Although Animal Empathy is sometimes considered a rare gift, some parapsychologists speculate that it is more common than it appears, since the average observer cannot readily distinguish between a psychic with the innate ability to communicate with non-sentient creatures and an ordinary “horse whisperer” who is simply “good with animals.” Regardless, this Merit combines a wide number of psychic effects, including Mind Reading, Thought Projection and Emotion Control under a single power, albeit one which can affect only animals.

The two-dot version allows a psychic to affect a single species of animal such as dogs, cats or rats.

The four-dot version permits a psychic to affect any type of animal.

Either version can allow a psychic to affect multiple animals at once, although the power usually inflicts a dice penalty on a roll. Also, a psychic attempting to control large numbers of animals at one time must give the same instructions to all of them, and cannot send different animals off on individual missions without a separate roll for each of them. There is also a separate Merit called Animal Rapport that creates a permanent psychic link with a single animal. No version of this power can affect truly sentient animals or other beings that have transformed into animals.

Cost: None if the psychic has time to interact with the animal and achieve some kind of rapport. If the psychic has never seen the animal before or it is currently hostile, one Willpower point must be spent to instantly seize control of the animal. One point of Willpower must be spent to control multiple animals simultaneously.
Action: Instant or contested
Dice Pool: Wits + Animal Ken to communicate. Manipulation + Animal Ken (versus animal’s Resolve rolled reflexively) to control.

Roll Results
Dramatic Failure:
The character triggers psychic feedback in the animal, making it immediately hostile. Further attempts to use Animal Empathy against the animal fail automatically for the remainder of the scene.

Failure:
The character fails to influence the animal in any way.

Success:
The psychic can intuitively understand the animal’s mood and thought processes. Although true communication is not yet possible, the psychic can intuit crude impressions such as “I’m hungry,” “I want to play” or “That man beats me.” With Manipulation, the psychic can command the animal to follow simple instructions such as “Heel,” “Fetch” or “Tear him apart!” Animals that were previously hostile become docile, and trained guard dogs let an intruder walk right by.

Exceptional Success:
The psychic can freely communicate with the animal, almost to the point of sharing its senses. The psychic can also give relatively complex instructions and expect them to be obeyed, such as “Go fetch Timmy! He’s in town at the movie theater, in the third row!”

Dice Modifiers