When this skill is purchased, the character gains the ability to transform into a normal animal with stats from the normal form of the animal from the Codex of Monstrous Creatures each time the skill is used. All armor and items worn – magical or otherwise – change into the new form and any access to them is lost, however, the benefits of any magic item is still available to the character except magic items that need to leave the character to be useful.
When a character transforms, they must drop to their hands and knees for 1 minute to role-play the shift. During this time, the character puts on the appropriate costuming for the animal. The character can be attacked and harmed during this time and no skills or abilities can be used. The Druid may call latent spell defenses or invoke spell defenses from items, however. Taking damage will not interrupt the transformation unless the Druid is rendered unconscious or worse. If the character is interrupted, they do not use the skill for that Tag Cycle.
They also suffer the following detriments while shapeshifted:
• They cannot speak common, but can understand what others are saying
• They lose access to all skills, abilities, racial abilities, Body Points, etc of their old form and completely take on the stats of their new form.
• Cannot perform any physical activity the animal cannot naturally perform, for example, opening doors, writing, riding a horse, cooking dinner, etc.
• Cannot use any weapons or shields
While shape changed, the character appears as a completely normal and natural version of the animal form chosen.
When the character changes back to their natural form and they are down Body Points, they are down the same amount of Body Points in their normal form. If this would normally put them at zero or less Body Points, the character is at 1 Body Point.
The change normally lasts 1 hour, but the character may change back to their natural form at will. If while in the animal form, the character is Mortally Wounded or brought to the Brink of Death, they are forced back into their natural form. The character may expend another purchase of this skill at the end of the duration to continue staying in their shapeshifted form without changing back first.
To use this skill the character must have weapons and costuming appropriate to the animal form. Plot has the final say on the stats of the animal and if it is appropriate.
This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.
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