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Power Profile - Morphing Powers PDF
Power Profile - Morphing Powers PDF
Morphing powers allow characters to change their bodies forms. However, if the character wants to assume a different
more easily than most people change clothes. Morphing form, those Variable points must be allocated to a different
ranges from elasticity and superhuman powers of dis- Morph effect.
guise to shapeshifters able to assume any form imagin-
able, along with all of that form’s abilities. Example: Fauna can transform into different
animals, a Variable Effect. Turning into a rabbit,
The Morph Effect she allocates 5 points from her Variable Effect
power points to Morph 1 (rabbit form). She can ac-
tivate the Morph on the same round she allocated
The Morph effect (Hero’s Handbook, page 119) is a cosmetic
the points, since Morph requires only a free action.
one. It changes outward form—how the user looks (sounds,
The remaining Variable points go towards giving
feels, etc.)—but has no real effect on traits: morphing into
her the physical traits of a rabbit. If she’s spotted
a seemingly muscle-bound form does not make the char-
in rabbit form and wants to turn into a hawk to fly
acter any stronger, nor does apparently turning into stone
away, she takes the required action to allocate 5
or metal. The sole game effect of Morph is a circumstance
points from her Variable points to Morph 1 (hawk
bonus to Deception checks related to the new form, with
form) instead, then spends a free action to activate
the ranks (and therefore cost) of Morph determining how
that form. Again, the remaining Variable points go
wide a range of forms the character can assume.
towards giving Fauna the physical traits of a hawk,
For the ability to gain traits related to a new form, apply including Flight with the Wings modifier.
the Metamorph modifier to Morph, or a Variable effect to
Morph is not required in instances where a power trans-
acquire any trait suited to an assumed form (see the Shape-
forms the character’s appearance but the character remains
shift utility power in this profile for an example).
recognizable, things like minor changes in costuming,
Morph can be related to a Variable effect in one of two eye and hair color, and so forth. These are just descriptors
ways: outside the effect or inside it. With an outside Morph related to the character’s noticeable powers.
the character morphs and the Variable effect reallocates to
physical traits appropriate for the new form. Each time the
character changes form, the Variable effect changes as well. Transformed Condition
A Variable effect’s power points can also be allocated to a The Transformed condition (Hero’s Handbook, page 18)
Morph effect, putting Morph “inside” the variable. In this is based on the idea that, if a target can be incapacitated
case, the ranks and power points allocated to the Morph by a third degree Affliction, the same target might as well
effect only need to be sufficient for the specific form the be changed into an otherwise helpless or harmless form:
character wishes to assume, rather than all the possible turned to stone, for example, or into mouse.
With a moment’s concentration, you can cause a physical Bouncing Ball: Leaping • 1 point per rank.
attack to rebound off your malleable form to hit the at-
tacker.
Living Glider
Bounceback Attack: Deflect, Reflect, Close Range • 1 point You stretch and flatten out to become a living glider or
per rank.
parachute, allowing you to glide from a height, possibly
carrying your Strength rank in weight slung beneath you.
Metamorphic Healing If you’re solely limited to a parachute-like form (falling
almost straight down, with little control over your direc-
With a moment’s concentration, you can shift your body tion), change Flight to the Movement 1 (Safe Fall) effect.
to repair damage done to it.
Living Glider: Flight, Gliding • 1 point per rank.
Metamorphic Healing: Healing, Limited to Self • 1 point per rank.
You can flatten your body to become almost two-dimen- Living Trampoline: Movement 1 (Safe Fall), Affects Others
sional (like a thin sheet of paper). You become virtually • 3 points.
invisible when seen on edge, able to slip through narrow
cracks and openings, and lie flat against walls (perhaps
even posing as part of a painting or mural).
Stretching Stride
You elongate your legs like stilts to cover great distances
Flat Form: Concealment 4 (Visual), Limited to One Edge, Partial; with each stride. Generally, this is limited to no more than
Insubstantial 1, Limited by Width • 6 points.
3 or 4 ranks.
You extend your eyes out to peer around corners or Shapeshift Modifiers
over obstacles while the rest of you remains hidden.
This power is rarely more than 2–3 ranks, enough range Some of the following modifiers may apply to the basic
to extend well over 100 feet. You may also be able to Shapeshift power:
extend your ears in a similar fashion (adding 1 point per
rank to the cost). Action: The basic Shapeshift takes a standard action,
meaning you can only move during a round in which you
Extended Eyes: Remote Sensing (Visual) • 2 points per rank. change form. Many shapeshifters have the Action modifi-
er, allowing them to change forms faster: +1 cost per rank
if you can shapeshift as a move action, +2 cost per rank if
Fingertip Lockpick you can do so as a free action.
