Lore of the Beast

Lore of the Host

Description: The Lore of the Beast is the Lore that allows the Angel to control and manipulate animals by possession, mental connections, and literal reshaping. This Lore is similar to the Disciplines of Protean and Animalism.

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● SUMMON ANIMALS

This evocation allows the Devourer to detect the presence of animal life in the surrounding area and to summon those creatures to his side. These animals instinctively protect the demon.

System: Roll Perception + Animal Ken. If your roll succeeds, your character gets a detailed sense of the varied animal life in her area, from insects to mammals. The Devourer's awareness extends in a radius in miles equal to her Faith score. Armed with this knowledge, the Devourer can choose which animals of a single type she wishes to summon, up to the number of successes rolled. If the Devourer wishes to summon a swarm of vermin or insects, instead, the number of successes rolled determines the number of square yards that the swarm covers. These animals flock to the Devourer's side as quickly as possible and circle her protectively, attacking anyone who threatens. The effects of this evocation last for the duration of the scene or until the demon frees the animals.

Torment: Monstrous demons can summon only carnivorous animals, their Torment driving the creatures into a murderous frenzy. A Willpower roll must be made each turn with a difficulty equal to the Devourer's Torment.

If the roll fails, the animals turn on the nearest human or demon, including the Devourer himself. The Devourer can attempt to regain control of frenzied animals with another Willpower roll in a subsequent turn.

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●● COMMAND ANIMALS

This evocation extends the Devourer's influence over the beasts of the earth, allowing her to command one or more animals to do her bidding.

System: Roll Manipulation + Animal Ken. The Devourer can command a number of animals equal to the successes you roll. The animals must be in her presence already for this power to work. The evocation enhances the intelligence of these animals, as well. Assume that the creatures have an effective Intelligence of 1, though exceptional breeds may have ratings of 2 at the Storyteller's discretion. The Devourer does not have to speak to the animals to issue commands. Instead, she imparts her desires by placing them directly in the animals' minds. The effects of this evocation last for a single day.

Torment: Monstrous demons can command only carnivorous animals, and the weight of the demon's Torment makes them murderously aggressive. Unless they are in the Devourer's presence, they attack any mortal or demon they encounter if they fail an Intelligence roll (difficulty 7).

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●●● POSSESS ANIMALS

The demon is capable of possessing one or more animals and acting through them as an extension of her will. During the War of Wrath, many Devourers went to war possessing entire packs of terrible beasts that wrought havoc among the Host's human allies.

System: Roll Intelligence + Animal Ken. The Devourer can control a number of animals equal to the successes rolled. If this number is greater than the demon's Wits, her mortal body falls into a comatose state. Otherwise, she can still move and act with all her dice pools halved. Your character can control the animals up to a number of miles equal to her Faith score. This evocation lasts for a number of turns equal to your character's Faith score.

Torment: Monstrous demons can possess only carnivores, and Devourers must exercise iron will to avoid losing themselves to the feral nature of their hosts. Make a Willpower roll each turn, with a difficulty equal to the Devourer's Torment, If a roll fails, your demon succumbs to the animals' instincts. Her mind is subsumed completely into their will, and control of the character (and her animals) passes to the Storyteller until the evocation expires. If the roll botches, the evocation expires and the demon herself takes on the nature and instincts of the animals, becoming feral in her own behavior.

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●●●● ANIMAL FORM

The Devourer can take the form of any animal whose blood or flesh she has tasted. Conservation of mass does not apply, so a 95-pound woman can become an 800-pound tiger if the demon desires.

System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina + Animal Ken. If successful, the transformation takes a single turn. The effects of this evocation last for the duration of the scene, unless intentionally terminated prematurely.

Torment: Monstrous Devourers must exercise iron will to avoid losing themselves to the feral nature of the creatures they become. Make a Willpower roll each turn, with a difficulty equal to the Devourer's Torment. If the roll fails, the demon succumbs to the feral instincts of the animal form she has assumed, and control of the character passes to the Storyteller until the evocation expires.

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●●●●● CREATE CHIMERA

The Devourer is capable of manipulating an animal's physical body, enhancing its capabilities or mutating it into a hideous, fantastic creature that combines characteristics of numerous different animals.

System: Spend one Faith point and roll Intelligence + Animal Ken. Each success allows the Devourer to add one point to a specific trait, or to alter a specific feature of the animal's physical form. The laws of physics and the conservation of mass do not apply, so if the Devourer wants to make a winged tiger, she can. Too much change too fast can put a tremendous strain on the animal's psyche, though. Total up the number of trait points and alterations that have been added to the animal and make a Willpower roll for your character. If you get more successes than the total number of modifications applied, the animal comes through the process unharmed. If the roll fails, the animal becomes dangerously unstable. The Storyteller determines the specifics of the animal's altered behavior, and in the interests of creating tension can make the Willpower roll on your behalf, keeping the result secret until the animal's true nature manifests. The effects of this evocation last for a number of days equal to your character's Faith score, or can be made permanent with the expenditure of one Willpower point.

Torment: Monstrous demons invariably infuse their creations with the taint of their own Torment, creating pain-maddened, murderous beasts. No Willpower roll is necessary to determine the mental state of these creatures. They are invariably deranged, rabid beasts that exist only to kill and maim the living.

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ZALTU, THE VISAGE OF THE BEAST

The angels of the hunt are fearsome in their strength and majesty, stalking invisibly through the darkness with panther-like strength and supple grace. The physical appearances of these fallen are many and varied, but most are powerfully muscled and covered in a pelt of fur, with large, golden eyes that glow like coals in the moonlight. They speak in a low, liquid rumble, and their howls chill the blood for miles when they hunt.

The Visage of the Beast confers the following special capabilities:

• Increased Size: The character's body grows to a third again its own height, adding the following bonus traits: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +1 Stamina.

• Enhanced Senses: The character's five senses are heightened to superhuman levels, lowering the difficulties of her Perception rolls by two.

• Claws/Teeth: The character manifests claws and fangs that inflict Strength +2 aggravated damage.

• Extra Actions: Faith points can be spent to gain extra actions in a turn at the rate of one point per action. These actions occur in order of descending initiative, so if a Devourer with an initiative of 7 gains an extra action, she take her normal action at 7 and her extra action at 6. You must decide to purchase extra actions at the beginning of a turn before any other actions have been taken.

Torment: Zaltu who are lost to their Torment look emaciated and diseased, their fur missing in patches or matted with filth or blood. Flecks of foam drip from their gaping jaws, and their skin thickens into a tough hide of gristle and nerveless flesh.

The Visage of the Beast confers the following high-Torment special capabilities:

• Thick Hide: The character's iron-like skin acts as armor, providing an additional four dice to soak bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.

• Gaping Maw: The demon can chew and digest anything it can get its teeth on. Metal, stone and flesh can all be ground up and digested with ease. The difficulties of bite attacks decrease by two, and a bite itself inflicts Strength +4 aggravated damage.

• Extra Limbs: The demon grows a second set of arms or a prehensile tail, at the player's discretion. Extra arms allow a character to parry or block close-combat attacks without sacrificing her own attack, or to make up to two additional attacks of her own per turn (which are considered multiple actions). A prehensile tail is half your character's height, uses only half his Strength (rounded down) to lift objects and allows your character to hang suspended.

• Chameleon Skin: The demon's skin allows it to blend with its surroundings. The difficulties of all Stealth rolls decrease by one if the demon is on the move; two if it's standing still.

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