| From: | 92804168@***.UWPLATT.EDU |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Oh, the shapes, they are a changing... |
| Date: | Fri, 12 Feb 93 17:23:00 CST |
I feel that both the 'you need to have studied the animal' and the 'you can
just look at the aura' ideas have some merit. I personally use a combination
of the two.
I feel that the mage, in order to assumne the FORM (actual physical shape)
of a creature would need to see its aura or something similar.
In order to know how to ACT (hunt, eat, walk, etc) like one, you would need
a more detailed study of them.
I am not saying that if you change into the shape of a cat, you need to have
studied them for 10 years in order to be able to act like a cat; I am saying
that just knowing what soething looks like is not enough. A mage would make a
fool of himself if, to give a somewhat drastic example, they took on the form
of an ostrich after seeing one in a zoo and then spent the next hour or so
trying to fly.
An argument could be made that if you are copying the aura of a creature to
become the creature, you would also get some of their instincts. While this
may be true, you must remember that you CAN NOT copy the creature's aura 100%;
if you were able to do it, you would become a 'clone' of that creature. You
have to retain the parts of your aura that indicates your humanity and
intelligence. This also means you lose some of the creature's aura that may
indicate its instincts.
This post is getting kinda long, so I think I will finish by saying this:
1) Read the rule book sections concerning all of this. There was a reason they
printed them up. :-)
2) THINK about them for a while, and what you think they mean.
3) Make a decision. Remember, what one GM does in their campaign does not
indicate how you should do yours. You are free to have it work however you damn
well please.
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