Book 15 Powers...

[Dakchronos]

Shapeshifter (Unlimited)

Any living creature, how would you guys take this? Just as literal as it says? It still throws me for a loop.

[drewkitty ~..~]

The Reshaper from the NB nightlands book is an unlimited shapeshifter. Can even change shape into inanimate objects.

[Dakchronos]

But what about instinctively knowing the abilities of the creature? Becoming an adult dragon gives a few advantages. Mutants are "living creatures".

[drewkitty ~..~]

The Heros of the Megaverse is not a numbered RDB. so it is not RDB 15, it is just HotM.
Possessing and Knowing powers are two different things. While one might change shape into a 'mutant' they can not specifically select to copy an individual. thus they can't copy that individual's powers by changing into that individual's form. So the 'mutant' form might or might not have powers....even if it does the powers might not be the same with each transformation to that form.

Reshapers (a race) does not gain any abilities from reshaping into other living being forms but for physical ones.

[Glistam]

We're not talking about Reshapers or anything from Nightbane here.

82% Shape Shifter: Unlimited

Okay, the power is limited to living beings. The character can transform his entire body and appearance into any living creature, from the size of a mouse to a giant or dragon without limit. He can not exactly copy a specific person or animal, but can make himself look similar and possesses all the natural abilities for that type of creature. The transformation takes one melee round (15 seconds) and uses up all the character's attacks for that round. The hero can turn into any creature he has ever seen and doesn't need to have knowledge about its abilities; when he changes into it he automatically has them and intuitively knows how to use them. The transformed character retains all of his own memories, knowledge and powers, but they and spell casting are at half power when in any type of animal form; he must turn back into himself or a humanoid form to use them at full power. Retains his ability to speak regardless of his form. Great for disguise, infiltration, escape, hiding and temporarily having the powers of that particular race or animal species.

So to answer Dakchronos, yes, just as literal as it says. Shape shifting into an adult dragon (an actual, literal example listed within the power) will give the character all the natural abilities for that type of creature. The limitation here is, when did the character see an adult dragon? He can only turn into what he has seen.

In the case of "Mutants," since you can only copy a creature type and not a specific individual, I would rule here that turning into a mutant subjects the character to having to roll on all the random tables a mutant is subject to. You would not copy a specific mutant's abilities. I think every time they re-morph into a Mutant form they should have to roll randomly again.

Since Nightbane was brought up I would rule similarly for copying a Nightbane as I did for copying a Mutant.

[Nekira Sudacne]

It gives you the natural abilities. it does NOT give you supernatural abilities. Meaning you would have the shape of an adult dragon, be able to move and fly. You could not breath fire, or use any dragon magic, or use any of the dragons innate abilities. it says you retain your OWN powers, NOT gain the powers of the shape you take, even if they are "natural". you can become a bat and get echolocation, or a fish and breath and swim underwater.

You can disguise yourself as a dragon, but it wouldn't do you much good.

[eliakon]

I would say it gives you all the abilities that are listed in the 'natural abilities' section of a race/creature stat block......

[drewkitty ~..~]

I will have to side with eli on this one. While NS's PoV can be a good ruling when faced with a Munchkin Player...the wording supports eli's PoV.

[VIsgar]

I've been looking at this power and it is wonderful getting all the natural abilities of a species.

I was theorizing about a Chiang-ku (the best dragon) Operator with Shapeshifter: Unlimited power.

I was wondering about combining SS:U with their natural ability such as
-no longer having a time limit of 1 hour per ME
-using their natural ability to exactly copy someone but now copy a specific person/creatures natural abillities like a specific superheros powers
-becoming a Promethean to work on that pesky phase technology

Machine merge was another interesting power to me and I was wondering if since the machine and character were one could a Chiang-ku apply their 1d4x10 every 5 minutes regeneration to the merged machine similar to if the machine takes damage (while merged) so does the merger?

Using the rules in conversion book 1 saying scholars/adventurers can select some super powers I was looking at.

Major-
Shapeshifter: Unlimited (my favorite power to date)
Machine-merge (would make a great dog fighter in space combat, being an awesome hacker and anything else tech related)

Minor-
Bio-aura (up to 100lbs. gear can shapeshift with you)
Speed-tasking (build/repair at x2 speed)

[Axelmania]

The Heroes of the Megaverse is not a numbered RDB. so it is not RDB 15, it is just HotM.

"Dimension Book 15" appearing on the cover of SotA adding some reinforcement to this view.

With UWW still the hypothetical 9th book, I wonder if "Grand Paladins" will be 16 or if that was cancelled at some point.

I have seen some people refer to HotM as DB15 (unofficial of course) since it came out after Thundercloud Galaxy and before SoTA came out. Dakchronos in August 2014 "Dimension Book 15: Heroes of the Megaverse, page 70, Universal Being." You have Drachenwulf contradict it in November 2017... but I don't think SOTA was out in 2014 so I think the casual use of DB15 at that time for HOTM was relatively justified since it was a dimension book even if 15 wasn't put on the cover for whatever reason. Sort of like how we tend to refer to Manhunter as DB0.

[ITWastrel]

Shape Shifter: Unlimited... This power is insane. The only limit on it is "Living beings", and it specifically references Dragons as a potential shape?

How about these shapes:
Adult dragon. As referenced and intended? After seeing one in the sky, years ago in his youth,the character can at any time become a dragon.
A vampire intelligence. It's alive, and nothing in the description says anything against it.
An elemental. A full on, major fire elemental, once glimpsed, and there you go.
A spirit of light, a demon lord, a pixie. How about a 2nd stage Promethean?
Hop a rift to Olympus, YO! ZEUS! And now I am a major god. Not Zeus, more like the generic of Zeus. Like, Shous, the god of mild shocks.
A hundred handed with 30,000 to 180,000 MDC.

Even better, what constitutes a natural ability? Supernatural strength, MDC, PPE? Psionics? Innate magical abilities?

Insanity.

[VIsgar]

I would say it gives you all the abilities that are listed in the 'natural abilities' section of a race/creature stat block......

I agree with eliakon's quote also.

Now for my own thoughts on its limitations:

-As an adult fire dragon you could use their breath weapon, teleports, NV & see the invisible, turn invisible, bio-regen, impervious to fire, metamorphosis, SN strength and endurance but at your stats, the ability to sense dragons and leylines, no longer needing to eat, sleep or breath while transformed.
-You would not get skills, stat increases numerically, ppe, isp, scd/hp/mdc, skills, spells/psionics, the exp table, Dragon spells of legend.

While an extremely wondrous and powerful super ability I cannot see KS and crew releasing the power as theorized by ITWastrel because it would be too unbalanced.