TEXT: STEVE METZE & STEVEN S. LONG
  
  An Ultimate Book for the HERO System
  Authors: Steve Metze, Steven S. Long
  Additional Contributions:  Michael Surbrook
  Editing & Development:  Steven S. Long
  Layout & Graphic Design:  Andy Mathews
  Cover Illustration: Brandon and Brian Fraim
  Interior Illustration:  Jeﬀ Cram, Andrew Cremeans, 
  Brandon Clark, Storn Cook, Keith Curtis, The Forge, 
  Brendan and Brian Fraim, John Grigni, Rob Hawkins, Jeﬀ 
  Hebert, Alan Maranon, Tom Miskey, Cara Mitten, Scott 
  Ruggles, Klaus Scherwinski, Greg Smith, Chris Stevens
  SPECIAL THANKS
  First, we’d like to thank Scott “Dr. Anomaly” Gray and Anthony 
  Jackson from the Hero Games message boards for their help with 
  determining the gravity of ultra-heavy characters. Second, we’d 
  like to thank Rob Land and the other Digital Hero playtesters and 
  testreaders who reviewed the manuscript for this book and helped 
  us change it into something even better. You’re all heroes!
  DEDICATION
  Steve M. dedicates this book to all the Über Goobers everywhere.
  Hero SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system.
  Hero System © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Champions © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Fantasy Hero © 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Dark Champions © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Pulp Hero © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  The Ultimate Metamorph © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, Danger International, Western Hero 
  © 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, 
  electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by 
  any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the 
  Publisher:  DOJ, Inc., 1 Haight Street, Suite A, San Francisco, California 94102.
  Printed in the Canada. First printing November 2005
  Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games.
  Stock Number:  DOJHERO110 • ISBN Number:  1-58366-050-X
  http://www.herogames.com
  
  INTRODUCTION ............................................. 4
  CHAPTER ONE:   
  METAMORPH CHARACTERS
  METAMORPH BASICS .................................... 6
  CLASSIFYING METAMORPHS ......................... 6
  METAMORPH BACKGROUNDS ...................... 8
  METAMORPH PERSONALITIES .................... 10
  METAMORPH ARCHETYPES ........................ 11
  SKILLS ........................................................ 14
  TALENTS ..................................................... 16
  BODY-AFFECTING POWERS ......................... 17
  DENSITY INCREASE .................................... 18
  DESOLIDIFICATION ..................................... 22
  DUPLICATION ............................................. 26
  Cloning ................................................... 33
  EXTRA LIMBS ............................................ 34
  GROWTH ................................................... 35
  MULTIFORM ............................................... 39
  SHAPE SHIFT ............................................. 46
  SHRINKING ................................................ 50
  STRETCHING .............................................. 54
  COMBINING ............................................... 56
  OTHER POWERS .......................................... 59
  POWER MODIFIERS ..................................... 62
  POWER ADVANTAGES ................................ 62
  POWER LIMITATIONS .................................. 62
  POWER FRAMEWORKS ............................... 65
  Shape Shift plus Power Framework .......... 65
  Variable Power Pool ................................. 65
  DISADVANTAGES ......................................... 68
  METAMORPH CREATION .............................. 71
  INTERNAL METAMORPHS ........................... 71
  COSMETIC METAMORPHS .......................... 72
  MINOR METAMORPHS ................................ 73
  MAJOR METAMORPHS ............................... 74
  COMPLETE METAMORPHS ......................... 78
  CHAPTER TWO:   
  METAMORPHIC POWERS
  ANIMAL POWERS ........................................ 83
  BODY CONTROL POWERS ............................ 95
  BODY-TRANSFORMING POWERS ............... 109
  DENSITY INCREASE POWERS .................... 116
  DUPLICATION POWERS .............................. 119
  HYPER-CHARACTERISTICS ........................ 124
  HYPERSENSES .......................................... 128
  INTANGIBILITY POWERS ............................ 133
  SHAPE ALTERATION POWERS .................... 137
  SIZE ALTERATION POWERS ....................... 148
  STRETCHING POWERS .............................. 159
  MISCELLANEOUS POWERS ....................... 169
  CHAPTER THREE:   
  METAMORPHS GENRE BY GENRE
  CHAMPIONS .............................................. 182
  ECLIPSE .................................................. 183
  EL JAGUAR .............................................. 185
  MORPH ................................................... 187
  CYBER HERO ............................................. 189
  JOHN DOE 4.0 ......................................... 189
  DIS ARMAMENT ....................................... 191
  DARK CHAMPIONS .................................... 194
  DR. NATHAN SUMBRU .............................. 194
  FANTASY HERO ......................................... 197
  ALVARAN NINEFORMS .............................. 197
  HROLF KELLINGSON ................................ 199
  HORROR HERO .......................................... 201
  NAZERON JOHNSON ................................ 201
  NINJA HERO .............................................. 203
  BISHAMON .............................................. 203
  PULP HERO ............................................... 206
  THE GHOUL ............................................. 206
  STAR HERO ............................................... 208
  PRANA MONK .......................................... 208
  WESTERN HERO ........................................ 210
  SUN EAGLE .............................................. 210
  CHAPTER FOUR:  TEN  
  THOUSAND FORMS:   
  METAMORPH CAMPAIGNING
  COMBAT AND ADVENTURING ..................... 214
  PERCEIVING METAMORPHS ...................... 214
  METAMORPHS IN COMBAT ....................... 214
  SIZE DIMENSIONS ..................................... 217
  THE MACROVERSE ................................... 217
  THE MICROVERSE .................................... 220
  THE METAMORPHIC BESTIARY .................. 223
  BERSERKER .............................................. 223
  BROLLACHAN ............................................ 224
  KITSUNE .................................................... 225
  LYCANTHROPES ........................................ 228
  WERERAT ................................................ 228
  WERESHARK ............................................ 229
  WEREWOLF ............................................. 230
  MASQUER ................................................. 231
  NANOMETAL ROBOT .................................. 232
  TANUKI ...................................................... 234
   Other Shapechanging Creatures .......... 236
  METAMORPHIC GADGETS .......................... 238
  BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................... 244
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
  4 
  Hero System 5th Edition
  F
  or most of us, the world is a simple, stable 
  place. Every morning when we wake up, we 
  look at the same face in the mirror, the same 
  body, the same hands. We know what our 
  bodies can do, because we’ve spent years experienc-
  ing them.
  But there are those out there, heroes and 
  others, for whom the world is not so predictable. 
  They must constantly struggle with their own 
  identity, for the image they see looking back in the 
  mirror means nothing to them. Some voluntarily 
  change forms as they see ﬁt, while others constantly 
  ﬁght to remain the same. Some have no bodies at 
  all — they wander helplessly from “host” to “host,” 
  stealing what time they can in a stable environ-
  ment. Others have consistent physical forms, but 
  their personalities or minds change regularly, so 
  that they perceive each day in a new way. Some can 
  even choose from multiple bodies they’ve created 
  or stolen, entering them like most people would put 
  on clothes.
  Welcome to the world of metamorphosis, 
  shapeshifters, and mutates — a world of beings and 
  creatures that sometimes help humanity, but all too 
  often terrify it.
  The Ultimate Metamorph is Hero Games’s look 
  at the rules for and uses of powers and abilities that 
  involve changing a character’s physical, mental, or 
  spiritual form. It discusses and describes how to 
  build, run, and campaign with characters and crea-
  tures that have more than one form or state of exis-
  tence. For the purposes of this book, a metamorph 
  is any character who in some way changes his form, 
  usually voluntarily but in some cases involuntarily, 
  and for whom that change is a deﬁning element of 
  his powers, abilities, personality, or self-perception. 
  The term “shapeshifter” or “shapechanger” is some-
  times also used, though those terms tend to imply 
  just a physical alteration of form. While it’s true that 
  most metamorph characters change their physical 
  shape, in the hands of an imaginative player or GM 
  the concept of “change” can cover many other char-
  acter types and abilities.
  In addition to expanding the rules and rules 
  options for metamorph characters, The Ultimate 
  Metamorph provides players and GMs with guid-
  ance on designing more interesting and distinctive 
  metamorph characters and integrating metamorphs 
  smoothly into a campaign, irrespective of genre. The 
  information in this book can apply to superheroes 
  who stretch their bodies, Fantasy werewolves and 
  shapeshifting wizards, weird Science Fiction creatures 
  who can assume the forms of other beings, and count-
  less other character types and concepts spanning the 
  breadth of adventure gaming.
  Chapter One, Metamorph Characters, discussed the 
  major types of metamorphs, with suggestions on 
  how to build them. In addition to an extensive sec-
  tion on the Body-Aﬀecting Powers (which lie at the 
  heart of most metamorph character concepts), it 
  reviews the HERO System’s Skills, Talents, Powers, 
  and other elements with regard to how they apply 
  to or help metamorphs. That segues into Chapter 
  Two, Metamorphic Powers, which has almost 300 
  pre-built powers and abilities for just about any 
  metamorph you can imagine (and most of those 
  powers have one or more options, resulting in 
  thousands of possible powers for your metamorph 
  characters). Some of these powers appear in The 
  UNTIL Superpowers Database or other HERO 
  System products, but many are new, revised, or 
  updated just for this book.
  Chapter Three, Metamorphs Genre By Genre, 
  reviews how metamorphs tend to function in 
  various major genres, such as superheroes, Fan-
  tasy, and Pulp. It includes several sample char-
  acters for use as NPCs or pre-generated player 
  characters in your campaigns.
  Chapter Four, Ten Thousand Forms, covers meta-
  morph campaigning. It discusses special ways 
  metamorphs interact with the combat and equip-
  ment rules, and provides writeups for “generic” 
  metamorphs (such as werewolves and kitsune) and 
  some metamorph-related gadgets.
  So, change into something comfortable and 
  enjoy The Ultimate Metamorph!
  INTRODUCTION
  
  chapter one:
  chapter one:
  METAMORPH CHARACTERS
  
  6 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  B
  efore you begin choosing or designing 
  the appropriate powers for your meta-
  morph, give some consideration to sev-
  eral basic issues. This helps you create a 
  richer, better-developed character, and may give 
  you ideas for abilities and Skills you otherwise 
  wouldn’t choose for your character. These basics 
  include not only what type of metamorph your 
  character is (since the concept of “metamorph” is 
  so broad), but where his powers come from and 
  how they affect his personality.
  CLASSIFYING 
  METAMORPHS 
  Metamorphosis (or transformation) covers 
  a vast array of character abilities and types. At its 
  heart, it refers to a marked change in one or more 
  of the following attributes:
  ■ appearance (the “look” and related qualities of a 
  character)
  ■ personality (a character’s basic mental state and 
  outlook, mental Disadvantages, and the like)
  ■ function (the way the character’s body works, such 
  as transforming one’s hand into a knife)
  ■ condition (the basic nature or state of the charac-
  ter’s body, such as changing a ﬂesh body into water, 
  or a metal body into a gas)
  For example, a chameleon changes its appear-
  ance (the color of its skin) without changing 
  anything else about itself; so does a superhuman 
  capable of imitating other people (such as Mas-
  querade on page 172 of Conquerors, Killers, And 
  Crooks). A berserker just transforms his personality, 
  going from a more or less ordinary warrior to one 
  consumed with rage; his appearance and abilities 
  remain more or less the same (though you can see 
  the bloodlust in his facial expression, and he may 
  become stronger and tougher while in the grip of 
  rage). A liquid metal war-android, which can alter 
  its basic form in many ways, changes its function 
  when it converts its hand into an axe-blade. Super-
  humans like Riptide and Thunderbolt I (see pages 
  191 and 113 of Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks), 
  who can transmute their bodies into water and 
  electricity, respectively, change their condition, and 
  as a result of that change gain certain powers they 
  don’t have in ﬂeshly form.
  Thus, any character or item capable of radi-
  cally changing any part of its being — personal-
  ity, internal organs, physical form, soul, and more 
  — counts as a “metamorph.” To help you ﬁgure out 
  what type of character you want to play, this book 
  organizes metamorphs into ﬁve categories based 
  on their primary mode and extremity of change:  
  internal metamorphs; cosmetic metamorphs; 
  minor metamorphs; major metamorphs; and com-
  plete metamorphs.
  Internal Metamorphs
  An internal metamorph changes inside, with 
  no outwardly noticeable signs that he’s changed. 
  Internal metamorphs primarily change their char-
  acter (and sometimes function). Examples include:
  a.  Berserkers:  a character who enters a war-rage 
  that makes him a deadlier opponent... but also a 
  danger to his friends because of his loss of self-
  control.
  b.  Internal Physical Metamorph:  a character who 
  can change his internal organs or internal physical 
  structure. This includes:  characters who can alter 
  the path of blood through their bodies to avoid 
  bleeding to death; characters who can change “use-
  less” or “extra” organs into spares or replacements 
  for more critical ones that have been damaged or 
  destroyed; and characters who can create antibod-
  ies, sera, or even organs within themselves merely 
  by concentrating. Sometimes these characters are 
  referred to as biokinetics, especially if they have the 
  power to inﬂict similar changes on other people.
  c.  Mental Adaptive:  a character whose personal-
  ity changes according to the people around him. 
  For example, a character’s mental patterns or per-
  sonality could adjust to match those of the people 
  around him so he could blend in to become the 
  perfect spy or hide from mental scanning. Another 
  possibility is a character who becomes exactly what 
  a speciﬁc person, or the people around him, want 
  him to be (as with Kamala, the “empathic meta-
  morph” character from the Star Trek:  The Next 
  Generation episode “The Perfect Mate”).
  d.  Multiple personalities:  a character who has 
  two or more personalities that he shifts between, 
  and sometimes radically different memories for 
  each one.
  e.  Spiritual Metamorph:  a character who can alter 
  the nature or quality of his soul/spirit/anima with-
  out any accompanying physical change.
  METAMORPH 
  BASICS
  
  7 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  Cosmetic Metamorphs
  A cosmetic metamorph undergoes an outward 
  physical change, but the change is mostly cosmetic 
  — in other words, it just aﬀects his appearance. 
  Examples include:
  a.  Chameleon:  a character who can alter the color 
  of his skin to “camouﬂage” himself, enhance a dis-
  guise, or obtain similar beneﬁts.
  b.  Cosmetic Doppelganger:  a character who can 
  imitate the appearance of someone else, but not 
  the powers or abilities; in some cases even 
  the voice, scent, fingerprints, DNA, and 
  the like remain unchanged. While 
  this sounds trivial compared to other 
  types of metamorphs, it makes it 
  easy for a character to disguise him-
  self, impersonate other people, and 
  so forth. Marvel Comics’s Mystique 
  and the Champions Universe’s Mas-
  querade both show how powerful 
  and dangerous such a character 
  can be.
  c.  Externally-Altered Character:  
  characters who, like Cosmetic 
  Doppelgangers, can change 
  their outward appearance, 
  but they require outside or 
  artiﬁcial means to do so 
  rather than changing shape 
  under their own power. 
  The classic example of this 
  is undergoing plastic sur-
  gery; Pulp characters like 
  the Avenger, who could 
  physically mold his face 
  into other features, also 
  qualify (as does, to a 
  certain extent, adopting 
  a disguise).
  Minor Metamorphs
  Minor metamorphs are characters who not 
  only can completely change their appearance, but 
  also many of their functions, or whose change 
  signiﬁcantly improves their functions. However, 
  they usually cannot change their condition. For 
  example, a metal elemental can take any relatively 
  human-sized shape (appearance), and can form its 
  appendages into anything metal (knives, swords, 
  chains, hammers — changing the functions of the 
  appendages), but cannot add any form of chemical 
  reaction, because all its forms must be made of the 
  metal it’s constructed of (thus, it keeps the same 
  condition). Examples include:
  a.  Adjustable Form:  characters, usually androids or 
  cyborgs, who can have various “attachments” that 
  they can add to, remove from, or modify on their 
  bodies. Thus, they can acquire new powers and 
  abilities while keeping the same general physical 
  framework and underlying capabilities.
  b.  Clone:  the term “clone” includes not only living 
  creatures who can make copies of themselves 
  (either innately, as with the Duplication Power, or 
  via devices or procedures), but machines and other 
  forms of “life” that can replicate themselves. The 
  metamorphosis here is from one entity to multiple 
  entities, usually (but not always) keeping the same 
  general (if not identical) appearance, function, and 
  condition. In some cases it’s possible for a character 
  to “clone” himself into forms that are completely 
  unlike his base form, with radically diﬀerent 
  appearance, function, and condition.
  c.  Size Changer:  a character who can become unusu-
  ally large or small, such as the Champions Universe’s 
  Gargantua and Shrinker. Their appearance 
  changes only to the extent they 
  become taller or shorter, and 
  their functions remain the 
  same but can be applied 
  in diﬀerent or more eﬃ-
  cient ways. For example, a 
  really tiny character can 
  attack someone from 
  inside his body — the 
  Shrunk character is still 
  using a Punch, but the Punch hits the 
  heart directly, causing far more pain 
  than it would if delivered to the target’s 
  chest at normal size. A Grown character 
  is usually much stronger and may have 
  enormous ﬁsts (Area Of Eﬀect [One Hex] 
  on STR).
  Similar to Size Changers are 
  Density Changers (who can become 
  much heavier or lighter, perhaps even 
  intangible) and Opacity Changers 
  (who can become invisible, or other-
  wise change themselves so they cannot 
  be perceived with a particular sense).
  d.  True Doppelganger:  characters who 
  can imitate the form and most of the 
  attributes of other characters (voice, 
  scent, fingerprints, DNA, perhaps even 
  memories and/or minor versions of 
  powers and skills), but not the full or 
  pure powers of the subject.
  Major Metamorphs
  Major metamorphs can change their appear-
  ance, function, character, and condition. Radical 
  changes are possible, although the body (in what-
  ever form) still belongs to the character. Examples 
  include:
  a.  Elemental Metamorph:  a character who can 
  transform his ﬂesh into energy or a non-ﬂesh-like 
  substance. Examples include a plethora of comic 
  book superheroes who can change their bodies into 
  electricity, water, shadow, ﬁre, or the like.
  b.  Malleable:  a character whose body is malleable, 
  elastic, and/or rubbery, able to stretch and change 
  form (and possibly function and condition). Mal-
  leables are primarily found in the comics (and thus in 
  
  8 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Champions games). Examples include Marvel Com-
  ics’s Mr. Fantastic, DC Comics’s Plastic Man and Elon-
  gated Man, and the Champions Universe’s ZigZag.
  c.  Mimic:  a mimic is the ultimate doppelganger — 
  he can copy (or sometimes even steal) everything 
  about a character:  appearance, DNA, superhuman 
  powers, magic spells, skills, personality, memo-
  ries, you name it. The most powerful mimics can 
  “remember” previous shapes and resume them at 
  will; less capable ones are limited to the most recent 
  subject copied. Similar to the Mimic is the Material 
  Mimic, who copies the attributes and qualities of 
  substances such as rock, metal, and the like.
  d.  Single-Form Major Metamorph:  a character who 
  undergoes a change as complete as those of other 
  Major Metamorphs, but who can only assume 
  a single alternate form (or perhaps a very small 
  group of forms). Examples include a “werewolf” 
  who can only assume “wolf-man” form but not a 
  true wolf form, or a wizard with a spell that allows 
  him to take the shape of a speciﬁc type of animal.
  e.  Zoomorph:  the “classic” type of shapeshifting in 
  which a character can take on the form of multiple 
  animals, or the form of a single animal and a half-
  man, half-animal shape as well. Changeling/Beast 
  Boy from DC Comics’s “Teen Titans” is an example; 
  so are true lycanthropes, wizards with extensive 
  shapechanging abilities, vampires able to assume 
  various animal shapes, and the like. Alternately or 
  in addition, some zoomorphs can assume the forms 
  of non-living beings — cars, computers, sofas, 
  televisions, and so on — though this may start to 
  merge into True Metamorph territory (see below).
  Complete Metamorphs
  Perhaps the most bizarre metamorphs of all, 
  these characters often must change appearance, 
  function, condition, and sometimes personality 
  — because they literally exchange bodies. Others 
  simply have total control over their forms. Exam-
  ples include:
  a.  Free Spirit:  souls/spirits/mental patterns with 
  no body to call home. They wander from “host” to 
  “host,” completely taking someone (or even, on rare 
  occasions, something) over for indeﬁnite amounts 
  of time until they move on to the next “host.” 
  Sometimes they have to abandon a host (since they 
  burn it out, or it becomes less useful to them over 
  time); others can maintain a host indeﬁnitely, so 
  they move on only when it suits them. Examples 
  include:  the souls of the dead who refuse to go to 
  their “ﬁnal resting place” and inhabit living people; 
  time travelers who can only journey through time 
  mentally by taking over the bodies of people living 
  in their past; cursed individuals who’ve been kicked 
  out of their bodies for some reason and are search-
  ing for another one or a way to regain their origi-
  nal; and psionic beings who move from one mind 
  to another to stir up emotions on which they feed.
  b.  Physical Symbiont:  characters who live by being 
  transplanted into a body (typically a human body), 
  and who may be able to live for centuries provided 
  they can successfully “move” from one “host” to 
  another (typically the transplantation process 
  involves some risks, or at least a period of vulnera-
  bility for the symbiont). This category also includes 
  parasitical creatures, “living brains” that can be 
  transplanted into diﬀerent bodies, and the like.
  c.  Psychic Symbiont:  similar to Adjustable Form 
  characters, these characters have multiple bodies 
  that sit around dormant, while a single soul/mental 
  pattern/consciousness freely travels from one to the 
  other. This is most common among androids and 
  robots (such as the Champions Universe’s Mecha-
  non), but could be achieved in ﬂeshly beings via 
  mental pattern copiers, psionic powers, and the like.
  d.  Switcher:  characters who have the ability to 
  switch bodies with another person. This is essen-
  tially a one-for-one trade:  both parties get the 
  other’s body.
  e.  True Metamorph:  this character can change 
  into anything:  flesh, energy, mental power, you 
  name it. He has complete control over his form 
  and psyche, and can alter them at will. A meta-
  morph who can only freely change his physical 
  form into anything, but can’t become energy or 
  more exotic substances/phenomena, is some-
  times known as a true physical metamorph.
  METAMORPH  
  BACKGROUNDS
  Movies, literature, and comic books provide 
  plenty of inspirational examples of how an individual 
  gains metamorphic powers. Marvel Comics’s Mr. Fan-
  tastic, a were-leopard from African legend, a berserker 
  from the Norse sagas, a shapechanging supervillain 
  like Masquerade, and an alien from a species whose 
  people can naturally alter their forms are all meta-
  morphs, but they have vastly diﬀerent abilities, origins, 
  and backgrounds. In this sense, “background” and 
  “origin” basically refer to the same thing:  the source 
  of the character’s powers. (This may also relate to his 
  personality or design; see below.)
  ACCIDENT
  A laboratory (or perhaps magical) accident is 
  a tried-and-true way for a character to get strange 
  abilities, particularly in superhero campaigns, and 
  those powers could be metamorphic in nature. 
  Exposure to strange cosmic rays, experimental 
  chemicals, or the energies of another dimension 
  could easily give a character the ability to stretch 
  his body, convert his physical form into energy, or 
  the like. Classic man-into-beast powers are more 
  likely to result from mystic accidents, but an experi-
  ment involving a particular type of animal might 
  give a character the ability to transform into that 
  type of creature.
  Similar to Accident is the Super-Science origin, 
  in which the character gains his metamorphic abili-
  ties from the deliberate, planned use of science. A 
  character might have some shapechanging powers 
  that were deliberately engineered, but others that 
  manifest by accident as side eﬀects of the process.
  
  9 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  DISEASE
  In some settings, lycanthropy is conceived of 
  as a disease — possibly a magical one, possibly a 
  mundane one that medical science may or may not 
  yet understand (much in the same way that rabies 
  and porphyria may once have given rise to were-
  wolf and vampire legends). The same applies to 
  vampirism. In either case, the result is the same:  get 
  bit, and you become that sort of creature. In other 
  words, getting attacked by a metamorphic creature 
  gives a character metamorphic powers... though 
  not necessarily ones he’ll enjoy having.
  MAGIC; ITEMS OF POWER
  Since shape-changing is so often associated 
  with magic and mysticism, metamorph characters 
  often have arcane origins:  they gain their powers 
  either through their own mystical abilities, from the 
  mystical abilities of another, or from an enchanted 
  item of some sort. Some of the most common 
  methods include:
  Changing-Skin
  In legend and myth, one of the most 
  common ways to change shape is to don an 
  enchanted animal-skin (or garment made of 
  animal skin). Swan maidens were women who 
  could transform into swans by putting on a 
  feathered cloak; some selkies assumed seal-form 
  by using a sealskin. In Norse sagas, the goddess 
  Freya had a cloak of falcon-feathers that allowed 
  her to change shape into that bird, and the heroes 
  Sigurd and Sinfjotli could take wolf-form by 
  wearing enchanted wolf-skins.
  In HERO System terms, a changing-skin is a 
  Multiform with the Limitation OAF (or possibly 
  IAF if the changing-skin looks like an ordinary 
  piece of clothing; see page 239 for more informa-
  tion). Putting it on or taking it oﬀ to start/end the 
  transformation may take Extra Time. The possibil-
  ity of Personality Loss may exist.
  Curse
  Some characters don’t want the power to 
  change forms. They’ve gotten it from a curse 
  because they ran afoul of some evil sorcerer, 
  intruded on the privacy of a churlish wizard, or 
  oﬀended a god. Typically the character has little 
  or no control over the transformation, and while 
  in alternate form has a diﬀerent... and much more 
  dangerous... personality. Lycanthropy is often 
  viewed as this sort of curse.
  Magical Item
  Enchanted animal skins aren’t the only mysti-
  cal items that can grant shape-changing powers. In 
  High Fantasy games, and some other types of Fan-
  tasy Hero campaigns, many other possibilities exist:  
  potions; amulets; cloaks; and more.
  Spell
  Instead of being cursed, some characters know 
  magical spells that allow them to alter their shape 
  at will. The “duel of shapes” between Merlin and 
  Madame Mim in The Once And Future King is one 
  excellent example, but legend and Fantasy literature 
  are full of wizards who can take on other forms.
  
  10 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  MUTATION
  In comic books, some characters are born 
  with their powers. As with accidents, there’s no 
  reason a mutation couldn’t give a character meta-
  morphic abilities. In fact, since mutation involves 
  a change in the genes (the fundamental build-
  ing-blocks of the physical form), and metamorph 
  powers usually involve the physical form in some 
  way, it’s possible that in some settings mutation is 
  more likely to create metamorphic abilities than 
  other types of powers.
  The most important question for a Mutant 
  origin is:  when do the character’s metamorph 
  powers manifest? Typically they emerge in ado-
  lescence or later, in which case the character may 
  have an easier time adjusting to his powers (but the 
  adjustment period may not have ended by the time 
  the campaign begins). On the other hand, a child 
  who develops shapechanging powers at an early 
  age may suﬀer all kinds of problems — he wreaks 
  havoc, attracts unwanted attention, cannot develop 
  a gender identity, and so on — but by the time the 
  campaign begins he’s probably had years to get 
  used to his abilities.
  Another important issue is whether the character 
  has any other mutant abilities. In many cases mutant 
  powers come with unusual side eﬀects or restrictions, 
  particularly early in the character’s career. For exam-
  ple, a mutant’s malleability may only work when he 
  ingests certain rare chemicals. Metamorphic powers 
  may be one aspect of a broad suite of related powers, 
  such as biokinesis or psionics.
  In the Champions Universe and many other 
  settings, a Mutant character has to take a Distinc-
  tive Feature, Mutant, to reﬂect the fact that others 
  can perceive his mutant nature with special scan-
  ners and the like. This is worth 10 points (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Detectable Only By 
  Unusual Senses). In many campaigns, people view 
  mutant characters (regardless of their powers or 
  actions) with suspicion or hatred, which may entitle 
  the character to take a Social Limitation.
  RACIAL
  The character comes from a species or race 
  whose members all possess the same (or similar) 
  metamorphic powers. Legends and Fantasy litera-
  ture describe countless shapechanging races, such 
  as the kitsune of Japan, the nagas of India, and the 
  brollachan of Scotland. In comic books and Sci-
  ence Fiction, the entire population of a planet may 
  be shapechangers, such as the Durlans in the DC 
  Comics universe or the Changelings of Star Trek:  
  Deep Space Nine.
  METAMORPH  
  PERSONALITIES
  Just as metamorphs often come from stereo-
  typical (“classic”) backgrounds, they may have dis-
  tinctive personalities as well.
  THE BEAST WITHIN
  Lycanthropes and other zoomorphs often have 
  personalities shaped by the animal they can trans-
  form into. Werewolves are ﬁerce and predacious, 
  but also loyal to the pack; weresharks are blood-
  thirsty; wererats are sneaky and clever. However, 
  sometimes it’s fun to play against type, with a wer-
  erat character who’s strong and bold or a wereboar 
  who’s a reﬁned dilettante.
  Sometimes “the beast within” takes on a 
  more literal meaning. The character has to con-
  stantly keep his “animal side” in check, lest it take 
  over him for good and turn him into the monster 
  everyone already thinks he is. These characters 
  often have Disadvantages like Accidental Change 
  and Enraged to reflect their barely-kept-under-
  control personalities.
  THE COMEDIAN
  In the comic books, characters who can 
  stretch or change shape often seem to become 
  jokers or wisecrackers — the comic relief on the 
  team, so to speak. They use their powers to create 
  caricaturish “imitations” of more somber PCs, 
  make almost-but-not-quite off-color quips about 
  why women like them so much, and use their 
  powers to play practical jokes. To some people, 
  this makes them lovable; others tolerate them 
  with teeth-grinding aggravation.
  CURSED
  If a character gained his metamorphic 
  powers involuntarily — such as from a were-
  wolf’s bite or a sorcerer’s curse — that may 
  shape his personality and outlook. Feeling he’s 
  been condemned to suffer this horrible fate, he 
  becomes depressed or apathetic. Over time his 
  attitude may improve as he finds ways to do good 
  with his abilities, or discovers that there may be a 
  way to get rid of his powers forever.
  DETACHED
  Some metamorphs’ powers create a psycho-
  logical rift between them and normal humans. 
  Lacking something crucial to human identity 
  — a specific gender, a single form, perhaps 
  even a physical form at all — they likewise lack 
  some of the concerns and difficulties of normal 
  humans. This makes it hard for them to relate to 
  ordinary people, which may be reflected with a 
  Social Limitation, Psychological Limitation, or 
  other Disadvantages.
  THE EXPLOITER
  Some metamorphs prefer to use their powers 
  for personal gain. Realizing how easy it is to steal 
  when they can imitate other peoples’ appearance, 
  or assume animal forms, they turn to crime rather 
  
  11 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  than use their powers responsibly. In short, they 
  view their metamorphic abilities as a meal ticket, 
  not a burden or a gift.
  MISTER/MISS FLEXIBLE
  Some metamorphs, particularly Malleables, 
  have personalities that mirror the adaptable nature 
  of their bodies. Flexible and accommodating, they 
  can get along with just about anyone, and often 
  make good negotiators and diplomats. Similarly, a 
  shapechanger able to look like nearly anyone may 
  have an easy time empathizing with nearly anyone. 
  On the other hand, characters like these may have 
  trouble properly deﬁning their self since they’re so 
  often “bending” to accommodate what other people 
  want. Over the course of the campaign they may 
  have to learn to become less ﬂexible and more will-
  ing to assert their own views.
  METAMORPH ARCHETYPES
  Like other types of characters, metamorphs 
  can be organized into several archetypes. But 
  don’t think of them as written in stone. The HERO 
  System is all about character design ﬂexibility, so 
  there’s no need to stick to a stereotype unless you 
  want to — feel free to modify these archetypes to 
  suit yourself and the campaign you’re in.
  These archetypes often derive directly from 
  a metamorph’s classiﬁcation or background. For 
  example, classical Lycanthropes and Skinchangers 
  are both Zoomorphs whose powers derive from 
  some sort of Magic. In some settings Lycanthropes 
  may be Racial metamorphs as well. But again, don’t 
  think of these descriptions as a straitjacket — it can 
  be fun to go against type and create, for example, 
  a Malleable Man whose powers are Racial rather 
  than the result of an Accident.
  THE ARTIFICIAL METAMORPH
  This metamorph wasn’t born or created by 
  accident, he was built. In comic books and Science 
  Fiction, robots that can change shape often enter 
  the story. Some are metamorphs only in a limited 
  sense (they can swap out “equipment modules” to 
  give themselves new abilities, or have extensible 
  limbs), others are highly versatile shapechangers 
  (such as the T-1000 from the movie Terminator 
  2). In Fantasy literature, gods and wizards create 
  beings with multiple shapes, such as war-golems 
  that can change their arms into various weapons or 
  an amorphous blob creature grown in a vat.
  THE BERSERKER
  The name comes from Norse berserkr (“bear 
  shirt” or “bare shirt,” referring to their custom of 
  wearing bearskin clothing or going into battle 
  sans armor), but berserkers — warriors who can 
  work themselves into a killing frenzy — appear in 
  many cultures in one guise or another. The typical 
  Norse berserker is an ordinary person most of the 
  time, with the same needs, drives, and personality 
  as other men (though he may have a hot temper 
  or keep to himself). But before battle, he works a 
  (mostly) mental transformation upon himself. By 
  howling, biting his shield, and banging his weap-
  ons against his helmet and shield, he induces a 
  ferocious rage. The sagas claim that while gripped 
  by this rage, a berserker was much stronger (and 
  sometimes faster) than normal, and was largely 
  
  12 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  immune to pain (some stories even claim they were 
  immune to weapons). However, the berserker’s rage 
  was uncontrollable; until he calmed down due to 
  fatigue or injury, he’d attack anything in his path 
  — enemies, allies, women, children, animals.
  In HERO System terms, you can build the ber-
  serker bloodlust as various abilities that have the 
  mandatory Side Eﬀect of making the character go 
  Berserk, or as various abilities that only function 
  when the character’s Berserk is triggered. See Ber-
  serker Fury, page 169, for an example.
  THE DUPLICATOR
  This metamorph can create one or more 
  beings out of himself. Stereotypical comic book 
  Duplicators, such as Madrox the Multiple Man, can 
  manifest dozens or hundreds of identical duplicates 
  of themselves, but the concept of duplication as a 
  metamorphic power extends beyond that. Some 
  Fantasy monsters or Science Fiction creatures 
  may have the ability to divide themselves in two 
  or create more of themselves — for example, the 
  Lernean Hydra in Greek mythology grew two 
  heads every time one of its heads was cut oﬀ, and a 
  giant space amoeba might “bud” another of itself in 
  response to danger.
  Cloning oﬀers a more “realistic” — but much 
  lengthier — way for a character to duplicate him-
  self. In Champions and Star Hero campaigns, where 
  the technology exists to create and grow clones 
  with comparative swiftness, tyrants could create 
  entire armies of cloned soldiers, or a murderer 
  could clone himself as a way of creating an alibi.
  Not all duplication has to be physical, either. 
  For example, some characters with mental powers 
  may derive their psionic abilities from having the 
  power to “divide their minds” into two equally 
  intelligent parts. Some cultures, such as the ancient 
  Egyptians, believed in multiple “souls,” and that 
  may explain how a character gains the ability to 
  duplicate himself spiritually. Classic “astral projec-
  tion” powers could also represent a form of spiri-
  tual duplication.
  ENERGY MAN
  Found primarily in comic book settings, the 
  Energy Man has the ability to transform his physi-
  cal body into coherent energy — his ﬂesh becomes 
  electricity, sonic energy, cosmic energy, ﬁre, or 
  whatever other form of energy is appropriate to his 
  powers and origin. While in energy form he usually 
  has powerful attacks (including a Damage Shield, 
  since just touching him is dangerous) and can ﬂy or 
  teleport. Some wizards in High Fantasy games may 
  have spells allowing for a similar transformation.
  
  13 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  HENGEYOKAI
  Also known as “the Were-Animal,” a Henge-
  yokai is the opposite of a Lycanthrope:  an animal 
  that can assume human form. The name comes 
  from Japanese legend, which is replete with such 
  beings, including tanuki (badger-dogs who can take 
  human shape) and nezumi (rats who can become 
  human). See the Metamorphic Bestiary in Chapter 
  Four for more information.
  THE IMITATOR
  Also known as the Doppelganger, the Imitator 
  has the ability to copy the forms of other people, 
  usually for purposes of deception. Sometimes this 
  ability extends to voice, ﬁngerprints, DNA, and 
  even mental patterns/memories, though Imitators 
  rarely (if ever) have the ability to copy superpow-
  ers, Skills, spells, or other unusual abilities. In some 
  settings, Imitators are deadly, dangerous monsters 
  (such as the Masquer on page 231); in others, they 
  represent a threat to the entire world because of 
  their ability to take the place of political leaders. 
  In HERO System terms, you can build an Imitator 
  using Shape Shift with the Imitation Adder (and 
  possibly the Cellular Adder as well).
  The Mimic
  Related to the Imitator is the Mimic, who 
  can not only copy appearances but Skills and 
  abilities as well. The extent of a Mimic’s powers 
  varies. Some Mimics can only copy one person at 
  a time; others can mix and match abilities from 
  multiple persons, making them deadly warriors 
  and ultra-competent adversaries. Some can only 
  copy specific types of abilities (such as Marvel 
  Comics’s Taskmaster, who mimics other peoples’ 
  physical skills); others can copy anything, even 
  mental or mystical powers. Some can only use 
  the abilities and appearance of the last person 
  they copied; others retain full knowledge of 
  everyone they’ve ever copied, and can manifest 
  any of their abilities at will. Some have to touch 
  what they want to copy, others only have to see it.
  Most Mimics copy people, but a few have a 
  diﬀerent ability:  they can “copy” the properties of 
  substances and objects (for example, becoming as 
  hard and strong as stone after touching a rock).
  THE LYCANTHROPE
  Perhaps the most common and best-known 
  metamorph in adventure literature and movies, the 
  Lycanthrope — or were-creature — is a person with 
  the ability to change his shape into that of a particular 
  animal, and usually into a related “animal-man” form 
  as well. Many people consider lycanthropy a curse, a 
  dreaded disease they would give anything to be cured 
  of, but some accept (or even revel in) their bestial 
  nature and abilities. See page 76 and the Metamor-
  phic Bestiary in Chapter Four for more information, 
  including rules for contracting lycanthropy.
  The Skinchanger
  Described brieﬂy above, the Skinchanger is 
  a person who can assume a speciﬁc animal form 
  through the use of an enchanted animal skin (or 
  animal-skin garment). Although similar to the 
  Lycanthrope in many ways, he can’t assume half-
  man half-animal form, and his dependence on 
  the skin (a Focus, in HERO System terms) leaves 
  him vulnerable to losing his powers. Skinchang-
  ers may be seen as more evil and depraved than 
  Lycanthropes, since many victims of lycanthropy 
  contracted the condition involuntarily, whereas a 
  Skinchanger willingly changes shape (often for self-
  ish or malicious ends).
  THE MALLEABLE MAN
  Another metamorphic archetype found pri-
  marily in the comics, the Malleable Man has a body 
  he can stretch, warp, and reshape in various ways. 
  The Elongated Man, Mr. Fantastic, and Plastic Man 
  are all classic examples.
  In HERO System terms, Stretching is the deﬁ-
  nitional power for the Malleable Man. In addition 
  to standard Stretching, he often has many “Stretch-
  ing tricks” he can perform (see Chapter Two for 
  plenty of examples). Some Malleables, such as Plas-
  tic Man, also have Shape Shift and even Multiform 
  to represent their ability to stretch/reshape their 
  bodies into unusual objects, vehicles, and the like.
  
  14 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  M
  any of the HERO System Skills can 
  simulate the eﬀects of a character’s abil-
  ity to change shape or personality. If 
  this requires signiﬁcant eﬀort on the 
  character’s part, Limitations like Costs Endurance 
  are appropriate; if he hasn’t yet fully developed his 
  powers, an Activation Roll also helps deﬁne the 
  ability.
  INTERACTION SKILLS
  Some metamorphs don’t change the shape 
  of their bodies, they change their personalities 
  or thought patterns. Such characters may be par-
  ticularly adept at social intercourse because they 
  can subtly shift their approach (and perhaps even 
  appearance) to inﬂuence whoever they’re interact-
  ing with. In HERO System terms, you can represent 
  this by buying speciﬁc Interaction Skills and/or 
  Skill Levels with Interaction Skills.
  PERCEPTIVE SKILLS
  For some Skills involving perception or 
  analysis of phenomena, such as Criminology (see 
  below), some aspects of Bugging and Mechanics, 
  or Tracking, a character who can Shrink may buy 
  Skill Levels (or bonuses to such Skills) to represent 
  how easy it is to perceive small things at his size. To 
  an ordinary-sized person, the details of a footprint 
  may be hard to perceive, but to an inch-tall charac-
  ter they stand out like hills.
  ACROBATICS
  Some metamorphs can change form so rapidly 
  they can easily avoid obstacles others characters have 
  to face. Acrobatics might not let them actually do 
  a ﬂip, but it allows them to rearrange their bodies 
  quickly enough to accomplish the same result. While 
  a circus acrobat swings from a ﬂagpole using a tether, 
  a metamorph might just extend a body part and wrap 
  it around the ﬂagpole. A metamorph might be able to 
  easily balance on the narrowest or slipperiest surfaces 
  by contorting limbs for more stability, increasing foot 
  size, or growing spikes to stick in slippery surfaces. 
  In combat, a metamorph might use Acrobatics to 
  represent the way his malleable limbs let him attack in 
  unexpected ways (i.e., obtain a Surprise Move bonus).
  ANIMAL HANDLER
  Similar to the way certain mental meta-
  morphs can change their personalities to interact 
  well with others, some can understand and get 
  along better with animals. This is particularly 
  appropriate for lycanthropes and other zoo-
  morphs, who often have the ability to relate well 
  with (or even speak to or summon) the type of 
  animal(s) they can change shape into.
  BREAKFALL
  You can simulate some aspects of the abil-
  ity to rapidly change form with Breakfall. For 
  example, while a cat-like character always lands 
  on his feet, a metamorph might simply create 
  feet and legs pointing toward the ground and 
  then reform his body to match. For particularly 
  elastic characters, Breakfall could represent the 
  ability to “soften” the area nearest the ground so 
  it cushions the force of impact.
  CLIMBING
  Climbing is a cinch for many metamorphs. If 
  they have Stretching they can easily reach hand-
  holds and pull themselves up. If not, they may be 
  able to grow claws or spikes that help them climb, 
  or even mold their malleable ﬂesh to the climbing 
  surface so they practically stick to it.
  COMBAT SKILL LEVELS
  The ability to rapidly change the shape of one’s 
  body, grow additional limbs, elongate limbs, or 
  create claws can make a character a devastatingly 
  eﬀective HTH combatant, and you can represent 
  that with Combat Skill Levels. A malleable-bodied 
  character might easily stretch out of the way of 
  attacks, or “bounce” them oﬀ his body — an ability 
  you could simulate with DCV Levels.
  CONCEALMENT, SHADOWING,  
  AND STEALTH
  Some metamorphs can change the color and 
  texture of their skin to match their surroundings, 
  giving them these Skills or bonuses to these Skills 
  (see Chameleon Camouﬂage, page 93, for an exam-
  ple). Similarly, characters who can radically alter 
  their form might use their abilities to soften their 
  feet or otherwise move more quietly.
  CONTORTIONIST
  Even characters with only minor metamor-
  phosis powers sometimes have signiﬁcant manipu-
  latory control over their bodies. The Contortionist 
  Skill can simulate this ability to slightly alter the 
  bodies to ﬁt into small spaces, dislocate various 
  joints, and generally conform to whatever shape 
  they wish without changing their actual form.
  CRIMINOLOGY, FORENSIC MEDICINE,  
  AND PARAMEDICS
  Characters who can become incredibly small 
  may have a much easier time ﬁnding or examin-
  ing trace evidence than normal-sized characters 
  (though performing the search might not be the 
  most pleasant task...). With enough Shrinking (or 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement into the Micro-
  SKILLS
  
  15 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  verse), a character could easily ﬁnd something a 
  normal-sized criminalist would overlook. The same 
  could apply to diagnosing diseases and performing 
  various medical procedures. Shrinking characters 
  can take any of these Skills to represent not only 
  that ability, but the knowledge to analyze what they 
  ﬁnd — it doesn’t do much good to locate a clue if 
  you can’t understand its signiﬁcance.
  DEFENSE MANEUVER
  A metamorph with a ﬂuid body type, or 
  the ability to sprout extra eyes or limbs in vari-
  ous directions, might buy Defense Maneuver to 
  represent how he uses those abilities in combat. 
  For example, if an attacker slams a shapechanging 
  metamorph up against a wall, rather than taking 
  time to turn around he may simply change shape 
  so that what was in front is now in back, and vice-
  versa — thus denying other attackers the ability to 
  hit him “from behind.” In eﬀect, the character has 
  no “behind” to attack from because of the way he 
  can alter his form.
  DISGUISE, MIMICRY
  For metamorphs whose imitative abilities 
  aren’t as good as Shape Shift with the Imitation 
  Adder, Disguise provides a useful substitute (or a 
  way for Shape Shifting characters without Imitation 
  to try to impersonate someone). Mimicry does the 
  same for voices, and of course a touch of Acting 
  may be necessary to pull oﬀ the impersonation. 
  In eﬀect, these Skills allow for a “poor man’s meta-
  morphosis” — the ability to “change shape” without 
  having to pay for expensive Powers.
  A character who wants to disguise himself 
  to look like a member of another species or race 
  may run into problems. It’s hard for a two-armed, 
  six foot tall human to make himself look like 
  a four and a half foot tall dwarf, a six-armed 
  serpent-man, or a blue-skinned, antennaed mer-
  chant from Rigel IV. Similarly, differences in age, 
  gender, or size, or the need to maintain a disguise 
  for a long period of time, may make it easier to 
  see through. The accompanying Disguise Modi-
  fiers Table lists applicable modifiers — though of 
  course, not every genre or campaign is so “realis-
  tic” as to require them.
  KNOWLEDGE SKILL
  In a campaign setting where shapeshifters 
  and other metamorphs are a common or central 
  feature (such as a Horror game where the PCs are 
  all vampires and werewolves trying to hold on to 
  their humanity and do good deeds in the face of 
  temptation and their bestial natures), a Knowledge 
  Skill such as KS: The Shapeshifting World grants 
  knowledge of who’s who in that subculture. Knowl-
  edge Skill: Arcane And Occult Lore lets a character 
  know about mystic metamorphs like vampires and 
  werewolves, and he can easily take more specialized 
  mystic KSs if desired.
  LOCKPICKING, SECURITY SYSTEMS
  Characters with the ability to change the 
  shape of their hands or fingers might be able to 
  create lockpicks out of them; similarly, a char-
  acter might be able to Shrink to a small enough 
  size to walk into a lock and manipulate it by 
  hand. While this would work for most key locks, 
  combination, electronic, and magnetic locks 
  would be beyond the scope of all but the most 
  extreme metamorphosis powers; depending on 
  the campaign, this might entitle the character to 
  take a Limitation on the Skill.
  In some cases, characters may take Security 
  Systems to reﬂect a similar ability to avoid or 
  bypass security devices using their metamorphic 
  powers. A Shrunk character can easily slip around 
  many alarms and traps, while an elastic-bodied one 
  can squeeze through bars and fences or ﬁt through 
  air ducts. Security Systems isn’t necessary to use 
  those Powers in these ways, but it lets the character 
  know where the security devices are and the best 
  way around them using his abilities.
  DISGUISE MODIFIERS TABLE
  Body Type 
  Modiﬁer
  Age
   
  1-2 decades older/younger than character 
  -2
   
  3-4 decades older/younger than character 
  -5
   
  5 or more decades older/younger than character 
  -9
  Gender:  disguised as diﬀerent gender 
  -2 or worse
  Limbs
   
  More limbs 
  -1
   
  Fewer limbs 
  -2
  Posture
   
  Similar posture 
  -0
   
  Semi-Erect 
  -1
   
  Horizontal posture 
  -2
  Size, Weight
   
  Smaller than character 
  -2
   
  Less than half character’s mass 
  -3 per halving
   
  Larger than character 
  -1
   
  More than twice character’s mass 
  -2 per doubling
   
  Signiﬁcantly lighter weight than character 
  -4
  Skin
   
  Body covered with hair or feathers 
  +1
   
  Body covered with shell 
  +2
   
  Bare skin 
  -1
  Miscellaneous
   
  Distinctive scent or other emission 
  -2
   
  Amorphous blob 
  -4
   
  Diﬀerent home environment 
  -2
  Other Circumstances 
  Modiﬁer
   
  Character disguises self as speciﬁc other person 
  -1 to -3 (or worse)*  
  Character must maintain disguise for...
   
  Several days 
  -1
   
  1 Week to 1 Month 
  -2
   
  Over 1 Month 
  -3 (or worse)
  *when encountering people who know the person character is impersonating
  
  16 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  MARTIAL ARTS
  You can simulate the bodily contortions some 
  metamorphs can perform in combat with Martial 
  Arts. Here are two examples, Elasticombat (for mal-
  leable-form metamorphs) and Battle Shifting (for 
  shapechangers).
  RAPID ATTACK, TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING
  These skills are a good choice for metamorphs 
  capable of suddenly producing extra limbs, or 
  abnormally shaped or particularly large ones. But 
  don’t forget the rules on page 75 of The HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised concerning Two-
  Weapon Fighting and multi-limbed characters.
  SCIENCE SKILL
  Many Science Skills could play a vital part in 
  a campaign containing metamorphs. Characters 
  might study Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, 
  Organic Chemistry, or many other Skills in an 
  effort to better understand and use their body-
  altering powers. Some might even use one of 
  these Skills as the Required Skill Roll for powers 
  they don’t fully control yet. To create artificial or 
  constructed metamorphs, characters probably 
  need SS: Robotics, SS: Nanotechnology, or simi-
  lar Skills. Characters might need SS: Psychology 
  to cope with various types of mental meta-
  morphs (or resist their powers).
  SLEIGHT OF HAND
  For characters capable of changing the shapes 
  of their hands, this Skill becomes relatively easy. 
  Extra ﬁngers can hold things while the hand 
  appears empty, compartments can open up within 
  the body to hide small objects, and so on.
  TEAMWORK
  Teamwork is an ideal Skill for Duplicates 
  who don’t have any sort of “psychic link” or other 
  form of instant communication, but who innately 
  understand how their other “selves” act and react 
  in combat. A team of well-trained Duplicates with 
  even low-powered attacks can be pretty eﬀective 
  during a battle.
  TALENTS
  Metamorphs purchase most Talents for the 
  same reasons other characters do. But a few may 
  have special signiﬁcance or uses.
  AMBIDEXTERITY
  Characters with many limbs, particularly if 
  they can create and withdraw them at will, should 
  deﬁnitely consider this Talent. Otherwise all limbs 
  except one count as the character’s “Oﬀ Hand,” 
  making it diﬃcult for him to hit targets in combat.
  DOUBLE JOINTED
  Double Jointed is just as appropriate for meta-
  morphs as Contortionist. It’s useful for simulating 
  characters who can alter their skeletal structure or 
  the solidity of their bodies.
  LIGHTNING REFLEXES
  If a character buys the ability to transform 
  his arms into weapons (or the like), this Talent 
  could represent just how quickly he can form them 
  — much faster than even the fastest normal com-
  batant can draw a mundane weapon. Before his 
  opponent can react or step aside, the character has 
  simultaneously turned his arm into a sword-blade 
  and stretched it right through the opponent’s body!
  SIMULATE DEATH
  Many metamorphs have ﬁne control over their 
  bodily processes. Changing those processes to fool 
  others into thinking the metamorph is dead usually 
  isn’t hard.
  ELASTICOMBAT
  Maneuver 
  Phs Pts OCV DCV 
  Damage/Effect
  Attacks Bounce Off 
  ½ 
  4 
  +2 +2 
  Block, Abort
  Big Fist Punch 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 +2 
  STR +2d6 Strike
  Big Squeeze 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 +0 
  STR +4d6 Crush, Must Follow Grab
  Multi-Limb Pummeling 
  ½ 
  5 
  +1 
  -2 
  STR +4d6 Strike
  Squeeze Out 
  var 
  4 
  +0 +0 
  +15 STR vs. Grabs
  Stretch Dodging 
  ½ 
  4 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort
  Stretch Sweep 
  ½ 
  3 
  +2 
  -1 
  STR +1d6 Strike; Target Falls
  Wraparound 
  ½ 
  5 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Four Limbs, +10 STR for holding on
  Wraparound Choke 
  ½ 
  4 
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND(2)
  Wraparound Disarm 
  ½ 
  4 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, +10 STR to Disarm roll
  BATTLE SHIFTING
  Maneuver 
  Phs Pts OCV DCV 
  Damage/Effect
  Altered Form Dodge 
  ½ 
  4 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort
  Body Like Water 
  var 
  4 
  +0 +0 
  +15 STR vs. Grabs
  Malleable Block 
  ½ 
  5 
  +1 +1 
  Grab One Limb, Block
  Mallet Hand 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 +2 
  STR +2d6 Strike
  Sharpened Hand 
  ½ 
  4 
  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 (2 DC)
  Shifting Limbs 
  ½ 
  3 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two Limbs, +10 to STR  
  for holding on
  PERKS
  For the most part, metamorphs purchase Perks just 
  like any other character would. However, characters 
  with multiple personalities may only have a given 
  Perk in a single “identity” or personality. The Contacts 
  Perk already allows characters to purchase it by iden-
  tity, and the GM may want to similarly reduce the 
  cost of other Perks the character can’t always access, 
  or even let characters buy them with Limitations like 
  Linked or No Conscious Control. For example, con-
  sider an involuntary metamorph whose body changes 
  shape to match whichever personality is dominant at 
  the time. In one personality/form, he’s fabulously rich 
  — but the other personalities/forms don’t remember 
  that, or can’t access his ﬁngerprint-guarded vault!
  For further information on Vehicles that can 
  change shape or combine with other Vehicles, see 
  The Ultimate Vehicles. If necessary, you can adapt 
  those rules for Bases.
  
  17 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  A
  t the heart of virtually every metamorph 
  character design are one or more of the 
  Body-Aﬀecting Powers — Density Increase, 
  Desolidiﬁcation, Duplication, Extra Limbs, 
  Growth, Multiform, Shape Shift, Shrinking, and 
  Stretching. All of these Powers alter a character’s 
  physical form or nature in some way — they 
  change his shape (Multiform, Shape Shift, Stretch-
  ing), size (Growth, Shrinking), or other properties 
  (Density Increase, Desolidiﬁcation, Duplication, 
  Extra Limbs).
  For ease of reference, this section of The Ulti-
  mate Metamorph includes the complete text of 
  these Powers from The HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised rulebook, with additional information to 
  cover subjects and situations not addressed by the 
  main rules.
  Character Mass
  Three Body-Aﬀecting Powers — Density 
  Increase, Growth, and Shrinking — alter a charac-
  ter’s mass. If a character uses both Density Increase 
  and Growth at the same time, all mass multipli-
  ers add together. Thus, a character with 15 points 
  of Growth and 5 points of Density Increase has 
  x16 normal human mass. If a character uses both 
  Density Increase and Shrinking at once, determine 
  the character’s mass based on the use of Shrink-
  ing, then double that mass for each level of Density 
  Increase in eﬀect.
  Character Size
  Some Body-Aﬀecting Powers enable a charac-
  ter to change his size — they’re Size Powers. Growth 
  allows a character to become taller than normal; 
  Shrinking allows him to become smaller than 
  normal. Size Powers are only appropriate for char-
  acters who can alter their size. Characters who are 
  always very tall or very small should not buy these 
  powers; instead, they should buy various Powers 
  (such as high STR or an increased DCV) to reﬂect 
  the beneﬁts of having a permanently altered size, 
  and a Physical Limitation to reﬂect the drawbacks. 
  Use the Size Powers as guidelines for what Powers 
  such characters should buy. (See the individual 
  Power descriptions for more information.)
  A character’s size aﬀects the ability of other 
  characters to perceive him:  Grown characters are 
  easier to perceive (+2 to PER Rolls to perceive 
  them for every x2 height); Shrunken characters 
  are harder to perceive (-2 to PER Rolls to perceive 
  them for every x½ height).
  Size also affects the ability of other char-
  acters to hit the character:  Grown characters 
  are easier to hit (-2 DCV for every x2 height); 
  Shrunken characters are harder to hit (+2 DCV 
  for every x½ height). However, DCV modifiers 
  do not apply, or only apply partially, against 
  other characters using the same Size Power. Sub-
  tract the attacker’s modifier from the defender’s 
  modifier to determine how much of a DCV 
  modifier, if any, the defender receives. However, 
  a character can only get DCV bonuses against a 
  Grown attacker if he (the character) uses Shrink-
  ing; characters who are normal human size or 
  taller do not get DCV bonuses against Grown 
  characters who are taller than they are.
  Example:  Hornet can Shrink to one-fourth 
  human size (-4 on PER Rolls to perceive him, 
  +4 to his DCV). However, when he’s attacked 
  by Yellowjacket, who is also one-fourth human 
  size, he does not receive his DCV bonus (+4 
  - +4 = 0). If Yellowjacket were only Shrunk to 
  half human size, Hornet would receive a +2 
  DCV bonus (+4 - +2 = +2).
  Similarly, if Tower can become eight times 
  as tall as a normal human, he has a -6 DCV. 
  When ﬁghting Gargantua, who is also x8 
  normal human height, neither he nor Gargan-
  tua suﬀer their DCV penalties (-6 - -6 = 0). If 
  Tower could only become x4 normal human 
  height (-4 DCV), then Gargantua would suﬀer 
  a -2 DCV against his attacks (-6 - -4 = -2), 
  while Tower would suﬀer no DCV penalty (-
  4 - -6 = less than 0; Tower cannot get a DCV 
  bonus for being smaller than Gargantua unless 
  he uses Shrinking).
  As an optional rule, the GM can ignore all 
  DCV modiﬁers for size in HTH Combat. While less 
  “realistic,” this rule is simpler and allows any two 
  characters to engage in HTH Combat normally, 
  regardless of their sizes.
  LIMITATIONS
  Must Be Used At Full Power (-0):  A character may 
  want to have Density Increase, Growth, or Shrink-
  ing that he has to use at full eﬀect. In most cases 
  this is a -0 Limitation, but the GM may increase 
  the value to -¼ if he believes this condition would 
  signiﬁcantly hinder the character in some circum-
  stances. The value may depend, in part, on how 
  big, dense, or small the character can become. The 
  diﬀerence between 1” tall and 2” tall probably isn’t 
  enough to qualify for more than -0, but if a charac-
  ter’s only option is to become 64” tall, the case for a 
  higher Limitation value is stronger.
  BODY-AFFECTING 
  POWERS
  
  18 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  DENSITY INCREASE
  Type:   
  Standard Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Constant
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   Yes
  Cost:   
  5 Character Points for every +5 STR, 
  +1 PD and +1 ED, -1” Knockback, and 
  x2 mass
  A character with Density Increase (“DI”) 
  can increase his density, thereby making himself 
  stronger and physically tougher. Some examples of 
  Density Increase include characters whose bodies 
  are made of rock or metal, or a superhero with gra-
  vitic powers who can make himself denser. Density 
  Increase costs 5 Character Points per doubling of 
  mass (see the Density Table for the full eﬀects).
  Density Increase is only appropriate for char-
  acters who can alter their density. Characters who 
  are always very heavy should not buy DI. Instead 
  they should buy various Powers (such as increased 
  Characteristics) to reﬂect the beneﬁts of having a 
  permanently altered density, and take a Physical 
  Limitation to reﬂect the drawbacks. See below for 
  additional information and guidelines.
  Density Increase adds to a character’s mass, STR, 
  PD, and ED without changing his appearance. Density 
  Increase costs END to use; the character must pay 
  END every Phase in which DI is turned on.
  A character can use the STR he gets from 
  Density Increase for any purpose he could nor-
  mally use STR for — it doesn’t just help him move 
  his extra mass around, it aﬀects how much he can 
  lift, how much damage he does when he punches, 
  and so forth. Density Increase does not reduce a 
  character’s STR-based forms of movement, such as 
  Running and Swimming (though there are optional 
  rules for the eﬀect of mass on Leaping on page 35 
  of The HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook if 
  the GM wants to use them).
  Crushing Damage; Damageable Surfaces
  Characters with Density Increase may be 
  heavy enough to inﬂict crushing damage on other 
  characters simply by standing. sitting, or lying on 
  them. See page 422 of The HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised rules regarding this, and the Crush You! 
  power on page 116 of this book for an example of a 
  “crushing Damage Shield” ability that lets a charac-
  ter both crush and attack in the same Phase.
  For GMs interested in “realism,” whenever 
  a character using Density Increase walks on 
  pavement, a floor, the upper story of a build-
  ing, or anything else that might not fully hold 
  his increased weight, apply the crushing damage 
  he can cause to that surface. If the surface isn’t 
  strong enough to hold him, he breaks through it 
  and falls, or sinks into it.
  
