Shapeshifter Abilities

-----------------------------=<< Call Beast >>=-----------------------------

All lycanthropes can opt between the three forms of 'Human', 'Critter', and the typical 'Wolfman' form (More like "American Werewolf in London" than from the original "The Wolfman") at will, unless personally restricted (IE: some cursed shifters instead of the standard infected shifters).

In order to perform more select shifts, an Alpha must have the Call Beast ability. The shifter adds Power + Call Beast and checks that in a +roll/per. Success is how much of a percentage of the shifter's body is changed in the next pose. 1/10th of Failure is how many poses before they can try again or continue.

For these purposes, the head and neck is considered 10% of a person. Each arm is 10% and each leg is 20%. The remaining 30% is the torso.

If you're looking for what the books refer to as "calling someone's beast" or "releasing your beast", see 'news dominate'.


---------------------------=<< Channel Munin >>=----------------------------

Very much like a Voodoo practitioner calling down a Loa to possess them to impart wisdom, Shapeshifters can attempt to channel the spirits of their pack's ancestors. Generally when a shifter dies, their fellow pack-members shift into animal form and consume the corpse of the fallen. This ritual allows the spirit of the departed to be channeled at a later date (but only works if the departed is consumed by their own kind). This Ability is most often used by Alpha Lukoi (with the spirits known as Munin) for healing or inter-pack combat, but other predatory shifters have been known to carry on the habit.

A shifter with this Ability can '+roll/per <Channel Munin>' to try to whistle up the spirits to assist them in a Skill or Ability, with a successful amount added to their Skill or Ability (NOTE: But not 'Faith' nor an Ability that one couldn't have). The penalty for using it is that one is mentally drained (SEE: '+help drain') for 1/10th of however much failure resulted from the +roll/per if it fails. One can also '+munin' for helpful handy advice now and again.

EXAMPLE: Harry the Were-Hawk has sneaked into the hospital to help up an injured associate. He has Channel Munin:20, Deception:5, and no Share Blood. Once in there, he tries '+roll/per 20' and manages a success of 15, which he uses to help as if he had Share Blood:15. Right afterwards a nurse comes in and he tries to Channel Munin again to help boost his Deception. Alas, the +roll/per results in a failure of 30. His Deception is still at 5, but made worse with the '+drain me=3' causing a -3 to future rolls until he can recover.

Yes, it doesn't work often and doesn't grant much. But note that it can grant almost anything.


------------------------------=<< Dominate >>=------------------------------

Dominate:

Dominate is the shapeshifter ability to use one's beast to cow another using intimidation and fright. Used against another shapeshifter, it is used to help determine social structure. Used against a non-shifter, it is used to instill a 'deer in headlights' effect. Either way, the reaction will be one similar to going into shock. When a shifter is described as "letting their beast out" to placate another shifter, it is generally a use of Dominate.

Dominating is a +roll/per Willpower + Dominate minus the target's Willpower. Alpha shifters may add their Power to either side of the equation. If being used to prevent another Shapeshifter from shifting due to emotion, it makes the target unable to shift (or do much of anything) for 1/10th the Success in poses.

It can also be used in the reverse of Masking, making one seem more Powerful to folks that +sense (unless the +senser's Sensitve is strong enough to call the shifter's bluff).

SEE ALSO: 'news sensitive', 'news shapeshift other' and '+help dominate'


-------------------------------=<< Focus >>=--------------------------------

A focus can assist another's ability above standard levels. It is easier to do this with those who have a similar ability, but more powerful focii can use it with other alien abilities as well. A link must be created in some way for this to happen, either telepathically, physically, or magically, but it must be a binding link for the power to last beyond simple physical contact.

With each point in Focus, one can boost the Ability rating in a target by +5% if that ability is known to the Focuser as well. If it is an Ability the Focuser could know, but doesn't know (SEE: +abilities/me), the boost is lowered by 25. If it's an Ability the Focuser couldn't know, -50. For each 10 points of Focus one can assist more than one person at a time. To save on math-work, try '+focus' or '+focus/here'. If you want to see how to boost an Ability that is normally at 12, '+focus 12' or '+focus/here 12'. Obviously, this works for numbers other than 12. A Focus cannot use this power to help themselves nor force others; Focus is purely a 'Good Samaritan' Ability. If used on multiple folks, it must be for the same Ability (IE: No Focusing Bob the Vampire's Rolling, Carol the Shifter's Dominate, and Ted's Sensitive at the same time), and nothing else can be done save for standing there and concentrating when using Focus.

If you're Human and have Focus:20 and I have Raising:10..

Lyle types -=> +focus 10

GAME> Lyle's Focus: 20 Ability: 10
GAME> Known Human Ability by 100%….. 20
GAME> Unknown Human Ability by 75%…. 18
GAME> Any Ability by 50%………….. 15
GAME> This can be done for 3 folks at a time.

…If you know Raising, you can boost my Raising to 20. If I have Empathy:10 but you don't know Empathy, you can raise it to 18. If I'm a vampire with Mind Rolling:10, you could raise my Mind Rolling to 15. If it's you, me, and two other Animators around, you could '+focus <Raising>' for each of us to see how much you could help our Raisings.

Focus is a purely philanthropic ability and can not be used to help oneself.


-----------------------------=<< Healing >>=------------------------------

Many non-human preternatural races are more durable than humans and heal at a faster rate as is demonstrated by their higher Fitness.

Healing is the preternatural ability to heal wounds in a conventional manner, but at a faster rate. This is opposed to Regeneration, which is the ability to heal wounds that would normally never heal. Normally this accelerated healing would be as if Fitness + Healing, but Alpha shifters and Master Vampires heal as though Fitness + Healing + Power, in regards to healing wounds dealt by the +hurt command. This is covered by automatic code every few hours.

