Natural Shifter Rule Changes

People are afraid of werecreatures, even these natural ones.  The killing of a werecreature is almost always considered a good thing unless they are a member of the Brotherhood of Lazarus.

There will be no differences between the benefits gained from their hybrid form and their animal form.
It will now cost 4 character points to play a natural werewolf, werehyena, werecat, wereraven, weresnake, or werecoyote.  It will now cost 6 character points to play a natural werespider, werebear, werefox, werelizard, wererat, wereshark, or werebat.

Natural Claws: This skill may be purchased by all shifters.  Weresharks receive a bite attack from this skill which is represented by a single Long weapon as opposed to two short weapons.

Increased Claw Threshold: Change name to Improved Claws.  Change effect to allowing the character to block all damage with their claws and increasing size to Long weapons.  All shifters except weresnakes may purchase this skill.  Weresharks increase the size of their bite attack weapon from a Long weapon to a Two-handed weapon instead.

Monster Claws: Remove this skill from the document.

Natural Heal Wounds: This ability requires a 10 count in order to heal 1 Body or 3 Natural Armor.  This count is announced as, “Healing Wounds 1, Healing Wounds 2, Healing Wounds 3, Healing Wounds 4…,” and is interrupted by taking damage or taking any action which requires the player to announce the use of a skill or damage call.  All shifters may purchase this skill.  Werespiders with this skill may spend blood to heal as per vampire rules (8 blood pool).  Lower cost of this skill to 8 character points.

Natural Armor: All shifters may purchase Natural Armor.

Spirit Gifts: Remove references to spirits that aren’t necessarily in Aldeon from this section.

Shifter Only High Magics: Remove High Magic Spirit Enchantment from the game.  Plane Shift is available to all shifters at level 7 for a cost of 8 CP (30 count).

Shapeshift: Always requires a six count (Shapeshifting 1, Shapeshifting 2, Shapeshifting 3,…) regardless of the desired form.

All Shifters except for Werespiders, Werefoxes, and Werecoyotes may purchase Battle Rage.

Remove reference to level requirements in order to shift between forms.

No forms will ever grant a character Massive or Limited Massive size.

Binding Strike will be removed from all shifters.

Forms are simplified to Human, Hybrid, and <animal>.

Unless specifically noted, all skills that can be purchased are only accessible in Hybrid or Animal form.

Skills purchased that are only usable in animal forms cost half of the usual character point cost.

Werewolf- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Wolf; May purchase up to Strength +2; May purchase Flee; Gain Keen Scent while shifted; x2 damage from silver while shifted.

Werehyena- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Hyena; May purchase up to Strength +2; May purchase Flee; Gain Keen Scent while shifted; x2 damage from silver while shifted.

Werespider- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Giant Spider; May purchase up to Strength +1; May Purchase Natural Web (3) for 1.5 CP each; May purchase Web Walk for 2 CP (usable while shifted); Gain Keen Sight and Keen Touch while shifted.

Werecat- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Big Cat; May purchase up to Strength +2; May purchase Flee; Gain Keen Sight and Keen Hearing while shifted; x2 damage from silver while shifted.

Wereraven- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Raven; Gain Flight while shifted; Gain Keen Sight while shifted; Monster is weapon (Long) while in Raven form; x2 damage from gold while shifted.

Werebear- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Bear; May purchase up to Strength +3; May purchase Strength +1 for Human form or Strength +2 if the character already meets the prerequisites of Strength +1 (This costs the usual amount of character points); Gain Keen Scent while shifted; x2 damage from silver while shifted.

Werefox- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Fox; May purchase Flee; May purchase Umbral Perception, Umbral Projection, and Umbral Combat without an instructor (usable in all forms, purchased at full cost); Gain Keen Sight, Keen Scent, and Keen Hearing while shifted; x2 damage from silver while shifted.

Werelizard- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Lizard; May purchase Strength +2; May purchase Underwater Combat without an instructor (usable in all forms, purchased at full cost); May purchase Natural Conceal (2 CP, usable while shifted); Gain Keen Touch while shifted; May purchase Swamp Walk (2 CP, usable while shifted); x2 damage from gold and silver while shifted.

