A kid and his monster

[Richard_Chilton]

This looks like a job for a custom power.

One written by someone else, who has a better idea of how to do it.

How about Human Form (+1) from the book? It gives you a human form (say the form of a child) and while you are in it you can't use your powers?

Beast Change (-1) is easily adapted to Other Form Change (-1) by taking out the words "beast" and "animal" and replacing them with "other form".  Technically it's a custom power but it's virtually identical to a published one.

Richard

[LokiTM]

I really like the were-form build of this! Very creative.

[InFerrumVeritas]

You know...I really like the creativity in this thread.  Quite a lot.  I've got a question though:

Why not just just play two characters who share skill points and refresh (you could even have them share "skill stacks" as if they were one character).  Just charge -1 refresh or something.

[Tallyrand]

You know...I really like the creativity in this thread.  Quite a lot.  I've got a question though:

Why not just just play two characters who share skill points and refresh (you could even have them share "skill stacks" as if they were one character).  Just charge -1 refresh or something.

Having them share skill stacks doesn't even require a refresh, personally I see this as similar to Harry Dresden.  Bob is represented not by an Aspect (although I contend that he should be) but is actually the personification of Harry's Lore and Scholarship skills.  If I were running Harry as a GM I would tell him to make his relationship with Bob one of his aspects, compel him to force him to use a much lower Lore and Scholarship when he doesn't have access to Bob and allow him to invoke Bob to gain +2 on those rolls or in some cases just to know things automatically.

[Sanctaphrax]

@Richard_Chilton: Well, that's close to right. But it has a few problems:

1. Mental skills cannot be raised by Beast Change.
2. The two forms will always be equally skilled by that method.
3. That method assumes that only one of the two will be relevant at any given time, which takes away a big part of the point.
4. That method doesn't let you give both characters different powers (at least not with any kind of efficiency).

@InferrumVeritas: Sounds interesting, but I don't really know how it would work. Can you provide an example?

[Richard_Chilton]

@Richard_Chilton: Well, that's close to right. But it has a few problems:

1. Mental skills cannot be raised by Beast Change.
2. The two forms will always be equally skilled by that method.
3. That method assumes that only one of the two will be relevant at any given time, which takes away a big part of the point.
4. That method doesn't let you give both characters different powers (at least not with any kind of efficiency).

True, that doesn't allow for the Kid and the monster to be there at the same time, but the idea of it being a shapeshift was raise.  And the equally skilled bit is a problem that I ran into when I tried to do a Shazam type character.

As for the inefficient ways of giving them different powers - sometime efficiency should give way for a cool concept.  It's like a wizard whose concept involves having a low discipline or conviction - it's not efficient to play a wizard who doesn't have discipline and conviction near (or at) the top of his pyramid but if you're playing Stoner Wizard you give up the efficient point spread to play the concept.  Take an tutored sorcerer with Average Lore - Average Lore is very low for anyone who uses thaumaturgy but if it fits the concept it fits the concept.

Richard

[Sanctaphrax]

I think that mechanical weakness resulting from fluff choices should be kept to a minimum, so that players don't have to choose between being competent and fitting a concept.

Obviously, you can't make all concepts equally viable. But you can try.

[Belial666]

You can treat them as one creature if they got a "sympathetic link" as flavor and are treated mechanically as a single creature. This is how you do it;

Monster Skills:
+5 (insert 1 skill)
+4 (insert 3 skills)
+3 (insert 2 skills)
Other skills default to mediocre
Child Skills:
+3 (insert 1 skill)
+2 (insert 3 skills)
+1 (insert 3 skills)
Other skills default to mediocre

Powers:
(insert X refresh worth of powers)
[+0] Sympathetic Link; the child and the monster share lifeforce. They share the same stress tracks and consequences and they are limited to the number of actions of a single character in situations number of actions would matter. When performing an action other than defense, they use their own part of the skill tree (see above).
[-3] Spirit Form
[+2] Involuntary Change; if the monster is not in the same zone as the child for a number of turns exchanges to their conviction, they revert to non-manifested spirit form and must return to the child to reform.
Stunts:
(insert 8-X or fewer stunts)

Otherwise, have them as entirely different characters both played by the same player.