Mastery over insects
"Understanding of insects. You can hear and talk with insects of all sizes."
Mastery over insects is a utility spell in Fear & Hunger that enables a person to communicate with all insectoid beings. It is associated with the God of the Depths.
Obtained
Mastery over insects requires the player to build one level of affinity with the God of the Depths before they can learn it through the use of a Soul stone at the Hexen table. A player-controlled Enki can start a playthrough possessing either the requisite affinity with the God of the Depths or the spell itself, depending on which choices were taken during his Character History intro. The other three characters must employ an Empty Scroll and a Quill to learn it, as direct interaction with the Cockroach King is unattainable without the spell, and his tasks are the only way to build affinity with the God of the Depths.
As is the case with all spells and skills that do not have a dedicated scroll, Mastery over insects can only be learned by the protagonist of a particular playthrough - it cannot be imparted to companions.
Mechanics
Mastery over insects is a passive spell and does not require Mind points to be used. With the spell, the player is able to:
- Interact with cockroaches spread hidden throughout the game - this provides bits and pieces of unique lore and dialogue, and the insects will sometimes offer gifts or hints to the player. This is most useful in Ma'habre, where there is a large number of insects hidden throughout.
- Interact with the Cockroach King in the Thicket.
- Unlock several unique Talk options when encountering insectoid enemies such as Cave spiders and Scarabs (making it possible to avoid the Scarab encounter altogether).