Viewing Effect - Alternate Form
Take on an empowered humanoid form

Description

You have a powerful alternate form that you can switch in and out of. Appropriate for concepts like werewolves and magical girls. Your alternate form may include many aesthetic differences (fur, new clothes, blue skin, snakes-for-hair, etc).

System

Exert your Mind and spend an Action transforming into [[alternate-form]]. You must spend up to [[duration]] in your alternate form. You may end your transformation at will.

You have access to all of your Powers when you are [[alternate-form]]. Restricting other powers to your alternate form is a valid use of the Conditional drawback. Your Battle Scars are still present in your Alternate Form.

Enhancements

Boosted Attribute (You gain +1 to an Attribute in your Alternate Form. You cannot boost an Attribute more than once with this Enhancement.)
Switch (You may turn this Power on and off at will during its duration)
Quick Change (Your transformation is nearly instant. Instead of requiring a full Action, you may activate this Power as a Quick Action [-2 dice to your main Action].)
Anatomical Weapon (You have a specialized part of your anatomy you can use to attack with. This attack is rolled with Brawl, but Brawn can't be used as armor against it, and it has +1 damage.)
Most-Boosted Attribute (Gain a final +1 to a boosted Attribute.)
Uniform (You have an outfit and/or equipment that appears on you in your alternate form. It replaces your current equipment for the duration. You cannot access this equipment outside of your Alternate Form.)
Different Body (The Injuries and Battle Scars of your Alternate Form and your true form are tracked separately.)
More-Boosted Attribute (Gain an additional +1 to an Attribute which has already been enhanced.)
Combat-Ready (You do not suffer wound penalties while in your Alternate Form,)
Battery-operated (Instead of Exerting Mind to activate this Power, it has its own 3-point Source pool. The Source regenerates at the rate of one point per day and cannot be raised with Experience.): Powers can share a battery pool by taking this Enhancement on each Power and specifying the same Source. Each additional Power after the first increases the capacity of the Source by 2, to a maximum of 10. This Enhancement cannot be used to enhance the owning character's source.
Triggered (You cannot manually activate this Power. Instead, choose a triggering event, always outside your control, that activates this Power without requiring an Action or Exertion cost from you.): Cannot be taken with the "Conditional" Drawback. The triggering event must be outside of your control, and balance must be strictly enforced by Cell Leaders. Suitable events may include: suffering an Injury Severity two or higher, being grappled, falling unconscious, being tied up and bound, being angrily screamed at, etc.
Unleash (If you are restricted, restrained, dazed, sleepy, or stunned, transforming immediately ends the effect. Cooldown 1 minute.)

Drawbacks

Mute (You cannot speak human languages in your alternate form)
Focus (Activating this Power requires a specific kind of item.): Subject to GM approval.
Once per Day (May only use this Power once per day.)
Conditional (Only usable when a certain condition is met. This condition must be severe enough that the Power is unusable the majority of the time.): Condition must be significant. Subject to GM approval.
Indiscriminate Killer (When you go into battle, roll Mind, Difficulty 7 to choose targets.): Failure results in you attacking a target at GM's discretion.
Unique Focus (This Power takes the form of a specific, unique item, which can be borrowed, lost, or stolen.)
Weaker (You have -1 to a chosen Attribute in your alternate form.)
Paws (You are incapable of fine object manipulation in your Alternate Form.)
Traumatic (Make a Trauma roll when you use this power)
Long Cast (This Power takes one minute to activate.)
Maddening (Possession of this Power causes a Trauma that cannot be cured by any means. The chosen Trauma must be particularly dangerous and/or restrictive.): This Trauma should require a Mind roll to avoid serious issues and loss of Character control. For example, "you must roll Mind to surface from any body of water," or "you must roll Mind to avoid jumping into fire when you see it," or "you cannot trust your life to someone else without rolling Mind." etc.
Mage (Activating this Power requires at least two committed Actions and involves intricate use of the arms, hands and either the voice or an object. If interrupted during activation, the Power Fails.): Just about any attempt to interrupt the ritual should be successful. Even neutral events (like a cat wandering up) may cause it to fail. GM's discretion. If the cast time for the Power is longer than the minimum two actions required, the ritual must last for the entire cast time.
Lose Yourself (While transformed, you automatically fail any Mind roll to resist an impulse and suffer -3 dice on all other Mind rolls.)
Sacrifice (Activating requires you to take a Severity-1 Injury instead of Exerting your Mind or spending a point of Source.): You cannot use Armor to soak this damage.
Draining (After this Power ends, you cannot move quicker than a walk for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour.)
Fuel (Using this Power consumes some material good in addition to its other costs.): The unit of material consumed per activation must be specified at power creation time. For example, "A quart of gasoline," or "a head's worth of human hair" etc. The amount should be proportionate to the difficulty to access the material. For instance, something you can get in town (gasoline, ink) should require a half gallon per activation, something abundant like water should require at least a gallon, something rare like mercury should require a cup or so.
Monstrous (This Power causes a mutation that elicits a strong, negative social response from the average person in your World. The mutation is ALWAYS present and visible even if you are wearing long sleeves, pants, and shoes. Maximum one per Contractor): This mutation is ALWAYS present, even when the Power is not being used, and ALWAYS extreme and difficult to conceal. This mutation may complicate social situations at the GMs discretion. Maximum of one Power with the Monstrous Drawback per Contractor.
Can't stop the beast (You are unable to revert from your Alternate Form at will and must wait for the duration to fully elapse before returning to normal.)

