Topic: Shapechanging, personal auras and equipment

[PiXeL01]

I was just reading a little in Spell law, Classic, and stumbled accross the passage about auras. It says a great many things, one of them is that a persons aura envelopes a person equipment, since explains the teleport thing. Now following a rather simple but similar line of thinking, wouldnt this thing also enable a person to shapechange into something else, including animals without harming his equipment (maybe causing it to be absorbted into him/her?) Of course this could be limited to no magic equipment, where as rings, necklaces and such might automatically resize to fit the new form?

[Marc R]

Most of the shapechanging spells only make you resemble something (without any abilities). As GM, I'd just say that your clothing, gear and body all merge into the new form, which is not actually real. Certain items will resist transformation, as you indicated.

Whenever a spell does not intend for equipment to be affected, it seems to specifically state so. . .take "Unseen" as an example.

[yammahoper]

What LM said.

lynn

[markc]

If you are looking for some good rules on shapechangeing I use the World of Darkness: Werewolf rules as a guide. It has a ritual that allows you to dedicate items that will be transformed with you when you shape change. Maybe a crossover rules will be -10 PP per dedicated item or something.
MDC

[Balhirath]

Most of the shapechanging spells only make you resemble something (without any abilities). As GM, I'd just say that your clothing, gear and body all merge into the new form, which is not actually real. Certain items will resist transformation, as you indicated.

Whenever a spell does not intend for equipment to be affected, it seems to specifically state so. . .take "Unseen" as an example.

Thats the way I do it too. Just remember to inform the players if some material resist transformation (and they have a chance to know that).
I was in a group once where one of the others had the ability to transform into a greater warcat. It went well for a while, until he found a Mithril chain and tried to change while wearing that. It resisted the transformation and the result was that something bigger than a horse was squeezed through the rings of a humansized chainmail.. Not a pretty sight 

[Old Man]

A similar question had occured to me - does the Aura include a spellcaster's familiar? I assume yes else you can't bring it with you with most low-end transport spells eh?

The lycanthrope-types (Bear Tribesmen) in my campaigns drop all gear when they shift unless said gear has been enchanted with two forms (one worn by each body) linked via the RMC I multiple-forms enchantment. But usually generic shapeshifts overlay on top of gear...

Ciao,
Old Man

[Marc R]

Your aura shouldn't include another being, since they have an aura themselves. I'd give familiars their own RRs to affects and would allow them to be targeted as a "Being" to spells, not "an object" . . .

So you could shapechange your familiar, or yourself, but casting on one would not change the other.

OTOH, if your familiar dog is wearing an ordinary leather collar, that would transform along with them if you cast a change spell on them (Being inside their aura).

Hmm, that's a nasty turn for a teleport spell. . . .technically a teleport is "1 being" but I might allow the pet ferret in your pocket to come along for free. . .one of those things where if the GM is going to stick to technically correct you might have a few wee problems.

Familiars are odd anyhoo, since they are aura bound to the caster.

[Old Man]

...
Hmm, that's a nasty turn for a teleport spell. . . .technically a teleport is "1 being" but I might allow the pet ferret in your pocket to come along for free. . .one of those things where if the GM is going to stick to technically correct you might have a few wee problems.
...

Interesting eh? I've been running for 20 years and it never occurred to me to consider the various familiars running about. Bonded companions, Mastered elementals or constructs I was tracking and the caster had to take care of them. But familiars, nope, clean forgot... Perhaps it just never came up...

Ciao,
Old Man

[David Johansen]

Generally I'd allow personal effects, even someone's father's sword to be transformed.

On the other hand I allow changes to provide racial abilities.  It's just you have to buy them as skills.  Turned into a Dragon?  Well, I hope you've developed your Huge Flying, Huge Claw, and Fire Breath skills because otherwise you are in big trouble.

Because, shape shifting is pretty pointless for anything other than disguise if you can't grow claws or something.

I've never understood why game designers suffer from such a terrible fear of shapechanging when it's really not much more than a limited form of summoning where you take the damage.

[Balhirath]

I've never understood why game designers suffer from such a terrible fear of shapechanging when it's really not much more than a limited form of summoning where you take the damage.

I think that it's because if you have a 1-3 level character, that can shapechange into something with 100Lbi it's rather hard to set a level of encounters that will provide a challenge for the shapeshifter and at the same time gives the other people in the group a fighting chance.

I usually don't have players pay for their claw or bite attack when in the 'other form' since i feel that most animals instinctively know how to use their natural weapons.
BUT since the PC's are not completely animals, some learning need to take place until they are fully grown as the shape they shift into, which I usually set to be level 5. I take the OB of the grown animal and divide it by 5 and add it per level. So if the shape have 100 OB at Level 5, at level 1 the PC will have an OB of 20 at level 1, 40 at level 2, 60 at level 6, 80 at level 4 and finally OB 100 at level 5. The shape of the animal also grow as the character raise in level. (Rather fun to have the player shift into what he or she think is a dangerous form and then gets a cute little one instead. Tiger kittens or Wolf pups are cute 
I have used this system a few times and it works rather well.
The PC gets the natural weapon without having to spend even more development points, the level of encounters are easier to figure out and the other players doesn't feel cheated      

[markc]

I would have to say in RM2 i might not have players buy thier attacks but in RMSS I would as IMO thier are more DP's.
MDC

[David Johansen]

Alternately you could make it an obscure lore skill per animal.  If you were feeling merciful to mages with really bad Ag and SD scores.

[yammahoper]

If an animal form is assumed, or monster, look up the creature in your Creatures and Monsters or whatever.  Look at the level listed for the creature.  The abilities listed are the abilities possed at that level.  If the PC is higher or lower than that level, adjust his hits/OB's?etc according to the creature rules in the front of the book.  In addition, there is a level variable letter.  Look at the letters colum abd see just how much higher level the creature can be.  Add the max additional levels to its base level and you have the max level for the creature.  This max isn't the max level of the PC, but can be used to impose the creatures max OB's, hits, poison levels, spell abilities, etc.

lynn

[yammahoper]

I disagree.  RMFRP skill system basically requires double dev cost for all skills to advance at a rate equal to old RM2 skill rank bonus advancement.  There is no advantage to having "more" dev points.  The "more" is really an illusion.

lynn

[David Johansen]

One side point, on items and personal auras, it just occurred to me that Attunement might cover this.

[Marc R]

Attunement allows you to link your aura to an object for use, generally a magic item.

I could see the attunement skill making some sense in the context of subverting magic item RRs by making the bearer's RR be the relevant one. (Certainly would make it easier to destroy the one ring, just blast the weilder.) That treads into iffy ground. . .then again, considering how many magical trinkets and do-dads PCs can pick up in a high magic game, a change spell resulting in all your magic items in bags and packs falling to the floor as the bags/packs get "absorbed" might get really annoying.

OTOH non magical items are automatically assumed to be subverted by the weilder's aura, per the ruling referred to in the first post of this thread.

[David Johansen]

Of course they might not re-appear in as good order as they vanished.  "Your wand was where again?"  "You don't wanna know!"