How to build the appearance age in 5ER

[Trebuchet]

I would like to have a character be able to look older than she actually is (without actually being less capable) and change back to her normally youthful appearance at will. The ability would be inherent, not using makeup or other external materials. I'm thinking a limited variation of Instant Change (Cosmetic Transform) is the obvious way to do this but I wondered if anyone had other ways to do this..

[Escafarc]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Shape Shift

[Christopher]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Shape Shift (Sight, Touch; only single shape), 13 Base Points; 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/4)

 

Coudl you clarify a litte bit:

Should she look and feel like a specific older person, or only look and feel like an older Self?

 

Depedign on how her powers are built, different looks can just be part of the Special Effect for a Multiform or Only in Alternate ID (nobody asks Cpt. Marvel to supply a shapeshift).

I think even just having an Secret ID compliciation might entile you to a shapeshift - in said secret ID.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

My first thought is that if it doesn't have any game effect -- if it doesn't change how people react to her, or cause people to not recognize her -- then you probably don't need to buy it at all. Chalk it up to SFX and call it good.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

This is exactly the sort of thing that Shapeshift is for.

[Beast]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Disguise and Acting

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

I think we definitely need to know what you intend for it to do, in order to give you good answers. For example, if you don't intend it to mask her identity (i.e., if everyone will still recognize it as her), then you don't need Disguise, etc. What do you want it to do?

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

What does looking older do for her? What does looking younger do for her? In game terms. Answer those questions, and you're 99% of the way there.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

How about this:

 

GrannyForm: Shape Shift (Sight and Hearing Groups),

Persistent (+1/4),

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (23 Active Points);

Affects Body Only (-1/2),

Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Obviously related to the base form; -1/2)

 

Active 23, Real 11

 

This assumes a change in apparent age in voice and visual appearance. You might want to add in Touch (which increases real cost to 15). or substitute touch for Hearing, or get rid of hearing (which reduces real cost to 7). I am assuming that your clothes do not change and that someone who knows one form will recognise the other as a related, but different, person.

 

You can sleep in one form or the other and switch whenever you like. You can add Inherent if you like, depending on how the power works, and whether there is a 'base' form, but I imagine that having dispels and suppress powers for Shape Shift is reasonably rare, so I probably would not bother. This allows you to shift between one age and another (say add 25 years or shift to a 'set' age, say 70).

 

It would be useful in-game in a number of situations, depending on the sort of game you are playing. Primarily it allows you to fool opponents into thinking you are someone else. For example if someone is threatening the character and you need to find out who, you could put your 'granny-form' up as bait, get kidnapped and then you have them...or they have you, same difference.

 

It also means you can get 'granny' to talk to prospective boy/girlfriends and get them to open up, or snag gerontophiliacs...er...it DOES depend on the sort of game you are playing.

[Christopher]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

It also means you can get 'granny' to talk to prospective boy/girlfriends and get them to open up' date=' or snag gerontophiliacs...er...it DOES depend on the sort of game you are playing.[/quote']

This reminds me of a Single Player Book Adventure (One Player, one Character, no GM) I played some time ago. Among the things you meet there is a old witch (as in "there is a class called witch, she was the archetype"). You need help from her and you can ask nicely or get rude. She will help you with the quest in either case.

But if you are nice and helpfull, she turns out to be a lot younger, a lot comelier and relatively lonely. Also, she gives you some helpfull stuff.

[MisterVimes]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Also' date=' she gives you some helpfull stuff.[/quote']

 

Is that what we're calling it these days?

[Christopher]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Is that what we're calling it these days?

Magic Items you might use to escape the Farieland (a much more dangerous place than the name suggests).

[Sean Waters]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

I think she gives you stuff to make fires or do carpentry with, least that is how I read it.

[MisterVimes]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

I think she gives you stuff to make fires or do carpentry with' date=' least that is how I read it.[/quote']

 

That's mighty kind of her!

[Christopher]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

The entire adventeure is rather odd:

You hero goes into the dangerous wilderness, catches the Kobold, befreinds (or more) the Witch, enters the world of Faries, rescues a Small Girl and escapes the world of the faries - only to discover that 7 Years passed in the few hours he was in.

