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Old 11-05-2009, 04:19 AM   #1
SandmanBr
 
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Default About Shapeshift spell...

The spell says that you must learn one per animal form that the casters is familiar with… Says nothing about limiting for sapient species, so could take shapeshifting others (human) and turn a dog into a human?
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Last edited by SandmanBr; 11-05-2009 at 04:37 AM.
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Old 11-05-2009, 05:21 AM   #2
Gudiomen
 
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Default Re: About Shapeshift spell...

Lol, yes, it'd be possible. The GM defines what Shapeshift variants are available in your world, but certainly, there are even examples in literature where animals are turned into humans by spells. There's a nasty cat in Discworld that gets shape-shifted into human, and there are a lot of dragons in fantasy that can shapeshift into humans.
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Old 11-05-2009, 07:02 AM   #3
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Default Re: About Shapeshift spell...

Shapeshifting is for turning into an animal (first sentence of description). Transform Body is for turning into a sapient race. Use Transform Other to turn a dog into a human (the subject of a Transform Body/Other spell keeps their original mental traits).
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Old 11-05-2009, 09:35 AM   #4
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Default Re: About Shapeshift spell...

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Originally Posted by munin View Post
Shapeshifting is for turning into an animal (first sentence of description).
And humans are animals.
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Old 11-05-2009, 10:11 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Tuoni View Post
And humans are animals.
So for a college where most of the spells that refer to animals refer to non-sapient animals, how is shapeshifting an exception?

Also, how does this measure up to Transform Body, which is explicitly for transforming into sapient creatures? If Shapeshifting allows you to become a sapient creature, what's the point of Transform Body seeing as it is otherwise inferior in every way?
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Old 11-05-2009, 10:28 AM   #6
Jerron
 
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Default Re: About Shapeshift spell...

I've had a similar question come up, and the key is the definition of animal. I believe I found it in the animal statistics section of the Basic Books, and it mentions that it means *Non-Sentient* naturally occurring animals.
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Old 11-05-2009, 10:39 AM   #7
Tuoni
 
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Default Re: About Shapeshift spell...

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Originally Posted by Dinadon View Post
So for a college where most of the spells that refer to animals refer to non-sapient animals, how is shapeshifting an exception?

Also, how does this measure up to Transform Body, which is explicitly for transforming into sapient creatures? If Shapeshifting allows you to become a sapient creature, what's the point of Transform Body seeing as it is otherwise inferior in every way?
Teach me for opening my yap without double checking the book. And even just checking the opening blurb for the animal college it states it only works on racial IQ 5 animals (apes with IQ 6 are up to the GM).

My bad.
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Old 11-05-2009, 10:49 AM   #8
Jerander
 
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Default Re: About Shapeshift spell...

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Originally Posted by Tuoni View Post
Teach me for opening my yap without double checking the book. And even just checking the opening blurb for the animal college it states it only works on racial IQ 5 animals (apes with IQ 6 are up to the GM).

My bad.
Something about this seems a little screwy to me, but I don't have my books here. But, based on what you said above, then Shapeshifting/Shapeshift Other can *only* be used when cast on a non-sapient animal...

My understanding was (and I certianly could be wrong) that Shapeshifting was used when one (or two) sides of the equation were animal (non-sapient) forms. Transform Body was used when both sides were sapient of similiar morphology (for example, humanoids with one head, two arms, two legs...).
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Old 11-05-2009, 11:13 AM   #9
Tuoni
 
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Default Re: About Shapeshift spell...

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Originally Posted by Jerander View Post
Something about this seems a little screwy to me, but I don't have my books here. But, based on what you said above, then Shapeshifting/Shapeshift Other can *only* be used when cast on a non-sapient animal...

My understanding was (and I certianly could be wrong) that Shapeshifting was used when one (or two) sides of the equation were animal (non-sapient) forms. Transform Body was used when both sides were sapient of similiar morphology (for example, humanoids with one head, two arms, two legs...).
I'd just attribute it to Shapeshift being the exception that proves the rule. Wouldn't make sense otherwise.
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Old 11-05-2009, 11:49 AM   #10
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: About Shapeshift spell...

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Originally Posted by munin View Post
Shapeshifting is for turning into an animal (first sentence of description). Transform Body is for turning into a sapient race. Use Transform Other to turn a dog into a human (the subject of a Transform Body/Other spell keeps their original mental traits).
I disagree. Changing humans into animals or animals into human seem to fit equally well into the Animal college. The important thing is that there's an animal involved.
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