Question about Shapeshift.

[Doctor X]

Something I don't see covered in the rules for it (Going off page 183 of the Limited Edition rules.), so figured I'd ask how it'd be handled rules-wise here.

Most species in Doctor Who that shapeshift/duplicate/clone humans need to keep the original alive and in captivity to maintain the copy. (Unless the process kills the subject outright, like the Slitheen or the Family of Blood.) The Chameleons, Zygons, Autons, Sontarans...even Prisoner Zero needed to keep his templates alive. And until The Flesh gained sentience, the original needed to be strapped into a control unit.

Being able to take human form WITHOUT keeping the original alive seems to be the exception rather than the rule, and there should be some kind of game mechanic for this (Especially since it gives the PCs a chance to rescue the person being duplicated.). How would you handle it?

[jennysfan]

Depends on the circumstances and the relevant parties.

What I'd do for a Torchwood/UNIT group investigating strange behavior (of secret Zygon separatists) is different from how I'd handle the 2nd Doc & co doing the same. Ditto for most of his incarnations, and that is before we startstart bringing OCs.

It is a matter of theme and mood. Darker games might have the originals dead or worse, (UNIT, 6 & 9 would seem to fit the former, Torchwood, 4 & War Doc are very much the later.) Lighter games may very well have them very easily rescued, or may even save them automatically if you spook the 'shifters into running, (very much in flavour with 10 there).

It depends on your group as well. If they aren't comfortable with people wired into a 'shifting machine' that doubles as life support, then don't do it.

That said, I thought the Zygons kept the originals alive to draw upon their memories.

[misterharry]

Aug 28, 2014 20:56:31 GMT Doctor X said:

Being able to take human form WITHOUT killing the original seems to be the exception rather than the rule, and there should be some kind of game mechanic for this (Especially since it gives the PCs a chance to rescue the person being duplicated.). How would you handle it?

In rules terms, standard Shapeshift does not require the subject to be kept alive. If you want that, then it's simply Shapeshift with a Restriction (needs subject alive - the details of this can be tailored for each race). Though I'm not sure that any of the official stats from C7 have specified this, so maybe that's seen as unnecessarily complicating the write-ups.