Beastfriend

A deep--perhaps instinctive--knowledge of the habits, actions, and behavior of animals comes naturally to a Beastfriend. Lasell, a typical Beastfriend character (pictured on the next page) feels quite protective of animals and fiercely punishes those who inflict unnecessary harm upon them. She has nothing against people hunting for food (which, after all, animals also do) but considers hunting for sport repugnant and the use of animals in gladiatorial games a horrible crime.

Role: A Beastfriend like Lasell spends most of her time in the company of animals. In fact, she lives so much of her life around animals that sometimes she lacks social graces among humans. Many Beastfriends are gruff and hostile, preferring the company of honest natural creatures to deceitful humans, demihumans, and humanoids; others like people, but feel shy or tongue-tied around them and sometimes behave with poor manners. Lasell, like most with her kit, usually travels with one or more animal companions to whom she feels especially devoted.

Branch Restrictions: None.

Weapon Proficiencies: Recommended-- staff.

Secondary Skills: Groom, hunter.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus-- animal lore. Recommended--(general) animal handling, animal training, riding (land-based), riding (airborne); (priest) healing.

Equipment: The druid should spend her initial allotment of gold pieces entirely on equipment, as she loses any unspent starting money in excess of 1 gp.

Special Benefits: If Lasell, as a Beastfriend, carefully but fearlessly approaches a tamed or untamed animal, she can try to modify the beast's reaction. The druid can affect only natural animals--that is, those found in the real world (bears, wolves, snakes, etc.), as well as giant or magically enlarged versions of normal animals. When dealing with a nonhostile or domestic animal, the druid can approach and befriend it automatically. Wild beasts or animals trained to fight (like attack dogs or war horses) get a saving throw vs. rods to resist the druid at a minimum penalty of -1. An additional -1 penalty applies for every four full levels the druid has achieved: -2 at 4th level, -3 at 8th, etc. (The druid's power is not magical, though.) If the animal fails to save, the druid may choose to shift its reaction one category either direction on Table 56 (DMG, p. 103).

The Beastfriend receives a +4 bonus on animal lore, animal training, and animal handling proficiency checks. If she does not have the actual proficiency, she can function as if she did, without the +4 bonus.

If Lasell, as a Beastfriend, casts an Animal sphere spell on an animal, the subject saves against it at a -2 penalty.

Thanks to her knowledge of animals, a Beastfriend can recognize a lycanthrope (whether in human or animal form) on a successful animal lore check. The Beastfriend notes subtle differences in the behavior of a lycanthrope in animal form compared to a normal animal; she also notices subliminal clues in the movement and behavior of a lycanthrope in human form that point to its animal nature. The Beastfriend may make her one check only after she has been in the lycanthrope's presence for a round.

Special Hindrances: A Beastfriend does everything she can to help and treat a hurt animal or free an abused one and will kill an animal only to put a dying beast out of its misery. A Beastfriend who has come to know an animal may not harm it, allow others to hurt it, or send it suicidally into harm's way. In general, the Beastfriend does not recruit animals specifically as bodyguards; rather, she accumulates friends and pets, who may choose to do favors for her, such as scouting or defending her. In return, the druid feeds and shelters them, heals their injuries, and rescues them from captivity.

As with all Beastfriends, Lasell's lack of social grace prevents her from learning the etiquette proficiency and gives her a -1 penalty to encounter reactions with those of her own race (except another with her kit).

Wealth Options: 3d6x8 gp. Beastfriends have little interest in civilized matters such as money, and seldom venture into towns.

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