  19 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  If a character who has Density Increase applies 
  an Advantage to his STR, he must calculate the 
  cost of the Advantage based on the character’s total 
  STR including DI bonuses, unless noted otherwise 
  below. For example, if a character has STR 30 and 
  30 points of DI (+30 STR), the cost of an Advan-
  tage is calculated as if he had bought a 60 STR. This 
  applies even if the Density Increase is bought as a 
  slot in a Power Framework. If the character also has 
  some Limited STR, he does not have to include that 
  when calculating the cost of the Advantage unless 
  the GM thinks it would be appropriate for him to 
  do so. Generally Limited STR function as a sort of 
  separate power, so its END cost should be deter-
  mined separately.
  Invisible Power Effects:  Density Increase is already 
  “invisible,” in that it does not change the character’s 
  physical appearance, so characters don’t have to buy 
  this Advantage for it. They can apply the Limitation 
  Visible to forms of DI that are perceivable, such as 
  transforming one’s body into solid steel.
  Reduced Endurance:  If a character buys Density 
  Increase with Reduced Endurance, he must still pay 
  normal END costs for using the extra STR granted 
  by DI, unless he buys Reduced Endurance sepa-
  rately for his STR.
  Usable On Others:  When used as an attack against 
  another character (i.e., when bought with the +1 
  Usable As Attack Advantage), Density Increase does 
  not, and cannot be bought to, increase another charac-
  ter’s weight without also increasing his STR (and other 
  Characteristics that DI normally improves).
  LIMITATIONS
  No Defense Increase (-¼, -½):    DI with this Limita-
  tion does not provide any extra PD and/or ED to 
  the character — he becomes heavier and stronger, 
  but no tougher. If the character doesn’t get extra 
  PD or ED (chosen when he takes this Limitation), 
  the Limitation’s worth -¼; if he gets neither form of 
  defense, it’s worth -½.
  No STR Increase (-½):  DI with this Limitation does 
  not provide any extra STR to the character. Eventu-
  ally the character’s weight becomes more than he 
  can lift with his STR, meaning he cannot walk and 
  has to be carried or driven everywhere he goes 
  (unless he turns his DI oﬀ).
  Creating Permanently  
  High-Density Characters
  As noted above, Density Increase is for charac-
  ters who can alter their density. If you want to have 
  a character who’s more dense than an ordinary 
  human all of the time, here’s how you buy that, 
  using Density Increase as a guideline.
  First, determine how heavy the character is. Then 
  ﬁnd the category on the Density Increase Table 
  corresponding to that amount of weight. Use the 
  attributes of that amount of Density Increase to buy 
  the relevant abilities:
  DENSITY INCREASE TABLE
  Every 5 points of Density Increase provides:
  x2 mass
  +5 STR (no Figured Characteristics)
  -1” Knockback (functions just like Knockback Resistance)
  +1 PD (nonresistant)
  +1 ED (nonresistant)
  Points 
  Mass (KG) 
  STR 
  KB 
  PD 
  ED
  0 
  100 
  +0 
  -0” 
  +0 
  +0
  5 
  101-200 
  +5 
  -1” 
  +1 
  +1
  10 
  201-400 
  +10 
  -2” 
  +2 
  +2
  15 
  401-800 
  +15 
  -3” 
  +3 
  +3
  20 
  801-1,600  
  +20 
  -4” 
  +4 
  +4
  25 
  1,601-3,200 
  +25 
  -5” 
  +5 
  +5
  30 
  3,201-6,400 
  +30 
  -6” 
  +6 
  +6
  35 
  6,401-12,500 
  +35 
  -7” 
  +7 
  +7
  40 
  12,501-25,000 
  +40 
  -8” 
  +8 
  +8
  45 
  25,0001-50,000 
  +45 
  -9” 
  +9 
  +9
  50 
  50,0001-100,000          
  +50 
  -10” 
  +10 
  +10
  55 
  100,001-200,000 
  +55 
  -11” 
  +11 
  +11
  60 
  200,001-400,000 
  +60 
  -12” 
  +12 
  +12
  65 
  400,001-800,000 
  +65 
  -13” 
  +13 
  +13
  70 
  800,001-1.6 million (1 kton) 
  +70 
  -14” 
  +14 
  +14
  75 
  1.7-3.2 million 
  +75 
  -15” 
  +15 
  +15
  80 
  3.3-6.4 million 
  +80 
  -16” 
  +16 
  +16
  85 
  6.5-12.5 million 
  +85 
  -17” 
  +17 
  +17
  90 
  12.6-25 million 
  +90 
  -18” 
  +18 
  +18
  95 
  26-50 million 
  +95 
  -19” 
  +19 
  +19
  100 
  51-100 million 
  +100 
  -20” 
  +20 
  +20
  105 
  101-200 million 
  +105 
  -21” 
  +21 
  +21
  110 
  201-400 million 
  +110 
  -22” 
  +22 
  +22
  115 
  401-800 million 
  +115 
  -23” 
  +23 
  +23
  120 
  801 million-1.6 mtons 
  +120 
  -24” 
  +24 
  +24
  125 
  1.7-3.2 mtons 
  +125 
  -25” 
  +25 
  +25
  130 
  3.3-6.4 mtons 
  +130 
  -26” 
  +26 
  +26
  135 
  6.5-12.5 mtons 
  +135 
  -27” 
  +27 
  +27
  140 
  12.6-25 mtons 
  +140 
  -28” 
  +28 
  +28
  145 
  26-50 mtons 
  +145 
  -29” 
  +29 
  +29
  150 
  51-100 mtons 
  +150 
  -30” 
  +30 
  +30
  155 
  101-200 mtons 
  +155 
  -31” 
  +31 
  +31
  160 
  201-400 mtons 
  +160 
  -32” 
  +32 
  +32
  165 
  401-800 mtons 
  +165 
  -33” 
  +33 
  +33
  170 
  801 mtons-1.6 gtons 
  +170 
  -34” 
  +34 
  +34
  175 
  1.7-3.2 gtons 
  +175 
  -35” 
  +35 
  +35
  180 
  3.3-6.4 gtons 
  +180 
  -36” 
  +36 
  +36
  185 
  6.5-12.5 gtons 
  +185 
  -37” 
  +37 
  +37
  190 
  12.6-25 gtons 
  +190 
  -38” 
  +38 
  +38
  195 
  26-50 gtons 
  +195 
  -39” 
  +39 
  +39
  200 
  51-100 gtons 
  +200 
  -40” 
  +40 
  +40
  205 
  101-200 gtons 
  +205 
  -41” 
  +41 
  +41
  210 
  201-400 gtons 
  +210 
  -42” 
  +42 
  +42
  215 
  401-800 gtons 
  +215 
  -43” 
  +43 
  +43
  220 
  801 gtons-1.6 ttons 
  +220 
  -44” 
  +44 
  +44
  225 
  1.7-3.2 ttons 
  +225 
  -45” 
  +45 
  +45
  230 
  3.3-6.4 ttons 
  +230 
  -46” 
  +46 
  +46
  235 
  6.5-12.5 ttons 
  +235 
  -47” 
  +47 
  +47
  240 
  12.6-25 ttons 
  +240 
  -48” 
  +48 
  +48
  245 
  26-50 ttons 
  +245 
  -49” 
  +49 
  +49
  250 
  51-100 ttons 
  +250 
  -50” 
  +50 
  +50
  255 
  101-200 ttons 
  +255 
  -51” 
  +51 
  +51
  260 
  201-400 ttons 
  +260 
  -52” 
  +52 
  +52
  265 
  401-800 ttons 
  +265 
  -53” 
  +53 
  +53
  270 
  801 ttons-1.6 ptons 
  +270 
  -54” 
  +54 
  +54
  275 
  1.7-3.2 ptons 
  +275 
  -55” 
  +55 
  +55
  ...and so on
  kton:  kiloton (1,000 metric tons) • mton:  megaton (1 million metric tons)
  gton:  gigaton (1 billion metric tons) • tton:  teraton (1 trillion metric tons)
  pton:  petaton (1 quadrillion metric tons)
  
  20 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ■ For STR, buy the listed amount of STR with the 
  Limitation No Figured Characteristics (-½)
  ■ For KB, buy the listed amount of Knockback 
  Resistance
  ■ For PD, buy the listed amount of PD
  ■ For ED, buy the listed amount of ED
  The special eﬀect of these abilities is that they 
  derive from the character’s increased density. The 
  Mass Templates on page 577 of The HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised rulebook summarize the abili-
  ties pertaining to various categories of heaviness.
  Second, the character needs a Physical Limitation, 
  Heavy, to represent the inconvenience of being so 
  heavy all the time. Being extremely heavy makes 
  it diﬃcult for a character to ride in vehicles (or on 
  mounts), to walk on the upper ﬂoors of buildings 
  without falling through, to avoid leaving tracks 
  almost everywhere he walks, and so forth. The 
  accompanying table lists the value of the Physical 
  Limitation based on mass.
  Expanded Density  
  Increase Table
  For some gaming groups, greater granular-
  ity for Density Increase may be desirable. The 
  accompanying table provides rules for buying 
  DI in 3-point increments instead of just the 
  standard 5-point ones. For each +3 Character 
  Points, the character gets +3 STR, and gets the 
  PD bonus of the next highest level of DI sooner; 
  the KB and ED modifiers remain the same as 
  the next lowest level. For example, a character 
  who buys 23 Character Points’ worth of Density 
  Increase has +23 STR, -4” KB, +5 PD, and +4 ED. 
  If he pays +2 Character Points (25 points total), 
  that improves to +25 STR, -5” KB, +5 PD, and +5 
  ED — the STR, KB, and ED increase, but the PD 
  bonus remains the same as the 23-point level.
  Vast Density
  Assuming one has suﬃciently sensitive equip-
  ment, any mass exerts gravitic attraction every 
  other mass. But practically speaking, an object 
  has to be extremely heavy before it exerts gravity a 
  human being — i.e., a HERO System game charac-
  ter — can feel. The accompanying table provides 
  some simple rules for determining when a heavy 
  character generates his own noticeable gravity and 
  how strong it is, assuming that 1 G = 5 STR.
  Density Decrease
  In some cases, players may want to design 
  characters who are less dense than ordinary 
  humans, but not so much so that they become 
  intangible (and thus buy Desolidiﬁcation; see 
  below). Creating a less dense character involves 
  deﬁning the eﬀects of being lighter weight than 
  normal. Some possibilities include:
  HEAVY PHYSICAL LIMITATION
  Character’s Mass Is... 
  Physical Limitation
  2-3 times normal (200-399 kg) 
  Infrequently, 
  Slightly Impairing:  
  5 points
  4-7 times normal (400-799 kg) 
  Frequently, Greatly 
  Impairing:  15 
  points
  8-15 times normal (800-1,599 kg) 
  Frequently, Greatly 
  Impairing:  15 
  points
  16-31 times normal (1,600-3,199 kg) Frequently, Greatly 
  Impairing:  15 
  points
  32-63 times normal (3,200-6,399 kg) Frequently, Greatly 
  Impairing:  15 
  points
  64 or more times normal (6,400+ kg) All The Time, 
  Greatly Impairing:  
  20 points
  The listed Disadvantage values are only guidelines. 
  The GM should feel free to change them to suit spe-
  ciﬁc characters, the campaign setting, or other fac-
  tors. For example, Ironclad (Champions, page 184) 
  gets 20 points for weighing 20 times normal human 
  weight, since he lives in a city with a lot of skyscrap-
  ers, often ﬁnds himself in situations where someone 
  has to carry him, and so forth.
  EXPANDED DENSITY 
  INCREASE TABLE
  Points Mass (KG) 
  STR 
  KB 
  PD 
  ED
  0 
  100 
  +0 
  -0” 
  +0 
  +0
  3 
  150 
  +3 
  -0” 
  +1 
  +0
  5 
  200 
  +5 
  -1” 
  +1 
  +1
  8 
  300 
  +8 
  -1” 
  +2 
  +1
  10 
  400 
  +10 
  -2” 
  +2 
  +2
  3 
  600 
  +13 
  -2” 
  +3 
  +2
  15 
  800 
  +15 
  -3” 
  +3 
  +3
  18 
  1,200 
  +18 
  -3” 
  +4 
  +3
  20 
  1,600 
  +20 
  -4” 
  +4 
  +4
  23 
  2,400 
  +23 
  -4” 
  +5 
  +4
  25 
  3,200 
  +25 
  -5” 
  +5 
  +5
  28 
  4,800 
  +28 
  -5” 
  +6 
  +5
  30 
  6,400 
  +30 
  -6” 
  +6 
  +6
  33 
  9,600 
  +33 
  -6” 
  +7 
  +6
  35 
  12,500 
  +35 
  -7” 
  +7 
  +7
  38 
  19,000 
  +38 
  -7” 
  +8 
  +7
  40 
  25,000 
  +40 
  -8” 
  +8 
  +8
  43 
  37,500 
  +43 
  -8” 
  +9 
  +8
  45 
  50,000 
  +45 
  -9” 
  +9 
  +9
  48 
  75,000 
  +48 
  -9” 
  +10 
  +9
  50 
  100,000 
  +50 
  -10” 
  +10 
  +10
  53 
  150,000 
  +53 
  -10” 
  +11 
  +10
  55 
  200,000 
  +55 
  -11” 
  +11 
  +11
  58 
  300,000 
  +58 
  -11” 
  +12 
  +11
  60 
  400,000 
  +60 
  -12” 
  +12 
  +12
  63 
  600,000 
  +63 
  -12” 
  +13 
  +12
  65 
  800,000 
  +65 
  -13” 
  +13 
  +13
  68 
  1,200,000 
  +68 
  -13” 
  +14 
  +13
  70 
  1,600,000 
  +70 
  -14” 
  +14 
  +14
  73 
  2,400,000 
  +73 
  -14” 
  +15 
  +14
  75 
  3,200,000 
  +75 
  -15” 
  +15 
  +15
  ...and so on
  
  21 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  ■ the character takes less damage from attacks, 
  since he’s not “all there” to be aﬀected. Typically this 
  means buying Damage Reduction, but it could be 
  deﬁned using other Defense Powers.
  ■ the character doesn’t leave footprints, trigger land 
  mines, or the like. You can build this as Gliding 
  with the Ground Gliding Limitation.
  ■ the character is light enough to ﬂoat on the air, 
  ride thermals, and so forth. You can buy this as 
  Gliding, possibly with Limitations to reﬂect the fact 
  that the character can’t fully control where he goes.
  ■ the character can be thrown further than other 
  characters of the same size. In most cases this is just 
  part of the special eﬀect of the character’s powers 
  and doesn’t cost Character Points. In games where 
  the character is thrown a lot and derives a signiﬁ-
  cant tactical advantage from his light weight, the 
  GM might make him buy this ability as extra STR, 
  Usable By Other (+¼), Only To Increase STR For 
  Purposes Of Throwing The Character (-2).
  Additionally, the character has to take a 
  Physical Limitation, Lightweight, to represent the 
  fact that, like a Shrunk character, he suﬀers more 
  Knockback distance (but not damage) from his 
  attacks. The Size/Weight Physical Limitation table 
  on page 576 of The HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised rulebook summarizes the eﬀects and value 
  of this Disadvantage.
  For another way of simulating “Density 
  Decrease,” see Alternate Desolidiﬁcation on page 25.
  PERSONAL GRAVITY TABLE
  Points in DI 
  Hexes
   
  0 
  1 
  2-3 
  4-7 
  8-15 
  16-31 
  32-63 
  64-124 
  125-249 
  250-499 
  500-999 
  1,000
  125 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55 
  -65 
  -75 
  -85 
  -95 
  -105 
  -115 
  -125 
  -135
  130 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50 
  -60 
  -70 
  -80 
  -90 
  -100 
  -110 
  -120 
  -130
  135 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55 
  -65 
  -75 
  -85 
  -95 
  -105 
  -115 
  -125
  140 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50 
  -60 
  -70 
  -80 
  -90 
  -100 
  -110 
  -120
  145 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55 
  -65 
  -75 
  -85 
  -95 
  -105 
  -115
  150 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50 
  -60 
  -70 
  -80 
  -90 
  -100 
  -110
  155 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55 
  -65 
  -75 
  -85 
  -95 
  -105
  160 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50 
  -60 
  -70 
  -80 
  -90 
  -100
  165 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55 
  -65 
  -75 
  -85 
  -95
  170 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50 
  -60 
  -70 
  -80 
  -90
  175 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55 
  -65 
  -75 
  -85
  180 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50 
  -60 
  -70 
  -80
  185 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55 
  -65 
  -75
  190 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50 
  -60 
  -70
  195 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55 
  -65
  200 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50 
  -60
  205 
  55 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45 
  -55
  210 
  60 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40 
  -50
  215 
  65 
  55 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35 
  -45
  220 
  70 
  60 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30 
  -40
  225 
  75 
  65 
  55 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25 
  -35
  230 
  80 
  70 
  60 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20 
  -30
  235 
  85 
  75 
  65 
  55 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15 
  -25
  240 
  90 
  80 
  70 
  60 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10 
  -20
  245 
  95 
  85 
  75 
  65 
  55 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5 
  -15
  250 
  100 
  90 
  80 
  70 
  60 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0 
  -10
  255 
  105 
  95 
  85 
  75 
  65 
  55 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5 
  -5
  260 
  110 
  100 
  90 
  80 
  70 
  60 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10 
  0
  265 
  115 
  105 
  95 
  85 
  75 
  65 
  55 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15 
  5
  270 
  120 
  110 
  100 
  90 
  80 
  70 
  60 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20 
  10
  275 
  125 
  115 
  105 
  95 
  85 
  75 
  65 
  55 
  45 
  35 
  25 
  15
  280 
  130 
  120 
  110 
  100 
  90 
  80 
  70 
  60 
  50 
  40 
  30 
  20
  ...and so on
  The “Points” column indicates how many points the character has spent on Density Increase. The “Hexes” columns indicate the distance in hexes 
  from the character, and the amount of gravitic attraction he generates on a 50-100 kg object at that distance in terms of STR. For example, at 16-31”, a 
  character who weighs 200 megatons (155 points in Density Increase) exerts a gravitic pull equal to -45 STR — enough to draw small objects like golf 
  balls and eggs toward him.
  If the character’s using other mass-aﬀecting powers (i.e., Growth and Shrinking), use the modiﬁed formula below to determine his gravitic “pull.”
  For gamers who want to calculate gravitic attraction for other amounts of Density Increase, here’s the formula:
  g (the STR of the gravitic attraction) = 2 raised to the power of (((points spent on DI/5) - 33) + Range Modiﬁer)
  For adjacent targets (0” range), use 2 for the “Range Modiﬁer.”
  If the character’s using Growth as well as DI, add (points spent on Growth/5) to (points spent on DI/5). If the character’s using Shrinking, subtract 
  ((points spent on Shrinking/10) x3) to (points spent on DI/5).
  Using this table/formula, a character with 420 Character Points’ worth of Density Increase has become a black hole. If he continues to increase his den-
  sity, the black hole expands, engulﬁng more and more of his surroundings.
  
  22 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  DESOLIDIFICATION 
  Type:   
  Standard Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Constant
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   Yes
  Cost:   
  40 Character Points
  A character with Desolidiﬁcation can become 
  intangible, allowing him to walk through walls and 
  ignore attacks. Some examples of Desolidiﬁcation 
  include the intangible body of a ghost, a superhero 
  who can pass through solid objects by synchroniz-
  ing the “phase vibrations” of his molecules, and a 
  vampire’s ability to transform into a cloud of mist. 
  Desolidiﬁcation costs 40 Character Points and costs 
  END to use.
  BASIC EFFECTS OF DESOLIDIFICATION
  A Desolidified character can move through 
  walls and other solid objects at his normal move-
  ment rate unless the walls are bought with the 
  Affects Desolidified Advantage. When doing so, 
  he can use any Movement Power he possesses. 
  For example, he can walk (Running) through 
  walls, use Flight to travel through solid ground, 
  and so forth. Desolidified characters can walk 
  on the ground without sinking into it by force of 
  will; this allows them to, for example, walk up a 
  staircase or climb a cliff. Desolidification doesn’t 
  automatically allow a character to “walk on air”; 
  to do that, he has to buy Flight.
  When Desolidiﬁed, a character cannot be 
  touched, does not register on Sonar or Radar, and 
  emits no scent. However, he can still breathe, and 
  must do so; Desolidiﬁcation provides no Life Support. 
  Desolidiﬁed characters are visible, but look somewhat 
  hazy (people can tell they’re using Desolidiﬁcation).
  A Desolidiﬁed character cannot touch or feel 
  solid objects. But except for Touch Group Senses, all 
  of a Desolidiﬁed character’s Senses, even “active” ones 
  like Radar, work normally while he’s intangible.
  A Desolidiﬁed character may make Presence 
  Attacks against solid targets. In the case of Presence 
  Attacks involving threats against tangible beings, 
  the GM should consider subtracting dice if the 
  target knows the character’s Desolidiﬁed and thus 
  probably can’t do anything to hurt him.
  Carried Objects
  When a character Desolidiﬁes, any small per-
  sonal objects he’s wearing or carrying (including 
  any weapons or Foci) Desolidify with him. Larger 
  objects he’s carrying do not; he immediately “drops” 
  them. However, a Desolidiﬁed character cannot 
  drop objects (such as grenades or anvils) onto or 
  near other characters in the expectation that they’ll 
  become solid and damage solid characters; such 
  an “attack” has no eﬀect on the solid world unless 
  bought with the Advantage Aﬀects Physical World.
  If a character doesn’t want to Desolidify small 
  personal items (like Foci) when he Desolidiﬁes, he 
  can simply let go of them or put them aside before 
  activating the power. If he can’t take any small per-
  sonal items with him at all, that might qualify as a 
  Limitation on the Desolidiﬁcation.
  
  23 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  DESOLIDIFICATION AND DAMAGE
  When Desolidified, a character is immune 
  to most physical and energy attacks, including 
  ones such as Drains and NNDs. However, several 
  types of attacks can affect Desolidified charac-
  ters. These include:
  ■ Mental Powers (including any Power that uses an 
  ECV Attack Roll);
  ■ Sense-Aﬀecting Powers that aﬀect any Sense the 
  character can use while Desolidiﬁed (characters 
  may deﬁne some of their Senses as not working 
  when they’re Desolidiﬁed as a -0 Limitation if they 
  wish);
  ■ an Adjustment Power or Dispel bought spe-
  ciﬁcally to aﬀect Desolidiﬁcation, such as Drain 
  Desolidiﬁcation or Dispel Desolidiﬁcation (Deso-
  lidiﬁcation is not considered a “Defense Power” for 
  purposes of these Powers);
  ■ Presence Attacks;
  ■ any attack that aﬀects the character through his 
  breathing, such as inhaled gases; and
  ■ any attack bought with the Power Advantage 
  Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed
  Characters may, of course, buy Mental 
  Defense, Flash Defense, Life Support, and similar 
  Powers Linked to their Desolidification to reflect 
  the immunity their Desolidified state offers to 
  such attacks (similarly, knowledge of their rela-
  tive invulnerability may make it easy for them to 
  ignore Presence Attacks). Desolidified characters 
  cannot automatically affect each other unless 
  their powers have similar special effects (for 
  example, two wizards using similar Desolidifica-
  tion spells could hit each other normally while 
  they’re both Desolidified).
  Furthermore, a character must deﬁne the spe-
  cial eﬀects of a reasonably common group of attacks 
  that aﬀect him while he’s Desolidiﬁed.
  Example:  Dr. Mist, who can transform himself 
  into a cloud of vapor, is still aﬀected by any 
  attacks with the special eﬀects of wind, heat, 
  or cold. The wizard Arkelos, who uses magic to 
  ride the streams of essence in ghostly form, still 
  takes damage from any attack with a “magic” 
  special eﬀect.
  Desolidiﬁed Combat
  If a character, while Desolidified, is affected 
  by a continuing-effect attack of some sort from 
  another Desolidified character, he can escape the 
  effect of that attack by becoming solid, since the 
  attack form itself remains Desolidified (unless it 
  can Affect Physical World as well). The Desolidi-
  fied attack in essence sloughs off him, or he can 
  walk away from it, while he’s solid. In some cases 
  it might be possible for the attacker to have the 
  attack “follow” the character, so that if he uses his 
  Desolidification he’ll start taking damage again, 
  but that depends on the Powers, circumstances, 
  and special effects involved, as well as common 
  sense and dramatic sense.
  If a character is hit by a Constant Power that 
  does STUN or BODY damage, he can automati-
  cally negate the eﬀects of the power by becoming 
  Desolidiﬁed; it ceases to harm him. On the other 
  hand, continuing-eﬀect Mental Power (like Mind 
  Control), non-damaging Constant attacks (such 
  as Flight Usable As Attack), and the like remain in 
  eﬀect unless the GM rules otherwise base on spe-
  cial eﬀects, common sense, dramatic sense, game 
  balance, and other factors.
  If a character uses a continuing-eﬀect Mental 
  Power on a target while solid, then activates Deso-
  lidiﬁcation, the Mental Power continues to aﬀect 
  the target. However, the character loses all “connec-
  tion” to it. He cannot change levels of eﬀect, feed 
  it END to prevent deterioration, or the like. (On 
  the other hand, if a character becomes Desolidi-
  ﬁed, continuing-eﬀect Mental Powers being used 
  on him remain in full eﬀect and can be altered or 
  enhanced normally; as noted above, Mental Powers 
  aﬀect Desolidiﬁed characters.)
  THE DRAWBACKS OF INTANGIBILITY
  Being Desolidiﬁed causes some problems. First 
  and foremost, a Desolidiﬁed character cannot aﬀect 
  the physical world in any way. He cannot touch, lift, 
  or move solid objects. His attacks against the physical 
  world have no eﬀect. He can’t even aﬀect solid tar-
  gets with Mental Powers or Sense-Aﬀecting Powers 
  (though solid characters can aﬀect him with them). 
  If he wants to attack, he has to become solid (and 
  therefore vulnerable) or have abilities bought with the 
  Advantage Aﬀects Physical World (see below).
  Although a Desolidiﬁed character can walk 
  through solid objects, he can’t breathe while in a 
  solid object unless he has appropriate Life Support. 
  He can’t consume solid food or drink, either; it’s 
  possible for a character to starve to death if he can’t 
  turn his Desolidiﬁcation oﬀ for some reason.
  A Desolidiﬁed character falls at normal veloc-
  ity (page 434 of The HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised). He takes no damage from impacting the 
  ground... but he doesn’t stop at the ground, he just 
  keeps falling into and through it! This could cause 
  serious problems if he doesn’t have Life Support 
  or a Movement Power that can counteract the fall. 
  He can use the same “force of will” that lets him 
  walk on the ground to stop his fall when he hits the 
  ground, but he takes normal falling damage.
  If a Desolidiﬁed character solidiﬁes inside a 
  solid object, he takes damage (and the object usu-
  ally does as well). The GM should roll the damage 
  on the Teleportation Damage Table (page 367 of 
  The HERO System 5th Edition, Revised).
  Ordinarily a moving character cannot activate 
  his Desolidiﬁcation. Activating a Power is a Zero 
  Phase Action, and the criteria for when a character 
  can perform a Zero Phase Action are listed in the 
  rulebook — typically a character couldn’t perform 
  one in the middle of performing another action 
  (e.g., making a Half Move with Running). How-
  ever, in the interest of common sense and dramatic 
  sense, the GM could certainly allow a character to 
  turn on his Desolidiﬁcation in mid-move if he feels 
  that wouldn’t unbalance the game.
  
  24 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  POWERS
  Defense Powers:  Desolidiﬁcation does not count 
  as a “Defense Power” for purposes of the rule that 
  triples the cost of such Powers for Automatons with 
  the Takes No STUN Power. However, activating it 
  usually qualiﬁes as a “defensive action” that a char-
  acter can Abort to.
  Duplication:  If a character who’s Desolidiﬁed wants 
  to be able to create Duplicates that are solid, he 
  must have the Aﬀects Physical World Advantage on 
  his Duplication.
  Force Wall:  A Desolidiﬁed character can use his 
  Force Wall to protect himself from any attack, or 
  to englobe a Desolidiﬁed target. He can’t use it to 
  protect anyone else or englobe solid targets unless 
  it has the Aﬀects Physical World Advantage.
  Missile Deﬂection:  If a Desolidiﬁed character does 
  not apply the Aﬀects Physical World Advantage to 
  his Missile Deﬂection, he cannot use it to Deﬂect 
  any attacks from solid characters, either for him-
  self or at Range. (Of course, most solid attacks are 
  just going to pass right through him anyway.) He 
  could use it to Deﬂect attacks from other Desolidi-
  ﬁed characters, unless the GM ruled otherwise. 
  He cannot use it to Reﬂect attacks at solid targets, 
  regardless of whether he can Deﬂect the attack. As 
  always, the GM may, in his discretion, waive this 
  rule, or charge a lesser value for the Aﬀects Physical 
  World Advantage, if he thinks that’s appropriate.
  Summon:  Summon requires the Aﬀects Physical 
  World Advantage if a Desolidiﬁed character wants 
  to Summon solid beings while Desolidiﬁed. If the 
  character can only Summon other beings who are 
  permanently Desolidiﬁed (e.g., ghosts), he does 
  not need Aﬀects Physical World, but the GM can 
  require it if he feels that’s necessary to maintain 
  game balance (such as if the Summoned being can 
  easily aﬀect solid beings).
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  Affects Physical World (+2):  A character who wants 
  to use a Characteristic or Power to aﬀect the physi-
  cal world while he’s Desolidiﬁed must buy that 
  ability (not the Desolidiﬁcation itself) with the +2 
  Advantage Aﬀects Physical World. Characters who 
  can become Desolidiﬁed and still aﬀect the physical 
  world can be very powerful; the GM should care-
  fully review characters with such Powers before 
  letting them into a campaign.
  Applying Aﬀects Physical World to a charac-
  ter’s STR allows him to use all HTH Combat and 
  Martial Maneuvers on solid targets, and to use 
  Skills that require physical contact, such as Lock-
  picking. It doesn’t let him use ranged Maneuvers, 
  like Rapid Fire or Haymaker with a Ranged attack, 
  though at the GM’s option it would probably let 
  him pick up and throw objects. If he performs 
  a maneuver that he takes damage from (such as 
  Move Through), he still takes that damage even 
  though he’s intangible. If he Grabs someone, the 
  victim can use his STR to break free as usual; he 
  doesn’t have to have Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed STR or 
  powers. (Similarly, a character trapped in an Aﬀects 
  Physical World Entangle can use his ordinary STR 
  or powers to break free.)
  A character can still use an attack with Aﬀects 
  Physical World to aﬀect other Desolidiﬁed charac-
  ters while he himself is Desolidiﬁed.
  Damage Shield:  A Desolidiﬁed character may have 
  a Damage Shield that Aﬀects Physical World and 
  aﬀects solid characters even though he can’t be 
  touched.
  Selective Desolidiﬁcation (+1½):  Ordinarily, a char-
  acter is either entirely Desolidiﬁed, or entirely solid 
  — he can’t be partly intangible and partly tangible 
  (except as the special eﬀect of speciﬁc abilities, such 
  as Thief’s Touch [page 134]). A character with this 
  Advantage, which requires the GM’s permission, 
  can make himself only partly Desolidiﬁed, or while 
  Desolidiﬁed can selectively solidify part of his body 
  (typically his hands). Selectively solid parts of the 
  body can aﬀect the physical world normally, and in 
  turn be aﬀected by it normally (which may involve 
  use of the Hit Location table to target speciﬁc areas 
  of the body). Since a character may not activate and 
  deactivate a Power in the same Phase without GM’s 
  permission, a character cannot partially solidify, 
  perform an Action, and then fully Desolidify in the 
  same Phase.
  Variable Special Effects:  A character cannot apply 
  the Variable Special Eﬀects Advantage to Desolidiﬁ-
  cation to change, from use to use, the phenomenon 
  he’s still vulnerable to while Desolidiﬁed — the 
  potential for game abuse is too great. However, a 
  GM who trusts a player not to abuse it could cer-
  tainly allow it, especially if he restricts the range of 
  special eﬀects the character can access.
  LIMITATIONS
  Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-½):  This Limi-
  tation represents a form of Desolidiﬁcation that 
  doesn’t provide true intangibility; it simulates mist 
  form powers, malleable bodies, and similar abili-
  ties. The character can squeeze through very tiny 
  openings, but cannot actually pass through physi-
  cal objects. He’s still immune from damage as per 
  standard Desolidiﬁcation (though many powers 
  with this Limitation also take the Does Not Protect 
  Against Damage Limitation). He still takes inches of 
  Knockback, and stops if he impacts a solid object, 
  but doesn’t take any damage from Knockback.
  Example:  Dr. Mist purchases Desolidiﬁcation 
  to represent his power to transform into a cloud 
  of vapor. Because he cannot travel through 
  physical barriers, he purchases Desolidiﬁca-
  tion with a -½ Power Limitation, so it costs 
  him 40 x 1/(1+½)= 27 Character Points. If Dr. 
  Mist wants to attack solid enemies while Deso-
  lidiﬁed, he has to buy Attack Powers with a +2 
  Power Advantage. Thus an Energy Blast 4d6 
  — to simulate lightning, for example — would 
  cost 20 x (1+2) = 60 Character Points.
  If a character with this Limitation runs into a 
  solid object while Desolidiﬁed, he stops dead, but 
  he takes no damage.
  
  25 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1):  Desolidi-
  ﬁcation with this Limitation oﬀers no protection 
  against damage. All attacks aﬀect the character as 
  they would normally; he speciﬁes “any attack” as 
  the “reasonably common group of attacks” that 
  can aﬀect him when he’s intangible. The standard 
  restrictions on what a Desolidiﬁed character can do 
  still apply; this Limitation does not grant the char-
  acter an Aﬀects Physical World Advantage for free.
  Focus:  If a character buys Desolidiﬁcation through 
  a Focus, typically that Focus becomes Desolidiﬁed 
  when he does (just like the character’s other Foci). 
  The GM can change this (or reduce the value of the 
  Focus Limitation) if he believes it may cause game 
  balance problems.
  Only To Protect Against Limited Type Of Attack (-1):  
  A character can purchase a limited form of Deso-
  lidiﬁcation to obtain protection from a particular 
  type of attack. For example, a character might buy 
  Desolidiﬁcation Only To Protect Against Fire. This 
  oﬀers near-total immunity to damage from ﬁre 
  (especially if made Persistent), but still allows any 
  attack with a diﬀerent special eﬀect to aﬀect the 
  character normally (he speciﬁes “all attacks other 
  than [deﬁned attack]” as the “reasonably common 
  group of attacks” that can aﬀect him when he’s 
  intangible). The character does not take Knockback 
  from that form of attack, but would suﬀer both 
  damage and Knockback if the attack were bought 
  with the Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed Advantage.
  Normally, because the character is still techni-
  cally solid and able to interact with the solid world 
  freely, he must buy Aﬀects Physical World for his 
  STR and all Powers that can aﬀect physical objects 
  (unless the GM gives permission otherwise). This 
  makes Desolidiﬁcation a very expensive form of 
  defense. However, at the GM’s option, a character 
  with a limited form of Desolidiﬁcation doesn’t have 
  to buy Aﬀects Physical World; he can touch and 
  aﬀect the solid world automatically.
  Side Effects:  Side Eﬀects created by a character while 
  Desolidiﬁed do not need Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed to aﬀect 
  him; they apply automatically as normal. If they aﬀect 
  the environment around him, they do so without the 
  need to apply Aﬀects Physical World to them (but the 
  GM may change this if he feels it’s abusive or the char-
  acter tries to use his Side Eﬀects as a “weapon” rather 
  than as a legitimate Limitation).
  DISADVANTAGES
  Susceptibility:  A character who’s Desolidiﬁed receives 
  no protection or immunity from his Susceptibilities; 
  he still takes regular damage or eﬀect from them.
  Alternate Desolidiﬁcation
  For some HERO System gamers, the “all or 
  nothing” nature of Desolidiﬁcation runs contrary 
  to the normal way Powers and other character cre-
  ation elements work. Most Powers are graduated 
  — the more Character Points spent on them, the 
  better or more eﬀective they become. It’s possible to 
  re-create Desolidiﬁcation so that it works this way 
  — the character becomes less dense and less tangi-
  ble the more Character Points he spends, until at 40 
  Character Points he becomes completely intangible, 
  just like standard Desolidiﬁcation.
  Alternate Desolidiﬁcation costs 5 Character 
  Points per level. A character who’s spent 40 points 
  on alternate Desolidiﬁcation can increase the 
  number of BODY he can move through for a cost 
  of +3 Character Points for every +1 BODY. Char-
  acters who’ve spent less than 40 points on lesser 
  density cannot do this.
  Each level of alternate Desolidiﬁcation 
  increases the BODY of objects a character can 
  move through in a single Phase as a Full Phase 
  Action. The character can use up to his full inches 
  of movement while doing this; in eﬀect, using 
  Desolidiﬁcation “combines” with a Full Move, or 
  converts a Half Move into a Full Move. While doing 
  this the character cannot attack in any way, even 
  with a Move By/Through, unless the GM speciﬁ-
  cally permits him to.
  At the GM’s option, a character can move 
  through denser objects at a slower pace. With this 
  option, for each Full Phase Action spent to move 
  through objects, the character moves through X 
  BODY of objects, thus requiring multiple Full Phase 
  Actions to move through objects with greater than X 
  BODY. For example, if a character has spent 20 points 
  on alternate Desolidiﬁcation (meaning he can move 
  through 4 BODY objects as a Full Phase Action), he 
  could move through an 8 BODY wall by taking two 
  Full Phase Actions. (In either case, these rules assume 
  the object is small/thin enough that the character’s 
  Full Move would be enough to move him through 
  it; if it’s larger/thicker than that, he’ll have to spend 
  multiple Full Phase Actions moving through it.) Since 
  ALTERNATE DESOLIDIFICATION TABLE
  Points 
  Mass 
  KB 
  PD 
  ED 
  BODY Movable Through
  5 
  51-99 kg 
  +1” 
  +1 
  +1 
  1 BODY
  10 
  26-50 kg 
  +2” 
  +2 
  +2 
  2 BODY
  15 
  12.6-25 kg 
  +3” 
  +3 
  +3 
  3 BODY
  20 
  6.5-12.5 kg 
  +4” 
  +4 
  +4 
  4 BODY
  25 
  3.3-6.4 kg 
  +5” 
  +5 
  +5 
  5 BODY
  30 
  1.7-3.2 kg 
  +6” 
  +6 
  +6 
  6 BODY
  35 
  0.8-1.6 kg 
  +7” 
  +7 
  +7 
  7 BODY
  40 
  Intangibility* 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  8 BODY*
  ...and so forth
  *:  At this point, the character becomes completely intangible, and the rules for Desolidi-
  ﬁcation apply (i.e., he cannot be aﬀected by physical attacks, cannot aﬀect the physical 
  world, and so forth), except as noted otherwise in the text. He cannot move through 
  objects of 9 BODY or higher, despite the fact that he’s fully intangible, unless the GM 
  uses the optional rules for that. Characters who buy 40 or more Character Points’ worth 
  of alternate Desolidiﬁcation can increase the BODY of objects they can move through 
  per Full Phase Action for a cost of +1 BODY for every +3 Character Points.
  
  26 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  alternate Desolidiﬁcation provides no Life Support, 
  a character could suﬀocate while trying to move 
  through too large an object.
  For 5-35 Character Points’ worth of lesser 
  density, a character becomes harder to hurt (since 
  he’s not fully tangible) and easier to Knock Back 
  (this only increases the Knockback distance, not 
  the damage done by Knockback). The extra points 
  of PD and ED do not apply against attacks with the 
  Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed Advantage. A character who’s 
  spent 40 points (or more) on lesser density can, 
  by using 40 or more points’ worth of the power, 
  become completely intangible, at which point the 
  rules for Desolidiﬁcation apply. While fully intan-
  gible, he doesn’t gain the beneﬁt of the extra PD 
  or ED from lower levels, or take extra Knockback 
  from attacks — at that point, most attacks can’t 
  aﬀect him at all.
  A character with 40 or more points of alter-
  nate Desolidiﬁcation can choose to use less than 
  full power so that he gains some extra defense for 
  being only partially tangible. However, he cannot 
  use any “extra BODY movable through” he’s pur-
  chased — he’s limited to the amount of BODY indi-
  cated on the table. The amount of BODY movable 
  through can only be increased for true intangibility.
  Unifying Density Increase 
  And Desolidiﬁcation:   
  Alter Density
  If the GM uses the “alternate Desolidiﬁcation” 
  power described above, it becomes possible to 
  “unify” Density Increase and Desolidiﬁcation into a 
  single Alter Density Power. Alter Density Power is a 
  Body-Aﬀecting Power. It’s Constant, Self Only, and 
  costs END. It costs 5 Character Points per “level” 
  of mass alteration. The standard rules for Density 
  Increase apply unless otherwise noted, as do the 
  standard rules for Desolidiﬁcation when the char-
  acter reaches 40 points’ worth of reduced mass. The 
  accompanying table describes the power’s eﬀects.
  A character who buys Alter Density must 
  decide whether he can become heavier (Density 
  Increase) or less dense (“Density Decrease”) when 
  he buys the Power, and can’t change this thereafter. 
  For a +¼ Advantage, True Density Alteration, he 
  can become heavier or less dense as he chooses 
  (though he can’t become both heavier and less 
  dense at the same time, of course).
  FURTHER IMPLICATIONS
  The Alter Density Power isn’t perfectly con-
  sistent. While there are some similarities between 
  greater-than-normal mass and less-than-normal 
  mass, there are also signiﬁcant diﬀerences:  becom-
  ing more dense increases the character’s STR 
  (though becoming less dense doesn’t weaken him); 
  and becoming less dense provides a restricted form 
  of intangibility (until true intangibility is reached at 
  40 points’ worth of Alter Density) that isn’t paralleled 
  by any aspect of “Density Increase.” You might want 
  to consider making the “Density Decrease” aspect of 
  the Power reduce a character’s STR by 5 points per 
  level (at least for aﬀecting the solid world), but that 
  may make it far too unattractive a Power for that 
  purpose, and certainly wouldn’t be consistent with 
  the standard rules for Desolidiﬁcation.
  DUPLICATION 
  Type:   
  Special Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Persistent
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   No
  Cost:   
  1 Character Point per 5 Character Points in 
  the base character, up to 2x the number of 
  Duplicates for every +5 Character Points
  A character with this Special Power can create 
  duplicates of himself, which may have the same or 
  diﬀerent abilities than he does. Examples include a 
  mutant superhero who can produce “carbon copies” 
  of himself, a wizard with a spell that lets him sepa-
  rate his “astral form” from his body, or the ability to 
  create a “double” of one’s self out of psychokinetic 
  energy. Duplication does not cost END to use.
  For purposes of Duplication, the original char-
  acter — the character who “produces” the Dupli-
  cates — is the “base character.” The base character 
  ALTER DENSITY TABLE
   
   
   
   
   
   
  BODY Movable
  Points Mass 
  STR 
  KB 
  PD 
  ED 
  Through
  75 
  1.61-3.2mil kg 
  +75 
  -15” 
  +15 
  +15 
  —
  70 
  800,001-1.6mil kg 
  +70 
  -14” 
  +14 
  +14 
  —
  65 
  400,001-800,000 kg 
  +65 
  -13” 
  +13 
  +13 
  —
  60 
  200,001-400,000 kg 
  +60 
  -12” 
  +12 
  +12 
  —
  55 
  100,001-200,000 kg 
  +55 
  -11” 
  +11 
  +11 
  —
  50 
  50,001-100,000 kg 
  +50 
  -10” 
  +10 
  +10 
  —
  45 
  25,001-50,000 kg 
  +45 
  -9” 
  +9 
  +9 
  —
  40 
  12,501-25,000 kg 
  +40 
  -8” 
  +8 
  +8 
  —
  35 
  6,401-12,500 kg 
  +35 
  -7” 
  +7 
  +7 
  —
  30 
  3,201-6,400 kg 
  +30 
  -6” 
  +6 
  +6 
  —
  25 
  1,601-3,200 kg 
  +25 
  -5” 
  +5 
  +5 
  —
  20 
  801-1,600 kg 
  +20 
  -4” 
  +4 
  +4 
  —
  15 
  401-800 kg 
  +15 
  -3” 
  +3 
  +3 
  —
  10 
  201-400 kg 
  +10 
  -2” 
  +2 
  +2 
  —
  5 
  101-200 kg 
  +5 
  -1” 
  +1 
  +1 
  —
  0 
  100 kg 
  +0 
  -0 
  +0 
  +0 
  —
  5 
  51-99 kg 
  — 
  +1” 
  +1 
  +1 
  1 BODY
  10 
  26-50 kg 
  — 
  +2” 
  +2 
  +2 
  2 BODY
  15 
  12.6-25 kg 
  — 
  +3” 
  +3 
  +3 
  3 BODY
  20 
  6.5-12.5 kg 
  — 
  +4” 
  +4 
  +4 
  4 BODY
  25 
  3.3-6.4 kg 
  — 
  +5” 
  +5 
  +5 
  5 BODY
  30 
  1.7-3.2 kg 
  — 
  +6” 
  +6 
  +6 
  6 BODY
  35 
  0.8-1.6 kg 
  — 
  +7” 
  +7 
  +7 
  7 BODY
  40 
  Intangibility* 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  8 BODY*
  ...and so forth, in either direction
  *:  See the Alternate Desolidiﬁcation Table for further information.
  
  27 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  creates all Duplicates; Duplicates do not come from 
  other Duplicates. (At the GM’s option, “the Dupli-
  cates can Duplicate” could be the special eﬀect of 
  the Rapid Duplication Advantage described below, 
  or the like; in this case, the GM may want to charge 
  an additional +¼ Advantage because of the added 
  utility, and he should restrict the ability as neces-
  sary to preserve game balance.)
  BUYING AND BUILDING DUPLICATES
  The cost for Duplication, which only the base 
  character pays, is 1 Character Point for every 5 
  Character Points the base character is built with 
  (including points from Disadvantages and the 
  points spent on Duplication). The character may 
  buy more Duplicates; this costs +5 Character Points 
  for up to two times the number of Duplicates (i.e., 
  5 Character Points for x2 Duplicates, 10 Character 
  Points for x4 Duplicates, and so on).
  Example:  Threepeat (a 250-point character) 
  has the ability to create two Duplicates of 
  himself. The first Duplicate costs 50 points 
  (250/5). The additional Duplicate costs 5 
  points (one Duplicate for the base cost, x2 
  the number, or 2 Duplicates, for +5 points). 
  Each of the Duplicates is built on 250 points. 
  Therefore Threepeat and his Duplicates each 
  have another 195 points to buy other abili-
  ties with.
  Duplicates are built on the same Base Points 
  as the base character, and should have the same 
  amount of points’ worth of Disadvantages as well. 
  For example, if  Threepeat is built on 100 base 
  points plus 150 points of Disadvantages, his Dupli-
  cates are also 100+150 point characters. A Dupli-
  cate’s Disadvantages are the same as the original 
  form’s, unless the GM permits otherwise.
  Duplicates do not have the Power Duplication 
  themselves, nor any ability to create other Dupli-
  cates, unless they pay for it separately. However, 
  unless the GM permits otherwise, for ease of use all 
  Duplicates must “pay for” the cost of the base char-
  acter’s Duplication ability. Otherwise, the Dupli-
  cates would end up with more points to spend on 
  other abilities than the base character himself has.
  Example:  Threepeat’s Duplicates are all built 
  on 250 Character Points, just like he is. How-
  ever, each of them has to “spend” 55 of those 
  points on Duplication, just like Threepeat does, 
  so that each of them has another 195 points to 
  spend (the same as Threepeat). But that does 
  not give them the ability to Duplicate them-
  selves; it’s just part of the cost accounting for 
  Threepeat’s overall Duplication power. If they 
  want to Duplicate, they have to buy Dupli-
  cation separately out of their 195 remaining 
  Character Points.
  Duplicates Built On Fewer Points Than  
  The Base Character
  A character may build Duplicates on less 
  than the base character’s full points if he wants. 
  If a Duplicate is built on less than the full Char-
  acter Points the base character is built on, the 
  cost instead is 1 Character Point for every 5 
  Character Points the Duplicate is built on, +5 
  Character Points for up to two times the number 
  of Duplicates.
  
  28 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Assuming the Duplicate is the same as the 
  base character, just with fewer abilities or less pow-
  erful abilities, the Duplication does not require 
  an Advantage, and the GM typically should not 
  require the Duplicate to “pay for” the cost of 
  Duplication as outlined above. However, if the GM 
  believes the Duplicate is signiﬁcantly diﬀerent than 
  the base character, he should require the Duplica-
  tion power to have the Altered Duplicates Advan-
  tage. (In this case, calculate the percentage of points 
  that can diﬀer based on the Duplicate’s total points, 
  not the base character’s total points.)
  Building a Duplicate on less than the base 
  character’s full points may mean the Duplicate 
  needs fewer points in Disadvantages than the base 
  character. If this is appropriate, the GM can permit 
  the character to take fewer points in Disadvantages. 
  However, it may also be appropriate to require the 
  Duplicate to take all of the base character’s Disad-
  vantages, even if he gets no points from some of 
  them, as a way of properly deﬁning the Duplicate. 
  The ﬁnal decision is up to the GM.
  If a Duplicate is built on a negative amount of 
  points (for example, it’s a small animal), it costs 1 
  Character Point.
  Duplicates Built On More Points Than The Base 
  Character
  With the GM’s permission, a character may 
  buy Duplication to create a Duplicate who’s built 
  on more Base Points + Disadvantages that the base 
  character has. This should be rare, but the GM may 
  allow it as a way of properly constructing some 
  interesting character concepts.
  Regardless of how the Duplicate spends his 
  points, building a Duplicate on more points than 
  the base character is automatically considered 
  a 100% alteration, requiring the +1 form of the 
  Altered Duplicates Advantage (see below). Fur-
  thermore, the base character must pay 1 Character 
  Point for every 1 Character Point above the base 
  character’s point total (including points spent on 
  Duplication). (Since the base character pays the 
  extra cost, the Duplicate doesn’t have to justify the 
  extra points with extra Disadvantages, but he must 
  still have as many points in Disadvantages as the 
  base character.)
  Example:  Returning to Threepeat and his two 
  Duplicates, suppose one Duplicate was going to be 
  a 300-point character rather than a 250-point one 
  like the original form and the ﬁrst Duplicate. That 
  increases the cost of Threepeat’s Duplication to 210 
  points (base cost of 50, +5 for two Duplicates, +50 for 
  points in excess of 250, +1 Advantage for 100% point 
  alteration). That leaves the base character and Dupli-
  cates with only 40 more Character Points to spend 
  (or 90 points, for the 300-point Duplicate).
  To make it easier to calculate the cost of a 
  Duplicate built on more points than the base 
  character, the GM may want to use the character’s 
  allowable total starting points (350, for a Standard 
  Superheroic campaign) as the breakpoint, even if 
  the base character starts with fewer points than 
  that. (If a character buys Duplication after the game 
  begins, use his current total points.)
  USING DUPLICATION
  It takes a Half Phase Action to create a single 
  Duplicate. A character can create two Duplicates 
  per Phase (one with each Half Phase Action) if he’s 
  willing to spend his entire Phase creating Dupli-
  cates. A character can create more than one Dupli-
  cate per Half Phase Action if he buys the Rapid 
  Duplication Adder (see below).
  When a character creates a Duplicate, the 
  Duplicate appears right next to him in the same 
  hex. The character can choose the Duplicate’s point 
  of appearance (in front of the character, to the left, 
  behind him, and so on), and can vary the point 
  of appearance from use to use of the power (or 
  even from one Duplicate to another when creating 
  multiple Duplicates). The Duplicate, when created, 
  faces the same way the character is facing when he 
  creates him.
  After a Duplicate appears, he must spend the 
  rest of the Segment in which he appears “orient-
  ing” himself, and can’t do anything that Segment 
  (neither having a Mind Link between the base 
  character and his Duplicates, nor any other form of 
  communication or contact among them, removes 
  this requirement). Thereafter he can act as normal 
  for his SPD. For example, if a Duplicate with SPD 5 
  is created in Segment 12, he gets no action in Seg-
  ment 12 (he’s orienting himself), but gets his usual 
  Phase in Segment 3. A Duplicate cannot Abort 
  while orienting, but could Abort to a defensive 
  Action in a Segment after the Segment when he 
  appears, but before he can ﬁrst act.
  Duplicating And Injury
  If a character has suﬀered injury (i.e., the loss 
  of BODY, END, and/or STUN) before he Dupli-
  cates, this aﬀects his Duplicates. Divide the damage 
  taken between the base character and his Dupli-
  cates. Since creating a large number of Duplicates 
  often takes a lot of time, the GM may require the 
  character to declare in advance how many Dupli-
  cates he wants to create. That lets the GM know 
  how to apportion the damage among the base char-
  acter and all his Duplicates. If for some reason the 
  character has to stop before reaching the declared 
  number, or creating the Duplicates takes an unusu-
  ally long amount of time, the GM can re-apportion 
  the damage if that seems appropriate.
  If the Duplicates and base character recombine 
  before any healing takes place, the base character 
  becomes fully injured once again (in other words, 
  an injured character can’t Duplicate and then 
  recombine, using the “averaging” feature to partly 
  heal himself). If the base character or a Duplicate is 
  healed (in whole or in part) before they recombine, 
  average the damage each one has suﬀered, then 
  apply that to the base character. This rule applies 
  even if the Duplication has the Altered Duplicates 
  Advantage.
  Example:  Threepeat and his Duplicates each 
  have 12 BODY. Threepeat, while not Dupli-
  cated, suﬀers 6 BODY damage. When he Dupli-
  cates, the damage is averaged over each of his 
  three selves, meaning each is down 2 BODY. If 
  SIMPLIFYING 
  DUPLICATION
  Duplication is one 
  of the most complex 
  HERO System Powers, 
  both conceptually and 
  in terms of rules. The 
  physical (and metaphys-
  ical) questions raised by 
  the concept of produc-
  ing a Duplicate often 
  make the Power dif-
  ﬁcult for gamers to use, 
  and the math involved 
  in making sure that 
  the cost of the Power 
  reﬂects its beneﬁts can 
  take time to work.
  Gamemasters who’d like 
  to simplify things, and 
  who can trust their play-
  ers not to abuse simpler 
  rules, should consider 
  the following options:
  —Keep the basic cost of 
  Duplication the same (1 
  Character Point for each 
  5 Character Points the 
  Duplicate is built with) 
  even if the Duplicate 
  costs more than the 
  character who pays for 
  the power.
  —Ignore the Altered 
  Duplicates Advantage 
  and allow characters to 
  have altered Duplicates 
  for no additional cost 
  (or, don’t allow any 
  alterations to Duplicates 
  at all).
  —Establish a ﬂat cost 
  for Duplication (such 
  as 60 Character Points) 
  regardless of how many 
  points the Duplicate is 
  built on.
  
  29 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  he recombines before any of them heal in any 
  way, Threepeat still has a 6 BODY injury. How-
  ever, if the Medic heals Threepeat’s 2 BODY 
  injury while he (Threepeat) is Duplicated, 
  when Threepeat and his Duplicates recombine 
  you average the damage suﬀered, so Threepeat 
  has lost ((2 + 2 + 0)/3) 1 BODY.
  RECOMBINING
  At some point a character with Duplication 
  will want some or all of his Duplicates to rejoin 
  his body. This is called recombining. It takes a Full 
  Phase for Duplicates to recombine, no matter how 
  many Duplicates recombine. For example, if the 
  base character has created 16 Duplicates, all 16 can 
  recombine with him in one Full Phase Action. Both 
  the Duplicates and the base character must take the 
  Full Phase Action to recombine.
  To recombine, Duplicates must be at ½ DCV 
  and touching each other. Once they recombine 
  with the base character, Duplicates eﬀectively cease 
  to exist; their self-aﬀecting powers (such as Heal-
  ing Regeneration) don’t keep on working, and they 
  can’t aﬀect the world in any way. However, powers 
  they activated before they recombined but which 
  they do not control, such as Uncontrolled powers 
  and powers on Continuing Charges, keep function-
  ing until they end normally.
  After Duplicating, the base character may not 
  combine with one of his Duplicates and “vanish”; 
  he always remains in existence. For example, if base 
  character A creates Duplicates B, C, D, and E, A 
  cannot combine with C to leave only B, C, D, and E. 
  If A and C combine, C “vanishes” and A remains.
  Recombining And Injury
  When Duplicates and the base character 
  recombine, you must average their BODY, STUN, 
  END, Charges, Endurance Reserves, and the 
  like, if different. If one Duplicate is Stunned or 
  Knocked Out, the combined character will be 
  Stunned or Knocked Out. This rule applies even 
  if the Duplication has the Altered Duplicates 
  Advantage, but not if the Duplication has the No 
  Averaging Limitation (see below); it also applies 
  even if one of the Duplicates is an Automaton 
  with the Takes No STUN Power.
  If a Duplicate or the base character is killed, 
  the others cannot revive him by recombining — he 
  stays dead; the character has lost a part of himself. 
  If he later spends points to buy more Duplicates, 
  calculate the additional number as if the death(s) 
  had not occurred. For example, suppose a charac-
  ter has eight Duplicates. One Duplicate is killed. If 
  the character pays another +5 Character Points to 
  double the number of Duplicates he has, he now 
  has 15 — the 16 he’d ordinarily have for paying +20 
  Character Points, minus the one who died.
  If a Duplicate is built as an Altered Dupli-
  cate, and naturally happens to have more BODY, 
  STUN, Charges, or the like than the base character, 
  his recombining with the base character cannot 
  improve or increase the same attribute for the base 
  character. If the original and a single Duplicate 
  have diﬀerent totals for something you should aver-
  age, average the damage or loss each one has suf-
  fered, then apply that to the base character.
  Example:  Kasdrevan uses a spell to create a 
  clone of himself, bought as Duplication. Kas-
  drevan has 10 BODY, but his much hardier 
  clone has 20 BODY. During a battle, Kasdrevan 
  suﬀers 4 BODY in wounds, and the Duplicate 
  takes 12 BODY in wounds. When they recom-
  bine, average the damage taken. Since ((4 + 
  12)/2 = 8), the recombined Kasdrevan has lost 
  8 BODY. Time for a Spell of Healing!
  If a character has injuries after recombin-
  ing, and uses his Duplication again before he fully 
  heals that damage, you should apply the rule stated 
  under Duplicating And Injury, above. Alternately, if 
  you want to keep track of each character’s damage, 
  when they recombine you can use the normal heal-
  ing rules to determine how much of his wound 
  each Duplicate would have naturally healed, and 
  use that instead.
  For attacks that affect a base character or 
  Duplicate but which don’t involve injury per se, 
  apply these rules in the most consistent way pos-
  sible in light of what happened to the character. 
  For example, suppose an evil wizard uses Trans-
  form to turn one of Threepeat’s Duplicates into a 
  frog. You should average the Transform “damage” 
  between Threepeat and the Duplicate; thus, 
  Threepeat ends up partly Transformed. But track 
  the healing of the Transform damage normally 
  (assuming it heals like ordinary BODY damage). 
  If Threepeat Duplicates again before the Trans-
  form has worn off, Duplicate-2 remains a frog, 
  but Threepeat is back to his normal self.
  If the base character dies while Duplicated, 
  what happens to the Duplicates depends on the 
  special effect of the power. They may simply 
  vanish forever, but as a default rule the Dupli-
  cates lose the ability to combine back together; 
  they just become a group of characters whose 
  “creator” no longer exists.
  OTHER IMPLICATIONS OF DUPLICATION
  Each Duplicate is as free-willed as the base 
  character. The player plays each character simulta-
  neously, and must have a complete character sheet 
  for each Duplicate (or some other method of keep-
  ing track of the actions and states of the various 
  Duplicates). Duplicates are exactly the same as the 
  character who created them, but may diﬀer if the 
  base character buys Duplication with an Advantage 
  (see below). Other characters cannot determine 
  which is the base character, and which are Dupli-
  cates, unless the Duplicates change appearance in 
  some way.
  Duplicates have no special “psychic link”; they 
  must communicate by talking (or through any 
  form of communication they pay points for, such as 
  Mind Link). Nor do Duplicates receive a bonus to 
  Coordinate attacks, though they frequently buy the 
  Skill Teamwork.
  The base character has access to, or other-
  wise retains, the memories of his Duplicates while 
  they’re combined with him.
  REPLACING DEAD 
  DUPLICATES
  As noted in the main 
  rules, when one of a 
  character’s Duplicates 
  dies, that Duplicate 
  “stays dead.” The base 
  character loses the 
  points spent on that 
  Duplicate; he doesn’t get 
  them back to spend on 
  anything else.
  There’s no way under 
  the rules for a character 
  with Duplication to 
  buy a “replacement” for 
  a Duplicate that dies 
  (though Resurrection 
  Healing could bring 
  him back to life). A 
  GM who wanted to be 
  lenient about it might 
  consider charging +5 
  points — sort of as if the 
  character were buying 
  the Duplicate over again 
  through the standard 
  rule (but the character 
  only gets the one Dupli-
  cate, not a doubling). 
  A GM who wanted to 
  be strict, or discourage 
  this sort of thing, might 
  require the character to 
  buy his Duplication a 
  second time, with just 
  one Duplicate, to “re-
  create” the dead one; or 
  he might make the char-
  acter buy some sort of 
  Limited, one-time use of 
  Resurrection Healing.
  
  30 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Duplication And Equipment
  If a base character and his Duplicates all 
  have a particular item of equipment — say, an 
  energy rifle — it’s possible one of them could 
  lose his equipment, or it could get broken, while 
  they’re Duplicated. (For the use of Charges, 
  see above.) When they recombine, as long as 
  at least one of them still has an intact rifle, the 
  base character has one. Items taken away from 
  one of the characters do not “disappear” when 
  he recombines, they remain in the possession of 
  whoever took them. (However, the GM should 
  not allow characters to create hoards of wealth or 
  tons of materiel for free using Duplication).
  Typically, recombining repairs or replaces any 
  broken or lost equipment, but the GM may rule 
  otherwise. For instance, if the character re-Dupli-
  cates before recovering the lost items, the Dupli-
  cates who lost them don’t have their equipment 
  anymore. Similarly, Duplicates who had broken 
  equipment would ﬁnd that it’s still broken (so the 
  character should, when he has some spare time, 
  Duplicate and have everyone make repairs, so that 
  he’s ready when the next crisis occurs).
  If a character has a Gadget Pool Variable Power 
  Pool, and he allocates it to a particular assortment 
  of devices, his Duplicates do not have those same 
  devices when he Duplicates. They each have unal-
  located Gadget Pools (this also applies if, for some 
  reason, the base character has no gadgets — his 
  Duplicates still have their own Gadget Pools). 
  When they get Actions, they can choose how to 
  allot their Pools (subject of course to any Limita-
  tions or other restrictions on that process, based on 
  how the Gadget Pool is built). The GM may alter 
  this rule in the interest of drama or speeding up 
  game play if necessary.
  If a character obtains an object or piece of 
  equipment during a game, his Duplicates do not 
  have that same object when he Duplicates. Gen-
  erally, the GM should not allow characters with 
  Duplication to use it to create copies of objects or 
  equipment they have not paid Character Points for.
  A Duplicate may allocate his own personal 
  Gadget Pool, or pick up some object or piece of 
  equipment, while he’s in existence. If so, when 
  he recombines, objects paid for with Character 
  Points (such as the Gadget Pool devices) recom-
  bine with the Duplicate and “vanish.” Other 
  objects are “dropped” by the Duplicate — they’re 
  left wherever he was standing when he recom-
  bined, and the base character can retrieve them 
  if he wishes. (In other words, characters cannot 
  use recombining as a quick-and-easy method of 
  destroying or hiding objects.)
  Duplicates And Experience Points
  Duplicates do not earn Experience Points in 
  the usual fashion. Normally, only the base character 
  receives Experience Points. If he wants his Dupli-
  cates to improve along with him, he must spend 
  some of his Experience Points to increase the value 
  of his Duplication (typically 1 point for every 5 
  Experience Points earned). Alternately, the GM 
  may assign Experience Points to the original form 
  and any Duplicates that participate in an adven-
  ture, and require the player to keep track of which 
  Duplicates have more Experience Points.
  Example:  Threepeat earns 20 Experience 
  Points from adventuring. He’s now a 270-point 
  character, but his Duplicates are only 250-point 
  characters. To make them 270-point characters, 
  he will have to spend 4 Experience Points to 
  improve his Duplication (270/5=54, as opposed 
  to the 50 points he spent on Duplication origi-
  nally). So, Threepeat’s player decides he’ll spend 
  the next 4 Experience Points Threepeat earns to 
  improve Threepeat’s Duplication.
  PERKS
  Follower, Vehicle, Base:  With the GM’s permis-
  sion, a Duplicate (not a base character, but a 
  Duplicate) with the Altered Duplicate Advan-
  tage can have a Follower, Vehicle, or Base the 
  base character does not have. However, he must 
  provide a reasonable special effect or reason 
  explaining why this resource “disappears” when 
  the Duplicate isn’t in existence.
  Follower:  If a Duplicate (not a base character, 
  but a Duplicate) has a Follower, he pays for his 
  Follower in the standard way. Since the original 
  character doesn’t have the Follower, at the very 
  least the Duplication must have the +¼ Altered 
  Duplicates Advantage.
  After a Duplicate manifests, his Follower 
  requires another Half Phase to “appear.” The special 
  eﬀects of “appear” can vary; it doesn’t mean he liter-
  ally appears out of thin air, it just means he’s not 
  available to do anything until the Duplicate uses a 
  Half Phase Action to “create” him. For a +5 point 
  Adder on the cost of Duplication, Instant Follower, 
  any or all of the Followers any Duplicate has can 
  appear at the same time as the Duplicate.
  Vehicle, Base:  The rules note that a group of char-
  acters can pool Character Points and buy a Base or 
  Vehicle together. This does not apply to a group of 
  Duplicates. If a base character has paid X points for 
  a Vehicle or Base, and he builds all his Duplicates 
  as “exact duplicates,” then each one has also spent X 
  points on a Base, and thus has his own Base. All the 
  points don’t add together; instead, each Duplicate 
  has his own Base that only appears when he’s in 
  existence. (Obviously, this makes little [if any] sense 
  for many special eﬀects of Duplication. In most 
  cases the Duplicates should be built without the 
  points for the Base, and can just use/share the base 
  character’s Base.)
  POWERS
  Adjustment Powers:  For purposes of determining 
  the maximum eﬀect an Adjustment Power like Aid 
  can have on a single character, Duplicates are con-
  sidered separate characters.
  Typically a character should not be allowed to 
  use an Adjustment Power to increase the number 
  of Duplicates he (or another character) can create. 
  However, the GM may choose to allow this (he 
  might require the character to pay for the Can 
  
  31 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  Apply Adders Advantage, even though the buying of 
  additional Duplicates is not an Adder).
  If a character’s Duplication is Dispelled, 
  Drained, Suppressed, or Transferred, all Dupli-
  cates in existence immediately vanish (but see the 
  rules on page 108 of The HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised rulebook about reducing powers not 
  bought in increments). When the Suppress stops 
  functioning, the Duplicates immediately re-appear.
  Absorption:  If a character has Absorption that 
  feeds into his Duplication, it works like any other 
  Absorption, adding points directly to the Dupli-
  cation. Since Duplication works by having every 
  point spent on it count as 5 points for purposes of 
  building the Duplicate(s), that means every point 
  Absorbed likewise increases the points available 
  to build the Duplicate(s) with by 5. The GM may 
  prefer to forbid characters to buy Absorption that 
  aﬀects Duplication to preserve game balance.
  Multiform:  A character could have an alternate 
  form that has a Duplication-based power, even 
  though the true form does not have a Duplication-
  based power. In that case, if the character’s in his 
  alternate form and Duplicates, and the alternate 
  form changes back to the true form (which lacks 
  the Duplication power), the Duplicate vanishes. 
  For this reason, the GM should only let the base 
  character change form if he’s in contact with his 
  Duplicate, and/or spends a Full Phase (as if recom-
  bining), or meets any other restrictions that seem 
  appropriate for the special eﬀect.
  The same applies if the true form has Duplica-
  tion, but changes to a form that does not while a 
  Duplicate exists. To prevent this sort of thing from 
  happening, the character should buy Duplica-
  tion for his alternate form(s) as well. In that case, 
  the Duplicates remain. They do not change shape 
  themselves, unless they have a power that allows 
  them to do so and choose to use it. If a character 
  wants to buy Duplication for his additional form(s) 
  solely to maintain the existence of his Duplicates, 
  he can take a -1 Limitation on the power as bought 
  by the additional forms.
  If a base character has Multiform, and his 
  alternate form’s abilities diﬀer from those of his 
  Duplicates, the Duplication does not have to be 
  bought with the Altered Duplicates Advantage.
  Summon:  In campaigns that don’t want to deal with 
  all of the metaphysical, mathematical, and “realistic” 
  issues that Duplication sometimes entails, the GM 
  may allow characters to buy “Duplication” as a type 
  of Summon. The Summoned beings are simply 
  duplicates of the character rather than demons, 
  magically-conjured animals, or what have you. This 
  is also a good way to deﬁne “throwaway” duplicates 
  that can be killed and then “return” the next time 
  the character needs them. However, in many cases 
  this power construct needs the Amicable Advan-
  tage, and perhaps Speciﬁc Being as well, which may 
  make it expensive.
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  Easy Recombination:  A character who has Dupli-
  cation with this +5 Character Point Adder can 
  recombine any or all of his Duplicates as a Half 
  Phase Action at ½ DCV (the character and Dupli-
  cates must still touch). For +10 points, the character 
  can recombine any or all of his Duplicates as a Zero 
  Phase Action at full DCV (but must still touch).
  Altered Duplicates (+¼ to +1):  Duplicates may have 
  diﬀerent abilities, personalities, equipment, memo-
  ries, or Disadvantages than the base character if the 
  base character buys Duplication with this Advan-
  tage. They can even have their own Duplication 
  power separate from the one that created them.
  For a +¼ Advantage, from 1-25% (i.e., up to 
  one-fourth) of the Duplicate’s points can be spent 
  diﬀerently (and/or one-fourth of his Disadvantage 
  points can diﬀer). For +½, from 26-50% (i.e., up to 
  half) of the Duplicate’s points can be spent diﬀer-
  ently (and/or half of his Disadvantage points can 
  diﬀer). For +1, 51-100% of the character’s points 
  (and/or Disadvantage points) can diﬀer. These per-
  centages are guidelines, not absolutes; the GM may 
  alter them as he sees ﬁt.
  Example:  Elemental Man, a 350-point charac-
  ter, can create four 250-point Duplicates that 
  are completely diﬀerent from him (the cost is 
  120 points [50 to create the ﬁrst Duplicate, 
  +10 points for 4x the number of Duplicates, +1 
  Advantage]). Each of the four forms represents 
  one of the four elements (earth, air, ﬁre, water), 
  and has its own unique powers and appear-
  ance. Elemental Man’s original form has powers 
  from all four elements, and acts as “leader” of 
  the Duplicates. Each Duplicate has 250 points 
  to spend on its abilities; Elemental Man himself 
  has 230 points to spend (350-120).
  Typically, even a character with the Altered 
  Duplicates form of Duplication still spends the 
  same points as the base character on Duplication 
  (but gets no beneﬁt from them, as described above). 
  However, the GM can allow a character who takes 
  the 100% form of Altered Duplicates to not pay 
  points for Duplication that way.
  With the GM’s permission, a 100% Altered 
  Duplicate could be of a “form” or “type” diﬀerent 
  than the base character. For example, the base char-
  acter might be human (and thus built as a standard 
  character), while his Duplicate is an Automaton, 
  Base, Computer, or Vehicle.
  If an Altered Duplicate wants to take diﬀerent 
  Disadvantages than the base character, the GM should 
  examine them carefully before allowing him to do so. 
  He should make sure the Duplicate doesn’t take a lot 
  of Disadvantages that “vanish” when he recombines.
  The GM may choose to allow some minor 
  changes in Duplicates without the need for this 
  Advantage. Examples include diﬀerent clothes, 
  diﬀerent hair or skin coloration, a few Character 
  Points spent diﬀerently, or perhaps changes in 
  powers’ special eﬀects. Most GMs allow cosmetic 
  diﬀerences in a Duplicate’s appearance or garb for 
  no additional point cost.
  
