•••• Subsume the Lesser Spirit
By locking eyes with an animal, a vampire may psychically enter the creature’s body and possess it as though it were his own. Some Kindred believe that doing so actually transfers the vampire’s soul into the beast, though other, less mystically minded Kindred disagree. Regardless, the animal’s own mind and instincts are completely subsumed, allowing the Kindred free reign to take whatever actions he chooses in the creature’s body. The vampire’s own body falls into a torpor-like state and appears for all intents and purposes to be a corpse. Until the character returns, his body cannot be awakened by any means (though Kindred urban legends tell of ghosts possessing such bodies and wreaking havoc). Also, it is whispered among certain circles that some vampires, addicted to the sensations of life they experience while riding an animal, remain too long in that form and forget their true nature.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: The character fails to bond with the animal; the animal grows hostile and is immune to any further uses of Animalism by that character until the next sunset.
Failure: The character loses or ties the contested action and fails to bond with the animal.
Success: The character wins the contested action and occupies the animal’s body. He can use Animalism but no other Disciplines while doing so.
Exceptional Success: The character wins the contested action with five or more successes and occupies the animal’s body, and can also use Auspex and Majesty while doing so.
If the roll made for the character wins the contested roll and gets successes in excess of the animal’s Composure dots, the character is in total control and his mind remains clear. If his roll succeeds but garners a number of successes equal to or lower than the animal’s Composure dots, a Willpower point must be spent for the character to take any actions contrary to the animal’s instincts. Otherwise, bestial urges and impulses cloud the vampire’s mind.
Additionally, if the player wins the contested roll but gets a number of successes equal to or lower than the animal’s Composure, his character’s consciousness is so closely intertwined with the beast’s that he maintains some bestial behaviors even after returning to his own form. Until the player spends a total of three Willpower points specifically to overcome this effect — the points can’t, say, be spent to gain three extra dice in unrelated rolls — the character continues to think and feel in an animalistic manner. (This effect has no “hard” mechanical applications, but it should be roleplayed. If the character doesn’t indulge in animalistic activity, the Storyteller should feel free to either dock the character future experience points or spend Willpower automatically for the character when a particularly bestial response is appropriate but not displayed.)
While possessing an animal, a character can travel as far from his own body as he wishes and is unharmed by daylight, but he must still force himself to stay awake during the day (see Humanity on p. 184). The vampire may choose to end the possession and return to his body at any time, regardless of distance. This occurs automatically if the vampire fails to remain awake. Any injuries inflicted on the animal also affect the vampire’s body. If the animal dies while the vampire is still present, the Kindred falls into torpor immediately. (Some believe that the soul attempts to find its way back to its own body during this time.) If the Kindred’s physical form is destroyed, his psyche remains trapped in the animal until he finally fails to remain awake, at which point his spirit is lost to oblivion and is unrecoverable.
It is possible, though uncommon, for a vampire to neglect his physical body long enough for it to starve into torpor while he’s “out.” If a vampire’s dormant body slips or is forced into torpor, the vampire’s spirit automatically returns to its body.
Failure: The character loses or ties the contested action and fails to bond with the animal.
Success: The character wins the contested action and occupies the animal’s body. He can use Animalism but no other Disciplines while doing so.
Exceptional Success: The character wins the contested action with five or more successes and occupies the animal’s body, and can also use Auspex and Majesty while doing so.
If the roll made for the character wins the contested roll and gets successes in excess of the animal’s Composure dots, the character is in total control and his mind remains clear. If his roll succeeds but garners a number of successes equal to or lower than the animal’s Composure dots, a Willpower point must be spent for the character to take any actions contrary to the animal’s instincts. Otherwise, bestial urges and impulses cloud the vampire’s mind.
Additionally, if the player wins the contested roll but gets a number of successes equal to or lower than the animal’s Composure, his character’s consciousness is so closely intertwined with the beast’s that he maintains some bestial behaviors even after returning to his own form. Until the player spends a total of three Willpower points specifically to overcome this effect — the points can’t, say, be spent to gain three extra dice in unrelated rolls — the character continues to think and feel in an animalistic manner. (This effect has no “hard” mechanical applications, but it should be roleplayed. If the character doesn’t indulge in animalistic activity, the Storyteller should feel free to either dock the character future experience points or spend Willpower automatically for the character when a particularly bestial response is appropriate but not displayed.)
While possessing an animal, a character can travel as far from his own body as he wishes and is unharmed by daylight, but he must still force himself to stay awake during the day (see Humanity on p. 184). The vampire may choose to end the possession and return to his body at any time, regardless of distance. This occurs automatically if the vampire fails to remain awake. Any injuries inflicted on the animal also affect the vampire’s body. If the animal dies while the vampire is still present, the Kindred falls into torpor immediately. (Some believe that the soul attempts to find its way back to its own body during this time.) If the Kindred’s physical form is destroyed, his psyche remains trapped in the animal until he finally fails to remain awake, at which point his spirit is lost to oblivion and is unrecoverable.
It is possible, though uncommon, for a vampire to neglect his physical body long enough for it to starve into torpor while he’s “out.” If a vampire’s dormant body slips or is forced into torpor, the vampire’s spirit automatically returns to its body.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Vitae
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Animal Ken + Animalism versus animal's Composure
Related Discipline
Effect Casting Time
Contested
Level
4
Applied Restriction
Modifier | Situation
+1 | The animal is a predatory mammal (wolf, cat, insectivorous bat).
+1 | The character has already successfully used Feral Whispers on the animal he now attempts to possess.
+1 | The character is able to assume the same animal form via the Protean Discipline as the creature he tries to possess.
— | The animal is another sort of mammal, a predatory bird or a large reptile (rat, owl, alligator).
-1 | The animal is another sort of bird or a small reptile (pigeon, snake).
-1 | The animal is a ghoul.
-3 | The animal is an insect or fish.
+1 | The character has already successfully used Feral Whispers on the animal he now attempts to possess.
+1 | The character is able to assume the same animal form via the Protean Discipline as the creature he tries to possess.
— | The animal is another sort of mammal, a predatory bird or a large reptile (rat, owl, alligator).
-1 | The animal is another sort of bird or a small reptile (pigeon, snake).
-1 | The animal is a ghoul.
-3 | The animal is an insect or fish.