Beast they currently see. There will be no mundane way to keep track of who this monster actually is, and only through Supernatural means will the pieces be able to be put together.
While the Storyteller has control over the Frenzying Kindred, the Kindred remembers nothing at all of what happens during this time, and may not suffer any losses of Humanity as a result of anything his Beast does.
(Rank 5) “True Compartmentalization”
Source: VtR Bloodlines: The Hidden
(No Cost)
You and your Beast have truly stretched your connection to its thinnest point. Honestly, you’re not even sure you have one anymore, as it’s been so long since you’ve lost your cool that it might’ve withered off and died. Sometimes you get knocked out at weird times though, but that’s just how living as a Kindred is, you suppose.
System: Not only does the Kindred not remember the things their Beast does when he Frenzies, his mindscape properly reflects this too— using Disciplines like Dominate to comb through his memories will result in nothing relating to a Beast. He still knows he’s a Vampire, and still knows that he’s done bad things as a result of needing to drink human blood, but anything he does while he Frenzies never stays in his mind, as though it had never happened to him.
As a result of this, the Kindred is quite approachable to most Mortals, not appearing dangerous or potentially predatory unless they really try to appear so. This grants the Kindred -1 DC to all Social Rolls involving Mortals at all times.