In-game shapeshifting theme? (Warning: Possible RP)
Not... quite sure what you're asking. You mean "Why do/would things shapeshift?"
The only "canon" shapeshifters we have, obviously, are Kheldians - and they're just rearranging energy patterns to match previously encountered hosts.
Anything else is purely what you can pull off - magic spell, magic amulet, mutation of some sort, natural "camoflage" of a hidden race, science experiement, reconfigurable robot/implants, whatever you want.
Or, you could ask the devs, who would make it all because of the Puddle of Annoyance.
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The only "canon" shapeshifters we have, obviously, are Kheldians - and they're just rearranging energy patterns to match previously encountered hosts.
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However, I think the question in this topic (it's sort of confusing to me, too), is more along the lines of "where do werewolves, and similar sorts, come from in CoX?", for which the answer is "wherever you want them to". For example, Council/5th Column wolves are mutated humans as a result of a failed Nictus merging, Shadowhunter's wolves are just...really big bipedal wolves, and Grym meant to show up in a fantasy RPG, but took a wrong turn at Albuquerque.
Your question is ambiguous. Let me break it down some and see what I can reply:
It is commonly known that the success that is shapeshifting has many fathers?
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Is there a general agreement in CoX about a definition for animal shapeshifting?
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So far as that concerns you - it doesn't. You can feel free to write whatever reason you can make sense of as to why your character is shapeshifting. In fact, I have a somewhat cliche vampire whose "thing" is being able to morph into a wolf, a bat and I forget what else. The reason? Eh, he's a vampire. He can just do that.
I have a couple more shapeshifters, as well, both of them from the same story. The reasoning behind them is they've both died and had their souls transformed into a fantasy other world where they were given new forms specific to that world. In time, they learned to return to Earth and shift back into their human forms.
Mechanically, this is simple to do via alternate costumes. Ensure that you have either the age-old Super Science Booster Pack or that you've bought the Super Tailor ability which allows you to swap between model types and alter height after creation. Then, create one costume that's your human or otherwise "original" form, and after that create another, I suppose "bigger" animal form. Bind a key or make a macro to swap between them with a cool animation and you're set. If you're making a werewolf, /cce # cchowl is a good one, I believe.
*edit*
And above all else, don't let anyone tell you what your character is "supposed" to be. It's YOUR character. It is whatever you say it is.
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Instead of making the wolf a useless non combat pet, they easily could have made it a shapeshift travel power. Click and you turn to a wolf with eg. ninja run stats. No one would have complained then.
How about posting what your character concept/theme is and we can discuss/give pointers about it?
If you didn't notice, 'shifters' are a character type I enjoy dearly
I'd say about 60% of my characters are either animal shapeshifters, anthropomorphic, or use some kind of animal power/quality as a source of their abilities.
My main character suffered from an ailuranthropic curse (he's a weretiger)by a powerful witch when he was young to which, later he isolated to an object and now uses the curse as a weapon.
On his journey through life vs evil, he meets others like himself (other heroes, villains, opponents, etc) that help him learn and fully develop into his final embodiment as Tiger Squall, one of the fiercest young swordsman of Paragon City...
It's all in how you present the character. If you write up something awesome and fits in perfectly with the game lore, maybe you can make a SG/VG in game around that theme. I'd certainly join it
![](http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters/jontalbain-win3.gif)
Instead of making the wolf a useless non combat pet, they easily could have made it a shapeshift travel power. Click and you turn to a wolf with eg. ninja run stats. No one would have complained then.
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On the other hand if you could use all the wolf's emotes in the shifted form i would buy it an instant. If a "Mark Territory" emote was added as well i would be in full "shut up and take my money!" mode.
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
Geez, what is it with people's fascination of wolves?
![](http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters/jontalbain-win3.gif)
No. If you're trying to create a shapeshifer, it is what you say it is.
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FYI, we're talking about a fighter that gains the ability to shapeshift into a feline animal (as of yet I cannot decide which one :/) from the chemicals of the Shivan Invasion (SJ/SR, thought that'd be more interesting for a shapeshifter than the typical claws/whatever) and decides to use this power to help Paragon City. I just wanted to be sure of whether there was a common phrase in the CoX world to call it, so I wouldn't need to think of one myself :P
@Global: Difficult One
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![Cool](images/smilies/cool.gif)
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
FYI, we're talking about a fighter that gains the ability to shapeshift into a feline animal (as of yet I cannot decide which one :/) from the chemicals of the Shivan Invasion (SJ/SR, thought that'd be more interesting for a shapeshifter than the typical claws/whatever) and decides to use this power to help Paragon City. I just wanted to be sure of whether there was a common phrase in the CoX world to call it, so I wouldn't need to think of one myself :P
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City of Heroes is a game about imagination and creativity. So long as you don't contradict established canon (any more than it contradicts itself...) the sky's the limit on what you can write.