Parameter - Duration

Default Level: 2

Seasoned Threshold: 4

Veteran Threshold: 5

1 round
3 rounds
3 minutes
30 minutes
3 hours
1 day
1 month

Example Powers

Wolf Out - 1 Gift Alternate Form Power

The Werewolf unleashes the beast within, quickly transforming into an imposing hybrid of human and wolf with a series of bone-popping snaps. Their head is replaced wholesale with that of a wolf, robbing them of speech but bestowing a maw of deadly fangs. Grey fur sprouts from a great deal of their body, and tight-fitting clothing is often ripped and torn in the transformation. While transformed, they lose a great deal of self-control, and they cannot return to human form for some time.

If The Werewolf is struck my moonlight, they are compelled to transform.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action transforming. You must spend 30 minutes as a werewolf.

While in your werewolf form you gain +1 Brawn. You cannot speak as a werewolf, only growl, bark, and snarl. You do not suffer dice penalties from Body damage while transformed. Brawl attacks you make with your teeth or claws cannot be soaked by Brawn and deal +1 Damage. While transformed, you automatically fail any Mind roll to resist an impulse and suffer -3 dice on all other Mind rolls.

When you are struck by moonlight, you must make a Mind roll, Difficulty 7. If you fail, you must activate this Power.

You have access to all of your Powers as a werewolf.

Enhancements

Combat-Ready: You do not suffer wound penalties while in your Alternate Form,
Anatomical Weapon: You have a specialized part of your anatomy you can use to attack with. This attack is rolled with Brawl, but Brawn can't be used as armor against it, and it has +1 damage.
Boosted Attribute: You gain +1 to an Attribute in your Alternate Form. You cannot boost an Attribute more than once with this Enhancement.
- Attribute: Brawn

Drawbacks

Maddening: Possession of this Power causes a Trauma that cannot be cured by any means. The chosen Trauma must be particularly dangerous and/or restrictive.
- Trauma: You are compelled to transform each time you are struck by moonlight.
Mute: You cannot speak human languages in your alternate form
Lose Yourself: While transformed, you automatically fail any Mind roll to resist an impulse and suffer -3 dice on all other Mind rolls.

Stock Power Tip: The specifics of your werewolf form are open for customization. Take the Indiscriminate Killer and/or Paws Drawbacks for a more chaotic and bestial flavor, or invest in the Willful End or Quick Change Enhancements for more flexibility. Be careful about taking Drawbacks like Conditional on "core concept" Powers such as this one; they may make your Character feel impotent in an unintended way.

Customize

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Mr. Hyde - 1 Gift Alternate Form Power

Dr. Jekyll drinks his potion of chemicals and quickly transforms into a nasty, brutish shade of himself. His hair grows long and unkempt, his face contorts into a haggard mask with an evil grin, his muscles begin to burst at the seams of his clothing. Mr. Hyde is no gentleman; whereas the doctor is quick to charm and dazzle his friends with displays of wit, Hyde is quick to anger and prone to bursts of uncontrollable violence and rage. Dr. Jekyll cannot always control what Mr. Hyde does, but once the effect wears off he will retain the memories of any evil deeds he committed under the influence.

Exert yourself, drink your potion, and spend a full round transforming. You must spend 30 minutes in your alternate form. While transformed, you have +1 Brawn and +1 Dexterity, but have a -1 Charisma and -1 Intelligence penalty. You do not suffer from any wound penalties, but also must roll your Mind at Difficulty 7 in order to choose targets in combat; if you fail, the GM will choose for you.