[Magic] Are you stuck with 1 precise form per Shapeshifting you learn?

[younglorax]

There are two parts to this:

(1) If you learn, say, Shapeshifting (Horse), do you always look the same as a horse? Same colors and all?

(2) If you're not stuck to precisely one form (i.e. if the answer to (1) is "no"), can you have varied stats, as well? That is, can you be a draft horse one time and a cavalry horse the next?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by younglorax

There are two parts to this:

(1) If you learn, say, Shapeshifting (Horse), do you always look the same as a horse? Same colors and all?

(2) If you're not stuck to precisely one form (i.e. if the answer to (1) is "no"), can you have varied stats, as well? That is, can you be a draft horse one time and a cavalry horse the next?

1. Yes, unless something else (like a perk) intervenes.
2. No.

[Refplace]

Different animals would be different spells.
If you knew enough Body Spells you could possibly modify the form after it was shifted though.

[Captain-Captain]

Option 1) (You don't want this in your game). 1 per spell.

Option 2) (You think it'd be cool to have in your game). Treat other types of a default animal as familiarities. -2 to the spell until you're practiced enough.

[OldSam]

ok, so we are defining that variations of the form are not a "free default" and normally a spell is fixed to a specific type of animal.

--

anyway, like Captain-Captain said one could allow it with penalties - it's an interesting idea to treat the variations as familiarities after all...

Generally there is also an official (optional) rule from Thaumatology (p.39) called "Adjustable Spells" for dealing with spell-variations like that:
Basically variations for spells are treated like enhancement for powers and each +5% enhancement brings a -1 spell-penalty and +1 Energy Cost.
(though I didn't find an appropriate enhancement for this "style effect" yet, but it's very likely +5% or +10%.)

Furthermore a possible option could be to allow buying a "style perk" that offers free minor variations to the caster.

[younglorax]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

Option 1) (You don't want this in your game). 1 per spell.

Option 2) (You think it'd be cool to have in your game). Treat other types of a default animal as familiarities. -2 to the spell until you're practiced enough.

Let me see if I'm understanding your idea for Option 2 correctly: Mr. Shifter learns Shapeshift (Cavalry Horse), but he can isntead use Shapeshift (Draft Horse) at Shapeshift (Cavalry Horse) -2, but if he uses Shapeshift (Draft Horse) enough times he gets used to it and essentially has two (similar) forms for the cost of one?

Originally Posted by OldSam

Generally there is also an official (optional) rule from Thaumatology (p.39) called "Adjustable Spells" for dealing with spell-variations like that:
Basically variations for spells are treated like enhancement for powers and each +5% enhancement brings a -1 spell-penalty and +1 Energy Cost.
(though I didn't find an appropriate enhancement for this "style effect" yet, but it's very likely +5% or +10%.)

Furthermore a possible option could be to allow buying a "style perk" that offers free minor variations to the caster.

That sounds interesting. I'm away from my books right now, but I'll look at that page.

[OldSam]

Originally Posted by younglorax

Let me see if I'm understanding your idea for Option 2 correctly: Mr. Shifter learns Shapeshift (Cavalry Horse), but he can isntead use Shapeshift (Draft Horse) at Shapeshift (Cavalry Horse) -2, but if he uses Shapeshift (Draft Horse) enough times he gets used to it and essentially has two (similar) forms for the cost of one?

Rather than adapting to different sub-species, I think this approach would be more suited to minor variations like changing the eye-color etc...