Universal Constants[]
Each Druidic Arts Alternate Form is the Alternate Form advantage, with the Druidic Arts PM (-10%) and Requires IQ Roll (-10%) modifiers, for a total minimum limitation of -20%; other suggested modifiers include:
- Absorptive Change (recommended to at least Light Encumbrance.
- Environmental or Accessibility limiting the change to the "expected" environment of the form.
- Costs Fatigue (max 4 FP) - and possibly Accessibility: ER Only.
- Maximum Duration
- Preparation Required
- Take Extra Time
- Trigger
The druid should try to take enough limitations to bring AF cost down to 15 points ea. Remember that for the listed cost, Costs Fatigue is charged only when changing forms, not to maintain the form.
Base forms cost 50 points. Each form must be upgradeable in a mix of 20 to 50 point chunks.
Query: is this still a good idea?
- When the druid upgrades the most expensive form, all other forms must be upgraded. All forms must be the same point value +/- a very small number of points.
General themes: Earth, Air, Water, Plant, Animal...
Forms[]
Basic Form of Earth[]
Appearance[]
A headless stout quadruped made of stone. It is covered in broken shards of rock and has blunt clawed feet. It perceives the world through strangely elemental means, but is limited to sight and hearing. The senses are concentrated at the "front" end of the creature's squared-off torso.
Traits[]
DX: -2 [-40];
HP: +10 [12], Move: -2 [-10], Basic Speed: -0.5, [-10];
Appearance (Ugly) [-6]; Bad Sight (Nearsighted) [-25]; Blunt Claws [3]; Burrower [1]; Command of Earth [20]; Damage Resistance 6 (Hardened 1; Can't Wear Armor) [22]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Doesn't Breathe [20]; Earthwalk [7]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous; No Blood; No Eyes; No Face) [52]; Lifting ST 10 (Size; No Fine Manipulators) [18]; No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5]; Numb [-20]; Quadruped (p. B263) [-35]; Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (Immune) [30]; Short Spines [1]; Teeth (Sharp Teeth) [1]; Temperature Tolerance 5 [5]; Vibration Sense (Accessibility (Ground-to-Ground)) [9].
Metatraits[]
Quadruped - Template (p. B263) [-35]
- Extra Legs (4 Legs) [5]
- Horizontal [-10]
- No Fine Manipulators [-30]
Command of Earth - Alternative Ability [20]
- Clinging (Specific (Earth/Stone) (Common material)) [12]
- Control Natural Earth/Stone 1 [15]
- Detect (Earth and Stone; Very Common; Analysis Only; Melee Attack: Reach C) [6]
Earthwalk - Alternative Ability [7]
- Terrain Adaptation (Mud) [5]
- Terrain Adaptation (Rocky/Broken Ground) [5]
- Terrain Adaptation (Sand) [5]
Notes[]
- Downside: slow and clumsy, no ranged attacks, not very fancy melee attacks. No Hands.
- Upside: General DR, HPT, Homogeneous, extra HPs, Lifting ST, and no major elemental vulnerabilities. Unhindered by bad ground. Probably the "please stop picking on the controller and go away now" form, plus bonus (but slow) stuff-haulage.
Basic Form of Air[]
NB: Work in progress. I'm not entirely satisfied with the Advantages list - too much DR I think.
Appearance[]
A whirling vortex of mist and dust, constantly emitting the sound of rushing air and pulsing with static electricity.
Templates and Meta-Traits[]
Body of Air (p. B262) with Oxygen Absorption on Doesn't Breathe NO Injury Tolerance [-69]
Traits[]
ST: 0 [-100];
HP: +10 [20].
Appearance (Ugly) [-6]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Command of Air [59]; Compact Frame [1]; Damage Resistance 4 (Limited: Physical Attacks) [16]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Doesn't Breathe (Oxygen Combustion) [10]; Flight (Lighter Than Air) [36]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous; No Blood) [45]; Nictitating Membrane 4 (Limited: Physical Attacks) [4]; No Legs (Aerial) [0]; No Manipulators [-50]; Noisy -2 [-4]; Vulnerability (Vacuum and wind-based attacks; Occasional; x2) [-20].
Taboo Trait: Fixed ST.
Metatraits[]
Command of Air - Alternative Ability [59]
- Control Air 2 [40]
- Create Air 2 [10]
- Dust Storm [33]
- Affliction 1 (Dust Cloud; Area Effect (8 yd); Coughing; Link (Powers must be used together); Persistent; Respiratory Agent; Emanation; Environmental (Air) (Very Common); Environmental (Dusty or sandy area) (Common); Reduced Duration (1/30 duration)) [13]
- Obscure 4 (Vision; Area Effect (8 yd); Defensive; Link (Powers must be used together); Ranged; Costs Fatigue (+1); Environmental (Air) (Very Common); Environmental (Dusty or sandy area with air) (Common)) [20]
- Lightning Strike 4 (Burning Attack; Accurate (+1); Arcing Surge; Side Effect Stunning (+1); Variable; Accessibility: half power (Half Power without spending FP) (+1); Partial Dice (per die) (-1/die)) [36]
- Vapor Blast 2 (Crushing Attack; Cone (+5); Double Knockback; Increased Range (1/2D Range only) (x10); Variable; Armor Divisor (0.5); Costs Fatigue (+1); Environmental (Air) (Very Common); Inaccurate (-3); Reduced Range (x1/10); Partial Dice (per die) (+2/die)) [8]
Notes on attacks[]
- Dust Storm
The Form of Air spends one FP and an Attack action to spin up a cloud of dust and dirt in an 8 yard radius area around it. This area is obscured by the airborn dirt for a -4 to vision penalties for 10 seconds. Any creatures in the area or who enter the area, who breath, and do not hold their breath (see Holding Your Breath, p. B351) must make a HT roll or suffer 2 seconds times their margin of failure of coughing and sneezing (-3 to DX, -1 to IQ), starting after they exit the area.
