Lycanthropy - Raven & Partial transformations?

[Stattick]

Earlier, I was working on a character that I wanted to be a wereraven sort of character. So, Lycanthropy - Raven (which, so far as I know, doesn't exist canonically).

What I really want, is the ability to have the character selectively transform parts of her body. I can't find any powers that even come close to something like that. How I was going to write it up, was to give the character the powers: Lycanthropy - Raven (I'd have to homebrew it from the animal abilities listed for mutant animals), Animal Metamorphosis - Bird, and Animal Abilities - Bird.

That leaves me about out of powers. The Animal Abilities is pretty redundant, and doesn't really give me anything. Since this is an Immortal - Avatar of a God, I thought maybe I'd just tack on one of the Mega-Hero limitations, go with the Lycanthropy + Animal Metamorphosis, and call that part done. The limitation being that she doesn't have any aspect of her powers available if she doesn't partially or fully transform.

Do you guys think this sounds kosher?


Next question: Would you allow a character as described above, to give herself wings without going full Lycan-form? This would be based on the stats listed for animal powers for mutant animals, rather than a backdoor into an extra power (winged flight).

Or am I overlooking something, and there's a faster or easier way to do what I'm looking for?

(FYI - the rest of the power suite that I was looking at was Sense Death & Destruction, Supervision: Paranormal... and maybe something else.)


As an aside, I totally think that Animal Abilities should just be a minor power.

[Stone Gargoyle]

I did something like that for the Monstrous Creations thread in the PFRPG section of the forum.

[Daniel Stoker]

If you're just looking to selectively transform parts of the body one of the 'tricks' I've used before is to use Shapechanger power and let players who have winged flight hide or re-grow their wings, so anything you grant with Lycanthropy I'd say they could then have. But that is another major power which might not be something you want to deal with, but maybe knock it down to a minor by limiting it to JUST those raven characteristics?


Daniel Stoker

[eliakon]

Earlier, I was working on a character that I wanted to be a wereraven sort of character. So, Lycanthropy - Raven (which, so far as I know, doesn't exist canonically).

What I really want, is the ability to have the character selectively transform parts of her body. I can't find any powers that even come close to something like that. How I was going to write it up, was to give the character the powers: Lycanthropy - Raven (I'd have to homebrew it from the animal abilities listed for mutant animals), Animal Metamorphosis - Bird, and Animal Abilities - Bird.

That leaves me about out of powers. The Animal Abilities is pretty redundant, and doesn't really give me anything. Since this is an Immortal - Avatar of a God, I thought maybe I'd just tack on one of the Mega-Hero limitations, go with the Lycanthropy + Animal Metamorphosis, and call that part done. The limitation being that she doesn't have any aspect of her powers available if she doesn't partially or fully transform.

Do you guys think this sounds kosher?


Next question: Would you allow a character as described above, to give herself wings without going full Lycan-form? This would be based on the stats listed for animal powers for mutant animals, rather than a backdoor into an extra power (winged flight).

Or am I overlooking something, and there's a faster or easier way to do what I'm looking for?

(FYI - the rest of the power suite that I was looking at was Sense Death & Destruction, Supervision: Paranormal... and maybe something else.)


As an aside, I totally think that Animal Abilities should just be a minor power.

To be honest?
This is, to me, one of those cases where Rule Zero comes into play.
The GM looks at the idea and says "yeah, that's the coolest option, make it so" and you just roll with it. Your giving her a power (partial transform) with a weakness (must change to use powers). And its an immortal (one of the most powerful mega-classes) anyway it doesn't sound like a little bit of extra ability in the interest of making a more interesting character would be a problem at all.
BTW, you might look at Energy Aura. If she has an energy aura of a dark raven that might be interesting...
TL;DR yep, totally kosher.

[RockJock]

I don't think what you are wanting is overpowered, or all that far out there, so I would definitely allow it.

What about Mega Wings, with the option to hide the wings as a basis for this? Maybe with Heightened Sense of Smell, and Advanced Sight(or Feral) to round out the Raven elements, plus the Death Sense and Paranormal Sight? One major and four minors is an option.

What other characteristics do you want? Claws of some kind perhaps?

[drewkitty ~..~]

Partial transformations.....The only place I can think of that has similar rules governing this (as you described) is the empowered humans in NB: Shadows of Light book. It takes a PPE cost to perform their transformations. With their partial transformations costs pro-rated more then if they do a full transformation.

If I was making the custom rules for the char, as OP described, I might use the SoL format I mentioned, mod it slightly so it would fit your idea. But like with the SoL empowered humans put the char as a Mystically Bestowed Abilities magic power cat. Writing up the char's background to fit.

Other...staying within HU....options would be to have the char an alien with natural abilities and then do some hand-wavium and have that char be a mutant with powers linked to their transformed (animal) side.

Another option would be to rewrite the Lycanthrope power so it lets the char have the three forms.

There is the defect/side-effect option written in to the mutants % roll tables that limits the powers unless transformed.

With all of these options it is best to involve your GM in the creation process.

[The Beast]

Perhaps looking at the Nightbane creation rules would be useful? First one I ever rolled up had avian features (were-swan). You could drop the supernatural aspect to it and just use the transformation stuff if you and/or your GM don't want to go the whole route with the Nightbane stuff.

[Regularguy]

If you're just looking to selectively transform parts of the body one of the 'tricks' I've used before is to use Shapechanger power and let players who have winged flight hide or re-grow their wings

I'm chuckling at the idea of using Shapechanger to grow wings despite having Wingless Flight.

[Daniel Stoker]

I've actually done that in the past to make the character seem harder to plan for who had a magic device that gave him flight but no one else knew about.


Daniel Stoker

[Sir_Spirit]

I would assume a wereraven would use shapechanging to turn his arms into wings. Not grow them from his back. Maybe go about this is a different ways. Perhaps he can transform body parts as he goes up in levels.
Also, have you looked at Monstrous Form for ideas?