Aspect of the Beast

When this skill is purchased, the character embraces the animalistic power of nature and gains the ability to call upon their guardian animal totem and merge with it, transforming their body into a bipedal version of the character’s guardian totem animal. All armor and items worn are unchanged in the new form.

When a character transforms, they must drop to their hands and knees or crouch for 1 minute to roleplay the shift. During this time, the character puts on the appropriate costuming for the animal which must be at least a mask and a tabard approved by Plot. 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.

When transformed, the Druid gains the following abilities:
• +20 Body Points
• +1 Strength Bonus
• +1 Damage Bonus with their claws only
• One special ability based on the type of totem (see table below)
• Immunity to all charm effects
• Immunity to Fear
• May still use their Druid skills, even Nature Magic

They also suffer the following detriments while shapeshifted:
• They cannot speak common and therefore cannot use any skills, spells, powers, or items that require a verbal, but can understand what others are saying, and can be understood by Druids.

Category
Examples
Special Ability

Avians
Eagles, etc
Critical Attack 1x,
Flight levels 1 and 2

Insects
Ants, Beetles
20 Natural Armor,
Acid Spit: 18 points of damage x2

Bears
+10 Body Points,
+1 Strength Bonus, Non-Combinable

Canines
Wolves, Hyenas
+1 Damage Bonus,
Master Parry, Track By Scent

Felines
Lions, Tigers
+1 Damage Bonus,
Critical Attack, Track By Scent

Primates, Equines
+1 Damage Bonus,
Feat of Strength x2

Reptiles
Snakes, Lizards
10 Natural Armor, Threshold of 2 (stackable),
Poison Spit: Blindness

Scorpions
20 Natural Armor,
Poison Spit: 24 Point Damage x2

Spiders
10 Natural Armor,
Webbing x3

The character must receive approval from the Plot Director for their totem animal and the final category benefits. If a character has a totem that is not represented in the above table, the closest match will be assigned.

While in their aspect, the character appears as a half animal half man version. The character gains no special movement powers or the ability to walk on four (or more) legs. While in animal form, the character may use their Druid skills and Nature Magic spells. They still need to say the appropriate verbal but, in-game, the characters around them do not understand what they are saying. Also, they may use any latent spell normally. When the character changes back to their natural form and they are down Body Points, the bonus Body Points the character gains from changing are the first to be lost. Therefore, if the character normally has 20 Body Points and uses this skill they would have 45 Body Points. If the character was down 18 Body Points when they changed back, they would be at 20 Body Points – the normal for their natural form. Willingly changing back to their natural form takes the character however long it takes to remove their costume.

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 brought to the Brink of Death, they are forced back into their natural form.

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.

The character may only purchase Aspect of the Beast or Elemental Quintessence, not both. Once learned this skill cannot be unlearned in order to purchase the other skill.