Elastic Skin and Biometrics

[Langy]

How useful is Elastic Skin? Exactly what can you do with it? The description seems to indicate it can only change specific surface features, and if you go with a literal interpretation of it you can't even change them significantly. You might be able to make your lips slightly larger and your skin wrinkly instead of smooth, but just altering your skin won't actually change your appearance much - you need to also change bone structure, etc in order to significantly alter your appearance.

So what can you do with Elastic Skin? Can you change your eye color? Can you change your fingerprints? Can you appear to change genders? Can you affect a change in height? Weight? What about DNA?

What type of modifiers would you need on Elastic Skin in order to get these abilities, or should you simply go with Morph? If so, what type of modifiers do you need to be able to to appear to be any adult Human, down to the genetic level? Can you even use the Cosmetic Only limitation, or do you need the full version of Morph (Retains Shape/Mass Conservation)?

[Langy]

Also: If you take Morph with Cosmetic Only, can you still take +16 points in abilities so you can Morph into being Very Handsome/Beautiful? Does Morph (Cosmetic Only) apply to voices, or would you still sound like a big strong man even if you Morphed into a dainty little girl?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Langy

[How useful is Elastic Skin? Exactly what can you do with it? The description seems to indicate it can only change specific surface features, and if you go with a literal interpretation of it you can't even change them significantly. You might be able to make your lips slightly larger and your skin wrinkly instead of smooth, but just altering your skin won't actually change your appearance much - you need to also change bone structure, etc in order to significantly alter your appearance.

The description says you can change facial features. (And after all, you don't necessarily have a bone structure, since many elastic skin characters are also stretchers.)

So what can you do with Elastic Skin? Can you change your eye color?

No, you can't. Go with contact lenses.

Can you change your fingerprints?

Since it says you can alter your skin, probably.

Can you appear to change genders?

It gives you a +4 to all disguise rolls.

Can you affect a change in height? Weight? What about DNA?

It couldn't change your DNA. A difference in height or weight would penalize your disguise roll.

What type of modifiers would you need on Elastic Skin in order to get these abilities, or should you simply go with Morph?

I should simply go with Morph.

If so, what type of modifiers do you need to be able to to appear to be any adult Human, down to the genetic level? Can you even use the Cosmetic Only limitation, or do you need the full version of Morph (Retains Shape/Mass Conservation)?

If you want to change your DNA that's not just a cosmetic change, I think.

[Langy]

What type of modifier on Elastic Skin would you need to alter eye color or iris recognition bits, then?

Also: The eyes are a facial feature. Why can't you change them but you can change other things that have nothing to do with the skin (such as the shape of the jaw)?

And just saying '+4 to disguise rolls' doesn't say if it lets you grow breasts, alter hair length, or affect other physical features that a woman has that a man does not. Can you use it to grow a beard? That's a facial feature, but...?

Why is altering DNA a non-cosmetic change if it doesn't affect your capabilities at all? It seems to be exactly a cosmetic change - it's simply a cosmetic change that requires suitable lab facilities to see.

I've always seen Elastic Skin as the advantage you take if you want to be a doppleganger - someone who can impersonate other people easily. If all it's supposed to be is a +4 to Disguise rolls talent plus the ability to alter minor physical features quickly but still require disguise kits for anything major, it seems hideously overpriced.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Langy

Also: If you take Morph with Cosmetic Only, can you still take +16 points in abilities so you can Morph into being Very Handsome/Beautiful?

Beauty is only skin deep.

Does Morph (Cosmetic Only) apply to voices, or would you still sound like a big strong man even if you Morphed into a dainty little girl?[/QUOTE]

It changes your voice, I think. That's part of why it costs 50 points when Elastic Skin only costs 20.

[Langy]

Morph (Cosmetic Only, Retains Shape) is 30 points, so just the price of Elastic Skin plus Mimicry, yet you seem to be suggesting Elastic Skin + Mimicry is significantly less powerful than Morph (Cosmetic Only, Retains Shape) - that version of Morph seems to do everything that Elastic Skin + Mimicry can plus more, allowing you to alter eyes, height, body shape (letting you appear fat, long armed, female/male, whatever), etc., and you don't even need to make any Disguise checks, so the +4 bonus to Disguise that Elastic Skin gets doesn't get you anything.

EDIT:

Beauty is only skin deep.

Does this mean 'Yes, Morph: Cosmetic Only allows you to use Morph to become Very Handsome/Beautiful' or 'No'?

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Langy

Also: If you take Morph with Cosmetic Only, can you still take +16 points in abilities so you can Morph into being Very Handsome/Beautiful?

I'd allow it, but I'm certainly interested in an official response.

[munin]

Elastic Skin [20] = Morph (Cosmetic, -50%; No Mimicry, -10%; Retains Shape, -20%) [20]

Kromm Reference

[Langy]

Awesome, thanks. That's basically what I originally thought how Elastic Skin is supposed to work, but it certainly helps to have an official source. Means you can indeed change fingerprints, irises, hair, and other identifying features with Elastic Skin, and means Elastic Skin + Mimicry is the same as Morph (Cosmetic Only, Retains Shape).

It does make it so Enhancements/Limitations have different values for Elastic Skin and that version of Morph, though, which is kind of sad. The problem with non-multiplicative multipliers, I guess.

Still doesn't answer if officially Morph + Cosmetic or Elastic Skin can alter DNA or if you need full-blown Morph to do that, though.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Kromm

[INDENT] For game-balance purposes, it's assumed that these effects never grant or remove actual attribute levels, advantages, disadvantages, etc. Those who think this latter point is silly or troublesome shouldn't allow Cosmetic. That's in the very nature of Cosmetic. Anything more is really closer to full-blown Morph.

So, apparently you can't spend the 16 points to make yourself Very Beautiful with Cosmetic Morph. You could I suppose buy something like Very Beautiful (Variable +20%, Switchable +10%, Link (Morph) +10%, Requires Skill Roll (Disguise or Illusion Art) -10%) = 21 pts (+the cost of Link on Morph). Which seems a little bit steep.