Mage Shapeshifting
For mages with Life 4+ that wish to shapeshift themselves, each shape must be "built" before it will be set into the +shift code and added to your forms. This write-up will not focus on the transforming of other creatures or objects.
| Two successes | change self' into a fairly similar shape (woman to man) |
| Three successes | change self into a radically different shape (woman to mist, man into tiger) |
| Four successes | change another character into a fairly similar shape (man into pig) |
| Five successes or more | to change that other party into a radically different shape (man into cobblestone). |
| For details about conjuring and shaping inanimate objects and natural elements, see the Elemental Mastery section, (pp. 26-41). | |
Book Reference: M20 HDYDT
Prerequisite: Life 4+ (and other spheres as needed for additional effects)
Step 1: Determine base successes needed using chart above.
Step 2: Attributes: 1 success needed for dot of attribute increase from base stats.
-- Max attributes are determined by bestiary write up for same or equivalent beast
-- Note: Natural beasts have 0 Manipulation, Charisma or Appearance. Stats will be adjusted downward as necessary but will not require additional success.
Example: Human Strength 2 to Wolf Strength 4 = +2 successes
Step 3: Innate abilities:
-- Certain innate physical abilities (wings, claws, gills, a tail) the shapechanger can use them naturally, and don't need to be "built into" the form.
Step 4: Additional (Special) Abilities (fire-breath, levitation, poison, etc):
Usage: These abilities must be "built" into the form. They require one point of Quintessence per application (one point to levitate, one point per blast of fire, and so forth). This Quintessence from the Mage's own pool.
Whether a Special Ability is "simple" or "powerful" is at Storyteller's judgement.
--"Simple abilities" : +1 additional success and spheres to make the effect
-Example: Fire-breathing: +1 success plus Forces 3/Prime 2 for the effect
--Extremely Powerful abilities (ex: ability to radiate an aura of crackling electricity): +2 successes and spheres to make the effect.
Step 5: Acclimation Time
HOUSE RULE: For forms that are vaguely similiar to human (ape, other sex, etc) you are at +1 difficulty to all rolls for 24 hours. For forms that are radically different from human, you are at +2 difficulty to all rolls for 48 hours.
Step 6: Losing One’s Self/ “Purchasing” a New Self
House Rule This Willpower spend must be done at least once per form. After this initial spend of Willpower, you may opt to "buy" the form for 2xp to avoid this expenditure in the future. If the mage has Life 5 at the time of creation, this spend is not necessary as they do not "lose" themselves to the form.
- Similiar form: Spend 1 willpower per 3 days spent in total immersion.
- Radical form: Spend 3 willpower (rate of 1 wp per day) spent in total immersion.
Step 7: Shapeshifting and Consecrating Possessions
Transforming clothing or other objects requires several dots in Matter as well. The exact Rank necessary depends upon the nature of the object; a simple rock would require Matter 2, while a laptop
would require Matter 4 due to its complex material structure (plus Forces 3/ Prime 2 to provide the power if you wanted the thing to function like a laptop afterward).
A mage can consecrate simple objects to herself using the Prime 1 Effect of that name; as usual, this usually requires one additional success per item. A consecrated item (pants, backpack, sword, etc.) will shapeshift along with the mage, although one item that carries other items (like a backpack full of stuff) will require more successes than one simple object (a pair of pants) demands.
Objects that get consecrated, or bound by Matter magick, into a person’s Pattern become parts of that character for the duration of the Effect. After that, they lose that connection and must be re-bound.
Even so, they retain a Resonance-connection to the character in question, which makes those items into potential liabilities. An item that has been consecrated or bound to a character’s Pattern gets treated as a “personal object” until and unless it gets “deconsecrated” by another Prime 1 Effect afterward.
A mage who wants to use that object against its owner reduces his difficulty by -3 if he employs it in a spell directed against that character afterward. For that reason, among others, many shapechangers prefer to strip off all of their clothing and possessions before changing into another form; those possessions still hold a hint of the owner’s energy (perhaps enough for a -1 modifier), but they’re not significant liabilities… with Periapts, of course, being a major exception to that rule because
their energy is bound to the owner by default.
Clothing or possessions also tend to get in the way when a mage changes shapes, either binding the new shape (as with tight clothes) or else tangling it up (loose clothing, bulky possessions). Generally, it takes a turn or more to shed those possessions… which can be a major hazard in desperate situations.
