| Ratstorm (• • Correspondence, • • Life, • • Mind) The Orphans Survival Guide 125 |
| If you know where to look and how to ask, there are allies all around.
An orphan who's got an "understanding" with the local wildlife can call
for help and expect to get it. Naturally, he'll have to spend lots
of downtime with his little friends; assuming he knows a number of rats,
cats, dogs, crows, or whatever, the mage can beg them to come to his aid.
With a chittering, a distress cry, an incantation, or some other call, the
orphan summons a swarm of his little friends. Thus defended, he can
fight or flee as the situation demands. These friends are not going
to kill themselves for nothing, though; a mage who wants a Ratstorm
at his disposal will have to take care of his little buddies, too... and
should keep his human friends clear when the 'storm breaks. [To call up a swarm of critters, the character must roll his Arete and cry for help in an area populated by the beasts in question; you can't summon rats in a penthouse apartment, or call dogs in a desert. Depending on the area and the number of successes rolled, the orphan might get a few scrappy helpers, a pack, or a swarm. If the creatures are close at hand, they'll generally take two to five turns to reach the mage; at that point, all hell broke loose. For animal Traits and rules for packs and swarms, see The Book of Shadows: The Mage Storytellers Guide (pp. 108-112) or Destiny's Price (pp. 108-111). This spell is coincidental.] |