Sorcery: Shapeshifting Spells

Sorcery: Shapeshifting Spells

Shapeshifting wizards have always existed in folklore. Turning people into frogs, taking on a shape of a wolf, etc. Shapeshifting allows the caster to assume a form of a single animal. Permanent Shapeshifting does not require maintenance. Shapeshift Others lets the caster turn the subject into an animal. Great Shapeshift lets the caster assume any form within his power limits.

   

Great Shapeshift

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 85 points or 165 points or more; see text.

Casting Roll: None. Special casting time.

Range: Self.

Duration: Indefinite.

The caster can assume different forms, as if using the Morph advantage (p. B84). The transformation requires 10 seconds. If he is knocked out or killed, he immediately reverts to his native form (which will also be unconscious or dead).

The caster retains his intelligence, but gains all the physical attributes of the new form. Note that FP are not increased for spellcasting purposes. The caster may not add traits to templates, but he may freely omit racial mental disadvantages (e.g., Bestial), and he may always choose to drop the racial IQ modifier from a template and use his own IQ. Such changes raise the cost of animal templates, which are cheap due to limited mental capabilities. This spell includes the ability to make cosmetic changes. This lets the caster impersonate a specific member of any race he can turn into.

The caster can always take on the form of a being he can see or touch, provided its racial template cost does not exceed his maximum. Once he has assumed a form, he can opt to memorize it by concentrating for one minute. This allows him to shapeshift into that form at any time. The caster can memorize a number of forms equal to his IQ. If all his “slots” are full, his must overwrite a previously memorized form (his choice) to add the new form. Memorizing cosmetic changes also requires a “slot”.

If the caster can assume any racial template worth no more than his native one, Great Shapeshift costs 85 points. This makes many forms available – anything no more powerful than his native form. If the caster can assume more powerful forms, add the difference between the maximum racial template cost and the cost of his native template to the base 85 points. For instance, a human who can take on any racial template worth up to 75 points would pay 160 points for Great Shapeshift.

In addition, the caster may purchase the improved (165-point) version of this spell. This shortens the transformation time to 1 second.

Statistics: Morph (Sorcery, -15%) [85]. The improved version adds Reduced Time 4, +80% [+80].

Permanent Shapeshifting

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 24 points or more; see text.

Casting Roll: None.

Range: Self.

Duration: Indefinite*.

Change to the form of an animal. Each animal form is a different spell, to be learned separately. The caster may only learn the form of an animal with which he is familiar. If he is knocked out or killed, he immediately reverts to his native form (which will also be unconscious or dead).

The caster retains his intelligence, but gains all the physical attributes of the new form. This means that the wearer cannot cast spells unless he knows them so well that they can be performed without gestures! Note that FP are not increased for spellcasting purposes.

Each day that the spell continues, the caster must make a roll against IQ; failure means that the caster loses a point of IQ, continuing until the normal IQ of that beast is reached. Should the caster’s IQ drop to 5, he is trapped in beast form forever unless the spell is removed by Remove Curse (other spells won’t counter it). Lost IQ is regained when native form is reassumed.

If the caster has a single Permanent Shapeshifting spell, it costs 24 points for a racial template worth no more than his native racial template. A more powerful form costs 24 points plus 90% of the difference in cost between the caster’s native template and that of his animal form. If the caster has multiple Permanent Shapeshifting spells, he pays full cost for the most expensive form. The less powerful forms cost a flat 24 points apiece. Minimum cost per form is still 24 points.

Statistics: Alternate Form (Costs 1 FP, Only to activate, -1%; Magical, -10%; Nuisance Effect, IQ Reduction, -10%; Reduced Time 4, +80%) [24].

* Despite having Indefinite duration, this spell only requires 1 FP to cast, but not to maintain.

  

Shapeshift Others

Keywords: Buff.

Full Cost: 31 points or more.

Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 30 minutes.

The caster transforms the subject into an animal. Clothing and gear weighing no more than his BL change with him. He cannot shift back on his own; he must wait for the spell to expire or be dispelled. (This does not change if the sorcerer is the subject.) Each animal form is a different spell, to be learned separately. The caster may only learn the form of an animal with which he is familiar. If the subject is knocked out or killed, he immediately reverts to his native form (which will also be unconscious or dead).

The subject retains his intelligence, but gains all the physical attributes of the new form.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage, Shapeshift Others, +150%; Extended Duration, 10x, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [31]. Notes: “Shapeshift Others” is Alternate Form (Animal; Can Carry Objects, No Encumbrance, +10%; Magical, -10%) [15]. If turned into a “usually on” magical item (GURPS Thaumatology - Sorcery, pp. 27-28), the wearer can shift at will but it takes 10 seconds to do so. This spell costs 31 points for a racial template worth no more than the subject’s native racial template. A more powerful form costs 31 points plus 90% of the difference in cost between the subject’s native template and that of the animal form. The caster may learn to affect more powerful subjects by investing more points into this spell.

Shapeshifting

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 22 points or more; see text.

Casting Roll: None.

Range: Self.

Duration: Indefinite.

Change to the form of an animal. Each animal form is a different spell, to be learned separately. The caster may only learn the form of an animal with which he is familiar. If he is knocked out or killed, he immediately reverts to his native form (which will also be unconscious or dead).

The caster retains his intelligence, but gains all the physical attributes of the new form. This means that the wearer cannot cast spells unless he knows them so well that they can be performed without gestures! Note that FP are not increased for spellcasting purposes.

Each hour that the spell continues, the caster must make a roll against IQ; failure means that the caster loses a point of IQ, continuing until the normal IQ of that beast is reached. Should the caster’s IQ drop to 5, he is trapped in beast form forever unless the spell is removed by Remove Curse (other spells won’t counter it). Lost IQ is regained when native form is reassumed.

If the caster has a single Shapeshifting spell, it costs 22 points for a racial template worth no more than his native racial template. A more powerful form costs 22 points plus 90% of the difference in cost between the caster’s native template and that of his animal form. If the caster has multiple Shapeshifting spells, he pays full cost for the most expensive form. The less powerful forms cost a flat 22 points apiece. Minimum cost per form is still 22 points.

Statistics: Alternate Form (Nuisance Effect, IQ Reduction, -20%; Reduced Time 4, +80%; Sorcery, -15%) [22].