The Form of Air is immune to the vision penalties and does not breathe, so is unhindered by the effect. Allies are not especially protected.
- Lightning Bolt 2d-2, 36 points
The Form of Air can fire small lightning bolts at its enemies. Make an Attack action, roll Innate Attack (Beam) to hit, and treat conductive metal armor as DR1, regardless of its actual DR. By spending 1 FP before attacking (free action), the Form of Air may double the damage. If any damage penetrates DR, the victim must make a HT roll (at -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage) or be stunned; roll vs HT once per turn at the same penalty to recover.
Lightning Bolt: 2d-2 bu sur stn. Range 10 yd/100 yd. RoF 1. Rcl 1. Acc 4.
- or 4d-4 bu sur stn, costs 1 FP.
- Vapor Blast 4d+8, 8 points.
This is a 10 yard long cone of roaring winds, 5 yards wide at the end. Roll Innate Attack (Beam) to land the cone dead-on, roll for Scatter on a miss. Anyone in the cone area is subject to this attack. This attack does full damage for knockback purposes, but only half the rolled damage is applied as crushing damage - this crushing is Large Area injury, suffers doubled DR, but does Blunt Trauma as normal for crushing. Note that targets thrown back into solid objects may take collision damage. The Druid may choose to "pull his punch" and roll any lesser amount of dice but cannot adjust the bonus/penalty per die.
This attack is very inaccurate and cannot be Aimed, nor targeted at specific hit locations on anything smaller than SM +8. Its effect is completely blocked by any air-tight barrier, air-water transition, etc. and cannot be used at all in an airless environment, such as underwater or the vacuum of space.
Crushing Attack Vapor Blast: 2d+4 (0.5) cr/4d+8 dbk. Range 10 yd (5 cone). RoF 1. Rcl 1. Acc 0.
Basic Form of Water[]
Appearance[]
A limbless, streamlined, eel-like shape made from churning translucent water.
Traits[]
Amphibious [10]; Appearance (Ugly) [-6]; Aquatic Nature [28]; Bad Sight (Nearsighted; Accessibility (Out of Water) (+2)) [-20]; Chameleon 3 (Accessibility (Only in Water); Always On) [9]; Command of Water [31]; Damage Resistance 3 (Limited (Physical attacks)) [12]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Extra Water Move 2 (Affects Water Move) [10]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous; No Eyes) [45]; Invertebrate [-20]; Leaves wet trail (+10 to track, reducing as it dries) [-5]; No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5]; Reduced Basic Move -1 (Affects Move) [-5]; Temperature Tolerance 3 [3]; Vermiform (p. B263) [-35]; Vibration Sense (Water) [10]; Vulnerability (Dehydration, Heat, and Fire attacks; Common; x2) [-30]; Weak Bite [-2]; Weakness (Dry air; 1d per minute; Fatigue Only; Variable; Occasional) [-4].
Metatraits[]
Vermiform - Template (p. B263) [-35]
- Double-Jointed [15]
- No Legs (Slithers) [0]
- No Manipulators [-50]
Aquatic Nature - Alternative Ability [28]
- Doesn't Breathe (Affects Others (+1); Area Effect (4 yd); Gills) [25]
- Doesn't Breathe (Oxygen Absorption) [15]
Command of Water - Alternative Attack [31]
- Control Water 1 [20]
- Create Water 3 [15]
- Detect (Water; Common; Analysis Only) [10]
- Water Jet 3 (Crushing Attack; Double Knockback; Jet; Increased Range (1/2D Range Only) (x2); Variable; No Wounding) [10]
- Water Wall 6 (Crushing Attack; Area Effect (4 yd); Increased Range (1/2D Range only) (x10); Persistent; Wall: Rigid (Any shape desired); Costs Fatigue (+2); No Wounding; Reduced Range (x1/10)) [19]
Attacks[]
- Water Jet
Single target range 10yd jet, 3d cr dbkb nw
- Water Wall
2 FP, 12yd long, 1 yd deep, 3 yd high wall of water anywhere within 20 yards, can be formed in any shape. DR 24, HP 3. Solid wall, collisions do no damage (unless you've got Weakness) due to the squishy, resilient nature of the wall. Collisions do leave you quite wet, however.
Notes[]
The Form of Water is significantly more effective in water than out; it is vulnerable to heat and low humidity, isn't very fast on land, can't support weight, leaves a wet trail everywhere, and can't see very well in the dry air. It is reasonably durable (being made from congealed water) and has some useful control abilities to force attackers back and buy time, but the Base Form of Water functions better as an underwater scouting and exploration form, and a method to bring non-aquatic PCs into or through aquatic areas.
The ability to create and analyze water may be the Form of Waters biggest utilities outside of wet environments. Best bought as a secondary form, to avoid Aquaman Syndrome.
Basic Form of Plant[]
- Downside: flammable 'and' vulnerable to fire!
- Upside: Unliving, bark DR, Binding and hindering terrain area-control powers, stealthy in undergrowth, unhindered by undergrowth, healing?
Basic Form of Beast[]
- Downside: No special Injury Tolerances at all. No special ranged attacks?
- Upside: Werewolfy? ST, DX bonuses? Still has usable hands, unlike any other type? Bite attack + Extra Attack (bite attack only)?
- Brainstorming: Extra Attack(s), Striker limbs, striker "bite", + toxic bite attack? Form of Beast is a flurry of activity! No hands, runs on all fours, gets enhanced ground move?