Questions regarding shapeshifters as PC's, Magic: what limits, canon-wise? Options

[Tiralee]

Hola.

Okies, I'm planning a game where a character is a Spapeshifter/magician.
Yes, point system (123) and legal, but I've some questions that I can't find answers for elsewhere.

1: Since the stats change for body/str/dex, and the mental stats don't, can a shapeshifter cast spells in animal form? (Mental image of a Selkie casting shape water here...)

2: Are there heightened target numbers, for instance when flying, if spells can be cast?

(Remembering of course that shapeshifters aren't people in animal form, they are dual-natured beings who are intimate and familiar with both forms - Canon rant.)

3: Astral combat - since shapeshifters are dual-natured, I assumed they percieve the astral plane constantly and so react to spirits, wards, etc, the same way that a mundane would to a wall or a wired-up street sammy?( Comments on this please.)

4: Natural weapons in astral combat - since the dual-nature thing allows interaction, I'd assume that a facefull of claws would tend to make people a little wary.

5: Detection - again with the dual natured stuff. Since they are, I'd assume watcher spirits, guardians et al, find it a mite bit easier to pick them out from a crowd, and would tend to pay a little more attention to dual-natured species (I'm including dragons, critters and ghouls here) since they're "on" all of the time? PC Ghouls, comment?

6: Astral combat - ok, since someone who is projecting gets all of the speed-of-thought reactions, I'd assume astral combat is uneven for a meat-body shapeshifter Vs a projecting mage. Comments? I'd assume normal rules for a projecting shifter, as I would for any other astrally-active character.

7: Finally - stuff. Shapeshifters tend to be associated with animal-body environments, that is, it's unlikely you'll find a Selkie in Las Vegas. Fun things like spell components, foci (Assuming of course you can get the :nuyen: together) need a place to be, and shapeshifters tend not to stick around where they could be noticed. Comments? Ghouls especially, as they seem to have most of the same advantages/limitations. (And please, no jokes regarding vegetarian ghouls who only eat daisys. It's been done to death. :P )


Thanks people.
L.