  32 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Personal Immunity:  If a base character has an 
  Attack Power with Personal Immunity, as a 
  default rule his Duplicates are not immune to 
  the power. However, as noted on page 266 of 
  The HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, the GM 
  can rule that Personal Immunity extends to 
  some “extremely similar” powers, and in many 
  cases “identical” powers possessed by Duplicates 
  would probably qualify.
  Ranged:  Characters cannot buy this Advantage for 
  Duplication.
  Ranged Recombination (+½):  A character who 
  has Duplication with this Advantage can recom-
  bine any or all of his Duplicates at Range, without 
  touching. The Range is limited to (Active Points 
  in Duplication/5 in inches); the character does 
  not have to have Line Of Sight to his Duplicate(s). 
  Duplicates must still be at half DCV and take a 
  Full Phase to recombine. Ranged Recombination is 
  blocked by any Hardened barrier unless the charac-
  ter purchases the Advantage Armor Piercing for his 
  Duplication.
  A character whose Duplication has Ranged 
  Recombination can also buy Increased Maximum 
  Range to extend the range over which he can 
  recombine. The GM may also allow characters to 
  buy MegaScale for the same purpose.
  Rapid Duplication (+¼ or more):  As noted in the 
  main text, ordinarily characters can only create 
  one Duplicate per Half Phase Action. For every +¼ 
  Advantage, a character can create x2 the number 
  of Duplicates in a Half Phase. So, for +¼, he creates 
  2 per Half Phase (or 4 in a Full Phase Action); for 
  +½, he creates 4 per Half Phase; and so on.
  Usable On Others:  Unless he has GM’s permis-
  sion to do so, a character cannot buy Duplication 
  Usable As Attack to make Duplicates of things he 
  has not paid Character Points for or does not nor-
  mally possess (for example, the Hope Diamond or 
  the Mona Lisa). If the GM allows this, he should 
  remember that objects created in this way disap-
  pear when Duplicates recombine. He should also 
  consider imposing some condition on the Power 
  that causes the Duplicated object(s) to recombine 
  or vanish (this is a -0 Limitation).
  If a character buys Duplication Usable As 
  Attack to create Duplicates of his enemies, he does 
  not automatically control the actions of the Dupli-
  cate. He controls when the target can Duplicate, 
  and could force the Duplicate and original victim 
  to rejoin if they were in contact. But otherwise, the 
  Duplicate acts as an independent character with the 
  same personality and abilities as the original victim. 
  If the attacker wants to maintain full control of the 
  Duplicate, he must buy Linked Mind Control.
  LIMITATIONS
  Cannot Recombine (-0):  This Limitation represents a 
  form of Duplication that does not allow the Duplicates 
  to recombine. Typically this is a -0 Limitation, since the 
  beneﬁts and drawbacks to this situation balance out, 
  but the GM may alter the value as he sees ﬁt. Charac-
  ters cannot take the Always On Limitation for Duplica-
  tion that Cannot Recombine; by deﬁnition Duplica-
  tion with that Limitation is already “always on.”
  If you use Cannot Recombine to simulate a body 
  with multiple parts that can attack or function semi-
  independently (such as a hydra), if one of the Dupli-
  cates takes Knockback (or is otherwise moved or 
  similarly aﬀected), all of the Duplicates take the same 
  amount of Knockback (or suﬀer the same eﬀect) — in 
  other words, the “whole character” is aﬀected.
  Duplication with Cannot Recombine does not 
  automatically become Inherent. Characters must 
  buy that Advantage for it, if appropriate.
  Costs Endurance:  If a character buys Duplication 
  that Costs Endurance to maintain, and he runs out 
  of END, or becomes Stunned or Knocked Out, the 
  Duplicates collapse and cannot revive until they 
  recombine with the base character and are re-cre-
  ated. The base character must oversee the recom-
  bination process, since the Duplicates cannot go to 
  him and recombine by themselves.
  Does Not Work While Duplicate Exists (-¼):  A base 
  character may take this Limitation for powers he 
  has that do not work when one or more of his 
  Duplicates are in existence.
  Feedback (-¼ to -1):  Duplicates created by Duplica-
  tion with this Limitation all share a bond of some 
  sort. As a result of this bond, all of them suﬀer any 
  damage that any one of them takes — and if one of 
  them dies, they all die. This is worth a -1 Limitation 
  (or -½ if only STUN damage feeds back). Feedback 
  helps to simulate, for example, a form of Duplica-
  tion that represents a character’s ability to be in 
  two places simultaneously. If the Feedback damage 
  (STUN or STUN and BODY) only occurs from 
  injuries to one Duplicate — typically the base char-
  acter — the Limitation is only worth -¼.
  If more than one Duplicate takes damage from 
  a single attack with a single Attack Roll (such as an 
  Area Of Eﬀect attack, or Autoﬁre used against one 
  target), all the Duplicates do not take damage mul-
  tiple times. Instead, determine the largest amount 
  of damage taken by any one Duplicate, then apply 
  that to all of them. For attacks that involve multiple 
  Attack Rolls (such as Area Of Eﬀect Nonselective, 
  Autoﬁre used against multiple targets, and Rapid 
  Fire/Sweep used against single or multiple targets), 
  the entire group of Duplicates takes damage from 
  every attack that hits (unless the GM rules oth-
  erwise in the interest of common sense, dramatic 
  sense, game balance, and other factors).
  Feedback applies to any loss of STUN or 
  BODY, no matter what the source (an Energy Blast, 
  an RKA, a Drain, a fall, and so on). It does not 
  extend to non-damage-related eﬀects like Mind 
  Control, nor does it have any eﬀect on beneﬁcial 
  abilities like Aid or Healing. At the GM’s option, it 
  extends to other negative eﬀects, like Mind Con-
  trol, if the character buys it at the -1½ level, but 
  still does not apply to beneﬁcial abilities. To create 
  Duplicates who receive the beneﬁt of positive abili-
  ties applied to other Duplicates, the Duplicates 
  should buy an ability like Duplicative Beneﬁcence 
  (page 123).
  
  33 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  Focus:  If a character buys Duplication through a 
  Focus, and then loses the Focus while Duplicated, 
  the GM must decide what happens based on special 
  eﬀects, common sense, dramatic sense, and consid-
  erations of game balance. Typically the Duplicates 
  all vanish.
  Harder Recombination:  If a character wants to take 
  a Limitation to reﬂect the fact that he has a harder 
  time than normal recombining (such as Extra 
  Time, or Concentration to 0 DCV), he may take the 
  Limitation for half its standard value.
  A Limitation that aﬀects the creation of Dupli-
  cates (such as Costs Endurance or Extra Time) 
  does not also apply to recombining. The GM may 
  allow (or require) the character to take the Limita-
  tion separately for recombining as described above, 
  or increase the value of the Limitation slightly and 
  have it apply to both.
  No Averaging (-0):  For a -0 Limitation, No Aver-
  aging, a character can define his Duplicates as 
  not averaging with the base character when they 
  recombine. For example, if the base character 
  loses 5 BODY and the Duplicate loses 12 BODY, 
  when they recombine the original is still down 5 
  BODY. The Duplicate, if “created” again before it 
  would normally have healed 12 BODY, remains 
  injured (track the healing rate as you would for 
  any other character).
  Self Only/Only One Body:  Characters may not buy 
  Duplication with Limitations such as these as a 
  cheap way of creating a “Multiform.”  They must 
  use Multiform or Shape Shift to give themselves the 
  ability to change shape.
  DISADVANTAGES
  Accidental Change:  With the GM’s permission, a 
  character with Duplication could take an Acciden-
  tal Change Disadvantage to reﬂect the fact that he 
  involuntarily Duplicates under some conditions.
  Dependent NPC:  Characters may not buy their 
  Duplicates as DNPCs.
  Cloning
  One of the most intriguing uses of Duplica-
  tion is as cloning:  the ability to create a “copy” of 
  another living thing in the laboratory. As of 2005 
  cloning of some lifeforms has become possible, 
  raising the specter of cloning human beings and 
  all the ethical and legal implications that entails. 
  Many Science Fiction stories involve cloned 
  people or aliens, and High Fantasy wizards may 
  be able to create “simulacra” using spells and 
  alchemical processes.
  CREATING A CLONE
  To create a clone, a character should buy 
  Duplication with the Cannot Recombine Limitation. 
  Depending on exactly how involved the process 
  is, he may want to apply other Limitations, such as 
  Focus (the equipment used in the process, usually 
  Bulky or Immobile OAFs), Extra Time (the hours, 
  days, weeks, or months it takes to grow the clone), 
  Requires Genetic Sample From Subject To Be Cloned 
  (-¼), and Requires A Skill Roll (usually a Science 
  Skill such as Biology or Genetics). If a character 
  has the equipment or powers to clone other people, 
  he should apply the Usable By Other (or Usable As 
  Attack) Advantage to his Duplication.
   To create a clone that remains “on ice” 
  until the character needs it, add the Delayed 
  Effect Advantage. Depending on how cloning 
  technology works in the campaign, the clone’s 
  knowledge and abilities may remain “frozen” 
  at the point in time at which the character fin-
  ished creating it. If the character becomes more 
  learned or powerful after that, the clone’s abilities 
  won’t increase to compensate — it’s “locked in” 
  at what the character was like at the time of its 
  creation. In some settings, technology may allow 
  a character to periodically “copy” his most recent 
  memories into the sleeping clone’s mind to keep 
  it “up to date.”
  If the cloning process hasn’t been perfected, 
  the GM may require the character to apply Limi-
  tations like Activation Roll or Requires A Skill 
  Roll, and possibly Side Effects. If the character 
  fails the roll, that doesn’t necessarily mean he 
  hasn’t created a clone (though it could mean 
  that). Instead, maybe he grew a clone with a 
  physical or psychological flaw, such as some of 
  the complications described below. In some cases 
  a clone’s creator may deliberately build flaws into 
  it as a “failsafe” in case the clone disobeys his 
  orders or becomes a problem.
  
  34 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Deﬁning The Clone
  When deﬁning a clone, a character needs to 
  decide just how “fully formed” the clone is upon 
  completion of the cloning process. Does he resem-
  ble the character completely, right down to possess-
  ing his memories and skills? That’s appropriate for 
  many superhero and Science Fiction campaigns 
  (where “memory implantation technology” could 
  exist), but not necessarily a valid approach in more 
  “realistic” games. In those sorts of campaigns, 
  clones may be notably younger than the PC creat-
  ing them (even children) and have to be educated 
  like any other “newborn” human. A “blank slate” 
  clone like this is less expensive to buy since it has 
  no Skills or the like; it should probably also have 
  the Physical Limitation Knows Nothing Of Earth 
  Culture until it becomes experienced and learned 
  enough to buy that Disadvantage oﬀ.
  Another question to consider:  is the clone an 
  exact duplicate of the character, or does it diﬀer in 
  some ways? Comic book and Science Fiction tech-
  nology might allow a character to create “clones” 
  that are unlike him, with powers, Skills, and abilities 
  that he doesn’t possess (or possesses to a diﬀerent 
  degree). This, of course, requires the Altered Dupli-
  cates Advantage for the Duplication.
  IMPLICATIONS AND COMPLICATIONS
  The game mechanics of making a clone aren’t 
  the end of the story. Many other issues may arise 
  to complicate the creation or existence of a clone 
  — most clones come ready-made with all sorts of 
  plot seeds the GM can exploit.
  Some clones become jealous or resentful of 
  their creator (or fellow clones, if any) because they 
  feel they have no individuality, were created for 
  improper purposes, or the like. You can represent 
  this with appropriate Psychological Limitations, 
  Rivalries, or similar mental Disadvantages. Unless 
  properly educated and molliﬁed, a clone like this 
  could end up betraying its creator or turning to evil 
  — a cinematic plot twist if there ever was one!
  A clone doesn’t have to learn to resent its cre-
  ator or comrades during the course of its life — it 
  may be “born” with just such a psychological prob-
  lem due to a failure or ﬂaw in the cloning process. 
  Any sort of mental illness could result, ranging 
  from minor compulsions and quirks to full-blown 
  psychoses or sociopathy.
  As if mental problems weren’t enough, a clone 
  could end up physically ﬂawed. Gaps or “weak 
  spots” in its genetic structure may make it prone to 
  various diseases, impose Limitations on its abilities, 
  or inﬂict it with chemical imbalances, allergies, or 
  other weaknesses. You can represent many of these 
  problems with various physical Disadvantages such 
  as Dependence and Susceptibility.
  In some settings, clones may not enjoy the full 
  panoply of civil and legal rights that “real” people 
  do. Such clones can take a Social Limitation, either 
  Clone (if known to be a clone) or Harmful Secret (if 
  he’s hiding the fact he’s a clone).
  Clones kept “on ice” until the character needs 
  them are susceptible to a variety of problems. As 
  “empty” bodies, they’re the perfect prey for free 
  spirits (and similar metamorphs), demons and 
  ghosts with possession powers, and the like. They 
  (or more accurately, the machinery that keeps them 
  alive and asleep) may be vulnerable to blackouts, 
  which would kill them or cause them to awaken 
  prematurely. The character’s enemies might 
  “kidnap”the clone and hold it hostage or turn it 
  against him. A clone kept on ice too long might 
  develop mental or physical problems. Fiendish 
  GMs can no doubt think up many other clone-
  related plots.
  EXTRA LIMBS
  Type:   
  Special Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Persistent
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   No
  Cost:   
  5 Character Points to have any number of 
  Extra Limbs
  A character with Extra Limbs has one or 
  more usable extra limbs. Some examples of Extra 
  Limbs include a prehensile tail, extra arms, or a 
  group of tentacles. For 5 Character Points, the 
  character can have as many Extra Limbs as he 
  wants, be it 1 or 100. 
  Extra Limbs have no direct eﬀect on combat, 
  but characters can use them to perform maneuvers 
  not possible to ordinary humans (like holding 
  someone with both hands and then punching him, 
  or hanging from the ceiling by a tail). A character 
  who uses Extra Limb(s) creatively can receive a 
  bonus for Surprise maneuvers. See Multi-Limbed 
  Combatant, page 175, for some example powers a 
  character could buy to reﬂect the fact that his Extra 
  Limbs make him a more eﬀective ﬁghter.
  Having an Extra Limb does not, by itself, allow 
  a character extra attacks in a Phase. However, he 
  may buy Combat Skill Levels (or other Skills and 
  Powers) to simulate his ability to attack more eﬀec-
  tively with multiple limbs. Although Extra Limbs 
  are as functional as human hands, all limbs but the 
  primary limb are considered to be the “oﬀ hand.” 
  (If the character has Ambidexterity, all the limbs 
  are considered to be the “good hand.”) Extra Limbs 
  does not cost END to use, but the additional limbs 
  are visible, and the character must pay the normal 
  END cost when using Strength with an Extra Limb.
  In some settings, it’s possible to have spe-
  cies that naturally have more than four limbs. For 
  example, the Catavalans in the Terran Empire setting 
  have four arms, and in a Pulp Science Fiction story 
  the Martians or Venusians might as well. Since Extra 
  Limbs allows any number of limbs for 5 points, if 
  you have a naturally multi-limbed species and want 
  to add even more, just change the number of limbs 
  without changing the cost of the power (unless 
  manipulability changes, in which case buy Extra 
  Limbs twice). Depending on special eﬀects and the 
  like, some of the limbs may be Inherent and others 
  not; if so, the character must apply Inherent (if it’s 
  not on the Extra Limbs already), and then restrict 
  the non-Inherent limbs with a -0 Limitation.
  THE ETHICS  
  OF CLONING
  The ethical and social 
  issues that surround 
  cloning could give rise 
  to all sorts of adventures 
  and subplots. Some of 
  them include:
  Is a clone of a human 
  being legally considered 
  the child of the person 
  who donated the cells 
  used to create it, or is it 
  an adult with full legal 
  rights?
  Is a clone of a human 
  being legally considered 
  a free person, or a slave? 
  Could it be treated as a 
  “walking organ bank” by 
  the person who donated 
  the cells used to create 
  it?
  If a person is cloned 
  against his will, what 
  legal recourse does he 
  have? Can the court 
  order that the clone be 
  destroyed even though 
  it’s a living, thinking 
  person?
  Is killing a clone 
  murder? To put it 
  another way, for legal 
  purposes is a clone a 
  human being, an object, 
  or something else?
  In a Science Fiction set-
  ting, if a person trans-
  fers his memories into 
  a cloned body, legally is 
  he still the same person, 
  with the same debts, 
  resources, and perqui-
  sites he had in his old 
  body? In other words, 
  what constitutes “the 
  person” for legal pur-
  poses?
  
  35 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  The rules for Extra Limbs assume a character 
  deﬁnes the number of limbs he has when he buys 
  the power, and can’t change them thereafter. How-
  ever, the GM may allow a character to change the 
  number of Extra Limbs he has (for example, by 
  extruding or retracting pseudopods). If so, chang-
  ing the number of limbs is a Half Phase Action.
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  Autoﬁre:  Having Extra Limbs doesn’t innately give 
  a character the ability to make multiple attacks at 
  once. However, characters with Extra Limbs often 
  buy this Advantage for attacks based on (or pro-
  jected by) those limbs, to represent their capacity 
  for making many attacks at the same time.
  Inherent:  Extra Limbs aren’t Inherent per se, but 
  are frequently bought with this Advantage to make 
  them so.
  Invisible Power Effects:  Characters cannot buy this 
  Advantage for Extra Limbs without the GM’s per-
  mission; by deﬁnition, a limb is perceivable.
  LIMITATIONS
  Always On:  Extra Limbs does not require the 
  Always On Limitation to take the Inherent Advan-
  tage. In fact, characters rarely take this Limitation 
  for Extra Limbs, even though they can’t “turn them 
  oﬀ,” since the inability to deactivate them doesn’t 
  hinder the character in any way.
  Limited Manipulation (-¼):  Extra Limbs with this 
  Limitation are not as functional as human hands. 
  The character can use them to hit targets, and per-
  haps to pick up large or easily-grasped objects, but 
  not to pick up more delicate objects or perform 
  other types of relatively ﬁne manipulation.
  If only some of the character’s Extra Limbs lack 
  full manipulatory ability, the character should restrict 
  the less-manipulable limbs with a -0 Limitation.
  If the Extra Limbs cannot exercise the charac-
  ter’s full STR or DEX, the character may take a -¼ 
  Limitation on those Characteristics to reﬂect that 
  fact. If the Extra Limbs are stronger than the char-
  acter’s normal limbs, the character may buy STR 
  with the -½ Limitation Only With Extra Limbs.
  Alternate Extra Limbs
  In some campaigns, the GM may want to alter 
  the standard Extra Limbs rule — as many Extra 
  Limbs as a character wants for 5 Character Points 
  — so that the more limbs the character has, the more 
  he pays. Instead, they use a diﬀerent cost structure:  5 
  Character Points for up to two extra limbs, +2 Char-
  acter Points for every up to x2 extra limbs thereafter. 
  Thus, an eight-armed monster would have to spend 9 
  Character Points (5 points for the ﬁrst two extra limbs, 
  +4 points for the remaining four limbs) for them.
  Alternately, some GMs may prefer for Extra 
  Limbs to inherently have an eﬀect on combat, 
  instead of just being utilitarian. In this case, each 
  Extra Limb costs 4 Character Points and provides 
  a +1 bonus with Punch, Disarm, and Grab (this 
  works just like a 3-point Combat Skill Level).
  GROWTH
  Type:   
  Size Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Constant
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   Yes
  Cost:   
  5 Character Points for every +5 STR, +1 
  BODY, +1 STUN, -1” KB, x2 mass; 15 Char-
  acter Points for every -2 DCV, +2 for PER 
  Rolls made to perceive character, x2 height 
  and width, and x2 reach (see Growth Table)
  A character with this Size Power can increase 
  his size. This increases his STR, BODY, STUN, 
  mass, and height, and reduces his DCV and the 
  Knockback he takes. Growth costs END as long 
  as it is in use; if the character is Knocked Out or 
  Stunned while Grown, his Growth immediately 
  “turns oﬀ” unless it’s Persistent. Growth is for char-
  acters who can alter their size; if the character is 
  exceptionally large all the time, he can simulate that 
  by buying various Powers with that special eﬀect 
  (see below).
  BENEFITS OF GROWTH
  The Growth Table provides details on the 
  beneﬁts (and drawbacks) of Growth. However, the 
  ﬁgures in the table are guidelines, not absolutes; the 
  GM should feel free to alter them slightly based on 
  special eﬀects or to aid game balance.
  Reach
  Growth increases a character’s reach. Normal 
  characters (0 points in Growth) can only hit targets 
  in their own hex or an adjacent hex. With enough 
  Growth, a character can engage in HTH Combat 
  with targets some distance away. Refer to the 
  Growth Table for details.
  Like the reach provided by Stretching, the 
  reach provided by Growth has some inherently 
  “Indirect” eﬀects in appropriate circumstances. For 
  example, a suﬃciently tall Grown character could 
  stand right in front of someone, then reach down 
  and tap him on the back. (Growth reach does not, 
  however, provide velocity damage or other Stretch-
  ing eﬀects.)
  If a character has enough Growth to make 
  him cover multiple hexes, for game purposes you 
  generally should calculate his reach from the hex 
  the character is deemed to be “standing” in. But as 
  GROWTH TABLE
  Every 5 Points Of Growth Gives The Character:
  +5 STR (no additional Figured Characteristics)
  +1 BODY (no additional Figured Characteristics)
  +1 STUN
  -1” Knockback (functions just like KB Resistance)
  x2 mass
  Every 15 Points Of Growth Gives The Character:
  -2 DCV
  +2 to all PER Rolls made by others to perceive the 
  character
  x2 height and width
  x2 reach
  
  36 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  always, you’ve got to use your common sense and 
  dramatic sense as well. If it makes more sense to 
  calculate reach from where the character’s shoulder 
  is located, do so.
  Reach provided by Growth does not reduce 
  or otherwise affect the Range Modifier the char-
  acter suffers, which is still calculated from where 
  the character stands. However, the GM could, in 
  his discretion, count the Range Modifier from 
  the character’s hand, if he feels that would be 
  appropriate.
  At no level does Growth automatically entitle 
  characters to make Area Of Eﬀect attacks with their 
  large hands or feet. A character who wants that 
  ability has to buy a naked Area Of Eﬀect Advantage 
  for his STR, Combat Skill Levels, or some other 
  means of simulating larger-than-normal hands 
  (see, for example, Gigantic Fists on page 148).
  Thickness
  The Growth rules describe how tall and wide 
  a character becomes, but they establish no param-
  eters for how thick his torso and frame become. For 
  the most part, there’s no need for players or GMs 
  to know that, but if necessary you can assume the 
  character’s “thickness” increases proportionately to 
  his height and width.
  Growth Momentum
  If the GM permits, characters with Growth 
  can use growth momentum (page 52) just like 
  Shrinking characters can... though they’re going to 
  have a lot harder time ﬁnding targets larger than 
  themselves to use it on. The target has to be larger 
  than or directly above the character. That includes 
  beings taller than he is, overhangs on buildings (but 
  not building walls themselves), ceilings, and pos-
  sibly even characters using Flight who are directly 
  above the character.
  Growth-based growth momentum does +1d6 
  per -1 DCV the Grown character suﬀers. The char-
  acter also gets to apply the extra STR he gains from 
  Growing when determining the damage. If the char-
  acter also has Shrinking and grows from a tiny size to 
  human size, then uses Growth to become even taller, 
  he can use the growth momentum from both Powers.
  GROWTH TABLE
   Points Of Height 
  Width 
  Mass 
  BODY 
   
  PER Rolls Additional
   Growth 
  (hexes) 
  (hexes) 
  (KG) 
  & STUN 
  DCV 
  Against 
  Reach 
  STR KB
   
  0 
  1-2m (1”) 
  up to 1m (1/2”) 
  up to 100 
  +0 
  -0 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  -0
   
  15 
  2-4m (2”) 
  1-2m (1”) 
  100-800 
  +3 
  -2 
  +2 
  +1” 
  +15 
  -3
   
  30 
  5-8m (4”) 
  3-4m (2”) 
  801-6,400 
  +6 
  -4 
  +4 
  +2” 
  +30 
  -6
   
  45 
  9-16m (8”) 
  5-8m (4”) 
  6,401-50,000 
  +9 
  -6 
  +6 
  +4” 
  +45 
  -9
   
  60 
  17-32m (16”) 
  9-16m (8”) 
  50,001-400,000 
  +12 
  -8 
  +8 
  +8” 
  +60 -12
   
  75 
  33-64m (32”) 
  17-32m (16”) 
  400,001-3.2 mil 
  +15 
  -10 
  +10 
  +16” 
  +75 -15
   
  90 
  65-125m (64”) 
  33-64m (32”) 
  3.3-25.6 mil 
  +18 
  -12 
  +12 
  +32” 
  +90 -18
   
  105 
  126-250m (125”) 
  65-125m (64”) 
  25.7-205 mil 
  +21 
  -14 
  +14 
  +64” 
  +105 -21
   
  120 
  251-500m (250”) 
  126-250m (125”) 
  206-1.64 bil 
  +24 
  -16 
  +16 
  +125” 
  +120 -24
   
  135 
  501-1,000m (500”) (1 km) 
  251-500m (250”) 
  1.65-13 bil 
  +27 
  -18 
  +18 
  +250” 
  +135 -27
   
  150 
  1,001-2,000m (1,000”) 
  501-1,000m (500”) (1 km) 
  13.1-105 bil 
  +30 
  -20 
  +20 
  +500” (1 km) +150 -30
   
  165 
  2,001-4,000m (2,000”) 
  1,001-2,000m (1,000”) 
  106-840 bil 
  +33 
  -22 
  +22 
  +1,000” 
  +165 -33
   
  180 
  4,001-8,000m (4,000”) 
  2,001-4,000m (2,000”) 
  841-6.7 tril 
  +36 
  -24 
  +24 
  +2,000” 
  +180 -36
   
  195 
  8,001-16,000m (8,000”) 
  4,001-8,000m (4,000”) 
  6.8-53.6 tril 
  +39 
  -26 
  +26 
  +4,000” 
  +195 -39
   
  210 
  16,001-32,000m (16,000”) 
  8,001-16,000m (8,000”) 
  53.7-429 tril 
  +42 
  -28 
  +28 
  +8,000” 
  +210 -42
   
  225 
  32,001-64,000m (32,000”) 
  16,001-32,000m (16,000”) 
  430-3.4 quad 
  +45 
  -30 
  +30 
  +16,000” +225 -45
   
  240 
  64,001-125,000m (64,000”) 
  32,001-64,000m (32,000”) 
  3.5-27.2 quad 
  +48 
  -32 
  +32 
  +32,000” +240 -48
   
  255 
  125,001-250,000m (125,000”) 
  64,001-125,000m (64,000”) 
  27.3-217.6 quad 
  +51 
  -34 
  +34 
  +64,000” +255 -51
   
  270 
  250,001-500,000m (250,000”) 
  125,001-250,000m (125,000”) 
  217.7-1.74 quin 
  +54 
  -36 
  +36 
  +125,000” +270 -54
   
  285 
  500,001-1 mil (500,000”) 
  250,001-500,000m (250,000”) 
  1.75-14 quin 
  +57 
  -38 
  +38 
  +250,000” +285 -57
   
  300 
  1-2 mil (1,000,000”) 
  500,001-1 mil m (500,000”) 
  15-112 quin 
  +60 
  -40 
  +40 
  +500,000” +300 -60
  ...and so on
  mil:  million; bil:  billion; tril:  trillion; quad:  quadrillion; quin:  quintillion
  SOME COMPARISONS
  Points Of Growth 
  Approximately Equal In Size To...
  90 (125 m tall) 
  Height of the Washington Monument (169.1 m) or a Saturn rocket; length of a football ﬁeld (91 m)
  105 (250 m tall) 
  Height of the Eiﬀel Tower (300 m)
  120 (500 m tall) 
  Height of the Empire State Building (381 m) or World Trade Center (415-17 m)
  135 (1,000 m tall) 
  Elevation of the lowest clouds
  165 (4,000 m tall) 
  Average depth of Earth’s oceans
  180 (8,000 m tall) 
  Height of Mt. Everest (8,848 m)
  210 (32,000 m tall) 
  Elevation of the highest clouds (24,000 m)
  225 (64 km tall) 
  Length of the Panama Canal; height of the stratosphere
  270 (500 km tall) 
  North-south length of Scotland and England; length of the Grand Canyon (349 km)
  315 (4,000 km tall) 
  Diameter of the Moon
  330 (8000 km tall) 
  North-south length of Africa
  345 (16,000 km tall) 
  Diameter of Earth
  360 (32,000 km tall) 
  Geosynchronous orbit of Earth
  390 (125,000 km tall) 
  Diameter of Saturn or Jupiter
  450 (2 million km tall) 
  Diameter of the Sun
  
  37 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  Growth And Damage
  If a character takes damage while Grown and 
  then returns to normal size, the damage taken ﬁrst 
  comes out of the BODY and STUN he gains from 
  Growth. Any additional damage still applies to the 
  character in his normal size. If the character Grows 
  again before the damage would heal normally (see 
  Recovery, page 424 of The HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised), the wounds reappear.
  Example:  Tower has 60 points of Growth (+12 
  BODY, which, added to his normal BODY 
  of 10, gives him a total of 22 BODY). While 
  Grown, Tower is hit by a missile and takes 3 
  BODY after defenses are applied. He then 
  returns to normal size and normal 10 BODY. 
  Since the BODY he gains from Growth (12) is 
  greater than the wound he suﬀered, he has no 
  wound at normal height. If he were to Grow 
  again before that wound would have healed, 
  he would be down 3 BODY. If the missile had 
  done 15 BODY (ouch!), Tower would be down 
  3 BODY (15-12) at his normal height.
  For greater accuracy (and complexity), ﬁgure 
  out what percentage of a character’s total BODY he 
  lost while Grown, and then subtract that percent-
  age from his BODY at normal size. In the example 
  given above, Tower would have lost 1 BODY at 
  normal size.
  DRAWBACKS TO GROWTH
  Growth has drawbacks as well as advantages. 
  For example, even with only 15 points of Growth, 
  a character can’t ﬁt into normal buildings unless he 
  crouches or destroys part of them. His size and extra 
  mass may make it diﬃcult for him to ride in cars. Like 
  any other large target, a Grown character is easier to 
  hit in combat and to see. Note that the DCV penal-
  ties imposed by Growth are not cumulative with the 
  Target Size Combat Modiﬁer, which is generally used 
  only for objects which don’t have deﬁned CVs.
  OTHER GROWTH TRAITS
  In addition to the eﬀects described above, 
  there are other eﬀects common to humaniform 
  characters who are taller than normal. These are 
  bought as other Powers which are Linked (-½) to 
  Growth. They include:
  Longer Stride:  Running; the character’s Run-
  ning should roughly double for every 15 
  points of Growth he has. Similarly, the char-
  acter may be able to leap further, climb more 
  quickly, and so forth. See Gigantic Legs, page 
  152, for an example.
  Larger Hands:  Combat Skill Levels with HTH 
  Combat (or, at 60 Character Points’ worth of 
  Growth and above, Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex) 
  for the character’s STR). See Gigantic Fists, 
  page 48, for an example.
  Impressiveness:  Increased PRE; the character 
  should have about +5 PRE for every 15 points 
  of Growth he has. See Impressiveness, page 
  149, for an example.
  
  38 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Toughness:  Many Grown characters are very 
  tough. As a general rule of thumb, this sort of 
  character should add +5 PD and ED for every 
  15 points of Growth he has. See Gigantic 
  Defense, page 150, for an example.
  POWERS
  Stretching:  If a character has Stretching in addition 
  to Growth, the inches of Stretching add to Growth’s 
  reach, but Stretching noncombat doublings don’t 
  include Growth reach. For example, if a character 
  has 60 points of Growth (8” reach) and 10” Stretch-
  ing, he could reach 18” (8” + 10”), and if using 
  Noncombat Stretching could reach 28”.
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  If a character who has Growth applies an 
  Advantage to his STR, he must calculate the cost of 
  the Advantage based on the character’s total STR 
  including Growth bonuses, unless noted otherwise 
  below. For example, if a character has STR 30 and 
  30 points of Growth (+30 STR), the cost of an 
  Advantage is calculated as if he had bought a 60 
  STR. This applies even if the Growth is bought as a 
  slot in a Power Framework. If the character also has 
  some Limited STR, he does not have to include that 
  when calculating the cost of the Advantage unless 
  the GM thinks it would be appropriate for him to 
  do so. Generally Limited STR function as a sort of 
  separate power, so its END cost should be deter-
  mined separately.
  Reduced Endurance:  If a character buys Growth 
  with Reduced Endurance, he must still pay normal 
  END costs for using the extra STR granted by 
  Growth, unless he buys Reduced END separately 
  for his STR.
  LIMITATIONS
  Limited Effect (-¼, -½):  Some forms of Growth may 
  not provide the full range of beneﬁcial abilities that 
  the Power normally does. If the character doesn’t 
  get any STR or BODY, the Growth takes a -½ Limi-
  tation; if he doesn’t gain STUN, reach, or Knock-
  back Resistance, it’s a -¼ Limitation. If he doesn’t 
  get two or more of these abilities, the GM should 
  determine a value for the Limitation, but usually it 
  should be capped at -¾ at the most.
  Creating Permanently  
  Large Characters
  As noted above, Growth is for characters who 
  can alter their size. If you want to have a character 
  who’s larger or taller than an ordinary human all of 
  the time, here’s how you buy that, using Growth as 
  a guideline.
  First, determine how tall the character is. Then 
  ﬁnd the category on the Growth Table correspond-
  ing to that size. Use the attributes of that amount of 
  Growth to buy the relevant abilities:
  ■ For STR, buy the listed amount of STR with the 
  Limitation No Figured Characteristics (-½)
  ■ For BODY, buy the listed amount of BODY with 
  the Limitation No Figured Characteristics (-½)
  ■ For KB, buy the listed amount of Knockback 
  Resistance
  ■ For STUN, buy the listed amount of STUN
  ■ For reach, buy inches of Stretching with Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Always Direct (-¼), 
  No Noncombat Stretching (-¼), and No Velocity 
  Damage (-¼)
  OPTIONAL EXPANDED GROWTH TABLE
   Points Of Height 
  Width 
  Mass 
  BODY 
   
  PER Rolls 
  Additional
   Growth 
  (hexes) 
  (hexes) 
  (KG) 
  & STUN 
  DCV 
  Against 
  Reach 
  STR 
  KB
   
  0 
  1-2 m (1”) 
  up to 1 m (1/2”) 
  up to 100 
  +0 
  -0 
  +0 
  +0” 
  +0 
  -0”
   
  5 
  2.1-2.6 m 
  1.1-1.3 m 
  101-200 
  +1 
  -0 
  +0 
  +0” 
  +5 
  -1”
   
  10 
  2.7-3.3 m 
  1.4-1.7 m 
  201-400 
  +2 
  -1 
  +1 
  +0” 
  +10 
  -2”
   
  15 
  3.4-4.0 m (2”) 
  1.8-2.0 m (1”) 
  401-800 
  +3 
  -2 
  +2 
  +1” 
  +15 
  -3”
   
  20 
  4.1-5.4 m 
  2.1-2.6 m 
  801-1,600 
  +4 
  -2 
  +2 
  +1” 
  +20 
  -4”
   
  25 
  5.5-6.7 m 
  2.7-3.3 m 
  1,601-3,200 
  +5 
  -3 
  +3 
  +1” 
  +25 
  -5”
   
  30 
  6.8-8.0 m (4”) 
  3.4-4.0 m (2”) 
  3,201-6,400 
  +6 
  -4 
  +4 
  +2” 
  +30 
  -6”
   
  35 
  8.1-10.7 m 
  4.1-5.4 m 
  6,401-12,500 
  +7 
  -4 
  +4 
  +2” 
  +35 
  -7”
   
  40 
  10.8-13.4 m 
  5.5-6.7 m 
  12,501-25,000 
  +8 
  -5 
  +5 
  +3” 
  +40 
  -8”
   
  45 
  13.5-16.0 m (8”) 
  6.8-8.0 m (4”) 
  25,001-50,000 
  +9 
  -6 
  +6 
  +4” 
  +45 
  -9”
   
  50 
  16.1-21.3 m 
  8.1-10.7 m 
  50,001-100,000 
  +10 
  -6 
  +6 
  +5” 
  +50 
  -10”
   
  55 
  21.4-26.6 m 
  10.8-13.4 m 
  100,001-200,000 
  +11 
  -7 
  +7 
  +6” 
  +55 
  -11”
   
  60 
  26.7-32.0 m (16”) 
  13.5-16.0 m (8”) 
  200,001-400,000 
  +12 
  -8 
  +8 
  +8” 
  +60 
  -12”
   
  65 
  32.1-42.7 m 
  16.1-21.3 m 
  400,001-800,000 
  +13 
  -8 
  +8 
  +10” 
  +65 
  -13”
   
  70 
  42.8-53.4 m 
  21.4-26.6 m 
  800,001-1,600,000 
  +14 
  -9 
  +9 
  +13” 
  +70 
  -14”
   
  75 
  53.5-64.0 m (32”) 
  26.7-32.0 m (16”) 
  1,600,001-3,200,000 
  +15 
  -10 
  +10 
  +16” 
  +75 
  -15”
   
  80 
  64.1-84.3 m 
  32.1-42.7 m 
  3.21-4.26 million 
  +16 
  -10 
  +10 
  +21” 
  +80 
  -16”  
   
  85 
  84.4-104.7 m 
  42.8-53.4 m 
  4.27-5.32 million 
  +17 
  -11 
  +11 
  +27” 
  +85 
  -17”
   
  90 
  104.8-125.0 m (64”) 
  53.5-64.0 m (32”) 
  5.33-6.4 million 
  +18 
  -12 
  +12 
  +32” 
  +90 
  -18”
   
  95 
  125.1-166.6 m 
  64.1-84.3 m 
  6.41-8.43 million 
  +19 
  -12 
  +12 
  +42” 
  +95 
  -19”
   
  100 
  166.7-208.2 m 
  84.4-104.7 m 
  8.44-10.46 million 
  +20 
  -13 
  +13 
  +53” 
  +100 
  -20”
   
  105 
  208.3-250 m (125”) 
  104.8-125 m (64”) 
  10.47-12.5 million 
  +21 
  -14 
  +14 
  +64” 
  +105 
  -21”
  ...and so on
  
  39 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  The special eﬀect of these abilities is that they 
  derive from the character’s increased size. The Size 
  Templates on page 575 of The HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised rulebook summarize the abilities per-
  taining to various categories of increased size.
  Second, the character needs a Physical Limita-
  tion, Size/Weight, which represents the inconve-
  nience of being so large and heavy all the time. In 
  addition to the DCV penalty and bonus to other 
  characters’ PER Rolls described in the Growth 
  Table, being extremely tall makes it diﬃcult for a 
  character to ﬁt into buildings or vehicles. A Grown 
  character’s higher mass may pose problems similar 
  to those created by Density Increase (page 18). The 
  Size/Weight Physical Limitation on page 576 of The 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook lists the 
  values and eﬀects for each category of large size.
  You may want to build a permanently large or 
  small character who also buys some Growth so he 
  can sometimes become even larger. Each level of 
  Growth purchased provides certain beneﬁts — for 
  example, every 5 points of Growth used adds +5 
  to the character’s STR, every 15 points doubles the 
  character’s height, and so forth. Those eﬀects add to 
  any related eﬀects the character has. For instance, 
  if a character has 25 STR normally, using 5 points 
  of Growth adds +5 STR and increases his overall 
  STR to 30. If a character’s deﬁned as always being 
  8” tall, using 15 points’ worth of Growth makes him 
  16” tall. Thus, in eﬀect, if an “always tall” character 
  is built properly, using X Character Points’ worth 
  of Growth has the same overall eﬀect as a normal-
  sized character buying more Growth than that.
  Expanded Growth Table
  For some gaming groups, greater granularity 
  for Growth may be desirable. Many entries in the 
  Growth Table (such as DCV, PER Roll penalty, and 
  reach) go up by increments of greater than 1. The 
  accompanying Optional Expanded Growth Table 
  provides a more detailed breakdown of Growth to 
  help you more precisely deﬁne your character.
  MULTIFORM
  Type:   
  Standard Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Persistent
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   No
  Cost:   
  1 Character Point for every 5 Character 
  Points in the most expensive form; 2x the 
  number of forms for +5 Character Points
  A character with this Standard Power can 
  change his original form into one or more other 
  forms, each with its own abilities, personality, and 
  Characteristics. Examples include a werewolf’s 
  ability to switch between human and lupine forms, 
  a character whose suit of armor can “reconﬁgure” 
  itself into many diﬀerent types of armor; and a 
  wizard’s ability to assume the form of any animal. 
  Multiform does not cost END to use.
  BUYING AND BUILDING ALTERNATE FORMS
  The player must choose one of his character’s 
  forms to be the true form. The true form can be 
  any of the character’s forms, depending upon char-
  acter conception. The other form(s) bought with 
  Multiform are his alternate form(s). The character’s 
  true form can have more points than his alternate 
  forms, or his alternate forms can have more points 
  than his true form (before or after accounting for 
  the points the true form pays for Multiform). In 
  other words, the true form does not have to be the 
  most expensive of the character’s forms, and the 
  relationship of the costs of the forms does not aﬀect 
  Multiform’s cost. As always, the GM should moni-
  tor the situation to prevent abuse.
  The cost for Multiform, which only the true 
  form pays for, is 1 Character Point for every 5 
  Character Points the most expensive alternate form 
  is built with (including points from Disadvan-
  tages). The character may pay +5 Character Points 
  for every up to two times the number of alternate 
  forms of equal or lesser cost (i.e., 5 Character 
  Points for up to x2 alternate forms, 10 Character 
  Points for up to x4 alternate forms, and so on). The 
  cost of the true form has no aﬀect on the cost of the 
  alternate forms, nor does the existence of the true 
  form aﬀect the calculation of how many alternate 
  forms the character buys for +5 points.
  Note that the points spent on Multiform deﬁne 
  how many points a single form has. They aren’t split 
  between the various forms. For example, if a char-
  acter spends 80 points to have a 400-point Multi-
  form, the alternate form is built on 400 points. If 
  he spends +10 points to have four alternate forms, 
  each form is built on up to 400 points. He doesn’t 
  have to split them 100/100/100/100 between the 
  forms, or the like.
  Example:  Storvak, a strange alien built on 350 
  points, can assume four diﬀerent animal forms 
  — a tyrannosaur (400 points), a cheetah (275 
  points), an eagle (200 points), and a ﬁsh (150 
  points). The base cost of his Multiform is 1 
  Character Point for every 5 Character Points 
  his most expensive form (the tyrannosaur) is 
  BECOMING LARGE 
  IN SMALL SPACES
  Sometimes characters 
  using Growth, or who 
  use Multiform or other 
  powers to change shape 
  into a larger form, have 
  to use their powers in 
  areas that are too small 
  to hold their new, larger, 
  self. In this case, roll 
  the character’s Normal 
  Damage from STR plus 
  growth momentum 
  (page 36), but keep the 
  dice for the two separate. 
  The walls/sides of the 
  enclosing area take the 
  full damage rolled on all 
  the dice; the character 
  takes the damage from 
  the growth momentum 
  dice only. If the damage 
  does not break through 
  the enclosure, the char-
  acter’s increase in size 
  stops at the limits of the 
  enclosure and he takes 
  the full damage rolled 
  on all dice (not just the 
  growth momentum 
  damage).
  
  40 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  built with — 400/5, or 80 points. For 4x the 
  number of forms, he pays +10 points, for a total 
  of 90. His true form, the alien form, pays this 
  cost. 
  A character’s forms don’t get to “share” any-
  thing for free. If a character’s true form has some 
  resource or object, such as a Base or a Vehicle, his 
  alternate forms also have to pay for it if they want 
  to use it. Otherwise, it disappears or somehow 
  becomes inaccessible to them (typically, the most 
  logical solution is for the GM to require the alter-
  nate forms to buy the resource as well). In general, 
  all forms should pay for other things they have in 
  common, such as certain Skills for some characters.
  Each form a character can change into is as 
  free-willed as the original character. The player 
  must have a complete character sheet for each form 
  (or some other way to keep track of the abilities 
  and experiences of each form). Forms may have 
  diﬀerent abilities, personalities, or Disadvantages 
  than the true form or each other, if the player so 
  desires (the character’s personality often remains 
  the same from form to form, and in any form he 
  retains the memories from other forms unless he 
  has the Multiform Amnesia Psychological Limita-
  tion described below). If the forms happen to buy 
  the same abilities or Skills, that’s simply the nature 
  of the diﬀerent forms; characters may not take a 
  Limitation or Disadvantage for this, nor may a 
  character buy an ability or Skill once and somehow 
  “share” it with all of his forms.
  If a player voluntarily elects to build an alter-
  nate with fewer than the maximum allowed points, 
  generally he cannot later decide to spend those 
  “unallocated” points. However, the GM might 
  decide to allow it for a good reason — for example, 
  if the player legitimately forgot something the form 
  should have (e.g., Nightvision for an owl form). 
  After play begins, typically a character with Multi-
  form can only improve his forms with Experience 
  Points (see below).
  A character cannot have an alternate form that’s 
  built as a Vehicle, Base, Computer, Automaton, or the 
  like unless the GM speciﬁcally permits it.
  Base Points And Disadvantages
  A character’s forms are built on the same 
  Base Points as the true form (or fewer points, 
  if the player so desires). Each form that’s built 
  on more points than its Base Points must take 
  sufficient Disadvantages to balance out its cost, 
  just like building any other character. However, 
  it may be appropriate, or even required, to take 
  some Disadvantages to define the alternate form 
  properly, regardless of whether the alternate 
  form gets any points for them.
  Gamemasters should carefully evaluate the 
  Disadvantages taken by a character’s forms. Dis-
  advantages a character can eliminate or reduce by 
  changing shape may be worth fewer (or no) points 
  because their eﬀect is so easily negated. For exam-
  ple, ordinarily a Distinctive Feature should carry 
  over from form to form — if the true form has Dis-
  tinctive Feature, “Striking Blue Eyes,” then all forms 
  should have the same blue eyes. In situations where 
  this is not applicable, the Distinctive Feature should 
  normally be bought as Easily Concealed (or, at most, 
  Concealable With Eﬀort), since the character can 
  hide the Feature by changing forms.
  
  41 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  Alternately, with the GM’s permission a char-
  acter could buy an alternate form with fewer Dis-
  advantage points than it would ordinarily require 
  by paying for the points not balanced by Disad-
  vantages as part of the cost of Multiform. The cost 
  is 1 Character Point for every 5 Character Points 
  not balanced by Disadvantages in addition to the 
  normal cost of the Multiform.
  Example:  A character buys an alternate form 
  built as a Standard Superheroic character (200 
  Base Points, plus 150 points from Disadvan-
  tages, for a total of 350 points). This costs 70 
  Character Points. However, he wants the alter-
  nate form to be built on 400 points — but with-
  out having to take another 50 points’ worth of 
  Disadvantages. With the GM’s permission, the 
  character pays the standard cost of a 400-point 
  alternate form — 80 Character Points — and 
  then also pay for not having any Disadvantages 
  to balance the last 50 points’ worth of alternate 
  form. That costs another (50/5 =) 10 Character 
  Points, for a total of 90 points for a 400-point 
  alternate form with 200 Base Points, 150 points 
  from Disadvantages, and 50 additional points.
  Power Frameworks
  Multiform is a Standard Power, and there-
  fore characters can buy it in Power Frameworks 
  unless the GM or some other rule forbids them 
  to. In regards to Multipower, since the tradeoff of 
  a Multipower — not getting to use all the powers 
  at once at full power — is a lot like Multiform 
  (which, when used, prevents the character from 
  using any of the powers in his other form), some 
  GMs may not consider this balanced and non-
  abusive, and so forbid it.
  Characters can take Multiform in appropriate 
  Variable Power Pools, but given the ease with which 
  they can buy extra alternate forms, the GM may 
  want to require special justiﬁcation for them to do 
  so. If a character does put Multiform in a VPP, he 
  should use the basic cost of the alternate form each 
  time, without any doubling the number of alternate 
  forms. In this situation, the VPP construct essen-
  tially takes the place of the “+5 points doubles the 
  number of forms” rule.
  CHANGING FORMS
  Multiform itself allows a character to change 
  his form. He does not have to purchase Shape Shift 
  or some other Power to do so. A character with two 
  or more alternate forms can shift directly between 
  any two forms without having to use the true form 
  as an intermediary. Changing from one form to 
  another requires a Half Phase Action.
  Similarly, a character’s alternate forms do not 
  also have to buy Multiform so he can change shape 
  back to the true form. It’s assumed the true form’s 
  Multiform remains “active” even though he’s in 
  alternate form and allows him to change back to his 
  true form (or other forms) using the standard Mul-
  tiform rules (unless Accidental Change, Personality 
  Loss, or the like aﬀect his ability to change). Each 
  form doesn’t have to purchase Multiform.
  No other power or ability remains “active” 
  when a character switches from one form to 
  another — the abilities of the former form cease 
  to function, and those of the new form have yet to 
  be activated (unless they are Persistent, in which 
  case they’d be considered to “turn on” as soon as the 
  changing of form is complete unless the GM rules 
  otherwise). The character has to activate his new 
  form’s powers using the standard rules for doing so 
  — but since changing forms is a Half Phase Action, 
  and activating powers is a Zero Phase Action, usu-
  ally this isn’t any problem.
  The change worked upon the character’s body 
  by Multiform is as complete as the character wants it 
  to be. If desired, it can change his ﬁngerprints, DNA, 
  scent, voice, or any other aspect of his physical form, 
  or cause his clothes and goods to merge into his body 
  temporarily — or all those things could remain the 
  same from form to form. Whether it can change his 
  class of minds, his spirit/soul, or the like is up to the 
  GM (see “Mental Powers,” below).
  Characters using Multiform do not get any 
  “growth momentum” bonus to damage, even if 
  changing into a larger form.
  Changing Forms And Damage
  When a character shifts forms, the STUN and 
  BODY damage he’s taken and the END he’s used do 
  not disappear — they carry over to the next form. 
  For this reason, shifting from a form with lots of 
  BODY to a form with few BODY is dangerous, pos-
  sibly even fatal. For greater accuracy (and complex-
  ity), ﬁgure out what percentage of a character’s total 
  BODY, STUN, or END he lost while in one form, 
  and then subtract that percentage from the appro-
  priate Characteristic in his current form.
  Example:  Storvak’s tyrannosaur form has 35 
  BODY; his ﬁsh form only has 5 BODY. If he 
  takes 30 BODY damage in his tyrannosaur 
  form, and then shifts to ﬁsh form, he’ll die — 
  the ﬁsh does not have 30 BODY which it can 
  take as damage. Using the alternate rule, 30 
  is 86% of 35, so the ﬁsh would suﬀer 4 BODY 
  (5x.86) worth of damage.
  EXPERIENCE POINTS
  Alternate forms do not earn Experience Points 
  in the usual fashion. Normally, only the true form 
  receives Experience Points. If he wants his forms to 
  improve along with him, he must spend some of his 
  Experience Points to improve his Multiform power. 
  When he does so, he must decide what they go 
  toward. He could use them to increase the number of 
  forms, for example, in which case he just expands his 
  options without increasing the “strength” of any form.
  If a character spends points with the inten-
  tion of increasing the “strength” of (points used 
  to build) the forms he can change into, each 
  1 Character Point he spends on Multiform 
  increases the points in the most expensive form 
  by 5 Character Points. That effect cascades down, 
  increasing the points in every other form by 5 
  as well (assuming that’s appropriate and desired 
  — some forms might, and should, stay exactly as 
  “PARTIAL”  
  MULTIFORMS
  Sometimes a character 
  wants to buy a Mul-
  tiform that, in eﬀect, 
  involves transforming 
  only part of himself. For 
  example, a character 
  with multiple personal-
  ity disorder might have 
  very diﬀerent Skills 
  and Disadvantages, but 
  his Characteristics and 
  physical abilities are 
  identical in each form. A 
  character with a suit of 
  reconﬁgurable powered 
  armor has very diﬀerent 
  powers and weapons in 
  each form, but the same 
  Skills and personal attri-
  butes (since the person 
  inside the armor doesn’t 
  change at all).
  If built as a Multiform, 
  this sort of “partial” 
  change in form does 
  not involve any Char-
  acter Point discount or 
  savings. The cost of an 
  alternate form depends 
  on its full cost, not just 
  the cost of things that 
  change. Whether any 
  particular aspect of an 
  alternate form diﬀers 
  from the true form is 
  irrelevant for purposes 
  of determining the 
  cost of Multiform — if 
  a character’s alternate 
  form has useful Charac-
  teristics, Skills, or what 
  have you, he has to pay 
  for them as part of his 
  Multiform whether they 
  diﬀer from those of his 
  true form or not.
  Of course, if a “change” 
  is so minor that many of 
  the character’s abilities 
  remain the same from 
  “form” to “form,” Multi-
  form may not be the best 
  way to represent that. For 
  example, with the GM’s 
  permission a multiple 
  personality’s changes in 
  Psychological Limitations 
  and Skills could be rep-
  resented with a Variable 
  Disadvantage and a small 
  Variable Power Pool (Skill 
  Pool) with two set con-
  ﬁgurations for the Skills.
  
  42 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  they are, without ever improving, over the course 
  of a character’s career). The alternate forms do 
  not have to take additional Disadvantages to bal-
  ance out the new points received.
  Spending Experience Points to improve an 
  alternate form requires a certain amount of common 
  sense and consideration for game balance. In eﬀect 
  this rule quintuples the eﬀectiveness of some Experi-
  ence Points spent on Multiform, which could lead to 
  unbalancingly powerful forms. A player should have 
  a good reason for wanting to increase the strength of 
  his Multiforms this way, and the GM should review 
  the power before approving the expenditure. As a 
  good rule of thumb, the GM may want to permit a 
  character to spend no more than 1 Experience Point 
  of every 6 he earns on his Multiform. That way, the 
  true form improves by 5 points for every 5 points his 
  Multiform(s) improve by.
  PERKS
  Follower, Vehicle, and Base:  If a character buys an 
  alternate form that has one of these Perks, the cost 
  of the Multiform includes the full cost of the Perk 
  that the alternate form pays (i.e., the item’s total 
  cost divided by 5). For example, a character who 
  wants to Multiform into a 300-point character with 
  a 200-point Computer (costing him 40 points) pays 
  68 points (340/5) for the alternate form.
  Vehicle:  A Vehicle can have Multiform unless the GM 
  forbids it, but since Vehicles don’t have Base Points the 
  way characters do, determine their “Base Points” as 
  follows.
  First, choose a “true form” for the Vehicle. Since 
  this is a Vehicle being purchased by a character and 
  not a character itself, the true form should be the 
  most expensive of all the forms the character wants 
  the Vehicle to have (the GM can grant an exception 
  to this if he sees ﬁt). The true form is the Vehicle the 
  character pays Character Points to buy as a Perk. This 
  prevents the potential game balance problems of 
  having a character buy a cheap Vehicle (e.g., a bicycle) 
  that can Multiform into a much more powerful Vehi-
  cle (e.g., a jetﬁghter or a mecha).
  Second, the true form’s “Base Points” are its total 
  cost minus any Disadvantages it takes. For example, 
  the F/A-18C Hornet (The Ultimate Vehicle, page 77) 
  would have 335 “Base Points.” As usual, all alternate 
  forms have to be built on the same “Base Points” (or 
  fewer) as the true form, and must take any Disadvan-
  tages necessary to (a) cover any additional cost, or (b) 
  properly deﬁne them in game terms.
  POWERS
  Adjustment Powers:  If an attacker Drains, Suppresses, 
  or Transfers a character’s Multiform power, apply the 
  eﬀects of the Adjustment Power as evenly as pos-
  sible to reduce the Multiform power in a logical and 
  reasonable manner (keeping special eﬀects, common 
  sense, and dramatic sense in mind, of course). In 
  some cases, simply removing the ability to change 
  into one or more particular forms may make sense 
  (if so, the GM randomly determines which forms the 
  character loses). In others, it may make more sense 
  to apply the Adjustment Power to the total cost of 
  each form — for example, if the Adjustment Power 
  removes 20 points of eﬀect, reduce each form by 20 
  points, ﬁguring out in a reasonable manner which 
  powers or abilities each form loses.
  If a character is already in an alternate form 
  and the ability to change into that one form is 
  removed, the character spontaneously reverts to 
  his true form. If the entire Multiform power is 
  removed, it locks the character into that alternate 
  form until the Adjustment Power’s eﬀects fade. 
  Since the alternate form doesn’t pay for Multiform 
  himself, the GM must look at the true form’s char-
  acter sheet to determine the cost of the power.
  If a character has an Adjustment Power that 
  boosts or improves his Multiform power (such 
  as Absorption, Aid, or Transfer), it works like any 
  other positive Adjustment Power — it adds points 
  directly to the Multiform. Since Multiform works 
  by having every point spent on it count as 5 points 
  for purposes of building the alternate form, that 
  means every point added likewise increases the 
  points available to build the alternate form with by 
  5. Obviously, this could quickly become abusive; 
  most GMs probably would not allow it.
  Unlike damage or similar negative eﬀects, 
  which carry over from form to form as the charac-
  ter changes shape, the eﬀects of a positive Adjust-
  ment Power do not carry over from form to form 
  when a character uses Multiform. However, if 
  the character changes back to the “boosted” form 
  before the Adjustment Powers eﬀects have faded, 
  the “boost” remains in eﬀect.
  Mental Powers:  If a character has a Multiform that 
  lets him switch to something other than human, 
  that may or may not change his class of mind. If the 
  alternate form retains human intellect and the like, 
  then he’s still got a Human mind. If not (for exam-
  ple, if the character became completely animal-like 
  when in animal form, to the point where his INT 
  and EGO drop to the animal’s levels, or he loses 
  his personality to the eﬀects of the Personality Loss 
  Limitation), then his mind may belong to a diﬀer-
  ent class when he’s in alternate form. Alternately, a 
  character’s mind could fall into both classes; he can 
  take that as a 5-point Physical Limitation (page 121 
  of The HERO System 5th Edition, Revised).
  Duplication:  See page 31 regarding the interaction 
  of Multiform and Duplication.
  If a character has an alternate form built with 
  Duplication, Cannot Be Recombined (such as the 
  hydra from The HERO System Bestiary), typically he’s 
  automatically Duplicated when he changes to that 
  form. As always, the GM can change that outcome if it 
  doesn’t make sense or causes game balance problems.
  Endurance Reserve:  If a character has Multiform, 
  and one of his forms has an Endurance Reserve, 
  and he’s in a form that doesn’t have the Endurance 
  Reserve, the Endurance Reserve cannot Recover its 
  END. Typically if a character uses some END from 
  an Endurance Reserve and then shifts forms to an 
  alternate form, the Endurance Reserve remains 
  at whatever level it was when last used when he 
  returns to the ﬁrst form. However, the GM may 
  rule that if enough time passes, when the character 
  MULTIFORM,  
  SHAPE SHIFT, AND 
  DUPLICATION
  Multiform is related 
  to, but diﬀerent from, 
  Duplication and Shape 
  Shift. Duplication allows 
  the character to create 
  extra bodies or selves, 
  some of which may be 
  diﬀerent from the origi-
  nal character (but none 
  of which have inherent 
  shapechanging powers 
  unless they buy them). 
  Shape Shift allows a 
  character to change his 
  form, but not his powers 
  or abilities. Multiform 
  does not create new 
  bodies, but does allow 
  a character to assume 
  diﬀerent forms, which 
  may or may not have 
  diﬀerent personalities 
  and abilities than the 
  true form. When build-
  ing body alteration 
  powers, players should 
  carefully evaluate these 
  three Powers to deter-
  mine which one is best 
  suited to create the abil-
  ity desired.
  
  43 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  shifts form to the form with the Reserve, it is fully 
  “charged up.” How long this takes is up to the GM, 
  but obviously if days and days have passed, allow-
  ing it to be fully charged probably wouldn’t pose 
  game balance problems.
  Transform:  If a character with Multiform is in one 
  of his alternate forms and another character Trans-
  forms him into something else, he remains in that 
  “something else” form until the Transform wears 
  oﬀ — essentially locking him into that shape — if 
  the Transform actually has some signiﬁcant eﬀect 
  on his physical form. Most Major Transforms do, of 
  course, and many Minor Transforms do so as well. 
  A Cosmetic Transform, on the other hand, may 
  just carry over from form to form. For example, 
  if an evil witch Transformed Menagerie (who can 
  assume several animal shapes) to make her pink, 
  then perhaps the GM would allow Menagerie to 
  change back into human form... but she remains 
  bright pink. The GM should determine the exact 
  eﬀects, based on considerations of game balance, 
  common sense, and dramatic sense.
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  Instant Change:  A character with this +5 Character 
  Point Adder can shift forms as a Zero Phase Action.
  Usable On Others:  Characters should not purchase 
  this Advantage for Multiform to force another 
  character to change shape. To change another per-
  son’s shape as an attack, buy Transform.
  LIMITATIONS
  Generally speaking, Limitations on Multiform 
  such as Costs Endurance, Gestures, or Incantations, 
  apply to all changing of forms. If a character takes 
  Costs Endurance for his Multiform power, then any 
  change of form (true form to alternate, alternate to 
  true, alternate to alternate) costs END. If he takes 
  Gestures, any change requires the appropriate waving 
  of the hands (though that might change to paws if 
  he shifts to an animal form or the like). As always, 
  common sense, dramatic sense, and considerations 
  of game balance should apply. If it doesn’t make sense 
  for a character to Gesture to change back (from, say, a 
  serpent form that has no hands), it may be easiest and 
  most sensible for the GM not to require Gestures for 
  a change back. In that case the GM might reduce the 
  value of the Limitation slightly.
  Some Limitations on Multiform (like Personality 
  Loss) have to remain “in eﬀect” when the character’s 
  in his alternate form, and you can extend that logic to 
  many other Power Modiﬁers. In some cases, the GM 
  may want, or allow, the character’s alternate forms to 
  take a Disadvantage (such as Accidental Change or 
  Physical Limitation) to reﬂect this.
  Charges:  If a character takes Charges for Multiform, 
  they indicate the number of times the character may 
  change shape and change back again. For example, 
  Multiform with two Charges would allow the charac-
  ter to change shape, then return to his true form, then 
  change shape again and return to his true form again.
  Since Multiform is Persistent, technically 
  Charges bought for it should be Continuing Charges 
  (or else the change only lasts for 1 Phase per Charge). 
  However, in the interest of common sense and dra-
  matic sense, ordinary Charges bought for Multiform 
  don’t cause the character to revert to his true form in 
  this way.
  Costs Endurance (-½, -1):  When worth -½, this 
  Limitation means the character must pay END 
  when he changes forms, but not thereafter (the 
  form he changes into pays the END). When worth 
  -1, it means he must pay END not only to change 
  forms, but to stay in the form he’s changed into. 
  The form changed into pays the END cost for the 
  change and for remaining in that form. When the 
  character runs out of END or is Knocked Out, he 
  automatically changes back to his true form.
  Focus:  If a character buys Multiform with the 
  Limitation Focus, he must have the Focus in all 
  his forms. If it’s taken away from him while he’s in 
  an alternate form, he reverts to his true form. He 
  cannot apply the Focus Limitation to all the abilities 
  of the alternate forms. However, the GM may allow 
  him to apply Focus to some of those abilities based 
  on special eﬀect or the like.
  If one of the character’s forms has a power 
  bought through a Focus that some or all of his 
  other forms don’t have, technically the Focus “van-
  ishes” when the character changes forms. But if the 
  character loses his Focus, he can’t get it back simply 
  by changing forms and then reverting to the form 
  that has the Focus — he’s got to recover it just as 
  characters normally do with lost Foci. Whoever 
  took the Focus keeps it, but when the character’s 
  not in the form that has the Focus power, the Focus 
  remains inert and unusable (unless the GM rules 
  otherwise). When the character shifts back to the 
  form with the Focus, it becomes usable again by the 
  person who has possession of it.
  At the GM’s option, some types of Multi-
  form (such as a skinchanger) may need a Focus to 
  change from true form to alternate form, but the 
  Focus “merges” with the changed form, becoming 
  impossible to remove from the character by any 
  normal means. Characters can buy this as a Focus, 
  but must halve the Limitation’s value.
  Personality Loss (varies):  This Limitation repre-
  sents a type of Multiform in which the character 
  has a diﬃcult time retaining his personality and 
  changing back to his true form (or any other form). 
  The character can stay in his alternate form for up 
  to a set time period (see table) with no diﬃculty. 
  After that time period passes, he must make an 
  “Activation Roll” of 14- to retain his normal per-
  sonality and the ability to change back to his true 
  form. For every step down the Time Chart thereaf-
  ter, the roll decreases by 1 (to 13-, 12-, and so on). 
  If the character ever fails the roll, he’s trapped in his 
  current form and assumes its personality in place 
  of his own; thereafter he can only recover his true 
  personality and form with outside help.
  Once the character changes back to his true 
  form and personality, the “Activation Roll” “resets” 
  to 14- again, provided the character spends at least 
  a day in his true form. If the character assumes the 
  alternate form during that day, the roll picks up at 
  whatever level it left oﬀ.
  