Weresnake- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Snake; May purchase up to Strength +2; Gain Keen Taste, Keen Touch, Keen Sight, and Keen Scent while shifted; x2 damage from silver while shifted.

Werecoyote- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Coyote; May purchase up to Strength +1; May purchase Flee; Gain Keen Scent while shifted.

Wererat- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Dire Rat; May purchase Resist Poison (usable in all forms, purchased at full cost); May purchase Resist Disease (usable in all forms, purchased at full cost); Gain Keen Scent and Keen Hearing while shifted; x2 damage from silver.

Wereshark- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Shark; May purchase up to Strength +2; May purchase Underwater Combat without an instructor (usable in all forms, purchased for full cost); May purchase Blood Rage; May never purchase Control Rage; Gain Keen Scent, Keen Taste, and Keen Touch while shifted; x2 damage from silver while shifted.

Werebat- Forms are Human, Hybrid, and Dire Bat; May purchase Blind Fighting at half cost rounded down (usable in all forms); Gain Flight while shifted; May purchase Evade without an instructor (usable in all forms, purchased for full cost); x2 damage from silver.

Changes to vampire rules
Fully fledged vampires are not typically playable except through carefully considered plot approval.  The logistics of playing a vampire in a game where most of the action takes place during the day makes vampire characters either ineffective or impossible to play.

Half-vampires and Thralls may be played with regular plot approval.

Generation can be collapsed down into 4 generations instead of 14.  1st and 2nd would be unplayable.  3rd would cost 30 Character points to play and have 15 blood.  4th would cost 15 Character points to play and have 10 blood.
Remove references to Path of Emotion since it won’t be in game.  The call for drinking blood is “Drinking Blood 1, Drinking Blood 2, Drinking Blood 3…” with a continued count up for extra blood drained.  A vampire can declare they are drinking the blood of anyone within arm’s reach.  This is noticeable and is considered attempted murder.

Vampires may purchase Damage Reduction effective only against Blunt attacks at a rate of one point of DR for 4 Character points.  This cannot be purchased more than 5 times.

Vampires can never be rendered immune to the effects of their sunlight weakness.  A Helios Shield or Resist Helios may be used to protect the vampire for 5 minutes or the length of a combat scene, whichever is shorter.

Animalism:
1.   Speak with Animal: This allows the character to speak with natural and magical creatures as though they were a Forester of the appropriate level.  1 Blood is expended upon initiating conversation with a creature.  This is announced as, “Speak with
Animal.”

2.   Command Animal: This allows the character to command animals as per the Path of Nature spell Command Animal.  This ability costs 1 Blood.  The character need not use Speak with Animal in order to give a command.  This is announced as “Vampiric Command Animal.”

3.   Vampiric Calm: This ability allows the user to end any Berserk effect as well as Battle Rage.  This is a Charm effect.  This ability costs 1 Blood.  This is announced, “Vampiric Calm,” and requires the use of a spell packet.

4.   Animal Possession: The character may possess an animal that he or she is touching.  This skill will not work on sentient beings, monsters, or magical beasts.  The vampire’s body remains at the location where this ability was used leaving the vampire unaware of the surroundings around its body unless other powers are then used.  This ability costs 2 Blood and is announced as “Vampiric Animal Possession.”

5.   Vampiric Enrage: This ability acts as the Charm spell Enrage.  This effect requires the use of a spell packet and a missed throw results in the user being affected by the ability instead.  This is a Charm effect.  This ability costs 1 Blood and is announced as, “Vampiric Enrage.”

Auspex:
1.   Heightened Senses: The vampire picks one sense to heighten. This gives the vampire the skill Keen Sense for that one sense for an hour. Spending 1 Blood can allow you to activate it for three senses for five minutes. This is announced as “Heightened <sense or senses>.”

