David Dunham wrote:
> Well, the rules say that "a shell deer sidekick gains all of the
> normal shell deer abilities at their base ratings ... rather than a
> Shell Deer keyword," so that's a better way to do it in most cases.
The rules (p.84 for reference) also go on to suggest that you can still add up to three additional abilities to the natural abilities if you so wish (as we see Kathy and Jane do on the next page with the "Survive Without Food" ability).
As for improving abilities, with no keyword you have no restriction on improving them. However, even if you do choose a keyword for a nonhuman sidekick, bear in mind the rul from p.59: "Keywords cannot be improved with hero points, although individual abilities within them can be." I understand that this ruling runs at odds with some people's interpretation of sidekicks (human or nonhuman), but it seems both explicit and reasonable to me.
For what it's worth, I've found the general rules for sidekicks rather confusing all across the board.
Cheers,
!i!
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