Deadly Predator Method

Template:Cost 15m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Crimson Talon Vigor, Red-Toothed Execution Order, Saga Beast Virtue

Opening her palm to a beam of pure Solar Essence, the Solar crushes a tiny star in her fist, releasing a massive amount of spiritual force into the world around her. Her surroundings become primal, shifting in modes and methods unseen since the dawn of time, and her familiar remembers an ancient time and an earlier form in which beasts were the life that beat at the heart of a supreme being. Channeling the Essence of the ancient world through her familiar, the Solar's honored companion is transformed into a primal beast of war.

Deadly Predator Method has the following advantages:

• The familiar grows immense. Its size grows by 15%, and an additional 10% for every repurchase of Life of the Aurochs. The Solar may waive the growth bonus if she chooses. * The familiar's appearance becomes magnificent and terrifying. Its markings become more extreme, its colors explosive and vibrant. Natural armor such as a shell or carapace becomes spiked and ridged, while natural weaponry such as horns, fangs and tusks grow even more pronounced. The familiar gains (Solar's Essence) automatic successes to intimidate targets. Against much smaller or cowardly opponents, the familiar is automatically intimidating—such enemies suffer a -1 penalty to their attacks against the familiar. * The familiar cannot be intimidated, and ignores all fear-inducing magic. * The familiar gains (Solar's Essence) automatic successes to all movement-based Athletics rolls. Mighty familiars such as bears and boars gain (Solar's Essence) in successes on (Strength + Athletics) rolls. Gigantic familiars gain all of these advantages and increase their minimum strength by (Solar's Essence x2) for the purposes of which feats of strength they can attempt. * The familiar's withering and decisive attacks gain (Solar's Essence) automatic successes. The creature's withering damage gains a bonus equal to the Solar's Essence. For the duration of the Charm, its Initiative does not reset on a successful decisive attack unless the Solar uses Red-Toothed Execution Order. * The familiar's hide grows tough as iron, its bones as hard as diamond, its flesh like granite. It gains five soak against withering attacks, and it becomes invulnerable to decisive attacks. During this time, the transformed familiar can only be hurt by falling from extreme heights or by being crushed by massive vertical tonnage. Even so, such damage will not exceed the familiar's final health box, leaving it incapacitated but alive when the Charm ends. * The familiar may roll Join Battle upon transformation, keeping the higher of its current value or the roll's result. Smaller animals that do not usually attack gain dice pools comparable to smaller predators and can use appropriate special attacks associated with such animals. For example, a hummingbird gains access to the eagle's Death Dive attack (see p. 563). Familiars enhanced with Beast-Mastering Behavior may also gain access to a special ability denoted in that's Charm's text.

While Deadly Predator Method is active, the familiar loses one point of Initiative per round, and if it suffers Initiative crash, Deadly Predator Method ends, and the beast reverts to its mundane form. Deadly Predator Method can only be used once per battle, but can be reset by killing an opponent with Red-Toothed Execution Order.