2.   Aura Perception: This ability replicates the effects of the Empathy, Detect Life, Sense Truth, and Detect Magic spells.  This ability also grants the user the knowledge of the target’s original race regardless of any physical changes or magical masking.  This is considered a Mind effect.  This ability costs 1 Blood and requires the use of a spell packet.  This is announced as, “Aura Perception.”

3.   Object Reading: This ability grants the user the ability to read residual emotional impressions left by sentient beings on an object.  The first use will reveal the most recent emotions with older emotions being revealed with subsequent uses.  This ability costs 1 Blood and is announced as, “Vampiric Object Reading.”

4.   Vampiric Telepathy: This ability allows the user to speak telepathically with one creature within the user’s line of sight.  This mind-to-mind communication bypasses language barriers.  This ability costs 1 Blood per hour of use and is announced as, “Vampiric Telepathy.”

5.   Vampiric Umbral Projection: This ability replicates the effects of the skill Umbral Projection.  This ability costs 2 Blood to use and is announced as, “Vampiric Umbral Projection.”

Celerity:
This discipline replicates the effects of the skill Flee.  Each level increases the amount of simultaneous uses of Flee a character has access to.  For example, a character with Celerity 4 may expend 4 Blood in order to gain the effects of Flee 4 times simultaneously increasing their speed 16 times over.  The character may utilize lower levels of this ability by expending only the amount of Blood required for them.  This ability costs 1 Blood per level used and is announced as, “Vampiric Flee <# of Blood used>; Flee 1, Flee 2, Flee 3.”

Dominate:
Vampires may not dominate a vampire with a lower generation number.  Mortals may only resist with Resists or magical shields of the proper path.  Thralls and Half-vampires may never affect a vampire but are able to use these abilities on mortals just as well.
1.   Vampiric Command: Works as per the Path of Charms spell Command and requires use of a spell packet.  The command may only be a one word in length. This is considered a Charm effect. Costs 1 Blood to use.  This is announced as “Vampiric Command”.

2.   Vampiric Control: Works as per the Path of Charms spell Command and requires use of a spell packet. This is considered a Charm effect.  Costs 1 Blood to use.  This is announced as “Vampiric Control”.

3.   Alter Memories: Works as per the Path of Mind spells Forget or Remember and requires use of a spell packet. This is considered a Mind effect. Costs 1 Blood to use. This is announced as “Vampiric Forget/Remember”.

4.   Insinuate: This ability modifies the earlier powers of this discipline to convince the target that the actions they are taking as a result of a command are actions that they themselves wanted to take.  The target will not remember having interacted with the character at all unless the character took hostile actions against the target.  This ability costs 1 Blood in addition to the base cost of the other ability used and announced by saying, “Insinuate,” at the end of a command.

5.   Possession: This allows the vampire to possess someone who is Blood Bonded to them. This power can be used by the vampire to walk in the sunlight. This power fails if the target is unwilling.  The vampire’s body is left behind wherever it used this power and will remain there until the vampire wishes to end the power.  The vampire is unaware of the surroundings near its body for the duration of this power.  This is announced as “Vampiric Possession” and is considered a Mind effect.

Fortitude:
This discipline replicates the skill Constitution +.  This will not grant extra good beads to resurrection picks due to the inherent corruption of the soul that vampiric blood represents.

Obfuscate:
1.   Vampiric Cloak: This ability replicates the effects of the spell Cloak on the user. It can be used anywhere so long as the target can’t be seen.  This is announced as “Vampiric Cloak, can anybody see me?”  If the answer is yes then the power fails.

2.   Vampiric Invisibiilty: This ability replicates the spell Invisibility except that it may only be used when unseen and only on the user.  This costs 1 Blood and is announced as, “Vampiric Invisibility, can anybody see me?”  If the answer is yes then the power fails and the Blood is expended.

3.   Mind Blank:  This ability allows the user to temporarily bolster their resistance to mind-affecting effects and magics.  This power must be used before the user is affected by a spell from Path of Charms, Path of Mind, or any effect targeting the mind of the user.  This power acts as a Mind Shield or Charm Shield depending on the effect the user is targeted by and will nullify other mind-affecting powers.  This power costs 2 Blood to use and lasts for an hour or until its effects are triggered, whichever comes first.  This is announced as, “Mind Blank.”