  44 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  See Expanded Personality Loss, below, for 
  advanced rules for this Limitation.
  Reversion (varies):  Because Multiform is Persistent, 
  a character who’s Stunned or Knocked Out does not 
  normally revert to his true form. With this Power 
  Modiﬁer, he does. If the character’s true form is 
  weaker than his alternate form, this is a -½ to -1 Limi-
  tation (depending on just how much weaker the true 
  form is). If the true form is more powerful, it’s a +½ to 
  +1 Advantage. If the two forms are of roughly equal 
  power, it’s a -0 Limitation. (Of course, if the character 
  recovers from being Stunned before the Segment 
  ends, he does not revert.)
  The question of what constitutes “more powerful” 
  or “less powerful” depends on the campaign and GM 
  interpretation. It does not speciﬁcally mean “better in 
  combat”; the concepts of “power” and “weakness” are 
  broader than that. The character’s total points is often 
  a good indicator of abstract “power,” but not necessar-
  ily the only ones. The question becomes even more 
  complicated when a character has more than two 
  forms, with some being more powerful than his true 
  form, and some less. In that situation, the GM should 
  either consider all forms “more powerful” because 
  some are, or answer the weaker/more powerful 
  question based on what percentage of the forms are 
  weaker, and what percentage stronger.
  Side Effect:  If a character buys Multiform with a 
  Side Eﬀect (or similar Limitation), the alternate 
  form changed into suﬀers the Side Eﬀect if it occurs 
  — otherwise the Limitation wouldn’t be restric-
  tive. In the event the character changes to another 
  form (either his original, or another alternate form) 
  quickly, the GM might carry the eﬀects of the Side 
  Eﬀect over to that form as well — it’s his decision, 
  based on game balance, common sense, dramatic 
  sense, and similar considerations.
  Visible:  Characters cannot usually take this Limitation 
  for Multiform — even though it’s a Standard Power 
  which costs no END, Multiform is normally visible 
  when activated. But once a character has changed 
  form, there’s no speciﬁc way to tell that he’s a being 
  with shapechanging powers. With the GM’s permis-
  sion, a character could take Visible to represent a type 
  of Multiform in which it was always obvious that a 
  character has shapechanging powers (for example, he 
  remains the same color, no matter how inappropriate 
  that would otherwise be, in all forms).
  DISADVANTAGES
  Accidental Change:  Characters with Multiform can 
  take this Disadvantage, but if so, all forms should 
  normally purchase it (though the conditions trig-
  gering each form’s change may diﬀer).
  Psychological Limitation:  A character with Mul-
  tiform who does not retain the memories of one 
  form when in another form can take the 15-point 
  Psychological Limitation, Multiform Amnesia 
  (Common, Strong) for each form.
  Options For Multiform
  Here are some notes on particular ways to use 
  Multiform other than the classic “man into animal” 
  and “person into superhuman” alternate forms.
  MIMICKING
  Mimics — characters who can copy or steal 
  the powers, abilities, and knowledge of others — 
  are sometimes built using Multiforms, since buying 
  a Variable Power Pool or other Power Framework 
  large enough to accommodate all the abilities of 
  one (or many) characters can be prohibitively 
  expensive (and possibly ineﬃcient). The Transfer-
  ence Touch and Mimicking (Variant) powers in the 
  “Miscellaneous Powers” section of Chapter Two are 
  examples of this sort of ability.
  MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER
  Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) (or dis-
  sociative identity disorder, to give the more proper 
  name) is a psychological condition characterized by 
  the dissociation of identity to protect the self from 
  stress. In other words, a person subjected to psy-
  chological stress may shield himself from that stress 
  by creating multiple “personalities” or identities. In 
  the real world, the diagnosis and even existence of 
  MPD remains controversial, but for dramatic pur-
  poses it can be assumed to be real.
  In game terms, MPD is a mental transforma-
  tion — the character’s mind/personality/identity 
  change, but not his physical form. You can build 
  this as a Multiform in which all forms (usually no 
  more than ﬁve separate personalities, though psy-
  chologists have documented cases of many more) 
  have the Disadvantage Accidental Change (and 
  sometimes, but not always, Psychological Limita-
  tion:  Multiform Amnesia). The trigger for the Acci-
  dental Change doesn’t have to be the same from 
  personality to personality; some identities might 
  retreat in the face of danger, others only when they 
  feel that they have failed at something or when 
  confronted by authority.
  Each of the character’s alternate personae 
  should be created as someone totally unrelated to 
  the true form. They should have their own Skills, 
  Perks, memories, Disadvantages, and perhaps 
  even powers or special abilities. Cinematically, at 
  least one of the personalities tends to have some 
  negative traits — deviousness, maliciousness, 
  cruelty, evil — that make it a danger to the other 
  personalities; it wants to destroy them or subju-
  gate them so it remains in control all the time. 
  When the “evil identity” takes control, the GM 
  may need to run the character as an NPC until 
  another personality surfaces.
  The mind of someone with MPD can be 
  very convoluted. Their alternate personae are so 
  real that detecting them as false can be very dif-
  PERSONALITY LOSS TABLE
   Value 
  Time Period Before First Roll
   
  -2 
  1 Turn
   -1¾ 
  1 Minute
   -1½ 
  5 Minutes
   -1¼ 
  20 Minutes
   
  -1 
  1 Hour
  ...and so on
  
  45 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  ficult. Detecting or reading the memories of the 
  other personalities requires an EGO +30 result 
  on Telepathy, but a character who can achieve 
  this effect can cause a personality of his choice to 
  take over — in effect, he triggers the Accidental 
  Change and controls it. However, many charac-
  ters with MPD have Mental Defense to represent 
  how hard it is to read or manipulate their cha-
  otic minds, so using Telepathy or other Mental 
  Powers on them may prove difficult.
  The Science Skill Psychology helps characters 
  cope with, or even treat, someone with MPD. A suc-
  cessful Psychology roll at a -3 or greater penalty may 
  detect that a character has MPD, although usually 
  this requires extended therapy and/or witnessing the 
  character switch personalities. An SS: Psychology roll 
  at -3 (or worse) might also force an MPD character 
  to have to roll his Accidental Change; if the psycholo-
  gist makes his roll by 4 or more, he may have some 
  say in which personality surfaces next. Over time, 
  SS: Psychology may help a character treat someone 
  with MPD and merge all their personalities into one 
  (in game terms, convert the Character Points spent 
  on Multiform into a suite of Skills and abilities from 
  all the forms). This assumes treatment is desired, 
  necessary, or beneﬁcial. If one of the personalities is a 
  prominent superhero, “curing” the character might be 
  a bad thing.
  Many character concepts similar to MPD can 
  be simulated using Multiform. Examples include a 
  medium who can channel various ghosts through 
  his own body, or an undead creature who still 
  retains his soul (which sometimes takes over and 
  makes him a good guy instead of a villain).
  EXPANDED PERSONALITY LOSS
  The Personality Loss Limitation presented 
  above describes one of the classic metamorph (par-
  ticularly zoomorph) dilemmas in adventure ﬁction:  
  the possibility of losing one’s personality, one’s self, 
  to whatever one changes into. This is particularly 
  common for some types of wizards and lycan-
  thropes, but it could occur in any Multiform where 
  the alternate form has a radically diﬀerent per-
  sonality than the true form. For games where the 
  GM wants to make greater use of Personality Loss, 
  here’s an optional expanded version. The accompa-
  nying table lists the values of the various aspects of 
  the Limitation. Standard rules for Personality Loss 
  apply unless indicated otherwise below.
  The base value of Personality Loss depends on 
  the Time Before Change — the amount of time the 
  character can spend in his alternate form before 
  he runs the risk of assuming its mentality. At the 
  end of that time, the Change Happens aspect of 
  the Limitation takes eﬀect. Either he automatically 
  loses his personality (and ability to change back) to 
  that of the alternate form, or he has to make a roll. 
  If it’s an Activation Roll, it starts at 14-. He must 
  succeed with the roll to retain his normal personal-
  ity and the ability to change back to his true form. 
  For every step down the Time Chart thereafter, the 
  roll decreases by 1 (to 13-, 12-, and so on). If the 
  character ever fails the roll, he’s trapped in his cur-
  rent form and assumes its personality in place of 
  his own; thereafter he can only recover his true per-
  sonality and form with outside help. (Alternately, 
  the character’s Activation Roll may start at 11- and 
  decrease from there for a greater Limitation value.) 
  If the roll is an EGO Roll, it doesn’t decrease over 
  time, but the character still has to make the roll 
  at each step down the Time Chart; like any EGO 
  Roll, Psychological Limitations and similar circum-
  stances may modify it.
  Two other factors modify the value of Per-
  sonality Loss. The first is the Speed Of Change 
  — how quickly the character loses his personal-
  ity. The default is that it happens instantly:  as 
  soon as he fails that roll or passes that time limit, 
  he’s trapped in his alternate form. However, for 
  forms of Personality Loss with Strong or Total 
  change, the change might be Gradual. When the 
  character first passes the time limit or fails a 
  roll, he suffers a Slight change (see below). The 
  next passage of time or failed roll increases that 
  to a Strong change; the one after that, to a Total 
  change (unless restricted to Strong).
  The second is the Extent Of Change. The 
  default for the Limitation is that a total change 
  takes place:  the character’s personality shifts 
  entirely over to that of the alternate form all at 
  once. But the character can restrict the extent 
  of his Personality Loss to either Strong or Slight 
  loss for a lesser Limitation value. A Slight change 
  affects the character’s day to day life, but not 
  life or death matters. For example, he might 
  crave foods associated with their form, have a 
  change in temperament to resemble the alternate 
  EXPANDED PERSONALITY 
  LOSS TABLE
  Time Before Change 
  Value
  Instant 
  -2
  1 Turn 
  -1½
  1 Minute 
  -1¼
  5 Minutes 
  -1
  20 Minutes 
  -¾
  1 Hour 
  -½
  6 Hours 
  -¼
  1 Day 
  -0
  1 Week 
  +¼
  1 Month 
  +½ 
  Change Happens 
  Modiﬁer
  EGO Roll 
  0 more Limitation
  Activation Roll (14-) 
  ¼ more Limitation
  Activation Roll (11-) 
  ½ more Limitation
  Automatic 
  1 more Limitation
  Speed Of Change 
  Modiﬁer
  Instant 
  0 more Limitation
  Gradual 
  ½ less Limitation
  Extent Of Change 
  Modiﬁer
  Total 
  0 more Limitation
  Strong 
  ¼ less Limitation
  Slight 
  ½ less Limitation
  The minimum value of Personality Loss is -0; it cannot 
  become an Advantage even if the modiﬁers don’t 
  reduce the value of the Time Before Change to -0 or 
  make it a Limitation.
  
  46 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  form (e.g., become more animalistic or bestial if 
  the alternate form is a wolf), adopt the alternate 
  form’s likes, dislikes, and mental Disadvantages, 
  and so forth. A Strong change aﬀects all aspects of 
  a character’s life. All the Slight changes occur, and 
  in addition the character may suﬀer -2 or greater 
  penalties to Skill Rolls as his learned and trained 
  abilities become “fuzzy” and his memories fade.  
  The character also probably prefers the company of 
  others of his “own” kind to that of other people.
  Once a character suﬀers a Personality Loss, 
  whether it’s Total, Strong, or Slight, he loses the 
  ability to change from his current alternate form 
  to his true form or another alternate form. Until 
  someone ﬁnds a way to counteract or correct the 
  loss of “self,” the character’s trapped in his alternate 
  form — he doesn’t want to change back, he thinks 
  of his current state as his proper “self.”
  As noted in the standard Personality Loss 
  rules, remaining in true form for 1 Day “resets” 
  the Activation Roll to 14- (or 11- if the character 
  has chosen that version) or otherwise cancels the 
  eﬀects of losing one’s personality. The GM may alter 
  this slightly if preferred. For example, after a char-
  acter loses his personality, maybe eight hours in 
  his true form reduces the loss from Total to Strong, 
  then another eight hours from Strong to Slight, and 
  a ﬁnal eight hours from Slight to no loss at all. Or 
  perhaps the lost personality comes back over days 
  or weeks instead of hours.
  SHAPE SHIFT
  Type:   
  Standard Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Constant
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   Yes
  Cost:   
  See Shape Shift Summary Table
  A character with Shape Shift can change his 
  form as perceived by one or more Sense Groups 
  without altering his powers or other abilities. 
  Examples of Shape Shift include a character who 
  can change his shape to copy other peoples’ fea-
  tures, a powerful illusion-spell that can change a 
  person’s appearance, or a character who can trans-
  form himself into many diﬀerent inanimate objects.
  The cost for Shape Shift depends on whether 
  the change affects a Targeting or Nontargeting 
  Sense Group. For 10 Character Points the char-
  acter may change into a single other shape as 
  perceived by a Targeting Sense, chosen when the 
  Power is purchased. This form of Shape Shift is 
  the most common, and is usually chosen to affect 
  the Sight Group (the character’s shape looks 
  different). Additional Targeting Sense Groups 
  cost +5 Character Points each. For 5 Character 
  Points, the character may change into a single 
  other shape as perceived by a Nontargeting Sense 
  — for example, he can alter the way his shape 
  feels (Touch Sense Group) or smells (Smell/Taste 
  Sense Group). Additional Nontargeting Sense 
  Groups cost +3 Character Points each.
  To change into a group of no more than four 
  predefined shapes affecting the purchased Sense 
  Groups costs +5 points; to change into a limited 
  group of shapes (humanoids, animals, cars) costs 
  +10 points. To change into any shape or form 
  costs +20 points.
  When a character buys Shape Shift to 
  affect multiple Sense Groups, he must buy the 
  most expensive Sense Group first, then buy the 
  less expensive ones with the “additional Sense 
  Groups” cost.
  SHAPE SHIFT BY SENSE GROUPS
  A character deﬁnes Shape Shift by the Sense 
  Groups that can perceive the alteration in his shape.
  SHAPE SHIFT  
  SUMMARY TABLE
   
  Cost 
  Sense Group
   
  10 
  Targeting
   
  5 
  Nontargeting
   
  Cost 
  Additional Sense Groups
   
  +5 
  Additional Targeting
   
  +3 
  Additional Nontargeting
   
  Cost 
  Additional Shapes
   
  +0 
  Character can change into a single shape
   
  +5 
  Character can change into up to four  
  predeﬁned shapes
   
  +10 
  Character can change into a Limited Group 
  of shapes
   
  +20 
  Character can change into Any Shape
  
  47 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  The Sight Group
  Shape Shift (Sight Group) allows a character 
  to change his form as perceived by the Sight Group. 
  This would let him
  ■ change his coloration (which may, in the GM’s 
  option, provide a slight bonus to some Stealth and 
  Concealment rolls)
  ■ look exactly like someone else without the need 
  for the Disguise Skill (if the Shape Shift has the Imi-
  tation Adder)
  ■ look like a snake, but not feel, sound, or smell 
  like one
  In the latter example, the character looks 
  like a snake, but doesn’t feel, sound, or smell like 
  one. Anyone who touches him realizes he’s not a 
  snake. Depending upon the nature of the power 
  and the special effects, they may touch the snake 
  and its scales feel like human skin or cloth. Or, 
  they might reach down and somehow “feel” the 
  human form behind the Sight Group Shape Shift. 
  A Sight-only Shape Shift works best for charac-
  ters who only want to change some visible aspect 
  of themselves, generate a change defined as a 
  potent illusion, or the like.
  The Touch Group
  Shape Shift (Touch Group) allows a charac-
  ter to change his form as perceived by the Touch 
  Group. This would let him
  ■ make his skin feel like some other substance 
  — scales, cloth, rock, or the like
  ■ alter his actual physical shape or mass distribu-
  tion (though his total mass would not change), thus 
  allowing him to, for example, slip out of bonds, rad-
  ically alter his form, or within reason to ﬁt through 
  openings a human-shaped being cannot ﬁt through 
  (the classic meaning of “shifting shape”)
  Shape Shift (Touch Group) only allows a char-
  acter to alter his size or mass by about +/-10%. To 
  make greater changes in size or mass, the character 
  should buy Growth, Shrinking, or Density Increase 
  Linked to Shape Shift.
  The Hearing Group
  Shape Shift (Hearing Group) allows a charac-
  ter to change his form as perceived by the Hearing 
  Group. This would let him
  ■ not sound like himself (for example, to trick a 
  voice-tracking program)
  ■ appear diﬀerent to Senses such as Active Sonar 
  (Hearing Group) (see below)
  ■ sound exactly like someone else without the need 
  for the Mimicry Skill (if the Shape Shift has the Imi-
  tation Adder)
  The Smell/Taste Group
  Shape Shift (Smell/Taste Group) allows a char-
  acter to change his form as perceived by the Smell/
  Taste Group. This would let him
  ■ change his scent (for example, to throw tracking 
  dogs oﬀ his trail)
  ■ duplicate someone else’s scent to fool a biochemi-
  cal security system (if the Shape Shift has the Imita-
  tion Adder)
  The Radio Group
  Shape Shift (Radio Group) allows a charac-
  ter to change his form as perceived by the Radio 
  Group (including Radar). This would let him
  ■ alter the “energy signature” given off by his 
  superpowers
  ■ duplicate someone else’s “energy signature” (if the 
  Shape Shift has the Imitation Adder)
  If a character has Shape Shift (Touch 
  Group), but not (Radio Group), and another 
  character perceives him with Radar, the Radar 
  typically only tells the character using it where 
  the Shape Shifted character is, and his general 
  shape/configuration (in Shifted form). Radar 
  can’t pick up fine details, so Shape Shift (Touch 
  Group) usually suffices to “fool” it. The Discrimi-
  natory modifier allows the Radar user to tell the 
  general nature of the Shape Shifted character 
  (organic versus inorganic, solid versus liquid, 
  humanoid in shape, and the like). The Analyze 
  modifier provides a more definite answer, but 
  still only general information (e.g., the Shape 
  Shifted being is a mammal, the Shape Shifted 
  being is made of gold, or the like). (Generally, 
  this all applies to Sonar as well, though in that 
  case it’s usually the Hearing Group, not the Radio 
  Group, that’s involved.)
  The Mental Group
  Shape Shift (Mental Group) allows a charac-
  ter to change his form as perceived by the Mental 
  Group. This means his mind “looks” diﬀerent to 
  anyone who uses a Mental Sense to perceive his 
  mind. Trying to perceive him with Mind Scan 
  would generally be pointless; he “looks” like some 
  other mind. Telepathy at the “surface thoughts” 
  level would “see” a diﬀerent mind, but at levels 
  beyond that could still perceive the character’s 
  deeper thoughts, memories, and so forth — Shape 
  Shift doesn’t change those, and doesn’t allow a char-
  acter to change his Psychological Limitations or 
  other mental Disadvantages. (But see Deep Mental 
  Shift, below.) With the Imitation Adder, a character 
  with Shape Shift (Mental Group) can make his 
  mind “look” like another person’s mind, at least on 
  the surface level described above.
  At the GM’s option, a character could use 
  Shape Shift (Mental Group) to alter the class of 
  minds to which his mind belongs. However, this 
  could be unbalancing, since it could have the eﬀect 
  of making the character immune to most Mental 
  Powers. A better way to simulate this is Mental 
  Defense with Limitations like Costs Endurance (see 
  Shifting Mind, page 178, for an example).
  As these rules indicate, most Shape Shift-based 
  powers should aﬀect both the Sight Group and the 
  Touch Group at a minimum. However, characters 
  can use Shape Shift for other Sense Groups to 
  create all sorts of interesting powers and abilities.
  
  48 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  USING SHAPE SHIFT
  A character may freely shift his shape as often 
  as desired; switching shapes takes a Half  Phase 
  Action. Shape Shift costs END to use, both to shift 
  shapes and to stay in a shifted shape. If the char-
  acter is Knocked Out or Stunned while in shifted 
  shape, his Shape Shift immediately “turns oﬀ” 
  unless it’s Persistent.
  Shape Shift does not automatically allow a 
  character to change shape so that he resembles 
  a speciﬁc person. To do this, the character must 
  either buy the Skill Disguise and make a Disguise 
  roll, or must pay for the Imitation Adder (see 
  below). However, Shape Shift does allow a character 
  to imitate gross features (hair color, eye color, and 
  the like) without any roll. The character may even 
  Shape Shift his body so that his skin resembles 
  clothing, though he could not imitate precise styles 
  of clothing without a Disguise roll or Imitation, 
  and anyone who touched the clothing would realize 
  it was not cloth (unless his Shape Shift aﬀects the 
  Touch Group).
  Unless the GM rules otherwise, a character 
  with Shape Shift can use it to change parts of 
  himself in diﬀerent ways. For example, a character 
  with Shape Shift (Sight Group) that allows him to 
  change the color of his skin could make himself 
  half one color, half another — he’s not restricted to 
  a single color at a time.
  Other characters cannot make PER Rolls to 
  “perceive through” Shape Shift, or determine that 
  a person is Shape Shifted. They have to detect that 
  Shape Shift is being used in other ways, such as 
  a PER Roll using a Sense the Shape Shift doesn’t 
  aﬀect (“He looks like Bob... but he sure doesn’t 
  sound like him”). A character could Limit his 
  Shape Shift so that observers get a PER Roll to 
  “see through” his change in form, if desired (for 
  example, see Visible, below). The PER Roll modiﬁer 
  discussed for Imitation (see below) is an option, but 
  if the GM allows it, all it does is tell the onlooker 
  (who by deﬁnition has to know what the person 
  being imitated “looks” like) that something’s not 
  quite right. It doesn’t reveal the character’s true 
  appearance or the like.
  Shape Shift is related to, but diﬀerent from, 
  Multiform. Shape Shift allows a character to change 
  his form, but not his powers or abilities. Multiform 
  allows a character to change his powers and abili-
  ties, and his form as well if he so desires. When 
  building powers related to changing shape, play-
  ers should carefully evaluate these two Powers to 
  determine which one is best suited to create the 
  ability desired.
  CHARACTERISTICS
  Comeliness:  Depending upon special eﬀects and 
  the nature of the power he’s constructed, Shape 
  Shift (Sight Group and/or Touch Group) allows a 
  character to alter his COM if he has the Imitation 
  Adder — he can change his COM to match that of 
  whoever he’s imitating.
  Additionally, using either of those forms of 
  Shape Shift, a character can alter his COM by +/-5 
  points (that’s 5 points of COM, not 5 Character 
  Points’ worth of the Characteristic). The Makeover 
  Adder (see below) expands this capability.
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  Cellular:  Shape Shift ordinarily only aﬀects the 
  character’s outward appearance (broadly speak-
  ing). His basic identifying characteristics — DNA, 
  ﬁngerprints, retina prints, and the like — remain 
  unchanged. With this +10 Character Points Adder, 
  Shape Shift works down to the most minute levels 
  of a character’s body. His DNA, ﬁngerprints, retina 
  SHAPE SHIFT EXAMPLES
  The Sense Group-based nature of Shape Shift allows 
  characters to build a wide range of intriguing abilities, 
  but its implications are sometimes a little diﬃcult to 
  grasp. Here are a few examples of how it works:
  Example 1:  A character uses Shape Shift (Sight Group) 
  to shift shape into a dog. If someone tries to pet the 
  dog, his hand doesn’t “pass through” the dog form to 
  feel the character’s real shape (unless that suits the 
  special eﬀects of the power). Instead, when that person 
  touches the dog’s fur, he realizes that it looks like dog 
  fur, but actually feels like human skin (or a pair of 
  jeans, a suit of armor, or whatever). Similarly, someone 
  feeling the dog’s leg or head realizes that while it looks 
  like a canine leg or head, it feels like the character’s real 
  leg or head.
  Example 2:  A fat character has Shape Shift (Sight 
  Group). After an enemy ties him up, he shifts shape to 
  look thinner. The ropes do not fall away from him, and 
  he has no bonuses or extra ability to escape from the 
  ropes. Because the character has not shifted his shape 
  to the Touch Group, he can’t get out of the ropes, which 
  are touching him. When he only shifts shape as to the 
  Sight Group, he’s just aﬀecting how others perceive him 
  with Sight, and the ropes don’t see him. What appears 
  to happen to the ropes depends on the special eﬀects of 
  the power. If, for example, the power were deﬁned as a 
  potent illusion, the ropes would probably still look like 
  they’re tightly conﬁning him, since it would make the 
  illusion useless if they just remained where they were, 
  suspended in mid-air.
  If this character had Shape Shift (Touch Group), he 
  could change his physical form or distribution of mass 
  and slip out of the ropes easily.
  Example 3:  A 100 kg character has Shape Shift (Touch 
  Group). He shifts shape into a snake. The snake weighs 
  90-110 kg — Shape Shift (Touch Group) allows a char-
  acter to redistribute his mass, but not to alter it more 
  than +/-10%. As such, he’d have to be a bigger than 
  normal snake, or a longer than normal snake, or pick 
  a species of snake that’s already big and heavy (like 
  a reticulated python). As a snake, he can ﬁt through 
  anything a snake of that size and shape could normally 
  ﬁt through, even if his human shape is too big for that 
  opening. (Common sense, dramatic sense, and game 
  balance impose some restrictions on this. To ﬁt through 
  very small openings, characters should typically buy a 
  Limited form of Desolidiﬁcation — Shape Shift can’t 
  spread a character’s mass out to the thinness of vapor, 
  for example.) However, since he hasn’t Shape Shifted as 
  to the Sight Group, he doesn’t really look like a snake 
  — his scales are ﬂesh-colored, his eyes look like human 
  eyes, and so forth.
  
  49 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  prints, and so forth all change (though the charac-
  ter needs Imitation to make them mimic those of 
  someone else). Typically a Shape Shift with Cellular 
  should have the Touch Group as one of the Sense 
  Groups it can aﬀect; Cellular applied to other Sense 
  Groups doesn’t necessarily have a useful eﬀect 
  (though this may depend on the types of Senses/
  technology being used to examine the Shape 
  Shifted character).
  At the GM’s option, characters can buy Cel-
  lular for only +5 Character Points to change only 
  external indicators of identity — ﬁngerprints and 
  retina prints, basically. Their DNA and other “inter-
  nal” attributes remain unchanged.
  Cellular does not require a character to touch 
  the subject to be imitated, or the like. A character 
  could impose such a requirement by taking a Limi-
  tation, if desired, and of course the GM can impose 
  any requirements he sees ﬁt.
  Deep Mental Shift:  This +5 Character Points Adder 
  allows a Mental Group Shape Shift to aﬀect all 
  levels of the character’s mind, not just his surface 
  thoughts. Someone using Telepathy to scan his 
  hidden thoughts, memories, or subconscious still 
  “sees” the change. The character’s Psychological 
  Limitations and other mental Disadvantages do not 
  actually change, but to a character using Telepathy 
  they seem to have changed.
  Imitation:  This +10 Character Points Adder allows 
  a character to shift shape to resemble speciﬁc 
  persons. The change only aﬀects the purchased 
  Sense Groups. For example, Shape Shift aﬀecting 
  the Touch and Smell/Taste Groups with Imitation 
  would allow the character to feel and smell exactly 
  like someone else, but not to look exactly like him; 
  Imitation for Hearing Group Shape Shift allows the 
  character to sound just like another person without 
  the need for Mimicry. The resemblance is extremely 
  accurate; even those who know the imitated char-
  acter well are unlikely to detect the deception 
  (minimum of -3 to PER Rolls to determine that the 
  character is not who he appears to be).
  Imitation does not require a character to 
  touch the subject to be imitated, or the like. A 
  character could impose such a requirement by 
  taking a Limitation, if desired, and of course the 
  GM can impose any requirements he sees fit. 
  Common sense, logic, and game balance dictate 
  there has to be some reasonable grounds for 
  copying someone — for example, just saying “I 
  want to copy George Washington’s DNA” isn’t 
  enough, there’d have to be some reasonable 
  basis on which someone could form a copy (e.g., 
  maybe the subject to be copied has to be within 
  Line Of Sight, or previously copied).
  Characters cannot automatically use Imitation 
  to look like a speciﬁc class or type of person (e.g., a 
  typical Nazi SS oﬃcer; a typical Bedouin; a typical 
  businessman), to have an accent instead of a spe-
  ciﬁc voice, or the like. The ability to imitate speciﬁc 
  faces, voices, or the like does not confer vast, accu-
  rate knowledge of costuming, cultures, and other 
  subjects throughout recorded time. If a character 
  with Shape Shift and Imitation wants to precisely 
  imitate some type of clothing (or the like), he either 
  needs an accurate example he can refer to and 
  “copy,” or he needs an appropriate KS indicating his 
  familiarity with the subject.
  Instant Change:  A character with this +5 Character 
  Points Adder can shift shape as a Zero Phase Action.
  Makeover:  For this +5 Character Points Adder, a 
  character with Shape Shift (Sight Group and/or 
  Touch Group) can alter his COM within the range 
  of standards the GM deﬁnes for the campaign (for 
  example, if the GM says the maximum COM is 50, 
  the character can’t Shape Shift to have 60 COM). 
  Given the beneﬁts of negative COM for Presence 
  Attacks, the GM may wish to restrict negative 
  COM to -10 or -20, maximum.
  Usable On Others:  Characters should not purchase 
  this Advantage for Shape Shift to force another 
  character to assume a diﬀerent shape. To change 
  another person’s shape as an attack, buy Transform.
  LIMITATIONS
  Affects Body Only (-½):  Shape Shift normally 
  affects not just the character’s form, but his 
  clothes, Foci, small items he regularly carries, and 
  so forth. (The GM determines what Shape Shift 
  will and won’t affect, if necessary.) Shape Shift 
  with this Limitation only affects the character’s 
  actual body; his clothes and equipment remain 
  unchanged. Characters may only take this Limi-
  tation if they regularly wear clothes, carry equip-
  ment, and the like. (At the GM’s option, charac-
  ters can apply this Limitation to Multiform and 
  other shape-altering powers, if appropriate.)
  Limited Effect (-¼):  Shape Shift with this Limita-
  tion only aﬀects one or two Senses in a Sense Group, 
  rather than the entire Sense Group. Other Senses in 
  the Sense Group can still perceive his normal form 
  (assuming they could ordinarily perceive his normal 
  form). For example, Shape Shift (Sight Group) might 
  take this Limitation to aﬀect only Normal Sight — 
  the character’s heat signature (as viewed with Infra-
  red Perception [Sight Group]) wouldn’t change.
  Requires A Skill Roll:  If a character buys Shape 
  Shift with a Required Skill Roll, and the GM allows 
  Skill Versus Skill Rolls with RSR powers, then 
  other characters can make a PER Roll in a Contest 
  against the character’s Required Skill to realize that 
  he’s Shape Shifted.
  Visible:  Characters cannot usually take this Limita-
  tion for Shape Shift — as a Standard Power that 
  costs END, Shape Shift is normally visible when 
  activated. But once a character has changed form, 
  there’s no speciﬁc way to tell that he’s a being with 
  shapechanging powers. With the GM’s permission, 
  a character could take Visible to represent a type of 
  Shape Shift in which it was always obvious that a 
  character has shapechanging powers (for example, 
  he remains the same color, no matter how inappro-
  priate that would otherwise be, in all forms). Alter-
  nately, taking this Limitation may simply give any 
  observer the chance to make a PER Roll to perceive 
  that the character is in Shape Shifted form.
  
  50 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  DISADVANTAGES
  Generally speaking, characters cannot use 
  Shape Shift to eliminate Disadvantages — Shape 
  Shift (Touch Group) doesn’t let a character grow 
  an extra leg or eye to cancel out Physical Limita-
  tions like One-Legged or Has One Eye; Shape Shift 
  (Mental Group) doesn’t let a character change his 
  Psychological Limitations. Changes that radical 
  typically require Multiform. However, the GM can 
  allow some leeway, such as the temporary elimina-
  tion of Easily Concealable Distinctive Features, 
  if that seems dramatically appropriate and not 
  unbalancing. Similarly, a change in appearance may 
  temporarily alleviate (or shield the character from) 
  some Hunteds, Rivalries, and Social Limitations.
  Simpliﬁed Shape Shift
  For some games, a more simpliﬁed form of 
  Shape Shift may be appropriate. This type of Shape 
  Shift allows a character to change his form — the 
  way he looks, feels, sounds, smells, and so forth 
  — but not change his powers, Characteristics, or 
  the like. It aﬀects all Sense Groups, as appropriate, 
  unless the GM rules otherwise (for example, in 
  many campaigns it can’t aﬀect a character’s mind, 
  so Mental Group Senses would still perceive the 
  character’s real mind).
  Shape Shift costs 20 Character Points for the 
  ability to shift shape into a single alternate form, 
  deﬁned when the character purchases the power. 
  For +10 Character Points, the character can shift 
  shape into up to four forms, deﬁned when the 
  character purchases the power. For +20 Character 
  Points (a total cost of 40 points), the character can 
  shift shape into any form. In all cases, forms must 
  be no more than +/-10% of the character’s height 
  and mass. Characters can buy the Adders and 
  Advantages for regular Shape Shift, such as Cellular 
  and Imitation, for simpliﬁed Shape Shift unless the 
  GM rules otherwise.
  SHRINKING
  Type:  
  Size Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Constant
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   Yes
  Cost:   
  10 Character Points for every x½ Height, 
  x⅛ mass, -2 DCV, +3” Knockback, and -2 
  to all PER Rolls made against character, 
  and +2d6 damage for growth momentum
  A character with Shrinking can decrease in 
  size, making it more diﬃcult for other characters 
  to attack or perceive him. For every 10 Character 
  Points, the character gets the following beneﬁts:
  ■ x½ height
  ■  x⅛ mass
  ■ +2 DCV
  ■ other characters suﬀer a -2 to all PER Rolls made 
  to perceive him (see below)
  Additionally, the character takes +3” of Knock-
  back for every level of Shrinking he has. This Knock-
  back modiﬁer only increases the total distance trav-
  eled when the character suﬀers Knockback; it doesn’t 
  increase the damage he takes from Knockback. The 
  Knockback modiﬁer applies after the dice are rolled 
  to reduce the KB the character takes, so the roll can’t 
  counteract them — even if the dice reduce KB to 
  0”, a Shrunk character still takes the amount of KB 
  equal to his Knockback modiﬁer (though he suﬀers 
  no damage from this extra KB). Even if the campaign 
  doesn’t use Knockback normally, the GM may occa-
  sionally have attacks Knock Back smaller characters 
  since they weigh less than the average PC.
  The Shrinking Table provides details on the 
  beneﬁts and drawbacks of Shrinking. However, the 
  ﬁgures in the table are guidelines, not absolutes; the 
  GM should feel free to alter them slightly based on 
  special eﬀects or to aid game balance.
  Example: Shrinker buys 40 Character Points’ 
  worth of Shrinking. When Shrunk, she has 
  a +8 DCV, and she adds +12 to Knockback 
  (thus, when rolling Knockback, add 12 to the 
  amount of BODY done by the attack, only for 
  the purpose of determining how far Shrinker is 
  Knocked Back). If Shrinker is hiding or being 
  stealthy, anyone attempting to perceive her 
  must make a PER Roll at -8.
  While Shrunk, Shrinker is hit with an Energy 
  Blast that does 38 STUN, 10 BODY. The GM 
  rolls 2d6 for Knockback and gets a 5, mean-
  ing she would normally take 5” Knockback (10 
  BODY - the 5 rolled). Because she is Shrunk, she 
  must add +12”, meaning she will be Knocked 
  Back 17”!  However, she only takes 5d6 damage 
  from the Knockback if she hits something.
  Suppose the GM rolled 11 on the dice. Normally 
  that would mean 0” KB (since 10 BODY - 11 = 
  -1). However, since Shrinker is so tiny, she still 
  takes (0” + 12”) = 12” of KB (though this is only 
  for distance, not damage).
  
  51 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  USING SHRINKING
  Shrinking costs END as long as it’s in use. If 
  the character is Knocked Out or Stunned while 
  Shrunk, his Shrinking immediately “turns oﬀ” 
  unless it’s Persistent. Shrinking is intended for 
  characters who can alter their size; a character who’s 
  exceptionally small all the time can simulate that 
  by buying various Powers and Disadvantages with 
  that special eﬀect (see Creating Permanently Small 
  Characters, below).
  One of the main advantages of Shrinking is 
  the ability to get into places or hide behind things 
  where normal people can’t ﬁt. The GM should allow 
  Shrinkers to use their small size in inventive ways 
  during an adventure. On the other hand, Shrinkers 
  also suﬀer from some signiﬁcant restrictions; their 
  reach, for example, is often much less than that of a 
  normal person.
  Shrinking does not affect a character’s STR, 
  movement, or other abilities — they’re just as 
  powerful when he’s Shrunk as when he’s normal 
  height. Characters whose STR and powers 
  decrease proportionately to their size should take 
  a -¼ Limitation, Reduced By Shrinking, on any 
  such Characteristic or Power. As a general rule 
  of thumb, Characteristics and Powers should 
  lose about 5 Active Points’ worth of effect per 
  10 Character Points in Shrinking. (Alternately, a 
  character could define the loss of STR or other 
  Powers as a mandatory Side Effect for Shrinking; 
  see page 307 of The HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised rulebook.)
  Perceiving Shrunk Characters
  The PER Roll penalty for perceiving a Shrunk 
  character applies to all standard Sense Groups 
  other than the Mental Sense Group. It does not 
  apply to Senses not assigned to a Sense Group, such 
  as Combat Sense and Danger Sense.
  The PER Roll penalty for perceiving a Shrunk 
  character doesn’t make a character diﬃcult to 
  perceive all the time — it’s not a limited form of 
  Invisibility. Unless the character deliberately tries 
  to be diﬃcult to perceive, others can perceive him 
  normally regardless of his size. For example, if he’s 
  in combat and/or using a perceivable Power of 
  some sort, others can perceive him normally (i.e., 
  without a penalty based on his size). Only when the 
  character hides, uses Stealth (or Concealment to 
  hide himself), or otherwise tries to remain unper-
  ceived does the PER Roll bonus have any eﬀect. (To 
  simulate the PER Roll bonus for characters who are 
  very small all the time, buy bonuses to Stealth and/
  or Concealment.)
  EXPANDED SHRINKING TABLE
   
   
   
   
   
  PER
   Points of 
  Height 
  Height 
   
  Rolls
   Shrinking 
  (meters) 
  (other) 
  Mass 
  Against 
  DCV 
  KB 
  Example
   
  0 
  2 m 
  200 cm (6 feet) 
  100 kg 
  0 
  +0 
  +0 
  Normal human size
   
  10 
  1.9-1 m 
  100 cm (3 feet 
  99-12.5 kg 
  -2 
  +2 
  +3 
  Human child, halﬂing
   
  20 
  .9-.5 m 
  50 cm (20 inches) 
  12.4-1.6 kg 
  -4 
  +4 
  +6 
  Housecat, small dog
   
  30 
  .4-.25 m 
  25 cm (1 foot) 
  1.5-.2 kg 
  -6 
  +6 
  +9 
  Average rat or frog
   
  40 
  .24-.125 m 
  12.5 cm (.5 foot) 
  .19-.025 kg 
  -8 
  +8 
  +12 
  Dragonﬂy
   
  50 
  .124-.064 m 
  6.4 cm 
  .024-.0032 kg 
  -10 
  +10 
  +15 
  Average mouse or shrew
   
  60 
  .063-.032 m 
  3.2 cm (1 inch) 
  .0031-.0004 kg 
  -12 
  +12 
  +18 
  American cockroach, small shrew
   
  70 
  .031-.016 m 
  1.6 cm (.5 inch) 
  .00005 kg 
  -14 
  +14 
  +21 
  Wasp, diameter of a penny
   
  80 
  .015-.008 m 
  8 millimeters 
  .0000064 kg 
  -16 
  +16 
  +24 
  Ant, houseﬂy
   
  90 
  .007-.004 m 
  4 millimeters (.5 cm) .0000008 kg 
  -18 
  +18 
  +27
   
  100 
  .003-.002 m 
  2 millimeters 
  100 nanograms 
  -20 
  +20 
  +30 
  Head of a pin
   
  110 
  .00199-.001 m 
  1 millimeter (mm) 
  12.5 nanograms 
  -22 
  +22 
  +33
   
  120 
  .00099-.0005 m 
  .5 millimeters 
  1.6 nanograms 
  -24 
  +24 
  +36
   
  130 
  .0004-.00025 m 
  250 micrometers 
  .2 nanograms 
  -26 
  +26 
  +39
   
  140 
  .00024-.000125 m 
  125 micrometers 
  25 picograms 
  -28 
  +28 
  +42 
  Plant cell, human unaided viewing limit,  
  width of an artery
   
  150 
  .000124-.000064 m 64 micrometers 
  3 picograms 
  -30 
  +30 
  +45 
  Width of an average human hair
   
  160 
  .000063-.000032 m 32 micrometers 
  400 femtograms 
  -32 
  +32 
  +48
   
  170 
  .000031-.000016 m 16 micrometers 
  50 femtograms 
  -34 
  +34 
  +51 
  Width of an animal cell, length of a salt grain
   
  180 
  .000015-.000008 m 8 micrometers 
  6 femtograms 
  -36 
  +36 
  +54
   
  190 
  .000007-.000004 m 4 micrometers 
  800 attograms 
  -38 
  +38 
  +57 
  Width of shag-carpet ﬁber
   
  200 
  .000003-.000002 m 2 micrometers 
  100 attograms 
  -40 
  +40 
  +60
   
  210 
  .000001 m 
  1 micrometer (μm) 
  12.5 attograms 
  -42 
  +42 
  +63 
  Width of a bacterium, 1 micron
   
  220 
  .0000005 m 
  500 nanometers 
  1.6 attograms 
  -44 
  +44 
  +66 
  Viewing limit of a light microscope
   
  230 
  .00000025 m 
  250 nanometers 
  .2 attograms 
  -46 
  +46 
  +69 
  Width of an average virus
   
  240 
  .000000125 m 
  125 nanometers 
  25 zeptograms 
  -48 
  +48 
  +72 
  Width of a nanomachine
   
  250 
  .000000064 m 
  64 nanometers 
  3 zeptograms 
  -50 
  +50 
  +75 
  Width of a small molecule
   
  260 
  .000000032 m 
  32 nanometers 
  400 yoctograms 
  -52 
  +52 
  +78
   
  270 
  .000000016 m 
  16 nanometers 
  50 yoctograms 
  -54 
  +54 
  +81 
  Viewing limit of an electron microscope,  
  the smallest viri
   
  280 
  .000000008 m 
  8 nanometers 
  6 yoctograms 
  -56 
  +56 
  +84
   
  290 
  .000000004 m 
  4 nanometers 
  Negligible 
  -58 
  +58 
  +87
   
  300 
  .000000002 m 
  2 nanometers 
  Negligible 
  -60 
  +60 
  +90
   
  310 
  .000000001 m 
  1 nanometer (nm) 
  Negligible 
  -62 
  +62 
  +93
  
  52 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Growth Momentum
  A character with Shrinking may add his 
  growth momentum to his punch damage — the 
  Shrunk character literally grows up underneath 
  the jaw of his opponent, “uppercutting” his foe as 
  he grows. This adds +1d6 of damage to the char-
  acter’s punch per point of DCV gained from being 
  Shrunk. Of course, after using growth momentum, 
  the character remains normal size at least until 
  his next Phase, when he can Shrink down again. A 
  character can’t use growth momentum on someone 
  the same size as, or smaller than, he is.
  A character cannot use growth momentum to 
  add to the damage caused by a Move By/Through, 
  or the like. Once the character begins his Move 
  Through/By, he’s in the middle of an Attack Action 
  and cannot perform a Zero Phase Action to turn 
  oﬀ his Shrinking and become larger. A “growth 
  momentum attack” is a special sort of Strike char-
  acters with Shrinking can perform, it’s not a modi-
  ﬁer that applies to any attack.
  Held Items
  When a character Shrinks, any small personal 
  objects he’s carrying (including any weapons or 
  Foci) shrink with him. Larger objects he’s carrying 
  do not — he immediately “drops” them, and they 
  remain their normal size. The GM determines what 
  constitutes a “small personal object”; a briefcase or 
  bag of loot from a robbery might qualify, whereas a 
  big television set or another person would not.
  A Shrunk character cannot drop objects onto, 
  into, or near other characters in the expectation 
  that they’ll become normal size and damage other 
  characters. Such an “attack” has no eﬀect unless the 
  character buys it as a power.
  ADVANTAGES
  Double Knockback:  When a Shrunk character is hit 
  by an attack that does Double Knockback, ﬁrst you 
  double the BODY rolled for Knockback purposes. 
  Then you roll the dice and subtract the number 
  rolled from the BODY. (The result indicates the 
  maximum KB damage the target can take.) Then 
  you add the extra inches of KB suﬀered due to 
  Shrinking.
  For example, suppose a character with 60 
  Active Points’ worth of Shrinking (+18” KB) is hit 
  with a Double Knockback attack that does 2 BODY. 
  That doubles to 4 BODY for KB purposes. The dice 
  roll is 7, meaning 0” of KB and 0d6 of damage. To 
  that you add +18” (distance only, no damage), so 
  the character takes 18” Knockback.
  Now suppose the attack does 6 BODY. That 
  doubles to 12 BODY for KB purposes. The dice roll of 
  7 reduces that to 5” (and a maximum of 5d6 damage). 
  To that you add the +18”, for a total of 23” KB.
  Normal Mass (+½, +1):  A character who has 
  Shrinking with this +½ Advantage retains his 
  normal mass (100 kg for most characters, possibly 
  much more for characters using Density Increase) 
  even though he becomes smaller. He does not suﬀer 
  the Knockback modiﬁer for Shrinking. This may 
  cause practical problems for the character; many 
  surfaces can’t tolerate having 100 kg impacting on 
  them in the small area of a Shrunken character’s 
  feet. The character may have the same diﬃculty 
  characters with Density Increase experience on 
  normal surfaces.
  At the GM’s option, a character may buy a 
  +1 version of this Advantage to choose, from use 
  to use, whether to have his normal mass or the 
  mass indicated by Shrinking. He cannot choose 
  an interim value. For example, if he uses 60 
  points’ worth of Shrinking, he either has normal 
  mass, or a mass of 0.0004 kg; he can’t choose to 
  weigh 25 kg or 1 kg. If he chooses the Shrinking 
  mass, he suffers the Knockback modifier listed in 
  the Shrinking Table.
  LIMITATIONS
  Easily Perceived (-¼):  Shrinking with this Limita-
  tion imposes no negative modiﬁers on other char-
  acters’ PER Rolls to perceive the Shrunk character.
  No Growth Momentum (-¼):  Shrinking with this 
  Limitation does not allow a character to do damage 
  with growth momentum.
  Reduced By Shrinking (-¼):  If a character wants to 
  lose some abilities — such as STR, or the full power 
  of his Energy Blast, or the like — he can use this 
  Limitation, which is described above.
  Creating Permanently  
  Small Characters
  As noted above, Shrinking is for characters 
  who can alter their size. If you want to have a char-
  acter who’s shorter or smaller than an ordinary 
  human all of the time, here’s how you buy that, 
  using Shrinking as a guideline.
  First, determine how small the character is. 
  Then ﬁnd the category on the Shrinking Table cor-
  responding to that size. Use the attributes of that 
  amount of Shrinking to buy the relevant abilities:
  ■ For the PER Roll penalty to see the character, buy 
  the corresponding bonuses to Concealment with 
  the Limitation Self Only (-½), and to Stealth with 
  no Limitation.
  ■ For the DCV bonus, buy the equivalent number 
  of 5-point Combat Skill Levels for DCV.
  The special eﬀect of these abilities is that they 
  derive from the character’s decreased size. The Size 
  Templates on pages 574-75 of The HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised rulebook summarize the abilities 
  pertaining to various categories of decreased size.
  Second, smaller and/or lighter characters 
  suffer some problems — they sometimes have 
  trouble reaching things, making themselves 
  noticed, and the like. They suffer greater Knock-
  back, as defined by the Shrinking Table. To 
  represent these difficulties, a character needs a 
  Physical Limitation, Size/Weight, which repre-
  sents the inconvenience of being so small and 
  light all the time. The Size/Weight Physical Limi-
  tation on page 576 of The HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised rulebook lists the values and effects 
  for each category of small size.
  
  53 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  You may want to build a permanently large 
  or small character who also buys some Shrinking 
  so he can sometimes become shorter. In this case, 
  the eﬀects of each level of Shrinking — the halving 
  of height, the reduction of weight to one-eighth of 
  normal, and so on — apply to the character regu-
  larly. Thus, in eﬀect, if a character who’s always large 
  or small is built properly, using X Character Points’ 
  worth of Shrinking has the same overall eﬀect as 
  a normal-sized character buying more Shrinking 
  than that.
  Example:  A character is deﬁned as always 
  being 8” tall. To represent that, he buys +45 
  STR, Stretching 4” for reach, Knockback Resis-
  tance -9”, weigh 50,000 kg, and so forth. He 
  also takes a Physical Limitation that gives him 
  -6 DCV and a +6 PER Roll modiﬁer to per-
  ceive him. If he has 20 points’ worth of Shrink-
  ing, when he uses it he becomes 4 meters (2”) 
  tall, weighs 781 kg, gains +4 DCV, has a -4 
  PER Roll penalty to see him when he hides, 
  and takes +6” Knockback from attacks. In 
  eﬀect, the Shrinking cancels part of the eﬀects 
  of his being so tall — he’s only at -2 DCV, +2 
  PER Rolls, and -3” KB due to his size.
  Expanded Shrinking Table
  For some gaming groups, greater granularity 
  for Shrinking may be desirable. Many entries in 
  the Shrinking Table (such as DCV, PER Roll pen-
  alty, and reach) go up by increments of greater 
  than 1. The accompanying Optional Expanded 
  Shrinking Table provides a more detailed break-
  down of Shrinking to help you more precisely 
  define your character.
  Unifying Growth And  
  Shrinking:  Alter Size
  As they stand, Growth and Shrinking are 
  similar to each other, but not enough so to suit 
  some campaigns. For example, the fact that it takes 
  15 Character Points’ worth of Growth to double a 
  character’s height and increase his mass eight times, 
  but only 10 Character Points’ worth of Shrinking to 
  halve his height and reduce his mass to one-eighth 
  normal, strikes some gamers as illogical.
  For campaigns desiring greater “uniformity” 
  and “logic” for the Size Powers, here’s a replace-
  ment Power called Alter Size. To unify Growth 
  and Shrinking this way, it’s necessary to strip away 
  some of the granularity of, and abilities provided 
  by, Growth. As it stands, Growth provides a lot of 
  beneﬁts, such as extra BODY and STUN, that have 
  no analogue with Shrinking. A Shrunk character 
  doesn’t lose BODY, for example, even though a 
  Grown character gains BODY. This has the addi-
  tional beneﬁt of streamlining the Growth rules by 
  eliminating the need to discuss what happens when 
  a Grown character gets injured and then returns to 
  normal size. As always, a character using Alter Size 
  to become larger can buy extra BODY or STUN 
  OPTIONAL EXPANDED SHRINKING TABLE
   
   
   
   
  PER
   Points of 
   
   
  Rolls
   Shrinking 
  Height 
  Mass 
  Against 
  DCV 
  KB
   
  0 
  2m 
  100 kg 
  0 
  +0 
  +0”
   
  5 
  1.9-1.5 m 
  99-56.25 kg 
  -1 
  +1 
  +2”
   
  10 
  1.4-1 m 
  56.24-12.5 kg 
  -2 
  +2 
  +3”
   
  15 
  .9-.75 m 
  12.4-7.05 kg 
  -3 
  +3 
  +5”
   
  20 
  .74-.5 m 
  7.04-1.6 kg 
  -4 
  +4 
  +6”
   
  25 
  .4-.375 m 
  1.5-0.9 kg 
  -5 
  +5 
  +8”
   
  30 
  .374-.25 m 
  .8-.2 kg 
  -6 
  +6 
  +9”
   
  35 
  .24-.187 m 
  .19-.11 kg 
  -7 
  +7 
  +11”
   
  40 
  .186-.125 m 
  .10-.025 kg 
  -8 
  +8 
  +12”
   
  45 
  .124-.09 m 
  .024-.014 kg 
  -9 
  +9 
  +14”
   
  50 
  .08-.064 m 
  .013-.0032 kg 
  -10 
  +10 
  +15”
   
  55 
  .063-.048 m 
  .0031-.0018 kg 
  -11 
  +11 
  +17”
   
  60 
  .047-.032 m 
  .0017-.0004 kg 
  -12 
  +12 
  +18”
   
  65 
  .031-.024 m 
  .00022 kg 
  -13 
  +13 
  +20”
   
  70 
  .023-.016 m  
  .00005 kg 
  -14 
  +14 
  +21”
   
  75 
  .015-.012 m 
  .00003 kg 
  -15 
  +15 
  +23”
   
  80 
  .011-.008 m 
  .0000064 kg 
  -16 
  +16 
  +24”
   
  85 
  .007-.006 m 
  .000004 kg 
  -17 
  +17 
  +26”
   
  90 
  .005-.004 m 
  .0000008 kg 
  -18 
  +18 
  +27”
   
  95 
  .0039-.003 m 
  .0000004 kg 
  -19 
  +19 
  +29”
   
  100 
  .0029-.002 m 
  100 nanograms 
  -20 
  +20 
  +30”
  
  54 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  that’s Linked to the Power so that he becomes 
  harder to kill or Knock Out (see Chapter Two for 
  many such abilities).
  Alter Size is a Body-Aﬀecting Power (you can 
  eliminate the “Size Powers” category if you use it, 
  since there will only be one Power for changing 
  size). It’s Constant, Self Only, and costs END. It 
  costs 10 Character Points per “level” of size altera-
  tion. The standard rules for Growth and Shrinking 
  apply unless otherwise noted. The accompanying 
  table describes the beneﬁts of altered size.
  A character who buys Alter Size must decide 
  whether he can become larger (Grow) or smaller 
  (Shrink) when he buys the Power, and can’t change 
  this thereafter. For a +¼ Advantage, True Size 
  Alteration, he can become larger or smaller as he 
  chooses (though he can’t become both smaller and 
  larger at the same time, of course).
  Further Implications
  With Alter Size, the only remaining points of 
  disconnection between “Growth” and “Shrinking” 
  are that Growing gives a character greater strength 
  and reach. If you want to emphasize consistency, 
  consider reducing a “Shrunk” character’s abilities 
  this way:  -5 STR and x½ reach for every 10 points 
  of Shrinking. Thus, a character using 30 points of 
  Shrinking has one-eighth the reach of a human-
  sized character (which may make it diﬃcult or 
  impossible for him to reach some targets in HTH 
  Combat; the GM should make that determination 
  Phase by Phase) and -15 STR.
  This makes “Shrinking” a much less attractive 
  ability for many characters. To counterbalance it, the 
  GM might want to provide some additional beneﬁt 
  for “Shrinking” (even though that re-introduces the 
  problem of keeping the two types of Alter Size con-
  sistent). For example, maybe “Shrinking” provides +1 
  to PER Rolls with all Sense Groups per level, because 
  small objects, details, and sensory eﬀects are now 
  much “larger” and more noticeable to the character. 
  (To maintain consistency, perhaps “Grown” char-
  acters suﬀer -1 to PER Rolls per level because such 
  things are now “smaller” and thus harder to notice.)
  STRETCHING
  Type:   
  Standard Power/Body-Affecting Power
  Duration:   Constant
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   Yes
  Cost:   
  5 Character Points for every 1” of Stretch-
  ing (2” Noncombat)
  A character with Stretching can stretch his 
  body, make HTH attacks at a distance, and reach 
  for things that are a long distance away from him. 
  Some examples of Stretching include a character 
  with an elastic body, a weapon with a long reach, 
  or a robot with mechanical servos that allow it 
  to elongate its arms. Each 1” of Stretching costs 5 
  Character Points.
  USING STRETCHING
  The number of inches of Stretching a char-
  acter purchases represents the total amount of 
  Stretching his body can use at any one time. If 
  he uses all of his Stretching to Stretch one body 
  part, he can’t Stretch any others; if he uses half of 
  it on one body part, half of it remains for another 
  body part; and so on.
  A character’s base inches of Stretching assume 
  he maintains full OCV and DCV. If he’s willing to 
  be 0 OCV and ½ DCV, he can Stretch twice as far 
  (“Noncombat Stretching,” so to speak).
  A character with Stretching may make HTH 
  Combat attacks against targets within the reach 
  of his Stretching. For example, a character with 
  Stretching 8” could make HTH Combat attacks 
  against targets within 8” of the hex he’s standing 
  in. These attacks are not made “at Range” and do 
  not suﬀer the Range Modiﬁer — the character is 
  considered to be in HTH Combat, and can use 
  any attack or maneuver he could ordinarily use 
  in HTH Combat. A character with Stretching can 
  use a Sweep maneuver to hit multiple targets if all 
  the targets are in adjacent hexes or a reasonably 
  straight “line” within the reach of his Stretching.
  The reach provided by Stretching does not 
  reduce or otherwise aﬀect the Range Modiﬁer 
  the character suﬀers for Ranged attacks. The GM 
  should still calculate that from where the character 
  stands. However, the GM could, in his discretion, 
  count the Range Modiﬁer from the character’s 
  hand, if he felt that would be appropriate.
  Stretching allows a character to reach around 
  walls or obstacles, reach over or around a target 
  to hit it from behind even though the character is 
  standing in front of it, and so forth. Thus, Stretch-
  ing is inherently Indirect (see page 260 of The 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised) in some respects.
  Stretching does not improve the character’s 
  movement capabilities — he cannot, for example, 
  run faster or squeeze under doors. To simulate 
  these special effects, the character should buy 
  Running and/or Desolidification with appropri-
  ate Limitations.
  Stretching costs END to use. Additionally, the 
  character must also pay the END cost for any STR 
  ALTER SIZE TABLE
   
   
   
  PER
   
   
   
  Rolls
   Points 
  Height 
  Mass 
  Against 
  DCV 
  KB 
  Reach STR
   60 
  64.1-125m 
  3.21mil-25.6mil kg 
  +12 
  -12 
  -18” 
  +32” 
  +60
   50 
  32.1-64m 
  400,001-3.2mil kg 
  +10 
  -10 
  -15” 
  +16” 
  +50
   40 
  16.1-32m 
  50,001-400,000 kg 
  +8 
  -8 
  -12” 
  +8” 
  +40
   30 
  8.1-16m 
  6,401-50,000 kg 
  +6 
  -6 
  -9” 
  +4” 
  +30
   20 
  4.1-8m 
  801-6,400 kg 
  +4 
  -4 
  -6” 
  +2” 
  +20
   10 
  2.1-4m 
  101-800 kg 
  +2 
  -2 
  -3” 
  +1” 
  +10
   
  0 
  2m 
  100 kg 
  0 
  +0 
  +0” 
  +0” 
  +0
   10 
  1.9-1m 
  99-12.5 kg 
  -2 
  +2 
  +3” 
  +0” 
  +0*
   20 
  .9-.5m 
  12.4-1.6 kg 
  -4 
  +4 
  +6” 
  +0” 
  +0
   30 
  .4-.25m 
  1.5-.2 kg 
  -6 
  +6 
  +9” 
  +0” 
  +0
   40 
  .24-.125m 
  .19-.025 kg 
  -8 
  +8 
  +12” 
  +0” 
  +0
   50 
  .124-.064m 
  .024-.0032 kg 
  -10 
  +10 
  +15” 
  +0” 
  +0
   60 
  .063-.032m 
  .0031-.0004 kg 
  -12 
  +12 
  +18” 
  +0” 
  +0
  ...and so forth, in either direction
  *:  See main text regarding possible STR reduction.
  
  55 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  used while Stretching (for instance, if he punches 
  someone at distance).
  Grabbing And Moving Objects
  Typically, a character with Stretching can both 
  Stretch to his full distance and then retract back 
  to his normal “shape” in a single Phase. However, 
  there may be instances where the GM wants the 
  character to remain Stretched, at least until the end 
  of the Segment — for example, because it’s possible 
  someone would attack a Stretched limb.
  A character with Stretching can reach out, 
  Grab a character or object that’s within the range 
  of his Stretching (even if it’s outside normal HTH 
  Combat range), and pull it to him (assuming he 
  has the STR to move it). Assuming the target is 
  an object, this typically takes a Full Phase Action. 
  It only requires a Half Phase Action if the total of 
  (inches Stretched + inches the character has to pull 
  the object) is less than or equal to half his Stretch-
  ing. If the target is a person or the like, the GM 
  may rule that making the Grab ends the Stretching 
  character’s Phase. However, since characters can 
  Grab and Squeeze, or Grab and Throw, most GMs 
  allow characters with Stretching to Grab and Drag 
  To Myself as part of one Attack Action. The GM 
  may allow a Grabbed character to have an Action 
  that takes no time to brace himself or use STR to 
  resist being dragged.
  A character with Stretching can reach out, 
  Grab a large, solid object (such as a tree, the edge of 
  a roof or cliﬀ, or the like), and pull himself up to it 
  (assuming he has the STR to lift himself). This typi-
  cally requires a Full Phase Action. It only requires a 
  Half Phase Action if the total of (inches Stretched 
  + inches the character pulls himself) is less than or 
  equal to half his inches of Stretching.
  Stretching “Velocity” Damage
  A character with Stretching can use all of his 
  inches of Stretching in a Phase. There’s no “veloc-
  ity” or “acceleration” to Stretching that limits the 
  number of inches of Stretching a character can use 
  to “move” part of his body in a given Phase.
  To reﬂect the momentum of Stretching, when 
  a character uses Stretching to make a direct attack 
  on a target, he may add a number of Damage 
  Classes equal to 1 Damage Class for every full 3” 
  of Stretching. For these purposes Stretching does 
  have an “acceleration” — a Stretching character 
  can add 5” of “velocity” per hex for these purposes. 
  (For example, if a character has Stretching 10”, he 
  can gain a maximum of +3d6 damage, but he has 
  to “accelerate” at 5” per hex for 2” to reach his full 
  bonus damage.) The character cannot gain Stretch-
  ing “velocity” bonus damage if he uses Stretching 
  to attack indirectly (for example, if he Stretches his 
  ﬁst in an arc over a target’s head to hit the target in 
  the back). See pages 406-07 of The HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised for more information.
  The velocity damage bonus provided by 
  Stretching is not actual velocity; it doesn’t allow 
  a character to perform a “Stretching Move By” or 
  similar maneuver.
  POWERS
  Missile Deflection:  A character with Stretching 
  and Missile Deflection cannot automatically use 
  his Missile Deflection up to the “reach” of his 
  Stretching, unless the GM specifically permits 
  this. He’s restricted to the normal use of Missile 
  Deflection.
  Shrinking:  A character can combine the “veloc-
  ity” bonus damage from Stretching with growth 
  momentum damage from Shrinking (or Growth) in 
  appropriate circumstances.
  Swinging:  At the GM’s option, a character who 
  Stretches out his arms in conjunction with his 
  Swinging can add his Stretching inches to the dis-
  tance he Swings.
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  Area Of Effect, Explosion:  Characters cannot buy 
  these Advantages for Stretching.
  Improved Noncombat Stretching:  A character may 
  double the range of his “Noncombat Stretching” for 
  +5 Character Points. Characters can buy this Adder 
  multiple times.
  Does Not Cross Intervening Space (+¼):  One draw-
  back to Stretching is that it leaves parts of the 
  character’s body (usually the arms) open to attack. 
  While an arm is Stretched across a battleﬁeld, 
  another character may try to cut it oﬀ or hurt it in 
  some way. Stretching with this Advantage doesn’t 
  have that problem, because it doesn’t involve liter-
  ally elongating one’s body. Instead, the character’s 
  Stretching doesn’t physically cross the interven-
  ing space between him and the target he wants to 
  attack or touch. For example, a character who buys 
  Stretching to simulate a mystic martial arts punch 
  he can use at a distance takes this Advantage. So 
  does a character who “Stretches” by creating two 
  dimensional portals, reaching into Portal A, and 
  having his hand come out of Portal B. A character 
  cannot use Stretching with this Limitation to reach 
  out, Grab someone, and drag him to the character, 
  nor to reach out and drag himself to a place, except 
  with the GM’s permission.
  The Does Not Cross Intervening Space Advan-
  tage does not impart any Indirect properties to 
  Stretching that Stretching doesn’t already possess. 
  For example, it doesn’t allow Stretching to auto-
  matically bypass Force Walls or similar obstacles. 
  If a character wants this type of Stretching to be 
  that Indirect, he has to pay for that Advantage. Nor 
  does this Advantage prevent a target from Blocking 
  a Stretching attack, or provide any other beneﬁt or 
  expanded attack capacity other than what’s dis-
  cussed on page 221 of The HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised rulebook.
  A character using Stretching with this Advan-
  tage is still aﬀected by a Damage Shield he touches 
  while Stretched, and characters he Grabs can still 
  apply a Reversal maneuver to him.
  Indirect:  Since Stretching has some inherently 
  Indirect properties, a character with Stretching can 
  eﬀectively treat many Ranged attacks as Indirect, 
  
  56 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  by Stretching the emitting body part (or the hand 
  holding the weapon) before attacking (unless the 
  GM forbids this for some reason). However, if a 
  character wants to make his Stretching even more 
  Indirect (for example, to allow it to automatically 
  bypass Force Walls), he must pay the full cost of the 
  Advantage; the existing Indirect aspects of Stretch-
  ing don’t make the Advantage any cheaper.
  Transdimensional:  Since Stretching has some inher-
  ently Indirect properties, a character can buy Transdi-
  mensional for it (assuming the GM permits him to).
  LIMITATIONS
  Always Direct (-¼):  Stretching with this Limita-
  tion loses its Indirect aspects; it only works in a 
  straight line.
  Cannot Do Damage (-½):  A character cannot use 
  Stretching with this Limitation to punch or other-
  wise cause damage to another character at a dis-
  tance. He could Grab a character, but not Squeeze 
  or Throw him afterward.
  Focus (varies):  A character often buys Stretching 
  through a Focus (such as a long pole or a linegun) 
  to have an object that lets him reach far away from 
  themselves. In this case, the character’s body does 
  not actually stretch or elongate, and any attacks 
  made against the “Stretched” part of his “body” 
  damage the Focus, not the character.
  Limited Body Parts (-¼ or more):  This Limitation 
  represents a form of Stretching that only works on 
  a certain part of the character’s body (typically the 
  arms or hands). It’s typically worth -¼, but the GM 
  may increase this if appropriate.
  No Noncombat Stretching (-¼):  A character cannot 
  use Stretching with this Limitation to Stretch for 
  Noncombat distances.
  No Velocity Damage (-¼):  Stretching with this 
  Limitation gets no extra damage for its “velocity.” 
  Characters often use this Limitation to represent 
  long-hafted weapons or other objects that extend 
  their reach.
  Only To Cause Damage (-½):  A character can only use 
  Stretching with this Limitation to punch or cause 
  damage. He cannot use it to Grab targets, pick up 
  objects, or perform other tasks at a distance.
  Range Modiﬁer Applies (-¼):  Stretching with this 
  Limitation is subject to the Range Modiﬁer when 
  used in combat.
  COMBINING 
  Some groups of characters have the ability to 
  merge, combining themselves into one much larger 
  form with proportionately greater abilities. This 
  is referred to as Combining for ease of reference. 
  While Combining helps the good guys beat the bad 
  guys, it can also unbalance the campaign unless the 
  GM handles it carefully.
  In HERO System terms, you can deﬁne Com-
  bining in several diﬀerent ways, each with its own 
  beneﬁts and drawbacks. The GM should select the 
  one best suited to his campaign and require all 
  Combining characters to use that method (though 
  some games may feature multiple methods). For 
  purposes of this discussion, the smaller characters 
  that join together are the “component” characters, 
  and the larger character they create when they 
  Combine is the “lead” character.
  Duplication
  You can use the Duplication Power to repre-
  sent Combining if you think of the component 
  characters as Duplicates and the lead character 
  as the “original character.” You build the lead 
  character the same as the component characters, 
  but with some additional abilities. Either it has 
  extra points in powers as described under Pooled 
  Resources, below, or it buys a Multiform with the 
  Limitation that it can only “change shape” when 
  no Duplicates exist. (Of course, with the latter 
  method, no actual shape alteration takes place, 
  though the Combined character is larger than 
  any single component; the Multiform is simply a 
  way of representing the fact that the joined char-
  acter is “greater than the sum of its parts” and 
  thus has different [more powerful] abilities.)
  In many cases, the component characters (the 
  Duplicates) are just junior versions of the lead 
  character — they have the same abilities (or most 
  of them), but at a lesser level of power — so they 
  don’t need the Altered Duplicates Advantage. In 
  RESTRICTIONS  
  ON COMBINING
  In anime and other ﬁctional representations of Com-
  bining, forming the lead character is not a casual act, 
  or something the characters do every time they go 
  into combat. Instead, it’s sort of a last-ditch strategy, 
  something that typically takes place at the climax of the 
  story, or during the ﬁnal encounter with the bad guys. 
  The lead character is so powerful that the writers of 
  these shows don’t want to use him too soon, lest they 
  spoil the story.
  Unfortunately, gamers rarely show the same amount 
  of restraint. Given access to a powerful “weapon” like a 
  lead character, they’re likely to want to use it in every 
  single battle... and realistically, it’s hard to tell them not 
  to if there’s no restriction on Combining. Therefore, a 
  GM who wants to keep Combining a rare event, and 
  who can’t simply appeal to his players’ better nature, has 
  to restrict it using the rules. For example, he could:
  ■ require Combining powers to take a 1 Continuing 
  Charge Limitation, with the Charge lasting for no more 
  than a Minute.
  ■ make Combining take so much Extra Time and/or 
  Concentration that characters will be reluctant to use 
  it frequently.
  ■ require the lead character to take a Physical Limita-
  tion, Unstable, that forces the component characters’ 
  operators to spend a Half Phase to make Power:  Direct 
  Lead Character rolls every Phase to keep it from 
  coming apart.
  Depending on the nature of Combining, other possi-
  bilities for restricting Combining may exist.
  
