Need Help: True Shapeshifting

[CBIrish]

Hello all.  My GM and I have run in to a question regarding this power that we've been unable to clearly resolve and we were hoping your input might help.

My Changeling character has True Shape shifting and the question of the extent of the benefit from the change has come up.  If my character were to turn in to a bird, for example - would he now be able to fly, even though he doesn't have Wings? If he turned in to a tiger, would he be considered to have Claws? The entry says the character can become anything, but only addresses the skill shuffle. 

Has anyone run in to this before? Any informed opinions on how this should be interpreted?

[GryMor]

If you want actual powers, you'll need to buy them, either directly (probably tagged with human form) or with modular abilities.

[Vargo Teras]

This is the whole point of the Modular Abilities power.

[Sanctaphrax]

Indeed, you need Modular Abilities. Taking True Shapeshifting without Modular Abilities is weird and produces weird results.

[devonapple]

You're right, it isn't explicitly specified in the True Shapeshifting power, but a) Modular Abilities is recommended in the Options section, and b) the Skill Shuffle trapping of True Shapeshifting emulates Beast Change, which itself does explicitly specify that you need to buy those powers separately.

Note also in the intro paragraph for the Shapeshifting section (YS 174), "The True Shapeshifting ability (below, page 177) is rarely possible for a mortal mind to bear—the stress and strain placed on the sense of self inevitably leads to a psychotic break of some sort. (This may be why those mortals who do learn how to shapeshift rarely enjoy more than a single, fixed alternate form—such as werewolves of the Alpha style.)"

[UmbraLux]

As others have noted, you want Modular Abilities to get the most out of True Shapeshifting.  It's a very good (near perfect) disguse by itself, but not much more.

[Ghsdkgb]

You COULD have him only able to change into mammals, to start, with Diminutive/Hulking Size, Claws and Inhuman Speed and/or Strength being the powers he has access to, depending on what he shapeshifts into, and then with further Major Milestones gain the ability to turn into birds with the Wings power or fish/reptiles with the Aquatic power and whatnot.

Or you could further limit him in the beginning if he doesn't have the necessary Refresh for all the powers, only able to turn into mammals from a certain family or whatever.

I'd imagine for TRUE shapeshifting, you'd need an awful lot of Refresh...

[Ghsdkgb]

If I'm reading the Modular Abilities entry correctly, you can have a different set of skills available for each animal, but the total amount of Refresh you'd have to pay would only be for whichever form costs the MOST Refresh, plus 2. So if you wanted, say, a killer whale in the mix, that'd be Aquatic (-1), Claws (teeth) (-1), Hulking Size (-2), Inhuman Strength (-2), for a total of -6, minus two more for a -8 total, and then True Shapeshifting is -4, +1 for human form...

So that'd be -11 you'd need altogether (no easy task; I'd weaken your whale form to a dolphin or something :-P ), but you wouldn't need any MORE than that to put together a bunch of other forms, provided the total Refresh for the powers of each form are -6 or less.

Again, that's if I'm reading the Modular Abilities power correctly. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[devonapple]

If I'm reading the Modular Abilities entry correctly, you can have a different set of skills available for each animal, but the total amount of Refresh you'd have to pay would only be for whichever form costs the MOST Refresh, plus 2. So if you wanted, say, a killer whale in the mix, that'd be Aquatic (-1), Claws (teeth) (-1), Hulking Size (-2), Inhuman Strength (-2), for a total of -6, minus two more for a -8 total, and then True Shapeshifting is -4, +1 for human form...

So that'd be -11 you'd need altogether (no easy task; I'd weaken your whale form to a dolphin or something :-P ), but you wouldn't need any MORE than that to put together a bunch of other forms, provided the total Refresh for the powers of each form are -6 or less.

Again, that's if I'm reading the Modular Abilities power correctly. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

You'd probably want Inhuman Toughness as well, but you have the mechanics down right.

[Ghsdkgb]

That's pretty cool, actually. I kind of want to build a True Shapeshifter, now.

Hello, new NPC for my players to meet ;-)

[CBIrish]

I accept no responsibility for any NPCs created from inspiriation provided by my thread(s)!

Kidding aside, his original power configuration was this:

Submerged (10 refresh base)
True Shapeshifting -4
Supernatural Toughness (-4, Cold Iron is the Catch -3) -1
Glamours -2
Inhuman Speed -2

The new configuration is looking like this:
True Shapeshifting -4
Supernatural Toughness (-4, Cold Iron is the Catch -3) -1
Modular Abilities -4 (2 buy in, 2 form points)


Thoughts, opinions, suggestions?

[Vargo Teras]

I accept no responsibility for any NPCs created from inspiriation provided by my thread(s)!

Kidding aside, his original power configuration was this:

Submerged (10 refresh base)
True Shapeshifting -4
Supernatural Toughness (-4, Cold Iron is the Catch -3) -1
Glamours -2
Inhuman Speed -2

The new configuration is looking like this:
True Shapeshifting -4
Supernatural Toughness (-4, Cold Iron is the Catch -3) -1
Modular Abilities -4 (2 buy in, 2 form points)


Thoughts, opinions, suggestions?

That looks like a good way to set it.  I think you might be able to squeeze in one more point of Modular Ability by limiting it with Human Form; this would mean that you couldn't use your Modular Abilities to wield powers while looking human (e.g., taking the form of a focused practitioner you know to use his Channeling power), but would give you enough to put a one-point Creature Feature and an Inhuman Attribute onto the same form, (e.g., Inhuman Strength and Claws for a bear, Inhuman Speed and Diminutive Size for a cat, etc.)  Alternatively or additionally, as a changeling you might need assistance from an external source to manage your shapeshifting; while a two-point Item of Power would be awkward to carry in many forms, a one-pointer like a necklace which shifts to an appropriate collar or other decoration in non-human forms would also help get enough Modular Ability to manage a wider variety of forms.

[Sanctaphrax]

Looks functional. Would suggest trading Toughness for an extra Modular Abilities point, though, for optimization reasons.

[devonapple]

I accept no responsibility for any NPCs created from inspiriation provided by my thread(s)!

Kidding aside, his original power configuration was this:

Submerged (10 refresh base)
True Shapeshifting -4
Supernatural Toughness (-4, Cold Iron is the Catch -3) -1
Glamours -2
Inhuman Speed -2

The new configuration is looking like this:
True Shapeshifting -4
Supernatural Toughness (-4, Cold Iron is the Catch -3) -1
Modular Abilities -4 (2 buy in, 2 form points)

I notice that Glamours is missing from the updated writeup. You certainly didn't have enough points to do both, but I want to also make sure that you know Glamours cannot be bought with Modular Abilities.

[UmbraLux]

I notice that Glamours is missing from the updated writeup. You certainly didn't have enough points to do both, but I want to also make sure that you know Glamours cannot be bought with Modular Abilities.

Don't have the book handy so have to ask, where is that limitation from?  As far as I know you can gain any power you can thematically justify by your change.