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Just got my copy of the Rifts Bestiary Ones (and loving it) and was wondering what people's thoughts were on the implications for practitioners of magic using the various animal related spells, specifically: Repel Animals, Influence the Beast, Metamorphosis: Animal, Tame Beast and Summon and Control Animals?

The way the book is introduced the creatures are "natural" beasts, although from the Rifts or another timeline (like dinosaurs). For example the Agenor River Serpent is listed as getting a +3 to save vs. the Repel Animal spell, so the spell does work on it, though less so with its natural bonus.

So can my Ley Line Walker now transform into an Aqua Hydra with the Metamorphosis Animal spell even though it can speak, cast spells and is dragon like (though officially not a dragon and hates real dragons?).

How about my Shifter summoning a herd of Ankylosaurus, Black Faeries or Black-Winged Monster-Men with Summon and Control Animals?

my personal policy is "animal" is something in line with a normal earth animal in terms of relative abilities and stats, so i always handle them on a case by case basis when GMing. of course i also require the caster of a spell to know what the crap he's summoning or whatever so i'll make him do a skill check against whatever most relevant skill he has to recall enough to summon the right thing. no summoning one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eaters because you like the song!

The book at least does a pretty good job about talking about controllability for a lot of the stuff by shifters and psi stalkers. Honestly for the animal intelligence critters I think those spells pretty much should work unless it states otherwise in the description. Some of the stuff is called out as basically being uncontrollable so you could summon it but it's pretty much just going to freak out and attack you.

If Palladium shifted around classifications again with this book...ill be disappointed. No Black Wing Monster Men are not animals. Animals cannot learn magic and BWMM can be Ley Line Walkers or Necromancers. In Spirit West it classifies them as either lesser demons or sub demons. I was hoping this series would clarify which...not add a new level of confusion...

Heck...dinos are really Creatures of Magic if you read Dino Swamp carefully...why throw in even more confusion?

Seriously, this now just adds in more frustration with Rifts. This will go along with the definition of an Exo-skeleton vs. Power Armor vs. Robot ball of mess. Why does it matter? Try playing a Headhunter Anti Robot Specialist and attack a Glitter Boy...

The animals listed in the monsters and animals book under the animal heading are counted as animals. If there are dinos within the Beastery then they...so long as they have not been magically modified, count as animals. A basic divining rod to use the K.I.S.S. principle for this question is that if the critter is MDC it is not an animal. Yes, this will classify what some consider animals as monsters. But this divining rod works well with the rules for what can be used with the animal magic tattoos and with what can be used with monster magic tattoos.