So, my SR GM and myself disagree on the wording of Shapechange.

One of us says that you can assume any form that is between -2 and +2 of your own Body. So, if the form you want to assume has a Body of 3 less than your own, you can't do it. This prevents, for example, a troll from becoming a cat.

The other says that you can assume any form that has a Body of no more than 2 greater than your own. So, for example, a troll could become a cat.

Thoughts?

Calypso

It says "greater or less". No real question about it says I.

<edit for clarity> I think +/- 2 points of body is the right interpretation.

It is an ambiguous wording. It really could be interpretted either way, because in the English language the "or" can either take modifiers or not. Sometimes it is clear from context, and in this case it is not. I would point out, however, that dragons use similar magic to assume human or animal form, and they are not generaly restricted to elephants as their form of choice.

So while the spell wording is unclear as to whether it means:

"Body rating is 2 points greater or Body rating is less"

or

"Body rating is 2 points greater or Body rating is 2 points less"

The story of Shadowrun includes this magic being used in accordance with the first interpretation.

Of course, the spell is horribly over-powered and makes Baby Jesus cry, but not especially because it allows you to turn into a humming bird (mostly because it allows you to turn into an Orangutan).

-Frank

If there was a comma in the sentence ("2 points greater, or less"), I could agree. However, as it stands now, I believe the most likely interpretation is that "greater or less" is part of the same phrase. It is true that both interpretations are possible, but from a purely clause analytic standpoint the author would have to have made a mistake for the first of Frank´s interpretations to be true. The setting-based arguments I agree with.

(Any wording this unclear is a mistake, I know. But I´m sure you know what I mean.)

They should have kept the old shapechange. It allowed for really small and really big changes, but made them difficult. It was also less broken.



Calypso: I would advise your GM to re-write this spell. Set a threshold equal to the (absolute) difference in Body, instead of having net hits grant a bonus to all stats.

Could you turn into a cat with really high body?

As Calypso's GM, I agree with the option setting the threshold as the absolute difference between bodies, possibly with extra hits adding to stats as the spell description says. This makes it difficult to turn into a super strong chihuaua, but much easier for a human to turn into a super strong lion. It sort of balances the stealth of the new form with the sheer power of it.

Cool, finally someone recognizes one of my brilliant house-rule suggestions