05-05-2005, 12:38 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London Baby!
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Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
It states in Characters that the cosmetic limitation on a shapeshifting advantage means that you look like someone of that race without changing your abilities.
The problem is, what if you are a SM+0 creature and you cosmetic change to a SM+1 creature? As your abilities can't change what happens to the space where the new SM comes from? Is it just an illusion? Or is there something there which can be hit? The same is also true for becoming smaller. If you cosmetic change from human to ant thats a lot of extra flesh thats disapperaring or becoming invisible. |
05-05-2005, 01:08 PM | #2 |
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
Those aren't cosmetic changes. The Cosmetic limitation specifically constrains your racial template. Your racial template doesn't just include racial advantages, disadvantages, etc. -- it includes whatever limits on weight, height, coloration, body parts, etc. are normal for your race. A human with the Cosmetic limitation can't become an ant or a giant. He's limited to looking like a human . . . just a different human. That's why Cosmetic is such a big discount. Alternate Form (Cosmetic, -50%) [8] basically gives you a single, perfect disguise. Morph (Cosmetic, -50%) [50] gives you an infinite number of perfect disguises, and is a better deal if you plan to look like more than six different people in your career.
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
05-05-2005, 04:12 PM | #3 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
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05-05-2005, 04:13 PM | #4 |
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
No, that'd be fine. The effect is an illusion of some sort, most likely.
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
05-05-2005, 04:22 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
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That being why they're considered to have dwarfism/gigantism after all, as opposed to being short people or tall people. |
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05-06-2005, 10:08 AM | #6 | |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London Baby!
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
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05-07-2005, 05:42 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
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B85 doesn´say so. I understood Cosmetic to permit all sorts of changes to "your outward appearance", and Retain Shape to restrict to the humanoid appearance. So Cosmetic only would permit the creation of a third eye, or arm, but they would be non-functional as only the outward appearance of having them would be created. If I understand Kromm correctly, is there a possibility to have Cosmetic and Retain Shape together ? Wouldn´t Cosmetic include Retain Shape, so that it should be illegal to get both ? |
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05-07-2005, 10:59 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Slovakia
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
The basic set did not mention whether anything outside human norm could be attained through cosmetic morphing.
What about a coat of fur? Going from Sylvia Smooth to Hairy Harry is ALMOST like growing a coat of fur anyway. If One-Eyed Owen wanted to appear to be someone with two eyes (even though not being able to see through the 'false' eye), would he have to purchase a non-cosmetic alternate form? What about weight? It would sure be strange if Tiny Tim, shapeshifted into Huge Hugo, would still weigh but 100 lbs. Another shapeshifting question: what appearance level can you achieve through shifting shape? If I understood correctly, you pay for the HIGHEST level you want and can become anything uglier. How does this work with cosmetic shapeshifting? How much do you pay to have your alternate form be 'prettier' ?
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Weep for lost innocence. Treasure your illusions. Kindle your heart's fire... |
05-07-2005, 03:27 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
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Personnally, I think Cosmetic Change should be allowed to cover another race, as long as it is similar to yours (for humans, that means a four-limbed humanoid race of SM 1). Of course it would make shapeshifters more vulnerable to be spotted; if someone wanted to grab your long pointy elvish ears and realize you have none, you're in big trouble. |
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05-07-2005, 04:52 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
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Re: Cosmetic Shapeshifting Questions
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If you shift into an elf with big pointy ears, then when someone grabs your ears, they really grab your ears. The difference with it being Cosmetic, is that you don't get innate abilities the elf may have, so you still weigh more than a real elf, you don't hear as well as a big eared elf, you don't have the magery, or any other natural advantages of the elf, but for all outward appearances, cosmetically you look like an elf, whether that be a green, black or polka-dot elf. |
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