Charms/WillowsLunarShapechanging

Lunar Shapechanging

{Type} Beastman Transformation

Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Instant

Type: Reflexive

Min. Charisma: 2

Min. Essence: 2

Prereq Charms: Finding the Spirit's Shape

This Charm augments the canonical Deadly Beastman Transformation, and can be used as an alternate prerequisite for any Charms building from that Charm.

This Charm allows the Lunar to shift his shape into an imposing hybrid of his human and totem animal forms. This form is considered to be one of the Lunar's true forms, including the increased visibility of his Tell.

The first time this Charm is purchased, it provides five Attribute points and two Gifts. Subsequent purchases provide three Attribute points and one gift each. A character can purchase this Charm no more times than he has points of Essence. These attribute points represent the hybrid shape's enhanced capacities; by combining human and animal traits, the Lunar optimizes his body and mind for superior performance. Attributes raised with Beastman Transformation are considered natural for the purposes of other Charms. Gifts are like miniature Charms; they are special, unusual capabilities of the hybrid form, that often (but not always) derive from emulating the totem's less humanlike traits.

There are in fact three variations of this Charm:

• Arcane Beastman Transformation: Two attribute points will add a point of Perception, one adds a point of Intelligence or Wits. The Arcane hybrid form is not normally larger than the Lunar's totem form, but is unmistakably the shape of an inscrutable and mystically powerful creature; while in Arcane beastman form, the character's anima continuously displays at the bonfire level, and any expenditure of Peripheral Essence will cause iconic display. However, this is not true anima display; actual spending of motes determines the locking-in of forms and other such effects.
• Masterful Beastman Transformation: Two attribute points will add a point of Manipulation, one adds a point of Appearance or Charisma. The Masterful hybrid form is a declaration that the Lunar represents all the living creatures of his lands. As such, it is not accompanied by the three-foot enlargement of the Deadly change; rather; Masterful tattoos glow with shifting lunar light, and an everchanging Castemark shines on the Lunar's brow (regardless of whether his Caste is fixed, its phases will rotate rapidly enough to be casually observed changing.)
• Deadly Beastman Transformation: This variation of the Charm is described in Exalted: the Lunars.

A character can normally only learn one variation of this Charm. However, he can learn a second and third variation by first purchasing Finding the Spirit's Shape again (with the same totem or a different one); this represents the Lunar's discovery of a different aspect of his spiritual self. Silver Pact Lunars find this behavior dangerously close to that of Chimera, and will generally not tell young Lunars how this feat is accomplished. In any case, doing so will actually cause additional Tells to manifest on the Lunar; for each additional variation of this Charm the Lunar knows, the difficulty to spot his Tell(s) drops by one, and each Tell can be spotted individually. Also note that the limit on learning this Charm applies to the template Charm, not to the variations individually; a Lunar with Essence 3 could learn DBT 3 times, or each of ABT, MBT, and DBT, but could not learn ABT, MBT, and DBT three times each. While in one hybrid form, the others are not considered true forms; if in anima-lock, the character must revert to human or totem shape before assuming a different hybrid form.

Comments

Excellent work. One thing I'm curious about: why did you select Perception as the expensive stat for ABT? I would've expected Intelligence. - Quendalon

Couple of things. First one that comes to mind is Sorcery - a lot of attack spells, IIRC, are keyed to Perception rolls (Flight of the Brilliant Raptor and Death of Obsidian Butterfiles come to mind). Wouldn't want to make it too easy to twink out a sorcerer-build. - willows

That's fair. My main concern is that of having Lunars floating around with Intelligence 9, scheming schemes that neither my players nor I are actually capable of envisioning. - Quendalon

It's good. I'll keep it in mind if I have a future need to make a Lunar (King Rat, I'm looking at you!). One thing: I might do something about ABT's visual flare -- I picture an ancient sorcerous Lunar researching forgotten lore for a hundred years... and I picture him going crazy from his damnable glowing. Any more ideas for Lunar changes? _Jabberwocky

I suppose you could put in a clause there about side-effect suppression. Other possibilities that pop into my head: abnormally large or just supernally noticeable eyes - they seem outlined in moonsilver kohl, you must look there and nowhere else; long, creepy fingers; I think the pattern here is an emphasis on sensory organs. - willows

What sorts of Gifts would you get in Arcane and Masterful forms? The DBT Gifts are primarily physical in nature, and I can't help but think that there should be additional ranges of mental and social Gifts for the other forms. - Quendalon

I'm thinking about that - I'm not exactly familiar with the existing Gifts as it is. My thought is that I'll expand the Gift palette, but make all Gifts available to all forms. That makes it possible to have a DBT with a wierd flair for languages, or regenerating battle-sorcerers... - willows

This is pretty neat. I've always thought DBT attribute points should be placeable in Mental or Social atts. hplovescats

Hmmmm. I'd had this idea before (I think I was using the adjectives "Cunning" and "Graceful" myself) but I really like your descriptive text for the alternate forms. I really think this is something that the Lunars need.... -- Charlequin

It's occured to me that you can short-circuit the need for this approach by creating a range of non-combat DBT gifts. It's not as elegant, but it's a simpler kludge for ongoing games, and indeed for anyone trying to run a canonical game, since DBT explicitly leaves itself open for player/ST designed Gifts. I've put up a couple of obvious ones at Charms/QuendalonDBTGifts. Hopefully more to come when inspiration strikes. - Quendalon