Shapeshifter and Movement

[Outsider]

I have a character who is a powerful shapeshifter who can take on pretty much any form, and keep it indefinitely (0E, Persistent Shapeshift). In order to simulate the breadth of movement powers available to him, he has an MPP for movement powers. Whatever movement powers he has are dependent on his shape. If he is to have flight, his form needs to be physically capable of flying, to run, it must be physically capable of running, to swim, of swimming, and so on.

So my question is, since his MPP distribution is dependent on his form at the moment, the only way for him to redistribute the MPP is to use his Shapeshift power, which requires a 1/2 phase action. I am a bit iffy about allowing the entire MPP to be Linked to the Shapeshift, as some forms do not actually have some (or any) of the movement powers and Linked powers HAVE to be used when the power they are linked to is used, but having to change shapes and spend a half phase to redistrinbute the MPP should be worth something. I wqas thinking -1/4. Does this sound about right, or do you think I am shortchanging myself?

Also... would the limitation that the MPP could only be distributed in ways that support the form be taken as a -1/4 also? (ie, if he is shaped like a man, he cannot have more than 10" running and 4" swimming. Flight, gliding, swinging, and tunnelling must be 0")

[Killer Shrike]

Why not just use Multiform with a very large number of forms instead? Then the form you are "shifting" into can have whatever movement you want it to.

[Jhamin]

The other obvious question (to me at least) is why go with a MPP at all? Why not go for a variable power pool. Once you start getting dozens of slots in MPP it starts to be more cost effective.

[Killer Shrike]

Heres a trick -- identify a number of archetypes that you want to be able to change into, like big beater, bounding slasher, small flyer, swimmer etc.

Have 4 or 8 forms covering the archetypes you want, with the abilities appropriate to them.

On each form take full physical Shapeshift with the limitation "1 Form per Multiform Activation". Then, you can look like whatever, but the ability set remains the same for that archetype. You could use the big beater form to look like a rock monster, a huge grizzly, a medium sized dinosaur, etc. The powers are the same but the appearance is different.

[Outsider]

Unless they changed how multiform works, one can only get about two dozen forms at most on a 350 point character. While that is a lot of forms, it doesnt really allow one to turn into -anything- at all.

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by Outsider
Unless they changed how multiform works, one can only get about two dozen forms at most on a 350 point character. While that is a lot of forms, it doesnt really allow one to turn into -anything- at all. You should check out 5th Edition Multiform. You can get a fair number of forms. Also, reference above where the forms are archetypical and each have shapeshift so that they can look like whatever suits that archetype each time you go into that form.

[Outsider]

The VPP might be more flexible, but it wont be cheaper.

VPP Construction : 70 points
40 (40) VPP pool
30 (60) VPP Control
______(+1) 0 Phase Change
______(+1) No Skill Roll
______(-1/2) Movement powers only
______(-1/2) Powers change only when Shapeshift is used


MPP Construction : 44 points
27 (40) (40) Multipower - Limb Forms - Redistribute slots after shapeshifitng only, new distribution must reflect form (-1/2)
5m (8m) (40) Running A - 15" - 8xNCM - (to 180 mph)
2m (3m) (17) Swimming - 12" - 4xNCM (to 72mph)
5m (8m) (40) Flight - 10" - 32xNCM (to 480mph)
1m (2m) (12) Gliding - 12" - 2xNCM (to 36mph)
1m (2m) (12) Superleap - 12" - 2xNCM
2m (3m) (17) Swinging - 17" - 2xNCM (to 51 mph)
1m (5m) (25) Tunnelling - 5" - (2 meters/minute) Extra time 5 minutes, every time it is used (-2), No NCM (-1/4)

[Outsider]

Anyway... here is what I have for the character so far :


Value/Stat/Cost

20 STR 10
20 DEX 30
20 CON 20
20 BOD 20
10 INT 0
10 EGO 0
13 PRE 3
20 COM 5
20 PD 16
20 ED 16
4 SPD 10
8 REC 0
40 END 0
40 STN 0


24 (30) Elemental Control - Form Changing - All powers take end to start (-1/4)
20 (30) (60) Slot 1 : Shape Changing - up to 6E to start, 0E thereafter
__________ Shapeshift - Any Form - Reduced Endurance 0E (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Must extrude appropriate organs to sense (-1/4)
17 (30) (60) Slot 2 : Size Increase - up to 6E to start, 0E thereafter
___________Growth - 6 Levels - Reduced Endurance 0E (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Not while Shrunk (-1/4), Must Conserve Mass (-1/4)
17 (30) (60) Slot 3 : Size Decrease - up to 6E to start, 0E thereafter
___________Shrinking - 3 Levels - Reduced Endurance 0E (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Not while Grown (-1/4), Must Conserve Mass (-1/4)
21 (32) (62) Slot 4 : Material Change - up to 6E to start, 0E thereafter
___________Density Increase - 5 levels - Reduced Endurance 0E (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), VSE Becomes the matter he is imitating (+1/4), PD/ED added is Resistant (+1/4) Must Conserve Mass (-1/4),
20 (30) (60) Slot 5 : Extremely Attenuated Forms - Up to 6E to start, 0E thereafter
___________Stretching - 6" - Reduced Endurance 0E (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), No Non-Combat Multiples (-1/4)

