Magic Pants For Shapeshifters

[bibliophile20]

Wereforms in the Dresdenverse have a distinct disadvantage in the winter, and its becoming a major issue for one of my PCs (he's a werehawk).  We've been discussing if it's possible to have the wizard enchant some pants or something that'll transform with him and then transform back.  (The wizard currently has a Lore of 3, btw).  Help?

[Drachasor]

Sure, why not?

This is um...a burgling roll to hide the pants on his person using thaumaturgy.  That's not that hard.

Or you could do it as a might roll to hold the pants, I suppose.

It's just a pair of pants....it doesn't matter.

I think in 1952 the White Council actually passed a Wereform Public Decency Act which makes it a crime to not have on at least a pair of pants (and shirt for the ladies!)  I think they pass out free trinkets that allow this to anyone interested.  Harry didn't sign Billy and Co. up because he was sticking it to the man.

[sinker]

Seems like a fairly minor thing to me. I wouldn't remotely be bothered by GM handwaving the item. I.E. "It allows you to have pants. I don't care how mechanically it does that."

[deathwombat]

Maybe spend a fate point to have your clothes transform with you back and fotrth

[Mal_Luck]

I tend to favor the Animorphs approach, I think they are able to shift forms while wearing clothes that are skin tight... like a wet suit.

Otherwise, I think it's so minor I think you can just let them do it without charging them. That is unless they could smuggle something important with them in the shifted form, in which case I'd make it cost -1 probably.

[Drachasor]

Otherwise, I think it's so minor I think you can just let them do it without charging them. That is unless they could smuggle something important with them in the shifted form, in which case I'd make it cost -1 probably.

Mal, you live somewhere where pants aren't important?

[bibliophile20]

Mal, you live somewhere where pants aren't important?

I'm betting San Francisco or L.A. 

[UmbraLux]

Jokes aside, escaping clothes which no longer fit and trying to find clothes when returning to human form are both part of the disadvantages inherent to being a werewolf or other therianthrope.  I wouldn't make those disadvantages too easy to negate. 

At the same point, as GM I wouldn't make finding clothes that much of a problem for a player...most of the time.  If nothing else, it get's boring.  I'd probably treat it as compelling his high concept, "Here's a fate point, you're naked in Time Square.  What's your next plan?"

[bibliophile20]

At the same point, as GM I wouldn't make finding clothes that much of a problem for a player...most of the time.  If nothing else, it get's boring.  I'd probably treat it as compelling his high concept, "Here's a fate point, you're naked in Time Square.  What's your next plan?"

I did one better.  "Hi, you're naked and it's 6 degrees Fahrenheit out.  Roll Endurance to defend against an Epic amount of cold..."

[UmbraLux]

It takes time for hypothermia to set in, even at 6 F.    When I was younger (and stupider) I used to go from snow to the jacuzzi and back...

Back to the original question, it's also worth noting there are several perfectly mundane methods of dealing with the issue.  The shapechanger could plan ahead and leave caches hidden in likely places.  He could also wear a fannypack with a change of clothes.  Stealing clothes out of charity bins, houses, or vendor racks is unethical and carries legal risks, but it is another option.  Some form of fannypack is probably the most reliable.  If you want to go all out (and have the resources to do so) he could have the pack harness suitably tailored for his beast form.  Even weak animal forms would be able to carry some of the light mesh runner's packs available. 

[bibliophile20]

It takes time for hypothermia to set in, even at 6 F.    When I was younger (and stupider) I used to go from snow to the jacuzzi and back...

And I bet you were at least warmed up thanks to the water; he didn't have that option...

Back to the original question, it's also worth noting there are several perfectly mundane methods of dealing with the issue.  The shapechanger could plan ahead and leave caches hidden in likely places.  He could also wear a fannypack with a change of clothes.  Stealing clothes out of charity bins, houses, or vendor racks is unethical and carries legal risks, but it is another option.  Some form of fannypack is probably the most reliable.  If you want to go all out (and have the resources to do so) he could have the pack harness suitably tailored for his beast form.  Even weak animal forms would be able to carry some of the light mesh runner's packs available. 

I will simply note that a red-tailed hawk--his wereform--has a body mass of between 1.5 and 3.5 pounds.  So not only would a fannypack probably nearly double his flight mass, it would add a lump that would be only mildly aerodynamic at best--pretty much a free tag to the enemy of "screw with my rolls!"

[UmbraLux]

I will simply note that a red-tailed hawk--his wereform--has a body mass of between 1.5 and 3.5 pounds.  So not only would a fannypack probably nearly double his flight mass, it would add a lump that would be only mildly aerodynamic at best--pretty much a free tag to the enemy of "screw with my rolls!"

There are still the other methods I mentioned.  Though, when mentioning the fannypack, I hadn't realized you'd modified the power.  Per the fiction, mass didn't change.   

[Richard_Chilton]

I wish it 9F here... With the windchill it's -15.

Well, -26C which works out to about -15F...  And I was okay without gloves on for a while before I felt the cold sinking in and my hands began to get that numbing sensation that Southerners are mercifully ignorant off...  And the sting when they warmed up - it's a sting, but it's nothing that would require a dice roll...

But back to the topic at hand, I can't help but agreeing that lack of clothes is one of those things that weres have to put up.

If we can have magic pants for shapeshifter then why not magic sunblock for Red Court Vampires or magic garlic blockers for Black Court Vampires or spells to repel Iron for the fae...

That last one would be tricky to do with Fae magic, but there's no reason to think that a mortal wizard couldn't make something like that - only gamewise it's bad for inherent weaknesses to be worked around.  You take the good, you take the bad, and there you have your supernatural package.  Having only the good stuff doesn't make the character half as enjoyable as having the mixed bag of tricks.

Nor does having a workaround for a hard limitation like that fit with the setting.  If mortal mages could cast "protection from Iron" on Fae then a certain Summer Lady would have had her pet mage cast it on her and Toot-toot would have never completed his charge.

And with weres in the books, how many times has Harry mentioned being uncomfortable around all the naked flesh when the Alphas are doing their switch? If magic clothes were easy to make he would lend them his aid.  Seriously, if it was easy to magic up clothing that could handle the change then Billy would at least have a magic speedo and Georgia would have something beach legal to wear.

The only time it would make sense for the weres to have shifting proof clothes is if there were kids playing the game (one person mentioned that he tried to run a game for his preteen children).  In cases like that I can see a magic swimsuit that changes with the were, but that's more modifying the game to acceptable to youngsters than something that should be part of the DV.

Richard

[mithrandirthewhite]

The magic clothing seems to defeat the idea of a were in my opinion.  And if you could stand the cold in your beast form, why shift out of it/ just develop a code system for when in animal form.

[MijRai]

There are still the other methods I mentioned.  Though, when mentioning the fannypack, I hadn't realized you'd modified the power.  Per the fiction, mass didn't change.   

Page 83 of Your Story, Billy side-note.

Still, we figured it’ d be more fun if
we just allowed folks to go for bigger or sma ller
forms if they could find the points for it.