Shapeshifting VPP

[Elysea]

I'm working on building a shapeshifting character. Not just your Mystique-variety shapeshifter though; a character who can grow armored dermal plates, or claws, or wings, or anything a situation might call for, all based on spreading his total body mass around.

 

Obviously, this sounds like a VPP. But I'm looking for suggestions on how to build it efficiently. Should I buy Shapeshifting outside the VPP to save points, since it will be the one Power almost always in use? And then Link the VPP to Shapeshifting for further cost savings? Or can I get away with just saying that the shapeshifting is just the special effect of the VPP? That the character is always recognizable as himself, even when he decides to be a flying armor-plated taloned version of himself? That is, assuming the power to imitate other people or look differently isn't central to the character concept. Could I take the Visible limitation on the VPP if I wanted? To impose the necessity of overt transformation -- no Armor that just looks like his normal skin, etc?

 

 

Any suggestions appreciated, thanks.

 

 

Elysea

[Tom McCarthy]

I don't think you can take Visible to save on the VPP as some of the powers (flight, HKA) are inherently visible.

 

I might want to look at the cost of building it as a VPP (probably with shapeshift outside) versus a multipower with specific slots.

 

45 VPP

? VPP control cost (perhaps 36 for no roll, 1/2 phase to change, physical powers only)

 

vs.

 

45 Multipower

9m 3D6 HKA

9m 20" Flight, x4 NCM

5m 15 rPD 15rED Armour, costs END, visible

etc.

[Elysea]

What if I bought the VPP, and then just used Multiform out of the VPP? Let's say:

 

250pt base character.

50pt VPP pool

25p Control cost, with +2 Cosmic advantage (no skill roll, zero-phase action) = 75pt Control cost.

 

Total cost of the VPP would be 125pts, and the character would then basically use Multiform out of his VPP, reconfigurable as a zero-phase action... The downside would be that with Multiform, any skills and stats he bought for his base form with his remaining 125pts wouldn't carry over to any of his transmutations and he would have to re-purchase them in every form. Not the worst thing in the world to have to do though; overall I'm afraid this setup might be a little too powerful and wouldn't get GM approval. ("A 250pt character who spends 125pts in order to be able to assume any 250pt shape he wants? No.")

 

Multiform is not subject to the 1:1 point cost that Duplication is once you reach your own base character point total at 1:5 So the VPP could hypothetically be beefed up even more if the base character could be fleshed out with less than 125pts... Of course, that would make GM approval even more difficult to obtain. Now that I look at it, Multiform itself requires a +5 adder to be made zero-phase, but that's no big deal.

 

Could be a pretty powerful template... a 250pt character whose normal form is 125pts and who can assume any 250pt form he likes in the blink of an eye.

[Tom McCarthy]

As a GM, I might allow it so long as the VPP isn't actually Cosmic. If it's only to give Multiforms, and the multiforms only are your base form plus 125 points of physical powers instead of your VPP, I'd probably allow it (subject to typical restrictions; the new form has to fit campaign damage and speed limits, the new forms should usually be written up ahead of time whenever possible for speed, etc.)

[Talon]

Yeah, the Multiform is the best solution but also the most potentially abusive; check with your GM.

[Elysea]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Tom:

Good ideas. I could take the -1/4 Slightly Limited limitation (Shapeshift only -- no mental powers, force fields, etc.) and then maybe another -1/4 for (All Multiforms must take Base form skills/stats/etc). That would bring the control cost down to 50pts, freeing up 25 more points to beef up/flesh out the base form (I always wanted to learn to play the piano...). Of course, you're robbing Peter to pay Paul that way if all the multiforms have to match the base form, but at least I won't be quite so flat-footed if I get caught in normal ID.

 

 

Elysea