4.   Improved Vampiric Invisibility: This ability replicates the spell Invisibility except that it may only affect the user.  This costs 2 Blood and is announced as, “Vampiric Invisibility.”

5.   Mass Cloak:  This ability allows the user to extend the benefits of third and fourth level powers of this discipline to others.  The vampire must expend the base Blood cost for the ability as well as 1 additional blood per creature they wish to affect.  The user may affect a number of people up to their level.

Potence:
This discipline grants the vampire one level of Strength + for each level purchased in this discipline.  This does not grant any additional damage unless the user spends 1 Blood per level of Potence he or she wishes to invoke.  This discipline does not require expenditure for feats of strength.  Utilizing this discipline to increase melee damage is announced as, “Vampiric Strength Plus <#of Blood used>.”  This increased damage lasts for five minutes or until the end of combat, whichever comes first.  This increased damage applies only to weapons the user is proficient with.

Presence:
1.   Vampiric Fascinate: Works as per the Path of Charms spell Fascinate except that danger to the target will immediately end the effect. This is considered a Charm effect. This ability costs 1 Blood and requires the use of a spell packet.  This is announced as “Vampiric Fascinate”.

2.   Vampiric Frighten: Works as per the Path of Charms spell Frighten. This is considered a Charm effect. This ability costs 1 Blood and requires the use of a spell packet.  This is announced as “Dread Gaze”.

3.   Vampiric Love: This ability replicates the effects of the Love alchemy.  This is considered a Charm effect.  This ability costs 2 Blood to use and requires the use of a spell packet.  This effect lasts one week and is announced as, “Vampiric Love.”

4.   Summon: This power causes a person who: 1. the vampire has used a Presence power on before; 2. The vampire knows the name of; 3. Is within one day’s travel time from the vampire to come to the vampire and meet with them face to face. This is considered a Charm effect.  This effect costs 2 Blood and is announced as, “Vampiric Summon <name>.”

5.   Vampiric Tranquility: This power works as World Effect Tranquility.  This is considered a Charm effect.  This ability costs 5 Blood to use and is announced as “Vampiric World Effect Tranquility.”

Protean:
1.   Vampiric Dark Sight: This power grants the vampire Dark Sight for one hour.  This is announced as “Vampiric Dark Sight”.

2.   Vampiric Claws: This power grants the vampire 2 point base damage natural claws that the vampire is considered proficient with.  This power costs 1 Blood to use and is announced as “Vampiric Claws.”

3.   Earth Meld:  This power allows the character to meld into natural ground and dirt.  This power is not usable if the earth in question is covered by something such as wooden floors or a stone road.  The character may stay underground until they wish to leave, requiring a count of, “Earth Meld 1, Earth Meld 2, Earth Meld 3,” or unless the ground in which they are resting is disturbed by digging which will eject the character without a count and leave the character stunned for a 5 count.  This ability costs 1 Blood to use and is announced as, “Earth Meld.”

4.   Shape Shift: This power allows the vampire the use of the skill Shapeshift.  The vampire gains two animal forms created with the same rules as monk animal forms.  These animal forms cannot be changed unless a rewrite is used.  Shifting forms requires a 6 count (Shapeshifting 1, Shapeshifting 2, Shapeshifting 3,…) and the expenditure of 1 Blood.  An additional Blood may be
expended to forego the shifting count.  Leaving the form requires no Blood expenditure but still requires a six count.  1 Blood may be spent in order to forego this count.

5.   Gaseous Form: This power works as per the Path of Air spell Gaseous Form.  This ability requires the expenditure of 1 Blood as well as a six count (Gaseous Form 1, Gaseous Form 2, Gaseous Form 3…) which may be avoided by expending an additional Blood.  Emerging from the form requires a 6 count which may be avoided through expenditure of 1 Blood.

Thralls
Modify chart to reflect the truncated generation system.  Remove the Max Discipline level 5 row.

Half-Vampires
May only purchase disciplines up to their third level.