Breeding and Crafting Life
Contents
Applicable Abilities
Three Abilities see use in the complex field of breeding and life-craft:
- Craft Wood (Ability) is used for mundane breeding and eugenics amongst domesticated animals and plants.
- Survival (Ability) is used for understanding advantageous traits and natural divergence amongst wild animals and plants.
- Medicine (Ability) is used for mundane breeding and eugenics amongst humans and other mortals. It also touches, in some basic ways, on work with Dragonblooded and Godblooded bloodlines, though it offers little understanding of the occult principles involved.
- Biogenesis Crafting is the advanced science of manipulating genetics and essence, used for the creation of new life, the breeding of animals and plants not naturally compatible, and advanced work with supernatural bloodlines such as those of the Terrestrial Exalted or the Godblooded. It is also used in the creation of Biogenesis artifacts.
Natural Breeding
The following is a very basic approach to determining heredity.
Compare the statistics of both parents. For each statistic (except Abilities), roll 1D10. 2 to 4 = the offspring takes the trait from the female parent. 5 or 6 = the offspring’s trait is the average of the traits from the two parents. 7 to 9 = the offspring takes the trait from the male parent. Also roll for any other characteristics the Storyteller deems inheritable characteristics (examples include size, sex, Breeding, fur colour, & eye colour). A roll of 1 always grants the lower of the two ratings (-1 if equal, noting that zero in some traits such as Attributes means the offspring dies in the womb), a roll of 10 the higher. For non-numeric ratings, meld characteristics or re-roll as needed.
Many species, both natural and supernatural, will make special modifications to this basic roll.
In the wild, an animal typically gains the Abilities of the parent who is allowed to raise it. Many texts in Creation hold this to most often be the mother, the strength of the maternal essence bond greater than the paternal one, but there is some debate on the subject, with certain Threshold intellectuals arguing such an assertion to be less based on fact and more on selective harvesting of evidence by Blessed Isle academics afflicted with matriarchal bias.
Identifying Breeding Traits
Before the crafting of breed or bloodline can begin, stock must be selected so desirable characteristics might be included. Identifying traits that could be passed on to offspring through breeding requires a roll of Perception + appropriate Ability* + applicable Specialty and a close examination of the individual. Typically, each success will reveal one mundane heritable trait. For particularly strange or unfamiliar entities, the Difficulty of the roll will increase, and it will increase further for cursory or visual-only examinations. Supernatural traits increase Difficulty by at least 1.
For attempts to discern the Breeding of a Dynast, add the target’s Essence to the Difficulty. Legendary Breeding will always be Difficulty 1 to identify, no higher no lower, though it is only a heritable trait when paired with equal Breeding and otherwise counts as Breeding 5.
Crafting a Breed
The breeder rolls (lowest of Perception or Intelligence) + (appropriate ability & specialty). This is an extended roll, requiring at least one hour daily for one full month and interaction with the creatures being bred. In cases where Biogenesis is used, additional expenses in the form of fertility charms, alchemical salves, and surgical implements will equal the Resources value of the most costly parent -1.
Difficulty varies: 1 for mundane breeding within the same species, 2 for crossbreeding compatible species, 3+ for more unusual or modified species, or affecting supernatural traits, rising higher for the breeding of incompatible species and genders. At such difficulty levels, Biogenesis Crafting is required.
For each success achieved by the breeder on the above roll, she may select one trait and choose from which parent it will be adopted by the offspring. For mundane breeding, the breeder may not choose supernatural traits in this way.
From this baseline, the offspring must be trained and taught abilities and outlook, rendering the breeding process far more complex, as intimacies must be established before mating, and offspring trained once they are born.
Breeding Design Example
V'neef Petros decides to attempt breeding of a war dog with a more potent strain imported from Cherak.
| Trait | War Dog | Omen Dog |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | Female | Male |
| Fur | Brown | Black |
| Eyes | Brown | Red |
| Attributes | Str 3, Dex 3, Sta 3, Per 2, Int 2, Wit 3 | Str 5, Dex 3, Sta 4, Per 4, Int 2, Wit 3 |
| WP | 3 | 5 |
He rolls Perception 3 + Craft Wood 1 + Dog-breeding Specialty 1, Difficulty 2 for a crossbreeding effort. He scores 3 successes, surpassing the difficulty by one. Petros chooses to have the offspring keep the Strength of the father.
Offspring Dog:
Gender: (D10 = 3 = mother) Female
Fur: (D10 = 10 = both) Mottled black-brown.
Eyes: (D10 = 4 = mother) Brown
Str 5*
Dex (D10 = 6 = average) 3
Sta (D10 = 8 = father) 4
Per (D10 = 5 = average) 3
Int (D10 = 4 = mother) 2
Wit (D10 = 9 = father) 3
WP: (D10 = 1 = lowest) 3
