Beastkin Specifics

[zanbato13]

Beastkin:

Select one specific type of animal (such as wolves or apes). You were raised from infancy by an animal or pack of animals of that type. You learned their ways and have more in common with your beastly kin than members of any humanoid race.

Benefit(s) You gain a +1 trait bonus on Survival checks and can use speak with animals as a spell-like ability at will to communicate with the type of animal that raised you.

What does it mean by type of animal?

If I had to choose, which would be it?
Felines
Great Cats
Cat Big
Tigers

[OldSkoolRPG]

zanbato13 wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

What does it mean by type of animal?

If I had to choose, which would be it?
Felines
Great Cats
Cat Big
Tigers

Your quote gives you the answer. It says to choose a type and gives the examples of wolves, not canines, or apes, not primates. So apparently you have to pick a specific type of animal like wolves, tigers, etc... or a very narrow group like apes, big cats, etc... but can't choose broad groups like felines or canines.

[zanbato13]

Then which is it?

[OldSkoolRPG]

zanbato13 wrote:

Then which is it?

Either an individual type or a narrow group. It is your choice. So you can choose Tigers. Or you can choose cats, big. You can't choose felines.

[Sennje]

It is kinda contradicting since an ape is a narrow category while wolves is a specific species. I would personally say this translates to cat, big since it would correspond to ape and that would be the limit of the trait.

[Thedukk]

If you look at the list of animals for animal companions, Ape and Wolf are both listed, so I would say Big Cat is your answer. I would still check with your GM.

[Edymnion]

I'd go more specific. Wolves, Tigers, Bears, Horses, Monkeys, Dolphins, Sea Cucumbers, etc.

[dragonhunterq]

It's a niche ability, I don't think there is any harm in a liberal reading. Cats, Dogs (including wolves), primates, etc.

Failing that I think you could argue that the wild empathy of animal shaman druid archetypes could be used as a basis.

why yes, they are also quite liberally interpreted, why do you ask?
:D

[Fuzzy-Wuzzy]

It's only a trait, which argues for a pretty narrow reading. Though I might make an exception for the guy raised by sea cucumbers.

[dragonhunterq]

even so...

[Edymnion]

Mostly, how specific I'd make them be would depend a lot on what they tried to pick.

If they said "birds" I would want a specific species like cardinal or pigeon, to stop them from being able to have everything that flies as their eyes in the sky.

If they choose something more rare and less likely to actually come into play, then I'd allow more leeway (like Monkey being pretty much any primate with a tail).

Basically, I'd want it just broad enough that it would occasionally come up without me having to specifically make it happen, but not so broad that it comes up all the time or where I'd have to go out of my way to make it not happen when I don't want it to be there.