Internal Shapeshifter

Internal Shapeshifter (Major) by Senator Cybus

Unlike more conventional shape changers who alter their external body, the super being with this ability can consciously alter his internal body, to heal injuries, boost vitality and more.

1. Directed Healing Factor. By focusing inwards, the hero can will his body to heal; broken bones, torn muscles and ruptured organs can be forced back into their original, functional state, while the character’s anti-bodies can be targeted exactly where needed to fight disease, which can be isolated inside the body away from vulnerable systems. As long as the character is conscious and focused on the act of healing, he will receive the following bonuses:

• Recovers 3 S.D.C. every 10 minutes.
• Recovers one Hit Point every 15 minutes.
• Resistant to heat, fire and cold; does half damage.
• The character’s wounds cease bleeding within seconds, preventing harmful blood loss.
• +3 to save vs. disease and toxins. If the character fails to save, the effects of such contaminants (duration, damage, penalties and symptoms) are only one third of normal.
• No internal scarring when healed.
• Broken bones heal completely, without any sign of having ever been broken, at a rate 10 times faster than normal.

Range: Self.

Duration: Lasts as long as the super being maintains concentration.

Attacks Per Melee: Activating the Directed Healing Factor uses up one attack/action. Only minimal concentration is required to sustain it, allowing the super being to engage in combat and perform other actions with little impairment: while this ability is in use, reduce attacks/actions per melee by one and reduce skill performance by 5%.

Limitations: As this power requires a degree of concentration, it will not function while the character is asleep or unconscious.

Special: If badly injured or infected with a particularly virulent sickness, the character can devote all of his attention inwards, to heal at an even faster rate. He cannot perform any other actions during this time; even walking or talking would break his concentration. He must simply sit and heal. However, he receives the following bonuses:

Recovers 1 S.D.C. every minute.

Recovers 3 Hit Points every 15 minutes.

Heat, fire and cold cause one tenth normal damage.

The character’s wounds cease bleeding immediately, preventing harmful blood loss.

+9 to save vs. disease and poison. If the character fails to save, the effects of such contaminants (duration, damage, penalties and symptoms) are only one tenth of normal.

No internal scarring when healed.

Broken bones heal 30 times as fast (a leg fractured in several places will be completely healed in about 2 or 3 days).

2. Create Extra Organ. By cannibalising spare scraps of flesh, fat cells and recently metabolised protein, the super being can manufacture rudimentary back-up organs, for a variety of effects. The character can only sustain one organ at a time; choose from the list below:

• Brain: +2 to I.Q., +1 to initiative, +3% to all skills (including secondary skills) and +1 to save vs. mind control.
• Heart: +2D6 Hit Points, +2D6 S.D.C. and the character fatigues at one third the normal rate.
• Kidney: +1 to P.E., +1 to save vs. poison and drugs, +3 to save vs. disease and does not fatigue as quickly (about 10% greater endurance).
• Liver: +4 to save vs. poison. Character suffers half the penalties from blood loss and can drink twice as much alcohol without ill effect.
• Lungs: Increase P.E., P.S. and Spd by +1, the character tires half as quickly and he can hold his breath for twice as long as normal (about one melee round per P.E. point).
• Stomach: Reduce fatigue rate by 25%, +1 to save vs. most poisons, but + 6 to save vs. food poisoning. Also enjoys +1 to initiative and 1D6+1 to Spd. attribute for two hours after eating.

Range: Self.

Duration: Indefinite. Once manufactured, the organ operates independently without need for concentration.

Attacks Per Melee: Manufacturing or re-absorbing an organ takes one minute. An organ must be re-absorbed in order to provide the material for a new selection.

Limitations: An organ cannot be constructed while the hero is devoting all concentration towards the accelerated version of the Directed Healing Factor, though one already in place will continue to function.

3. Chemical Spray. The super being can temporarily re-align his internal structure, allowing him to expel various fluids from his mouth at high pressure. The possible choices are listed below:

• Water: Mostly useful as a distraction, but can be used to extinguish flames (anything up to the size of a modest camp fire). Targeting an opponent’s eyes requires a called shot, but a successful strike will cause him or her to lose one melee attack/action and the initiative for the round.
• Blood: Causes no damage, but is highly alarming: targets must save vs. a Horror Factor of 12. Targeting an opponent’s eyes requires a called shot, but a successful strike will cause him or her to lose two melee attacks/actions and the initiative for the round.
• Urine/Feces: No direct damage, but victims must save vs. a Horror Factor of 9 or be unable to do anything but retch and splutter for the remainder of the melee round. Even if opponents successfully save against this, they are -2 on all combat rolls and -10% on all skills until they can clean themselves up.

Also, any target failing to save vs. disease will develop an illness within approximately one hour. Victims start burning up, feel nauseous and weak, vomit frequently and find it difficult to concentrate: reduce Speed and initiative by half, lose two melee attacks/actions per round, combat bonuses are halved and skill performance is -30%. These symptoms will persist for 1D4 days.

• Stomach Acid: 5D6 immediate damage, and 3D6 damage per each subsequent melee round for 2D4 rounds unless the acid is washed off.

Range: 15 feet (4.5 m).

Damage: As above.

Duration: Instant.

Attacks Per Melee: It takes one full melee round for the character to re-configure his throat into a weapon (or to revert to normal). After that, each blast uses up one melee attack/action.

Bonuses: +2 to strike if an aimed shot.

Limitations:

As this weapon is fueled by the super being’s own bodily fluids, he can only safely use each type of blast once per hour (one water blast per hour, plus one blood blast per hour, etc). Every use beyond that will cause him 1D6 damage direct to Hit Points.

The character cannot talk, drink or eat while the chemical spray is operational.

4. Internal Storage. The hero can store small objects internally, by swallowing them and then coughing them back up as needed. Any item small enough to fit down his throat can be concealed in this way. The character can store up to 10 lbs. (4.5 kg), plus 1 lb. (0.4 kg) per level of experience. Even sharp or jagged items can be safely carried in this manner: the super being can hold objects firmly in place by partially assimilating them into his bone and flesh, preventing them from moving about and causing internal damage.

Range: Self.

Duration: Indefinite; the hero can prevent his immune system from breaking down foreign objects.

Attacks Per Melee: Generally, only one attack/action is needed to swallow an item, unless it is particularly long or difficult to gulp down; G.M.s should use common sense in determining the exact time needed. Regurgitating a specific item takes one full melee round: the character has enough control to always select the desired object on the first go.

Limitations: The character has no automatic protection against toxic, corrosive or radioactive items: take care when deciding what to swallow!

5. Bonuses.

+15% to Medical skills.

+1D4 M.E.

Instantly aware of anything entering or exiting his body, even if microscopic. The hero will have a general idea of what it is, e.g., germ, electronic device or inanimate contaminant. An appropriate skill roll would be needed for a more definite identification, e.g. Medical Doctor to recognize a specific disease or Robot Electronics to identify a nano-bot.