Segev
2020-05-03, 12:17 PM
The minor metamorphosis (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/m/metamorphosis/) psionic power (which metamorphosis and its major and true derivatives all reference) reads as follows:
You channel your psionic power, snapping bones and twisting flesh, transforming yourself into a new shape or form. You can take the form of any creature of the same size as yourself, but this is a purely cosmetic change, your abilities, powers or stats do not change beyond the options selected below. This grants you a +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks.
If you choose to imitate an existing person, you gain an additional +2 circumstance bonus to Disguise checks to convince people that you are that person. If you choose to take on an intimidating, horrifying, or otherwise imposing form, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks.
In addition, you get one choice from either the Enhancement Menu A or Abilities Menu A.(Emphasis added)
For brevity, I leave off the menus.
I initially was going to ask this in "ask a simple question," but realized the answer to my question could be in the bolded portion. However, this leads to some potentially funny - not unworkable, but funny - outcomes.
The question was this: "What happens to your equipment when you manifest minor metamorphosis?" Note that none of the derived powers specify anything about equipment at all, either.
And I think the answer is: you're still wearing/wielding/carrying/benefiting from it. The change is "purely cosmetic," so while it either visually merges or visually shifts to match your new form, it still has all of the same functions. Technically, even if you're a human who turns into a Medium wolf, you don't lose your ability to manipulate things with your hands. How that winds up appearing is a good question, though. Probably you can use paws and mouth to manipulate things well enough.
This would mean that you still get the same armor and shield bonuses to your AC, that you can make weapon attacks, etc.
The menu options include natural attacks, but adding natural attacks doesn't mean you lose your weapons (it's just really nice for if you're using metamorphosis to turn into a beast with such things and you don't have any weapons on hand).
It sounds very silly, but it actually works pretty neatly, mechanically: the "wolf" you turn into deals damage no differently than you normally would. Gets a little bizarre when you use a light crossbow in wolf form, but...well, that's for you and your DM to fluff out: it still doesn't really change much. The best I can think it would do for cheese would be sneaking weapons into places they're not normally allowed, but a) that doesn't come up much in D&D/PF (unlike L5R, where "no weapons allowed" is usually a sign you're really going to wish you had them before the end of the scene), b) such places probably don't allow large animals, and c) you ARE using a psionic power to disguise yourself and your weapons at that point.
As an additional side note: the metamorphosis line really leans into the "cosmetic except for what you pick from menus" thing, no matter what "makes sense," when you consider that in order to get water breathing as a menu option, you have to actually take levels in a PrC: Metamorph (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/metamorph/).
Incidentally, what got me interested in looking at these specifics is the Psychic Warrior (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/psionics-unleashed/classes/psychic-warrior/)'s Infiltrator Path and the fact that it lets you manifest minor metamorphosis at will, costing only an expenditure of your psi focus and your action. Even at first level, with a minor bit of periodic concentration (roughly one round per minute), you can maintain a disguise indefinitely, and you can shapeshift more or less whenever you want to. It's purely cosmetic for the most part, but it can be very dramatic. With one menu A option, you can even get a Large or Small sized creature.
Turning into a horse and letting people ride you is possible. You don't get the quadruped's x2 carry capacity, but you do get the increase for Large size, which hopefully is enough for at least one rider!
You channel your psionic power, snapping bones and twisting flesh, transforming yourself into a new shape or form. You can take the form of any creature of the same size as yourself, but this is a purely cosmetic change, your abilities, powers or stats do not change beyond the options selected below. This grants you a +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks.
If you choose to imitate an existing person, you gain an additional +2 circumstance bonus to Disguise checks to convince people that you are that person. If you choose to take on an intimidating, horrifying, or otherwise imposing form, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks.
In addition, you get one choice from either the Enhancement Menu A or Abilities Menu A.(Emphasis added)
For brevity, I leave off the menus.
I initially was going to ask this in "ask a simple question," but realized the answer to my question could be in the bolded portion. However, this leads to some potentially funny - not unworkable, but funny - outcomes.
The question was this: "What happens to your equipment when you manifest minor metamorphosis?" Note that none of the derived powers specify anything about equipment at all, either.
And I think the answer is: you're still wearing/wielding/carrying/benefiting from it. The change is "purely cosmetic," so while it either visually merges or visually shifts to match your new form, it still has all of the same functions. Technically, even if you're a human who turns into a Medium wolf, you don't lose your ability to manipulate things with your hands. How that winds up appearing is a good question, though. Probably you can use paws and mouth to manipulate things well enough.
This would mean that you still get the same armor and shield bonuses to your AC, that you can make weapon attacks, etc.
The menu options include natural attacks, but adding natural attacks doesn't mean you lose your weapons (it's just really nice for if you're using metamorphosis to turn into a beast with such things and you don't have any weapons on hand).
It sounds very silly, but it actually works pretty neatly, mechanically: the "wolf" you turn into deals damage no differently than you normally would. Gets a little bizarre when you use a light crossbow in wolf form, but...well, that's for you and your DM to fluff out: it still doesn't really change much. The best I can think it would do for cheese would be sneaking weapons into places they're not normally allowed, but a) that doesn't come up much in D&D/PF (unlike L5R, where "no weapons allowed" is usually a sign you're really going to wish you had them before the end of the scene), b) such places probably don't allow large animals, and c) you ARE using a psionic power to disguise yourself and your weapons at that point.
As an additional side note: the metamorphosis line really leans into the "cosmetic except for what you pick from menus" thing, no matter what "makes sense," when you consider that in order to get water breathing as a menu option, you have to actually take levels in a PrC: Metamorph (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/metamorph/).
Incidentally, what got me interested in looking at these specifics is the Psychic Warrior (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/psionics-unleashed/classes/psychic-warrior/)'s Infiltrator Path and the fact that it lets you manifest minor metamorphosis at will, costing only an expenditure of your psi focus and your action. Even at first level, with a minor bit of periodic concentration (roughly one round per minute), you can maintain a disguise indefinitely, and you can shapeshift more or less whenever you want to. It's purely cosmetic for the most part, but it can be very dramatic. With one menu A option, you can even get a Large or Small sized creature.
Turning into a horse and letting people ride you is possible. You don't get the quadruped's x2 carry capacity, but you do get the increase for Large size, which hopefully is enough for at least one rider!