Interacting with Animals

Most animals fear the Children of Caine, hissing or snarling as the unnatural creatures approach. If you possess the Inoffensive to Animals (1) Merit, they treat you as though you are a human if you are on Humanity or as a terrifying larger predator if you are on a Path. If you possess the Animal Friendship (2) Merit, they treat you as though you were their primary caregiver; with love if you are on Humanity, with terrified and conditioned obedience if you are on a path.

Animals and Obfuscate

Animals get one test each time you get close to detect you if you are Obfuscated, even if they aren’t looking for you—they don’t know you were obfuscated, though, and act according to your path, their nature, your merits, and their training dictate. This detection range is usually around twelve paces, but gets wider if they are downwind of you or you are in a confined place, and gets smaller if it’s a busy traffic night. Animals that are ghouls lose this ability.

Animal Attacks

Animals deal Lethal damage. Small animals only deal Bashing damage to vampires. Swarms have special rules detailed in their section.

Blood

Animals have two blood statistics: Feeding Pool and Blood Pool.

Blood Pool

The maximum amount of vitae the animal can hold when it is a ghoul. This will always be at least one trait, but usually less than 10. In the case of a swarm of very small animals (or just one), they may each hold a fraction of a vitae trait, unable to spend them, but still enjoying other benefits of being ghouls.

Feeding Pool

The amount of vitae Kindred can gain from consuming one of these animals completely is the Feeding Pool. If you consume a fourth or less of what is listed from the available pool of animals, they do not die. If the animal is a ghoul, their Blood Pool is added to their Feeding Pool; you drink their Feeding Pool first and then their Blood Pool and they still die if you take more than a fourth of the Feeding Pool.

Disciplines

Animals that are ghouls get 1 free dot of Potence.

Willpower

Animals usually have between 1 and 3 dots of Willpower. They gain 1 additional point if they are ghouled. Swarms have 0 willpower traits and do not gain any from being ghouled. Swarms are almost always immune to common willpower-based powers (Such as Quell the Beast and Majesty) due to being mostly mindless.

Animal Ken

Animals that are trained get free abilities that standard animals do not. These abilities are based upon your dots in Animal Ken and the type of animal. They can also learn a number of “tricks” equal to your dots in Animal Ken, which are behaviors the animal does on command or upon presented with a specific stimulus. Training in a new trick, or replacing an old trick, takes 1 month. If it’s not on the animal’s sheet, the animal does not know the trick. Your animal can be trained by another character, but without “check-ups” in its training, its environment and your habits may slowly (over multiple months) displace or replace its learned abilities and tricks.