[DF] Brainstorming power-ups for the Beastmaster

[PK]

I should probably start by disclaiming that this isn't for anything official. This isn't me trying to gather ideas for a supplement -- it's just that our gaming group may have a beastmaster entering our DF game in the near future.

With that said, what would be some good power-ups for the beastmaster?

For those unfamiliar with the template, see "In All Series-Ness" in Pyramid #3/60: Dungeon Fantasy III. What makes this tricky is that it already starts with a fairly wide range of options: the Animal spell college plus a power comprising summonable Allies, Alternate Form, Danger Sense, Detect Animals, Discriminatory Smell, Speak With Animals, and animal-focused Mind Control, Mind Reading, and Telesend.

One way to go might be adding access to more "animal-like" abilities, such as the things that familiars grant you. But then again, the beastmaster could already just take a familiar to get that! In fact, I was musing on an idea where the beastmaster takes a "totem animal" and then gets just its abilities . . . before realizing that mechanically, that would just be an Ally-less familiar.

[mlangsdorf]

They've got Speak with Animals as an option already, so I'd add the Sapience enhancement as a power-up.

Beastmasters aren't as tied to nature as druids are, so I'd let the power-up to some unnatural allies like griffons or crushrooms.

Maybe an ability like a bardic song that further enhances the animal allies? The big problem there is that it won't be much cheaper than a bardic song for drastically reduced utility.

Other than that, as you note, the template already has a range of good options.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Might be too complicated for "standard" Dungeon Fantasy, but I could see a Modular Ability build that let you pick up advantages of animals that were nearby - sort of like Animal Man from DC comics.

[Refplace]

Clairsentience to see through animals eyes.
Environmental Awareness: You are in tune with the animals around you and have a good impression of what is going on. Use 360 Vision, Vibration Sense with Universal, etc.

[lvalero]

Aura/Affliction of Remove Bestial trait with (maybe) Requires Animal Handling roll. An animal friend of the beastmaster (at GM discrection) may choose not to resist.

Some buffs (increased DR, increased ST, increased HT...) as affliction with accesibility only on animals

As most animals hide or flee from human a Perk of "He doesnt quallify as human but as a bipedal animal"

[Christopher R. Rice]

I'd consider giving him abilities to allow him to use powers through allied animals (Special Abilities on Allies), being able to scry/look through their eyes (Clairsentience with an anchor point), borrow powers/characteristics from animal companions (I'm thinking Vixion from Arrow here), some sort of speed technique to "instantly" tame a wild animal, perhaps a variation of Dominance that allows you to make an animal your ally by taming it, a higher purpose that gives a bonus when fighting alongside your animal allies, maybe a technique so you never hit your animal allies when they are in close combat. or a variation of Coordinated Attack technique so they spend their turn doing a Feint or something and then transfers it to the beastmaster.

[johndallman]

How about a way of interacting with swarms of animals as if they were a single creature? Being able to direct an organised swarm of rats or termites could be quite useful.

[b-dog]

You could have a switch souls ability where you can switch your soul with an animal and then the PC could fly or whatever the animal can do while the animal controls the PCs body.

[Tinman]

I agree with the "see through their eyes" thing.
Also, being able to have a mind link to your summoned beast.
Another is getting a terrain adaptation based on the summoned beast.

[Anders]

How about being able to afflict others with animal-like traits (Bestial, for instance, or lowered IQ)? What would it cost for a general ability to lower the self-control on things like Bad Temper and Cowardice? Both would be abilities that "release the beast" within the beastmaster's enemies.