 

And do you know why our young peasant hero embarked on this journey throuh wilderness, witch-huts, dimensions and time? The unbelieveable reason to embark on this epic quest? He wanted to save a single goat (it ran away while he was shephearding it). Yes, he succeeded (along the way).

[MisterVimes]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Has everyone read this but me? Now I'm intrigued.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Not me: I'm bluffing.

[Trebuchet]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

What does looking older do for her? What does looking younger do for her? In game terms. Answer those questions' date=' and you're 99% of the way there.[/quote']It's for an immortal character who needs to disguise that fact in Secret ID but needs to look like the youthful superhero when in action. The character already has Acting and Disguise but needs something than can be switched on and off at a moment's notice. That's why I was thinking of a Limited variant of Instant Change.

[Christopher]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

It's for an immortal character who needs to disguise that fact in Secret ID but needs to look like the youthful superhero when in action. The character already has Acting and Disguise but needs something than can be switched on and off at a moment's notice. That's why I was thinking of a Limited variant of Instant Change.

Other have asked that already, but I ask again:

How similar are his old and young form? Would it be obvious that he is just an older "hismelf"? Or would it be a two totally different persons?

[Trebuchet]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Other have asked that already, but I ask again:

How similar are his old and young form? Would it be obvious that he is just an older "hismelf"? Or would it be a two totally different persons?

The same person; needing to look older. Ordinary people start showing signs of age of aging by their mid-20's; a 30 year old who looks 15 is going to raise eyebrows and perhaps get unwanted questions asked.

[Christopher]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

The same person; needing to look older. Ordinary people start showing signs of age of aging by their mid-20's; a 30 year old who looks 15 is going to raise eyebrows and perhaps get unwanted questions asked.

How exaclty is looking like the same person but older helping him protect his Secret ID?

Has his heroic ID also a Mask? Is the age difference so much (so many wrinkles), that people can't figure out that this old guy and the young hero have the same face?

 

What I really can't figure out is what the game effect of all this is. What does this power help him accoplish and how exaclty does it help him?

[brionl]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

It's for an immortal character who needs to disguise that fact in Secret ID but needs to look like the youthful superhero when in action. The character already has Acting and Disguise but needs something than can be switched on and off at a moment's notice. That's why I was thinking of a Limited variant of Instant Change.

 

Not everything needs to be a specific power. If it's just part of his Only In Hero ID that he looks a lot younger, then that is just part of his powers. You don't need to pay for the ability to chew bubblegum and walk at the same time. If it doesn't affect the game, it doesn't need to cost points.

[Christopher]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

Not everything needs to be a specific power. If it's just part of his Only In Hero ID that he looks a lot younger' date=' then that is just part of his powers. You don't need to pay for the ability to chew bubblegum and walk at the same time. If it doesn't affect the game, it doesn't need to cost points.[/quote']

Let's asume you have a magician, who can create a suiteable magical "double" to stand in as his secret ID when he is adventuring. Once he returns, they merge and he thus gains all the memories that his double has made. The double has no Skills beyond what he needs for the Secret ID (all the PS the character has).

 

You know what that is? The special effect for not having a Secret ID complcaition, or for having a less severe one. There might still be the time when having two people with PS: Librarian coems in handy and of course the GM can allow him to use his double then, without having it written up or paid points for it. As long as he doesn't do that often, no harm done.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

It's for an immortal character who needs to disguise that fact in Secret ID but needs to look like the youthful superhero when in action. The character already has Acting and Disguise but needs something than can be switched on and off at a moment's notice. That's why I was thinking of a Limited variant of Instant Change.

 

IIRC (and I probably don't), Instant Change was built using Transform, which is OK for your clothes, but you can not change yourself that way.

[Greywind]

Re: How to build the appearance age in 5ER

 

What does looking older do for her? What does looking younger do for her? In game terms. Answer those questions' date=' and you're 99% of the way there.[/quote']Looking older, she can buy alcohol. Looking younger, she can get dates.