MTH:Shapeshifting

Extended Hold (* or **)

Prerequisite: Shapeshifting

Effect: The character has learned to hold their shape for longer durations. At one dot, rather than requiring a point of verve after every scene, holding the shape requires a point of verve each additional day. At two dots, the shape may be held indefinitely, and if killed or knocked out, the character does not automatically revert, unless the player wishes it so.

Proteus Shape (*)

Prerequisite: Shapeshifting

Effect: This merit removes the Stamina limit on shapeshift activation.

Perfect Chameleon (*)

Prerequisite: Shapeshifting

Effect: The character can mask their scent and taste as well.

Body Mechanics (*)

Prerequisite: Shapeshifting, Medicine 2+

Effect: Having achieved a better understanding of their own body, the shapeshifter adds the following to the power's capabilities;

• Hide levels of damage (This requires an activation roll with a penalty equal to the number of health levels.)
• Stop bleeding or hemorrhaging other bodily fluids automatically.
• Negate wound-penalties.
• Reattach a severed limb or organ. Not that this does not heal the damage that severed it for the purposes of health levels.
• Temporarily regain the function of a lost limb or other organ, other than the brain.
• The character may become impregnated, give birth or sire children regardless of gender, and has direct control over their reproductive capacities. The player may decide for themself if their character is aware of this.

More Than Human (***)

Prerequisite: Shapeshifting, Body Mechanics

Effect: The versatility of the shapeshifter increases. For each -2 penalty taken on the activation roll the character may do one of the following;

• Increase or decrease her Size or species Speed factor by one, to a (functional) minimum of zero.
• Shift any one dot in Physical Attributes around; no Attribute may be reduced below one in this manner.
• Add or remove any number of limbs, vestigial or otherwise.

These effects stack, both within the same activation roll and with subsequent activations.

Emulate Power (****)

Prerequisite: Shapeshifting, Power Level 3+

Effect: When activating the power, for an additional Verve; The character may take one dot in a purely biological Alpha superpower. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what powers can be emulated with Shapeshift; things like Claws (Power Strike) and Armor are appropriate, while powers such as Mental Blast, Force Field, and Teleport aren't. These powers must be activated as normal, but if an action is required to activate them, they may be activated in the same turn as the Shapeshift action is taken. The character pays for them as normal, with verve, and uses the default listed die pool. They do not substitute their rating in Shapeshift for their rating in the appropriate power.

If the shapeshifter is mechanical in nature (usually a rational for the distinctive feature drawback), they may copy Alpha powers with a plausible mechanical rational as an extra.

Emulate Equipment (**)

Prerequisite: Shapeshifting

Effect: The shapeshifter may copy tools and weapons with their limbs. Weapons created in this manor have no Initiative penalty and have a damage modifier of no more than the character's Craft skill.

For equipment, the character may activate their power to remove a die penalty from a roll due to lack of the appropriate equipment. This may allow the character to take a die roll they normally could not take, but the Storyteller must agree with the rational the player provides.

The character can only emulate tools or weapons that operate on a simple physical rational; A traditional key, not a key card; a knife, not a gun.