  57 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  other campaigns, each component character has 
  markedly diﬀerent powers from the lead character, 
  so you have to apply that Advantage to the Duplica-
  tion. At the GM’s option, characters can apply other 
  Duplication-speciﬁc Adders and Power Modiﬁers 
  (such as Easy Recombination), if appropriate.
  The beneﬁt to this method is that it’s relatively 
  easy to deﬁne and note on the character sheet. The 
  drawback is that since the number of points on 
  which a Duplicate is built is deﬁned by the points 
  the original form spends on the power, you can’t 
  improve the component characters until more 
  points are spent on the lead character to increase 
  the points devoted to Duplication.
  Multiform
  In some campaigns, the GM may want to 
  define Combining with Multiform. Each of 
  the component characters is a true form which 
  defines the lead character as its alternate form. 
  Each of them take the Limitation Only When All 
  Component Characters Are Present (-1) on the 
  Multiform power.
  Instead of each component character paying 
  for the entire cost of the Multiform itself, the GM 
  may allow them to pay for only their proportional 
  share of the lead character. For example, if ﬁve 200-
  point characters Combine to form one gigantic 600-
  point character with Multiform, then each of the 
  ﬁve would be responsible for (600/5 =) 120 points’ 
  worth of the ability (before dividing by 5 or apply-
  ing Limitations). But even if the GM allows pro-
  portional costing, all component characters must 
  be present and combat-worthy (i.e., not Stunned or 
  Knocked Out) to form the lead character.
  For this type of Combining, if one of the 
  component characters already has a Multiform 
  for some reason, he cannot buy the Combining 
  Multiform with the usual “+5 Character Points 
  doubles the number of forms” method. Instead, 
  he must buy the Combining Multiform sepa-
  rately, as a distinct power.
  The beneﬁt to this method is that each compo-
  nent character can be changed or improved on its 
  own. The only restriction is that none of the com-
  ponents can change the points spent on Multiform 
  separately; if the components want to make the 
  lead character better, they must all “upgrade” their 
  Multiform power at the same time.
  Pooled Resources
  With a “pooled resources” option, “Combining 
  into one bigger character” is deﬁned as the special 
  eﬀect for the enhancement of various powers and 
  abilities possessed by the component characters. 
  The component characters deﬁne what they want 
  the lead character to be able to do, then they parcel 
  those abilities out among themselves in some 
  way, applying the Usable On Others Advantage so 
  that they can add them together. When they “join 
  together,” the components operate is if they’re a 
  single unit; they don’t ﬂy oﬀ in diﬀerent directions, 
  for example.
  For example, suppose the component characters 
  want the lead character to have a Mega-Laser Blast 
  that does RKA 8d6. Four of them buy an RKA 3d6; 
  one — the component responsible for controlling 
  the Mega-Laser Blast — buys an RKA 4d6. The other 
  four also buy RKA +1d6, Usable By Other (+¼), Must 
  Remain Joined To Primary Component (-2). (A GM 
  
  58 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  who wanted to encourage this might even allow the 
  components to dispense with Usable By Other.) That 
  way, when all the components join together, the com-
  ponent responsible for controlling the Mega-Laser 
  Blast can project the desired 8d6 attack.
  The possibilities for building pooled resource 
  abilities are practically limitless. The lead character 
  could have better characteristics (sort of like an 
  Aid Array from page 119 of The Ultimate Martial 
  Artist), stronger attacks, faster modes of movement, 
  or improved defenses. It might even have some abili-
  ties that none of the component characters could 
  use individually. Some powers might work one way 
  when used by a component character, but diﬀerently 
  when he’s part of the lead character. For example, the 
  components’ energy bolts might be deﬁned as Energy 
  Blasts, but when they Combine they become powerful 
  enough to be RKAs. You can simulate this by con-
  structing these systems as Multipowers.
  The beneﬁts to this method are twofold. First, 
  it doesn’t require all the components to be present, 
  it just means fewer components have less power 
  when joined — if only three are available in the 
  above example, they can project just an RKA 6d6. 
  However, the component responsible for control-
  ling any given system (the one with the RKA 4d6 in 
  the above example) does have to be present for that 
  system to function. At the GM’s option, you can 
  change the Must Remain Joined To Primary Compo-
  nent Limitation to Must Remain Joined To Another 
  Component (-1), meaning that any component 
  could add his extra eﬀect to any other component. 
  Second, as with Multiform, each component char-
  acter can be changed or improved on its own.
  Characters Bought By The Lead Character
  With the GM’s permission, you can simu-
  late Combining by building the lead character 
  normally, then having it buy the components as 
  Followers (or perhaps Summoned beings). He 
  takes a Physical Limitation representing the fact 
  that his powers diminish, and eventually become 
  completely unusable, as he “releases” component 
  characters or separates into all of his parts (and 
  that, if he’s destroyed, so are all the components). 
  When all components are separated, the lead 
  character effectively ceases to exist — he can’t be 
  attacked, moved, or the like. This is similar to the 
  Pooled Resources option, above.
  General Guidelines
  Regardless of how you deﬁne Combining, a 
  few general guidelines apply.
  First, when component characters Combine 
  to create a lead character, the GM must decide 
  whether (and to what extent) each component can 
  act on its own. With methods such as Duplica-
  tion and Multiform, technically the lead character 
  should only get one Action per Phase, and so forth. 
  However, it may be more fun to let each compo-
  nent attack or perform other appropriate Actions 
  in combat by itself — it can’t split oﬀ and act on its 
  own, separately from the greater whole, but it could 
  ﬁre an attack (much like a gunner on a large vehicle 
  can attack the enemy independent of what the 
  vehicle itself does).
  Second, except in particularly fantastic cam-
  paigns, the mass of the lead character should be as 
  close as possible to the Combined mass of the com-
  ponent characters, and the Characteristics, powers, 
  and abilities of the lead character should relate to, 
  and often be proportional to, the powers and abili-
  ties of the component characters. Typically, either 
  the lead character splits its overall power up more 
  or less equally among all its components, or each 
  major power is “given” to a particular component. 
  Sometimes it’s a bit of both, with one component 
  getting the lion’s share of a particular ability, and 
  the other components getting lesser versions of that 
  same ability.
  Third, the GM may want the act of Combin-
  ing (or splitting apart) to take some time and eﬀort. 
  If the ability is built with a single Power, you can 
  represent this by applying Limitations such as 
  Extra Time or Concentration; if it involves multiple 
  powers, a Physical Limitation may work better for 
  this purpose.
  Fourth, special rules or guidelines may apply 
  when component characters, or the lead character, 
  suﬀer damage in combat. See page 215.
  
  59 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  T
  he Body-Aﬀecting Powers aren’t the only 
  ones metamorphs can use to build their abil-
  ities. Here are a few more suggestions and 
  ideas for metamorphic powers. See Chapter 
  Two for hundreds of example powers built using 
  Powers, including many Powers not discussed in 
  this section.
  ADJUSTMENT POWERS; DISPEL
  Mimics, doppelgangers, and other meta-
  morphs who “copy” or “steal” abilities from other 
  characters often build that ability with various 
  Adjustment Powers, such as Suppress (see Eclipse 
  in Chapter Three for an example), Transfer, and 
  other Adjustment Powers (or, similarly, Dispel). You 
  can also use Drain to simulate various poisons and 
  other “natural weapons” that metamorphs might 
  have (or be able to create with their powers).
  AUTOMATON POWERS
  The Automaton Powers listed on page 458 of 
  The HERO System 5th Edition, Revised are normally 
  restricted to Automatons only; PCs cannot buy 
  them. However, GMs may want to consider allow-
  ing metamorph characters to buy some of them, 
  particularly Does Not Bleed and No Hit Locations. 
  They might represent a lack of internal organs, a 
  uniform physical structure, rapid healing powers, 
  and the like. The GM may require the character 
  to take (perhaps for no points) a corresponding 
  Disadvantage, such as a Physical Limitation reﬂect-
  ing the fact that medical procedures don’t work as 
  well on the character. With No Hit Locations, the 
  GM may rule that the character has to deﬁne at 
  least one Location (typically Head or Vitals) that 
  remains subject to the Hit Location rules.
  AID; CHARACTERISTICS
  Internal metamorphs often use Aid (or, for more 
  permanent eﬀects, Healing) to deﬁne all sorts of abili-
  ties related to control of their bodies, the ability to 
  grow new organs, and so forth. For example, a meta-
  morph might have the power to hyperstimulate his 
  adrenal gland to Aid his STR, SPD, and other Charac-
  teristics, to reroute blood ﬂow to staunch bleeding and 
  speed healing (Aid REC to heal BODY), to diminish 
  fatigue poison production (Aid or Healing END), to 
  enhance muscular performance (Aid STR), and the 
  like. For some of these abilities, the optional Succor 
  form of Aid may work better than standard Aid, since 
  the character has to concentrate on maintaining the 
  “boost.” Similarly, sometimes characters may want to 
  deﬁne these abilities so they work more predictably; 
  in that case, the Characteristics Power may be more 
  suitable than Aid.
  See the Body Control Powers section of 
  Chapter Two for numerous examples of these 
  types of powers.
  CHANGE ENVIRONMENT; DARKNESS
  Characters who can change their bodies into 
  gaseous substances, shadow, or the like may be able 
  to blind their enemies by surrounding them. You can 
  simulate this with Change Environment or Darkness; 
  see Body Of Mist (page 111) for an example.
  CLAIRSENTIENCE
  Metamorphs with the ability to detach their 
  sensory organs, or who can stretch their bodies to 
  project their sensory organs far from their center of 
  mass, usually deﬁne those abilities with Clairsen-
  tience. See Detached Eyes and Peeking Around Cor-
  ners in Chapter Two for examples.
  DAMAGE REDUCTION; DAMAGE  
  RESISTANCE
  These powers are favorites for many meta-
  morph characters, who use them to simulate bodies 
  that can absorb damage with ease, shapeshifters 
  like lycanthropes who ignore most ordinary forms 
  of attack, ultra-rapid healing powers, total control 
  over the coherence of one’s form, and the like.
  ENHANCED SENSES
  Metamorphs often use Enhanced Senses to 
  represent animal-like abilities (either when they 
  change into animal form, or alter part of their 
  bodies to function more eﬃciently). Other meta-
  morphs can grow new sensory organs at will to 
  improve their perceptive abilities or negate Flash 
  attacks (see the “Sensory Powers” subsection of the 
  Shape Alteration Powers section of Chapter Two for 
  several examples).
  As noted under Size Dimensions in Chapter 
  Four, characters in the Macroverse usually have a 
  very diﬃcult time seeing non-macroscopic objects 
  — sometimes even speciﬁc planets and stars, much 
  less a single person on a planet! At the GM’s option, 
  a character can overcome some or all of that PER 
  Roll penalty by buying Microscopic for a Sense. 
  Each level of Microscopic (x10, x100, and so on) 
  provides a +10 PER Roll bonus only to negate some 
  or all of that PER Roll penalty. This form of “Mac-
  roversal Microscopic” only applies to characters in 
  the Macroverse, and doesn’t get a Limitation for 
  that. (See Macroversal Vision in Chapter Two as an 
  example.) The GM can use the same rule for char-
  acters using ordinary Microscopic Senses who try 
  to perceive characters in the Microverse.
  OTHER  
  POWERS
  
  60 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ENTANGLE
  The “stretching character wraps his arms and 
  body around a foe to capture him” ability is a clas-
  sic metamorphic use of Entangle (see Wraparound, 
  page 162, for an example). It includes the Feedback 
  Limitation from Duplication, since attacks on 
  the Entangle are actually attacks on the character 
  himself, and possibly also the Lockout Limitation if 
  the character can’t do other things while Entangl-
  ing someone. Some malleables add the Backlash 
  Advantage to represent the way their rubbery 
  bodies bounce attacks back at the victim, the Stops 
  A Given Sense Adder so they can cover the victim’s 
  eyes and ears, or a Linked suﬀocation attack.
  EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL MOVEMENT
  Although Growth and Shrinking provide rules 
  for characters who can become immensely large 
  or small, the truth is that in game terms the abil-
  ity to become signiﬁcantly smaller or taller than 
  a normal human can often best be modeled with 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement. Extremely tiny and 
  large characters really aren’t on the same “plane” as 
  characters of ordinary size; they simply can’t inter-
  act with them in a regular manner — and that’s just 
  the sort of situation Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  simulates. See Size Dimensions, page 217, for fur-
  ther rules about this sort of campaigning, and pages 
  152 and 157 for sample Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment powers to enter those “dimensions.”
  Restricted Size
  The rules for using Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment to enter the Macroverse and Microverse 
  assume a character can become from mountain-
  sized up to one light-year tall, or as small as from 
  an animal cell to a subatomic particle, respectively. 
  Furthermore, a character who can enter one of the 
  “size dimensions” deﬁnes his size each time he uses 
  it; he’s not restricted to a speciﬁc size (or range of 
  sizes) unless the GM say so.
  Alternately, with the GM’s permission the 
  character can take a Limitation on his Extra-
  Dimensional Movement, Restricted Size, to deﬁne 
  his maximum/minimum size. The accompanying 
  table provides suggested values. Before allowing 
  this Limitation, the GM should assure himself that 
  it is, in fact, truly Limiting. In most campaigns, just 
  because a character can “only” grow to planet size 
  or “only” shrink to nanometer size really isn’t much 
  of a restriction, so the Limitation should have a 
  value of -0. Higher values are appropriate only for 
  games where characters interact with other macro-
  scopic/microscopic characters on a frequent basis.
  RESTRICTED SIZE
   
  Value 
  Macroverse Size Limited To...
   
  -1 
  Planetary (Earth) or smaller
   
  -¾ 
  Planetary (gas giant) or smaller
   
  -½ 
  Solar System (Earth’s) or smaller
   
  -¼ 
  1 light-day or smaller
   
  -0 
  Anything larger
   
  Value 
  Microverse Size Limited To...
   
  -1 
  1 micron or larger
   
  -¾ 
  Average virus or larger
   
  -½ 
  Molecule or larger
   
  -¼ 
  Atomic nucleus or larger
   
  -0 
  Anything smaller
  
  61 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  HEALING
  Because many metamorphs actually rearrange 
  their cells while changing shape, it isn’t uncommon 
  for them to be able to heal themselves as part of 
  the change. Usually this Healing is Linked to the 
  metamorph Power, particularly if it’s Multiform 
  or Shape Shift. In some cases, metamorphs who 
  only change personalities might still have Healing 
  as part of the change, representing such absolute 
  belief in the diﬀerent personalities that the body 
  transforms itself to match that belief.
  INVISIBILITY
  While Invisibility isn’t a Body-Affecting 
  Power per se, it can definitely simulate changes 
  in form:  making one’s body transparent to light 
  instead of opaque (Invisibility to Sight Group); 
  stopping the body from producing any scent 
  molecules (Invisibility to Smell/Taste Group); 
  and so forth. The Chameleon Limitation lets 
  metamorphs create the ability to blend in with 
  their surroundings so well they can’t be per-
  ceived (see Chameleon Camouflage, page 93, for 
  an example).
  LACK OF WEAKNESS
  Metamorphs who have malleable and/or 
  variable bodies may not have permanent or 
  easily-observed weaknesses in their physical 
  form — and some may not even have internal 
  organs. A little Lack Of Weakness simulates this 
  ability. See the “Defensive Powers” subsection of 
  the Stretching Powers section of Chapter Two for 
  several examples.
  LEAPING
  Malleable metamorphs often travel by Leaping. 
  By stretching their legs into springs, or their entire 
  body into a rubber ball form, they can bounce 
  along at tremendous speeds. See Spring-Leaping, 
  page 166, for an example. Alternately, a metamorph 
  might transform his legs into those of a gazelle, 
  horse, lion, or other animal that can make tremen-
  dous jumps and Leap in a more traditional fashion.
  LIFE SUPPORT
  You can simulate many metamorphs’ lack of 
  internal organs, ability to alter their bodies to com-
  pensate for environmental conditions, or the like 
  via Life Support. See Environmental Resilience, page 
  105, and Environmental Adaptation, page 141, for 
  examples.
  SUMMON
  While the classic uses of Summon — to con-
  jure demons and other otherworldly creatures, or 
  to build robots and the like — don’t relate to meta-
  morphosis, other uses do. A metamorph with the 
  ability to “bud” other creatures oﬀ from his body 
  might deﬁne that as Summon (perhaps with a Side 
  Eﬀect of loss of BODY). A similar ability would be 
  the power to detach body parts (primarily arms 
  and hands) and send them skittering oﬀ to do the 
  character’s bidding (see Let Me Lend You A Hand, 
  page 106, for an example).
  TRANSFORM
  Since characters can’t use Transform on them-
  selves, this Power isn’t necessarily common among 
  metamorphs, but it does have some uses. First, 
  some metamorphs can transmit or “grant” their 
  powers to others — perhaps by infecting them with 
  a harmless, short-lived virus, or by biting them so 
  they contract lycanthropy.
  Second, Transform is a good way to create 
  a “Body-Affecting Power Usable As Attack” that 
  has primarily negative effects on the target. For 
  example, buying Shrinking Usable As Attack may 
  not accomplish much, since making the target 
  tiny gives him lots of beneficial abilities (such 
  as a DCV bonus) without imposing a lot of the 
  “negatives” a character wants when forcing some-
  one into tiny size (like reducing the target’s STR 
  or Running). A Major Transform bypasses that 
  problem, allowing a character to make the target 
  tiny with all the accompanying negative implica-
  tions of minuscule size.
  Third, metamorphs like free spirits and soul 
  switchers may use Transform to represent their 
  powers. See Mind Transfer, page 174, for an example.
  
  62 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  W
  hile not all Power Modifiers are com-
  monly used when building meta-
  morph characters, most that are work 
  in the usual fashion. This section 
  discusses a few unusual or special applications 
  for some of them. See Chapter Two for hundreds 
  of examples of metamorphic abilities built with 
  Power Modifiers.
  POWER ADVANTAGES
  AREA OF EFFECT
  Characters with Growth or Stretching often 
  use Area Of Eﬀect to represent the eﬀects of being 
  able to become really large. Area Of Eﬀect for STR 
  represents having enormous hands (see Gigantic 
  Fists, page 148), while an Area Of Eﬀect Entangle 
  simulates wrapping one’s malleable body around 
  a group of people. (See also page 214 regarding 
  Spreading STR.)
  DAMAGE SHIELD
  Metamorphs who can grow spikes or quills on 
  their body, or who transform into energy, often buy 
  a Damage Shield to represent those powers. See, for 
  example, Quills Of The Porcupine (page 92) or Body 
  Of Fire (page 111). A mental metamorph might 
  have a Mental Damage Shield to represent the cha-
  otic or hostile state of his mind.
  DURATION ADVANTAGES
  Many metamorph powers represent actual 
  physical changes in a character’s body. As such, they 
  may need to be Persistent, or perhaps even Inher-
  ent (with the Always On Limitation, if appropriate). 
  For example, if a character can grow spikes or quills 
  on his body (a Damage Shield, described above), 
  the Damage Shield may remain in eﬀect until he 
  retracts the spikes into his body — they stay in 
  place even if he gets Knocked Out. Therefore they 
  should be made Persistent.
  MEGASCALE
  If characters have the power to enter the 
  Macroverse, they may need MegaScale (together 
  with Area Of Effect) to represent their ability 
  to effect huge amounts of normal-sized reality 
  simultaneously. See the “Growth Powers” sub-
  section of the Size Alteration Powers section of 
  Chapter Two, and Size Dimensions in Chapter 
  Four, for more information.
  STICKY
  Sticky works well when applied to the Entan-
  gles created by some types of malleable characters. 
  For example, suppose a character’s body is basically 
  just protoplasmic ooze (or tar, or a semi-liquid 
  substance, or the like) that can expand and contract 
  at will. It stands to reason that the character might 
  react to attacks made against anyone he’s wrapped 
  his body around by instinctively ﬂowing over and 
  similarly engulﬁng the attacker.
  TRANSDIMENSIONAL
  If characters have the ability to enter the 
  Microverse or the Macroverse, they may need 
  Transdimensional to aﬀect the normal-sized world. 
  See Macroversal Attack (page 150) and Micro-
  Combat (page 156) for examples, and Size Dimen-
  sions in Chapter Four for more information.
  USABLE ON OTHERS
  Some metamorphs may have the ability to 
  grant their powers to other people temporarily 
  (for example, by making short-term changes to 
  another person’s DNA), and you can represent 
  this with Usable On Others. As noted above under 
  Transform, Usable As Attack may not make for sat-
  isfactory “body-altering attacks,” so consider using 
  Major Transform for them instead.
  POWER LIMITATIONS
  ACTIVATION ROLL; REQUIRES A SKILL ROLL
  Many metamorphosis powers are difficult 
  to control, particularly during the early stages 
  of a character’s “career.” Someone born into a 
  race of metamorphs learns to use his abilities at 
  his mother’s knee, but a person who gains shape 
  alteration powers later in life — through a comic 
  book style super-origin or from being bitten by a 
  werewolf, to take just two examples — may have 
  problems with his newfound abilities. One of the 
  ways to represent this is by building the power(s) 
  with an Activation Roll or Required Skill Roll. 
  Burnout would be appropriate for powers that 
  become harder to use over a period of time, with 
  “repair” of the ability involving eight hours of 
  relaxation and sleep (or the like).
  Many metamorphs use an appropriate form 
  of the Power Skill, such as Stretching Tricks, Shape-
  shifting Tricks, or Shrinking Tricks as the Required 
  Skill Roll for their metamorphic powers. Typically 
  this roll is based on INT, but for an unusual twist 
  POWER
  MODIFIERS
  
  63 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  the GM might allow a character to base it on EGO 
  (representing the need to exercise one’s willpower 
  to “force” a change) or even CON (representing 
  the character’s ability to withstand the strain the 
  change puts on his body). Artiﬁcial metamorphs 
  might use a Science Skill, like SS: Biology or SS: 
  Robotics, instead of Power.
  CHARGES
  Metamorph powers involve the character’s 
  body, so they rarely have Charges — they just cost 
  END. However, items that cause metamorphosis, 
  such as a potion that transforms a person into his 
  “evil twin” or a changing-skin, could come with 
  Charges (often Continuing Charges, since meta-
  morphic powers are often Constant or Persistent). 
  Similarly, an internal metamorphosis that’s too 
  stressful to perform more than a few times a day 
  might have Charges. In some cases the Limitation 
  Costs Endurance is also appropriate, since chang-
  ing shape or form may put a strain on the body of 
  someone not used to transformation.
  CONCENTRATION
  Metamorphic powers that are diﬃcult to con-
  trol could take Concentration to represent how the 
  character has to focus on maintaining the change 
  — if his Concentration slips, he reverts to his 
  normal form, or the process of change stops work-
  ing and he has to start over again from scratch. 
  Shapeshifting powers that take a long time to 
  activate and incapacitate the character during the 
  transformation might feature Concentration along 
  with Extra Time. For example, a PC who’s just con-
  tracted lycanthropy may not be able to change from 
  human to wolf quickly and easily. Instead, when 
  the change begins to come over him, he falls to the 
  ground, writhing and virtually helpless for a minute 
  until the transformation is complete (Multiform 
  to wolf, Extra Time [1 Minute], Concentration [0 
  DCV throughout activation]).
  ENDURANCE LIMITATIONS
  Changing forms may take a horrible toll on 
  a living creature, leaving him exhausted and per-
  haps even in pain. You can represent the former 
  condition with Costs Endurance and/or Increased 
  Endurance Cost (and the latter with Side Eﬀects; 
  see below).
  EXTRA TIME
  In Champions, other Superheroic campaigns, 
  and some High Fantasy games, metamorphoses can 
  take place with great speed. But in Heroic genres 
  the transformation of a person into something else 
  tends may occur relatively slowly — in game terms, 
  it takes Extra Time, usually at least an Extra Phase, 
  and often 1 Turn or 1 Minute. Even a few seconds 
  can represent an eternity in combat....
  FOCUS
  Many metamorphs’ powers are internal, 
  requiring no outside agency to activate or maintain. 
  But other characters need a potion, transforma-
  tive ray, or other “device” to initiate their change or 
  make it possible for them to use their powers. See 
  the Metamorphic Gadgets section of Chapter Four 
  for some examples of metamorphosis-related Foci.
  LIMITED POWER:  CONTACT REQUIRED
  Some metamorphs have to make “contact” 
  with a person whose abilities they want to copy or 
  steal. The most common version is Skin Contact 
  Required (-1), which means the character’s bare 
  skin has to make contact with the subject’s bare 
  skin. Anything which gets in the way, even a super-
  hero’s skintight costume, prevents the character 
  from using the power. If a target’s clothing reveals 
  only a portion of his skin, the character must make 
  his Attack Roll with the appropriate Hit Location 
  modiﬁers to touch the unclothed area. If the power 
  is Ranged, Skin Contact Required automatically 
  makes it a No Range power; characters may not 
  also take that Limitation for it.
  Alternately, a character may have the Limi-
  tation Contact Required (-0), meaning he has to 
  touch the subject somehow. This is no differ-
  ent than making an Attack Roll, so it provides 
  no Limitation bonus. However, if the power 
  involved is Ranged, the character must take the 
  No Range Limitation for it.
  The least restrictive form of Contact Required 
  is Visual Contact Required (-0), meaning the char-
  acter can only copy or steal powers from someone 
  he can see. This provides no Limitation bonus, 
  since it’s barely Limiting at all.
  These rules assume the character only requires 
  a momentary contact to use his powers — no more 
  than a ﬂeeting touch, the sort of thing that could 
  occur during a Phase without slowing the character 
  down. At the GM’s option, the character can increase 
  the amount of time he has to maintain contact before 
  he can activate his powers by also taking the Extra 
  Time Limitation for the power. The Extra Time applies 
  to activation only (thus halving the Limitation’s value 
  for Constant Powers and the like), but the power itself 
  probably qualiﬁes as an “attack,” so the character can’t 
  do anything else while maintaining contact. If any-
  thing breaks the contact during the activation period, 
  the power fails to activate.
  NO CONSCIOUS CONTROL
  Metamorphs who have yet to master their 
  powers, or whose powers aren’t entirely control-
  lable (such as a Mimic Pool), use this Limitation to 
  represent that. For example, a character cursed to 
  periodically change into various animals would buy 
  Multiform with No Conscious Control — he never 
  knows exactly when a transformation will occur, or 
  how long it will last. A free spirit who uncontrol-
  lably jumps from one body/mind to another would 
  also take this Limitation on his Multiform (see Dis-
  embodied Mind, page 171, for an example).
  For a truly bizarre metamorph, create a character 
  with a large Variable Power Pool of metamorphic 
  powers and No Conscious Control (-2). The GM 
  determines when a change occurs... and what the 
  character changes into! He can either make up the 
  character’s new abilities (and perhaps Disadvantages) 
  on the spot, or roll them randomly on a table or tables 
  he prepares speciﬁcally for that character.
  
  64 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ONLY IN HEROIC IDENTITY
  Rather than buying a Multiform to represent 
  a distinct “alternate identity,” some gamers prefer 
  to construct their characters with this Limita-
  tion — only when he assumes his alternate form, 
  whether he does so voluntarily or involuntarily, can 
  he use the Limited abilities. As noted in the OIHID 
  rules, this means his transformation either has to 
  take a Full Phase or have some other restriction 
  that makes it diﬃcult (even potentially impossible) 
  to change forms. Some possibilities for this include:  
  character must take a Full Phase to activate his 
  powers; character must speak a magic word to 
  activate his powers; character must make a speciﬁc 
  gesture to activate his powers; character must use 
  an object to activate his powers (but the object can’t 
  usually be taken from him by ordinary means, so 
  it’s not really a Focus).
  In some cases the way a character activates his 
  OIHID abilities may imply a “deactivation condi-
  tion” that can turn them oﬀ against his will. For 
  example, if he has to speak a magic word to activate 
  his powers, maybe tricking him into speaking the 
  word backwards, or saying some related word, 
  deactivates the powers. Unless the GM rules other-
  wise, this does not increase the value of OIHID or 
  provide the character with any further Limitation.
  See page 74 for a discussion of the relative 
  merits of OIHID versus Multiform and other 
  options for metamorph character creation.
  SIDE EFFECTS
  For metamorphic powers with Activation 
  Rolls or Required Skill Rolls, Side Eﬀects are a 
  deﬁnite option — and the Side Eﬀects from failed 
  metamorphosis powers can be quite horrible. They 
  might include a partial transformation, a transfor-
  mation to something completely unrelated, or a dis-
  gustingly ugly (but fortunately, temporary!) break-
  down of the character’s normal physical framework 
  (“Ewww... liquiﬁed skeleton.”). 
  Even if the character’s metamorphic powers 
  always work, a mandatory Side Eﬀect could occur 
  when he uses them. For example, perhaps his trans-
  formation into a werewolf (i.e., his activation of his 
  Multiform) causes him intense pain as his body re-
  shapes itself into man-beast form. You could repre-
  sent this as a Side Eﬀect (Drain BODY 1d6, always 
  occurs) or (character is automatically Berserk with 
  a recovery roll of 8-).
  VISIBLE
  As noted under Multiform and Shape Shift, 
  above, with the GM’s permission a character could 
  take this Limitation for either of those Powers to 
  represent the fact that other people can always 
  tell that the character has shapechanging powers. 
  Whenever the character’s in alternate form (and 
  perhaps even when he’s in his true or base form), 
  anyone who perceives him realizes that he’s a 
  shapechanged being.
  
  65 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  G
  iven the breadth and ﬂexibility of their 
  powers, many metamorphs have Power 
  Frameworks. A Multipower of metamor-
  phic attacks (such as all of a malleable 
  character’s stretching-based oﬀensive abilities), an 
  Elemental Control of several related size-chang-
  ing powers (such as Shrinking, a “form cohesion” 
  defensive power, and Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment to enter the Microverse for a shrinker), or a 
  Variable Power Pool representing any of the shapes 
  or powers a true metamorph can manifest (see 
  Morph in Chapter Three for an example) are just 
  three of the many possibilities.
  Shape Shift Plus  
  Power Framework
  As discussed on page 74, some metamorphs 
  who can assume many forms build their power as 
  Shape Shift plus a Power Framework of abilities 
  they can only use when Shape Shifted. That raises 
  the question of which Framework works best for 
  this purpose.
  An Elemental Control has the advantage of 
  allowing the character to use all slots simultane-
  ously. If the character wants to have a broad spec-
  trum of abilities (i.e., not just attacks, but some 
  defenses, Movement Powers, and the like) that he 
  needs to have active at the same time, then an EC 
  may be the best choice to represent the abilities of 
  his “alternate forms.” On the other hand, ECs tend 
  to be expensive; if the character needs to have a lot 
  of slots, he may ﬁnd himself running out of Char-
  acter Points unless he can keep the EC’s cost under 
  control somehow.
  A Multipower works well if most of the abili-
  ties the character needs to simulate are attacks, or 
  don’t need to be used in the same Phase. However, 
  you can get around that problem by making the 
  Multipower reserve larger than the slots and buying 
  Flexible slots. That way a character could, for 
  example, use a Flight slot (for wings) and an HKA 
  slot (for talons) at the same time when he’s in “eagle 
  form.” But of course, large Multipowers with Flex-
  ible slots can become expensive.
  A Variable Power Pool oﬀers the most ﬂexibil-
  ity for metamorph characters; see below for some 
  examples. While they’re expensive — particularly if 
  the character has to buy an Advantage to eliminate 
  the control roll or decrease the time required to 
  change the Pool, as many metamorphs “realisti-
  cally” should — they oﬀer adaptability and power 
  to compensate. For a player who knows how to 
  build powers quickly and easily, or who’s willing to 
  pick powers from a predeﬁned list (such as Chapter 
  Two of this book), a VPP is often the best choice.
  Depending on how many points he has to 
  spend, a character may be able to buy two or more 
  Power Frameworks to represent his shapechang-
  ing powers. For example, the villain Joseph Otanga 
  has two Multipowers (one for Growth and Shrink-
  ing, one for various Movement Powers), as well an 
  attack and various Sensory Powers, all Linked to his 
  Shape Shift to represent his power to assume vari-
  ous animal and hybrid-animal forms (see Champi-
  ons Worldwide, page 167).
  Regardless of which Framework a character 
  chooses, don’t forget that certain abilities — such 
  as Special Powers — can’t be put in Power Frame-
  works without the GM’s permission. This includes 
  Enhanced Senses, a common ability for many 
  alternate forms. Characters may need to buy those 
  powers outside the Power Framework. Similarly, 
  characters need the GM’s permission if they want 
  to Link the Framework to their Shape Shift (see 
  Shape Powers, page 139, for an example).
  Variable Power Pool
  The ﬂexibility (or unpredictability!) of many 
  metamorphs’ powers makes Variable Power Pool an 
  excellent choice to represent how they work. Here 
  are some examples of common metamorph VPPs.
  MIMIC POOLS
  A Mimic Pool is bought by mimics, doppel-
  gangers, and other characters who have the ability 
  to copy (or steal) some or all of the powers of other 
  powers. The typical Mimic Pool is built something 
  like this:
  Mimic Pool:  Variable Power Pool, 200 base + 
  100 control cost; Requires Successful HTH 
  Attack Roll (-½), Skin Contact Required 
  (-1), VPP Mimics Targets’s Innate Powers (-½), 
  Powers May Only Be As Powerful As Target’s 
  Powers (-½), No Conscious Control (VPP copies 
  the largest Active Point power ﬁrst, character 
  can activate the VPP but has no control over 
  the powers he gets; -1), Cannot Retain Copied 
  Powers (when character copies other powers, he 
  immediately loses all previously-copied powers; 
  -¼). Total cost:  200 + 21 = 221 points.
  This Mimic Pool is deﬁned as a large VPP so 
  the character can copy a lot of powers — but even 
  then, it’s not large enough to copy literally every 
  power and ability a starting (350 Character Point) 
  POWER 
  FRAMEWORKS
  
  66 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  superhuman might have. (That would cost 350 + 
  37 = 387 points, more than a starting Standard 
  Superheroic character has.) But it’s heavily Limited, 
  so it’s not as powerful as its raw point total suggests. 
  First and foremost, it’s not Ranged — not only does 
  the character have to touch the target (i.e., succeed 
  with a HTH Attack Roll), he has to touch him skin-
  to-skin, which makes it impossible to aﬀect some 
  characters (and diﬃcult to aﬀect many others).
  Second, the VPP can only mimic the target’s 
  powers — the character has no control over what 
  he gets, it depends on what the target can do — and 
  can only copy innate abilities (not powers from 
  Foci or the like). The powers can only be as power-
  ful as the target’s; the mimic can’t have an Energy 
  Blast 12d6 if the target only has an Energy Blast 
  8d6, even if the mimic has enough Pool points 
  to pay for the extra dice. And the Pool copies the 
  powers from largest (in terms of Active Points) to 
  smallest, so the mimic may not have enough Pool 
  points to get to a target’s most important powers 
  (for example, a really useful Enhanced Sense that 
  doesn’t cost much). Even worse, since a VPP is a 
  Power Framework, the mimic can’t use it to buy 
  another Power Framework (at least, not without the 
  GM’s permission). If the target has, say, a Multip-
  ower of attacks, the mimic has to buy each attack 
  individually.
  Third, the character can keep the copied 
  powers as long as he wants, or until he uses the 
  VPP to copy another character’s powers. When he 
  copies more powers, he immediately loses all the 
  powers currently built with the Pool, even if copy-
  ing the new powers doesn’t use up all of the Pool’s 
  points. If he wants to get the previous powers back, 
  he has to touch the person who has them again. In 
  short, he has no “memory” or “archive” of powers 
  he’s assumed in the past.
  But of course, not every mimic’s powers are so 
  restricted. Here are some other Mimic Pools that 
  oﬀer the mimic more options:
  Limited Mimic Pool:  Some types of Mimic Pools can 
  only copy certain powers. For example, a character 
  with Fire powers might have the ability to copy 
  any other ﬁre-powered character’s abilities, but not 
  other powers. This means changing the VPP Mimics 
  Targets’s Innate Powers (-½) Limitation to restrict 
  the type of powers copyable (this also means 
  increasing the Limitation’s value, usually to -1). For 
  example:  Variable Power Pool (Fire Mimicry Pool), 
  200 base + 100 control cost; Requires Successful 
  HTH Attack Roll (-½), Skin Contact Required 
  (-1), VPP Mimics Targets’s Fire Powers Only 
  (-1), Powers May Only Be As Powerful As Target’s 
  Powers (-½), No Conscious Control (VPP copies 
  the largest Active Point power ﬁrst, character can 
  activate the VPP but has no control over the powers 
  he gets; -1), Cannot Retain Copied Powers (when 
  character copies other powers, he immediately loses 
  all previously-copied powers; -¼). Total cost:  200 + 
  19 = 219 points. For an example of a similar power 
  built diﬀerently, see Reﬂex Memory (page 177).
  Ranged Mimic Pool:  The mimic only has to have 
  Line Of Sight to a target within 10” to copy his 
  powers; touching him isn’t necessary. Variable 
  Power Pool, 200 base + 100 control cost; Can Only 
  Copy Powers From Characters Within 10” And 
  LOS (-½), VPP Mimics Targets’s Innate Powers 
  (-½), Powers May Only Be As Powerful As Target’s 
  Powers (-½), No Conscious Control (VPP copies 
  the largest Active Point power ﬁrst, character can 
  activate the VPP but has no control over the powers 
  he gets; -1), Cannot Retain Copied Powers (when 
  character copies other powers, he immediately loses 
  all previously-copied powers; -¼). Total cost:  200 + 
  27 = 227 points.
  Retainable Mimic Pool:  If the character has already 
  mimicked some powers, and then decides to copy 
  another person’s powers, but the second person’s 
  powers don’t take up the entire Pool, he can keep 
  the “excess” powers from the ﬁrst person. Variable 
  Power Pool, 200 base + 100 control cost; Requires 
  Successful HTH Attack Roll (-½), Skin Contact 
  Required (-1), VPP Mimics Targets’s Innate Powers 
  (-½), Powers May Only Be As Powerful As Target’s 
  Powers (-½), No Conscious Control (VPP copies 
  the largest Active Point power ﬁrst, character can 
  activate the VPP but has no control over the powers 
  he gets; -1). Total cost:  200 + 22 = 222 points.
  Archivable Mimic Pool:  The character can mani-
  fest the powers of anyone he’s ever touched, 
  regardless of how long ago it was. Change to:  
  Variable Power Pool (Mimic Pool), 200 base 
  + 100 control cost; Requires Successful HTH 
  Attack Roll And Skin Contact To First Acquire 
  A Target’s Powers (-¼), Only To Create Powers 
  Copied From Persons Touched (-¼), Powers May 
  Only Be As Powerful As Targets’ Powers (-½). 
  Total cost:  200 + 50 = 250 points.
  Uncontrollable Mimic Pool:  Some mimics have even 
  less control over their powers than the basic Mimic 
  Pool suggests. Any time they touch someone skin-
  to-skin they copy that person’s powers and Skills, 
  whether they want to or not. Change to:  Variable 
  Power Pool, 200 base + 100 control cost; Requires 
  Successful HTH Attack Roll (-½), Skin Contact 
  Required (-1), VPP Mimics Targets’s Innate Powers 
  (-½), Powers May Only Be As Powerful As Target’s 
  Powers (-½), No Conscious Control (VPP copies the 
  largest Active Point power ﬁrst, and activates when-
  ever character touches someone skin-to-skin; -2), 
  Cannot Retain Copied Powers (when character copies 
  other powers, he immediately loses all previously-
  copied powers; -¼). Total cost:  200 + 17 = 217 points.
  Universal Mimic Pool:  The character can even 
  copy Foci and other non-innate powers. Change 
  to:  Variable Power Pool, 200 base + 100 control 
  cost; Requires Successful HTH Attack Roll (-½), 
  Skin Contact Required (-1), VPP Mimics Targets’s 
  Powers (-¼), Powers May Only Be As Powerful As 
  Target’s Powers (-½), No Conscious Control (VPP 
  copies the largest Active Point power ﬁrst, character 
  can activate the VPP but has no control over the 
  powers he gets; -1), Cannot Retain Copied Powers 
  (when character copies other powers, he immedi-
  ately loses all previously-copied powers; -¼). Total 
  cost:  200 + 22 = 222 points.
  
  67 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  Variant Mimic Pool:  As noted above, the basic 
  Mimic Pool often doesn’t have enough points to 
  copy all of a target’s powers and abilities, even for 
  relatively low-powered Superheroic characters. To 
  get around this problem, you can deﬁne mimicking 
  with Multipower — the character “changes form” 
  into a character with all of his own abilities (includ-
  ing the Mimic Pool) and all the abilities copied 
  from the target. This makes it easy to copy all of a 
  target’s powers, including Power Frameworks, but 
  it limits the character to an “alternate form” with no 
  more than 1,000 Character Points — if his points, 
  plus the target’s points, exceed 1,000, the power 
  fails to work. Furthermore, the mimic also copies 
  the target’s power-related Disadvantages. Change 
  to:  Variable Power Pool (Mimic Pool), 200 base + 
  100 control cost; Only For Multiform (Multiform 
  is “alternate” form with all of character’s powers 
  and exact copies of target’s powers and power-
  related Disadvantages; -½), Requires Successful 
  HTH Attack Roll (-½), Skin Contact Required (-1), 
  Power Fails To Work If Cannot Copy Entire Target 
  (-¼), Cannot Retain Copied Forms (when charac-
  ter switches to another “form,” he immediately loses 
  all previously-copied powers; -¼). Total cost:  200 + 
  29 = 229 points.
  Power Stealing Pool
  Some mimics don’t just copy a target’s powers, 
  they steal them. Here are three ways you can repre-
  sent this in HERO System terms:
  Suppress:  The character Suppresses all of the 
  target’s powers, Skills, and other abilities that he 
  steals. The Suppression costs 0 END and remains 
  in effect until the character steals someone else’s 
  powers, gets Knocked Out, voluntarily ends the 
  theft, or the like. For example:  Suppress Powers 
  30d6, all Characteristics, powers, and so forth of 
  all special effects simultaneously (+4), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END, turns off when character 
  changes victims; +½) (825 Active Points); No 
  Range (-½), Linked (to power used to “copy” 
  target’s abilities; -¼). Total cost:  471 points.
  Transfer:  The character Transfers all of the 
  target’s powers, Skills, and other abilities to him-
  self with a long fade rate. For example:  Transfer 
  Powers 20d6, all Characteristics, powers, and so 
  forth of all special effects simultaneously (+4), 
  Delayed Return Rate (points fade at the rate of 
  5 per Day; +1½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½). Total cost:  2,100 points.
  Transform:  The character Transforms the target 
  into “person with no exceptional abilities.” For 
  example:  Major Transform 15d6 (person into 
  person with no exceptional abilities) (225 Active 
  Points); Skin Contact Required (-1), Linked (to 
  Transference Touch Multiform; -½), Limited Target 
  (living beings; -¼), All Or Nothing (-½). Total cost:  
  69 points.
  OTHER METAMORPHIC POWER POOLS
  Mimics aren’t the only metamorphs who buy 
  Power Pools. Here are a few examples of other 
  metamorphic VPPs:
  Material Mimicry Pool:  By touching any solid, liquid, 
  or gaseous substance, the character can change his 
  body to mimic its properties. Variable Power Pool 
  (Material Mimicry Pool), 80 base + 40 control cost; 
  Only For Powers Representing The Properties Of 
  Substances Character Touches (-½). Total cost:  80 
  + 27 = 107 points.
  Shape Alteration Pool I:  The character can alter 
  his shape in nearly any way imaginable, though 
  he can’t create chemical reactions (like bombs), 
  devices with working parts (like guns or cars), or 
  energy forms/powers. Variable Power Pool, 150 
  base + 75 control cost, Cosmic (+2); Shapechang-
  ing Abilities Only (see text; -¼). Total cost:  150 
  + 180 = 330 points.
  Shape Alteration Pool II:  Like Shape Alteration Pool 
  I, but it allows the character to assume any form or 
  ability — he could, for example, transform himself 
  into a car and drive people around, or into a bomb 
  that could explode (after which his body instantly 
  “re-forms”). Variable Power Pool, 250 base + 125 
  control cost, Cosmic (+2). Total cost:  250 + 375 = 
  625 points.
  Stretching Pool:  The character’s malleable, elastic 
  body lets him do so many things that it’s easier to 
  deﬁne his powers with a VPP than buying them 
  individually or via other Frameworks (though he 
  does buy at least some Stretching outside the Pool). 
  Basically, he can use the Pool to buy pretty much 
  any ability from the Stretching Powers section of 
  Chapter Two, plus any other powers the GM per-
  mits. Variable Power Pool, 90 base + 45 control 
  cost; Stretching Powers Only (-½). Total cost:  90 + 
  30 = 120 points.
  
  68 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Here are some notes on Disadvantages that are 
  particularly appropriate for metamorphs, or which 
  they often take.
  If a character can avoid (or more easily avoid) 
  the eﬀects of a Disadvantage by changing shape, 
  the GM may want to reduce the value of that Dis-
  advantage, or forbid the character to take it. For 
  example, if a character is Hunted by someone, 
  it’s assumed the Hunter can locate the character 
  through reasonably common means. If the char-
  acter’s shapeshifting powers allow him to elude his 
  Hunters without much trouble, that Disadvantage 
  may not hinder him enough to be worth any points.
  ACCIDENTAL CHANGE
  Metamorphosis is a complicated process, so it’s 
  often diﬃcult for a character to control his ability to 
  change shape. Some metamorphs always change into 
  the same form, but have little or no control over when; 
  some have control neither over when the change 
  occurs nor what they change into. Accidental Change 
  (possibly in conjunction with the No Conscious 
  Control Limitation) models this sort of diﬃculty 
  perfectly... and buying the Disadvantage down or oﬀ 
  with Experience Points reﬂects the gradual process by 
  which the character masters his powers.
  In campaigns with lots of metamorph charac-
  ters, the GM may want to expand some aspects of 
  Accidental Change (see the Expanded Accidental 
  Change table). First, some forms of Accidental 
  Change may require more than a Phase’s worth of 
  exposure to the phenomenon or event that triggers 
  the change. Under the standard rules, a character 
  rolls his Accidental Change every Phase, but for a 
  lesser Disadvantage value a character can deﬁne a 
  longer initial exposure and time between rolls.
  Second, some Accidental Changes may not occur 
  right away; instead, the character changes slowly but 
  surely (which may give him time to get to a place 
  where no one can see him change, or potential victims 
  the chance to escape). As a default, the change takes 
  place immediately. For a lesser Disadvantage value, 
  the character lengthens the time it takes to change. 
  The change begins as soon as he fails his Accident 
  Change roll. If the character is removed from the 
  phenomenon or event that triggers the change during 
  the change period, he may make another Acciden-
  tal Change roll. If he fails that roll, the change stops 
  — he’s brought himself under control. (If the charac-
  ter Always changes, he has no chance to fail to change:  
  DISADVANTAGES
  EXPANDED ACCIDENTAL 
  CHANGE
   Value 
  Circumstances
   
  5 
  Uncommon Circumstance
   
  10 
  Common Circumstance
   
  15 
  Very Common Circumstances
   Value 
  Chance To Change
   
  +0 
  Infrequently (8-)
   
  +5 
  Frequently (11-)
   
  +10 
  Very Frequently (14-)
   
  +15 
  Always
   Value 
  Length Of Exposure Required
   
  -0 
  Segment
   
  -5 
  Extra Phase
   
  -10 
  1 Turn
   
  -15 
  1 Minute
  ...and so on down the Time Chart
   Value 
  Time Required To Change
   
  -0 
  Immediately (as soon as roll is failed)
   
  -5 
  Character’s next Phase after roll is failed
   
  -10 
  1 Turn after roll is failed
   
  -15 
  1 Minute after roll is failed
  ...and so on down the Time Chart
  As always, the minimum value of Accidental Change is 
  0; it cannot cost a character points.
  ACCIDENTAL CHANGE TRIGGERS
  Circumstance 
  Frequency
  Anger:  when character gets angry 
  Common
  Blood
  When character sees or smells blood 
  Uncommon (possibly 
  Common if campaign 
  involves lots of Killing 
  Attacks)
  When character sees/smells his own blood 
  Uncommon
  Combat:  when character is in combat 
  Common
  Danger:  when character is in danger 
  Common
  Emotion:  when character experiences strong emotion 
  Common
  Enraged:  when character’s Enraged activates 
  Varies depending on 
  the commonality of the 
  Enraged
  Moon
  When the moon’s in the sky 
  Very Common
  When the character sees the moon 
  Common
  During the full moon 
  Uncommon
  When character experiences stress under a full Moon 
  Uncommon
  Psychological Limitation:  when character fails an EGO Roll
  associated with a Psychological Limitation 
  Varies depending on the 
  commonality of the Psy-
  chological Limitation
  Stress:  when character experiences stress 
  Common
  Substance:  when exposed to a certain substance 
  Varies depending on the 
  commonality of the sub-
  stance
  
  69 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  once something triggers the change, it inevitably 
  occurs after the deﬁned time period passes.)
  The accompanying text box lists some 
  common triggers for Accidental Change, with sug-
  gested commonality for typical campaigns.
  DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
  If a shapechanging metamorph wants to take 
  this Disadvantage, the GM may require that the 
  Features either be Easily Concealed (because the 
  character can hide them by changing shape) or 
  that the Disadvantage apply to all of his forms so 
  he can’t easily “negate” it via Multiform or Shape 
  Shift. For example, if a character takes Distinctive 
  Features:  Prominent Facial Scar, maybe all of his 
  forms have the same scar on their faces.
  ENRAGED/BERSERK
  Enraged (including Berserk) is a common 
  Disadvantage for many lycanthropes and other 
  zoomorphs whose “animal side” sometimes takes 
  over. In some cases, a metamorph might even have 
  Berserk when changes shape (or the like) to reﬂect 
  the strain that altering his form places on his mind. 
  This works particularly well if combined with an 
  Accidental Change.
  HUNTED
  Normal humans have feared metamorphs for 
  millennia — the mysterious is always scary, and 
  what’s more mysterious than someone (or some-
  thing) who isn’t what he appears to be?  Shape-
  shifters have been associated with witchcraft, 
  diseases, demonology, and insanity. In addition, 
  there may be groups of people who want to be 
  metamorphs, and so Hunt them not to harm or 
  kill them but to steal or copy their abilities. Thus, 
  concocting a Hunted for a metamorph character 
  shouldn’t be too diﬃcult, though it may have to be 
  a Floating Hunted (for example, “villagers who sus-
  pect the character is a shapechanger”).
  PHYSICAL LIMITATION
  Physical Limitations aren’t common for many 
  types of metamorphs — their powers allow them to 
  change shape to avoid physical handicaps, or even 
  regenerate lost limbs, eyes, and the like. However, it 
  might make for an interesting take on a stereotypi-
  cal metamorph to give him a Physical Limitation 
  he couldn’t avoid — that carried over from form to 
  form. More “mental” Physical Limitations like No 
  Knowledge Of Earth Culture might apply to some 
  types of metamorphs.
  PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATION
  In many cases, the Psychological Limita-
  tions a metamorph has in his base/primary/true 
  form should also be taken by his other forms 
  — a character probably doesn’t become any less 
  fearful of heights or overconfident just because 
  he changes into an animal shape, becomes 
  denser, or shrinks in size. However, this doesn’t 
  necessarily apply in reverse:  an alternate form 
  could have a Psychological Limitation the base 
  character doesn’t. For example, while in wolf 
  form a metamorph might fear fire or loud 
  noises, even though those things don’t bother 
  him when he’s in human shape. Similarly, if a 
  character loses a lot of his intelligence and per-
  sonality when he changes form — for instance, 
  as a wolf he has a wolf’s intelligence and 
  instincts, rather than human sentience — then 
  
  70 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  he might lose his standard Psychological Limi-
  tations. Mental metamorphs, including people 
  with severe multiple personality disorder, could 
  easily have wildly varying Psychological Limita-
  tions from form to form.
  REPUTATION
  As mentioned under Hunteds, metamorphs 
  have been thought of negatively for as long as 
  humans have told stories around the campﬁre. 
  Anyone known to have shapechanging powers, 
  particularly ones that let him imitate other people, 
  might be treated with suspicion by anyone who 
  knows what he is.
  SUSCEPTIBILITY AND VULNERABILITY
  Many legends of metamorphs tell of them 
  having a substance which destroys them (perhaps 
  because people want to feel that they can defeat 
  their greatest fears). Vampires are destroyed by 
  sunlight or running water (and driven oﬀ by many 
  other substances); werewolves can be harmed 
  by silver; and so forth. Similarly, there may be a 
  mystical or scientiﬁc reason that explains why the 
  character’s body can change that involves losing 
  something people with “normal” cells have. Both 
  Susceptibility and Vulnerability are good ways to 
  simulate these mysterious weaknesses. By thinking 
  about the rationale or explanation for a character’s 
  metamorphic powers, you can come up with ways 
  to interfere with or exploit those abilities that you 
  can represent with these Disadvantages.
  VARIABLE DISADVANTAGE
  At the GM’s option, some metamorph char-
  acters might be allowed to take Variable Disadvan-
  tage, a “ﬂoating Disadvantage” the character can 
  change from form to form.
  To buy Variable Disadvantage, the charac-
  ter chooses a point total. In each form, he must 
  take one or more Disadvantages worth twice that 
  amount. For example, if a character has a 20-point 
  Variable Disadvantage, in each form he takes 40 
  points’ worth of Disadvantages.
  The Disadvantages chosen for Variable Dis-
  advantages must be ones that actually hinder, 
  restrict, or complicate the life of the character 
  while he’s in that form. In other words, they 
  should be Disadvantages that could have an 
  immediate and significant impact on the charac-
  ter, not ones that probably won’t come into play 
  during the short time period he may be in his 
  other form. Physical Limitations, Susceptibili-
  ties, and Vulnerabilities are all good candidates, 
  whereas Dependent NPC, Hunted, Reputation, 
  and Rivalry are not (though a Hunted might 
  work if the character has a defined “stable” of 
  different shapes, each with its own pre-defined 
  Hunter, and he remains in each shape for days or 
  weeks at a time). The GM determines which Dis-
  advantages are valid selections for Variable Dis-
  advantage based on the nature of the character’s 
  powers, how long he remains in each form, and 
  so forth.
  
  71 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  B
  etween the material earlier in this chapter, 
  the plethora of metamorphic powers and 
  abilities in Chapter Two, and the example 
  characters in Chapters Three and Four, you 
  should have everything you need to create just the 
  metamorph you have in mind. Here are a few more 
  notes on the design and creation of various types of 
  metamorph characters to help you out.
  From an overall conceptual standpoint, one 
  thing to consider about creating a metamorph is 
  that some part of your character’s life will always 
  involve (or revolve around) change. Maybe he can 
  change his form, his powers alter from day to day, 
  his personality shifts in response to outside inﬂu-
  ences, he relies on regular plastic surgery to alter 
  his appearance, or he doesn’t even have his own 
  body. Whatever the source/nature of his powers, 
  there’s an inherent instability in his life — it’s one of 
  the things that deﬁnes him, so you should take that 
  into account when creating his personality, back-
  ground, supporting cast, and abilities.
  INTERNAL METAMORPHS
  Because these metamorphs only alter their 
  inner workings, most of their powers involve 
  things that aren’t obvious to the casual observer 
  — changes to internal organs, augmentation of 
  existing bodily abilities, mental alterations, and 
  the like. The results of the change may be appar-
  ent right away, but the actual metamorphosis itself 
  usually passes unnoticed. Rarely should another 
  character be able to outwardly examine an internal 
  metamorph and see any form of change unless he 
  has an appropriate Enhanced Sense (such as N-Ray 
  Perception). See the Body-Aﬀecting Powers section 
  of Chapter Two for numerous examples of powers 
  appropriate to typical internal metamorphs.
  BERSERKERS
  Page 11 has a general discussion of what a Ber-
  serker is in historic/legendary terms. In a broader 
  gaming sense, a “Berserker” is a metamorph who gains 
  extra, enhanced, or special abilities when he’s Enraged 
  (or, more appropriately, Berserk). The abilities may 
  either only work when he’s Enraged (or even be Trig-
  gered by failing an Enraged roll), or as a mandatory 
  Side Eﬀect they cause him to become Enraged when 
  he uses them. The Berserker Fury ability on page 169 
  is an example of a classic Berserker power, but you 
  can expand on the basic concept easily. For instance, a 
  supervillain who transforms from an ordinary human 
  into a rampaging, super-strong, green-skinned mon-
  ster whenever he becomes angry is in some ways a 
  Champions version of the Norse berserkr warrior.
  INTERNAL PHYSICAL METAMORPHS
  Internal physical metamorphs actually alter 
  their body chemistry or the workings of their 
  internal organs. In a Superheroic context, this 
  might occur immediately, with no negative eﬀects. 
  In lower-powered and Heroic games, they often 
  buy their powers with Limitations like Activation 
  Roll, Concentration, Costs Endurance, Extra Time, 
  Increased Endurance Cost, Requires A Skill Roll, 
  and/or Side Eﬀects. Some common abilities include:
  Surviving Harsh Environments:  An internal meta-
  morph may be able to control or override his 
  breathing, pain receptors, need for food, or other 
  functions to survive in unusual environments.  This 
  could range from the relatively simple (staving oﬀ 
  sleep for a week or more) to the complex (surviv-
  ing in Arctic or outer space conditions by rerouting 
  blood ﬂow, more eﬃciently utilizing oxygen in the 
  body, toughening the skin, and so forth). In game 
  terms most such abilities are bought as Life Sup-
  port, possibly with Limitations like Extra Time to 
  activate, Concentration, or Continuing Charges.
  Augmenting Natural Abilities:  Many internal meta-
  morphs have powers that involve enhancing or 
  improving existing natural abilities. Augmenting 
  muscle performance increases STR; a better-func-
  tioning nervous system increases DEX; knowledge 
  of the body’s weak spots and vital points makes it 
  possible for the metamorph to hit his foes “harder” 
  or more eﬃciently without any extra eﬀort on his 
  METAMORPH
  CREATION
  
  72 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  part. Aid (or Succor) and the Characteristics Power 
  are often used to build these abilities; other pos-
  sibilities include Hand-To-Hand Attack, minor 
  increases in innate modes of movement like Run-
  ning, low-level Healing Regeneration, and the like.
  Changing/Redirecting Internal Functions:  Sometimes a 
  character doesn’t augment his body’s abilities so much 
  as he changes, controls, or redirects natural functions 
  over which most people have no control. For example, 
  he might redirect blood ﬂow to staunch bleeding or 
  speed the healing of minor injuries. Maybe he can 
  stop the progress of a poison by controlling his body’s 
  immune system response or generating an antidote. A 
  female internal physical metamorph might be able to 
  control whether she becomes pregnant or choose the 
  gender of her child.
  See the Body Control Powers section of 
  Chapter Two for write-ups of these and many 
  similar abilities.
  MENTAL METAMORPHS
  While many types of mental metamorphs are 
  possible, the most common (besides multiple per-
  sonalities; see page 44) are those who change their 
  personalities — either at will, or involuntarily. In 
  either case, the character probably has Shape Shift 
  (Mental Group), since when he “changes,” recogniz-
  ing his true mental patterns is virtually impossible. 
  A Psychological Limitation like Adopts Mindset 
  Appropriate To Personality (Common, Strong) 
  would also be appropriate, particularly in the case 
  of involuntary mental metamorphs. Thus, if the 
  character’s near a group of greedy criminals, he 
  becomes avaricious and criminal-minded himself 
  unless he succeeds with an EGO Roll.
  A character who can “personality shift” at 
  will typically does so to better blend in or impress 
  people. To represent this, he buys lots of Interaction 
  Skills (either with high rolls or some Skill Levels), 
  possibly with the Limitation Costs Endurance. 
  He could also buy related Skills (or Skill Levels) 
  that a shift in personality might improve, such as 
  Disguise. The special eﬀect of these abilities is that 
  the character “reads” the people he’s interacting 
  with (whether through subconscious telepathy, 
  and acute sense for body language, or the like) and 
  adjusts his own personality to match what the other 
  person expects or wants.
  Involuntary personality shifting may have 
  similar eﬀects, but it usually has some drawbacks 
  as well. It tends to make the character vulnerable 
  to whoever’s expressing the strongest desires or 
  opinions, which may force him into a personality 
  he doesn’t like or want (“Bank job? Hmmm... yeah, 
  I’m willing to get in on that”). Depending on how 
  the power works, the GM may let the character take 
  No Conscious Control or other Limitations on the 
  Skill(s) he buys.
  SPIRITUAL METAMORPHS
  Perhaps the rarest form of metamorph (of any 
  category) is the spiritual metamorph, who can alter 
  his soul/spirit/anima/self (or what have you) in 
  some way. Exactly what he can do, and what eﬀects 
  this has, depend on the campaign. Some campaigns 
  don’t touch on spiritual matters at all, so spirit-
  altering powers wouldn’t be appropriate. In others, 
  such as some Fantasy games, matters of the spirit 
  are key, so a spiritual metamorph would make for 
  an intriguing PC or villain.
  Some examples of spiritual metamorphs 
  include:
  ■ a character who can periodically rid himself of 
  sin and corruption in some way, returning himself 
  to a state of grace (see Nazeron Johnson in Chapter 
  Three)
  ■ an angel and demon trapped in the same human 
  body. They shift back and forth, with the angel 
  sometimes holding sway and giving the character 
  the power to be a hero, and the demon sometimes 
  taking over and turning the character into a villain
  ■ a character who can alter his spirit from Good 
  to Evil at will, thus allowing him to better blend in 
  with some groups of people (much like the mental 
  metamorphs described above)
  ■ a hero who has imprisoned an evil spirit within 
  himself to safeguard humanity from it; sometimes 
  it “breaks free” and makes him do horrible deeds
  See the Spirit Projection section of The UNTIL 
  Superpowers Database II for numerous spirit-
  related powers that might be appropriate for spiri-
  tual metamorphs in some campaigns.
  COSMETIC METAMORPHS
  Appearance can be very important, and these 
  relatively low-powered metamorphs can use the 
  ability to change their appearance to achieve amaz-
  ing eﬀects. Even if he lacks other powers or Skills, 
  being able to copy the form of another person gives 
  a metamorph the ability to create chaos in even the 
  most stable environment.
  Shape Shift (often with the Imitation Adder) 
  is the Power most often used to create cosmetic 
  metamorph characters. At a minimum, most need 
  both the Sight and Touch Groups; that way they 
  both look and feel like whomever they’re imitat-
  ing. A “chameleon” metamorph may only have 
  Sight Group, since he’s basically just changing 
  the color of his skin. Adding the Hearing Group 
  makes the character’s voice change. In campaigns 
  where characters use more exotic forms of percep-
  tion on a regular basis, including the Smell/Taste 
  Group makes the character’s body odor diﬀerent 
  (or a match for the subject’s); this helps to throw 
  bloodhounds and other animals oﬀ the character’s 
  scent. Adding the Radio Group makes the charac-
  ter “look” right when scanned with Radar and/or 
  alters his “energy signature” to fool advanced 
  sensors. Finally, if the character has Shape Shift 
  (Mental Group), even his brainwaves look diﬀer-
  ent (or identical to someone else’s). Depending 
  on the GM’s deﬁnitions and how far the character 
  takes things, this may actually begin to merge into 
  “minor metamorph” territory, since altering things 
  like DNA or mental patterns arguably is more than 
  a “cosmetic” change.
  
