Sorcerer's Second Skin
Price: 10m;
Circle: Emerald;
Anchor: (Any) 1+
Target: Self
Spell Duration: Instant or Indefinite;
Casting Duration: Emerald
Essence Aspect: Any;
Favoured Aspect: Lunar
The tales of Creation tell of sorcerers who trail people as crows or turn into monstrosities when their foes attempt to slay them. Many of these stories are well-founded. Countless variants of this spell exist for all flavours of essence, and it is a well-known display of competency at the Heptagram to design a new version to match one's particular tastes.
Ritual: Invoking the power of the anchor, the sorcerer folds it around herself and weaves it into her being. Her form warps like clay as she assumes a new form.
Mechanics: Upon learning this spell, the sorcerer builds an animal form with a net cost no greater than (Anchor x 10) mutation points. This form must be within theme for both the essence aspect of the spell and the Anchor. It may be overtly magical - for example, a Solar may become a tigress with burning gold eyes, while a Wood Aspect might assume the form of a giant and incredibly toxic jade-green serpent whose form brings to mind a coiling vine.
Lunar essence is Favoured by this spell; all natural animals are treated as being within theme. Magical traits must still be within a Lunar theme.
This spell may be repurchased to upgrade it. Rather than providing a single form, the sorcerer instead determines a theme and may assume forms within it. A Chosen of Jupiter may choose "wise animals" tied to his sorcerous Lineage and be able to transform into green-eyed cats, ravens, foxes, and so on, while a Solar queen may choose "animals native to my kingdom" tied to her Backing and be able to assume the form to creatures native to the region she rules.
Effects: Upon casting this spell, she transforms into her designed form. Any unattuned possessions or clothes are shucked; any possessions attuned to her essence merge with her, existing in Elsewhere until she resumes human form. If the spell was learned as the Instant variant, the only way to transform back is to cast it again; the sorcerer has fundamentally altered her form. If the spell was learned as the Indefinite variant, it is susceptible to countermagic and the sorcerer may transform back by taking an unflurryable miscellaneous action. Injuries and Crippling effects translate appropriately between the forms - many know the tale of the hunter who cut out a great wolf's eye and was later hunted down by a one-eyed sorcerer.
Should the sorcerer spend more than (Willpower) days in her new form, she risks losing herself to its instincts. Each day past this limit, she must roll (Wits + Integrity) at difficulty 2. Should she fail, she loses herself to the instincts of the form and forgets her humanity. She may spend one willpower to reroll if faced with the appropriate stimulus, like the face of a loved one or being addressed by her own name.
And (not part of the spell text and to make
@Shyft happy as to how one might use this spell
) here's a sort of guide to how the themes of the essence flavour and how one might use a few backgrounds to generate certain effects:
Essence Flavours
Solar: Solar essence harmonises with proud, regal animals or animals whose nature relies on the sun. Lions, tigers and bears are Solar animals, as are snakes and other exotherms, hawks, falcons, and other such creatures. Any animal form made with Solar essence will always be lordly and magnificent - a horse will be a mighty king of horses, while a pig will be a terrifying boar of legend.
Lunar: Protean Luna's nature is such that any animal is within theme.
Elemental: Animals which are native to the appropriate Direction, or within the element are always within theme for (Element) essence. All flying creatures are appropriate for Air essence, while all desert creatures are valid for Fire. In addition, dragons are always applicable for elemental essence, though the kind of dragon must harmonise with the element.
Sidereal: Nocturnal animals are within theme for Sidereal animals, as are naturally unobtrusive or mundane creatures. The eyes of the creature are always the colour of the (Maiden).
Necrotic: Creatures associated with death are always within theme for necrotic essence. Other creatures are valid, but must be visibly sickly or mortally ill.
Hellish: Any form created with Hellish essence will always be twisted to have something of the Demon Realm about it. An ape may have horns like a blood-ape, while a wasp gleams like an agata. Specific flavours of Yozi essence will impose more tight constraints as applicable.
Divine: Divine essence is tightly constrained to its source. For example, essence from a river god can only be used to assume the shape of animals that live in that river.
Autochthonic: The living machines native to the Machine Realm are in-theme for Autochthon. No flesh and blood creatures can be made without the obvious taint of the Void.
Anchors
Allies (and similar backgrounds): The themes of the ally provide the potential shape of the creature the sorcerer can design. Someone with a pact with Claudia the Lambskin Hyena can assume the form of a great demonic hyena, while mentoring by the First-and-Forsaken Lion might allow them to become a monstrous lion with steel skin and glowing red eyes.
Artefact: Those sorcerers who cast this spell through an artefact often assume the shape of an animal referenced by their tool. A shield with a leopard rampant upon it allows the sorcerer to become the leopard, while a pommel shaped like an eagle's beak permits a sorcerer to become an eagle.
Backing: The themes and the totem animals of an organisation providing backing determine the shape. A mercenary company whose banner is a bull can be used to anchor a transformation into a great frothing bull, while sorcerer-monks of the Immaculate Order use their enlightened status to become dragons.
Cult (and other group backgrounds, like Followers and Command): As with Backing, the themes of the cult or the group determine the shape of the sorcerer.
Familiar (and other familiars): By anchoring a spell in one's familiar, the sorcerer can assume the shape of their species. Many sorcerers who learn such a spell will hunt together with their beloved pet. More esoteric familiars, such as Divine Familiar or Demonic Familiar instead base the creature off the themes of their ally.
Demesne: If the demesne has some explicit animal association, like the Malfean demesne located in the guts of a slain centipede-akuma, then it may be used. Otherwise, the nature of the essence pooling there is what it can support.
Whispers: Fear the monsters formed from a spell anchored in Whispers. A sorcerer who casts such a dark spell becomes a creature from the nightmares of the Neverborn.