27 (40) (40) Multipower - Limb Forms - Must have form appropriate to movement used (-1/2)
5m (8m) (40) Running - 15" - 8xNCM - (to 180 mph)
2m (3m) (17) Swimming - 12" - 4xNCM (to 72mph)
5m (8m) (40) Flight - 10" - 32xNCM (to 480mph)
1m (2m) (12) Gliding - 12" - 2xNCM (to 36mph)
1m (2m) (12) Superleap - 12" -2xNCM
2m (3m) (17) Swinging - 17" - 2xNCM (to 51 mph)
1m (5m) (25) Tunnelling - 5" - (2 meters/minute) Extra time 5 minutes, every time it is used (-2), No NCM (-1/4)

-14 (-14) Innate Running & Swimming sold off
30 (30) Life Support - FULL
5 (5) Extra Limbs
10 (10) Regeneration 1 Body/Turn -
10 (10) Damage Resistance (10/10) - Innate Body Toughness -
20 (30) Damage Reduction 50% (Physical Resistant) - Lack of differentiated internal function - Only vs Stun (-1/2)

3 (3) Acting (12) (+5)
3 (3) Disguise (11) (+5)
3 (3) Mimicry (11) (+5)
15 (15) Skill Levels - Impersonation - (Acting, Disguise, Mimicry)
3 (3) Ambidexterity


-10 Accidental Change - Uncontrolled Form Change when Body is taken - Common, 8-
-15 Susceptibility - Transforms - Uncommon, 3d6





Notes :
1) 20 Comliness is about as good as he can imitate. Not all forms will have it.
2) The Character has no real base form. Whatever he is, that what he is. The Elemental Control "takes end to start, but not to maintain" Limitation is to represent that, while changing forms is difficult, once he is settled into a form,
that IS his natural form.
3) Shapeshift Lim "Must exude sense organs to sense" means that, if he wants to feel any but the most intense of touches, he needs to have skin, to see anything he needs eyes (or cameras!) am eardrum (or equivalent) to hear, a
tongue to taste, and so on. Hearing and scent/taste can be concealed fairly easily, albeit he might suffer perception penalties, but touch and sight cannot, and if he wishes to have those senses, it might well screw up his disguise.
People NOTICE an armchair with eyes!
4) Growth and Shrinking are not useable simultaneously to prevent the character from Growing 6 levels and Shrinking 2, which would end up with him normal sized, but having +30 strength.
5) When he uses his density increase, the special effect is that he actually BECOMES, partially, or in whole, some other form of matter. It becomes possible for him to change the substance of his being into a more advantageous
form in certian circumstances. He could, for example, change into a man of silver, and thus be able to effect certain incorporeal being hit only by silver. Once the matter he has absorbed is exuded, though, it will change back in fairly
short order to whatever it was that he originally absorbed. Thus, while he could change himself into a 1600kg gold ingot by absorbing your car, once he changed back to a human form, the excess 1500 kg would revert back to the
steel, plastic, and other bits that a car is made of. It would, however, probably be just a heap of steel and plastic, rather than a car.
6) Mass Conservation on Growth/Shrinking/Density Increase means that the character must absorb mass from -somewhere- to grow (or un-shrink), and leave a pile of -something- when he shrinks (or un-grows). This is a
disadvantage, so the character cannot use it to gain an advantage (ie, absorbing a high DEF door that is blocking his access to someplace) but it is only a 1/4 disadvantage, so he should be able to find something to absorb fairly easily
(furniture, someone's car, a big hunk of pavement, whatever)
7) The Multipower of Movements represents the character's ability to change into forms that allow almost any conceivable form of normal/real world (non-teleporting) movement. Whatever form he takes must actually be able to
move via actual physics to work. If he is to run, he will need legs or wheels, to fly, wings of some sort (bird, bat, airplaine), to swim, fins or perhaps a propeller, and so on. He might be able to Shapeshift into a classic storybook
Dragon, but there is no way he could actually fly like one. Unless, perhaps, his form was mostly hollow.... Extremely fast movement will pretty much always require a mechanical form (Swimming over 2xNCM, Running over
4xNCM, or Flying over 8xNCM) In order to exude the proper limbs if his current form doesnt posess them will require the character to spend a half phase using shapeshift.
8) His innate running and swimming were sold off to represent the fact that he has no native form. If he happens to be in the form of a human, he has, at most, 10" running and 5" swimming (2xNCM on each)
9) The Damage Reduction is bought to simulate the increased resistance a being with no actual organs (he COULD imitate them, though) has against damage. He cannot suffer a concussion, doesnt bleed, cant be kicked in the
privates, cant be kidney punched, and so on. He isnt any harder to tear up than any other 20pd/20ed (10/10 of which is resistant) being, though, so the reduction was bought only vs stun.

[Chris Goodwin]

Originally posted by Outsider
and Linked powers HAVE to be used when the power they are linked to is used,


This is incorrect. See FREd p. 195.

[pinecone]

I have a shapeshifter with a simular concept/build and I stuck "form follows function" -1/4 on my Move-Multi and no-ones had a cow (yet) I have used The Shape at cons, including with a very fussy GM and it was OK each time...so check with the GM and most likely it will be "OK"...if not...well your only saving a few points anyway......