  73 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  In the comic books and Science Fiction, imi-
  tating someone else’s appearance is often quick and 
  easy; in other genres, it may prove diﬃcult. Limi-
  tations like Activation Roll, Concentration, Costs 
  Endurance, Extra Time, Increased Endurance Cost, 
  Requires A Skill Roll, and/or Side Eﬀects may apply 
  to make the process of changing more time-con-
  suming or harder on the character. In some cases, 
  the character Must Touch Subject To Be Imitated 
  (typically -½) or Must Analyze DNA Sample From 
  Subject To Be Imitated (-1).
  PLASTIC SURGERY
  For a character without innate metamor-
  phic powers who needs a new identity, or who 
  wants to infiltrate an organization for so long 
  that using Disguise becomes impractical, there’s 
  always plastic surgery.
  Modern plastic surgery can make minor 
  changes in a person’s appearance through an 
  operation (or, frequently, series of operations) that 
  involves a substantial healing period. (In a Cham-
  pions or Star Hero campaign, better, quicker, more 
  reliable, less painful methods may exist — and in 
  many games, magic can also play a part.) However, 
  in an emergency a character may need quicker and/
  or more radical changes. A character being Hunted 
  may not be able to show his face in a regular hos-
  pital, forcing him to visit a “back alley” surgeon of 
  questionable reputation who may perform the pro-
  cedure in less than sterile conditions.
  If you want to deﬁne the ability to perform 
  plastic surgery in game terms, the simple approach 
  is PS: Plastic Surgery (which typically also entails 
  buying “precursor” SSs like Medicine and Surgery). 
  For a more complex write-up, try this:  Cosmetic 
  Transform 8d6 (person to person with [slightly] 
  altered features; heals back through another 
  application of this or a similar power), Improved 
  Results Group (any human appearance, within 
  reason; +¼) (50 Active Points); OAF Immobile (an 
  appropriate operating theater or lab, plus surgeon’s 
  tools and equipment; -2), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout procedure; -1), Extra Time (1 Hour or 
  more, depending on the nature and extent of the 
  procedure; -3), Limited Target (humans; -½), No 
  Range (-½), Requires A PS: Plastic Surgery Roll 
  (-¼), Requires Substantial Healing Time (see text; 
  -1), Side Eﬀects (victim doesn’t look right, is badly 
  scarred, or the like — the more the roll fails by, the 
  worse the outcome; -0) (total cost:  5 points). To 
  surgically alter a character to look like someone 
  else, the doctor must have the Skill Disguise.
  The “Substantial Healing Time” referred 
  to is a minimum of one week, and usually 2-4 
  weeks (if not more), unless the character has 
  access to unusual or advanced healing methods. 
  During most of this time the character has to 
  wear bandages, which may make him stand out 
  from the crowd. A failed Skill Roll on the part 
  of the surgeon could result in anything from 
  significantly longer healing time, the character 
  not looking like who he was supposed to, the 
  character looking hideous (and thus suffering 
  a reduction in COM for no Character Points), 
  or the character becoming scarred (and thus 
  gaining a Distinctive Feature for no Character 
  Points). Additional surgery may correct the Side 
  Effects... assuming the character can bring him-
  self to go under the knife again.
  If the character wants to signiﬁcantly change 
  his appearance, the doctor usually suﬀers a -3 or 
  greater penalty to his PS: Plastic Surgery roll. Oper-
  ations performed in “back alley” operating rooms 
  usually suﬀer a -1 to -5 penalty due to the poor 
  quality of the location and equipment. And don’t 
  forget that back alley doctors are there for a reason. 
  They may have seriously fouled up their careers, 
  have a pressing need for money, be addicted to 
  drugs or alcohol, or possess a sadistic or “experi-
  mental” streak. Even worse, maybe the doc simply 
  has more Persuasion than medical ability....
  MINOR METAMORPHS
  At this level, the character’s body can be 
  rearranged or altered in many ways. As long as 
  the basic material doesn’t change, the character 
  can change size, density, or opacity, split into 
  multiple “selves,” or thoroughly change shape to 
  look like other people (as noted above, the line 
  between cosmetic and minor metamorph tends 
  to blur with doppelganger characters). If the 
  character has non-flesh parts, such as a robotic 
  body or cybernetic replacements, he can swap 
  modules or pieces for various effects, altering 
  himself into anything made of roughly the same 
  type and amount of material. A truly odd charac-
  ter might be able to switch flesh parts.
  ADJUSTABLE CHARACTERS
  One of the advantages of having prosthetic 
  limbs and easily-accessible inner workings is the 
  ability to use changeable parts (sometimes referred 
  to as “modules”). Primarily this applies to robots, 
  androids, and the like, but some cyborgs and people 
  who have to wear prosthetics could also ﬁt into this 
  category.
  In game terms, the main issues to consider 
  when creating an adjustable character are:
  ■ What can he change his parts into (or, to put it 
  another way, how big an arsenal of “modules” does 
  he have to work with)?
  ■ How easily can he make the change?
  The answers to these questions dictate the best 
  options for building adjustable characters.
  What He Can Change Into
  While it’s possible that an adjustable character 
  might only have three or four parts he can inter-
  change, most such characters have a reasonably 
  wide variety of modules available to them. 
  The most eﬀective way to build such a charac-
  ter is a Power Framework. If the character needs to 
  access a wide variety of modules at once, then an 
  Elemental Control or Variable Power Pool might 
  work. If he only has a few powers, or powers that 
  are primarily oﬀensive, a Multipower may be a 
  better choice.
  
  74 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  If the character opts to go with a Variable 
  Power Pool, he may want to take a Slightly Limited, 
  Limited, or Very Limited Class Of Powers Limita-
  tion (see page 324 of The HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised rulebook) to restrict the types of parts he 
  can have. Usually this means he can only choose 
  from a pre-built “library” of modules speciﬁcally 
  designed to plug right into him. If the character 
  can’t change modules easily (see below), then allow-
  ing a large “library” may not aﬀect the game much; 
  if he can change them easily, a wide selection may 
  cause game balance problems.
  How Easily He Can Change
  Just because a character has lots of parts or 
  modules to work with doesn’t mean he can use 
  them easily. At the extreme end of the scale are 
  adjustable robots and cyborgs who can swap out 
  parts practically in the blink of an eye. This is 
  common for Champions adjustable characters, 
  and for some advanced Science Fiction robots. In 
  that case, the Framework doesn’t take Extra Time 
  or any other Limitation that represents the diffi-
  culty in switching modules, because there are no 
  significant difficulties.
  On the other hand, sometimes changing a 
  character’s parts isn’t quite as easy as changing his 
  shirt. Swapping one part for another may require 
  several seconds (or minutes, or hours), and pos-
  sibly surgery or other complicated procedures. 
  You can represent this with Extra Time and other 
  appropriate Limitations (such as Requires Surgery 
  To Change, with a value depending on how readily 
  available surgeons are). Other appropriate Limita-
  tions may include Activation Roll (the character 
  may not perform the swap correctly, or the parts 
  may not function properly at some times), Con-
  centration, Requires A Skill Roll (character has to 
  make a Skill Roll to swap modules out), and Side 
  Eﬀects (if the character does something wrong, 
  he hurts or hinders himself). The GM might let 
  the character apply the Limitation Can Only Be 
  Changed In A Laboratory (-½ or more) from Vari-
  able Power Pools to other Power Frameworks. 
  FORMING BODY PARTS INTO OBJECTS
  Some metamorphs can change their form 
  enough to simulate various inanimate objects with 
  their bodies. For minor metamorphs, this might 
  include changing a hand into a hammer, feet into 
  suction cups, or an arm into a spear. (See the Shape 
  Alteration section of Chapter Two for plenty of 
  examples). It should not, however, involve any 
  type of chemical changes (he can make his hand 
  look like a gun, but he can’t create the gunpowder 
  to make the gun work), complicated machinery 
  (such as a chainsaw or a jackhammer), electronics 
  (a ﬂashlight), or the like. Changes that extreme fall 
  under the major metamorph category.
  MAJOR METAMORPHS
  Major metamorphs leave any hope of scien-
  tiﬁc rationalization behind — their changes are 
  so extensive as to require mystical or “rubber sci-
  ence” explanations (which are, of course, perfectly 
  appropriate for many campaign settings). Virtu-
  ally any type of change falls within this category, 
  and in some cases the character’s alternate forms 
  have little, if any, real connection with his ordinary 
  shape. Multiform is a common way to simulate 
  these sorts of powers, but as discussed below it’s not 
  necessarily the only option.
  WHICH POWER TO USE?
  The HERO System oﬀers many possible 
  options for creating major metamorphs:
  ■ buy their alternate form abilities individually, 
  usually with some sort of Limitation such as Only 
  In Heroic Identity (OIHID) that represents the 
  potential diﬃculties of having to “change form” to 
  use the powers. (Remember that the special eﬀect 
  of “activating powers” can involve the character 
  changing form without any restriction at all; taking 
  OIHID indicates that the activation of the powers 
  can be blocked in some way.)
  ■ Multiform
  ■ Shape Shift plus a Power Framework of some sort 
  with which the character builds the abilities of the 
  alternate form. A Variable Power Pool is the most 
  common Framework chosen because of its ﬂex-
  ibility, but in some cases a Multipower or Elemental 
  Control suﬃces.
  Multiform
  Of these three options, in most situations the 
  preferred method is to use Multiform. It does the 
  best job of keeping the two forms distinct so the 
  player and GM can easily determine what their 
  respective abilities are and how they react to and 
  are aﬀected by in-game events. It does require you 
  to prepare a separate character sheet (or some 
  equivalent way of noting the diﬀerences between 
  forms), but books like The HERO System Bestiary 
  help minimize that burden.
  One potential drawback to Multiform is that 
  the character has to buy the number of forms he 
  can change into — in other words, he has a finite 
  number of alternate forms, based on the points 
  he pays. For character concepts such as “I can 
  change into any animal” (much less “any shape”), 
  this restriction may chafe... even if the character 
  buys so many alternate forms that, practically 
  speaking, there’s no way he’ll ever use them all in 
  the game. To avoid this problem, with the GM’s 
  permission a character could buy a Variable 
  Power Pool for just Multiform, such as the True 
  Form Alteration power on page 137.
  Individual Abilities With OIHID
  The “individual powers with OIHID (or some 
  similar Limitation) is a good choice for two types 
  of characters. The ﬁrst is metamorphs whose 
  “transformation” isn’t all that profound (such as 
  berserkers). Preparing a separate character sheet for 
  
  75 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  as simple or one-dimensional a change as that usu-
  ally isn’t necessary.
  The second is characters who have few or 
  no unusual abilities in their “normal” form. For 
  example, in a Champions game, a character who’s an 
  ordinary college student might have the power to 
  change into a huge, hulking, blue-skinned strong-
  man. He can buy his STR, defenses, and other 
  “brick” abilities using OIHID, since his ordinary 
  form doesn’t really oﬀer him many useful abilities 
  or require a distinct character sheet.
  Shape Shift Plus Power Framework
  A third option is to buy Shape Shift and com-
  bine it with a Power Framework. Since Shape Shift 
  doesn’t alter a character’s abilities at all — it can’t 
  make him really small or large, give him claws or 
  wings, or let him run faster or see further — by 
  itself it can’t fully simulate most forms of major 
  metamorphosis (that’s what Multiform does). How-
  ever, the character can buy a Power Framework to 
  simulate the abilities of his alternate forms. Typi-
  cally this is a Variable Power Pool with the Limi-
  tation Only For Abilities Of Shape Shifted Forms 
  (-¼ or -½ for most characters, depending on the 
  number and variety of forms they can assume). 
  But if the character only needs a few abilities, an 
  Elemental Control or a Multipower (often with 
  Flexible slots), and/or a few powers bought outside 
  any Framework, may work just ﬁne.
  Example:  The Champions supervillain Joseph 
  Otanga (Champions Worldwide, page 167) 
  has the power to change his shape into that of 
  African animals. He can even alter diﬀerent 
  parts of his body diﬀerently, perhaps taking on 
  the form of a creature with a lion’s body, a croc-
  odile’s head, and the claws of an eagle. He buys 
  this as Shape Shift, then buys the abilities of his 
  alternate forms with two small Multipowers 
  (one for Growth and Shrinking, one for vari-
  ous forms of movement) and several individual 
  powers; all of the Framework slots and individ-
  ual powers are Linked to his Shape Shift.
  This approach has the advantage of flex-
  ibility — with a properly-defined Shape Shift a 
  character can take on any alternate form he can 
  think of, and most of the abilities that most alter-
  nate forms would need are easily bought using a 
  Framework or Linked. However, it also has sev-
  eral significant drawbacks.
  First, regardless of which Framework the char-
  acter chooses, certain abilities — such as Special 
  Powers — can’t be put in Power Frameworks with-
  out the GM’s permission. This includes Enhanced 
  Senses, a common ability for many alternate forms. 
  Characters have to buy those powers outside the 
  Power Framework, increasing the cost of the over-
  all ability and cluttering the character sheet.
  Second, Shape Shift + Framework works best 
  if the character can assume a limited number of 
  forms and knows all of their important abilities. 
  If he can take on many forms, or an unlimited 
  number, it becomes much harder to predict the 
  powers his alternate forms may need, which may 
  leave him without a power he reasonably should 
  have at some point during the game.
  Third, many seemingly simple alternate forms, 
  such as some animals, often require a lot of points 
  to buy their abilities, and even with a large VPP 
  
  76 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  (which gets expensive) a character may not be 
  able to aﬀord them all. This might leave him in 
  the uncomfortable situation of having supposedly 
  “changed shape”... but without getting some of the 
  signiﬁcant abilities his alternate form should have.
  Fourth, some powers bought as Linked may 
  need Indirect (at the +¼ level, to represent coming 
  from diﬀerent parts of the body), Variable Advan-
  tage, Variable Special Eﬀects, and/or Variable 
  Limitations to properly represent all the forms and 
  aspects they can take, and this could get expensive.
  ANIMAL FORMS AND LYCANTHROPES
  The most common type of major meta-
  morph is the character who can assume one or 
  more animal shapes. The classic representation 
  of this is the lycanthrope — a person with the 
  power to assume a single animal form, and pos-
  sibly also a “man-animal” form that walks on two 
  legs and blends the features of human and beast. 
  When most people think “metamorph,” what 
  they’re really thinking is “lycanthrope” — or even 
  just “werewolf,” the best-known form of lycan-
  thrope in Western society. However, many other 
  types of lycanthropes are possible; see Chapter 
  Four for various examples. In HERO System 
  terms, lycanthropy is usually bought as a Multi-
  form with two alternate forms (animal and man-
  animal) (note that the lycanthropes in Chapter 
  Four are built with the man-animal form as the 
  true form for ease of presentation).
  Common lycanthropic powers include:  
  greater than normal physical Characteristics; 
  fangs and claws; and the ability to heal with 
  incredible speed. Lycanthropes also usually get 
  along well with animals of their type. The char-
  acter sheets on pages 228-31 have the Animal 
  Handler Skill to represent this; some lycan-
  thropes may also or alternately have Mind Link 
  or other Mental Powers that only work with that 
  type of animal. However, lycanthropes suffer 
  extra damage from weapons made of silver (a 
  Vulnerability and/or a way to overcome their 
  Damage Reduction), and a few even suffer injury 
  from just touching pure silver (Susceptibility). 
  They have a tendency to lose control of them-
  selves in battle or when hurt (Enraged/Berserk). 
  See the character sheets on pages 228-31 for 
  examples of the way these abilities and hin-
  drances are bought.
  Lycanthropy As A Disease
  In folklore and legend, a person contracts lycan-
  thropy from the bite of an existing lycanthrope. (He 
  might also get it from a wizard’s curse, or any other 
  appropriate means chosen by the GM... and gaming 
  settings oﬀer possibilities myth never considers.) In 
  game terms, if a character takes half or more of his 
  positive BODY from the bite of a single lycanthrope 
  (or multiple lycanthropes of the same species during 
  the same battle), he becomes a lycanthrope, though 
  he won’t know that until the next full moon. Every 
  lycanthrope has a Lycanthrope’s Bite power to rep-
  resent this ability to infect others (see the character 
  sheets on pages 228-31 for examples).
  When a character ﬁrst contracts lycanthropy, 
  he has little control over his abilities. He cannot ini-
  tiate the change to animal or half-human form vol-
  untarily — it takes place only on the nights of the 
  full moon each month. During that time the char-
  acter loses complete control of himself, becoming a 
  ravening beast. The character has the Psychological 
  Limitation Bestial Nature (Uncommon, Total), and 
  also Enraged (when opposed or injured, go 11-, 
  recover 8-), during this time, though he receives no 
  extra Character Points for them. His Multiform has 
  the No Conscious Control Limitation.
  Every month after the ﬁrst time he changes 
  during the full moon, the character may make an 
  EGO Roll to gain partial control of his lycanthropy. 
  The ﬁrst roll is at -6; if the character fails it, each 
  month afterwards reduce the penalty by 1 until he 
  makes it. At that point, he can usually prevent him-
  self from changing during the full moon, though 
  he may be subject to an Accidental Change during 
  it (and possibly under other circumstances, such as 
  when he perceives blood or experiences stress). The 
  GM should let the character change or re-arrange 
  his Disadvantages to take the Accidental Change, 
  and perhaps an appropriate Psychological or Social 
  Limitation, to reﬂect his condition — or he may 
  simply allow the character to add them to his 
  existing Disadvantages to balance the cost of the 
  character’s Multiform. The Multiform still has the 
  No Conscious Control Limitation.
  Once the character makes his EGO Roll, he 
  can start buying oﬀ the No Conscious Control Limi-
  tation with Experience Points (or, if the GM allows, 
  extra points gained from new Disadvantages). He 
  can spend no more than 2 Character Points per 
  week on this. When he’s completely bought oﬀ the 
  Limitation, he has full control over the Multiform 
  and can change shape whenever he likes. He may or 
  may not also buy oﬀ any Accidental Change he suf-
  fers from; that depends on the GM, the player, and 
  the campaign. Some lycanthropes never completely 
  overcome the tug of the full moon. (The character 
  sheets on pages 228-31 assume the lycanthrope has 
  full control over his abilities.)
  Skinchangers
  In HERO System terms, a changing-skin is a 
  Multiform with the Limitation OAF (or possibly 
  IAF if the changing-skin looks like an ordinary 
  piece of clothing) at half value (see page 43). Put-
  ting it on or taking it oﬀ to start/end the transfor-
  mation may take Extra Time. The possibility of 
  Personality Loss may exist. See the Metamorphic 
  Gadgets section of Chapter Four, or Hrolf Kelling-
  son in Chapter Three, for examples.
  VAMPIRES
  While vampires are usually thought of as 
  undead creatures rather than metamorphs, classi-
  cal- and Hollywood-style vampires do have some 
  shapechanging powers (as well as the lycanthrope-
  like ability to “infect” living humans with their 
  “condition”). Speciﬁcally, they usually have the 
  ability to transform themselves into bat, rat, wolf, 
  and mist forms. The ﬁrst three can be bought as 
  
  77 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  Multiforms; the second as a Limited form of Deso-
  lidiﬁcation. See pages 124-28 of The HERO System 
  Bestiary for character sheets for example vampires.
  Depending on how vampires exist or are 
  deﬁned in the campaign setting, other metamor-
  phic powers are possible. For example, some vam-
  pires might have the ability to assume the form of 
  serpents (and/or other reptiles), monstrously large 
  bats, living humans, a swarm of insects, or shadow.
  MALLEABLES
  Building a malleable- or elastic-bodied char-
  acter is usually a fairly simple matter. First and 
  foremost, he needs lots of Stretching. For most mal-
  leables, 8” is probably a minimum, and 10-20” (or 
  more) isn’t unheard of... and then there’s the pos-
  sibility of extra Noncombat Multiples (or maybe 
  even a touch of MegaScale for silly characters or 
  the truly bizarre).
  Second, for a truly versatile malleable charac-
  ter, you should buy some abilities that represent all 
  the things one can do with an elastic form — such 
  as wrapping up enemies or forming one’s self into a 
  parachute to save a falling comrade. The Stretching 
  Powers section of Chapter Two has dozens of abili-
  ties that simulate having a malleable or elastic body. 
  Stretch your mind a bit, and you can probably think 
  of plenty more.
  For the ultimate in malleability, a character 
  might even buy Multiform to represent his ability 
  to “stretch” himself into, say, a rocket shape that 
  actually functions like a rocket. This strains the 
  “realism” of stretching powers... but sometimes 
  that’s half the fun.
  FORMLESS METAMORPHS
  Similar in many ways to malleables, formless 
  metamorphs can change any part of their body into 
  any shape. They rarely have a single “true form” to 
  speak of (though they may have speciﬁc “favorite 
  forms” they often adopt), and often lack internal 
  organs — they’re composed entirely of shapeable 
  matter. The Nanometal Robot in the Metamorphic 
  Bestiary in Chapter Four is a good example; so are 
  amorphous, protoplasmic, demonic things found in 
  some Horror and Fantasy campaigns.
  Typically, formless metamorphs have lots of 
  Shape Shift, often with an accompanying Power 
  Framework or Linked powers to represent the abili-
  ties they can create with their bodies — deﬁning 
  the odd shapes they can assume with Multiform is 
  diﬃcult at best. Abilities like Instant Turnaround, 
  Let Me Lend You A Hand, Human Lockpick, and 
  Arms Into Blades from Chapter Two are good 
  examples of the sorts of powers formless meta-
  morphs might have. If the GM permits characters 
  to buy Automaton Powers (see page 59), form-
  less metamorphs probably have No Hit Locations 
  (and possibly others). If the character has dif-
  ﬁculty changing form, his Shape Shift might cost 
  Increased Endurance.
  MIMICS AND DOPPELGANGERS
  As noted on pages 7, a “doppelganger” is a 
  character who can copy the appearance of others, 
  sometimes down to the cellular level, but can’t copy 
  their abilities or powers. A mimic takes that one 
  step further, copying (or stealing) abilities as well as 
  appearance. Doppelgangers are typically Cosmetic 
  or Minor Metamorphs, but for character creation 
  
  78 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  purposes it’s easiest to consider them all in this one 
  section with true mimics.
  For copying others, the easiest method is to 
  use Shape Shift with the Imitation Adder (or, for 
  less certainty, a Disguise roll). Other Adders like 
  Cellular, Makeover, and Instant Change may be 
  appropriate, and become required as the doppel-
  ganger character’s powers grow and expand.
  Mimicking powers and abilities becomes 
  much more expensive. In addition to doppel-
  ganger-like Shape Shift (if appropriate — not all 
  mimics fully change appearance), the mimic typi-
  cally needs a power like Transference Touch (page 
  179), Mimicking (page 173), or one of their variants 
  (see pages 65-67). Due to the need to copy large 
  amounts/points’ worth of powers, these abilities 
  become costly quickly, which may put them beyond 
  the range of player characters in campaigns with 
  power or eﬀectiveness ceilings.
  ELEMENTAL METAMORPHS
  Legends, novels, comic books, and movies 
  abound with gods, superhumans, and other char-
  acters who can change into bolts of lightning, 
  beams of light, ﬁery forms, or “pure such-and-such 
  energy.” Depending on the exact game eﬀect you 
  want to achieve, there are many ways to build this 
  sort of ability in the HERO System.
  The simplest form of elemental metamorph 
  is one who can transform his body into energy 
  for a single purpose (or perhaps a group of 
  related purposes). For example, maybe a god can 
  change into a lightning bolt so he can instantly 
  travel to Earth (perhaps zapping some blas-
  phemer in the process). You buy this ability using 
  whatever Powers or other game elements let the 
  character do what he wants to. The lightning bolt 
  example is for movement, so it’s just the special 
  effect of lots of Teleportation or Flight (possibly 
  with some sort of Triggered, Linked Energy Blast 
  or RKA at the end of the journey).
  For a more long-lasting or ﬂexible elemental 
  transformation, a character may be able to convert 
  his body to energy so that he possesses various 
  related abilities while in that form. Several of the 
  Body-Transforming Powers in Chapter Two are 
  “suites” of abilities related to having a form made 
  of ﬁre, electricity, pure energy, or the like. Charac-
  ters often buy these abilities in a straightforward 
  manner (possibly with OIHID or the like) or as 
  part of an Elemental Control. Another option is 
  Multiform, which may raise some intriguing ques-
  tions that can arise during game play. For example, 
  what happens if a character’s “elemental Multiform” 
  comes with Personality Loss... and the Limitation 
  takes eﬀect? Characters in a light or radiation form 
  might suddenly feel the urge to head out toward the 
  stars as fast as they can, electricity characters might 
  spend the rest of their lives traveling between dif-
  ferent electric charges (i.e., positively charged areas 
  when they feel “negative,” and negatively charged 
  areas when they feel “positive”) or maybe just take 
  up residence in an old car battery somewhere.
  COMPLETE METAMORPHS
  Complete metamorphs can change themselves 
  in the most profound ways. They range from “tradi-
  tional” metamorphs who can alter their bodies into 
  anything (or virtually anything) to characters with 
  multiple bodies or who travel from body to body.
  FREE SPIRITS AND SWITCHERS
  As described on page 8, free spirits are “meta-
  morphs” in that they “transform” their “bodies” by 
  moving from one body to the next. They don’t actu-
  ally have an underlying physical form; they exist 
  in a disembodied state (usually as psionic force or 
  some other form of energy). The “transformation” 
  occurs when the free spirit moves from one body 
  to another. Examples include the mind of a wizard 
  cursed to travel from one body to another and a 
  “time traveler” who “journeys back” in time by 
  temporarily inhabiting the bodies of other people 
  who’ve been alive during his lifespan. But regard-
  less of the special eﬀects behind the shift, every 
  time they change they have the potential to change 
  almost everything about “themselves” — appear-
  ances, social history, jobs, genders, ethnic back-
  grounds, friends, family, and homes, just to name 
  a few.
  Typically a power (or form of existence) like 
  this is a little too unusual, unbalanced, or diﬃcult 
  to deal with to make a good player character. It 
  works better for adversaries, NPCs, and the like, 
  not characters who occupy center stage throughout 
  the campaign. In any event, the Active Points and 
  expense of the powers and abilities involved may 
  preclude PCs from buying them.
  When you create a free spirit character, there 
  are several factors you need to consider:
  ■ is the “change” controlled or uncontrolled? In 
  other words, can the character initiate the shift 
  from one body to the next at will, or does it happen 
  when certain events occur regardless of whether 
  the character wants it to? If it’s an uncontrolled 
  change, what outside phenomena trigger the shift 
  (the passage of time, going to sleep, being exposed 
  to a particular substance or energy...)? Can other 
  characters somehow force the character to shift 
  bodies without his consent?
  ■ when the character shifts to a body, does he com-
  pletely take it over? Does he co-exist with (and thus 
  have to ﬁght) the body’s normal mind/personality, 
  automatically suppress it and shove it to the back 
  of the brain, or “switch minds” and force the body’s 
  normal mind/personality into the body he just 
  exited? (The latter is a “switcher” rather than a free 
  spirit, but otherwise the two characters are similar.)
  ■ can anything prevent the character from taking 
  over a target? Would psionic protection (Mental 
  Defense) hinder or stop him? Are there some types 
  of bodies he cannot take over at all?
  ■ what happens if the character can’t ﬁnd a body to 
  inhabit? Does he die, pass into a coma, drift aim-
  lessly, go insane?
  
  79 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter One
  ■ to what extent does the character have access to 
  the body’s memories and abilities? Does he know 
  everything there is to know about the subject, or 
  nothing? Can he use the subject’s superpowers, 
  spells, Skills, or what have you freely, or is he lim-
  ited to only using abilities he himself possesses?
  Typically a free spirit has an ability or abilities 
  similar to Bodyjacking (page 167) or Mind Transfer 
  (page 174), appropriately adjusted based on the 
  answers you give to the questions above. However, 
  those powers assume the character ordinarily has 
  his own corporeal form, and that’s not necessarily 
  true for a free spirit. Assuming the free spirit isn’t 
  basically a plot device, you may have to create its 
  “true self” by building a character who’s perma-
  nently intangible and invisible (Desolidiﬁcation 
  and Invisibility, both Persistent and Always On), 
  then buy the power(s) he uses to take over his tar-
  gets with the Aﬀects Physical World (+2) Advantage.
  SYMBIONTS, PARASITES,  
  AND LIVING BRAINS
  For gaming purposes, a symbiont is a physical 
  being, typically a small and relatively defenseless 
  one, who lives inside another physical being (usu-
  ally a human), creating a sort of “dual being.” The 
  Trill from Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine are a good 
  example; so (in a more parasitical fashion) are the 
  Goa’uld from Stargate SG-1.
  Ordinarily the symbiont itself is long-lived, 
  potentially even immortal if it has enough host 
  bodies to transplant itself into over the years. It 
  maintains the memories and skills it learns as a 
  dual being, carrying them from host to host and 
  learning new things from its experiences with each 
  host during their joint lifetime. Thus, a symbiont 
  character could be incredibly learned and skilled, 
  even at a young age, because it has centuries’ 
  worth of memories. When a host body becomes 
  too injured, sick, or aged to live, the symbiont is 
  transplanted into another host; it may be able to do 
  this on its own, but in ﬁction it typically requires 
  outside help.
  In game terms, you can represent a symbiont 
  character with a Limited form of Multiform. As the 
  character moves from host body to host body, most 
  or all of its Intellect Skills, KSs, and intellectual abil-
  ities remain the same, but its physical abilities can 
  vary wildly depending on the nature of the host. 
  For example, one host might be a highly-trained 
  acrobat, one a skilled pilot, one a powerful warrior. 
  As the symbiont moves from the acrobat to the 
  pilot, it loses the acrobat’s physical abilities (such as 
  Acrobatics, Breakfall, and Climbing) but keeps his 
  intellectual and learned abilities (such as KS: The 
  Gymnastics World). However, he gains the physical 
  abilities of the pilot (such as Combat Piloting) and 
  any new intellectual abilities it doesn’t already have 
  (like Navigation (Air)).
  Usually a symbiont cannot (or does not) 
  change forms at will. He only moves from one host 
  body to another when his current host body dies or 
  becomes untenable for some reason (serious illness, 
  crippling injury, or the like). You can represent this 
  as No Conscious Control, since the Multiform is 
  only “activated” by conditions largely outside the 
  character’s control.
  In some cases, a symbiont has a limited 
  lifespan — it can only survive through a certain 
  number of host bodies, and then it dies. You can 
  represent this by buying only so many alternate 
  forms and applying a Limitation such as Character 
  Dies After Last Form Is No Longer Viable (typically a 
  -0, since it doesn’t really aﬀect the character during 
  game play). In other cases, the symbiont’s lifespan 
  is basically unlimited, provided it has host bodies 
  to transplant into; you can represent this by buying 
  a lot of alternate forms, or buying a Variable Power 
  Pool just for Multiforms.
  In either situation, typically transplanting 
  a symbiont from one host body to another is a 
  complex procedure that entails some risks for the 
  symbiont:
  ■ Changing host bodies takes time — usually at 
  least an hour, if not longer. You can represent this 
  with an Extra Time Limitation.
  ■ The symbiont usually can’t accomplish the change 
  on its own. It needs outside help — often highly-
  skilled help in the form of surgeons, priests, or spe-
  cially-trained “transplanters.” You can represent this 
  by taking the Limitation Requires A Skill Roll, but 
  with a twist:  it’s not the character’s Skill Roll that’s 
  used, but the Skill Roll of the outside specialist. If 
  these specialists are rare or diﬃcult to use for some 
  reason, the GM may increase the value of the Limi-
  tation to reﬂect that.
  ■ During the transplantation, the symbiont is 
  vulnerable. It has no physical Characteristics or 
  abilities to speak of, and if it doesn’t get into a host 
  body in time it dies or suﬀers other diﬃculties. You 
  can deﬁne this with two Limitations:  Vulnerable 
  During Transplantation (typically worth -0, but it 
  depends on how often the character is transplanted, 
  the length of the transplantation process, and how 
  likely the GM is to use this against the character) 
  and Side Eﬀects (either “character dies or is crippled 
  if transplantation process fails; -1” or “character 
  remains vulnerable for a longer than normal time if 
  transplantation process fails; -¼”)
  Of course, there’s no requirement that the 
  symbiont suﬀer from these problems. Maybe there 
  are so many host bodies available, and moving the 
  symbiont from one to another is such an easy pro-
  cess, that the character’s Multiform suﬀers no real 
  restrictions.
  Example:  The Sha’thír are a “dual species” of 
  symbionts (Sha’tala) and hosts (Thirastri). The 
  two have lived as one for so long that a Sha’tala 
  (a sort of squid-like being about the size of a 
  human forearm) can’t live for more than about 
  8-10 hours outside a Thirastri, and a Thirastri 
  (a human-like being) can’t live for more than 
  two or three days without a Sha’tala inside it. 
  The Sha’tala are immortal unless slain by injury 
  or lack of host body; the Thirastri have lifes-
  pans of 80-100 years on the average. A typical 
  Sha’thír is built on about 200 Character Points, 
  with 150 representing the accumulated knowl-
  
  80 ■ Metamorph Characters
  Hero System 5th Edition
  edge and Intellect Skills of the Sha’tala and 50 
  representing the physical skills learned or pos-
  sessed by that particular Sha’thír. Over time 
  the Sha’tala learns more and more, becoming 
  increasingly expensive in terms of points. Here’s 
  how to build this in HERO System terms:
  Multiform (assume up to 1,000 “alternate 
  forms” based on Sha’tala + new Thirastri host, 
  total cannot be built on more than 500 points) 
  (150 Active Points); Extra Time (transplanta-
  tion process takes 6 Hours; -3½), No Conscious 
  Control (character only changes form when 
  host body becomes untenable; -2), Requires A 
  Skill Roll (specially-trained doctor’s Transplan-
  tation Skill; -½), Side Eﬀects (character dies or 
  is crippled if transplantation process fails; -1), 
  Vulnerable During Transplantation (-0), Char-
  acter Dies After Last Form Is No Longer Viable 
  (-0). Total cost:  19 points.
  Parasites
  Parasites are similar to symbionts, except that 
  the parasite-host relationship isn’t voluntary:  the 
  parasite forces itself on the host, or tricks the host 
  into accepting it. Thus, a parasite’s Multiform usu-
  ally lacks the No Conscious Control Limitation, 
  since the parasite has control over when it “changes 
  form,” and into who. If this isn’t the case, it may take 
  the No Conscious Control at a lesser value, or use 
  some other Limitation to simulate the situation. It 
  may not suﬀer some of the other Limitations that a 
  symbiont does; for example, it may lack the “period 
  of vulnerability” between host bodies.
  Living Brains
  A “living brain” is a brain that can survive 
  outside a physical body for a while (perhaps a long 
  time) until it’s transplanted into another body. In 
  game terms, this isn’t really any diﬀerent from a 
  standard symbiont, though it’s more common in 
  some genres (such as some comic book and Horror 
  settings).
  MULTIPLE BODIES
  Some characters can shift their conscious-
  ness between a “library” of two or more bodies. 
  Examples include androids and robots who can 
  “download” their “consciousness” into other pre-
  built robotic forms (Mechanon in the Champions 
  Universe, for instance), a character whose brain can 
  easily and safely be transplanted between bodies, 
  or a character who uses super-technology to shift 
  his “thought patterns” into a neuro-programmed 
  android form designed to receive them.
  In game terms, you can build this ability as 
  Multiform — each body in the character’s “library” 
  is one alternate form. Depending on how easily a 
  character can shift bodies, you may need to apply 
  Limitations (Concentration, Extra Time, Focus, or 
  Requires A Skill Roll, for example) on the power.
  
  chapter two:
  chapter two:
  METAMORPHIC POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  82 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  M
  etamorphic Powers are the vast array 
  of abilities that metamorph characters 
  (of all varieties) might have.  In short, 
  they’re example powers for meta-
  morphs, be they shrinkers, malleable characters, 
  doppelgangers, density alterers, mimics, internal 
  metamorphs, or what have you. Some of them 
  originally appeared in The UNTIL Superpowers 
  Database, Database II, or other Hero Games pub-
  lications, but they’ve been updated, expanded, or 
  otherwise altered to take advantage of the informa-
  tion presented in this book, or to better reﬂect how 
  they typically apply to metamorph characters.
  This chapter describes each power with a 
  standard template. The information provided 
  applies only to the standard power; the options 
  may have different areas of effect, ranges, END 
  costs, and so forth.
  Name indicates the name of the power. You can, 
  of course, rename it to suit your own character if 
  you prefer.
  Effect lists the basic game eﬀect of the power in 
  simple terms:  Energy Blast 8d6, Explosive; Deso-
  lidiﬁcation; Telekinesis (30 STR). This tells you 
  quickly what a power can do so you don’t have to 
  delve into the full game write-up.
  Target/Area Affected describes who or what the 
  power aﬀects. An Attack Power usually indicates 
  “One character” or the area covered due to the 
  Area Of Eﬀect or Explosion Advantages. (Of course, 
  sometimes even a “one character” power can be 
  Spread, or used with Rapid Fire or Sweep to aﬀect 
  more than one target; a power’s shorthand descrip-
  tion doesn’t override the rules.)  “Self” indicates the 
  power only works on the character using it (though 
  it may still “aﬀect” other characters; for example, 
  other characters can perceive the eﬀects of Shape 
  Shift, even though it’s a “Self” power.)
  Duration lists the power’s duration, typically Instant, 
  Constant, Persistent, or Inherent (see the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 98). “Uncontrolled” 
  indicates the power has that Advantage; Continuing 
  Charges are also listed here.
  Range lists the range for the power. Ranged powers 
  usually have a range in inches (Active Points x 5” 
  in most cases), but may have “LOS” (Line Of Sight) 
  range. “No Range” indicates that the power has No 
  Range; “Self” that the power only aﬀects the charac-
  ter using it; “Touch” that the power involves having 
  to touch another character (which usually requires 
  an Attack Roll).
  END Cost lists the power’s Endurance cost.
  Description provides a (usually brief) textual descrip-
  tion of the power. This section notes any special rules 
  or rules applications relevant to the power.
  Game Information is a full write-up of the power in 
  game terms, including Active Point and Real Point 
  costs. (If only one point total is listed, that means 
  the Active and Real Point costs are the same.)
  Lastly, many powers have Options listed below 
  the game information. These describe various stan-
  dard ways to alter the power to create a slightly dif-
  ferent ability. Optional powers often have their own 
  names related to the standard power’s name. For 
  example, under the power Animal Form you can 
  ﬁnd an optional power called Were-Form which is 
  nothing more than adding an additional alternate 
  form to the basic power.
  METAMORPHIC
  POWERS
  
  83 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  T
  he animal kingdom, from the smallest 
  insects to the largest whales, provides a 
  nigh-inexhaustible source of ideas for 
  superhuman characters and powers. A few 
  minutes perusing some zoology books or animal 
  encyclopedias should give you plenty of ideas; the 
  powers described here represent only a fraction of 
  the many possible powers.
  If you want to compare a character’s capabili-
  ties to those of a speciﬁc animal, take a look at the 
  HERO System Bestiary. It has HERO System char-
  acter sheets for hundreds of animals and creatures, 
  making it a great source of information and inspi-
  ration for animal-oriented PCs.
  Unlike the other sections of this book, which 
  are organized into Oﬀensive, Defensive, Movement, 
  Sensory, and Miscellaneous powers, this section 
  organizes abilities not by their function, but by the 
  types of animals they relate to:  General; Aquatic; 
  Avian; Insect; Mammal; and Reptile.
  GENERAL ANIMAL POWERS
  These powers represent abilities that you 
  might associate with just about any type of 
  animal-oriented or -themed character, or which, 
  like Wings, you associate with many different 
  categories of creatures. In other words, they 
  relate to, or derive from, animal forms in general. 
  For powers related to specific animal forms, see 
  the other categories below.
  ANIMAL FORM
  Effect:  Multiform (one animal form)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the ability to assume 
  the form of one animal. The cost of the power 
  depends on the total cost of the animal, of course, 
  but 300 points allows you to choose just about any 
  animal in the HERO System Bestiary and “upgrade” 
  it to give it better INT and so forth. For less (or 
  more) expensive animals, simply recalculate the 
  cost of the power accordingly.
  Game Information:  Multiform (300-point 
  animal form; true form is human form). Total 
  cost:  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Menagerie Form:  The character can change 
  into multiple animal forms, though he must deﬁne 
  those forms when he purchases the power. Add the 
  ability to change into up to eight forms. Total cost:  
  75 points.
  2)  Were-Form:  The character can assume a second 
  alternate form that mixes the characteristics of his 
  human and animal forms. Add the ability to change 
  into two forms. Total cost:  65 points.
  3)  Swift Change:  The character can assume his 
  animal form quickly and easily. Add the Instant 
  Change Adder. Total cost:  65 points.
  4)  Tiring Change:  Changing forms places some 
  strain on the character’s system. Add Costs Endur-
  ance (to activate; -½). Total cost:  40 points.
  5)  Animal Nature:  The character must take care 
  not to spend too long in animal form, lest the 
  animal’s instincts overwhelm his human person-
  ality. Add Personality Loss (1 Minute; -1¾). Total 
  cost:  22 points. 
  ANIMAL SENSES
  Effect:  Various Enhanced Senses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the heightened 
  senses of an animal. Since animal senses encompass 
  many diﬀerent powers, the character can choose 
  from one or all of the powers listed below.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  6 
  Animal Senses:  +2 PER with all Sense 
  Groups
  4 
  Animal Ears:  +2 PER with Hearing Group
  3 
  Animal Ears:  Ultrasonic Perception (Sight 
  Group)
  4 
  Animal Eyes:  +2 PER with Sight Group
  5 
  Animal Eyes:  Nightvision
  4 
  Animal Nose:  +2 PER with Smell/Taste 
  Group
  5 
  Animal Nose:  Analyze for Normal Smell
  5 
  Animal Nose:  Tracking for Normal Smell
  ANIMAL  
  POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  84 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  BIOELECTRIC TOUCH
  Effect:  Energy Blast 6d6, NND
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  8 Charges
  Description:  The character’s body has tissue that’s 
  able to store an intense electrical charge. He can 
  use the stored electricity as a weapon by touching 
  another character. It takes approximately 24 hours 
  for him to recharge the tissue after depleting it.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 6d6, NND 
  (defense is rPD not made of metal; +1) (60 
  Active Points); No Range (-½), 8 Charges (-½). 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Touch:  Increase to Energy Blast 8d6. 80 
  Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  2)  Weak Touch:  Decrease to Energy Blast 4d6. 40 
  Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  3)  Bioelectric Grab:  By maintaining contact with 
  the victim, the character can keep shocking him, 
  though this drains his internal stores of electric-
  ity quickly. Add as a naked Advantage Continuous 
  (+1) (30 Active Points); Only Works If Character 
  Makes And Can Maintain Grab On Victim (-½) 
  (total cost:  20 points). 60 + 30 = 90 Active Points; 
  total cost 30 + 20 = 50 Active Points.
  CLAW CLINGING
  Effect:  Clinging, Cannot Resist Knockback
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character can dig the tips of his 
  claws into walls and other vertical surfaces enough 
  to allow him to climb them eﬀortlessly.
  Game Information:  Clinging (normal STR) (10 
  Active Points); Cannot Resist Knockback (-¼), 
  Costs Endurance (-½). Total cost: 6 points.
  CLAWS
  Effect:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with STR), Reduced Pen-
  etration
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has claws, or can grow 
  claws, making him a lethal hand-to-hand combat-
  ant. If he has claws on his feet, he may call this 
  power Talons instead.
  Game Information:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with 
  STR) (15 Active Points), Reduced Penetration 
  (-¼). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Large Claws:  Increase damage to HKA 2d6. 30 
  Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  2)  Small Claws:  Decrease damage to HKA ½d6. 10 
  Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  3)  Restrainable Claws:  Some characters’ claws are 
  positioned in ways that allow an enemy to restrain 
  them or otherwise prevent the character from using 
  them. Add Restrainable (-½). Total cost:  9 points.
  4)  Sharp Claws:  The character has unusually 
  sharp claws. Add Armor Piercing (+½). Total 
  cost:  18 points.
  5)  Skilled Claws:  The character has practiced using 
  his claws so that a swipe from one of them can 
  inﬂict a lethal wound. Remove Reduced Penetra-
  tion. Total cost:  15 points.
  6)  Flurry Of Claws:  In HTH Combat, the character 
  can use his claws with unusual speed and ferocity. 
  Add Autoﬁre (3 shots; +¼). Total cost:  15 points.
  FANGS
  Effect:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with STR)
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character’s mouth contains sharp 
  teeth, or he can grow sharp teeth at will.
  Game Information:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with 
  STR). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Large Fangs:  Increase damage to HKA 2d6. 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  2)  Small Fangs:  Decrease damage to HKA ½d6. 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  3)  Razor-Sharp Fangs:  The character has unusually 
  sharp fangs. Add Armor Piercing (+½). Total cost:  
  22 points.
  
  85 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  MULTIPLE LIMBS
  Effect:  Extra Limbs (number varies)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Insects, spiders, and crustaceans, 
  among others, have more than four limbs. Char-
  acters with powers simulating the abilities of such 
  creatures often do as well. See also Multi-Limbed 
  Combatant, page 175, for related abilities.
  Game Information:  Extra Limbs (number 
  varies). Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Natural Limbs:  Add Inherent (+¼). Total cost:  6 
  points.
  2)  Skilled Hand-To-Hand-To-Hand-To-Hand Fighter:  
  The character knows how to use his extra arms in 
  slugfests. Add +1 with Punch, Disarm, and Grab for 
  each arm in addition to the character’s normal two. 
  Total cost:  3 points per Combat Skill Level.
  PROTECTIVE SKIN
  Effect:  Damage Resistance (8 PD/8 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Fish and reptiles have scales, insects 
  chitinous exoskeletons, and mammals leathery 
  hides. Thus, many animal-themed characters have 
  tougher skin as well.
  Game Information:  Damage Resistance (8 PD/8 
  ED). Total cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Leathery Skin:  Increase to Damage Resistance 
  (12 PD/12 ED). Total cost:  12 points.
  2)  Soft Skin:  Reduce to Damage Resistance (4 
  PD/4 ED). Total cost:  4 points.
  3)  Chitinous Exoskeleton:  Substitute Armor (8 
  PD/8 ED); Visible (-¼). 24 Active Points; total cost 
  19 points.
  4)  Concealing Scales:  Add Lack Of Weakness (-5) 
  for Resistant Defenses. Total cost:  5 points.
  5)  Sharp Scales:  The character’s scales are sharp, 
  rough, or covered with small spikes; they can hurt 
  people who brush up against him or strike him. 
  Add HKA 1 point, Continuous (+1), Damage 
  Shield (+½), Inherent (+¼), Persistent (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (19 Active 
  Points); Always On (-½), Activation Roll 14- (-½), 
  No STR Bonus (-½). Total cost:  8 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  86 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  STICKY FINGERS
  Effect: Clinging, Cannot Resist Knockback
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1 (to activate)
  Description: The character changes the shape of his 
  hands and/or feet in some way — turning them 
  into big suction cups, extending miniature claws 
  from their surfaces, or even just molding them 
  to ﬁt whatever surface he happens to be working 
  with — so he can stick to a surface. Alternately, the 
  character’s hands may always have that shape (e.g., 
  tiny suction cups along the ﬁngers and toes).
  Game Information:  Clinging (normal STR) (10 
  Active Points); Cannot Resist Knockback (-¼), 
  Costs Endurance (to activate; -¼). Total cost: 
  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Stickiness:  Increase Clinging STR to 
  normal STR + 15. 15 Active Points; total cost 10 
  points.
  2)  Tiring Stickiness:  Change Costs Endurance 
  (to activate; -¼) to Costs Endurance (-½). Total 
  cost: 6 points.
  3)  Easy Stickiness:  Remove Costs Endurance (-½). 
  Total cost: 8 points.
  STING
  Effect:  HKA ½d6, Armor Piercing
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  Many animals have stings, claws, 
  spines, spurs, or prickers with which to defend 
  themselves, and characters with related powers may 
  have them, too. Typically these natural weapons 
  don’t do much damage themselves, but can inject a 
  venom (see below).
  Game Information:  HKA ½d6 (up to 1d6+1 
  with STR), Armor Piercing (+½). Total cost:  
  15 points.
  TAIL
  Effect:  Extra Limb (1)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Inherent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Many types of animals, and thus the 
  characters based on them, have tails.
  Game Information:  Extra Limb (1), Inherent 
  (+¼) (6 Active Points); Limited Manipulation 
  (-¼). Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Prehensile Tail:  This tail functions nearly as well 
  as an arm. Remove Limited Manipulation. Total 
  cost:  6 points.
  VENOM
  Effect:  Drain CON 3d6, NND plus RKA 2d6, NND
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  4 Charges
  Description:  Venom is a common weapon in the 
  animal kingdom. Humans particularly associate 
  poison with certain types of animals, such as spi-
  ders, insects, and reptiles. Characters with powers 
  based on such animals may have venom powers.
  This writeup uses a typical lethal poison such 
  as the ones described on pages 28-30 of the HERO 
  System Bestiary. You can use the other write-ups 
  there to increase or decrease the damage. The 
  writeup assumes the character has an HKA (claws, 
  fangs, or a sting) with which to deliver the venom 
  into a target’s body.
  Game Information:  Drain CON 3d6, Delayed 
  Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 
  per Hour; +1), NND (defense is appropri-
  ate LS [Immunity]; +1) (90 Active Points); 
  4 Charges (-1), HKA Must Do BODY (-½), 
  Extra Time (onset time begins 5 Minutes 
  after victim is bitten; -2), Gradual Effect 
  (15 Minutes; 1d6/5 Minutes; -¾) (total cost:  
  17 points) plus RKA 2d6, NND (defense is 
  appropriate LS [Immunity]; +1), Does BODY 
  (+1) (90 Active Points); No Range (-½), 4 
  Charges (-1), HKA Must Do BODY (-½), 
  Extra Time (onset time begins 5 Minutes 
  after victim is bitten; -2), Gradual Effect (10 
  Minutes; 1d6/5 minutes; -¾), Linked (-½) 
  (total cost:  14 points). Total cost:  31 points.
  Options:
  1)  Venom Blast:  The character can project his 
  venom as a bolt of power. Add Ranged (+½) to the 
  Drain and remove No Range (-½) from the RKA. 
  105 + 90 = 195 Active Points; total cost 20 + 16 = 
  36 points.
  2) Nonlethal Poison:  Replace the RKA with a Drain 
  STUN 3d6, NND identical to the Drain CON. 180 
  Active Points; total cost 33 points.
  
  87 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  WALLCRAWLING
  Effect:  Clinging (normal STR)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Characters with insectile or reptilian 
  powers often have the ability to cling to walls and 
  other surfaces.
  Game Information:  Clinging (normal STR). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Wallcrawling:  Increase Clinging STR to 
  normal STR +30. Total cost:  20 points.
  2)  Weak Wallcrawling:  Apply Cannot Resist Knock-
  back (-¼). 10 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  WINGS
  Effect:  Flight 12”, Restrainable
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  Birds, many insects, and bats have wings; 
  characters based on such creatures often do, too.
  Game Information:  Flight 12” (24 Active Points); 
  Restrainable (-½). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Stronger Wings:  Increase Flight to 20”. 40 Active 
  Points; total cost 27 points.
  2)  Weaker Wings:  Decrease Flight to 8”. 16 Active 
  Points; total cost 11 points.
  3)  Gliding I:  Substitute Gliding 12” for Flight 12”. 12 
  Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  4)  Gliding II:  Some characters who can ﬂy can also 
  glide, allowing them to conserve END. Change 
  power to a Multipower with a 24-point reserve, all 
  Restrainable, one slot Flight 12” and one Gliding 
  12”. Total cost:  19 points.
  5)  Easy Flight:  The character is such an accomplished 
  ﬂyer that he can remain aloft indeﬁnitely without 
  tiring himself out. Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½). 36 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  6)  Silent Flight:  The character’s wings make no 
  sound when used. Add Invisible to Hearing Group 
  (+¼). 30 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  7)  Arm-Wings:  The character’s wings aren’t a separate 
  set of limbs growing out of his back; instead, they 
  attach to his arms, meaning he can’t do anything with 
  his arms but move his wings if he wants to stay aloft. 
  Substitute Gestures (both hands throughout; -¾) for 
  Restrainable. 24 Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  8)  Stooping:  The character is particularly skilled 
  at dive-bombing targets. Add Flight +20”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Restrainable (-½), Only To Dive At Targets For 
  Move Bys (-1). Total cost:  24 points.
  ZOOTOXIC IMMUNITY
  Effect:  Life Support (Immunity to zootoxins)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character is immune to all zootox-
  ins — that is, all poisons derived from animals.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Immunity: 
  zootoxins). Total cost:  5 points.
  AQUATIC ANIMAL POWERS
  These powers relate to ﬁsh, other denizens 
  of the deep, and associated creatures. Characters 
  with ties to Atlantis, who got bitten by a radioactive 
  shark, or who’ve had manta ray DNA spliced with 
  their own might possess them.
  BREATHE UNDERWATER
  Effect:  Life Support (Expanded Breathing)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can breathe under-
  water as easily as he can in air. He may have gills, 
  or hyper-eﬃcient lungs, or an energy ﬁeld that 
  extracts oxygen from water for him. 
  Game Information:  Life Support (Expanded 
  Breathing:  breathe underwater). Total cost:  
  5 points.
  DEEP-SEA ADAPTATION
  Effect:  Life Support (Safe Environments:  High Pres-
  sure, Intense Cold)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character is safe in the iciest, deep-
  est waters.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Safe Environ-
  ments:  High Pressure, Intense Cold). Total cost:  
  3 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  88 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  DELPHINE SONAR
  Effect:  Active Sonar
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has sonar like that of a 
  dolphin (or many other sea creatures).
  Game Information:  Active Sonar and Ultra-
  sonic Perception (both for Hearing Group). 
  Total cost:  18 points.
  Options:
  1)  Passive Sonar:  The character can perceive 
  objects in his surroundings by the sounds they give 
  oﬀ without transmitting any sounds himself. Sub-
  stitute Targeting for the Hearing Group for Active 
  Sonar. Total cost:  23 points.
  2)  Restricted Sonar:  The character’s hearing powers 
  only work underwater (this assumes he spends a 
  signiﬁcant percentage of his time out of the water). 
  Add Only Works Underwater (-½). 15 and 3 Active 
  Points, respectively; total cost 10 and 2 points, 
  respectively.
  IMPROVED SWIMMING
  Effect:  Swimming +18”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can swim as fast as, or 
  faster than, most ﬁsh.
  Game Information:  Swimming +18” (20” total). 
  Total cost:  18 points.
  Options:
  1)  Super-Swimming I:  Increase Swimming to +28”. 
  Total cost:  28 points.
  2)  Super-Swimming II:  Increase Noncombat mul-
  tiple to x8. Total cost:  28 points.
  SQUID’S INK
  Effect:  Darkness to Sight Group, Only Works Under-
  water
  Target/Area Affected:  3” radius
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  150”
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character can project a cloud of 
  inky liquid into the water, like a squid, providing 
  cover for himself or blinding his enemies.
  Game Information:  Darkness to Sight Group 3” 
  radius (30 Active Points); Only Works Under-
  water (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Larger Cloud:  Increase Darkness to 5”. 50 Active 
  Points; total cost 33 points.
  2)  Limited Uses:  The character only has a limited 
  supply of ink. Add 8 Continuing Charges lasting 1 
  Turn each (removed by strong currents; -0). Total 
  cost:  20 points.
  3)  Limited Range:  The character cannot project his 
  ink very far. Add Limited Range (10”; -¼). Total 
  cost:  17 points.
  TOUCH OF THE EEL
  Effect:  Energy Blast 8d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character possesses a power simi-
  lar to that of an electric eel — he can emit a deadly 
  electric zap by touch.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 8d6 (40 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½). Total cost:  27 points.
  OPTIONS:
  1)  Strong Touch:  Increase to Energy Blast 12d6. 60 
  Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  2)  Bioelectric Blast:  Remove No Range (-½). Total 
  cost:  40 points.
  3)  Automatic Zap:  Add Damage Shield (+½), Con-
  tinuous (+1), and Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½), and remove No Range (-½). Total cost:  120 
  points.
  4)  Limited Batteries:  The character’s body can only 
  hold so much electric charge at once. Add 8 Boost-
  able Charges (-¼). Total cost:  23 points.
  
  89 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  UNDERWATER SENSES
  Effect:  Various Enhanced Senses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the senses he needs 
  to perceive things deep underwater. He may pur-
  chase as many of these as he wishes.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  5 
  Underwater Eyes:  Nightvision
  32 
  Water Currents Sense:  Detect Vibrations/Cur-
  rents In Water (INT Roll) (Touch Group), Dis-
  criminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 
  Degrees), Range, Sense, Targeting
  AVIAN POWERS
  Birds, particularly birds of prey, often provide 
  inspiration for superhuman characters and their 
  powers. In addition to the powers listed here, you 
  should deﬁnitely consider Wings (page 87), Animal 
  Senses pertaining to Sight (page 83), and Claws 
  (Talons, page 84).
  BEAK
  Effect:  HKA ½d6 (up to 1d6+1 with STR)
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has a beak or beak-like 
  structure on his face, allowing him to inﬂict vicious 
  pecking wounds.
  Game Information:  HKA ½d6 (up to 1d6+1 
  with STR). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Sharp Beak:  Add Armor Piercing (+½). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  2)  Dull Beak:  Substitute HA +2d6 for HKA. 10 
  Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  BIRD’S EYES
  Effect:  See text
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the heightened 
  visual senses of a bird.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  5 
  Bird’s Eyes:  Increased Arc Of Perception (240 
  Degrees) for Sight Group
  16 
  Eagle Eyes:  +16 versus Range for Normal 
  Sight
  RAPTOR’S SHRIEK
  Effect:  Energy Blast 8d6 and Hearing Group Flash 8d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  200”/120”
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can emit shrieks so 
  intense that they can harm or deafen others.
  Game Information:
  Cost Shriek
  40 
  Shriek:  Multipower, 40-point reserve
  4u 
   1)  Deadly Shriek:  Energy Blast 8d6
  2u 
   2)  Deafening Shriek:  Hearing Group Flash 
  8d6
  Total cost:  46 points.
  Options:
  1)  Harsh Shriek:  Increase Multipower reserve to 60 
  points and both attacks to 12d6; total cost 70 points.
  INSECT POWERS
  Insects, and related creatures such as spiders 
  and scorpions, provide many ideas for superpow-
  ers. In addition to the ones listed here, you should 
  deﬁnitely consider Animal Senses, Multiple Limbs, 
  Sting, Venom, Wallcrawling, and Wings (see above) 
  and Swarm Form (see Body-Transforming Powers).
  BOMBARDIER BLAST
  Effect:  Energy Blast 8d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One Hex
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  300”
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can project a blast of 
  explosive ﬂuid, similar to the attack used by the 
  bombardier beetle.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 8d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect (One Hex; +½). Total cost:  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Stronger Blast I:  Increase to Energy Blast 10d6. 
  Total cost:  75 points.
  2)  Stronger Blast II:  Increase to Energy Blast 12d6. 
  Total cost:  90 points.
  3)  Weaker Blast:  Decrease to Energy Blast 6d6. 
  Total cost:  45 points.
  4)  Stinking Blast:  The character’s explosive spray 
  is also malodorous. Add Smell/Taste Group Flash 
  Attack 6d6, Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½) (27 
  Active Points); Linked (-½). Total cost:  18 points.
  5)  Short-Range Bombardier Blast:  The character 
  cannot project his explosive fluid very far. Add 
  Limited Range (10”; -¼). 60 Active Points; total 
  cost 48 points.
  6)  Restricted Use:  The character only has a limited 
  supply of explosive ﬂuid. Add 8 Charges (-½). 60 
  Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  90 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  CREATE GIANT INSECT
  Effect:  Summon 250-point giant insect
  Target/Area Affected:  N/A
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  This power allows a character to trans-
  form an insect that he ﬁnds into a gigantic version 
  of itself. The insect won’t necessarily obey him; he 
  has to defeat it in a contest of wills.
  See the HERO System Bestiary, pages 89-93, for 
  character sheets for various giant insects and spiders.
  Game Information:  Summon 250-point Giant 
  Insect, Any Insect (+¼) (62 Active Points); 
  Summoned Being Must Inhabit Locale (-½). 
  Total cost:  41 points.
  Options:
  1)  Bigger Is Better:  Increase to Summon 400-point 
  Giant Insect. 100 Active Points; total cost 67 points.
  2)  Loyal Insect Minion:  Add Loyal (+½). 87 Active 
  Points; total cost 58 points.
  INSECTILE AWARENESS
  Effect:  Danger Sense
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Many insects have an uncanny ability 
  to detect threats to themselves, often by sensing 
  subtle changes in air currents or the like. Some 
  insect-themed superhumans have similar senses.
  Game Information:  Danger Sense (self only, out 
  of combat, Sense) (INT Roll). Total cost:  22 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Heightened Awareness:  Increase the roll to INT 
  +3. Total cost:  25 points.
  INSECT SIZE
  Effect:  Shrinking (.032m tall)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can shrink to the size of 
  an insect. (See Size Alteration Powers, page 148, for 
  possible abilities for insect-sized characters.)
  Game Information:  Shrinking (.032 m tall 
  [about 1 inch], .0004 kg mass, -12 to PER Rolls 
  to perceive character, +12 DCV, takes +18” 
  KB). Total cost:  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Insect Size:  Add Costs Endurance Only To 
  Activate (+¼). Total cost:  75 points.
  MULTIFACETED EYES
  Effect:  Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) for 
  Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the faceted eyes of 
  an insect, giving him a much wider angle of view 
  than a normal human.
  Game Information:  Increased Arc Of Percep-
  tion (360 Degrees) for Sight Group. Total cost:  
  10 points.
  WEBS
  Effect:  Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  250”
  END Cost:  5
  Description:  The character has the ability to shoot, 
  spit, or otherwise project webbing or other sticky, 
  insectile stuﬀ that’s strong enough to keep an oppo-
  nent from moving.
  Game Information:  Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF. Total 
  cost:  50 points.
  Options:
  1)  Stronger Webs:  Increase to Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF. 
  Total cost:  60 points.
  2)  Weak Webs:  Decrease to Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF. 
  Total cost:  40 points.
  3)  Short-Range Webs:  The character can only proj-
  ect his webs a short distance. Add Limited Range 
  (10”; -¼). Total cost:  40 points.
  4)  Wrap You Up:  The character can only apply his 
  webs by touch. Add No Range (-½). Total cost:  
  33 points.
  5)  Step Into My Parlor:  The character has the abil-
  ity to spin large, strong webs between two or more 
  “anchor points,” similar to an actual spider but on a 
  much larger scale. In HERO System terms, webs are 
  Area Of Eﬀect Entangles which the character must 
  create in advance as a vertical wall (see the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 168). Unlike 
  normal Area Of Eﬀect Entangle walls, a web isn’t 
  normally 2” “thick,” but usually more like ½”-1” 
  thick. Also unlike normal Area Of Eﬀect Entangles 
  used to create walls, which do not Entangle targets 
  in the Area Of Eﬀect, a web does Entangle any 
  creature that blunders into it. (For this reason, the 
  value of the Only To Form Barriers Limitation is 
  reduced.) Spider webs are also built with the Con-
  tinuous Advantage to represent the fact that they 
  last (and remain able to Entangle victims) until 
  completely destroyed. When a web suﬀers damage 
  suﬃcient to break it, a “hole” is created in it. The 
  hole is equal in size to the creature who escaped 
  from the Entangle (the GM may alter this to reﬂect 
  other considerations, of course). Once half or more 
  
  91 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  of the hexes in a web are damaged or destroyed, 
  it collapses and must be rewoven. Entangle 3d6, 3 
  DEF, Area Of Eﬀect (6” Radius; +1¼), Continuous 
  (+1), Personal Immunity (+¼) (105 Active Points); 
  Extra Time (takes about one Minute per hex to 
  weave web; -1½), Only To Form Barriers (-½). Total 
  cost:  35 points.
  5)  Instant Web:  Like Step Into My Parlor, but remove 
  Extra Time. 105 Active Points; total cost 70 points.
  WEB-SWINGING
  Effect:  Swinging 15”, Gliding 6”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character has the ability to spin, 
  shoot, or otherwise project specialized webs or 
  web-like substances that let him move in unusual 
  ways. First, he can swing between structures by 
  projecting a long line of webbing. Second, if he’s 
  falling, he can quickly spin a crude “parachute” out 
  of webbing to slow his descent.
  Game Information:
  Cost Web-Swinging
  15 
  Web-Swinging:  Multipower, 15-point reserve
  1u 
  1)  Webline:  Swinging 15”
  1u 
  2)  Web-chute:  Gliding 6” (6 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), Limited Movement (character 
  cannot gain altitude, and must move at least 
  12” downward for every 1” forward; -½)
  Total cost:  17 points
  Options:
  1)  Longer Weblines:  Increase to Swinging 20” and 
  reserve to 20 points. Total cost:  22 points.
  2)  Limited Web Supply:  The character’s body can 
  only generate so much webbing during a given 
  day. He can create up to 10 weblines or para-
  chutes before exhausting his normaly supply; his 
  body re-creates the used substance in an hour. 
  Add to the Multipower Reserve 10 Recoverable 
  Charges (Charges “regenerate” after one hour; 
  +¼). Total cost:  21 points.
  MAMMAL POWERS
  Most of the powers possessed by mammal-ori-
  ented characters are covered by the General Animal 
  Powers section above; Animal Senses, Claws, Fangs, 
  Protective Skin (fur or a leathery hide), and Tail are 
  particularly common.
  HORN OF THE RHINO
  Effect:  HA +4d6,  Only With Move Throughs
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character’s head and/or body are 
  tough, strong, and specially adapted for running 
  into things.
  Game Information:  HA +4d6 (20 Active Points); 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½), Only With Move 
  Throughs (-1). Total cost:  8 points.
  LEGS OF THE GAZELLE
  Effect:  Running +7”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has strong, limber legs 
  specially adapted for swift running.
  Game Information:  Running +7”. Total cost:  14 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Burst Of Speed:  Add Running +6” (12 Active 
  Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x10 END; -4). 
  Total cost:  2 points.
  PATHWAY OF THE MOLE
  Effect:  Tunneling 6”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  Like a mole or a prairie dog, the char-
  acter has the ability to burrow swiftly.
  Game Information:  Tunneling 6” through DEF 
  6 material. Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tasmanian Burrowing:  Increase to Tunneling 9” 
  through DEF 9 material. Total cost:  45 points.
  2)  Irresistible Burrowing:  The character has sharp 
  claws or some other way to dig through even the 
  hardest material. Increase to Tunneling 6” through 
  DEF 12 material. Total cost:  48 points.
  3)  Earthen Burrowing:  The character’s Tunneling only 
  works through the ground itself. Add Only Through 
  Earth/Soil (-½). 30 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  4)  Covering My Tracks:  Add Fill In. Total cost:  
  40 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  92 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  QUILLS OF THE PORCUPINE
  Effect:  HKA ½d6, Damage Shield
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Parts of the character’s body — typi-
  cally his back and the backs of his upper arms — is 
  covered with spines or quills that injure anyone 
  who touches him there.
  Game Information:  HKA ½d6, Continuous 
  (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Persistent (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (35 Active 
  Points); Always On (-½), Activation Roll 11- (-
  1), No STR Bonus (-½). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Retractable Quills:  The character can “deactivate” 
  his quills by retracting them into his body. Remove 
  Persistent and Always On. 30 Active Points; total 
  cost 12 points.
  2)  Spikes:  The character’s natural weapons are 
  bigger and more deadly. Increase to HKA 1d6. 52 
  Active Points; total cost 17 points.
  3)  Covered With Quills:  Quills or spines cover much 
  more of the character’s body. Change to Activation 
  Roll 14- (-½). 35 Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  4)  Thrown Quills:  The character can “throw” or 
  project his quills or spines, instantly regrowing new 
  ones. Character also buys RKA ½d6, No Knock-
  back (-¼). 10 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  TERRIFYING ROAR
  Effect:  +10 PRE
  Target/Area Affected:  Persons within hearing distance
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Hearing distance
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can emit a ferocious roar 
  that terriﬁes his opponents.
  Game Information:  +10 PRE (10 Active 
  Points); Only For Fear-Based Presence 
  Attacks (-1), Incantations (must roar; -¼). 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  Options:
  1)  This’ll Scare Him:  Increase to +20 PRE. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 9 points.
  
