Editing MTH:Powers Q-Z (section)

==SHAPESHIFT==

Class: Alpha

Cost: 1 Verve, see below

Dice Pool: Stamina + (Survival) + Shapeshift

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to alter her physical form.  

Using Shapeshift is either a simple action taking one turn. A character may take multiple turns to achieve more radical changes than a single roll can produce. Additional turns of shifting cost only time, not Verve, and the character may roll a number of times up to his effective Stamina in a scene. 

Once a character has stopped shifting the changes persist for one scene; the character may shapeshift again before the end of the scene (within the stamina limit above), but doing so requires another activation roll and the expenditure of another Verve. If the character wishes to stay in their assumed shape after one scene, they may continue to do so for one verve. This allows them to hold the form for the rest of the scene without a roll. Additional scenes cost one verve per.

The character may cancel their shift, reverting back to their normal form, at any time as a reflexive action. This is an all-or-nothing reversion. If the player only wants to revert part of their form, they must activate the power again. 

The simplest use of this power is simply to look like another person or similar being, without making any more significant physical changes. Essentially, successes on the activation roll are added to successes on attempts at disguise or impersonation. In addition, the shapeshifter is able to shift her appearance to that of a human or humanoid of any gender, may appear biological, robotic, living or dead, making it impossible to recognize her through cursory visual examination. The character will still smell and taste the same, however, should that come up.   

With out additional Shapeshift merits, this power can be used to simulate powers that aid disguise but don't actually alter the character's physical form, such as holographic projections and identity-oriented illusions.

The character may choose to take an obvious identifying feature as a Persistent Condition for this power. Such a feature might be the inability to change the character's distinctive coloration (think Beast Boy or Plastic Man), or having a distinctive odor. The Condition allows those who are familiar with the shapeshifter to identify them without a roll. This is worth a beat when it becomes a problem for the character.

Shapeshifting has an associated [[MTH:Power_Trees|Power Tree]].

Other then the kinds of powers detailed above, Shapeshift cannot allow the character to emulate other super powers, but it can be used as a rational for buying those powers with experience points.
Weaknesses: 

Single Shape - The character can only take on a single predefined shape, but does not have to roll for activation. If the shape requires multiple successes it now only requires one success, but manifests the same way every time.

Slow Activation - The shift comes on slowly, requiring some other extended action with a target number of 5 successes. Determine an appropriate pool with the Storyteller when this power is taken. Examples might include meditation (as per the core book), an arcane ritual (Intelligence + Occult), or an invocation to a deity (Presence + Expression). 

Evidence - When the character shapeshifts, they leave something behind, such as a shed skin or shell, glowing green mucus, or scorch marks. Whatever it is, it's distinctive and an obvious sign of the character's presence. 

Players looking to do so may want to look at the generic weaknesses Contingent Activation, Convergent Activation and Obvious.