Shape of the Inner Beast

Protean 8

The most fearsome manifestation of a Cainite's Beast, Shape of the Inner beast is a power used only in the most dire of circumstances; once activated, the Gangrel becomes a killing machine whose only purpose is to destroy. The power actually brings the Beast tot eh surface and gives it physical reign of the vampire's body. The result is disquieting at best, grotesquely horrifying at worst. This power was displayed by the einherjar Gangrel Ragnar the Strong, and earned him a notoriety that stretched across most of Europe during the time of the Vikings. What eventually became of Ragnar is unknown - rumor among the Scandinavian Gangrel suggests he lost himself to his Beast and now roams the wilderness of Finland.

System: In order to activate Shape of the Inner Beast, the Gangrel must first meet one of the following qualifications: being wounded with aggravated damage, being at Wounded or worse with lethal damage; or about to frenzy. If none of these situations apply, the player must roll instinct or Self-Control (difficulty 9). Activating the power requires the expenditure of one point of Willpower and three blood points, in any case.

As soon as the power is activated, the Gangrel enters frenzy. This frenzy differs from the normal state in that the frenzied vampire is totally immune to any and all mind-affecting powers except for Animalism, and that she also ignores movement penalties from wounds. In addition, no roll is necessary to spend blood to heal during combat. However, the only Disciplines the character may use are Celerity, Fortitude, Potence, Protean and Auspex 1 (Heightened Senses).

The Gangrel's body warps and shapes itself to resemble a physical manifestation of her inner Beast. The player and Storyteller determine just how this Beast looks, but it is always nightmarish, drawing upon the deepest, darkest parts of the vampire's mind. The Beast also shifts form in a grotesque, fluid way, never looking the same as it did moments before. Anyone witnessing the transformation, friend or foe, risks Rotschreck (mortals flee), rolling Courage at difficulty 7; and those forced to face the Beast incarnate in combat must make a similar check and then also check for frenzy (difficulty 5) as the creature calls to their own Beasts.

Shape of the Inner Beast has many benefits, in addition to those already described. First, the Beast infuses the vampire's frame with unearthly strength and vigor, adding three dots each to Strength and Stamina. In addition, the vampire grows talons on hands and feet as Talons of the Beast, and her maw distends so that biting becomes easier, making grappling unnecessary for a bite attack. The Beast is able to subtly reshape the body of the Gangrel instinctually, repairing damage and shying away from attacks. The Beast also possesses superior senses. In game terms, the Gangrel receives two additional dice to both Perception and Dodge, gains two additional soak dice (usable with any type of damage), and regenerates a single lethal level of damage at the end of each turn without blood expenditure. The Beast may heal aggravated damage at the standard cost of five blood points and one Willpower point.

Cancelling this power is difficult. It automatically ends at sunrise or when there are no perceivable living (or undead) targets nearby, but ending it before that requires the expenditure of a point of Willpower and an Instinct/Self-Control roll (difficulty 9). Once a character escapes from this form, she loses all her temporary Willpower. Also, the player must make a willpower roll (difficulty 7). If this roll fails, the character receives a temporary derangement (usually tied to some unconscious desire or fear). If the roll is botched, the derangement is permanent.

If a Cainite possesses both this power and the Animalism power Free the Beast Within, she can combine the two, allowing her some control over the shape of her Beast when it is given physical form. She applies all the modifiers from Shape of the Inner Beast, but retains control over her own actions and neither loses Willpower nor risks a derangement.