IsawaBrian/SolarSurvivalFamiliars
Second Edition
Expansive Wild-Wanderer Spirit
Cost: --; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 3; Type: Permanent Keywords: Leader Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Friendship with Animals Approach
All Creation fundamentally understands that the Lawgivers hold the Creation-Ruling Mandate. While some may seek to usurp this position, and some sophists may argue against it, the simple creatures with quiet little gods and unawakened minds recognize this instinctively. Unfortunately, it takes a good deal of effort to get them to understand properly, but as with all things, a Solar may utilize Essence to correct matters and allow the animals of Creation to bow to the Creation-Ruling Mandate. This Charm modifies its prerequisite, granting the Solar a number of bonus successes to any social roll involving natural animals while Friendship with Animals Approach is active. At essence 5, this bonus applies in dice to any being that resembles, takes the form of, or is otherwise extremely bound up in an animal nature, such as most Lunars or certain gods of the Bureau of Nature. This bonus works as normal if the character participates in mass social combat involving any legitimate targets.
Harmonious Rapport Moment
Cost: --; Mins: Survival 4, Essence 4; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Tied Pet
The mastery a Solar is grand and dignified, but the demands on her time can be equally great. With time and increase of power, the character may decrease the amount of time necessary to bond with a familiar. The first purchase of this Charm reduces the time requirement to a single Simple action at the normal Speed 6, DV -1 for a Charm. The second purchase makes the cost and application of Spirit-Tied Pet variable; the character may pay any number of 10 mote, 1 willpower point, and 1 experience point increments with each application of Spirit-Tied Pet.
Warlord of the Beasts
Cost: --; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 4; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Bestial Traits Technique
A Solar who can gather allies, whether of fielded infantry or field mice, can stretch forth his hand and teach even the oddest of creatures. This Charm enhances its prerequisite in many ways. With no other Training Charms known, Bestial Traits Technique can increase any animal's traits to the higher of the maximums set in that Charm or the Exalt's own, whichever is larger. If applied to familiars, this includes Intelligence, Conviction, and Integrity. Solars may also double the cost of Bestial Traits Technique to Train Enlightened Essence, and subsequent dots of Essence up to 3 if the familiar is already at rank 3, 4, or 5, depending on which would give the maximum number of normal familiar special abilities. This maximum normally supercedes any other Training Charm rules, but see Boon Companion Magnification, below.
Familiars with Enlightened Essence may be taught universal spirit charms appropriate to their animal nature (Storyteller's decision, but always includes relevant Excellencies but never Dematerialize) and Terrestrial Martial Arts Charms that are known by the Solar. Animals that cannot wield weapons or perform other actions required by a Charm do not gain the ability do so, but may learn such Charms as prerequisites. Each such training requires one normal use of Bestial Traits Technique. Familiars with Enlightened Essence also have Exalted Healing, and age at one tenth normal, if relevant.
However, if the Solar knows other Training Charms, he may now apply them to animals with the following restrictions: Familiars may be the target of any Training Charms without restriction. Animals with no greater than normal, nonsapient intelligence may only be the target for Training Charms that increase Physical Attributes, Perception, Wits, Virtues, Willpower, Dawn Abilities and Zenith Abilities. Animals with 6 year old intelligence (from Bestial Traits Technique or other sources) may be taught Night Abilities. With Storyteller approval, they may be taught other, limited Abilities, but no higher than a maximum of half of the Exalt's permanent Essence, round up. These are general guidelines; Storytellers should be permissive, especially if the Solar's player can describe well, but not absurd.
Boon Companion Magnification
Cost: --; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 5; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms:Warlord of Beasts
The unlimited potency of the Lawgivers can be bestowed upon those bound to their souls. Doing so comes at a cost, but the rewards are tremendous, for the result is a being much like the 'Exalts' of the animal world known as Animal Avatars. While a Solar cannot truly Exalt another being and they have no access to the Gaian Primordial Essence to make a true Animal Avatar.
However, the sheer potency of Solar Essence, combined with the amazing insights that Lawgivers are capable of with animal training can allow those animals bonded to a them on a spiritual level might without comparison. This Charm enhances Bestial Traits Technique, allowing it to be used for triple cost on a targeted Familiar, and only a Familiar, whose Essence is Enlightened and at rank 3.
