[X] My Assistant

[Tyro]

How would YOU use it? I personally like the idea of creating a Body 2 mage so I can turn into a cockroach or something. Thoughts?

[Ancient History]

I once had a player whose rat shaman shapechanged into an eel and tried to flush himself down a toilet to escape into the local sewers. Didn't work out so well for him, but the theory was sound.

[pbangarth]

I once had a player whose rat shaman shapechanged into an eel and tried to flush himself down a toilet to escape into the local sewers. Didn't work out so well for him, but the theory was sound.

Let me guess.... he suffered from the drain?

[Tyro]

Let me guess.... he suffered from the drain?

holds his nose and runs away screaming

[Stahlseele]

Let me guess.... he suffered from the drain?

augh, it burns and stinks . .

[Sponge]

Let me guess.... he suffered from the drain?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

[Neraph]

Play a free spirit, don't increase your physical stats, and take Shapechange.

[Tyro]

Play a free spirit, don't increase your physical stats, and take Shapechange.

Ow. Just... ow.

[tisoz]

Play a free spirit, don't increase your physical stats, and take Shapechange.

Why not choose Realistic Form? (Or Animal Form in prior editions.)

[Jaid]

Why not choose Realistic Form? (Or Animal Form in prior editions.)

presumably because that doesn't boost all your physical stats automatically...

[3278]

From a roleplaying perspective, that's a really fascinating idea, but it does have some practical limitations. It'd limit you to only animals with a Body of 0 to 3, and even if you chose a higher Body for greater variety, free spirits can't use foci, so they're going to have to sustain Shapechange on their own.

[crizh]

I turned me into a Newt.

I got better.

[Drraagh]

How would YOU use it? I personally like the idea of creating a Body 2 mage so I can turn into a cockroach or something. Thoughts?

I have to wonder if I know you from somewhere. I was discussing this online with some people the other day about transforming a target to an animal, since the armor and clothes will be unusable and the ware is not able to be used. Though, one idea I did have is what about ware that isn't 'activated' but just used, like bone lacing and body armor. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Suriyel]

If you have the one that can shapechange other people, first, find a street sam with cyber weapons and cyber/bio armor.

Next turn the street sam into something easily smuggled through conventional security.

Then find the target.

Finally, stop sustaining the shapechange and unleash the sky-clad sam on a very unsuspecting target. If you're the considerate type have a set of flats on hand for the sam.

(Of course you are entitled to make all the pokemon jokes you want at the sam's expense.)

[Karoline]

(Of course you are entitled to make all the pokemon jokes you want at the sam's expense.)

Gunbunny! I choose you!

[Drraagh]

If you have the one that can shapechange other people, first, find a street sam with cyber weapons and cyber/bio armor.

Next turn the street sam into something easily smuggled through conventional security.

Then find the target.

Finally, stop sustaining the shapechange and unleash the sky-clad sam on a very unsuspecting target. If you're the considerate type have a set of flats on hand for the sam.

(Of course you are entitled to make all the pokemon jokes you want at the sam's expense.)

"Maybe you should put some shorts on or something if you want to keep fighting evil today." - Mystery Men

[Neraph]

From a roleplaying perspective, that's a really fascinating idea, but it does have some practical limitations. It'd limit you to only animals with a Body of 0 to 3, and even if you chose a higher Body for greater variety, free spirits can't use foci, so they're going to have to sustain Shapechange on their own.

Body of 0 to 4. Two points either way.

EDIT: Oh, also, you can stack Shapechange. IE: I'm a Bod 1 mage. I cast Shapechange to become a Wolf, assuming 6 successes that will give you a Body 8. Then Shapechange to a Great Cat. And from there an elephant. As you do this, don't forget to drop sustaining the now unneeded prior forms.

[Zormal]

EDIT: Oh, also, you can stack Shapechange. IE: I'm a Bod 1 mage. I cast Shapechange to become a Wolf, assuming 6 successes that will give you a Body 8. Then Shapechange to a Great Cat. And from there an elephant. As you do this, don't forget to drop sustaining the now unneeded prior forms.