When in combat, an individual can '+roll 1d<half their Healing>' to see how much they heal per turn. (this can be taken care of with either the simple '+heal' command or by working out the math and using '+heal me=<amount>') Unless something weird is going on (like someone using Share Blood on you, Focus, or some other odd bit) just use Healing. Even Alpha/Masters just use 1/2 Healing.

See also 'news share blood'


------------------------------=<< Masking >>=------------------------------

Masking is the ability to conceal one’s true nature or magic from a Sensitive. It is used only as a defense to Sensitive. If the question ever arises that a person would Sense another, without the other actively Masking, simply compare Sensitive to Masking.

SEE ALSO: 'news sensitive' '+help sense' '+help masking'.


----------------------------=<< Regeneration >>=----------------------------

Regeneration is restricted to Shapeshifters.

A Shapeshifter may Regenerate any physical damage they sustain. This differs from Healing in that Regeneration causes any missing body parts or other 'impossible healing' to grow back to their original state. Note that Regeneration will not save a shifter from an instant death.

01-10 Might regenerate a minor injury in a day. Major:2, Critical:3, Deadly:5
11-20 Might regenerate a major injury in a day. Minor: A half day, Critical:2, Deadly:4
21-30 Might regenerate a critical injury in a day. Minor: 2 hours, Major: 6 hours, Deadly: 2 days.
31-40 Might regenerate a deadly injury in a day, provided medical care is available. Minor: Instant, Major: 1 hour, Critical: 2 hours.
41-49 Might regenerate a deadly injury in 12 hours. Minor: Instant, Major: Instant, Critical: 1 hour.
50+ Might regenerate from any injury in 4 hours. All but deadly are instant.

NOTE: These estimations are vague; check +health every so often for a more accurate idea. Fae can often replicate effects with Flesh Magic and all Vampires have an innate ability to Regenerate (although it often takes longer for them to Regenerate than for Shapeshifters — a shifter might get a hand back in a month, a vampire might get it back in a decade). Regeneration does no good against silver or most fire damage.


[[include Sensitive]]


---------------------------=<< Shapeshifting >>=----------------------------

The Shapeshifting ability reflects the control a shifter has over resisting their Beast and not how good they are at shifting. Think of this ability as "Anti-Shifting" or "Unexpected Shift Resistance".

To change into a wolfman, ratman, catman, etc.. form (the kind you see in the movies) is something done as a side-effect of Shapeshifting. ICly, you're sort've inspiring a panic-attack in yourself that's just enough to start to shift, and then hold it there in a balance. OOCly, you need Shapeshifting. That's it, just Shapeshifting. When you try, you add Shapeshifting and Willpower and that's the odds of getting it in a single try.

  • Success and *bingo* you're there.
  • Fail with the failure more than your Shapeshifting? *FWOMP* you overshot and shifted fully (and hungrily and messily).
  • Fail with the failure less than your Shapeshifting? You didn't do it, but can try again next pose.

The half-and-half form can be held until unconscious (when you'll turn human) or unless stress tips you over towards critter-form, or until you opt out of it.

SEE ALSO: '+help moon/stress', 'news call beast'


--------------------------=<< Shapeshift Other >>=--------------------------

Shapeshift Other is restricted to Alpha Shapeshifters only.

Simply put, Shapeshift Other is the ability to cause another shifter to shift. The change (using 'Shapeshift Other' + 'Power') can be resisted by the target's 'Shapeshifting' ability + Willpower (Alphas have higher Willpower so they don't add Power). This compare modifies a chance of success equal to the phase of the moon (See: +today). If the attempt fails, it cannot be tried again on the same target until 1/10th the amount of failure in poses.

It can also be used to help someone resist the call of the moon, but is less effective this way. The Alpha does a +roll/per of their Shapeshift Other. One tenth of that is how many poses the target won't be able to shift. If resisted then use the above compare for the basic amount to +roll/per.


-----------------------------=<< Share Blood >>=-----------------------------

Share blood is the shapeshifter ability to lend their preternatural healing rate to another individual (be that target individual a normal human, another shapeshifter, or even a different sort of preternatural being), at the cost of psychic drain on the 'donor'. If the target has Healing abilities, the amount of potential healing is increased although the rate of drain on the 'donor' is not increased.

Typically, this involves actual toying around with blood (although not enough to really prompt cross-infection). This is actually not mandatory, but most individuals have never attempted it without the ritualistic blood so they don't believe it would work without the ritual. And even then, many Blood Sharers don't feel it's "quite right" without the ritual. Most any and all "Person X healing Person Y with were-powers" from the books have been lumped under the heading of "Share Blood".

See '+help heal' for details.


--------------------------=<< Silver Immunity >>=---------------------------

Generally attacks with silver knock vampires and lycanthropes for a loop, hurting them as if they didn't have boosted Fitness nor Muscle. To reflect this, silver damage normally has a boost of 1/10th of the target's Power (so a Power:10 target would take twice normal damage from silver, Power:20 would take triple, Power:30 would take quadruple, etc..)

If the vampire or lycanthrope has the Silver Immunity ability, it lowers their effective Power in the above formula (So Power:20 and SI:10 means only twice damage from silver). Normal non-damaging contact with silver is usually just a nervous and non-painful situation (like a tattoo gun or an idling chain-saw that's not actually breaking the skin), with the Immunity lowering this effect to some degree.


Abilities
Shapeshifters
News Files

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