  93 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  REPTILE POWERS
  In addition to Animal Senses, Claws, Fangs, 
  Sting, Tail, Venom, and Wallcrawling (pages 83-87), 
  the following powers are appropriate for characters 
  based on reptiles and amphibians. You may also 
  want to look at some of the aquatic powers (such as 
  Improved Swimming) for creatures who spend a lot 
  of time in the water.
  CHAMELEON CAMOUFLAGE
  Effect:  +4 to Concealment and +2 to Stealth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can alter his coloration 
  to match that of his background, making it much 
  harder for others to see him. See also You Can’t See 
  Me, page 147, for a similar power.
  Game Information:  +4 to Concealment (8 
  Active Points); Self Only (-½), Costs Endurance 
  To Activate (-¼) (total cost:  5 points) and +2 
  to Stealth (4 Active Points);  Costs Endurance 
  To Activate (-¼) (total cost:  3 points). Total 
  cost:  8 points.
  CONSTRICTOR’S STRENGTH
  Effect:  +20 STR, Only To Grab/Squeeze
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character has the gripping and 
  squeezing strength of a constrictor snake. He can 
  do extra damage to anyone he Grabs, and his vic-
  tims have a harder time escaping from his clutches.
  Game Information:  +20 STR (20 Active Points); 
  Only To Grab/Squeeze (-1). Total cost:  10 points.
  HEATSENSE
  Effect:  Infrared Perception (Touch Group)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Like a pit viper, the character can sense 
  the heat diﬀerentials in objects near him.
  Game Information:  Infrared Perception (Touch 
  Group). Total cost:  5 points.
  LEAPFROG 
  Effect:  Leaping +8”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has strong legs specially 
  adapted for long leaps.
  Game Information:  Leaping +8”. Total cost:  
  8 points.
  NICTITATING MEMBRANE
  Effect:  Sight Group Flash Defense (10 points)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has a special second 
  eyelid that protects his eyes from blinding light, 
  dust, and the like.
  Game Information:  Sight Group Flash Defense 
  (10 points). Total cost:  10 points.
  REGROW LIMBS
  Effect:  Healing 2d6 Regeneration, Can Heal Limbs
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Like many reptiles, the character can 
  heal much more quickly than normal, and can even 
  regrow lost limbs.
  Game Information:  Healing 2d6 (Regeneration; 
  2 BODY per Hour), Can Heal Limbs, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (50 
  Active Points); Extra Time + Increased Time 
  Increment (2 BODY/Hour; -2¼), Self Only 
  (-½). Total cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Don’t Worry, It’ll Grow Right Back:  Decrease Extra 
  Time to 1 Turn (-1¼). Total cost:  18 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  94 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  SERPENTINE BODY
  Effect:  Stretching 1”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has the sinuous body of 
  a serpent, and can stretch and contort his form in 
  ways normal people cannot.
  Game Information:  Stretching 1”. Total cost:  
  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Ophidianism:  Add Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½). Total cost:  7 points.
  2)  Long Serpent:  Increase to Stretching 2”. Total 
  cost:  10 points.
  SPITTING BLINDNESS
  Effect:  Sight Group Flash 8d6, NND
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  12”
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can spit a foul substance 
  into the eyes of his enemies, blinding them.
  Game Information:  Sight Group Flash 8d6, 
  NND (defense is solid covering over the eyes; 
  +½) (60 Active Points); Limited Range (12”; -
  ¼). Total cost:  48 points.
  Options:
  1)  It Burns!:  The character’s blinding spittle also 
  causes intense pain in anyone aﬀected. Add Energy 
  Blast 5d6, NND (defense is solid covering over the 
  eyes; +1) (50 Active Points); Linked (-½), Limited 
  Range (12”; -¼). Total cost:  29 points.
  2)  Restricted Use:  The character only has a limited 
  supply of the foul substance. Add 8 Charges (-½). 
  Total cost:  34 points.
  WATER ADAPTATION
  Effect:  Environmental Movement:  Aquatic Movement
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character spends so much time in 
  the water that he’s as much at home there as he is 
  on the land.
  Game Information:  Environmental Movement:  
  Aquatic Movement (no penalties in water). 
  Total cost:  3 points.
  
  95 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  ‘B
  ody Control” refers to two general 
  types of powers. The ﬁrst type rep-
  resents literal control over one’s own 
  body — the ability to make one’s body 
  perform better, or perform diﬀerently. Many of 
  the defensive and sensory powers described below 
  fall into this category. The second type, known as 
  biomanipulation or biokinesis powers, allow a char-
  acter to control the bodies of other people — to 
  induce harmful medical conditions, inﬂict diseases, 
  and so forth. Neither category includes changing 
  one’s shape or size (see Shape Alteration and Size 
  Alteration powers, respectively), but biomanipu-
  lation does cover the melding and warping of a 
  target’s ﬂesh.
  Players designing biokinetic characters may wish 
  to look at some psionic powers, such as Neural Blind-
  ness. With just a change in special eﬀect, these might 
  fall under the rubric of “biomanipulation.” A few 
  Hypersenses (page 128) may also be appropriate.
  OFFENSIVE POWERS
  ADRENAL STIMULATION
  Effect:  Aid STR, DEX, CON, and SPD 3d6
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4 Charges
  Description:  The character has the ability to control 
  his adrenal gland. On command he can ﬂood his 
  system with adrenaline, making himself stronger, 
  faster, and better able to withstand harm. However, 
  he can only do this four times per day; more than 
  that could cause him severe harm.
  Game Information:  Aid STR, DEX, CON, and 
  SPD 3d6, four Characteristics simultaneously 
  (+1) (60 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase; 
  -½), Self Only (-½), 4 Charges (-1). Total cost:  
  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Stimulation:  Increase to Aid 4d6. 80 
  Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  2)  Weak Stimulation:  Decrease to Aid 2d6. 40 
  Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  3)  Tiring Stimulation:  Forcing his body to produce 
  so much adrenaline tires the character out. Add 
  Costs Endurance (-½) and Increased Endurance 
  Cost (x2 END; -½). Total cost:  15 points.
  4)  Focused Stimulation:  The character has to focus his 
  attention inward to activate the adrenaline ﬂow. Add 
  Concentration (½ DCV; -¼). Total cost:  18 points.
  5)  Skilled Stimulation:  Add Requires A Biomanipu-
  lation Roll (-½). Total cost: 17 points.
  6)  Long-Lasting Stimulation:  The adrenaline ﬂood-
  ing the character’s system continues to aﬀect him 
  for some time. Add Delayed Return Rate (points 
  fade at the rate of 5 per Minute; +¼). 67 Active 
  Points; total cost 22 points.
  7)  Alternate Stimulation:  Change to:  Succor STR, 
  DEX, CON, and SPD 6d6, four Characteristics 
  simultaneously (+1) (60 Active Points); Extra Time 
  (Full Phase to activate; -¼), Self Only (-½). Total 
  cost:  34 points.
  BIOCHEMICAL ASSAULT
  Effect:  VPP for biochemical attacks
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character’s body can generate a 
  wide variety of drugs, poisons, and other harmful 
  biochemicals. If he touches the victim’s skin, he 
  can “inject” the substance into him. Anything that 
  prevents skin-to-skin contact, even a thin costume, 
  keeps the power from aﬀecting the victim.
  In game terms, most of the abilities a charac-
  ter can build with this Power Pool are deﬁned as 
  NND EBs or RKAs, various Drains, and the like. All 
  powers have the Skin Contact Required (-1) Limita-
  tion. The GM determines whether a given power 
  reasonably falls within the special eﬀect of “harmful 
  biochemicals.”
  Game Information:  Biochemical Assault Power 
  Pool:  45 base + 22 control cost, Skin Contact 
  Required (-1), Limited Class Of Powers (harm-
  ful biochemicals only; -½). Total cost:  54 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Assault:  Increase to 60 base + 30 control 
  cost. Total cost:  72 points.
  2)  Weak Assault:  Decrease to 30 base + 15 control 
  cost. Total cost:  36 points.
  BODY CONTROL 
  POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  96 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  BONEWARPING
  Effect:  RKA 1d6, NND Does BODY
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  300”
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  Similar to Fleshwarping (USPD 34-
  35) but far more insidious and deadly, this power 
  allows a biomanipulator to warp, twist, and snap 
  the bones within a person’s body, inflicting hor-
  rific damage.
  Game Information:  RKA 1d6, Continuous (+1), 
  NND (defense is having no skeletal structure or 
  Power Defense; +1), Does BODY (+1). Total 
  cost:  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bonewarping:  Increase to RKA 2d6. Total 
  cost:  120 points.
  2)  Weak Bonewarping:  Decrease to RKA ½d6. Total 
  cost:  40 points.
  3)  Bonewarping Touch:  The character must touch 
  his victim to warp his skeletal structure. Add No 
  Range (-½). 60 Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  BONE WRACKING
  Effect:  Energy Blast 5d6, NND
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  5
  Description:  With but a touch, the character can 
  aﬄict another person with severe joint pain
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 5d6, NND 
  (defense is PD Force Field or not having a skel-
  eton; +1) (50 Active Points); No Range (-½). 
  Total cost:  33 points.
  Options:
  1)  Crippling Pain I:  Increase to Energy Blast 7d6. 70 
  Active Points; total cost 47 points.
  2)  Crippling Pain II:  The joint pain the victim expe-
  riences makes it diﬃcult for him to move properly 
  or agilely. Add Drain DEX 4d6 (40 Active Points); 
  Linked (-½). 50 + 40 = 90 Active Points; total cost 
  33 + 27 = 60 points.
  3)  Arthritis Attack:  Decrease to Energy Blast 3d6. 30 
  Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  4)  Bone Blasting:  The character can inﬂict pain at 
  range. Remove No Range (-½). Total cost:  50 points.
  CONTAGION
  Effect:  Drain CON 2d6, NND plus RKA 1d6, NND
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant (5 minutes onset time)
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  10
  Description:  The character can, by touching another 
  person, inﬂict a debilitating and possibly fatal dis-
  ease upon him.
  Game Information:  Drain CON 2d6, Delayed 
  Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per 
  Hour; +1), NND (defense is appropriate LS 
  [Immunity]; +1) (60 Active Points); Extra Time 
  (onset time begins 5 Minutes after victim is 
  touched; -2) (total cost:  20 points) plus RKA 1d6, 
  NND (defense is appropriate LS [Immunity]; +1), 
  Does BODY (+1) (45 Active Points); No Range (-
  ½), Extra Time (onset time begins 5 Minutes after 
  victim is touched; -2), Linked (-½) (total cost:  11 
  points). Total cost:  31 points.
  Options:
  1)  Deadly Disease I:  Increase to Drain CON 3d6 
  and RKA 2d6. 90 + 90 = 180 Active Points; total 
  cost 30 + 22 = 52 points.
  2)  Deadly Disease II:  Increase to Drain CON 5d6 
  and RKA 3d6. 150 + 135 = 285 Active Points; total 
  cost 50 + 34 = 84 points.
  3)  Mild Disease:  Remove RKA. 60 Active Points; 
  total cost 20 points.
  4)  I Don’t Feel So Good...:  Remove Extra Time. 60 + 45 
  = 105 Active Pointss; total cost 60 + 22 = 82 points.
  5)  Airborne Contagion:  Add Ranged (+½) to Drain 
  CON and remove No Range (-½) from RKA. 70 + 
  45 Active Points; total cost 23 + 13 = 36 points.
  6)  Plague Touch:  Add Sticky (+½) to both powers. 
  70 + 52 Active Points; total cost 23 + 13 = 36 points.
  7)  Palsy:  The character can aﬄict his victim with 
  a disease that makes it hard for him to control the 
  movement of his body. Substitute Drain DEX 3d6, 
  Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per 
  Hour; +1), NND (defense is appropriate LS [Immu-
  nity]; +1) (90 Active Points); Extra Time (onset time 
  begins 5 Minutes after victim is touched; -2) (total 
  cost:  30 points) plus Drain Running 2d6, Delayed 
  Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Hour; 
  +1), NND (defense is appropriate LS [Immunity]; +1) 
  (60 Active Points); Extra Time (onset time begins 5 
  Minutes after victim is touched; -2), Linked (-½) (total 
  cost:  17 points). Total cost:  47 points.
  8)  Hideous Boils:  When touched by the character, 
  the victim breaks out in boils, suppurating sores, and 
  lesions that temporarily mar his features. Substitute 
  Drain COM 2d6, Delayed Return Rate (points return 
  at the rate of 5 per Hour; +1), NND (defense is appro-
  priate LS [Immunity]; +1). Total cost:  60 points.
  9)  Contagion Venom:  The character’s power depends 
  upon a poison or other substance of which he has a 
  limited supply. Add 4 Charges (-1) to each power. 60 + 
  45 = 105 Active Points; total cost 15 + 9 = 24 points.
  
  97 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  DESENSITIZATION
  Effect: Sight, Hearing, Smell/Taste, Touch Flash 7d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can briefly shut down 
  all of a target’s senses. It only works on senses 
  coming from a part of the target’s own body; it 
  has no effect on cybernetics, other technological 
  senses, or magical senses.
  Game Information:  Sight, Hearing, Smell/Taste, 
  and Touch Group Flash 9d6 (60 Active Points); 
  No Range (-½), Organic Senses Only (-¼). 
  Total cost:  34 points.
  Options:
  1)  Greater Desensitization:  Increase to Flash 12d6. 
  75 Active Points; total cost 43 points.
  2)  Lesser Desensitization:  Decrease to Flash 6d6. 
  45 Active Points; total cost 26 points.
  3)  Ranged Desensitization:  Remove No Range (-½). 
  Total cost:  48 points.
  4)  Desensitization On Sight: As Ranged Desensiti-
  zation, but also add Line Of Sight (+½). 90 Active 
  Points; total cost 72 points.
  5)  Easy Desensitization:  Add Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½). 90 Active Points; total cost 51 points.
  DISEASE INCUBATION
  Effect:  Drain CON and BODY 4d6, Gradual Effect
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can use his control over 
  his immune system as a weapon. He allows a dis-
  ease to enter his body, then uses his biomanipula-
  tory powers to “wall it oﬀ” so that it continues to 
  exist within him but doesn’t infect or aﬀect him in 
  any way. If he wants, he can “unleash” the disease in 
  such a way that he can infect anyone he touches.
  This ability is built with a disease that’s poten-
  tially fatal. You can build it to simulate any disease 
  you prefer, or even as a Variable Power Pool so that 
  the character can choose the disease to use from 
  time to time.
  Game Information:  Drain CON and BODY 
  4d6, two Characteristics simultaneously (+½) 
  (60 Active Points), Gradual Eﬀect (1 Week, 
  target loses 1d6 CON and BODY roughly every 
  two days; -2). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Disease:  Increase to Drain CON and 
  BODY 5d6. 75 Active Points; total cost 25 points.
  2)  Weak Disease:  Decrease to Drain CON and 
  BODY 3d6. 45 Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  FLESHWARPING
  Effect:  Drain STR, DEX, CON, and COM 3d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  With his merest touch, the character 
  can warp and shape the ﬂesh of another living 
  creature, causing it to melt, meld, and reshape. The 
  victim becomes not only hideous to look at, but 
  weaker and less able to control and use his mis-
  shapen body.
  Game Information:  Drain STR, DEX, CON, 
  and COM 3d6, any four Characteristics simul-
  taneously (+1). Total cost:  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Slower Fleshwarping I:  Increase to Drain 5d6 
  and Change to any one of the four Characteristics 
  at a time (+¼). Total cost:  62 points.
  2)  Slower Fleshwarping II:  Increase to Drain 4d6 
  and Change to any two of the four Characteristics 
  simultaneously (+½). Total cost:  60 points.
  3)  Ars Longa:  The eﬀects of the character’s Flesh-
  warping last for a long time. Reduce to Drain 2d6 
  and add Delayed Recovery Rate (points recover at 
  the rate of 5 per Hour; +1). Total cost:  60 points.
  4)  Ars Really Longa:  The eﬀects of the character’s 
  Fleshwarping last even longer. Substitute Major 
  Transform 3d6 (living creature to living creature 
  with half his STR and DEX, two-thirds his CON, 
  and one-third his COM; heals normally or through 
  a second application of this power), Partial Trans-
  form (+½) (67 Active Points); Limited Target 
  (living creatures; -¼). Total cost:  54 points
  5)  Supreme Fleshwarping:  The character’s control 
  over the ﬂesh of others is so great he can achieve 
  a wide range of eﬀects, including most of the ones 
  described above. Substitute Variable Power Pool, 60 
  base + 30 control cost; Only For Fleshwarping (-1). 
  Total cost:  75 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  98 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  INDUCE HEART ATTACK
  Effect:  RKA 3d6, NND, Indirect
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  20”
  END Cost:  16
  Description:  The character can cause persons near 
  him to suﬀer a heart attack (or some similar, poten-
  tially fatal condition, deﬁned when he purchases 
  the power). 
  Game Information:  RKA 3d6, NND (defense 
  is Power Defense, having an artiﬁcial heart, 
  or not having a heart; +1), Does BODY (+1), 
  Indirect (+½) (157 Active Points); Limited 
  Range (20”; -¼), No Knockback (-¼). Total 
  cost:  105 points.
  Options:
  1)  Cellular Disruption:  Instead of inducing a heart 
  attack, the character can, by touch, disrupt the cells 
  in the target’s body, causing great pain and often 
  death. Change to RKA 3d6, NND (defense is Power 
  Defense or a PD Force Field; +1), Does BODY (+1) 
  (135 Active Points); No Range (-½), No Knockback 
  (-¼). Total cost:  77 points.
  MUSCLE AUGMENTATION
  Effect:  Aid STR 4d6
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can augment the strength 
  of his muscles by decreasing the pain of overuse, 
  increasing blood ﬂow to them, and the like.
  Game Information:  Aid STR 4d6 (40 Active 
  Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Extra Time (Full 
  Phase; -½), Self Only (-½). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Augmentation:  Increase to Aid STR 5d6. 
  50 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Augmentation:  Decrease to Aid STR 3d6. 
  30 Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  3)  Focused Augmentation:  The character has to 
  really concentrate on his own body to activate this 
  power. Add Concentration (½ DCV; -¼). Total cost:  
  14 points.
  4)  Long-Lasting Augmentation:  Add Delayed 
  Return Rate (points fade at the rate of 5 per 
  Minute; +¼). 50 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  5)  Alternate Augmentation:  Change to:  Succor STR 
  6d6 (30 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase to 
  activate; -¼), Self Only (-½). Total cost:  17 points.
  NEUROKINESIS
  Effect:  Drain/Aid DEX and SPD 3d6; full-spectrum Flash 
  5d6; Ego Attack 7d6
  Target/Area Affected:  Self or one character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  25”
  END Cost:  9/8/10/7
  Description:  The character can control his own ner-
  vous system, or that of another person within 25”, 
  allowing the subject to move faster (or slower) than 
  normal. He can also temporarily shut down the 
  nerves relating to senses, making the victim totally 
  insensate, or cause a painful neural overload in the 
  target’s brain.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  110 
  Neurokinesis:  Multipower, 110-point reserve
  8u 
  1)  Neural Overload:  Drain DEX and SPD 
  3d6, two Characteristics simultaneously 
  (+½), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1), 
  Limited Range (25”; +¼)
  7u 
  2)  Neural Streamlining:  Aid DEX and SPD 
  4d6, two Characteristics simultaneously 
  (+½), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1), 
  Limited Range (25”; +¼); Costs Endurance 
  (-½)
  8u 
  3)  Sensory Shutdown:  Sight, Hearing, 
  Smell/Taste, Touch, Radio, and Mental Sense 
  Groups Flash 5d6, BOECV (Mental Defense 
  applies; +1); Limited Range (25”; -¼)
  6u 
  4)  Neural Surge:  Ego Attack 7d6; Limited 
  Range (25”; -¼)
  Total cost:  139 points.
  ORGAN CONTROL
  Effect:  Aid and Healing Characteristics 
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character has complete control 
  over his internal organs. He can re-arrange them, 
  stimulate them, temporarily stop them from work-
  ing, and otherwise keep them (and thus himself) 
  functioning at peak eﬃciency.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  17 
  Organ Control:  Multipower, 25-point 
  reserve; all slots Self Only (-½)
  1u 
  1)  Organ Control I:  Aid Characteristics 2d6, 
  any one Characteristic at a time (+¼); Costs 
  Endurance (-½), Self Only (-½)
  2u 
  2)  Organ Control II:  Healing Characteristics 
  2d6, any one Characteristic at a time (+¼); 
  Self Only (-½)
  Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Organ Control:  Increase to Aid/Healing 
  3d6. Total cost:  29 points.
  2)  Weak Organ Control:  Decrease to Aid/Healing 
  1d6. Total cost:  10 points.
  
  99 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  OVERRIDE
  Effect:  Aid STR, DEX, CON, and BODY 3d6, any of these 
  Characteristics one at a time
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can, by force of will, 
  override the limitations of his own body, forcing it 
  to perform better, or resist stress and pain better. 
  However, the eﬀect doesn’t always work; if it fails, 
  the unsuccessful attempt to manipulate his own 
  biology causes the character pain.
  Game Information:  Aid STR, DEX, CON, and 
  BODY 3d6, any of these Characteristics one at 
  a time (+¼) (37 Active Points); Activation Roll 
  14- (-½), Side Eﬀects (Drain STUN 3d6; -½), 
  Self Only (-½). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  High Override:  Increase to Aid 5d6. 62 Active 
  Points; total cost 25 points.
  2)  Low Override:  Reduce to Aid 2d6. 25 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  3)  Enhanced Override:  The character has absolute 
  control over his bodily processes. Remove Activa-
  tion Roll and Side Eﬀects. Total cost:  25 points.
  4)  Inefﬁcient Override:  The character’s power 
  doesn’t work nearly as often as he’d like. Change 
  Activation Roll to 11- (-1). Total cost:  12 points.
  5)  Safe Override:  The character suﬀers no ill eﬀects 
  if his override fails. Remove Side Eﬀects (-½). Total 
  cost:  18 points.
  6)  Extended Override:  The character can maintain 
  the boosting of his abilities for a longer period. Add 
  Delayed Return Rate (points fade at the rate of 5 per 
  Minute; +¼). 45 Active Points; total cost 18 points.
  7)  Supreme Override:  The character can override 
  all of his body’s limitations at once. Increase Vari-
  able Eﬀect to all four Characteristics simultane-
  ously (+1). 60 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  8)  Focused Override:  The character can override 
  his body, but he has to focus his will to do so. Add 
  Concentration (0 DCV to activate; -½), Extra Time 
  (Full Phase; -½). Total cost:  11 points.
  9)  Override Touch:  The character can also override 
  others’ limitations, boosting their abilities as well. 
  Remove Self Only (-½). Total cost:  18 points.
  10)  Precise Override:  This version of the power 
  uses a straight Characteristic bonus instead of Aid, 
  for greater predictability. This example features 
  STR; characters could substitute other Charac-
  teristics if desired. Change to +15 STR (15 Active 
  Points); Activation Roll 14- (-½), Side Eﬀects 
  (Drain STUN 3d6; -½). Total cost:  7 points.
  11)  Alternate Override:  Change to:  Succor STR, 
  DEX, CON, and BODY 6d6, any of these Charac-
  teristics one at a time (+¼) (37 Active Points); Acti-
  vation Roll 14- (-½), Side Eﬀects (Drain STUN 3d6; 
  -½), Self Only (-½). Total cost:  15 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  100 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  PHEROMONIC CONTROL
  Effect:  Seduction PRE +5, Mind Control Based On CON
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0/4
  Description:  The character’s body emits enhanced 
  and augmented pheromones at his command. He 
  can use these pheromones to make himself more 
  desireable to other people, or in a more brute-force 
  fashion to take control of their minds.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  13 
  Pheromonic Control:  Seduction PRE +5
  16 
  Pheromonic Control:  Mind Control 8d6 
  (40 Active Points); Based on CON (-1), No 
  Range (-½)
  Total cost:  29 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Pheromones:  Increase to Seduction PRE 
  +8 and Mind Control 10d6. Total cost:  19 + 20 = 
  39 points.
  2)  Weak Pheromones:  Decrease to Seduction 
  PRE +3 and Mind Control 6d6. Total cost:  9 + 
  12 = 21 points.
  SEIZURE INDUCTION
  Effect:  Entangle 4d6, 6 DEF, Takes No Damage From 
  Attack, Indirect
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  560”
  END Cost:  11
  Description:  The character can override the auto-
  nomic bodily functions of his target, causing 
  them to happen uncontrollably. Examples include 
  induced epileptic seizures, induced uncontrollable 
  laughter, and induced unstoppable vomiting; the 
  character should pick one when he purchases the 
  power. Regardless of which version he picks, the 
  eﬀect is easily overridden by other biomanipulation 
  attacks or mental powers.
  Game Information:  Entangle 4d6, 6 DEF, Takes 
  No Damage From Attack (+½), Cannot Be 
  Escaped With Teleportation (+¼), Indirect 
  (+½) (112 Active Points); Cannot Form Barri-
  ers (-¼), Vulnerable (biomanipulation attacks; 
  -¼), Vulnerable (mental attacks; -½). Total 
  cost:  56 points.
  Options:
  1)  Stronger Seizures:  Increase to Entangle 5d6, 7 
  DEF. 135 Active Points; total cost 67 points.
  2)  Weaker Seizures:  Decrease to Entangle 3d6, 3 
  DEF. 67 Active Points; total cost 33 points.
  3)  Short-Range Seizures:  Add Limited Range (30”; 
  -¼). Total cost:  50 points.
  4)  Seizure Touch:  The character has to touch his 
  victim to inﬂict a seizure. Add No Range (-½). Total 
  cost:  45 points.
  5)  Biochemical Seizure:  The character not only 
  has to touch the victim, but to cause the seizure 
  he injects a biochemical of which he has a limited 
  supply. Add No Range (-½) and 8 Charges (-½). 
  Total cost:  37 points.
  6)  Autonomic Control:  The character can override 
  and induce any autonomic body function. Add 
  Variable Special Eﬀects (+¼). 125 Active Points; 
  total cost 62 points.
  STICKY BODY
  Effect:  Entangle 4d6 (standard effect:  4 BODY), 4 DEF, 
  Damage Shield
  Target/Area Affected:  One or more characters
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Whether due to some chemical it 
  exudes, its large size/excessive fat content, ﬂex-
  ibility, or some other reason, the character’s body 
  can “catch” and trap objects that hit it — attackers’ 
  ﬁsts or weapons, for example. In game terms, this 
  is represented as an Entangle Damage Shield that 
  only works against attacks striking the character; 
  the special eﬀect of “breaking free” is usually not 
  literally tearing the character’s body apart, but 
  having the strength to pull free. Blades, energy 
  beams, or other attacks used by the target (and in 
  some cases other persons) are even more likely to 
  free him than STR, because they hurt the character 
  and reﬂexively make him “let go.” The character can 
  voluntarily “relax” the eﬀect to free all persons he 
  currently has trapped.
  In many cases, ideally the Entangle should 
  have Active Points equal to the character’s STR.
  Game Information:  Entangle 4d6 (standard 
  eﬀect:  4 BODY), 4 DEF, Continuous (+1), 
  Damage Shield (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (120 Active Points); Does Not Work 
  Against Persons Character Grabs (-¼), Cannot 
  Form Barriers (-¼), Set Eﬀect (only traps 
  objects or limbs used to hit character; -½), Vul-
  nerable (to any physical or energy attack other 
  than STR which the victim uses to free himself; 
  -1), Vulnerable (to RKAs used by other charac-
  ters to free victim; -1). Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Power:  Increase to Entangle 6d6 (stan-
  dard eﬀect:  6 BODY), 6 DEF. 180 Active Points; 
  total cost 45 points. 
  2)  Weak Power:  Decrease to Entangle 3d6 (stan-
  dard eﬀect:  3 BODY), 3 DEF. 90 Active Points; total 
  cost 22 points.
  3)  Uncontrollable Sticky Body:  The character’s body 
  always retains its “stickiness”; he can never turn it 
  oﬀ. Once someone gets stuck to him, that person 
  has to be pulled or cut free somehow. Add Persis-
  tent (+½) and Always On (-½). 140 Active Points; 
  total cost 31 points.
  
  101 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  4)  Variant Sticky Body:  Change to Clinging (normal 
  STR +30), Damage Shield (+½) (30 Active Points); 
  Does Not Work Against Persons Character Grabs 
  (-¼), Limited Power (if victim uses any physical or 
  energy attack other than STR to free himself, add 
  the Active Points of that power to the victim’s STR 
  as “bonus STR” to determine if he can break free; 
  -1), Limited Power (RKAs used by other characters 
  to free victim add their Active Points to the victim’s 
  STR as “bonus STR” to determine if he can break 
  free; -1). Total cost:  9 points.
  DEFENSIVE POWERS
  BODY HEAT CONTROL
  Effect:  Invisibility to Infrared Perception
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  By controlling his body temperature, a 
  character can “blend in” with the ambient heat, thus 
  rendering himself invisible to the ability to perceive 
  thermal variations.
  This power uses a slight variant of the Invisibility 
  Power. Instead of Invisibility to an entire Sense Group, 
  it uses Invisibility to all forms of a speciﬁc Enhanced 
  Sense, regardless of what Sense Group it’s assigned to. 
  It uses the cost for a Targeting Sense Group.
  Game Information:  Invisibility to Infrared Per-
  ception. Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Body Heat Control:  The character’s con-
  trol over his body heat is eﬀortless. Add Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½). Total cost:  30 points.
  2)  Automatic Body Heat Control:  The character 
  automatically blends in with the ambient heat at all 
  times. Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Per-
  sistent (+½), and Always On (-½). 40 Active Points; 
  total cost 27 points.
  3)  Precise Body Heat Control:  Even persons close to 
  the character can’t perceive his body heat. Add No 
  Fringe. Total cost:  30 points.
  COHESION CONTROL
  Effect:  Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, Resis-
  tant, 25%   
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has such total control 
  over his body that he can increase the cohesiveness 
  of the molecules in his tissues and organs, making 
  it much harder to hurt him.
  Game Information:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%. Total cost:  
  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Cohesion:  Increase to Physical and 
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%. Total 
  cost:  60 points.
  2)  Weak Cohesion:  Decrease to Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 25%. Total cost:  15 points.
  HARDENED FLESH
  Effect:  Damage Resistance (8 PD/8 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can toughen his skin 
  and ﬂesh so that he can resist attacks involving 
  blades, bullets, and the like
  Game Information:  Damage Resistance (8 PD/8 
  ED) (8 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½). 
  Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  The Flesh Is Strong:  Increase to Damage Resistance 
  (12 PD/12 ED). 12 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  2)  The Flesh Is Not As Strong:  Reduce to Damage 
  Resistance (4 PD/4 ED). 4 Active Points; total cost 
  3 points.
  OXYGENATED SKIN
  Effect:  Life Support (Expanded Breathing: Cannot Be 
  Choked)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Inherent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character doesn’t breathe just 
  through his mouth and nose — he can take in 
  enough oxygen to keep himself alive through his 
  skin. This makes it diﬃcult to choke, suﬀocate, or 
  strangle him.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Self-Con-
  tained Breathing), Inherent (+¼) (12 Active 
  Points); Only To Protect Against Choking/Suf-
  focation/Strangulation Attacks (-1). Total cost:  
  6 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  102 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  Options:
  1)  Tiring Skin Breathing:  Remove Inherent and add 
  Costs Endurance (-½). 10 Active Points; total cost 
  4 points.
  PAIN RESISTANCE
  Effect:  Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, Resis-
  tant, 50%
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can override his body’s 
  ability to feel, and reaction to, pain.
  Game Information:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%. Total cost:  
  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tiring Resistance:  The character’s resistant to 
  pain requires eﬀort. Add Costs Endurance (-½). 60 
  Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  2)  Weaker Resistance:  Reduce to Damage Reduc-
  tion 25%. Total cost:  30 points.
  3)  Focused Resistance:  Character has to make a 
  conscious eﬀort to withstand pain. Add Requires 
  A CON Roll (assumes a CON Roll of 13-; -¾). 60 
  Active Points; total cost 34 points.
  RAPID HEALING
  Effect:  Healing 2d6 (Regeneration; 2 BODY per Hour)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent 
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When injured, the character kicks his 
  metabolism and healing processes into overdrive 
  so he returns to full health in a matter of hours 
  instead of days.
  Game Information:  Healing 2d6 (Regeneration; 
  2 BODY per Hour), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½), Persistent (+½) (40 Active Points); 
  Extra Time + Increased Time Increment (2 
  BODY/Hour; -2¼), Self Only (-½). Total cost:  
  11 points. 
  Options:
  1)  Really Rapid Healing:  Increase to Healing 4d6. 80 
  Active Points; total cost 21 points.
  2)  I’ll Be Better In A Minute:  Change Extra Time to 
  2 BODY/Minute (-1½). Total cost:  13 points.
  REJECT DEATH
  Effect:  Aid BODY and STUN 2d6, Triggered by dying
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s control over his body 
  is so profound that he can actually stave oﬀ death... 
  for a few seconds. If he’s conscious when he reaches 
  the point of death (i.e., his BODY is reduced to 
  negative its ordinary starting total), he gets a boost 
  of BODY and STUN that quickly fades... but which 
  leaves him standing just long enough for a ﬁnal 
  attack, soliloquy, or other crucial action.
  Game Information:  Aid BODY and STUN 
  2d6, two Characteristics simultaneously (+½), 
  Trigger (when character, while still conscious, 
  reaches the point of death; activating Trigger 
  takes no time; +½) (40 Active Points); Self Only 
  (-½), 1 Charge (-2). Total cost:  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Rejection:  Increase to Aid BODY and 
  STUN 3d6. 60 Active Points; total cost 17 points.
  2)  Weak Rejection:  Decrease to Aid BODY and 
  STUN 1d6. 20 Active Points; total cost 6 points.
  RESILIENCE
  Effect:  Power Defense (20 points)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s body is so resilient that 
  it resists any attempts to alter it, whether by drugs, 
  disease, or anything else — even magic.
  Game Information:  Power Defense (20 points). 
  Total cost: 20 points.
  Options:
  1) Greater Resilience:  Increase to Power Defense 
  (30 points). Total cost: 30 points.
  2) Lesser Resilience:  Decrease to Power Defense 
  (10 points). Total cost: 10 points.
  3) Tiring Resilience:  Add Costs END (-½). 20 Active 
  Points: total cost 13 points.
  
  103 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  WALK ON HOT COALS
  Effect:  Armor (2 ED), Only Protects The Feet
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  A favorite ability of many internal 
  metamorphs because it’s so showy, this ability 
  allows the character to override his feet’s capacity 
  to feel pain or suﬀer damage from hot coals. More 
  intense forms of heat can still hurt him, though.
  Game Information:  Armor (2 ED) (3 Active 
  Points); Concentration (½ DCV; -¼), Extra Time 
  (1 Turn to activate; -¾), Nonpersistent (-¼), Only 
  Protects The Feet (-2). Total cost:  1 point.
  MOVEMENT POWERS
  ENHANCED RUNNING
  Effect:  Running +5”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  By overriding his body’s production of 
  fatigue poisons and increasing the ﬂow of blood to 
  his leg muscles, the character can run much faster 
  than normal.
  Game Information:  Running +5”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END, character must still pay 
  END for his base 6” of Running; +½). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  ENHANCED SWIMMING
  Effect:  Swimming +3”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Similar to Enhanced Running, this 
  power allows a character to make his body swim 
  faster than normal.
  Game Information:  Swimming +3”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END, character must still pay 
  END for his base 2” of Swimming; +½). Total 
  cost:  4 points.
  SENSORY POWERS
  DETACHED EYES
  Effect:  Clairsentience (Sight Group), Blackout, Must 
  Place Perception Point, Visible
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  400”
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can pull his eyes right 
  out of their sockets, put them somewhere, and con-
  tinue to see through them.
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (30 
  Active Points); Blackout (character is blind at 
  his current location, he can only see through his 
  detached eyes; -¼), Must Place Perception Point 
  (character must physically place the perception 
  point where he wants it to be; -¼), Visible (per-
  ception point can be perceived normally; -¼). 
  Total cost:  17 points.
  Options:
  1)  Long-Distance Detachment:  Add x4 Increased 
  Range (2,400”, or about three miles). 45 Active 
  Points; total cost 26 points.
  2)  Separate Detachment:  The character doesn’t 
  have to put both of his detached eyes in the same 
  place; he can put one in each of two locations. Add 
  Multiple Perception Points (2). 37 Active Points; 
  total cost 21 points.
  DNA PROFILE
  Effect: Detect DNA Proﬁle
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can “read” a subject’s 
  DNA proﬁle just by touching the subject’s skin, or 
  a tissue or ﬂuid sample from the subject. The char-
  acter can later recognize the subject using the same 
  power. If the character has an appropriate Science 
  Skill or Knowledge Skill, he can also recognize and 
  diagnose genetic diseases that might otherwise go 
  undetected.
  Game Information: Detect DNA Proﬁle (INT 
  Roll) (no Sense Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, 
  Microscopic (x1000). Total cost:  22 points.
  Options:
  1) Accurate Profiling:  Add +6 PER. Total cost:  
  28 points.
  2) Generalized Proﬁling:  Remove Analyze. Total 
  cost: 17 points.
  3) Tiring Proﬁling:  Add Costs Endurance (-½). 22 
  Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  104 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  IMPROVED SENSES
  Effect:  Various Enhanced Senses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can augment his normal 
  human senses through various means, such as 
  increasing the strength of his eye muscles, enhanc-
  ing the performance of sensory nerves, and so 
  forth. However, he cannot grant himself senses he 
  does not ordinarily possess.
  Game Information:
  Cost Value
  12 
  Heightened Senses:  +4 PER with all Sense 
  Groups
  18 
  Precise Focussing:  +12 versus Range Modiﬁer 
  for any one Sense Group (chosen when the 
  character purchases the power)
  Options:
  1)  Tiring Senses:  The character can only heighten 
  his senses by force of eﬀort. Add Costs Endurance 
  (-½). Total cost:  8 points for Heightened Senses; 12 
  points for Precise Focussing.
  MISCELLANEOUS POWERS
  BLOOD FLOW CONTROL
  Effect:  Paramedics, Only To Stop Bleeding; Aid REC 
  1d6, Only For Healing BODY
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has full control over the 
  ﬂow of blood through his body. If he suﬀers an injury 
  and begins to bleed (whether via the Bleeding rules 
  or because he’s below 0 BODY and is losing BODY 
  every Turn), he can shunt most of the ﬂow of blood 
  away from that part of his body to reduce (and, hope-
  fully, soon stop) blood loss. In a longer-term sense, he 
  can send extra blood to injured parts of his body so 
  that he heals from those injuries more quickly. (See 
  also the Brainﬂow ability, below, which could easily be 
  added to this Multipower.)
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  17 
  Blood Flow Control:  Multipower, 25-point 
  reserve; all Self Only (-½)
  1u 
  1)  Stop Bleeding:  Paramedics (INT Roll +5); 
  Self Only (-½), Only To Stop Bleeding (see 
  text; -1)
  1u 
  2)  Heal Faster:  Aid REC 1d6, Delayed 
  Return Rate (all points fade after 1 Month; 
  +1½); Self Only (-½), Only For Healing 
  BODY (-½)
  Total cost:  19 points.
  
  105 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  BONE GROWTH
  Effect:  Varies
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Varies
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can accelerate the 
  growth of his own bones to create various eﬀects 
  — spikes that hurt anyone who touches him, osse-
  ous armor, longer arms and legs, and so forth.
  A character may buy as many of these abili-
  ties as he wishes, perhaps as slots in an Elemental 
  Control.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  41 
  Spiky Bones:  HKA 1d6, Damage Shield 
  (does damage in HTH combat; +¾), Con-
  tinuous (+1)
  49 
  Stable Spiky Bones:  As Spiky Bones, but add 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½)
  36 
  Bone Missiles:  Energy Blast 6d6 (physical), 
  Armor Piercing (+½) (45 Active Points); 10 
  Charges (-¼)
  16 
  Bone Armor:  Armor (8 PD/8 ED) (24 Active 
  Points); Costs Endurance (-½)
  8 
  Armbone Extensions:  Stretching 2” (10 
  Active Points); Limited Body Parts (-¼)
  6 
  Legbone Extensions:  Running +3”
  BRAINFLOW
  Effect:  Succor INT 4d6
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant (Extra Phase to activate)
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can automatically 
  increase the amount of blood going to his brain, 
  thereby enhancing his thinking powers as long as 
  he keeps the ﬂow going.
  Game Information:  Succor INT 4d6 (20 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (Extra Phase to activate; 
  -½), Self Only (-½). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Brainﬂow:  Increase to Succor INT 6d6. 
  30 Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  2)  Weak Brainﬂow:  Decrease to Succor INT 2d6. 10 
  Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  3)  Focused Brainﬂow:  Add Concentration (½ DCV 
  during activation; -¼). Total cost:  9 points.
  4)  Tiring Brainﬂow:  Redirecting the ﬂow of his 
  blood really tires the character out. Add Increased 
  Endurance Cost (x 3 END; -1). Total cost:  7 points.
  ENHANCED DIGESTION
  Effect:  Life Support (Diminished Eating:  any protein)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s body can derive nutri-
  ment from virtually any organic substance, pro-
  vided he can swallow it safely.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Diminished 
  Eating:  any protein). Total cost:  1 point.
  ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE
  Effect:  Life Support (Safe Environment; Diminished 
  Eating)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can override his need 
  for comfortable temperatures, food, and drink, thus 
  making it more likely that he can survive exposure 
  and starvation.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Safe Environ-
  ments:  Intense Cold, Intense Heat; Diminished 
  Eating:  only has to eat once per week). Total 
  cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  True Environmental Resilience:  The character 
  so completely controls the functioning of his own 
  body that he can almost instantly isolate and negate 
  poisons, override his need for sleep or food, and 
  even go without oxygen for extended periods. 
  However, he has to focus on doing this; if he’s 
  Knocked Out or goes to sleep, he loses his resil-
  ience. Change to Life Support (Total) (45 Active 
  Points); Nonpersistent (-¼), Concentration (0 DCV 
  while activating; -1), Extra Time (1 Minute to acti-
  vate; -¾). Total cost:  15 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  106 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  FATIGUE POISON SUPPRESSION
  Effect:  Aid REC 3d6, Only To Recover END
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can cause his body to 
  more eﬃciently process and eliminate fatigue poi-
  sons, giving him extra energy to keep going.
  Game Information:  Aid REC 3d6, Delayed 
  Return Rate (points fade at the rate of 5 per 
  Minute; +¼) (37 Active Points); Self Only (-
  ½), Only To Recover END (-1), Cannot Use 
  Aid Again Until All Gained Points Have Faded 
  (-¼). Total cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Suppression:  Increase to Aid REC 4d6. 
  50 Active Points; total cost:  18 points.
  2)  Weak Suppression:  Decrease to Aid REC 2d6. 25 
  Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  HEALING
  Effect:  Simpliﬁed Healing 4d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost: 4
  Description:  Rather than disrupting or warping 
  another person’s ﬂesh, the character can use his 
  powers to heal and mend.
  Game Information:  Simpliﬁed Healing 4d6. 
  Total cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Healing:  Increase to Simpliﬁed Healing 
  6d6. Total cost:  60 points.
  2)  Weak Healing:  Decrease to Simpliﬁed Healing 
  3d6. Total cost:  30 points.
  3)  Tissue Regeneration:  Add Can Heal Limbs. Total 
  cost:  45 points.
  LET ME LEND YOU A HAND
  Effect:  Summon up to four 80-point body parts, plus 
  Mind Link
  Target/Area Affected:  Special
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can detach parts of his 
  body — primarily his limbs and head — and send 
  them oﬀ to act independently. The player must 
  prepare a character sheet for each body part, build-
  ing them on up to 80 Character Points each. (If 
  that’s not enough, increase the cost of the power as 
  appropriate.) The character sheets must, of course, 
  include appropriate Disadvantages, including the 
  fact that a detached body part can rarely move very 
  fast (except, perhaps, for sudden lunges). While a 
  body part is detached, the character can “communi-
  cate” with it, and it does whatever he tells it to (pro-
  vided the task is within its limited capabilities).
  Game Information:  Summon up to four body 
  parts of up to 80 Character Points each, Slav-
  ishly Loyal (+1) (52 Active Points); Charac-
  ter Loses Use Of Body Part While Summon 
  Remains In Eﬀect (-½) (total cost:  35 points) 
  and Mind Link (speciﬁc group of up to four 
  Summonees) (25 Active Points), Feedback 
  (STUN and BODY; -2) (total cost:  8 points). 
  Total cost:  43 points.
  LIVING HAIR
  Effect:  Extra Limbs plus Stretching 3”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent/Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0/1
  Description:  The character’s hair is extremely 
  strong, and can move and lengthen at his com-
  mand. He can use it as up to 10 limbs.
  Game Information:  Extra Limbs (up to 10) (5 
  Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½) (total cost:  
  3 points) and Stretching 3” (15 Active Points); 
  Limited Body Parts (Extra Limbs/hair only; -¼) 
  (total cost:  12 points). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  A Hairy Situation:  The character’s Extra Limbs make 
  him a skilled ﬁghter in HTH Combat. +9 with Punch, 
  Disarm, and Grab. Total cost:  27 points.
  
  107 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  MINIMIZED BREATHING
  Effect:  Life Support (Extended Breathing)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can slow down his 
  metabolism and heartrate to the point where he 
  doesn’t need nearly as much oxygen as normal 
  humans — and he can do it without diminishing 
  his ability to move and act.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Extended 
  Breathing:  1 END per Minute). Total cost:  
  2 points.
  MIRACULOUS HEALING
  Effect: Major Transform 3d6 (remove physical disabilities)
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can repair long-term 
  damage to another person’s body — anything from 
  damage to the eyes, to loss of limbs, to removing 
  scars and tattoos.
  In game terms, this Transform removes Dis-
  advantages with physical effects, such as Physi-
  cal Limitations or Distinctive Features. The GM 
  may also allow it to have related effects, such as 
  removing some Limitations from powers when 
  they derive from a physical malady of some sort. 
  Obviously, this power could prove extremely 
  unbalancing, so the GM should only allow it into 
  the game after careful consideration. If he does 
  allow it, he may also want to forbid characters 
  to take certain Disadvantages or Limitations, on 
  the grounds that a person with this power could 
  easily “heal” those problems.
  Game Information: Major Transform 3d6 
  (person with physical disabilities or deformi-
  ties to otherwise identical person without those 
  disabilities or deformities; heals back through 
  another application of this power, Fleshwarp-
  ing, or a like power) (45 Active Points); No 
  Range (-½). Total cost: 30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Miraculous Healing:  Increase to Major 
  Transform 4d6 (60 Active Points). Total cost: 40 
  points.
  2)  Weak Miraculous Healing:  Decrease to Major 
  Transform 2d6 (30 Active Points). Total cost: 20 
  points.
  NEGATE TOXINS
  Effect:  Life Support (Immunity:  all terrestrial poisons 
  and chemical weapons)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When the character is poisoned, he 
  can control his biochemistry and immune systems 
  to isolate and negate the poison before it does 
  much (if any) harm.
  In game terms, this ability is built with the Immu-
  nity form of Life Support. However, since it’s not Per-
  sistent, it doesn’t protect the character all the time; he 
  can only activate it as soon as he’s been poisoned. (He 
  has to know he’s been poisoned, whether by seeing 
  it happen, being told, or feeling the eﬀects of the 
  poison beginning to work; the ability doesn’t activate 
  automatically.) Any damage taken from the poison 
  up until the ability is activated remains; this power 
  doesn’t heal it (see the Toxin Reversal option, below). 
  Technically the Immunity should exist only as long 
  as the character maintains the power, which means 
  he has to leave the power activated until the poison’s 
  Gradual Eﬀect or duration runs out, but in the interest 
  of dramatic sense the GM should determine a reason-
  able time that it takes the character to “burn out” the 
  poison (typically 1 Turn to 1 Minute) and use that.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Immunity:  
  all terrestrial poisons and chemical weapons) 
  (10 Active Points); Nonpersistent (see text; -¼), 
  Cannot Be Activated Until Character Is Poi-
  soned (-¼). Total cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Toxin Reversal:  The character’s control is so ﬁne 
  that he can neutralize the poison before it ever 
  aﬀects him, and/or can reverse the poison’s initial 
  eﬀects. Character also buys Healing 2d6, any two 
  Characteristics simultaneously (typically CON and 
  BODY, but it depends on how the poison’s deﬁned; 
  +½) (30 Active Points); Self Only (-½) (total cost:  
  20 points).
  2)  Perceive Poisoning:  The character’s body 
  instantly informs him when there’s a poison or 
  toxin in his bloodstream, even if the poison hasn’t 
  yet begun to work. Character also buys Detect Poi-
  sons In My Body (INT Roll +3) (no Sense Group). 
  Total cost:  6 points (or add Discriminatory, total 
  cost 11 points, if the character wants to be able to 
  identify the poison used against him).
  3)  Negate Diseases:  Characters can also buy the 
  ability to hyper-accelerate their immune systems to 
  ﬁght oﬀ disease, illness, and infection. Change this 
  power to Immunity to all terrestrial diseases and 
  biowarfare agents.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  108 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  PREGNANCY CONTROL
  Effect:  Life Support (Immunity to Pregnancy); Detect 
  Fetus’s Gender, Major Transform 1d6 (dic-
  tate gender of fetus)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self or one fetus
  Duration:  Constant/Constant/Instant
  Range:  Self/No Range
  END Cost:  0/0/1
  Description:  This ability, only purchaseable by 
  female characters, allows the character to control 
  her own fertility. If she gets pregnant, she can con-
  trol which gender the baby will have, or knows the 
  baby’s gender if she chooses not to do that.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  15 
  Pregnancy Control:  Multipower, 15-point 
  reserve
  1u 
  1)  The Ultimate Contraceptive:  Life Support 
  (Immunity to Pregnancy) (5 Active Points); 
  Nonpersistent (-¼)
  1u 
  2)  Detect Fetus’s Gender:  Detect Gender Of 
  Fetus Inside Me (INT Roll +3) (no Sense 
  Group)
  1u 
  3)  Control Fetus’s Gender:  Major Transform 
  1d6 (fetus into fetus of other gender); Lim-
  ited Target (fetus inside character; -2), Only 
  Usable Once Per Fetus (-0)
  Total cost:  18 points.
  SLEEP RESISTANCE
  Effect:  Life Support (Diminished Sleep) and +20 STUN 
  Only To Resist Sleep Attacks
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can keep himself vital 
  and refreshed, thus reducing his need for sleep and 
  increasing his resistance to attacks that force him to 
  go to sleep. In the latter case, subtract any damage 
  he takes from the +20 STUN ﬁrst, then reduce the 
  character’s normal STUN if necessary.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Diminished 
  Sleep:  only needs to sleep eight hours per week) 
  (total cost:  1 point) and +20 STUN (20 Active 
  Points); Only To Resist Sleep Attacks (-1) (total 
  cost:  10 points). Total cost:  11 point.
  
  109 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  T
  hese powers involve the character totally 
  transforming his body into some other sub-
  stance or energy — air, ﬁre, energy, water, 
  stone, sand, sound, you name it. In some 
  cases the “transformation” is written up as being 
  permanent, in other cases the character can switch 
  back and forth.
  BODY OF ACID
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation plus RKA ½d6 Damage Shield
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s entire body is actually 
  composed of acid (though he maintains a human-
  oid shape). Ranged attacks pass directly through 
  him. Hand-to-hand attacks typically also do no 
  damage to him, but probably harm his attacker. 
  Any hand-to-hand attacks that actually damage 
  the character (do BODY) are subject to an extra 
  dose of acid splashing back on them (the character 
  should also buy the Acidic Blood power from The 
  UNTIL Superpowers Database).
  A character with a body of acid should take 
  Disadvantages to reﬂect the fact that his body is 
  made of liquid, and cannot interact safely with 
  water. A Susceptibility would be appropriate, as 
  might some types of Physical Limitation.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by Ice/Cold or Water attacks), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (80 Active 
  Points) Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects 
  (-½), Always On (-½) (total cost:  40 points) plus 
  RKA ½d6, Continuous (+1), Damage Shield 
  (+½), Penetrating (+½), Personal Immunity 
  (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Per-
  sistent (+½), Aﬀects Physical World (+2) (62 
  Active Points); Always On (-½), Linked (-¼) 
  (total cost:  35 points). Total cost:  75  points.
  Options:
  1)  Transform Into Acid:  The character can switch 
  between human form and acid form. Remove Always 
  On from both powers. Total cost:  103 points.
  2)  Splatter Spray:  When an attack hits the charac-
  ter, it causes acid to splash all around the character. 
  The GM should roll the Activation Roll separately 
  for each of the aﬀected hexes (the one the character 
  is in when hit, and the six surrounding hexes) to 
  determine where the acid splashes. Add Area Of 
  Eﬀect (2” Radius; +¾) to the Damage Shield as a 
  naked Advantage, with Activation Roll 8- (-2). 8 
  Active Points; total cost 3 points.
  3)  Puddle Form:  The character can change forms 
  between a humanoid body of acid and a puddle of 
  acid — useful for hiding, or ambushing opponents. 
  Add Shapeshift (Sight, Touch, and Radio Groups), 
  Instant Change, Costs END Only To Change Shape 
  (+¼). Total cost:  26 points.
  BODY OF AIR
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation and Invisibility to Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can transform his body 
  into air, thus allowing him to pass through any non-
  hermetically sealed barrier and to remain unseen.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by air attacks and magic), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); Cannot 
  Pass Through Solid Objects (-½) (total cost:  
  40 points) and Invisibility to Sight Group, No 
  Fringe, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (45 
  Active Points); Linked (-½) (total cost:  30 
  points). Total cost:  70 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tiring Body Of Air:  Remove Reduced Endurance 
  from both powers. Active Points 40 + 30 = 70; total 
  cost 27 + 20 = 47 points.
  2)  Air Form:  The character exists in permanent air 
  form; he has no solid physical body. Add Persistent 
  (+½) Inherent (+¼), and Always On (-½) to both 
  powers. 90 + 67 = 157 Active Points; total cost 60 + 
  33 = 93 points.
  3)  Tiny Air Mass:  While in air form, the character can 
  condense his gaseous body into a small mass, allow-
  ing him to hide easily, ﬁt inside small containers so 
  his friends can carry him, and so forth. Add Shrinking 
  (.032 m tall, .0004 kg mass, -12 to PER Rolls to per-
  ceive character, +12 DCV, takes +18” KB) (60 Active 
  Points); Linked (-½). Total cost:  40 points.
  BODY-  
  TRANSFORMING
  POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  110 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  BODY OF EARTH/MUD
  Effect:  Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% plus 
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can transform his body 
  into earth or mud, making it diﬃcult to harm.
  Game Information:  Physical Damage Reduc-
  tion, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Non-
  persistent (-¼), Visible (-¼) (total cost:  20 
  points) plus Energy Damage Reduction, Resis-
  tant, 25% (15 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-
  ¼), Visible (-¼) (total cost:  10 points). Total 
  cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Oozing Mud Form:  The character’s mud body 
  is suﬃciently liquescent that he can ooze through 
  cracks, small holes, and other tiny openings. Character 
  also buys Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by earth, water, 
  ice/cold, and ﬁre/heat attacks), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (60 Active Points); Cannot Pass Through 
  Solid Objects (-½). Total cost:  40 points.
  BODY OF ELECTRICITY
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation (Cannot Pass Through Non-
  Conductive Substances), RKA 1d6 Damage 
  Shield, Force Field (15 PD/25 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self/one character/self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self/Touch/Self
  END Cost:  4/0/0
  Description:  The character can convert his body 
  to electricity, thus allowing him to pass through 
  conductive materials. For example, he could “walk” 
  right through a metal vault door, or the metal hull 
  of a battleship, but not through a wooden door, a 
  brick wall, or the rubber padding of an asylum cell. 
  However, the character retains the normal immu-
  nity from damage conferred by Desolidiﬁcation 
  even if there are no conductive materials for him to 
  pass through. The Cannot Pass Through Non-Con-
  ductive Objects Limitation is a form of the Cannot 
  Pass Through Solid Objects Limitation, and all the 
  appropriate rules for that Limitation apply.
  Being in electricity form grants the character 
  other powers as well. First, he’s well-protected from 
  attacks that can aﬀect him in his intangible state. 
  Second, anything he touches or that touches him 
  gets a nasty electric shock.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  32 
  Electricity Form:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by electricity and cold attacks) (40 Active 
  Points); Cannot Pass Through Non-Conduc-
  tive Substances (-¼)
  60 
  Electricity Sheath:  RKA 1d6, Aﬀects Physical 
  World (+2), Continuous (+1), Damage Shield 
  (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (75 
  Active Points); Linked (to Electricity Form; -¼)
  48 
  Electricity Shield:  Force Field (15 PD/25 ED), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active 
  Points); Linked (to Electricity Form; -¼)
  Total cost:  140 points.
  Options:
  1)  Electricity Body:  While in his electric form, the 
  character does not suﬀer from ordinary human 
  weaknesses such as the need to breathe and sleep, 
  and he can survive in hostile environments. He still 
  needs to eat, but “eats” electricity instead of physical 
  food. Add Life Support:  Total (except for Dimin-
  ished Eating) (42 Active Points); Linked (-¼). Total 
  cost:  34 points.
  2)  Permanent Electricity Form:  The character is 
  always in electric form; he has no normal physical 
  body. Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Per-
  sistent (+½), Inherent (+¼), and Always On (-½) to 
  his Desolidiﬁcation. 90 Active Points; total cost 51 
  points; total cost of overall ability 159 points.
  BODY OF ENERGY
  Effect:  Various powers related to having a body made 
  of energy
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Varies
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can transform his body 
  into pure energy, giving him a variety of powers. 
  The character may buy as many of the powers 
  listed below as he wishes, possibly Linking them to 
  a single “base” power that deﬁnes his energy form 
  (usually the Desolidiﬁcation or the Damage Shield). 
  See the Energy Manipulation sections of The 
  UNTIL Superpowers Database II for other appro-
  priate abilities.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  40 
  Pure Energy Form:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by any form of energy)
  45 
  Pure Energy Form:  Life Support (Total)
  93 
  Energy Sheath:  Energy Blast 8d6, Continu-
  ous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) 
  (140 Active Points); Always On (-½)
  53 
  Energy Shield:  Force Field (15 PD/25 ED), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent 
  (+½) (80 Active Points); Always On (-½)
  22 
  Glowing Form:  The character’s form can glow 
  brightly enough to give oﬀ light. Character also 
  buys:  Images to Sight Group 1” radius, +4 to 
  PER Rolls, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  (33 Active Points); No Range (-½)
  
  111 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  BODY OF FIRE
  Effect:  Various powers related to having a body made 
  of ﬁre
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Varies
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character has the power to transform 
  his body into living ﬂame, or to cause his body to 
  burst into ﬂame without hurting himself. This gives 
  him a wide variety of powers. The character may 
  buy as many of the powers listed below as he wishes, 
  possibly Linking them to a single “base” power that 
  deﬁnes his ﬁre form (usually the Flight or the Damage 
  Shield). See the Fire And Heat Powers sections of The 
  UNTIL Superpowers Database and Database II for 
  other appropriate abilities.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  40 
  Fiery Flight:  Flight 20”
  40 
  Fire Blast:  Energy Blast 8d6
  40 
  Fire Immunity:  Energy Damage Reduction, 
  Resistant, 75%; Only Works Against Fire (-½)
  40 
  Fire Shield:  Force Field (18 PD/22 ED)
  41 
  Flame Aura:  HKA 1½d6, Continuous (+1), 
  Damage Shield (+½); No STR Bonus (-½)
  BODY OF LIGHT
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation, Only Through Non-Opaque 
  Objects
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can transform his body 
  into light, thus allowing him to pass through solid 
  objects that aren’t opaque (like glass or plexiglass) as 
  well as through tiny spaces of air (such as through a 
  pipe or between the bars of a jail cell). However, the 
  character retains the normal immunity from damage 
  conferred by Desolidiﬁcation even if there are no 
  translucent or transparent materials for him to pass 
  through. The Only Through Non-Opaque Objects 
  Limitation is a form of the Cannot Pass Through Solid 
  Objects Limitation, and all the appropriate rules for 
  that Limitation apply.
  In addition to this basic power, a character 
  who can change into light-form should have several 
  other powers described in this section — Light-
  speed Travel, at a minimum.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by light or darkness attacks) (40 Active Points); 
  Only Through Non-Opaque Objects (-¼). Total 
  cost:  32 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Lightform:  Add Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½). 60 Active Points; total cost 48 points.
  2)  Safe Lightform:  While in his light form, the 
  character does not suﬀer from ordinary human 
  weaknesses such as the need to breathe and sleep, 
  and he can survive in hostile environments. He still 
  needs to eat, but “eats” pure light instead of physical 
  food. Add Life Support:  Total (except for Dimin-
  ished Eating) (42 Active Points); Linked (-¼). Total 
  cost:  34 points.
  3)  Permanent Lightform:  The character is always 
  in light form; he has no normal physical body. Add 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½), 
  Inherent (+¼), and Always On (-½). 90 Active 
  Points; total cost 51 points.
  BODY OF METAL
  Effect:  Density Increase plus Armor (18 PD/18 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can transform his body 
  into solid metal, giving him great resistance to 
  injury, higher Strength, and the like. However, it 
  also makes him weigh 1,600 kilograms.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  40 
  Density Increase (1,600 kg mass, +20 STR, 
  +4 PD/ED, -4 KB), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½), Persistent (+½)
  43 
  Armor (18 PD/18 ED); Linked (to Density 
  Increase; -¼), Visible (-¼)
  Total cost:  83 points.
  Options:
  1)  Body Of Metal Variant I:  Substitute, or add, Physi-
  cal and Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75%. 
  Total cost:  120 points.
  2)  Body Of Metal Variant II:  Remove the Advantages 
  from Density Increase. Total cost:  63 points.
  BODY OF MIST
  Effect:  Various powers related to having a body made 
  of mist
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Varies
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can transform his body 
  into mist, smoke, fog, or the like. The character 
  may buy as many of the powers listed below as he 
  wishes, possibly Linking them to a single “base” 
  power that deﬁnes his mist form (usually the Deso-
  lidiﬁcation or the Damage Reduction).
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  27 
  Mist Form:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by air 
  or cold powers) (40 Active Points); Cannot 
  Pass Through Solid Objects (-½)
  90 
  Nearly Intangible:  Physical Damage Reduc-
  tion, Resistant, 75% plus Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%
  45 
  Mist Form:  Life Support (Total)
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  112 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  40 
  Disorienting Mist:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve
  1u 
  1)  Ordinary Mist:  Change Environment 
  4” radius, -2 to Sight Group PER Rolls; No 
  Range (-½)
  3u 
  2)  Thick Mist:  Darkness to Sight Group 4” 
  radius; No Range (-½)
  30 
  Choking Mist:  Energy Blast 3d6, NND 
  (defense is Life Support [Self-Contained 
  Breathing]; +1), Continuous (+1) (45 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½)
  BODY OF RADIATION
  Effect:  Various powers related to having a body made 
  of radiation
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Varies
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can convert his body to 
  pure radiation. This renders him intangible, allows 
  him to harm living beings with an intense radiation 
  ﬁeld (though at the cost of irradiating the nearby 
  environment), and protects him from harm even 
  when he’s not Desolidiﬁed. The character may buy 
  as many of the powers listed below as he wishes, 
  possibly Linking them to a single “base” power that 
  deﬁnes his mist form (usually the Desolidiﬁcation 
  or the Damage Shield). See the Radiation Powers 
  sections of The UNTIL Superpowers Database for 
  other appropriate abilities.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  40 
  Radiation Form:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by radiation and magnetism attacks)
  50 
  Radiation Field:  RKA ½d6, NND (defense is 
  Life Support [Safe Environment:  High Radi-
  ation]; +1), Does BODY (+1), Continuous 
  (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Area Of Eﬀect 
  (One Hex; +½), Aﬀects Physical World (+2), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (75 Active 
  Points); Only Works On Living Beings (-½), 
  Side Eﬀects (irradiates environment, always 
  occurs; -0)
  45 
  Radiation Shield:  Force Field (15 PD/15 ED), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½)
  Total cost:  135 points.
  Options:
  1)  Radiation Body:  While in his radiation form, the 
  character does not suﬀer from ordinary human 
  weaknesses such as the need to breathe and sleep, 
  and he can survive in hostile environments. He still 
  needs to eat, but “eats” radiation instead of physical 
  food. Add Life Support:  Total (except for Dimin-
  ished Eating) (42 Active Points); Linked (to Deso-
  lidiﬁcation; -¼). Total cost:  34 points.
  2)  Permanent Radiation Form:  The character is 
  always in radiation form; he has no normal physical 
  body. Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Per-
  sistent (+½), Inherent (+¼), and Always On (-½) to 
  his Desolidiﬁcation. 90 Active Points; total cost 60 
  points; total cost of overall ability 155 points.
  