I don't think that's a common interpretation of the rules, but if your GM allows that... *shrug*

Allowing stacking in this way does result in there being no upper limit to what you can shapechange into (and makes drain a non-issue as you can just stack low-level spells indefinitely). It wouldn't fly at our table.

[Karoline]

Hmm... megaladon... or t-rex... or brontasauros... or triceratops.... so many choices.... oh, or velociraptor! (Although last one would be a normal option I suppose)

Can shapechange do dinos?

Also, I don't think the stacking shapechange thing would fly at most tables, especially if you could just drop the old versions of the spells.

[Walpurgisborn]

Body of 0 to 4. Two points either way.

EDIT: Oh, also, you can stack Shapechange. IE: I'm a Bod 1 mage. I cast Shapechange to become a Wolf, assuming 6 successes that will give you a Body 8. Then Shapechange to a Great Cat. And from there an elephant. As you do this, don't forget to drop sustaining the now unneeded prior forms.

Except when you drop the unneeded form, then the bonuses that come with that should drop as well. Which means you can't be in the new shape because of the +-2 body, so that spell cracks. You're back to your naked self, and probably fighting a bit of drain.

OTOH if you want to keep sustaining, sure, I'd rule you could stack it.

[Neraph]

Except when you drop the unneeded form, then the bonuses that come with that should drop as well. Which means you can't be in the new shape because of the +-2 body, so that spell cracks. You're back to your naked self, and probably fighting a bit of drain.

OTOH if you want to keep sustaining, sure, I'd rule you could stack it.

I don't think so. By the time you drop the old spell, the new one has taken hold and sets your attributes; the old one is unneeded at this time.

[Dahrken]

Would you allow a mage to pump himself full of a Body-enhancing drug to be able to transform into a bigger animal ? Would you allow a mage to cast and sustain "Increase Body" on himself for the same purpose ?

If you answer "Yes", you may consider allowing the "daisy-chaining" of increasingly larger Shapechange forms. If you answer "No", then you should proscribe it.

Personnaly I wouldn't allow it. You don't turn a bear into a rhinoceros, you try to transform a metahuman that happens to be temporarily assuming an ursine form into a rhinoceros when you cast the spell...

[Stahlseele]

Hmm . . CAN you actually do something like that?
you're attacked by some kind of big critter. Maybe one of those awakened bears.
And simply turn him into a deer or something?

Also, what happens if you turn an elf into a rat, put him into a small steel thingie and stop sustaining?

[pbangarth]

Hmm . . CAN you actually do something like that?
you're attacked by some kind of big critter. Maybe one of those awakened bears.
And simply turn him into a deer or something?

Also, what happens if you turn an elf into a rat, put him into a small steel thingie and stop sustaining?

Shapechange requires a voluntary subject, so this won't work.

Here is another question, though. Say a Possession Tradition mage (OK, OK, with Channeling) casts Shapechange on himself. Say his own BOD is 3. Then he could transform into a creature with BOD from 1 to 5. Now, if he were to be possessed by a F4 spirit, thereby having a BOD of 7, can he transform into a creature within the range of BOD 5 to 9?

I understand that he could transform first and then be possessed, having effectively the same range of BOD, but I wonder whether he could pick a particular large creature he wants to be (to blend in maybe, or have a particular ability) and 'bulk up' first.

[Neraph]

On a closer reading of Shapechange, this is how it works. It checks your Body attribute, and you use the Critter's attributes while in that form. That is very different than its stats replacing your own for the duration of the spell (which is how I assumed it worked). Combine that with how you need to check your Body to figure out what forms you can assume, and that pretty much nullifies any Shapechange chaining.

However, other spells, such as Increased (Body), or drugs that increase your Body attribute, would work with Shapechange, simply because the spell wants your Body attribute, not neccessarily your base or augmented attribute.