Shapeshifter Longevity, Jungle Cat in Aztlan Options

[rlemansky]

Greetings.

Any definitive information on a shapeshifter's longevity? Are they immortal or even abnormally long lived? Or, are they doomed to have the same life expectancy as their unAwakened counterparts?

Jungle Cat in Aztlan, as the representative from Amazonia, seems to be afforded as much (if not more) respect as any of the other Immortals present. Since he/she admits to being an Awakened jaguar, I wondered if JC was demonstrative of the species, and/or immortal.

I know Wolvering from Marvel comics has a regeneration ability and is a few centuries old at this point as a result.

Any input appreciated...

R

[Jrayjoker]

I always assumed he was an immortal from the ED days. :shrug:

[Critias]

[Mr.Platinum]

I'd say their life span is what ever counter part is.

[Calvin Hobbes]

Ancient History's commentary points out that Jungle Cat may not be all that ancient, merely welcome to the commentary since he's a local to Aztlan.

Likewise, shapeshifters are never indicated to be in any way longeved. A twenty-year old shifter is only twenty years old.

I'ts possible that Jungle Cat is *unique*, but there's nothing to indicate he's supernaturally ancient, either.

Either way, it's your game, run with it.

[tisoz]

Shapeshifters and age is a big can of worms for me. There is the already posed question of longevity, but how about apparent age in animal and human form?

The animal form might be physically mature by 1 -3 years, but is their human form then that of an infant or a mature human? I do not think it has ever been stated.

How about the old arguement can shapeshifters breed with humans?

[Mr.Platinum]

Hey it's happened in my Game.

[brohopcp]

I've always viewed them as animals with a magical human form. However, a lot of players treat them as slightly less educated humans with some super anthromorphic animal form and invincibility. However you play it, Shadowrun characters rarely have to deal with old age, so it hasn't come up yet.

[Ancient History]

It appears (and I may add that this has only appeared in the novels so far) that shapeshifters mature more slowly than a normal animal would, although this may still be faster than typical metahuman development. There is no reference to shapeshifters suffering the effects of old age, but there haven't been many in canon, either.

[Glyph]

Normally, I would say a shapeshifter would age at the rate and longevity of the "natural", animal form, but regeneration opens up a can of worms. Would a regenerating creature age at all, or at least more slowly?

I would probably rule that they mature as quickly as a normal animal of their type, but that it takes longer for their mental abilities to reach a shapeshifter's human-level intellect. And I would say that they live about as long as a non-immortal elf, until their regeneration power finally starts to give out. But that's just conjecture, since, as far as I know, this has not been officially addressed.

[Dale]

Personally, I figure with the Regeneration going on to limit daily wear and tear on the body that a Shifter would make it to double the human norm.

[Sandoval Smith]

I don't think there's anything laid down in canon about how long shifters live, so it can be whatever you feel is appropriate for the game. I'd just say go with what doesn't excessively screw over the player.

[nick012000]

I'd say that they live indefinately, like Immortal Elves. Most don't, and they lose their regeneration during the low mana periods, but they can live indefinately.

[fistandantilus4....]

No way. Even wit hlow birth rates, if they never got old, and all regen naturally, they;d at the least over run wilderness areas. Think Yakut, but everywhere. Thin about it. Nothing would prey on them. THe more there are, the harder they would be to kll, so no one would try (much like the problems in yakut territory). And the longer they're there, the more there would be. With regeneration, it's really hard to die on accident, and I don't recall them being susceptible to oisin or disease (although I could be wrong), which means they would only die if someon or something killed them. A life span would be the only thing checking them really.

[Sandoval Smith]

They could certainly be preyed on by other metacreatures. If they happen to cross paths with a hungry jugguarnaut, or something.

[nick012000]

Well, I'll point out that there wouldn't be that many surviving the magical lows, and while some of the animals might goblinize into shifters, the numbers would still be pretty low for a while.

And once the numbers start getting really high, the increased competition for food and territory will eventually either lead to civilizations or warfare. In either case, the danger to humans would be reduced afterwards.

[fistandantilus4....]

Even if they were low for a while , the mana cycle is appx 5,000 years. Even if they had low birth rates, with no aging and regen, after only a few hundred years, you'd have a few thousand, and the more there are, the mroe that will breed. Yet in ED, there is no mention of Shifters. Now you can say that since there is no info they simply didn't write them in, which makes sense. But if you take it in an in-game sense, that means that (at least in Barsaive) there's nothing like that.

If there were a shifter nation, much like Yakut, why would they war with themselves , when they can war against 'others'. Like a wolf pack. They're more likely to split off if there's conflict in the pack then kill each other off. And since shifters are animals that turn into humans, not the other way around, they;d be more likely to follow their animal instincts. Now I'm not saying that their life span wouldn't be longer. I just don't think it's going to span into centuries.

[fistandantilus4....]

[nick012000]

[fistandantilus4....]

hehe.. indigestion

[brohopcp]

The best way I ever found to feed a ghoul was devised by a friend of mine.

1) Petrify shapeshifter
2) Make spell permanent
3) Chisel off chunks from the body
4) Drop spell, shifter regens, recast petrify
5) Eat unpetrified chunks
6) Repeat

The idea came from my friends contact who sold yard ornament statues. Most of the statues were petrified people. It was also a good contact if you needed to dispose of a body.

[Mr.Platinum]

So has any one found any thing Cannon about there life span?

[tisoz]

Nothing about shooting them with or from cannon.

Critters does not list Immunity to Age (or anything else) as a power.

[Dale]

Then they're not immortal.

[hyzmarca]

Considering that immortality appears to be a dominant trait in immortal elves (children of mortals and IEs are immortal in at least one example) more than half of the world's population should be IEs. The fact that they aren't suggests that the surviving immortals have done an exceptionally good job at keeping their pants on. Surely, shapeshifters can do the same even with their Bestial Nature.

Of course, it could be hey the immortality gene is recessive and Frosty's mother was decended from an IE. In that case, there would be millions of couples out there having IE children.