Untitled - The Secrets of the Mind & Body Shaping

also tend to be lazy and greedy. The more
aggressive melancholic heartbeasts (bears,
bulls, wild boar) have a choleric aspect,
whereas the most placid (such as hares,
wild sheep, and the like) have a minor
phlegmatic nature.
Phlegmatic heartbeasts are all creatures
that crawl and swim. Phlegmatic
characters have reputations as deep thinkers,
but are often introverted and fi nd
affection diffi cult. All fi sh fall into this
category, including frogs and salamanders,
as well as reptiles and aquatic mammals.
However, dry-skinned reptiles have
a sanguine aspect, whereas land animals
that have an aquatic existence, such as
beaver, otters, and seals, are considered to
be aspected by melancholy.
The following creatures are not available
as heartbeasts:
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Houses of Hermes
doMesticated aniMals: Only
“noble” animals became the ancestors
of humans. There are Bjornaer magi
who take the form of rams, bulls, and
goats, but they always take the wild
versions of these beasts.
creatures sMaller tHan a Weasel
(Size –7): Vermin are excluded for
the same reason domesticated animals
are; they are not noble. However, a
storyguide may permit such a heartbeast,
but the Dwarf Flaw should be
obligatory.
creatures larger tHan an
aurocHs (Size +3): While there
are rumors of Bjornaer magi with the
heartbeasts of elephants and whales,
none of these shapes have been substantiated.
If a player desires to play
such a creature, the storyguide should
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consider carefully before allowing it,
as it may well unbalance the game.
At the very least, it is reasonable
to expect such a magus to have the
Giant Blood Virtue.
creatures WitH MigHt scores: Only
natural creatures exist as heartbeasts.
inaniMate oBjects: Objects such
as rocks or clouds no spirit, and thus
cannot become heartbeasts.
A creature from beyond the bounds
of Mythic Europe is an unlikely choice for
a heartbeast, but not impossible. However,
many such beasts, like the crocodile or
hyena, are so unusual to the inhabitants
of Mythic Europe that they are best represented
as beasts of legend with Magic
Might scores (and therefore not allowed
as heartbeasts). Playing a magus with a