Drawing out the Beast

Animalism 5

Cainites with this ability are so familiar with the vagaries of animals' instinctive reactions that they can even read the reactions of their own Beasts. What's more, as the vampire's Beast becomes more aroused, he gains the ability to send it out into another being, rather than allowing his own spirit to be overwhelmed by the blood rage.

The target of the Cainite's beast is immediately overwhelmed by a frenzy, and during that frenzy, he acts precisely as the Discipline's user does when in frenzy, right down to the occasional murderous turn of phrase. Those who know the vampire might recognize their friend's Beast in another, but such a thing is quite rare.

The Gangrel use this power to enable their ghouls and childer to act as terrible proxies in time of battle, while the Ravnos use it to torment individuals who present themselves as beacons of righteousness. The Tzimisce use Drawing out the Beast to wreak dreadful havoc on an opposing viovode's holdings before bringing their full force to bear, while the Nosferatu prefer to use the ability to humiliate other vampires whom they feel need to be taken down a peg.

System: The character must be in frenzy or near one - that is to say, exposed to a possible source of frenzy (see p. 264) and engaged in a test of Self-Control or Instinct to resist or ride it. To use the ability, announce a target to whom your character has line of sight and then roll Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 8). At least two successes are required on this roll to achieve the desired effect.

Botch: Enter a tremendously dangerous frenzy, from which even Willpower expenditure cannot rescue you.
Failure: Enter a terrible frenzy, that lasts twice as long and requires twice as many successes to shrug off as normal.
1: Accidentally release your Beast on a friend.
2: Transfer your Beast successfully, but you are stunned, and lose your next turn to inaction while you recover.
3: Transfer your Beast successfully.

If the target leaves the character's immediate vicinity before the frenzy ends (or vice versa) the character risks losing his Beast permanently, as it remains with the victim. The vampire's Beast often likes "living" inside other beings, and it is loath to return to the vampire it knows so well after having a taste of freedom. Should the character lose his Beast, even temporarily, he becomes lethargic, sleeping late in the evenings and needing to spend Willpower to perform even such tasks as feeding.

To recover his Beast, the character must first find its carrier - who is probably not having an easy time of things, especially if he is mortal - and then coax his Beast back to his body. To do so, the character must act in ways that would lure a ravenous, frenzy-yielding vampiric monster toward him. The Storyteller should make sure to play this scene up for all it's worth. In the tragic event that the Beast-carrier dies, the vampire's player makes an Instinct roll against a difficulty of 9. Even one success returns the Beast to its owner, but a failure means the vampire has lost his Beast forever. The shock of the Beast's death cry immediately sends the vampire into torpor.