Beguiler update
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2022 9:57 am
The Beguiler's (Mystic Russia) Metamorphosis ability is pretty cool and unique, but the mechanics are clunky. Here's my attempt at a rewrite.
Key points:
Racial Metamorphosis: The ability to change one's appearance or impersonate another being.
The P.P.E. cost is 1 point per type of change (see below) for a number of minutes equal to the Beguiler's current level.
With racial metamorphosis, the character can:
For example, if a human male character decided to change into a human female with 2 tentacles (resulting in a HF), the cost per minute would be 4 P.P.E.
Specific individuals can be copied, but such transformations require double the normal P.P.E., and the character is distracted while trying to maintain the required concentration to pull it off (-2/-10% to rolls)
Animal metamorphosis: The Beguiler can assume the shape of an animal.
The P.P.E. cost is lower than Racial transformation (see above): 1 P.P.E. for 5 minutes of transformation per level.
Humans of average size and similar beings can assume the size of something as small as a house cat, or as large as a bear (something up 10x the character's normal weight? or as low as 1/10th the character's weight). Other species of character's limits are left to the GM to decide.
The weight limit can be doubled by doubling the cost, and further with an additional multiple per additional doubling. For example, if a 200 pound human wanted to transform into a 4000 pound rhino (double the normal weight limit), the cost per 5 minutes is 2 P.P.E. If that same human wanted to turn into a 6000 pound Elephant, the cost would be 3 P.P.E. per 5 minutes.
Animal shapes can be modified like Racial metamorphosis, but general appearance is left to the player. For instance, the character can turn into a dog of any species, with any color of fur, of whatever size is normal, and can be a show-quality animal, all for the base price (no P.B. to consider). Changing into a specific dog would cost double, and if that dog was of a different sex the change would cost triple. Then if that dog had eagle wings, the cost would be 4 times normal.
If the character discovers an alien animal with bizarre traits, those forms do not cost more (i.e. if you happen to find an alien dog with tentacles and bat wings, turning into one costs 1 P.P.E. per 5 minutes at first level)
Thoughts?
Key points:
- "Human Metamorphosis seems great...but what if the PC is not human? The racial restrictions are "None"
- Costs are weird
- Some additional rules help flesh-out the power
Racial Metamorphosis: The ability to change one's appearance or impersonate another being.
The P.P.E. cost is 1 point per type of change (see below) for a number of minutes equal to the Beguiler's current level.
With racial metamorphosis, the character can:
- appear older or as young as a child (not an infant)
- appear more or less attractive (shift P.B. up to 50% up or down)
- change the character's sex
- change the character's phenotype (appear healthy, sick, in-shape, out-of-shape, bookish, skinny, overweight, etc)
- take on a horrific appearance (Horror Factor of 10 +1 per 2 levels of experience starting at level 2)
- appear to be a member of another species of similar body type (i.e. a human could appear to be a dwarf or an elf)
- add an additional limb (either like the character's normal form, or others like tentacles. May also add a HF (see above), GMs call)
- adding or changing sense organs (like changing the character's eyes to a dog's granting low-light vision, or adding a third eye in the back of a character's head...can add HF as above)(each pair of sense organs counts as one trait or change
For example, if a human male character decided to change into a human female with 2 tentacles (resulting in a HF), the cost per minute would be 4 P.P.E.
Specific individuals can be copied, but such transformations require double the normal P.P.E., and the character is distracted while trying to maintain the required concentration to pull it off (-2/-10% to rolls)
Animal metamorphosis: The Beguiler can assume the shape of an animal.
The P.P.E. cost is lower than Racial transformation (see above): 1 P.P.E. for 5 minutes of transformation per level.
Humans of average size and similar beings can assume the size of something as small as a house cat, or as large as a bear (something up 10x the character's normal weight? or as low as 1/10th the character's weight). Other species of character's limits are left to the GM to decide.
The weight limit can be doubled by doubling the cost, and further with an additional multiple per additional doubling. For example, if a 200 pound human wanted to transform into a 4000 pound rhino (double the normal weight limit), the cost per 5 minutes is 2 P.P.E. If that same human wanted to turn into a 6000 pound Elephant, the cost would be 3 P.P.E. per 5 minutes.
Animal shapes can be modified like Racial metamorphosis, but general appearance is left to the player. For instance, the character can turn into a dog of any species, with any color of fur, of whatever size is normal, and can be a show-quality animal, all for the base price (no P.B. to consider). Changing into a specific dog would cost double, and if that dog was of a different sex the change would cost triple. Then if that dog had eagle wings, the cost would be 4 times normal.
If the character discovers an alien animal with bizarre traits, those forms do not cost more (i.e. if you happen to find an alien dog with tentacles and bat wings, turning into one costs 1 P.P.E. per 5 minutes at first level)
Thoughts?