Animal Psychic

ANIMAL PSYCHIC

Animal Psychics have the ability to communicate with animals. The more intelligent or trained the animal is, the easier it is to give commands. The psychic needs a clear line of sight to the animal in question and must make noises corresponding to the animal (i.e barking at a dog).

Unlike other psychic abilities that work on the minds of humans, the Animal Psychic has a natural connection to the minds of animals. While some might assume this is simpler than the human mind, communicating with animals is actually quite difficult and challenging. The psychic must learn the "language" of animals, which includes their natural fears and the cues that put them at ease. Animals are actually quite intelligent, though humans may not think so, but only because they lack the ability to communicate with the animals in ways that are meaningful to them.

The animal doesn’t have to agree, but the psychic has a much better chance of getting an animal to follow her instructions than almost anyone else. At each level, the psychic can both better understand what an animal is thinking, and can issue short commands to the animal.

Communicating with Animals

How an Animal Psychic communicates with animals is difficult for the layperson to understand, and even more difficult to describe. Although this talent is related to Telepathy, it is not direct mind-to-mind contact. The psychic must communicate via animal sounds, body language, etc. Some Animal Psychics communicate with growls, grunts and physical visual cues. They also understand animals communicating back to them in the same way.

Others simply speak to the animals like they would a human and the animals simply reply back in a "mindspeak" that the Psychic can mentally understand. While the Animal's thoughts are understood in the Psychic's native language, the "words" are simple, their meaning is direct and straightforward, and the emotions behind them are actually "felt" stronger than the words themselves by the Psychic. It should be noted that Animals can only communicate what they can perceive about the world around them.

Communication, Not Control
This ability does not allow the psychic to control animals, only to communicate; the animal may or may not choose to reciprocate. Communication with this ability is imperfect due to the different thought processes of humans and animals. This power only works within line of sight and takes at least a turn to use.

Which Animals Can an Animal Psychic Communicate With?
Animal Psychics have the ability to communicate with any type of mammal, amphibian or bird. The higher in intelligence that an animal is - such as chimpanzees, dolphins, gorillas, etc. - the stronger the psychic connection. Well trained animals (dogs, horses, circus or show animals) have the ability to communicate more complex or complete sentences than lower or untrained animals. susceptible to Animal Psychics. Animal Psychics cannot communicate with insects or fish. Their minds are too alien from the human mind and the comprehension distance it creates is too difficult to bridge.

Talking to animals is a surprisingly useful talent for an intelligence agent. In cities, a talented psychic can send a pigeon or seagull to track a target, use rats to get into locked apartments, and talk to foxes and raccoons to discover what happened before the psychic arrived. Most psychics with this numina keep a number of tame, trained animals — from cats and dogs to rats and parrots — who are used to their abilities. This power only works when the user can clearly see and hear the animal she is communicating with.

NUMINA: ANIMAL PSYCHIC

◉◎◎◎◎: Animal Psychic 1 - Read Animal (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 50
• Energy Cost: 2
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Willpower
• Resist: None
• Duration: Scene
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +2 Mental Skill

Description:
The psychic can read the basic intents and wants of the animal before them. The powers affect higher mammals as well, excluding humans. The Psychic can both talk to the animal and basically understand what the animal “says” in return (the response from an animal is in basic two to three word sentences, limited to three sentences per attempt).

System:
The Player spends 2 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. This relates to a single animal at a time. To read another animal, the Character will need to use this ability a second time.

◉◉◎◎◎: Animal Psychic 2 - Command Animal (Mental Attack)

• Base Roll: 70
• Energy Cost: 4
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Willpower
• Resist: None
• Duration: Scene
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +2 Mental Attack

Description: 

This ability allows the Psychic to command an animal to perform a task that it might naturally perform, such as hunt, dig, climb, fly or even attack among other natural activities.

System:
The Player spends 2 points of Energy and identifies the animal it wishes to command. In local chat, the Player says what the Character would like to command the animal to do. The player then makes a successful roll. The animal will then perform whichever task the Character had previously stated. This until the animal completes its task, or for the duration of the scene (whichever comes first).

◉◉◉◎◎: Animal Psychic 3 - Mass Animal Communication (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy Cost: 8
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Mental Skill
• Resist: None
• Duration: Scene
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +3 Mental Skill

Description: 

The Psychic can read the more complex wants, needs, fears and intents of multiple animals, whether of the same species or not. This can be done without needing to ask the animal and intuitively knows what if the animals want him to follow or to stay away, or any other more complex thoughts.

The psychic can also give a complex command, usually in the form of two simple commands strung together (“Follow that man, and then come back to me.”) The animal will continue to follow the commands for the duration of the scene.

System:
The Player spends 8 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. The Character can then understand the wants, needs, fears and intents of the animals he/she/they can see. The Character can communicate with and issue a single command to all the animals at once. This command must entail a natural action, including attack. This lasts for the duration of the scene, or until the animal completes its single task (whichever comes first). If told to attack, it will attack once, or for as long as it needs to defend itself. If the target does not attack the animal, it will run away. If the target attacks the animal in response, the animal will continue to attack for as long as it must defend itself or until the target is killed or rendered incapacitated.

◉◉◉◉◎: Animal Psychic 4 - Animal Senses (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy Cost: 11
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Mental Skill, Willpower
• Resist: None
• Duration: 3 turns
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +2 Mental Skill

Description: 

 The psychic can connect their mind with any single animal, seeing through its eyes and using its senses as their own. They can see through their memories to witness recent past events and anticipate their instinctive reactions. 

System:
The Player spends 11 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. The Player's Character can now see, hear, smell and touch through the animal's senses. The Character cannot compel the animal to any action using this ability, but they can have access to the animal's recent memories. Memories associated with the current events would be the strongest.

◉◉◉◉◉: Animal Psychic 5 - Animal Control (Attack)

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy Cost: 13
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Mental Skill, Willpower
• Resist: None
• Duration: Scene
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +3 Mental Attack

Description:
The psychic gains total control over an animal. The Psychic's mind does not inhabit the animal's, but he/she/they can command it much like a robot. The animal can still think for itself, but any instincts or desires of its own are completely overridden by the Psychic's commands.

System:
The Player spends 13 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. For the duration of the scene, the animal will obey the commands of the Psychic, even those that might not be a natural action of the animal or contrary to its natural fears. Commands are limited to the actual physical capability of the animal. For example, you couldn't command a pig to fly, but you could command it to chew through a rope or guard a gate.