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Shapeshifting is an internal power known to some immortals. It is much more common in Chaos than Amber though it is possible for Amberites to learn. Usually it begins to show itself during the early teen years of an immortals life, though it has been known to manifest much later. How it works is not well understood, and shapeshifers attempts to explain it are generally only understood by other shapeshifters. The ability to control your body to such a point that you can rearrange it into different forms has many uses, from utility of form, to disguises to simply improved healing is a very useful ability.

Shapeshifting (20 Points)

Demon Form
Most Immortals have an alternate form, a more survivable form. In chaos this is referred to as ones demon form. While usually (but not always) humanoid, the demon form generally has significant differences, such as horns, thick hide, a tail, sharp teeth, claws etc. The Demon form is something the shapeshifter may assume quite quickly, taking between five and twenty seconds. The demon form has the same mass as the character’s human form.

Automatic Shifting
A shape shifters body has a selection of new reflexes designed to keep it alive, from closing wounds to stop bleeding to adapting to resist a toxin. Automatic shifting is very difficult for the shapeshifter to control, and will usually kick in when the character feels threatened. This is good for a survival stand point but can be quite draining to the shape shifter.

Shift Form
A shapeshifter may alter their form into other known shapes. It is necessary for the shifter to have a firm image of the form they wish to take. Any shift that is not between natural forms requires concentration or focus to maintain. Losing this focus may cause the shapeshifter to lose control of the form. Taking a new form takes at least a minute, perhaps more depending on both the complexity of the form and how different it is from the current form. It is also possible to select shifts to only partially modify a form, such as adding claws to a hand, or making ones eyes better able to see in the dark. This is just as difficult to do as adopting a new form, though faster.

Shapeshifting Gone Wrong
Generally when a shift is broken or fails in some way one returns to a familiar form. Sometimes though, this goes wrong and the characters automatic shifting may take over. Or cells may begin shifting on there own. This is an uncommon occurrence and is more likely if a power is involved or in situations of extreme stress.

Shapeshifting Upgrades

While basic shapeshifting is quite useful, it only scratches the surface of what a true master might achieve. Below are some available upgrades to shapeshifting.

Vitae Shifting (Basic) 10 Points

Shapeshift Organs
The ability to do serious modifications to the internals of a form. A shifter greatly modify their body, enhancing or adding organs. An example might be adding a second heart, or a venom sack beneath a fingernail. This sort of internal understanding also speeds the healing process.

Blood Creatures
The shifter may now form creatures from their own blood. These blood creatures can be created for a variety of different purposes, spying, sending messages through shadow. These blood creatures are loyal to the creator and may even evidence some of the creator’s power. For example, an Amberite might create a blood hawk and send it off through shadow with a message.

Vitae Shifting (Advanced) 10 Points

Shapeshift Others
A shapeshifter with this ability can intentionally shift another person into a different form. This ability requires either psychic superiority or permission. These shifts require energy from the shapeshifter, not the person being shifted (though it is not pleasant for them).

Healing Shifts
The shapeshifter may combine their ability to shape shift others with a transfusion of their own blood to attempt to heal injuries and battle poisons and diseases. This essentially allows shifter to add their own healing rates to companions.

Finesse (basic) 10 Points

Static Shifts
Once a form is taken it takes significantly less concentration to hold. This allows the shifter to greatly increase their flexibility in stressful situations.

Partial Shifts
The shifter may now easily perform partial shifts to their body, without requiring significant energy expenditures. Examples might be adding claws to a form, scales to protect the shifter’s feet from a hot environment without requiring an entirely new form.

Finesse (Advanced) 15 Points

Mass Adjustment
The shifter gains the ability to increase or reduce their own mass. They can become two to three times there size, or reduce their mass to roughly a quarter.

Mimicry
The shifter now has the ability to nearly perfectly mimic another’s form, perfectly matching their features and voice. If a sample of the target’s blood is available, then some mannerisms can be adopted. If the mimic has a high enough psyche they may even be able to mimic the target so well as to fool trumps and other magical detection.

Improved Forming (Basic) 10 Points

Primal Form
A primal form is when you simply let go, allow your automatic shapeshifting to take over. In extremely dangerous situations it is possible for the primal form to actually take over the shifter in an attempt to survive. The primal form is very good at staying alive, and can shift much easier and faster than the actual character. The Primal Form will more or less ignore injuries until it reaches safety. It will avoid combat as much as possible, if forced it will attempt to end the combat as quickly as it can. The shifter has no control over the actions of their primal form, and only regains control once the form has reached a place of safety.

Inorganic
The character may shift themselves into inorganic pieces, turning into stone or metal for example. These inorganic shifts can be combined into regular forms, adding metal plates for armor for example. A character who shifts there entire body to stone of course cannot move, and must wait for the shift to fade away before being able to function.

Elemental
More mystical shifts are now possible, such as adding flame to a form, or electricity. It is even possible to become entirely elemental, though doing so exhausts energy far faster than a regular form.

Improved Forming (Advanced) 10 Points

Avatar Form The character gains an avatar form, usually some animal or mythical beast. This avatar form is highly resistant to intrusive powers, and gains additional sensory awareness, particularly in the area of powers. Being in Avatar form is a drain on the shifter, as it emits an intense amount of energy, occasionally having a shadow distorting effect.

Transform objects
Transforming inorganic things, such as causing a hole to open up in a door, or unbending a broken sword, or even turning a broken sword into something else. Larger shifts are possible but are extremely taxing.

Blood of the Earth (10 Points)

Blood of the Earth The ultimate ability to transform the surrounding environment, with blood of the earth the shifter can shift the physical form of shadow itself, creating walls of rock or dirt, collapsing buildings or causing great spikes to rise from the ground. Blood of the Earth is a psyche powered shape shifting ability, and is somewhat dependent on the reality of the shadow.

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