You extend a finger into a mechanical lock and morph it Limited: The basic Shapeshift allows characters to take on
to match the interior of the mechanism, forming a key to any physical form. Most shapeshifters are more limited,
open it. with a flaw restricting them to animal forms, humanoid
forms, machine forms, or some similar subset. For charac-
Fingertip Lockpick: Feature (+10 circumstance bonus to
ters limited to less powerful forms, simply apply low ranks
Technology checks to pick mechanical locks) • 1 point per rank.
of Shapeshift, restricting the power points they have to
play with; they can Morph to look like virtually anything,
Metamorphic Minions but can’t take on a lot of additional traits.
You transform bystanders into minions to serve you. Quirk: A common Quirk for Shapeshifters is a “tell,” some
This is almost universally a villainous power, given how quality about the character that remains consistent from
it usurps the targets’ free will and places them in danger. form to form. For example, the character might retain the
Given that, the transformation of bystanders is a descrip- same color scheme, or all forms might show a variation
tor for the Summon effect rather than focusing on the of the character’s face, both limiting the power’s disguise
transformation itself. The key effect of the power is the options. This is generally a 1-point Quirk.
summoning of minions, while the need for bystanders Slow: The opposite of the Action extra, this flaw means
to transform is largely balanced by the potential com- the character only changes form outside of action time,
plications this poses for the heroes. If you wish, apply a typically between scenes. This might reflect a kind of
Limit modifier to the power to reflect its need for “raw “form change” involving reconfiguring components of a
materials”. machine, for example, or a similar “refit” that has to take
place in a workshop or lab.
Metamorphic Minions: Summon, Controlled, Horde, Multiple
Minions 3 (up to eight minions) • 10 points per rank.
Shapeshift: Variable (assumed forms, allocate 5 power points
per rank) • 7 points per rank.
Shapeshift
You can transform your physical body in a wide variety of
Stretching
ways, gaining (or losing) different traits. The power pro- You can elongate your body and limbs, stretching them
vides a set of points you can allocate to the physical traits out to greater length. While Stretching may be due to
of a new form by taking the action necessary to use your elasticity, it does not have to be: your limbs might be me-
Shapeshift power. See Morphing Descriptors at the start chanically telescopic, for example, or you may even be
of this profile for more information. able to warp your personal spatial dimensions, effectively
Each change in form requires you to reactivate your power, changing your topology. As with other powers, descrip-
so if you shapeshift as a standard action, each change in tors can significantly effect how the power works (while
form requires a standard action to complete. still having the same effect in game terms).
You can also redistribute power points spent on your phys- Note that, since it gives you a +1 bonus per rank to grab
ical traits as part of a shapeshift, lowering your Strength to checks, Stretching allows you to perform the classic mor-
put those power points elsewhere, for example. phing trick of wrapping an opponent up in your body or
limbs.
Conversely, morphing characters might depend on drugs A malleable physical form could be more sensitive to bio-
or treatments to stabilize their variable forms, or to deal logical agents like diseases and toxins (including some
with side-effects of their morphology. Constantly shifting drugs), rather than immune to them. Similarly, a pliable
physical form could be painful, for example, leading to an shape can be vulnerable to sheer blunt force rather than
addiction to pain-killers, or compromise the character’s resistant to it.
immune system, creating a need for immunosuppres-
A common weakness for metamorphs is taking on the
sants or boosters.
weaknesses associated with their new form(s). Trans-
forming into animals may come with a loss of human
Identity speech and the risk of losing one’s self to the animal’s
instincts. A metallic form is vulnerable to rust and mag-
With the power to change into different forms, it’s no sur- netism, while a liquid shape might be flash-frozen. Trans-
prise some metamorphs have identity issues. Sense of forming into a copy of another person may bring their
identity is often connected to appearance (or perceived weaknesses as well.
appearance) with a malleable appearance leading to an
equally malleable identity, especially for characters who Morphing powers are also associated with weaknesses
impersonate others on a regular basis. based on their source. Magical metamorphs might be vul-
nerable to things like cold iron, silver, or other anti-mag-
A metamorph might not even know his or her true iden- ical talismans. Technological metamorphs have to deal
tity, having amnesia or no early-life memories. After all, with electromagnetism and computer viruses. An alien
how can a shapeshifter know for certain his or her “true” metamorph could be vulnerable to an otherwise innocu-
form (or, for that matter, gender or even species)? Take ous substance on Earth, such as salt or lead.
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