Animalism allows empathy with and power over the animal world, as well as the animal within, and embodies the Beast which lurks within the soul of every Cainite. Those with Animalism can understand and soothe the passions of animals and control the actions of such creatures by touching the heart of the beast within them all. Vampires lacking this Discipline or the Skill of Animal Ken can seem offensive to animals, as beasts are distinctly uncomfortable around the undead and will do all they can to move away. As the Storyteller, give each animal the characters encounter a unique personality and manner of speech. Eventually the animal may befriend the characters, so the better you can portray it in the beginning, the longer the animal will seem interesting to the player. Remember that animals may be simple-minded and take things quite literally. The Gangrel clan, the masters of Animalism, have named these powers in ways which reflect their feelings toward their animal brethren.
Clarification: Animals will react badly to vampires without Animalism. Animal Ken can get past this, but has a higher difficulty to use than for humans.
Clarification: Animals will generally be more favorable than neutral to those with Animalism barring other influences. Much as a human might be well-disposed at first to someone good-looking. But it will not, for example, keep a guard dog from defending its master.
1 - Sweet Whispers No roll is necessary to talk with an animal, but the player must make a Manipulation + Animal Ken roll to get it to do favors (difficulty 6). This difficulty can be adjusted by circumstances and roleplaying skill. Depending on the nature of the character's inner soul, the approach of the conversation with the animal will differ -- it is not completely up to the player to decide, and depends heavily on the character's Nature. The approach taken might be that of intimidation, teasing, cajoling, rationality, emotional pleading or practically anything. Interactions must be roleplayed through, but the player should understand that he does not simply play the character, but the Beast within instead.
2 - The Beckoning The player must roll Charisma + Survival to determine how well the call is received by the intended targets (difficulty is normally 6), consult the table below. The only animals that might respond are those within hearing distance of the song. The summons may be very complicated, though the Storyteller will assign a higher difficulty if the player gets too carried away. For instance, a vampire could simply call out to all the rats of the sewers (difficulty 6), all rats with white fur (difficulty 7), or even summon the specific rat that had the audacity to bite her (difficulty 8). 1 success -- One animal responds 2 successes -- A quarter of the animals who hear The Beckoning respond 3 successes -- Half the animals respond 4 successes -- Most of the animals respond 5 successes -- All of the animals respond.
3 - Song of Serenity The player must roll Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty 7) and must collect as many successes as the target has Willpower (five for most animals). This is an extended roll. Any failure indicates that the vampire must start over from the beginning, while any botch indicates that he will never again be able to steal that creature's Beast.
4 - Sharing of spirits The player must roll Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 8) as the character looks into the animal's eyes (only animals with eyes can be possessed). The number of successes obtained determines the free will and powers the character still retains while possessing the animal. Less than three successes means the player must use Willpower points to take any action which directly violates the instincts of the animal in question. 1 success -- Cannot use Disciplines 2 successes -- Can use Auspex 3 successes -- Can also use Presence 4 successes -- Can also use Dominate 5 successes -- Can also use Thaumaturgy The character will behave much like the animal if less than five successes are obtained -- her spirit is clouded with the needs and impulses of the animal body. Sometimes she will begin to think and feel like that animal, even after the connection has been broken. The player behaves like the animal she was, retaining many of its instincts for a time. This will continue until seven Willpower points are spent to resist and overcome specific effects. At the end of any particularly exciting incident, the player should roll Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8) for the character to retain her own mind. Failure indicates that the character's mind returns to her own body, but still thinks in purely animal terms. A botch sends the character into a frenzy. When employing this power, it is possible for a vampire to travel about during the day, albeit in the body of an animal. However, she must be awake to do so, and therefore the player must successfully make a roll to stay awake (see Chaper Nine).
5 - Drawing out the Beast To use this power, the vampire must be in frenzy, or close to it, and roll Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 8). The player needs to announce his preferred target prior to rolling. It must be someone within eyesight. Refer to the table for the results: 1 success -- The character transfers the Beast, but releases it upon a friend 2 successes -- The character is stunned by the effort and may not act next turn, but transfers the Beast. 3 successes -- The character is completely successful. If the attempt fails, the intensity of the frenzy actually increases, for as the character relaxes in expectation of relieving himself of the savage desires of the Beast, the Beast takes that opportunity to dig deeper. The frenzy will last at twice as long and be twice as hard to shrug off; it will also be many times more severe than normal. A botch on this roll is even more catastrophic. The heightened frenzy is so extreme that not even the expenditure of Willpower points will effectively curb its duration or effects. If the character leaves the target's presence before the frenzy concludes, he will lose his Beast, perhaps permanently. While no longer vulnerable to frenzy, the character will note be able to use or regain Willpower and will become increasingly lethargic. To recover the Beast, he must find the person who now possesses it (who probably won't be enjoying herself much) and retrap the Beast. He must behave in ways that will make the Beast want to return since, unfortunately, the Beast does not always wish to do so. 4 successes -- Sharing of Spirits. By looking into the eyes of an animal you can posess it, leaving your body behind, unconscious. 5 successes -- Drawing out the Beast. This allows the vampire to 'transfer' his Beast into another. Only people with a Humanity/Path of 7 or less can be affected. The victim enters Frenzy and behaves just as the vampire would if he were the one Frenzying.