July 06, 2003

Shape-Shifting (30 pts)

Slightly changed from the Amber DRPG rules, in that there is no avatar form per se, and certain abilities that often get treated as part of Basic Shape-shifting (such as major internal reorganisation, elemental forms etc.) are relegated to the Advanced version (unavailable in this game). Shape-shifting is a power that can be discovered or developed without a teacher, so you can keep it a secret.

The basic elements of shape-shifting are as follows:

Shape-shift Wounds (10 points)
(Requires Chaos ranked Psyche and Endurance)
The ability to heal minor wounds closed in seconds or minutes, and to speed up the healing of major wounds. Does nothing for fatal wounds, unfortunately, but can tip the balance between life and death in borderline cases. This is fairly instinctive, requiring relatively little conscious control.

Daemon Form (5 points)
(Requires Chaos ranked Psyche and Endurance)
The ability to change into an armoured, combat-oriented form, invariably daemonic in appearance. This is a natural, fairly instinctive form, and the change is a fairly quick one, taking only a few seconds.

Animal Forms (5 points)
(Requires Chaos ranked Psyche and Endurance)
The ability to change into pretty much any kind of animal. Does not automatically give you complete control over the form’s abilities (such as flight) - these will still have to be practiced and mastered. The more familiar you are with the animal in question, the easier it will be to imitate it.

Shape Body Parts (5 points)
(Requires Animal Forms or Daemon Form)
The ability to shape various parts of your body, for instance to grow claws, fangs etc. Also allows you to redistribute your body mass, so as to make yourself taller or shorter. With some care, it is possible to enhance your senses so that you can track scents or see in the dark, but it is usually more effective to turn into an animal that can do these things instead.

Facial Features (5 points)
(Requires Animal Forms or Daemon Form)
The ability to mimic the features and coloration of others. The better you know the subject you are trying to imitate, the more accurate this will be.

When buying partial Shape-shifting, the minimum expenditure is 15 points.

Attribute Requirements
As above. A higher Psyche allows you to change shape more quickly, and to mimic other forms more precisely. It also allows you to learn new forms and master their physical abilities more quickly. Repeated shape-shifting is a drain on the character's stamina, so in the longer term a decent Endurance is also important. You also need a minimum of Amber Rank Strength in order to fly in any winged form.

Other details about Shape-Shifting
Your clothes and immediate personal possessions tend to change with you, although more bulky items like swords or backpacks do not (unless they possess some kind of shape-shifting themselves, or you have paid points for them). Shape-shifting involves more than a mere physical change, it seems. On the other hand, shape-shifting tends to conserve mass - you can only increase or decrease your size and mass by up to 50% either way.

Posted by hduyker at July 6, 2003 11:32 PM