Doing so increases the training time to one month, but the end result is a transformation for the familiar into a being half flesh, half spirit, very similar in ways to the Dragon Kings. What this being is called often depends on the Solar doing the training, but in the First Age they were known by the fairly arrogant name of Lesser Animal Avatars. If Gaia felt some reproach at this label, she never made it known to the Deliberative.
The transformation into Lesser Animal Avatar drastically increases an animal's power. Add two to the actual and maximum values of all of the familiar's physical Attributes. Increase this maximum (but not actual value, baring further use of Bestial Traits Technique or other methods) by 1 whenever the Lesser Animal Avatar increases in Essence over 5. Other attributes are limited by the Essence of the animal as normal, which may now be increased to a maximum of the Solar's own via Warlord of Beasts double-cost invocations of Bestial Traits Technique and similar sources. The Lesser Animal Avatar has a minimum in all Attributes of 2, except for Intelligence, which is 3.
The Lesser Animal Avatar gains four Favored Abilities, unless this would somehow take it over a maximum of five, in which case, raise the number of Favored Abilities to five. At least two of the animal's Favored Abilities, or all gained by this use of Bestial Traits Technique, must be from the Solar's Caste and Favored Abilities. Give the Familiar five Ability dots to distribute among all of its Favored Abilities, unless this would exceed normal maxima, in which case dots may be exchanged at a rate of 2 to 1 for universal spirit Charms. Lesser Animal Avatars also gain one free dot of Linguistics tied to the native language of their Solar, and may speak as freely as any human.
The Lesser Animal Avatar should gain a number of -1 and -2 health levels equal to its permanent Essence that do not count against its normal maxima. Each time it goes up in Essence, add one -1 and one -2 health level to this additional amount. The familiar's virtues are raised to a minimum of the Solar's, but do not decrease if they are already higher. Solars with transhuman virtues do not get transanimal virtues; Lesser Animal Avatars are restricted to a maximum of 5 in any virtue. Recalculate the familiar's Willpower at this point as though during character generation for a normal character. Lesser Animal Avatars are considered to have a magically reinforced intimacy to the Solar who used the Boon Companion Magnification modification of Bestial Traits Technique on them, equal to that of a Righteous Lion Defense. Lesser Animal Avatars have a lifespan equal to the Solar who transformed them.
Lesser Animal Avatars have an Essence Pool equal to Essence x 10 + Willpower + (Sum of All Virtues) x 2. They still have a 5-mote pool usable only by their masters. Add 2 to the damage of all natural attacks of the Lesser Animal Avatar. The natural weapons of the familiar become melded with orichalcum, from fangs, to talons, to tusks, manifesting as anything from a set solid orichalcum fangs to intricate orichalcum inlays on tusks. Add the magical material bonus-- +1 to accuracy, defense, and rate-- to all natural weapons. These natural weapons may now parry lethal damage without a stunt, and carry the same indestructibility as orichalcum artifacts. The hide, fur, scales, or other forms of natural defense-- even simple skin in the case of those who have no other form of natural defense-- becomes reinforced and takes on some of the nature of orichalcum. Add two to the natural lethal and bashing soak of the Lesser Animal Avatar. On top of this, the familiar gains a natural "armor soak" equal to three times its Essence, with Hardness equal to half that value, round up, plus one. Each Lesser Animal Avatar gains 3 universal spirit charms upon transformation.
Lesser Animal Avatars are still restricted to Universal Spirit Charms, but with a Storyteller's permission, may learn some Charms from the Virtue associated with their Solar master's primary Virtue. Under no circumstances should this include Endowment or any other Charm capable of granting direct changes to the majority of the Exalt's sheet, though the use of charms to create physical objects for resources are possible. Most Charms, however, should be Excellencies or charms specifically related to their species. Despite the title bestowed upon them by the hubris of the Solars, they are not truly related to Animal Avatars and gain none of the Backgrounds, perfect control over their species, or similar benefits. Solars may continue to use Bestial Traits Technique and other relevant Training Charms to enhance their Lesser Animal Avatars. No combination of Charms, even those that normally grant Solars access to additional familiars, may allow a Solar to be bonded to more than one Lesser Animal Avatars at a time.
Lesser Animal Avatars belong to neither the spiritual world nor the physical world completely. They are not true animal avatars, though they will be treated with great respect and submission within limits by animals of their former species. Gods and elementals are often extremely uncomfortable with Lesser Animal Avatars, and mortals will often treat them with superstitious awe and fear. It is an extremely rare Lesser Animal Avatar that gains any companionship other than the Solar to whom it is bonded.
