Shapeshifting

Shapeshifting

Variable

You can physically change into one or more forms different from your native form. To shift between forms, you must concentrate for 10 seconds. To speed this up, add Reduced Time.

Fatigue, injury, crippling, and afflictions carry over between forms – although HP and FP losses scale in proportion to the HP and FP of the form. For instance, if you suffer 10 HP of damage and a broken leg in a form that has 20 HP, you will have 5 HP of damage and a broken leg when you switch to a form that has only 10 HP.

If you are knocked out or killed, you immediately revert to your native form (which will also be unconscious or dead). In addition, you must specify a single, reasonably common external influence that can force you to return to your native form against your will. This should suit the advantage's origin: a Dispel Magic spell if your ability is magical, exorcism if a spirit power, strong magnetic fields if technological, etc.

Shapeshifting comprises two different traits: Alternate Form and Morph.

Alternate Form

Variable Cost

Like the werewolf of folklore, you can assume a specific form other than your own. This can be anything built with points: humanoid, animal, robot, etc. Create your alternate form as a racial template; however, you can switch it "on" and "off." This template need not be a "stock" template. For instance, if you wish to retain human intelligence in beast form, you could shift into a template that lacks the beast's low IQ (although this increases the template cost and hence the cost of Alternate Form). The GM is the final judge of what templates are allowed as Alternate Forms.

While it is turned on, your Alternate Form's racial template replaces your native racial template. Apply its racial traits – attribute modifiers, racial advantages and disadvantages, etc. – instead of those of your native race. Personal traits (including all attribute levels, advantages, disadvantages, and skills bought over and above racial norms) remain intact, although your skill levels are affected by changes to the controlling attribute scores.

If the Alternate Form's racial template has traits that conflict with your personal traits, the traits of your Alternate Form take precedence. For instance, if you become a dolphin with No Manipulators, you will temporarily lose personal advantages that affect your hands, such as High Manual Dexterity, while you are in dolphin form – and some skills (for instance, Lockpicking) will be relatively useless, although you do remember them.

If you have a single Alternate Form, it costs 15 points for a racial template worth no more than your native racial template. A more powerful form costs 15 points plus 90% of the difference in cost between your native template and that of your Alternate Form.

If you have multiple forms, pay full cost for the most expensive form. The less powerful Alternate Forms cost a flat 15 points apiece. Minimum cost per form is still 15 points.

Example: Consider four racial templates: a -100-point "cuddly critter," a 0-point human, an 80-point "ravenous beast," and a 100-point troll. A human who can turn into a cuddly critter pays 15 points, as the cuddly critter template is worth less than his native template. A cuddly critter who can turn into a human pays 15 + (0.9 × 100) = 105 points, since the human racial template is worth 100 points more than his own. A human who can become a troll also pays 15 + (0.9 × 100) = 105 points. A human who can assume any of the other three templates would pay full cost for his most expensive form, the troll: 105 points. The ravenous beast and cuddly critter forms would cost the minimum 15 points apiece. Total cost would be 135 points.

Were-Creatures: To create the classic "were-creature," start by purchasing any trait that applies in both forms – Infectious Attack, Vulnerability (Silver), etc. – as a personal trait. Next, buy an animal template as an Alternate Form. Since most beast templates are worth 0 or fewer points, this will usually cost 15 points, but powerful creatures (e.g., bears and tigers) may cost more. If the beast form is savage, the template should include such traits as Berserk, Bestial, and Bloodlust. Finally, apply limitations such as Emergencies Only, Unconscious Only, and Uncontrollable to Alternate Form, as applicable. If you can only change during the full moon, add a -40% Trigger limitation as well.

Shapeshifting Races: When creating an entire race that has Alternate Form, work out the details of Alternate Form last. Total the cost of all the race's traits other than Alternate Form, subtract this total from the cost of the template the race transforms into, and use the difference to calculate the cost of Alternate Form for the race. Add the cost of Alternate Form to that of the race's other abilities to determine final racial cost.

Example: Forest Dwarves can turn into sapient bears. Excluding Alternate Form, the racial traits of Forest Dwarves total 25 points. The bear template is worth 125 points. The difference is 125 - 25 = 100 points. Thus, the cost of Alternate Form is 15 + (0.9 × 100) = 105 points. This makes the Forest Dwarf template worth 25 + 105 = 130 points.

Special Limitations

Cosmetic: You can assume a second, distinct appearance with no change in abilities or racial template. -50%.

Morph

Variable Cost

This ability is similar to Alternate Form, but not limited to specific racial templates. You can assume any racial template, within certain limits. First, the racial template must already exist in your game world. The GM might design the template himself or take one from a GURPS worldbook, but you cannot design totally new templates for the purpose of Morph (you can adjust existing ones, though; see below).

Second, you can only turn into a living being, or a formerly living being such as a vampire. To change into a machine requires a special enhancement.

Finally, the template's point value must be within a limit determined by the number of points you have in Morph.

