Back from the shadows with a few questions I'd like your opinions on.

Drakes are vaguely humanoid, although I sense they prefer to fall foward on their hands for support. Sorta like gorillas.

1. How articulate are their hands? - Do they have 5 fingers and an opposable thumb?

2. Can they use tools sized for them?

3. Can they use firearms modified for their size? - Bows?

4. Drakes have 6 points of natural armor, non-hardened. Can you wear special armor as a drake? - Its bound to be customized, but in principle?

5. What items would NOT be shredded by transformation? - Say a wide enough necklace, that becomes a neckband on the Drake form. - Maybe a flexible utility belt would also survive the transformation. Ideas please.

1) IIRC, they have 4, farily articulate. I think their main problem with firearms would be similar to trolls, jsut not built for them

2)drake w/ a screwdriver? Why not just transform? Electronics work though, probably not, as claws don't work well with fine manipulation

3)I don't see why not, but the claws would probably cause problems on a bow string *snap*

4) drake barding? large ballistic t-shirt of the Big-D? Probably possible, but would likely cause some problems with flight depending on wieght and how secure.

5)Drakes in Spandex

@3 You don't pull a bowstring with your nails, more with the sides of your fingers. - Bowstrings in 2063 are not fragile I imagine. (monowire fiberweave)

@4 I'm not worried about weight, Drakes are strong, I in particular so (STR 13 in Drake form). But the wings must be able to move.

I'm thinking something like a flexible chestplate with slim shoulders that move sharply in on the back, to form a strip that runs between the shoulderblades before widening into the backpiece. Sorta inspired from a wifebeater t-shirt.

By making the chest armor flexible, in human form it smugly wraps around the sides, when changing, the sides creep in over the abdomen as the armor stretches.

It will probably be argued that the armor grants less to the Drakeform than the human form, as there is less armor compared to size.

A lowriding backpack/saddle should be able to be strapped on by having the shoulderstraps meet on the back in a single strap. For stability the bag needs a belt strap too.

Pants made of kevlar padded material with stretchzones should do for pants, pants on the human, Drake with bermuda shorts.

Wear a jacket over the armor and toss it before changing, similarly with the boots. Keep in the bag.

I don't think that the wings have anything to do with flight. Dragon flight is aerodynamicly impossible. It is accomplished by magic. The wings are just for show. The same is probably true for drakes. There is no way that their wings could actually support them.
As for armor, it would have to be customized for the drake form. I certainly wouldn't let armor cary over between transformations. The size and shape differences are just too great.

On size and shape:

1. The Drake form is bigger, arms and legs are wider and longer.

2. Torso is longer and more barrelchested than the human form.

3. Neck is much longer, somewhat wider. Mouth/snout protrudes and head is much wider.

4. Wings protrude near each shoulderblade.

5. Tail protrudes from lower back.

6. Feet are much longer and clawed.

Armor options, that should be possible (although custom and expensive):

1. Lower arm guards, plated/banded vertically and held by elastic material, on human form they cover the entire lower arm, in Drake form they stay low, from near wrist to somewhere below elbow.

2. Upper arm guards, same principle, growing is mostly vertical, not so much in width so a flexible material is certainly available.

3. Thighs become longer, thicker and the tail comes out, difficult to add plating to this area, but spandexl-like shorts that are baggy in human form, tight in Drake form, and have a slit with velcro or similar to allow the tail to pass.

4. Shinguards similar to lower arm solution.

5. Torso, definately able to wear plated armor on certain parts, elastic material on the sides. Crawls up and exposes lower belly when in Drake form. (EDIT: Come to think of it, having the lower part of the armor folded up 10 cms, and stuffed into your pants, a thin material could cover another 20 cms of body, coming close to covering the entire body. Hmm, ribbed up in human form, you might have enough material on even arms and legs to have a two-part full body suit with plating in select areas.)

6. Helmet, not possible to flex, have to be customized if needed, not fullface in any event, more like a skullcap ala an old roman helmet. Should be possible to fit enough to cover the eyes with a visor for videofeed etc.

7. Backpack, should be able to fit normally on a human, but ride lower on the Drake form, below and clear of the wings. Possible need of manuel strap adjustment pre-shapechanging. - Straps might be crossed on chest and carry grenades or other small devices.

Barebones solution:

Stretching belt, necklace thats wide enough, strap harness that can be adjusted.

My motivation for all this, is that the bred drakes are used to being human, wearing clothes and using tools. A puritanical Drake that runs around in his skinnies and use no radio, phones, vidfeeds etc. Is going to fall behind the edge.

Not to mention that it should be relatively easy to create armor for the Drake form. Fx take a look at the Council of Wyrms setting for AD&D, dragons wearing armor.

And whats the fun in wearing your human form, once you discover your Drake form. Not counting the situations where you really don't want to reveal you are a Drake.

I remember there being some artwork somewhere depicting an Adult Western Dragon wearing makeshift armor and an arm-mounted cannon of some type. Perhaps something similar can be made for drakes.

One question, what happens to cyberware in drake form?

Cyberware and bioware is integrated into the Drake form, it vanishes as long as you are a Drake.

You still have lost the Essence for it though, even in Drake form. Or so I believe.

Once you switch back to human, any cyber is there and useable again.

Hello, why not just use Fashion to remake the armor as needed?

The problem isn't necessarily in getting something that'll stretch a lot. The problem is that, by stretching, you're going to weaken the armor significanly. Fabric areas will be much thinner than before; plates will be much more spread out, and offer less protection.

DoSW, don't know the page, but there's one in there