[Basic] Advantage of the Week: Hermaphromorph

[johndallman]

Hermaphromorph [5] is an exotic physical trait, allowing you to change your biological sex, between male, female and neuter forms. By default, this is quite quick and easy, but limitations may well be required in a game setting. There’s a version in Compendium I for 3e, which costs [2], takes six hours, and gives Bad Temper during the change.

This is comprehensively exotic for normal humans, and mostly intended for aliens, the stranger fantasy species, and seriously upgraded humans. A GM who wants it as a setting feature needs to consider its relation to the inheritance of sexual characteristics, as well as its effects on society. They also need to consider just how the change happens, and what that implies about how long it takes. Bio-Tech provides the necessary upgrades at TL10, although by having both sets of organs at once, with only one in use. It also provides Accessibility, “not while pregnant,” -20%, and one-off sex changes, which are easier than having the capability to do it repeatedly. Ultra-Tech has a version that also allows forms with a mixture of male and female characteristics, for +20%, via a mixture of biology and implants.

I’ve never seen this used in a game. If I ever found a sensible way to run GURPS The Culture, it would be an option for characters there, but I don’t expect I will ever do that. Has it been used in your games?

[WingedKagouti]

I've had it on a shapeshifter, it never came up in actual play.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by johndallman

I’ve never seen this used in a game. If I ever found a sensible way to run GURPS The Culture, it would be an option for characters there, but I don’t expect I will ever do that. Has it been used in your games?

In one of my campaigns, a PC was offered the TL10 bio/synthetic mixed upgrade as gratitude for past quests, and accepted the offer, separating from the party for a short while and walking with a cane for a week upon return. As far as I remember, the PC used the thing once or twice for a relatively short duration throughout the campaign and/or the first sequel mini-campaign, for clandestine rather than recreational purposes (somewhat contrary to what the reward-giver would've expected). The party only found out much later when the PC got into some serious trouble that warranted being thoroughly examined by the party doctor.

Also, a few NPCs in the same setting and from the same high-biotech polity have it, but so far it have it, but haven't used it in a way that would be in any way relevant to the events the party is engaged with. (Though it's possible that a contact who was female at the time of introductions may randomly end up happening to be male or neuter or both in at a the time of the next meeting with the party. )

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I haven't taken this trait as a player, as it seems like it offers too little bang per buck when compared to proper shapeshifting powers like Improvised Morph (my favourite), at least in the default configuration (limitations make it more reasonable).

As far as RAW-or-RAI goes, IIRC, Kromm also stated that Hermaphromorph doesn't flip the Reaction modifiers from high Appearance on its own, warranting additional fiddling with the latter trait. If that's true, that further undermines the utility of the trait, and makes quick changes largely pointless outside very narrow circumstances, thus making time taken limitations a nobrainer.

[coronatiger]

In our Chaotic Pioneering campaign, Mattea received a version of this as a gift from the two-sexed, three-faced god of love. She promptly, but unintentionally, used it to impregnate her girlfriend. Being a famous acrobat, Mattea occasionally changes into "Fabian" when she needs to be in cognito.

[CarrionPeacock]

I had completely forgotten it existed...

[Sam Baughn]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

As far as RAW-or-RAI goes, IIRC, Kromm also stated that Hermaphromorph doesn't flip the Reaction modifiers from high Appearance on its own, warranting additional fiddling with the latter trait. If that's true, that further undermines the utility of the trait, and makes quick changes largely pointless outside very narrow circumstances, thus making time taken limitations a nobrainer.

So it doesn't even function well as a disguise? That seems like the only real use for it in most games.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Sam Baughn

So it doesn't even function well as a disguise? That seems like the only real use for it in most games.

It still functions as a disguise. You're even more obviously not the same person if you lose an Appearance trait when you shift.

Here's the post Vicky was referencing. I'm not keen on that ruling myself, and it certainly doesn't seem like it will break much if you let Appearance carry over between gender forms.

[ericthered]

Its bizarrely specific. I think I'd rather take Elastic Skin (Gender only -75%)[5].

[Alden Loveshade]

One of my current PCs who appears human has Hermaphromorph. She/He/E doesn't actually use it very often, and lives primarily as female.

As for its use as a disguise, that's pretty limited--except if she's trying to pass as her own brother.

As humans typically identify each other primarily by the facial region, the PC does undergo some observable change (jawbone, Adam's apple, etc.) in addition to changes in sexual characteristics. While women technically can have mustaches and beards, it's rare, so we play it that any "five o'clock shadow" he had from not having shaved in several hours disappears when changing to female. For pre-pubescent humans, hermaphromorph would mean no visible changes while clothed, so would generally be useless for Disguise.

For some species, Hermaphromorph would mean very little or even no noticeable difference--some fish have no external differences between male and female. And some fish and amphibians are essentially hermaphromorphic.

For other species, the difference could be extreme. A sapient black widow spider could arguably look completely different as a male, including a major size change (whether that would cost extra or not would be a GM call, I suppose).

[RogerBW]

I think this is a pretty obscure thing to have as a top-level trait rather than as a special case of something else (a limitation on Shapeshifting, perhaps).

(a) it's not going to come up very often, because there aren't a lot of adventurous worlds in which this kind of ability is important.

(b) In those worlds where it does matter, its value will be hugely variable (and possibly attached to Social Stigma, Social Regard, etc.).