If you can assume any racial template worth no more than your native one, Morph costs 100 points. This makes many forms available – anything no more powerful than your native form. For a human, this includes cats, insects, owls, and wolves. If you can assume more powerful forms, add the difference between the maximum racial template cost and the cost of your native template to the base 100 points. For instance, a human who can take on any racial template worth up to 75 points would pay 175 points for Morph. You may improve this limit with earned character points.

You can always take on the form of a being you can see or touch, provided its racial template cost does not exceed your maximum. Once you have assumed a form, you can opt to memorize it by concentrating for one minute. This allows you to shapeshift into that form at any time. You can memorize a number of forms equal to your IQ. If all your "slots" are full, you must overwrite a previously memorized form (your choice) to add the new form.

As with Alternate Form, the racial template of whatever you turn into replaces your native racial template. You may not add traits to templates, but you may freely omit racial mental disadvantages (e.g., Bestial), and you may always choose to drop the racial IQ modifier from a template and use your own IQ. Such changes raise the cost of animal templates, which are cheap due to limited mental capabilities. If you intend to do this, you should spend more than the minimum 100 points on Morph.

Morph includes the ability to make cosmetic changes. This lets you impersonate a specific member of any race you can turn into. You can always impersonate someone who is present – but to assume his form later on, you must commit a memory "slot" to that form. With enough points in Morph, you can use this function to improve appearance. For instance, 115 points in Morph would let you give yourself any appearance from Horrific to Handsome. Cosmetic changes still take the usual 10 seconds.

Shapeshifting Races: Members of a race with the Morph ability must subtract the point cost of Morph from racial cost when determining what forms they can assume.

Example: Blue Blobs have a racial Morph ability worth 125 points – the basic ability, plus 25 points of extra capacity. This lets them assume forms worth 25 points more than their native one. With their other traits, their total racial cost is 175 points. However, for the purpose of Morph, they are considered to have a racial cost of 175 - 125 = 50 points. With their 25 points of additional capacity, Blue Blobs can turn into creatures worth up to 75 points.

Special Enhancements

Unlimited: You can become anything the GM has defined with a racial template. This lets you turn into robots, vehicles, etc. as well as living beings. Most ordinary inanimate objects – such as bricks and toasters – are worth 0 points or less. With the GM's permission, you can become a typical example of an object like this without the need for a specific racial template. +50%.

Special Limitations

Cosmetic: You can only change your outward appearance. Your abilities and racial template are unaffected. -50%. This limitation includes Mass Conservation, but not Retains Shape.

Mass Conservation: All your forms have the same weight. If the weight of your native form falls outside the normal racial weight range for a race, you simply cannot become a member of that race. The GM should be merciless when enforcing this limitation – no 150-lb. mice or elephants! -20%.

Retains Shape: You can only assume forms with the same number of limbs, body layout, posture, etc. as your native form. This would limit a human Morph to humanoids (e.g., elves and giants), a wolf Morph to horizontal quadrupeds, and a bird Morph to other birds. -20%.

Powers Book

Shapeshifting features prominently in folklore and fiction. Details vary greatly from tale to tale. These notes barely touch on the possible complexity – a detailed treatment could fill its own book.

When designing Alternate Forms, apply enhancements and limitations to the basic 15-point cost per form but not to the form-specific cost (that is, 90% the difference in template costs). A similar rule applies to Morph: modifiers affect the 100-point cost of the basic ability but not additional points set aside for more powerful forms. The sole exception in either case is Affects Others, which affects both components of the cost.

Some important archetypes:

Doppelgangers: Alien blobs, liquid-metal robots, and horrific monsters that "replace" their prey can assume the form of almost any living being they sample, within the limits of their mass. This is Morph with Mass Conservation (-20%) and Needs Sample (from -5% for a robot that needs a single cell to -50% for a monster that devours its victims) – often with many points of extra capacity. Some robots and aliens can shift into unliving forms. A robot restricted to unliving forms is about as limited as a living being that can only take living forms; there's no extra cost. To assume living and unliving forms, add Unlimited (+50%).

Elemental Supers: The ability to become flame, stone, water, and so on often shows up in the comics. Buy this as Alternate Form with the appropriate elemental meta-trait as the target "racial template." The GM may even permit players to create custom meta-traits for new elements. Most elemental supers have Absorptive Change at the "No encumbrance" level (+5%) for their costume, plus Active Change (+20%) or Reduced Time 4 (+80%).

Mythic Morphs: Gods and wizards in many tales can instantly take the form of any earthly creature. This powerful capability is Morph, with a lot of extra capacity to cover strong, capable forms – like tigers and sharks – while retaining IQ. No Memorization Required (+50%) and Reduced Time 4 (+80%) agree with most tales. The Unlimited enhancement (+50%) is common but not universal.

Transforming Machines: Robots or vehicles that can become other robots or vehicles are a comic-book standby. This is a standard Alternate Form that switches one machine template for another. Add Active Change (+20%) for transformers that can keep moving while changing. There's no need for Absorptive Change if all passengers and cargo are within the machine's Payload.

