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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: cubleds on July 29, 2014, 05:57:22 PM

Title: True Shape shifting without modular abilities
Post by: cubleds on July 29, 2014, 05:57:22 PM

what can you do with true shape shifting without the use of modular abilities. If you take the form of a wolf or tiger, do your teeth not change because you cant buy claws?, Do you transform into an especially small bear to avoid hulking size? Do you become an especially large flightless pigeon because you cant buy being tiny or the wings power? I would think you become exactly what the creature you are becoming is...

(click to show/hide)

Listens to wind transforms rather obviously as a supplemental action during his fight with shaggenasty. Becoming a small bird and taking flight with the creature in hand, all in one action.

Modular abilities takes a full action to complete as written.

Title: Re: True Shape shifting without modular abilities
Post by: Taran on July 29, 2014, 06:03:02 PM

If you turn into a bird without wings, you can fly - but only in short bursts - and will have to make athletics rolls to overcome borders.  (you won't get to ignore them).  Maybe  you can only turn into a chicken.

You still have claws but they aren't as effective.

In a sense, it can represent how you don't know how to control the shape you are turning into.  Just because you turn into an eagle doesn't mean you know how to soar above the clouds.

Remember, You can also turn into a lamp or a chair or a door.  In that sense, The change is completely cosmetic.

Edit:  you could also take a stunt that lets you use your modular shuffle as a supplemental...

Edit 2:  Shapeshifting is also a perfect justification to spend FP's on temporary powers.  So, I'd allow you to shift into a bird and spend a FP to have wings for 1 scene.

Title: Re: True Shape shifting without modular abilities
Post by: wyvern on July 29, 2014, 06:13:09 PM

There are three solutions I can think of offhand.

• Use skills to represent abilities.  For example, a small creature might have high athletics (for the ability to get past obstacles, much as something with small size could run under a fence) and high stealth.  A bear might have strong fists, might, and endurance skills - get those high enough and you can match something with powers and lower skills.  Just because you have sharp pointy teeth doesn't necessarily mean you get a weapon rating from them.
• Houserule a power that lets you change modular powers as a supplemental instead of a full action.  I'd probably limit this to changing to one or two specific power sets that you've pre-arranged; maybe you can quickly change to a tiger, because you've practiced that form a lot, but need the full action if you have to turn into a shark.
• Or you can skip modular powers entirely, and just outright buy the abilities you can shapeshift into, maybe with a +1 human form limitation.  Want to be able to take on forms of both hulking bear and tiny pigeon?  Buy supernatural toughness, and inhuman strength, and hulking size, and diminutive size, and wings.  Sure, you can't use them all at once... but it makes shifting much faster.

Of course, the other thing I'd suggest if you're looking at true shapeshifting, is to limit yourself to specific pre-defined forms anyway.  Trying to keep track of a completely malleable skill stack is obnoxious, and I really can't recommend doing that in actual play.

Title: Re: True Shape shifting without modular abilities
Post by: cubleds on July 29, 2014, 06:20:51 PM

I like that option, but it would mean that

(click to show/hide)

Listens too wind

needs another 11 refresh. 4 for true shape shifting 6 for modular abilities (things like hulking size claws) 1 more for the stunt. This would lead to a very high refresh when you add in the other stuff available to that character.

I do like the idea that with comfortable forms one could change quickly, similar to the rote spells for a caster perhaps?

Title: Re: True Shape shifting without modular abilities
Post by: Haru on July 29, 2014, 06:53:04 PM

To me, powers in shifted form represent how well you are at using your new form. You might be small, but you don't know how to use this to your advantage, so you don't get the benefit from "Diminutive Size". You may have wings, but you don't know how to use them, so you can't use them to fly as the "Wings" power would allow you to do. And so on.

Keep in mind, that modular abilities only needs to change if you want new powers. If you switch from a lion to a tiger, you'll basically keep your set of powers, as they don't really differ. You'll only need a supplemental action to change the form. If you have enough refresh to keep more powers on the tab, you could change between animals without the need to go through modular. Of course the lion form wouldn't have access to the wings power, and the eagle won't have access to the hulking size power, but if you shift between the forms, you don't need to activate the new powers, you can just access them.

Title: Re: True Shape shifting without modular abilities
Post by: solbergb on July 29, 2014, 07:50:49 PM

Frankly I like the idea of true shapeshifting all by itself, in the lycanthropy style (not actually changing shape, purely mental).  Skill shuffle is incredibly useful, moreso than most powers, although granted since most skills are in fact mental/social/technology based your base character has to pick a schtick in those areas and stick to it, only cranking in alertness, endurance, fists, whatever as needed.   But it's pretty cool to be able to suddenly be alert or fast or strong or stealthy whenever such things are handy, with little opportunity cost (when you're sneaking, you usually can give up your perform or contacts skill...)

Of course you have to be a bit strange to be able to do that and not have your head explode.   The idea I had along these lines was an agent of the Archive that was the opposite of her.  He (always a he as she is always a she) could NOT learn human knowledge, but was entirely intuitive.  (social skills in main form, various physical skills on demand, could never learn a skill like Scholarship or Burglar, although he'd speak the dominant language wherever he was).   Like her, if the current version died it'd move on to a relative, wiping away their personality or at least forming most of it.   He had a "guide my hand" type power which represented the Archive sending him into positions where he'd tip balance between future probabilities by being present in ways that suited her.

Another option might be a ghost or spirit of intellect actor, who got 100% into the various roles and probably had aspects that stuck them in those roles until snapped out of it.