DualMegami/BeastmanTransformationFixes
Deadly Beastman Tranformation, while a good charm, is too good. And with my revised Charm costs makes it terribly unbalanced. It also does not work like any other charm in the game, so I have revised it as such.
In the first Age, the Beastman transformations, were used as tools to give the Lunar an edge. They were not stressed, not entirely seen as necessary. After the No Moons altered the Essences of the Lunars, they affixed a Beastman Transformation to each of the Castes, giving them all an unique advantage that is considered a Natural Form. This does not mean that a No Moon cannot use the Full Moon transformation, it is simply at a higher cost.
- Deadly Beastman Transformation
Cost: 5 motes if Full Moon, 10 motes, 1 wp if not.
Duration: Indefinite if Full Moon, Scene if not.
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Strength: 2
Minimum Essence:1
Prerequisite: Finding the Spirit's Shape
As with the previous DBT, this charm causes the character to shift and change into a terrible monstrous beastman. Rather than selecting gifts, Deadly Beastman Transformation does the following: 1)DBT adds the character's Essence to his Strength, Dexterity and Stamina. If he wishes to increase this when he increases Essence, he must purchase the charm again at the rate of 9 experience points. 2)the Character soaks Lethal damage with his full Stamina. 3)The Character's barehanded attacks always do lethal damage and have the following statistics: +2 speed, +1accuracy, +0 Lethal, +1 Defense and can be used to parry lethal damage. (Haven't made power combat stats, sorry) These statistics also apply to ANY unarmed attack, bites, claws, talons, beaks, etc. These statistics can be improved with the charms featured in E:tL. 4)Once per turn, the character may add his Essence in automatic successes to any Strength, Dex or Stamina roll--including damage.
- Majestic Beastman Transformation
Cost: 5 motes if Changing Moon, 10 motes, 1 wp if not.
Duration: Indefinite if Changing Moon, Scene if not.
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Charisma: 2
Minimum Essence:1
Prerequisite: Finding the Spirit's Shape
Majestic Beastman Transformation may make the character fearsome, but does not necessarily make him huge or deadly. Rather than selecting gifts, Majestic Beastman Transformation does the following: 1)MBT adds the character's Essence to her Charisma, Manipulation and Appearance. If she wishes to increase this when she increases Essence, he must purchase the charm again at the rate of 9 experience points. Because she will have an Appearance at supernatural levels that WILL attract the attention of mortals, or scare them away, she may reflexively spend a mote to revert to her human-form appearance. 2)Her personality is great and emanates a commanding presence that demands respect and awe--Mortals who attempt to disagree with her, stand against her or disobey her orders must make a willpower roll at base difficulty equal to her Essence. Exalts who wish to disobey her must make a Willpower roll at difficulty 2. 3)The sly, cunning madness of Luna fills her, and her deceptions are thicker and murkier than that of mere mortals. Add her Essence to the base difficulty of any rolls to see through her deceptions. 4))Once per turn, the character may add her Essence in automatic successes to any Charisma, Manipulation or Appearance roll.
- Wise Beastman Transformation
Cost: 5 motes if No Moon, 10 motes, 1 wp if not.
Duration: Indefinite if No Moon, Scene if not.
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Intelligence: 2
Minimum Essence:1
Prerequisite: Finding the Spirit's Shape
Wise Beastman transformation is the most subtle of the three. If there is any outward physical change, it is entirely up to the player. Rather than selecting gifts, Wise Beastman Transformation does the following: 1)WBT adds the character's Essence to her Perception, Intelligence and Wits. If she wishes to increase this when she increases Essence, he must purchase the charm again at the rate of 9 experience points. 2)She can never be ambushed while in WBT, in addition WBT adds +3 dice to all Awareness rolls, regardless of sense involved. 3)Anything the character percieves, she can recall perfectly, as per the effects of the Eidetic Recall merit detailled in the Players Guide. 4)Once per turn, the character may add her Essence in automatic successes to any Perception, Intelligence or Wits roll.
This is a neat idea, but if it was done when the castes were altered, what did first age lunars do? I'd amend this to say first age lunars had five transformations, and add two additional ones. These would cost something like 6 or 7 for changing moons and 8-9+1wp for others. One of these could give bonuses to (say) Manipulation, Appearance and Dexterity (call it "Sly Beastman Transformation") while the other would augment (maybe) Charisma, Manipulation and Wits ("Diplomatic Beastman Transformation"?). -- Wordman
- I imagine they still relied on the basics: Physical, Social Mental. Notice that there's no rule that says you can't have more than one up at a time. A clever use of multiple Beastman transformations certainly gives you an edge. And if you're a fighter, you're using DBT. If you're diplomat, MBT and so on. And there's obviously going to be some cases where you're definitely going to want to have more than one up.
Since First Age Lunars aren't around any more--in their original forms, I wasn't terribly worried about what they did with these transformations then.
Alternatively, one could assume that the alternate beastman transformations were lost with the castes. ~DualMegami- I didn't entirely answer your question (what I get for reading part of it and then jumping headlong into an answer). I'm ruling that the alternate transformations were lost with the Castes and that the No Moons saw no need to keep them around. However, it's certainly possible that a Lunar could quest for these lost charms or have Past Life memories of them. I'd like to see what sort of suggestions you have for these kind of charms (which I would also rule are purchased at the normal cost of charms, since they no longer have a fully applicable purpose in the second age). ~DualMegami
I like this. It sort of makes the XBT like an MA Form Charm +, or on the level of something like Invulnerable Skin of Bronze, Unbreakable Bones of Stone, or Incomparable Body Arsenal. Just I'm clear, for the effect that adds your Essence to the Attributes specified in each XBT, is it your Essence when you buy the charm (e.g. +3 if you're at Essence 3 when you purchase XBT), or the Minimum Essence (e.g. +1 the first time you buy it, no matter if you do it at Essence 1 or Essence 10)? ~Andrew02
- thanks, Martial Arts forms were part of my inspiration for this. About the attribute bonuses, you have to purchase the charm every time you want to increase the bonus, IE: If you are Essence 10 and have only purchased XBT once, you get +1 to all your attributes and that's all. If you want +10 to your attributes, you must purchase XBT 9 more times, at the rate of 9 XP. Perhaps I should have worded it as "adds +1 to your attributes for every time it is purchased, to a maximum of your Essence" ~DualMegami
What if, rather than having Deadly for Physical, Majestic for Social, and Wise for Mental, you had the particular type of beastman determine the bonuses? Just adding Essence straight to all the Attributes in the category seems to leave out the "beast." A Bear, for example, might give bonuses to Strength, Stamina, and Intelligence (bears are often considered to be very wise in folklore), while Weasle would give Dexterity, Wits, and Manipulation. ~Blackwell
- One could rule, as an alternative to these, that the player chooses three of his caste/favored attributes (under my revised rules, Lunars get favored attributes)to recieve the +Essence bonus. However, the rest of the charms are extremely specific, and I wanted to maintain the "Transformation for each." See, I like the idea of a super-cool powerup transformation, and DBT as it was just didn't work. Too much Werewolf, not enough Exalted. I'd rather keep the outward physical changes purely cosmetic and up to the player and have the charms special bonuses be actually useful for their Caste. ~DualMegami