Go wild with it
![Smile](images/smilies/smile.gif)
*edit*
Unintentional choice of words...
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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THIS was what I was asking for :P If the playerbase of CoX has agreed on a definition to what to call animal shapeshifting in-game, hence my examples above. But fair enough, I will have to be creative of the format it seems :P
FYI, we're talking about a fighter that gains the ability to shapeshift into a feline animal (as of yet I cannot decide which one :/) from the chemicals of the Shivan Invasion (SJ/SR, thought that'd be more interesting for a shapeshifter than the typical claws/whatever) and decides to use this power to help Paragon City. I just wanted to be sure of whether there was a common phrase in the CoX world to call it, so I wouldn't need to think of one myself :P |
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
THIS was what I was asking for :P If the playerbase of CoX has agreed on a definition to what to call animal shapeshifting in-game, hence my examples above. But fair enough, I will have to be creative of the format it seems :P
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If the playerbase hasn't agreed on a term, we can always try to establish one
![Stick Out Tongue](images/smilies/tongue.gif)
![](http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters/jontalbain-win3.gif)
i have a couple felinoid Brutes named Feral Catgirl who are the product of scientific research. The one on Virtue is a WM/SR who use the leg bone mace and the one on Justice is SJ/EA. They aren't actually shapeshifters (yet?), but hybrids halfway between human and feline. They're about as cute and cuddly as a large, aggressive apex predator given human intelligence coupled with superhuman speed and strength would usually be.
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Still waiting on Titan Weapons so that the human form of my character uses Kat/SR and the 2/3 form will use TW/WP. The 1/2 form will be a costume for each character though.
I'm probably never going to get a full biped form, which would either use some kind of knife, claws or focus on wind blasts from the mouth
![Stick Out Tongue](images/smilies/tongue.gif)
![](http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters/jontalbain-win3.gif)
There's Jekyll/Hyde and other mad science themes. Gender Bending ala Ranma or Birdy the Mighty assuming of course you have the super tailor. Heck Ultraman time shares a body usually while on Earth.
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Right, thanks for the all the tips and backgrounds of your characters, sounds interesting all of them I s'pose I'll have to put my creativity hat on, maybe Zwill can lend me one >.>
@Global: Difficult One
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If a person turns down an idea, he turns down an opportunity to evolve himself
Taking things into the absurd with the origin stories...
Just make what you want, no matter how silly it is. Sometimes the sillier, the better!
it has gone from unconscionable to downright appalling that we have no way of measuring our characters' wetness.
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My characters tend to take the view that there's several things (some related, some not) that go by the name "werewolf". By and large, they're not suprised in the least when the encounter some variation they've never met before. Ditto that for other weres, vampires, "True" mages, ect...
I think this is the best way to go with it. Don't get hung up on the names, someone else will use the same name for something quite different. Just shrug, accept it, and deal with the charcter. It's the character that's important, not the name.
"I do so love taking a nice, well thought out character and putting them through hell. It's like tossing a Faberge Egg onto the stage during a Gallagher concert." - me
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Not as far as I'm aware. The official canon content doesn't have a strong presence of shape-shifting characters, so there isn't much precedent for terminology or appearance, and you should never put too much stock on what the player base has "accepted" as the norm.
City of Heroes is a game about imagination and creativity. So long as you don't contradict established canon (any more than it contradicts itself...) the sky's the limit on what you can write. Go wild with it ![]() *edit* Unintentional choice of words... |
And we really don't know what kind of shifters they might have been anyway. Ah well that leaves as noted Kheldians, war wolves, Protean, and Moment as the only official shapeshifters since we never actually see any of the Blood of the Black Stream just have some hints posted long ago and a handful of in game references to them.
That said there is no reason not to have shapeshifters. There is a strong background of magic in the COH universe, science is legendary in stories for creating shifters, we have psi and there is no reason that psionic shifters can't be around either. So basically use the background you like best and just go for it.
Hmm, oh and there is a link between the Kheldians and war wolves since the war wolves are made through failed merging with a nictus.
I have a couple of shifters who use the magic background and one the science background. Mechanically it is simply different costume slots and binds with costume change emotes to switch between them.
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Just for a bit of additional clarification: Your powers come from the Well of the Furies. According to the Incarnate lore of late, everyone's talents do even if they're not super powers.
Hi there people,
I have a question which I am not sure fits best where, so I kinda decided on here, as this after all is general discussion.
It is commonly known these days that the success that is shapeshifting, namely animal shapeshifting, has many fathers: Anthromorphism, Zoanthropes (Bloody Roar), Animagi (HP, Rowling) etc. Is there a general agreement in CoX about s definition for animal shapeshifting?
@Global: Difficult One
Playing on European Servers (Union, Defiant)
If a person turns down an idea, he turns down an opportunity to evolve himself