Were-Creatures: Werewolves and similar beings use Alternate Form to assume an animal template. Weres who can control their beast form might choose to retain IQ and do away with bestial mental traits – but this significantly elevates template cost. Those who change involuntarily during the full moon have Uncontrollable Trigger (a dangerous ability that triggers under occasional circumstances, for -15%) and Unconscious Only (-20%), and often Minimum Duration, One Night (-10%). Reciprocal Rest (+30%) is common...the were-form appears rested and ready to rampage!

Alternatives

Shapechangers who can alter size but not form have Growth or Shrinking. Those who can change their appearance to resemble members of their own race have Elastic Skin. For partial changes, see Switchable Body Parts. Modular Abilities can cover all of these things, and is an interesting alternative to Morph. To turn others into monsters, use Affliction with Advantage, Alternate Form.

New Special Enhancements

Absorptive Change: Only for Alternate Form. You "absorb" worn and carried items into your Alternate Form. These reappear when you change back. Without this modifier, you must leave your equipment behind when you change, and worn items too small for your Alternate Form risk destruction. Cost depends on encumbrance level: +5% for None, +10% for Light, +15% for Medium, +20% for Heavy, or +25% for Extra-Heavy. The GM decides what's left behind if your encumbrance exceeds your capacity. Apply this modifier separately to each form that can absorb equipment.

Active Change: Your transformation takes the usual amount of time, but you needn't concentrate during this time – you can move and act. You have the abilities of the form you're changing from until the transition is complete. (GMs who enjoy extra detail can average the forms' statistics, or even use a weighted average to reflect how far along the change has come.) +20%.

Improvised Forms: Only for Morph. You can improvise new racial templates as you change, mixing and matching the natural physical traits you desire. Possibilities range from modifying your native form with a useful body part to creating a completely new template. Improvised templates can't cost more than what you can afford with your Morph ability, but can include physical disadvantages to reduce costs. All traits added must exist in your game world, unless you also have Cosmic (+50%). You can't change your composition (e.g., add elemental meta-traits or Insubstantiality) without Unlimited (+50%). +100%.

No Memorization Required: Only for Morph. Any shape you take instantly becomes part of your repertoire, unless you don't want to memorize it for some reason. +50%.

Non-Reciprocal Damage: Only for Alternate Form. Injury you suffer in one form doesn't affect any of your other forms – although wounds only heal while you're in the form that sustained them, unless you also take Reciprocal Rest. +50%.

Once On, Stays On: This is identical to the general modifier of the same name, but with a special rule for Alternate Form: it counts as a +50% modifier on the basic 15 points and raises the form-specific cost from 90% to 100% of the difference in template costs.

Reciprocal Rest: Only for Alternate Form. Your dormant forms can rest while they're out of sight. Time spent dormant counts toward FP recovery and the sleep needs of that form. In conjunction with Non-Reciprocal Damage, these forms can even recover HP and recuperate from crippling injuries. This doesn't preclude dormant forms being aware of and remembering the active form's actions. +30%.

New Special Limitations

Cannot Memorize Forms: Only for Morph. You can't memorize the forms you copy. To assume a form, you must always be able to see or touch the original. -50%.

Flawed: Only for Morph. Every form you take is cosmetically imperfect in some way, which completely precludes impersonation. You still gain the abilities of your new form. Flawed is mutually incompatible with Cosmetic. -10%.

Needs Sample: Only for Morph. You must physically sample anything you wish to take the form of. If your target is living, this sample must be fresh – you can't sample a rotting corpse. -5% if you need only touch the target; -15% if you require a drop of blood, strand of hair, etc.; -50% if you must eat the whole target.

Projected Form: Only for Alternate Form. Your Alternate Form is a separate entity – perhaps a physical manifestation of your soul. When you use your ability, your native form falls into a trance and your Alternate Form appears nearby (within 10 yards). This is a real, physical form with no special restrictions on its actions. To dismiss it and awaken, it must be within 10 yards of your native form. If either form is wounded or killed, so is the other form; see Projection for details. -50%

Unliving Forms Only: Only for Morph. You can turn into objects but not creatures. You enjoy most of the capabilities of the Unlimited enhancement, but you can't assume the template of anything alive. -0%.

Powering Up

Alternate Form suits many supernatural powers – especially spirit powers, which might call for the Projected Form limitation if they let a shaman become a totem animal. Morph works better for exotic body-alteration powers.

When deciding on what external influence can force the shapeshifter to resume his native form against his will, consider the power’s source. Exorcism, prayer, or sacred artifacts might work on divine or spirit powers; the Dispel Magic spell is reasonable for magical powers; and weird-science drugs and radiation are traditional for biological powers and super-powers.

For Morph, Talent gives a bonus to any IQ or skill roll the GM requires for disguise or impersonation. For Alternate Form, it adds to rolls to resist external influences that could force the user out of his current form or into one of his other forms.