A Nahual (in Nahuatl: Nahualli ‘hidden, concealed, disguise’) is a guardian or totem animal. Each person, at the moment of birth, has the spirit of an animal, which is in charge of protecting and guiding him/her. These spirits usually manifest themselves only in dreams or visions, or with a certain affinity to the animal that took the person as its protégé.

When you create a new character, roll on this table to find out who’s your Nahual and the gift it gives you. Optionally, you can receive one of these gifts if you make a pact with a spirit animal, who then becomes your Nahual.

Roll 1d10

1. Centzuntli, the one with four hundred voices (mockingbird). You have a beautiful voice and can make a living singing or giving speeches. Look for your highest ability, now your charisma has the same value. If charisma was already your highest ability, add one point; if it reaches 19, your modifier is +4.
2. Tlotl (sparrowhawk). You have excellent eyes and Spirit Sight: You can make a Search roll (modified by wisdom) to see the spirits of the dead, if there’s one present, but you have to roll again to leave this state. A failure means you have to wait a turn before you can roll again. While in this state, you can talk to the dead.
3. Axolotl, the water monster. Once you come of age, you never get old and never lose your smile. When you sleep, you recover one extra hit point. If you lose a limb, there’s a 1-in-6 chance (modified by your constitution) you can regenerate it whole in 1d4+6 days, but you need to rest during this time.
4. Koyotl (coyote). You have a great ability to adapt and it is not easy to kill you. When you die for the first time, you are left for dead, but at the end of the combat, you’re miraculously still alive and retain one hp. From the second death, you must pass a saving throw vs. poison with a penalty equal to your current level (at level 2, the penalty is -2, at level 5 it is -5, and so on).
5. Tekolotl (owl). You are a bird of ill omen, wherever you go, something bad will inevitably happen. But you’re also wise and can smell death in the living. When you create your character, you gain one point of wisdom. You can make a Bushcraft roll (modified by wisdom) to determine if a person will die within the next 48 hours.
6. Tsinakan (bat). You have two great loves: night and sex. Sex is at your discretion, but during the night, all your rolls related to exploration have a +1 bonus. In the dark you don’t have better vision than others, but you do have a better sense of direction, and you always know where the south is, and therefore, the other cardinal points.
7. Sayolin (fly). You grew up in a filthy plaza, where you could see pieces of old mats, shoes and hats in the streets. The uneven cobblestones, the mud in times of rain, the filth in plain sight, the dishonesty in all its impudence, the rotting cooked meats being sold, the insects attacking the people, the most insufferable stenches made the square a truly shameful place. In these environments, your charisma and wisdom gain a temporary bonus of +1. Once per day, you can summon a swarm of flies that will attack a target, causing damage equal to your first HD; you gain the same number of hp.
8. Xoloitzcuintle (hairless dog). You are smaller than average, which grants you an extra +1 bonus to your AC. You are really good at hiding, which grants you one extra point to your Stealth skill.
9. Tlakamaye (bear). Once a month, you can invoke the help of your Nahual for a maximum of one hour. It can participate in combat or provide other non-humiliating help (it’s not a beast of burden). If the favor you ask is humiliating, it will abandon you and you will never be able to call it again. If your Nahual dies while helping you, make a saving throw against magic for each ability greater than twelve. Each failure means that the value of your ability becomes its opposite, 13 becomes 8, 16 becomes 5, 18 becomes 3, and so on.
10. Ozomatli (monkey). Your mother died giving birth to you, you were sent to an orphanage or a monastery, where your origin was kept secret: you are of nobility, but you have no way to prove it. Queen Ñuñuu Dzico-Coo-Yodzo (Lady Six Monkey) appeared to you in a dream and revealed the truth of your origin. During character creation, choose one: Immediately gain Climb +3 or Sleight of Hand +3.

Note: Skills are based on LotFP’s Specialist skills. Click here for how to convert to vanilla Thief or Rogue.

Communion: At your referee’s choice, you are visited by your Nahual, either in dreams, hallucinations, or even in real life. In either case, your Nahual will offer guidance, advice or protection (maybe a magical +2 AC, whatever makes sense).