  113 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  BODY OF SAND
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation, Stretching 6”, and Life Support 
  (Self-Contained Breathing)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can convert his body 
  to sand. This allows him to squeeze through tiny 
  openings, travel through sand, and stretch and con-
  tort his form in many ways. The character may buy 
  as many of the powers listed below as he wishes, 
  possibly Linking them to a single “base” power that 
  deﬁnes his mist form (usually the Desolidiﬁcation 
  or the Damage Shield). See the Earth And Stone 
  Powers sections of The UNTIL Superpowers Data-
  base and Database II for other appropriate abilities.
  Game Information:  
  Cost Body Of Sand
  37 
  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by earth and 
  water powers) (40 Active Points); Cannot 
  Pass Through Solid Objects Except Sand 
  (-¼) (total cost:  32 points) plus Life Sup-
  port (Self-Contained Breathing) (10 Active 
  Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Linked (-½) 
  (total cost:  5 points)
  30 
  Stretching 6”
  Total cost:  67 points.
  BODY OF SHADOW 
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can transform his body 
  into pure shadow, rendering it so insubstantial 
  he can walk through walls and avoid the eﬀects 
  of most attacks. Only other darkness powers, or 
  powers of light, can harm him.
  The character should also consider taking 
  the Merge With Shadows power from The UNTIL 
  Superpowers Database, Linked to this power. Other 
  powers from the Darkness Powers section of the 
  USPD (or Database II) may also be appropriate.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by 
  darkness or light powers). Total cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Shadow Form:  The character can become 
  shadow eﬀortlessly and easily. Add Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½). Total cost:  60 points.
  2)  Defensive Shadow Form:  The character does 
  not truly become intangible, but becomes suf-
  ﬁciently incorporeal that most attacks cause him 
  little harm. Substitute Physical Damage Reduction, 
  Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Costs Endurance 
  (-½) (total cost:  20 points) plus Energy Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Costs 
  Endurance (-½), Does Not Work Against Darkness 
  Or Light Powers (-½) (total cost:  15 points). Total 
  cost:  35 points.
  3)  True Shadow Form:  The character’s body is per-
  petually made of shadow (in addition to this power, 
  he must buy Merge With Shadows). Add  Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½), Inherent 
  (+¼), and Always On (-½). 90 Active Points; total 
  cost 60 points.
  BODY OF SOUND
  Effect:  Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, Resis-
  tant, 50%, Not Versus Sonics
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can transform himself 
  into semi-solid sound waves. In this state he has 
  a strange, “buzzing” feel when touched (possibly 
  worth a Distinctive Features Disadvantage or a 
  Side Eﬀect), and suﬀers less damage from attacks 
  because he lacks a fully solid form. (However, sonic 
  attacks have full eﬀect against him.)
  Game Information:  Physical Damage Reduc-
  tion, Resistant, 50% (total cost:  30 points) plus 
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 
  Active Points); Does Not Work Against Lim-
  ited Type Of Attack (sonics; -¼) (total cost:  24 
  points). Total cost:  54 points.
  Options:
  1)  Total Sound:  The character can convert his body 
  to pure sound so that he can pass through any 
  physical object that’s not soundproof. Character 
  also buys Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by sonic attacks, 
  vibratory attacks, and metal-based attacks) (40 
  Active Points); Cannot Pass Through Soundproof 
  Materials (-¼), Does Not Work In A Vacuum (-¼). 
  Total cost:  27 points.
  BODY OF STONE
  Effect:  Armor (15 PD/15 ED), plus others
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s body is made of stone 
  and rock, which makes it diﬃcult to hurt him and 
  has other eﬀects. He should also take a Physical 
  Limitation to represent the problems caused by 
  weighing approximately 800 kg.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  30 
  Density Increase (800 kg mass, +15 STR, +3 
  PD/ED, -3 KB), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½), Persistent (+½)
  30 
  Armor (15 PD/15 ED); Linked (to Density 
  Increase; -¼), Visible (-¼)
  Total cost:  60 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  114 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  Options:
  1)  Body Of Stone Variant I:  Substitute, or add, Physi-
  cal and Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%. 
  Total cost:  60 points.
  2)  Body Of Stone Variant II:  Remove the Advantages 
  from Density Increase. Total cost:  45 points.
  BODY OF WATER
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation, Damage Reduction
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can transform his body 
  into water. In addition to the power listed here, the 
  character should buy the Water Form power from The 
  UNTIL Superpowers Database, Linked to this power.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by 
  water, ﬁre, and cold attacks) (40 Active Points); 
  Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-½). Total 
  cost:  27 points.
  BODY OF WOOD
  Effect:  Armor (15 PD/15 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the power to trans-
  form his body into wood, making it tougher and 
  more resistant to harm.
  Game Information:  Armor (15 PD/15 ED) (45 
  Active Points); Nonpersistent (-¼). Total cost:  
  36 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tougher Wooden Body:  Increase to Armor (18 
  PD/18 ED). 54 Active Points; total cost 43 points.
  2)  Weaker Wooden Body:  Decrease to Armor (10 
  PD/10 ED). 30 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  MACHINE BODY
  Effect:  Various
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character’s body is partly or 
  wholly a machine, or can be transformed into a 
  machine form. He may be a sentient robot, a person 
  who can replace his ﬂesh and bone with a colony of 
  nanomachines under his mental control, or the like.
  Obviously the special eﬀect of “machine body” 
  could justify a vast array of powers, especially in a 
  world where comic book science and gadgeteering 
  exist. The powers listed here (of which the character 
  may buy as many as he wishes) are just the basic ones 
  — the standard sort of powers virtually anyone with a 
  machine body would have. Many others are possible; 
  see the optional powers for some examples.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  20 
  Machine Muscles:  +20 STR
  36 
  Machine Body:  Armor (12 PD/12 ED)
  Cost Optional Powers
  7 
  Extensible Arms:  Stretching 3” (15 Active 
  Points); Always Direct (-¼), Limited Body 
  Parts (arms only; -¼), No Noncombat 
  Stretching (-¼), Range Modiﬁer Applies (-¼)
  8 
  Machine Body:  Damage Resistance  
  (8 PD/8 ED)
  60 
  Machine Body:  Physical and Energy Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%
  var 
  Machine Sensory Units:  Just about any 
  Enhanced Sense you want
  27 
  Merge With The Machine:  Telepathy 8d6 
  (Machine class of minds) (40 Active Points); 
  No Range (-½)
  12 
  Self-Repair Mode:  Healing 3d6 (Regen-
  eration; 3 BODY per 1 Minute), Can Heal 
  Limbs; Extra Time + Increased Time Incre-
  ment (1 Minute; -1½), Self Only (-½)
  
  115 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  MATERIAL MIMICRY
  Effect:  Variable Power Pool to copy the properties of 
  touched substances
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can, by touching any 
  solid, liquid, or gaseous substance, change his body 
  to mimic its properties. For example, if he touched 
  a bronze statue, he could transform his body into 
  bronze, making himself tougher and stronger. If he 
  touched wine, his form would become liquid, able 
  to swim quickly and slip through tiny cracks.
  In game terms, this power is a Variable Power 
  Pool that the character can only use to create 
  abilities appropriate to having a body made of the 
  substance he touches. You can use other powers in 
  this book, such as Body Of Air, Body Of Metal, and 
  Body Of Wood (see above) as guidelines for the 
  sort of abilities the character should develop.
  Game Information:  Variable Power Pool (Mate-
  rial Mimicry Pool), 80 base + 40 control cost; 
  Only For Powers Representing The Properties 
  Of Substances Character Touches (-½). Total 
  cost:  80 + 27 = 107 points.
  Options:
  1)  Larger Material Mimicry Pool:  Increase to 100 base 
  + 50 control cost. Total cost:  100 + 33 = 133 points.
  2)  Smaller Material Mimicry Pool:  Decrease to 60 base 
  + 30 control cost. Total cost:  60 + 20 = 80 points.
  3)  Easy Material Mimicry:  Add Powers Can Be 
  Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1), No Skill 
  Roll Required (+1). 80 + 80 = 160 points.
  4)  Energy Mimicry:  The character can also copy the 
  properties of energy forms, such as ﬁre or electric-
  ity, by touching them (though the initial touch may 
  inﬂict some damage on the character). Change to 
  Only For Powers Representing The Properties Of 
  Substances Or Energy Character Touches (-¼). 
  Total cost:  80 + 32 = 112 points.
  SWARM FORM
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation and Damage Reduction
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character’s body transforms into, 
  or actually consists of, a swarm of insects. In swarm 
  form, he can “seep” through tiny openings and takes 
  less damage from most attacks. The character might 
  also want to buy an attack representing his ability 
  to sting or bite people.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by any attack) (40 Active Points); Cannot Pass 
  Through Solid Objects (-½), Does Not Protect 
  Against Damage (-1) (total cost:  16 points) 
  and Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, 
  Resistant, 50% (total cost:  60 points). Total 
  cost:  76 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  116 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  T
  hese powers represent a character’s ability to 
  increase his density (Density Increase) and the 
  related powers that ability may give him. Some 
  characters with these powers can also lower 
  their density, even to the point of intangibility; see 
  Intangibility Powers, page 133, for such abilities.
  BASIC AND  
  OFFENSIVE POWERS
  DENSITY ENHANCEMENT
  Effect:  Density Increase
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can augment his natural 
  density, becoming as much as 250 times as heavy 
  as a normal adult human. As he becomes denser, 
  he becomes stronger, tougher, and harder to knock 
  back... but also more likely to crash through ﬂoors 
  and cause other problems because of his weight.
  Game Information:  Density Increase (25,000 kg 
  mass, +40 STR, +8 PD/ED, -8” KB). Total cost:  
  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Greater Density:  Increase to Density Increase 
  (400,000 kg mass, +60 STR, +12 PD/ED, -12” KB). 
  Total cost:  60 points.
  2)  Lower Density:  Decrease to Density Increase 
  (6,400 kg mass, +30 STR, +6 PD/ED, -6” KB). Total 
  cost:  30 points.
  3)  Easy Density Enhancement:  Increasing his den-
  sity places less of a strain on the character’s system. 
  Add Costs Endurance Only To Activate (+¼). Total 
  cost:  50 points.
  4)  Difﬁcult Density Enhancement:  The character 
  has a hard time maintaining his super-dense form; 
  doing so places signiﬁcant strain on his metabo-
  lism. Add Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½). 
  40 Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  5)  High Density:  The character cannot alter his 
  density; he always weighs 25,000 kilograms. While 
  this grants him superhuman powers, it also poses 
  some signiﬁcant day-to-day hardships on him. Sub-
  stitute +40 STR, +8 ED, and Knockback Resistance 
  -8”; total cost:  64 points. Character must also take 
  a Physical Limitation representing his vast weight 
  (All The Time, Greatly Impairing; 20 points).
  6)  Density Field Control:  The character can also 
  make another character heavier than normal. Add 
  Usable Simultaneously (+½). Total cost:  60 points.
  AUGMENTED STRENGTH
  Effect:  +20 STR
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  Characters who can increase their 
  density become stronger when they do so, but 
  a character with this power becomes especially 
  strong. He gains extra STR in addition to what he 
  gains from Density Increase. The gain is propor-
  tional — the more dense he becomes, the stronger 
  he becomes. For example, if he has the basic Den-
  sity Enhancement power listed above, for every 10 
  points’ worth of Density Increase he uses, he gains 
  +5 additional STR.
  Game Information:  +20 STR (20 Active Points); 
  Linked (to DI; -½). Total cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Augmented Strength I:  Increase to +40 
  STR. 40 Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  2)  Really Augmented Strength II:  Increase to +60 
  STR. 60 Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  3)  Weaker Augmented Strength:  Decrease to +10 
  STR. 10 Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  CRUSH YOU!
  Effect:  Energy Blast 14d6, Damage Shield, Only To 
  Inﬂict Crushing Damage
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When he’s heavier than normal, the 
  character can inﬂict crushing damage on someone 
  by standing or lying on top of him, and can still 
  do other things at the same time (like punch the 
  victim, or ﬁre an Energy Blast at someone else). 
  The damage inﬂicted depends on how heavy the 
  character is (see Crushing Damage, page 18); as 
  purchased, the power covers up to 60 points’ worth 
  of Density Increase (400,000 kg mass).
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 14d6, Damage 
  Shield (+½), Continuous (+1), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½) (210 Active Points); Only To 
  Inﬂict Crushing Damage (see text; -1½). Total 
  cost:  84 points.
  DENSITY INCREASE 
  POWERS
  
  117 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  SUPER-DENSE FISTS
  Effect:  HA +8d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can selectively increase 
  the density of his hands, making them much harder 
  — and thus much harder-hitting. Since HA dice, 
  on top of the STR gained from Density Increase, 
  may have an unbalancing eﬀect on the game, you 
  should get the GM’s permission before purchasing 
  this power.
  This write-up assumes the character has the 
  Density Enhancement power described above. He 
  gains HA +2d6 for every 10 points of DI he activates.
  Game Information:  HA +8d6 (40 Active Points); 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½), Linked (to DI; 
  -½). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Ultra-Dense Fists:  Increase to HA +12d6, reduce 
  Linked to (-¼). 60 Active Points; total cost 34 points.
  2)  Not-Quite-Super-Dense Fists:  Decrease to HA 
  +4d6. 20 Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  3)  Spear Hand:  Rather than pummel his foes with 
  super-dense ﬁsts, the character ﬂattens out his hand 
  and uses it like a super-dense spear or knife, inﬂict-
  ing terrible wounds. Substitute HKA 2½d6 (up 
  to 5d6+1 with STR) and remove Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½). 40 Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  4)  Spear And Fist:  The character can both punch 
  and thrust with his super-dense hands. Substitute 
  a Multipower, 40-point reserve, both Linked (-½), 
  one slot Super-Dense Fists, one slot Spear Hand. 
  Total cost:  32 points.
  5)  Super-Dense Fists Variant:  The character can 
  increase the density of his ﬁsts at any time, regard-
  less of whether he himself has an overall higher 
  density. Remove Linked (-½). Total cost:  27 points.
  6)  Touching The Untouchable I:  The character’s ﬁsts 
  are so dense they can even hit, and otherwise aﬀect 
  intangible beings. Add Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½) 
  and reduce Linked to (-¼). 60 Active Points; total 
  cost 34 points.
  7)  Touching The Untouchable II:  The character’s 
  hands are so dense they can touch and aﬀect 
  intangible beings and objects. Character also buys 
  Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½) for up to 60 STR, Linked 
  (to Density Increase; -½). 30 Active Points; total 
  cost 20 points.
  DEFENSIVE POWERS
  AUGMENTED DEFENSES
  Effect:  Armor (8 PD/8 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Characters who can increase their 
  density always become tougher when they do 
  so, but a character with this power becomes par-
  ticularly diﬃcult to hurt. He gains extra defense 
  (bought as Armor) in addition to the PD and ED 
  he gains from Density Increase. The gain is propor-
  tional — the more dense he becomes, the tougher 
  he becomes. For example, if he has the basic Den-
  sity Enhancement power listed above, for every 10 
  points’ worth of Density Increase he uses, he gains 
  2 PD/2 ED worth of Armor.
  Game Information:  Armor (8 PD/8 ED) (24 
  Active Points); Linked (to DI; -½). Total cost:  
  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Augmented Defense I:  Increase to Armor 
  (14 PD/14 ED) and reduce Linked to (-¼). 42 
  Active Points; total cost 34 points.
  2)  Really Augmented Defense II:  Increase to Armor 
  (20 PD/20 ED) and reduce Linked to (-¼). 60 
  Active Points; total cost 48 points.
  3)  Weaker Augmented Defense:  Decrease to Armor 
  (4 PD/4 ED). 12 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  SUPER-DENSE LEGS
  Effect:  Knockback Resistance -8”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character makes his legs and feet 
  super-heavy so that it’s hard for anyone to knock 
  him over.
  Game Information:  Knockback Resistance -8” 
  (16 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½). Total 
  cost:  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  Denser Legs:  Increase to Knockback Resistance 
  -12”. 24 Active Points; total cost 16 points.
  2)  Less Dense Legs:  Decrease to Knockback Resis-
  tance -4”. 8 Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  118 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  MISCELLANEOUS POWERS
  HYPER-DENSE BODY
  Effect:  Affects Desolidiﬁed (+½) on up to 20 BODY
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s body is so dense that 
  even intangible beings and objects cannot move 
  through it. At the GM’s option, this may provide 
  some protection against, or complete immunity to, 
  powers like Intangible Touch (page 134).
  Game Information:  Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½) on 
  up to 20 BODY, Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½), Persistent (+½) (40 Active Points); Linked 
  (to Density Increase or some similar power; -
  ½). Total cost:  27 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Hyper-Density:  Increase to up to 30 
  BODY. 60 Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  2)  Weak Hyper-Density:  Decrease to up to 15 
  BODY. 30 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  
  119 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  T
  hese powers represent abilities that a char-
  acter might have because of his ability to 
  create duplicates of himself. For most such 
  characters Duplication alone is enough to 
  deﬁne their power, but some develop other ways to 
  use their duplicativeness.
  BASIC POWER
  DUPLICATION
  Effect:  Duplication (create one 350-point Duplicate)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can create an identical 
  duplicate of himself. They look the same, and have 
  the same powers. However, they don’t have any spe-
  cial “psychic link,” and the duplicate isn’t obliged to 
  do what the original character tells him to.
  Game Information:  Duplication (create one 
  350-point Duplicate). Total cost:  70 points.
  Options:
  1)  Quaduplicates:  The character can create up to 
  four Duplicates, for a total of ﬁve “selves.” Total cost:  
  80 points.
  2)  Army Of Duplicates I:  The character can create up 
  to 125 Duplicates, for a total of 126 “selves.” Total 
  cost:  105 points.
  3)  Army Of Duplicates II:  The character can prac-
  tically create his own brigade. Increase to 1,000 
  Duplicates, for a total of 1,001 “selves.” Total cost:  
  120 points.
  4)  Join Up!:  The character’s Duplicate can easily 
  “merge” back into his body. Add Easy Recombina-
  tion (Zero Phase Action at full DCV). Total cost:  
  80 points.
  5)  Tiring Duplication I:  Duplicating strains the char-
  acter’s body. Add Costs Endurance (to activate; -¼). 
  70 Active Points; total cost 56 points.
  6)  Tiring Duplication II:  As Tiring Duplication I, 
  but the character must pay END to maintain the 
  Duplication. If he ever runs out of END, the Dupli-
  cate collapses and cannot revive until it rejoins 
  the original character and is re-created. Add Costs 
  Endurance (throughout; -½). 70 Active Points; total 
  cost 47 points.
  7)  Uniﬁed Duplicate:  The character and his Dupli-
  cate have a special psychic link and work marvel-
  ously well together as a team. Character also buys 
  Mind Link (with Duplicate), Psychic Bond (total 
  cost:  10 points) and Teamwork (DEX +2 roll) (total 
  cost:  7 points):  Total cost:  17 points.
  8)  The Legion Effect:  The character can create a lot 
  of selves, and they’re all specially linked. Not only 
  can they communicate psionically, but any damage 
  one of them takes, they all take — it’s almost as 
  if they were cells in a single body. The character 
  buys Army Of Duplicates II with Feedback (-1) 
  (total cost:  60 points) and Mind Link (with any 
  1,000 Duplicates at once) (total cost:  60 points) 
  and Teamwork (DEX +2 roll) (total cost:  7 points). 
  Total cost:  60 + 60 + 7 = 127 points.
  9)  Tiny Army:  Rather than creating true “duplicates” 
  of himself, the character can “subdivide” himself 
  into 125 three inch-tall persons who look exactly 
  like himself, but are smaller. Their abilities are simi-
  lar to his, but weaker, and they have additional abil-
  ities (like DCV Combat Skill Levels) to represent 
  their small size. Character buys Duplication (create 
  125 200-point Duplicates). Total cost:  75 points.
  10)  Uncontrolled Duplication:  The character’s Dupli-
  cates appear, one at a time, whenever he experi-
  ences a particular phenomenon outside his control 
  (such as suﬀering a physical impact, exposure to 
  an intense magnetic ﬁeld, or getting hit with sonic 
  energy). You could also use this for monsters that 
  subdivide into two slightly less powerful versions 
  when cut in two. Character buys Army Of Dupli-
  cates I with Trigger (deﬁned condition, activating 
  Trigger takes no time, Trigger resets automatically; 
  +1) and No Conscious Control (-2). 210 Active 
  Points; total cost 70 points.
  DUPLICATION 
  POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  120 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  OFFENSIVE POWERS
  ARMY OF ONE
  Effect:  HA +4d6
  Target/Area Affected:  6” Radius
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  5
  Description:  The character can instantly create as 
  many duplicates as he wants up to 6” away from 
  him. These duplicates punch, kick, or pummel 
  anyone he wants to attack, then vanish as they 
  immediately recombine with him.
  Game Information:  HA +4d6, Area Of Eﬀect 
  (6” Radius; +1¼), Selective (+¼) (50 Active 
  Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½). Total 
  cost:  33 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Army:  Increase to HA +5d6. 62 Active 
  Points; total cost 41 points.
  2)  Weak Army:  Decrease to HA +3d6. 37 Active 
  Points; total cost 25 points.
  BRING IT TO ME
  Effect:  Teleportation 10”, Usable As Attack, Small 
  Objects Back To Character Only
  Target/Area Affected:  One object
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  10”
  END Cost:  5
  Description:  The character can manifest a dupli-
  cate anywhere up to 10” away. That duplicate grabs 
  or picks up any object weighing 25 kg or less and 
  then instantly recombines with the character. As he 
  recombines, he brings the object to the character.
  Game Information:  Teleportation 10”, Usable 
  As Attack (defense is Power Defense; +1), Lim-
  ited Range (10”; +¼) (45 Active Points); Only 
  Works To Bring Small Objects To Character 
  (-1). Total cost:  22 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bringing:  Increase to Teleportation 15”. 
  67 Active Points; total cost 33 points.
  2)  Weak Bringing:  Decrease to Teleportation 5”. 22 
  Active Points; total cost 11 points.
  TEAM PUNCH
  Effect:  HA +6d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  To improve his ﬁghting ability, as the 
  character’s about to hit someone he instantly creates 
  six duplicates who all attack the target the exact same 
  way but from diﬀerent angles, signiﬁcantly increas-
  ing the overall eﬀect of the blow. Depending on how 
  the character ﬁghts hand-to-hand, this might look 
  like a dogpile of duplicates jumping on the target and 
  pounding him as hard as they can, a graceful kata of 
  seven identical martial artists interlocking their iden-
  tical attacks to hit the target from every angle at once, 
  or the like. The instant the attack’s done, the duplicates 
  recombine with the character.
  Game Information:  HA +6d6 (30 Active Points); 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½). Total cost:  20 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Team Punch Of Nine:  Increase to HA +8d6. 40 
  Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  2)  Team Punch Of Five:  Decrease to HA +4d6. 20 
  Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  3)  Related Abilities:  You can expand this concept 
  to other forms of attack if you wish. For example, 
  creating four or ﬁve “combat duplicates” makes it 
  easy to grab and hold someone (+30 STR, Only For 
  Grabs (-½)). If all the duplicates have an Energy 
  Blast power or a weapon, they can all make the 
  same attack (increase the attack’s damage, or buy 
  Autoﬁre for it as a naked Advantage).
  
  121 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  DEFENSIVE POWERS
  DUPLICATE WALL
  Effect:  Force Wall (10 PD/10 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Up to 6” long
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can instantly create a 
  “human wall” of duplicates that stand in front of 
  him and protect him from harm. The duplicates 
  automatically recombine with him when the Phase 
  ends. If any were injured while in existence, recom-
  bining with the character instantly heals them.
  Game Information:  Force Wall (10 PD/10 ED, 
  up to 6” long) (60 Active Points); Instant (-½), 
  No Range (-½), Cannot Englobe (-¼). Total 
  cost:  27 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Wall:  Increase to Force Wall (12 PD/12 
  ED). 70 Active Points; total cost 31 points.
  2)  Weak Wall:  Decrease to Force Wall (8 PD/8 ED). 
  50 Active Points; total cost 22 points.
  DUPLICATIVE CONFUSION
  Effect:  +6 DCV
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character can keep a group of 
  duplicates around himself, making them appear 
  and recombine with him in the blink of an eye as 
  an almost subconscious defense mechanism. The 
  end result is that it’s diﬃcult to hit the character 
  with an attack — the odds are the attack’s going to 
  hit a duplicate, who then instantly recombines with 
  the character and is “healed” in the process before 
  the character creates him again.
  Game Information:  +6 DCV (30 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Confusion:  Increase to +8 DCV. 40 Active 
  Points; total cost 27 points.
  2)  Weak Confusion:  Decrease to +4 DCV. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 13 points.
  MOVEMENT POWERS
  DUPLICATIVE MOVEMENT
  Effect:  Teleportation 15”, Must Cross Intervening Space
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character knows how to use his 
  duplicative powers to travel up to 100 feet in the blink 
  of an eye. He creates 14 duplicates, each 1” in front of 
  the last one. Then he recombines with them, using the 
  recombination to “pull” himself forward into each hex 
  until he reaches the destination.
  Game Information:  Teleportation 15” (30 Active 
  Points), Must Pass Through Intervening Space 
  (-¼). Total cost:  24 points.
  Options:
  1)  More Duplicates:  Increase to Teleportation 18”. 
  36 Active Points; total cost 29 points.
  2)  Fewer Duplicates:  Decrease to Teleportation 12”. 
  24 Active Points; total cost 19 points.
  SENSORY POWERS
  HAVE A LOOK AROUND
  Effect:  Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) for 
  Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  When the character needs to see 
  everything around him, he instantly creates three 
  duplicates — one facing to his left, one to his right, 
  and one straight behind. After they’ve seen what 
  there is to see in their respective directions, they 
  recombine with him, conferring upon him the 
  memory of what they’ve observed.
  Game Information:  Increased Arc Of Percep-
  tion (360 Degrees) for Sight Group (10 Active 
  Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Cannot Move 
  While Using Power (-½). Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Related Abilities:  If you wish, you can buy 
  Increased Arc Of Perception for other Sense 
  Groups as well; the special eﬀect could easily carry 
  over to any other Sense the character possesses.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  122 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  MISCELLANEOUS POWERS
  BARRIER BYPASS
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation, Must Be Able To Fit A Body Part 
  Through
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can use his duplicative 
  powers to get past some types of barriers, such as 
  jail cell doors. If he can ﬁt any part of his body (typi-
  cally a hand or foot) through the barrier, he does so, 
  duplicates on the other side, then recombines with the 
  duplicate. The end result is almost as if he’d become 
  intangible and walked through the barrier.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by any attack) (40 Active Points); Cannot Pass 
  Through Solid Objects (-½), Does Not Protect 
  Against Damage (-1), Instant (-½), Must Be 
  Able To Fit A Body Part Through The Barrier 
  (-½). Total cost:  11 points.
  BUDDING
  Effect:  Summon Animals, Side Effect (-2 BODY per 
  animal Summoned)
  Target/Area Affected:  N/A
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  17
  Description:  The character has the ability to detach 
  his arms, legs, or other parts of himself and have 
  those parts grow into animals that obey his orders. 
  Budding oﬀ an animal takes 1 Minute, and because 
  he’s sacriﬁcing part of his ﬂesh the character loses 
  2 BODY (and possibly suﬀers other eﬀects, such as 
  the loss of an arm used to create a creature). The 
  reduction in BODY aﬀects how easy it is for a char-
  acter to die, be Transformed, or suﬀer other eﬀects 
  based on negative BODY. For example, if a char-
  acter creates two animals (reducing his normal 10 
  BODY to 6 BODY), then if he’s injured and reaches 
  -6 BODY, he dies. To regain the lost BODY, the 
  character “dispels” a Summoned creature by touch-
  ing it and absorbing it back into his form.
  Game Information:  Summon up to four ani-
  mals built on up to 300 Character Points each, 
  Expanded Class (animals; +½), Slavishly 
  Devoted (+1) (175 Active Points); Extra Time 
  (1 Minute; -1½), Side Eﬀect (character loses 2 
  BODY per animal Summoned, and may suﬀer 
  other eﬀects [see text], always occurs; -½). Total 
  cost:  58 points.
  Options:
  1)  Greater Budding:  Increase Expanded Class to 
  any type of living being (+1). 210 Active Points; 
  total cost 70 points.
  2)  Swift Budding:  Decrease Extra Time to 1 Turn 
  (-1¼). Total cost:  64 points.
  3)  Regenerative Budding:  The character almost 
  instantly regenerates the body part “sacriﬁced” to 
  Summon the animal. Remove Side Eﬀect (-½). 
  Total cost:  70 points.
  
  123 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  DUPLICATIVE BENEFICENCE
  Effect:  Variable Power Pool (Beneﬁcial Power Matching 
  Pool)
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Varies
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  This power is sort of the opposite of 
  the Feedback Limitation, which makes damage 
  suﬀered by one Duplicate apply to all. This power 
  allows positive eﬀects, such as Aid and Healing, that 
  apply to one Duplicate to aﬀect all of them at once. 
  Usually the character simulates this by using the 
  VPP to create the same power with a Selective Area 
  Of Eﬀect large enough to reach all of his Duplicates 
  (with the GM automatically allowing the eﬀect roll 
  to match that of the original power).
  Game Information:  Variable Power Pool (Beneﬁ-
  cial Power Matching Pool), 90 base + 45 control 
  cost, Cosmic (+2), Trigger (when character or any 
  Duplicate is aﬀected by a beneﬁcial power such as 
  Aid or Healing, activating takes no time, Trigger 
  resets automatically; +1); No Conscious Control 
  (-2), Can Only Duplicate Beneﬁcial Powers Used 
  On Character Or Duplicates (-1). Total cost:  90 + 
  45 = 135 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Beneﬁcence:  Increase to 120 base + 60 
  control cost. Total cost:  120 + 60 = 180 points.
  2)  Weak Beneﬁcence:  Decrease to 60 base + 30 
  control cost. Total cost:  60 + 30 = 90 points.
  DUPLICATIVE REGENERATION
  Effect:  Duplication Triggered by the loss of a limb plus 
  Regeneration
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When the character loses a limb (or 
  suﬀers a similar sort of injury), his regenerative 
  powers are so strong that not only does he heal the 
  wound he suﬀered, but the lopped-oﬀ body part 
  grows into a duplicate of him!
  Game Information:  Duplication (create 1,000 
  350-point Duplicates), Trigger (when character 
  loses a limb or other signiﬁcant part of his body, 
  activating takes no time, Trigger resets automati-
  cally; +1) (240 Active Points); Cannot Recombine 
  (-0), No Conscious Control (-2) (total cost:  80 
  points) plus Healing 1d6 (Regeneration; 1 BODY 
  per Turn), Can Heal Limbs, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (30 Active Points); 
  Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼), Only To Heal Injuries 
  That Trigger Duplication (-1), Self Only (-½) 
  (total cost:  8 points). Total cost:  88 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Power:  Increase to 500-point Duplicates. 
  300 + 30 = 330 Active Points; total cost 100 + 8 = 
  108 points.
  2)  Weak Power:  Decrease to 200-point Dupli-
  cates. 180 + 30 = 210 Active Points; total cost 60 
  + 8 = 68 points.
  DUPLICATIVE SCHOLARSHIP
  Effect:  Cramming + KS: Everything (INT Roll +35)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When he doesn’t need them for some-
  thing else, the character sends his Duplicates out 
  to study anything and everything, and when they 
  recombine with him they all have the knowledge. 
  (But of course, with so general a KS as “Everything,” 
  they suﬀer severe penalties to the Skill Roll most of 
  the time.) In a pinch, he and several Duplicates can 
  all study the same subject at the same time so they 
  quickly have a grasp of it.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  5 
  Cramming
  38 
  KS: Everything (INT Roll +35)
  Total cost:  43 points
  RECOMBINATION RESURRECTION
  Effect:  Healing BODY 8d6 Resurrection, Trigger (upon 
  recombination), Duplicates Only
  Target/Area Affected:  One or more Duplicates
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  20
  Description:  When the character recombines with 
  his Duplicates, any that died while in existence are 
  automatically brought back to life. In eﬀect this 
  makes his Duplicates expendable cannon fodder; 
  the only way he can permanently lose one is for 
  its physical form to be disintegrated or otherwise 
  entirely destroyed.
  Game Information:  Healing BODY 8d6 Res-
  urrection (can stop Resurrection by totally or 
  signiﬁcantly destroying the Duplicate’s body), 
  Trigger (when Duplicate recombines with 
  character, Trigger activates automatically, Trig-
  ger automatically immediately resets; +1) (200 
  Active Points); Only Works On Duplicates (-1). 
  Total cost:  100 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  124 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  T
  he Strength And Toughness Powers category 
  in The UNTIL Superpowers Database rep-
  resents characters with far more powerful 
  STR (and CON, PD, and ED) than normal 
  — Hyper-Strength Powers, if you will. Similarly, 
  at least some of the Speedster Powers can in some 
  respects be regarded as Hyper-Dexterity and -
  Speed Powers.
  Hyper-Characteristics Powers represent 
  superpowers that derive from having superhu-
  manly powerful versions of some of the other 
  HERO System Characteristics — in the case of 
  metamorphs, DEX, BODY, and COM. In addi-
  tion to the two categories mentioned above, you 
  can ﬁnd other powers that could have the special 
  eﬀect of “Hyper-Characteristics” in such catego-
  ries as Body Control Powers.
  Some Hyper-Characteristic Powers involve 
  Required Skill Rolls. It’s assumed that a character 
  with Hyper-Characteristic Powers has at least a 25, 
  if not higher, value in the Characteristic in question.
  HYPER-DEXTERITY 
  POWERS
  QUADRUPLE-JOINTED
  Effect:  Stretching 1”, Always Direct, No Noncombat 
  Stretching, Cannot Do Damage
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character’s joints and body are so 
  malleable and ﬂexible that he can actually extend 
  his reach for up to 1”, or otherwise contort his body 
  in ways that would make even the most accom-
  plished yoga practitioner green with envy.
  Game Information:  Stretching 1” (5 Active 
  Points); Always Direct (-¼), No Noncombat 
  Stretching (-¼), Cannot Do Damage (-½). 
  Total cost:  2 points.
  HYPER-CONSTITUTION 
  POWERS
  IMMUNITY
  Effect:  Life Support (Immunity to all terrestrial dis-
  eases, poisons, and biological and chemi-
  cal warfare agents)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s metabolism is so super-
  humanly strong and eﬃcient that he shrugs oﬀ the 
  eﬀects of poisons, drugs, chemicals, and the like.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Immunity to all 
  terrestrial diseases, poisons, and biological and 
  chemical warfare agents). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Full-Spectrum Immunity:  Increase to all diseases, 
  poisons, and biological and chemical warfare agents 
  (not just terrestrial ones), using the rules from page 
  14 of Galactic Champions. Total cost:  60 points.
  HYPER-BODY POWERS
  REDUNDANT ORGANS
  Effect:  +5 BODY plus +10 BODY, Only To Extend Point 
  Of Death
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s body contains two or 
  more copies of many (if not all) of his vital organs. 
  This makes him hardier and tougher in general, but 
  most importantly it makes him signiﬁcantly harder 
  to kill. Being shot through the heart is much less 
  traumatic for a hero when he’s got a second heart 
  on the other side of his chest to take over and keep 
  the blood pumping, after all....
  In game terms, this power is represented in 
  two ways. First, the character has a higher BODY 
  than normal. That’s represented here with +5 
  BODY, but you could buy even more if you like. 
  Second, he has an additional +10 BODY that only 
  count for purposes of determining the “negative 
  BODY” point at which he dies. He doesn’t get 
  any extra STUN from this BODY, and it doesn’t 
  HYPER-  
  CHARACTERISTICS
  
  125 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  improve the amount of positive BODY damage he 
  can take before reaching the negatives... but once 
  he reaches the negative BODY range, it takes a lot 
  longer before he dies.
  Game Information:  +5 BODY (total cost:  10 
  points) plus +10 BODY (20 Active Points); 
  Only To Extend Point Of Death (-1½) (total 
  cost:  8 points). Total cost:  18 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Redundant Organs:  Increase to +8 BODY 
  and +13 BODY. 16 + 26 = 42 Active Points; total 
  cost 16 + 10 = 26 points.
  2)  Weak Redundant Organs:  Decrease to +3 BODY 
  and +8 BODY. 6 + 16 = 22 Active Points; total cost 
  6 + 6 = 12 points.
  HYPER-COMELINESS 
  POWERS
  ALTER APPEARANCE
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight and Touch Groups, any 
  humanoid face)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s control over his own 
  appearance allows him to alter the shape of his 
  face to adopt any appearance desired. In doing this, 
  he can increase or decrease his COM by 5 points 
  (that’s 5 points of COM, not 5 Character Points’ 
  worth of the Characteristic).
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight and Touch 
  Groups, any humanoid form), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½) (34 Active Points); Only 
  Changes The Face (-½). Total cost:  23 points.
  Options:
  1)  True Appearance Alteration:  The character can 
  alter his COM within the campaign range the GM 
  establishes for the Characteristic. Add Makeover. 42 
  Active Points; total cost 28 points.
  2)  Tiring Appearance Alteration:  Remove Reduced 
  Endurance (+½). 23 Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  3)  Copy Appearance:  The character can not only 
  change his appearance, he can ﬂawlessly copy the 
  facial features of another person. Add Imitation. 49 
  Active Points; total cost 33 points.
  4)  Lasting Appearance Alteration:  Once changed, the 
  character’s appearance doesn’t revert to his true facial 
  features until he wills it. Even if he’s Knocked Out or 
  goes to sleep, his face remains in its altered form. Add 
  Persistent (+½). 46 Active Points; total cost 31 points.
  5)  Full Appearance Alteration:  The character can 
  alter the appearance of his entire body, not just his 
  face. Remove Only Changes The Face (-½). Total 
  cost:  34 points.
  BEAUTY TOO WONDROUS TO HARM
  Effect:  Mind Control 14d6, Set Effect (don’t hurt me), 
  Only Versus Persons Who Look At Char-
  acter
  Target/Area Affected:  14” Radius
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s handsomeness/beauty 
  is so great, so exquisite, that no one who looks at 
  him can bear to hurt him or mar his appearance. 
  Not even the most evil person can raise his hand to 
  destroy such beauty.
  In game terms, any character who comes 
  within 14” of the character and can perceive 
  his appearance is affected by the Mind Control, 
  which functions like an area-affecting Constant 
  Power. Typically “don’t hurt me/mar my appear-
  ance” is something the character would be 
  inclined to do (EGO +0) or wouldn’t mind doing 
  (EGO +10), but in combat against the character 
  it may rise to something he would normally be 
  against doing (EGO +20).
  Game Information:  Mind Control 14d6, Area 
  Of Eﬀect (14” Radius; +1), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (210 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Set Eﬀect (don’t hurt 
  me/mar my appearance; -1), Only Versus Per-
  sons Who Look At Character (-½). Total cost:  
  70 points.
  Options:
  1)  Even Greater Beauty:  Increase to Mind Control 
  16d6. 240 Active Points; total cost 80 points.
  2)  Slightly Lesser Beauty:  Decrease to Mind Con-
  trol 12d6. 180 Active Points; total cost 60 points.
  JUST HOW YOU LIKE’EM
  Effect:  +20 to Seduction 
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4 to activate
  Description:  The character has the ability to sub-
  consciously and instinctively read the thoughts and 
  desires of another person and respond by subtly 
  transforming his body to ﬁt that person’s physical 
  ideal. For example, suppose the other person likes 
  women with long blonde hair and green eyes. If a 
  female character with this ability was using Seduc-
  tion on him, her hair would slowly become longer 
  and blonder until it reached just the length and 
  shade the target ﬁnds most attractive, and her eyes 
  would gradually become green. The change doesn’t 
  take place all at once — it’s so gradual and low-key 
  that the person the target of the character’s Seduc-
  tion Skill doesn’t consciously realize it’s happen-
  ing. All he knows is that the other person is really 
  attractive....
  Game Information:  +20 to Seduction (40 Active 
  Points); Costs Endurance (to activate; -¼). 
  Total cost:  32 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  126 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  Options:
  1)  Strong Seductiveness:  Increase to +24 to Seduc-
  tion. 48 Active Points; total cost 38 points.
  2)  Weak Seductiveness:  Decrease to +16 to Seduc-
  tion. 32 Active Points; total cost 26 points.
  NOWHERE MAN
  Effect:  Invisibility to Sight Group, No Fringe, Only Works 
  In Crowds
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character has the ability to subtly 
  transform his form and features so that he looks 
  like a completely ordinary, average individual — 
  one who can blend in with a crowd and “vanish.” A 
  character who’s searching for him can literally stare 
  right at him and not realize that he’s the person he 
  (the searcher) is looking for... even though if you 
  compared a picture of him to the “real” character 
  in other conditions, the resemblance between them 
  would be obvious.
  In game terms, this power provides a character 
  with Invisibility that only works when he can blend 
  in with crowds of people. The GM determines what 
  constitutes a “crowd” for these purposes — a hand-
  ful of people isn’t enough, but the character doesn’t 
  have to be attending a rock concert, either.
  Game Information:  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  No Fringe (30 Active Points); Only Works In 
  Crowds (see text; -1). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Nowherism:  The character can blend 
  in with crowds all day and not get tired out. Add 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½). 45 Active Points; 
  total cost 22 points.
  2)  Weak Nowherism:  If a searcher can get close 
  enough to the character, he may realize who he 
  is. Remove No Fringe. 20 Active Points; total cost 
  10 points.
  PERSUASIVE BEAUTY
  Effect:  +10 with Interaction Skills, Only For Pleasant 
  Interaction
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character is so beautiful or hand-
  some, and so socially graceful, that other people 
  instinctively respond to him in a positive way, 
  provided he acts pleasantly toward them. His 
  good looks don’t help if he’s haranguing someone 
  or trying to force information out of them (i.e., 
  most uses of Oratory or Interrogation), but they’re 
  extremely helpful when it comes to convincing 
  people to help him, do him favors, or the like. The 
  GM determines what constitutes “pleasant interac-
  tion” for the purposes of this ability.
  Game Information:  +10 with Interaction Skills 
  (50 Active Points); Only For Pleasant Interac-
  tion (-½). Total cost:  33 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Beautiful:  Increase to +12 with Interac-
  tion Skills. 60 Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  2)  Not Quite As Beautiful:  Decrease to +8 with Interac-
  tion Skills. 40 Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  TERRIFYING VISAGE
  Effect:  +30 PRE, Only To Make Fear-/Intimidation-
  Based Presence Attacks And Skill Rolls
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character is so horriﬁcally ugly 
  that it’s easy for him to frighten or intimidate 
  people. Even other ugly people’s ugliness pales 
  beside his own.
  Game Information:  +30 PRE (30 Active 
  Points); Only To Make Fear-/Intimidation-
  Based Presence Attacks And Skill Rolls (-1). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Truly Ugly:  Increase to +40 PRE. 40 Active 
  Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Slightly Less Ugly:  Decrease to +20 PRE. 20 
  Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  3)  Adopt Terrifying Visage:  Fortunately for the char-
  acter, he’s not ugly all the time... he just has the abil-
  ity to make himself terrifyingly ugly when he needs 
  to be. Add Costs Endurance (to activate; -¼). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  
  127 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  UGLY ENOUGH TO STOP A BUS
  Effect:  Drain CON 2d6, Always On
  Target/Area Affected:  18” Cone
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character is so revoltingly ugly 
  that anyone who sees his face becomes nauseous. 
  Anyone within 18” in a 60-degree cone in front 
  of him is assumed to be able to see his face, but 
  of course people who are blind(ed), who rely on 
  senses other than Sight, and the like are immune to 
  the eﬀect.
  Game Information:  Drain CON 2d6, Area Of 
  Effect (18” Cone; +1¼), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (65 Active 
  Points); Always On (-½), Only Works On 
  People Who Can See Character’s Face (-½). 
  Total cost:  32 points.
  Options:
  1)  Even Uglier:  Increase to Drain CON 3d6. 97 
  Active Points; total cost 48 points.
  2)  Not Quite As Ugly:  Decrease to Drain CON 1d6. 
  32 Active Points; total cost 16 points.
  VOICE OF BEAUTY
  Effect:  Mind Control 8d6, Telepathic, Set Effect (stand 
  quietly and listen to me talk)
  Target/Area Affected:  6” Radius
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s voice is so beautiful 
  that it puts nightingales to shame. When he puts 
  his mind to it, he speaks so beautifully that most 
  people who hear him (within 6”) can’t do anything 
  but stand quietly and listen to him talk. They won’t 
  necessarily even remember his words or follow the 
  course of his logic — all they want to do is hear the 
  beautiful sounds pouring from his mouth.
  Characters with this power usually buy the 
  Perfect Pitch Talent as well.
  Game Information:  Mind Control 8d6, Tele-
  pathic (+¼), Area Of Eﬀect (6” Radius; +1), 
  Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (150 Active Points); Incantations 
  (throughout; -½), No Range (-½), Set Eﬀect 
  (stand quietly and listen to me talk; -1). Total 
  cost:  50 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Voice:  Increase to Mind Control 10d6. 
  187 Active Points; total cost 62 points.
  2)  Weak Voice:  Decrease to Mind Control 6d6. 112 
  Active Points; total cost 37 points.
  YOU LOOK STUNNING
  Effect:  Energy Blast 4d6, Fully Invisible, STUN Only
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character is so beautiful/hand-
  some that when he turns the full force of his attrac-
  tiveness and charm against a speciﬁc person, that 
  person feels faint.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 4d6, Invisible 
  Power Eﬀects (fully invisible; +1) (40 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), STUN Only (-0), Only 
  Works Against Targets Of Appropriate Sexual 
  Orientation (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  What A Knockout!:  Increase to Energy Blast 6d6. 
  60 Active Points; total cost 30 points.
  2)  She’s Not All That:  Decrease to Energy Blast 2d6. 
  20 Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  128 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  H
  ypersenses reflect a character’s ability 
  to perceive the world with much greater 
  efficiency or accuracy than the aver-
  age person. In some cases this reflects 
  enhancements of his normal five senses; in 
  others, it means he has senses ordinary people do 
  not possess.
  Given the ﬂexibility and scope of the Detect 
  Power, this category could contain an almost endless 
  list of unusual and enhanced forms of perception — 
  far, far too many to even attempt to list here. Instead, 
  this category covers some common sensory abilities 
  for superhuman characters. You should also look at 
  the “Sensory Powers” sections of the other power cat-
  egories in this book for other ideas.
  OFFENSIVE POWERS
  ACCURACY
  Effect:  +5 with Ranged Combat
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s precise senses of touch 
  and sight allow him to shoot or project attacks with 
  extreme accuracy.
  Game Information:  +5 with Ranged Combat 
  (25 Active Points); Only To Increase OCV (-½). 
  Total cost:  17 points.
  Options:
  1)  Greater Accuracy:  Increase to +7 with Ranged 
  Combat. 35 Active Points; total cost 23 points.
  2)  Lesser Accuracy:  Decrease to +3 with Ranged 
  Combat.  15 Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  ANTICIPATION
  Effect: Lightning Reﬂexes (+10 to act ﬁrst with All 
  Attacks)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s senses are so acute 
  that he can perceive what’s about to happen and 
  respond to it more quickly than others.
  Game Information:  Lightning Reﬂexes: +10 to 
  act ﬁrst with All Attacks (15 Active Points); 
  Requires A PER Roll (assumes PER Roll of 12- 
  or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  9 points.
  Options:
  1) Strong Anticipation:  Increase to +14 DEX. 21 
  Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  2) Weak Anticipation:  Decrease to +6 DEX. 9 Active 
  Points; total cost 5 points.
  3) Tiring Anticipation:  Add Costs Endurance (-½). 
  15 Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  SENSE WEAKNESS
  Effect:  Find Weakness 11-
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s heightened senses can 
  detect the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in his 
  target’s defenses.
  Game Information:  Find Weakness 11- with 
  one attack. Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Improved Sense Weakness:  Increase the roll to 
  14-. Total cost:  25 points.
  2)  Expanded Range I:  Increase eﬀect to make Find 
  Weakness work with all powers in a related group. 
  Total cost:  20 points.
  3)  Expanded Range II:  Increase eﬀect to make Find 
  Weakness work with all attacks. Total cost:  30 points.
  4)  Tiring Analysis:  The character has to expend 
  energy to use this power. Add Costs Endurance 
  (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  HYPERSENSES
  
  129 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  DEFENSIVE POWERS
  ALERTNESS
  Effect:  Danger Sense (self only, in combat) (INT Roll)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s heightened senses 
  make him preternaturally alert for anything that 
  might pose a danger to him in combat situations.
  Game Information:  Danger Sense (self only, in 
  combat) (INT Roll). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Local Alertness:  The character’s Alertness 
  extends beyond himself to other people and 
  things near him. Change to immediate vicinity. 
  Total cost:  20 points.
  2)  Expanded Alertness:  The character remains 
  aware of dangers even when not in combat. Change 
  to out of combat. Total cost:  20 points.
  3)  Heightened Alertness:  Increase to INT Roll +3 
  and add Sense. Total cost:  20 points.
  4)  Full Awareness:  Change to Danger Sense 
  (immediate vicinity, out of combat, sense) (INT 
  Roll +3). Total cost:  30 points.
  ATTACK TRACKING
  Effect:  +4 DCV
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s senses work so quickly 
  and so well that he can, consciously or subcon-
  sciousely, track incoming attacks and dodge them.
  Game Information:  +4 DCV (20 Active Points); 
  Do Not Work If Two Or More Of Charac-
  ter’s Sense Groups Are Flashed Or Similarly 
  “Blocked” (-¼). Total cost:  16 points.
  AWARENESS
  Effect:  Defense Maneuver IV
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s senses allow him to 
  remain aware of the locations and actions of all his 
  attackers in combat, thus preventing any of them 
  from taking him by surprise.
  Game Information:  Defense Maneuver IV. Total 
  cost:  10 points.
  DANGER SENSE DODGING
  Effect:  Armor (20 PD/20 ED), Hardened
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character uses his ability to 
  sense danger to track and avoid incoming attacks 
  (though he has to be prepared to do so). If he 
  makes an Acting roll, he can time events so pre-
  cisely that it looks like the attack hit him, even 
  though at best it only grazed him.
  Game Information:  Armor (20 PD/20 ED), 
  Hardened (+¼) (75 Active Points); Requires A 
  Danger Sense Roll (-½), Costs Endurance (-½), 
  Instant (-½). Total cost:  30 points.
  RESILIENT SENSES
  Effect:  Flash Defense (various types)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost: 0
  Description:  The character’s senses are so strong, or 
  so acute, that it’s much harder to “blind” or block 
  them. The character may buy some or all of the 
  abilities listed below.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  10 
  Resilient Vision:  Sight Group Flash Defense 
  (10 points)
  10 
  Resilient Hearing:  Hearing Group Flash 
  Defense (10 points)
  10 
  Resilient Smell:  Smell/Taste Group Flash 
  Defense (10 points)
  10 
  Resilient Feel:  Touch Group Flash Defense 
  (10 points)
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  130 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  SENSORY POWERS
  COMBAT PERCEPTION
  Effect:  Combat Sense (INT Roll)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Even if some (or all) of the character’s 
  normal senses are blinded or blocked, he retains 
  enough awareness to ﬁght eﬀectively.
  Game Information:  Combat Sense (INT Roll). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Heightened Combat Perception:  Increase to INT 
  Roll +5. Total cost:  20 points.
  HEIGHTENED HEARING
  Effect:  Various Enhanced Senses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has one or more abilities 
  reﬂecting his heightened sense of hearing.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  10 
  Enhanced Hearing:  +5 PER with Hearing 
  Sense Group
  18 
  Parabolic Hearing:  +12 versus Range for 
  Hearing Group
  10 
  Combat Hearing I:  Targeting for Normal 
  Hearing
  20 
  Combat Hearing II:  Targeting for Hearing 
  Group
  3 
  Ultrasonic Hearing:  Ultrasonic Perception 
  (Hearing Group)
  HEIGHTENED SENSES
  Effect:  Various Enhanced Senses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s natural senses are far 
  more acute than those of normal people.
  Game Information:
  Cost Value
  15 
  Heightened Senses:  +5 PER with all Sense 
  Groups
  18 
  Precise Focusing:  +12 versus Range Modiﬁer 
  for any one Sense Group (chosen when the 
  character purchases the power)
  Options:
  1)  Tiring Senses:  The character can only heighten 
  his senses by force of eﬀort. Add Costs Endurance 
  (-½). Total cost:  10 points for Heightened Senses; 
  12 points for Precise Focusing.
  HEIGHTENED SIGHT
  Effect:  Various Enhanced Senses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has one or more abilities 
  reﬂecting his heightened sense of sight.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  10 
  Enhanced Sight:  +5 PER with Sight  
  Sense Group
  15 
  Far Seeing:  +10 versus Range for Sight  
  Sense Group
  5 
  Thermalvision:  Infrared Perception  
  (Sight Group)
  5 
  Ultravision:  Ultraviolet Perception  
  (Sight Group)
  5 
  Nightsight:  Nightvision
  5 
  Heat Trace Reading:  Tracking for Infrared 
  Perception
  15 
  Microsight:  Microscopic (x1000) for Sight 
  Group
  HEIGHTENED SMELL
  Effect:  Various Enhanced Senses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has one or more abilities 
  reﬂecting his heightened senses of smell and taste.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  10 
  Enhanced Smell:  +5 PER with Smell/Taste 
  Sense Group
  15 
  Far Smell:  +10 versus Range for Smell/Taste 
  Sense Group
  10 
  Combat Smell:  Targeting for Normal Smell
  10 
  Tracking Smell:  Tracking for Smell/Taste 
  Group
  15 
  Trace Odor Detection:  Microscopic (x1000) 
  for Smell/Taste Group
  HEIGHTENED TOUCH
  Effect:  Various Enhanced Senses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has one or more abilities 
  reﬂecting his heightened sense of touch.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  10 
  Enhanced Touch:  +5 PER with Touch Sense 
  Group
  10 
  Reading By Touch:  A character with this 
  power has such sensitive ﬁngertips that he 
  can read printed words by brushing his ﬁn-
  gers across them. Discriminatory and Ana-
  lyze for Normal Touch.
  
  131 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  I CAN HEAR YOU BREATHING
  Effect:  Detect Respiration
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s hearing is so acute that 
  he can perceive the sounds made by living beings 
  when they breathe. Even the sneakiest thief with 
  the highest Stealth roll has to breathe, after all!
  Game Information:  Detect Respiration (INT 
  Roll) (Hearing Group). Total cost:  3 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Hearing:  Increase to +3 to PER Rolls. 
  Total cost:  6 points.
  2)  Discriminatory Hearing:  The character’s ability to 
  diﬀerentiate between diﬀerent types of respiration 
  tells him whether the being breathing is a man or 
  a woman, a human or some other sentient species, 
  a humanoid or an animal, and so forth. Add Dis-
  criminatory. Total cost:  8 points.
  3)  Analytical Hearing:  The character’s ability to dif-
  ferentiate between diﬀerent types of respiration 
  tells him exactly what sort of species is doing the 
  breathing, and may provide other sorts of informa-
  tion (such as a rough estimate of the being’s CON 
  or lung capacity). Add Discriminatory, Analyze. 
  Total cost:  13 points.
  LIE DETECTOR 
  Effect:  Detect Spoken Falsehood
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Thanks to his heightened sense of 
  hearing, the character can discern changes in some-
  one’s heartbeat and subvocal quavers in his voice 
  that indicate that person is telling a lie. The char-
  acter doesn’t know what the truth is, only that the 
  person has just spoken a falsehood. If the person 
  has a pacemaker or is a sociopathic liar, the charac-
  ter may be fooled into thinking he’s telling the truth 
  even when he’s not.
  Game Information:  Detect Spoken Falsehood 
  (INT +2) (Hearing Group). Total cost:  5 points.
  RADAR-SENSE
  Effect:  Radar
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character possesses a unique, 
  radar-like sense that allows him to sense objects 
  all around him even if he’s blinded or deafened. 
  His radar-sense belongs to no Sense Group, 
  making it difficult to disable. However, the pres-
  ence of large amounts of physical matter around 
  him — such as when he’s in a sandstorm, rain-
  storm, or blizzard — may create “static” that hin-
  ders or blinds his radar.
  Game Information:  Radar (no Sense Group), Dis-
  criminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 
  Degrees), Range, Sense. Total cost:  32 points.
  Options:
  1)  Enhanced Radar-Sense I:  Add +3 to Radar-Sense 
  PER Rolls. Total cost:  35 points.
  2)  Enhanced Radar-Sense II:  Add Telescopic (+8 
  versus Range Modiﬁer). Total cost:  36 points.
  3)  True Radar:  The character has a true radar 
  sense, based on the emission of radio waves. 
  Change to Radar (Radio Group), Discriminatory, 
  Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees). Total 
  cost:  25 points.
  RADIO SENSE
  Effect:  Radio Perception
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has an innate ability to 
  perceive radio waves, allowing him to detect con-
  ventional radar, listen to music whenever he wants, 
  and so forth.
  Game Information:  Radio Perception. Total 
  cost:  8 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  132 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  SONAR
  Effect:  Active Sonar
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has a natural sonar 
  sense — he can emit sound waves, then detect 
  nearby objects by hearing the “bounce” of the 
  sound off them.
  Game Information:  Active Sonar (Hearing 
  Group). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Piscine Sonar:  The character’s sonar only func-
  tions underwater. Add Only Works Underwater 
  (-½). 15 Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  TRUE AWARENESS
  Effect:  Spatial Awareness
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character possesses an unusual 
  form of awareness that allows him to detect all the 
  physical objects around him, including ﬁne details 
  about those objects. This sense is nearly impossible 
  to block or blind.
  Game Information:  Spatial Awareness (no Sense 
  Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, Range. Total 
  cost:  37 points.
  X-RAY VISION
  Effect:  N-Ray Perception (Sight Group)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can see x-rays, thus 
  allowing him to see through walls and other solid 
  objects when necessary. He can control the “depth” 
  of this sense, allowing him to, for example, see 
  through the door of a ﬁle cabinet to read one of the 
  pieces of paper ﬁled inside without seeing straight 
  through all the paper and the wall behind the cabi-
  net. However, he cannot instantly “home in” on one 
  object out of a group at greater than normal speeds. 
  While looking through the cabinet for that one 
  piece of paper, he’d have to gradually work his way 
  through, page by page, until he found the one he 
  wanted — much like an ordinary person ﬂipping 
  through the ﬁles.
  Game Information:  N-Ray Perception (Sight 
  Group; blocked by lead, gold, or Force Fields). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  
  133 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  T
  hese powers represent a character’s abil-
  ity to decrease his density, typically to the 
  point of intangibility (Desolidiﬁcation) and 
  the related powers that ability may give 
  him. Some characters with these powers can also 
  increase their density; see Density Powers, page 116, 
  for such abilities.
  BASIC AND  
  OFFENSIVE POWERS
  INTANGIBILITY
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can decrease his mass 
  to the point where he becomes intangible. While 
  incorporeal, he can walk through walls, ignore most 
  attacks (except those based on force, gravity, or 
  magnetism), and so forth.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by force, gravitic, or magnetic attacks). Total 
  cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Intangibility:  The character only experi-
  ences the strain of being intangible when he ﬁrst 
  activates the power. Add Costs Endurance Only To 
  Activate (+¼). Total cost:  50 points.
  2)  Stressful Intangibility:  The character ﬁnds it dif-
  ﬁcult and tiring to maintain his Desolidiﬁed form. 
  Add Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½). 40 
  Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  3)  Wraithform:  The character is always intan-
  gible, as if he were a ghost. Add Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½), Inherent 
  (+¼), and Always On (-½). 90 Active Points; total 
  cost 60 points.
  DISRUPT ELECTRONICS
  Effect:  Dispel Electronic Device 14d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One device
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  5
  Description:  When intangible, the character can 
  pass his hand through an electronic device and dis-
  rupt it. It shuts down, requiring repair or re-activa-
  tion before it will work again.
  Game Information:  Dispel Electronic Device 
  14d6, any Electronic Device power one at a time 
  (+¼), Aﬀects Physical World (+2) (136 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Linked (to Desolidiﬁ-
  cation; -¼). Total cost:  78 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Disruption:  Increase to Dispel 20d6. 195 
  Active Points; total cost 111 points.
  2)  Weak Disruption:  Decrease to Dispel 8d6. 78 
  Active Points; total cost 45 points.
  3)  Broad-Band Disruption I:  The character’s touch is 
  powerful enough to shut oﬀ multiple device func-
  tions at once. Change to any four Electronic Device 
  powers simultaneously (+1). 168 Active Points; 
  total cost 96 points.
  4)  Broad-Band Disruption II:  The character’s touch 
  aﬀects every single power in an electronic device. 
  Change to all Electronic Device powers simultane-
  ously (+2). 210 Active Points; total cost 120 points.
  5)  Selective Disruption Touch:  The character doesn’t 
  have to be intangible to use this power; he can 
  make his hand and arm intangible and use it, while 
  leaving the rest of his body solid. Remove Linked 
  (-¼). Total cost:  91 points.
  INTANGIBILITY 
  POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  134 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  INTANGIBILITY BLESSING
  Effect:  Affects Desolidiﬁed for up to a 60-point attack
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can render a weapon, 
  person, or attack slightly “out of phase” with reality, 
  suﬃcient to allow that weapon, person, or character 
  to aﬀect intangible objects and characters.
  Game Information:  Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed for up 
  to a 60-point attack, Usable By Other (+¼). 
  Total cost:  37 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Blessing:  Increase to Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed 
  for up to 90-point powers. Total cost:  56 points.
  2)  Multiple Blessings:  The character and one other 
  person can beneﬁt from this power at once. Change 
  to Usable Simultaneously (+½). Total cost:  45 
  points.
  3)  Ranged Blessing:  The character can grant this 
  power to another character at range. Add Ranged 
  (+½). Total cost:  52 points.
  INTANGIBLE TOUCH
  Effect:  EB 4d6, NND, Affects Physical World
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  8
  Description:  While intangible, the character can 
  plunge one of his hands into another character’s 
  body (typically the chest or the head), thus dis-
  rupting the metabolic processes and causing 
  intense pain.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 4d6, NND 
  (defense is PD Force Field; +1), Affects Physi-
  cal World (+2) (80 Active Points); No Range 
  (-½), Linked (to Desolidification; -¼). Total 
  cost:  46 points. 
  Options:
  1)  Stronger Touch:  Increase to Energy Blast 6d6. 
  120 Active Points; total cost 69 points.
  2)  Weaker Touch:  Decrease to Energy Blast 3d6. 60 
  Active Points; total cost 34 points.
  3)  Feel The Pain:  As long as the character keeps 
  his incorporeal hand inside the victim’s body, the 
  victim continues to feel pain. Decrease to Energy 
  Blast 3d6 and add Continuous (+1). 75 Active 
  Points; total cost 43 points.
  4)  The Intangible Agony Effect:  The character 
  doesn’t even have to deliberately try to hurt people; 
  instead, any time someone passes through him, 
  or he through them, the other person suﬀers pain. 
  Decrease to Energy Blast 3d6, add Damage Shield 
  (+½) and Continuous (+1), and remove No Range 
  (-½). 82 Active Points; total cost 66 points.
  5)  Intangible Touch Variant:  Substitute Drain STUN 
  3d6, and remove NND (+1) and No Range (-½). 90 
  Active Points; total cost 72 points.
  6)  Selective Intangibility Strike:  The character 
  doesn’t have to be Desolidiﬁed to use the power; he 
  can selectively decrease the density of his hand and 
  use it to attack while keeping the rest of his body 
  solid. Remove Linked (-¼). 80 Active Points; total 
  cost 53 points.
  7)  Two-Fisted Touch:  The character can plunge 
  both of his incorporeal hands into the victim’s 
  body, causing even greater pain. Add Autoﬁre (2 
  shots; +1¼). 105 Active Points; total cost 60 points.
  THIEF’S TOUCH
  Effect:  Teleportation 1”, Usable As Attack
  Target/Area Affected:  One object
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character can render his arm 
  and hand intangible, reach through a vault door 
  or locked cabinet, touch an item, render that item 
  intangible as well, and pull it through the door or 
  wall, resolidifying his hand and it after he’s done.
  In game terms, this is a special eﬀect of Tele-
  portation 1” — the character can only “teleport” 
  to himself objects he can grab (and which must, 
  regardless of size, weigh no more than 100 kg). 
  Unless the character has some way to perceive the 
  target, he suﬀers the usual penalties for lack of a 
  Targeting Sense in combat.
  Game Information:  Teleportation 1”, Usable 
  As Attack (defense is Desolidiﬁcation, Density 
  Increase, gravity powers, or Power Defense; 
  +1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Aﬀects 
  Physical World (+2) (9 Active Points); Only 
  Works On Handheld Objects (-½), Linked (to 
  Desolidiﬁcation; -½). Total cost:  4 points.
  Options:
  1)  Thief’s Touch Variant:  The character need not be 
  incorporeal to use this ability; he can selectively 
  render his arm and hand intangible while the rest 
  of his body remains solid. Remove Aﬀects Physical 
  World (+2) and Linked (-½). 5 Active Points; total 
  cost 2 points.
  2)  Tiring Thief’s Touch:  This version works like 
  the normal Thief’s Touch, but instead of being 
  easy, it requires considerable energy. Remove 
  Reduced Endurance (+½) and add Increased 
  Endurance Cost (x10 END; -4). 8 Active Points; 
  total cost 1 point.
  
  135 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  DEFENSIVE POWERS
  BLINK INTANGIBILITY
  Effect:  +6 DCV
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character can reﬂexively render 
  himself intangible. This makes it much harder for 
  an attacker to strike him successfully; many attacks 
  that would otherwise hit him miss because he 
  phases out of existence right before they hit him, 
  then resolidiﬁes a micro-second later.
  Game Information:  +6 DCV (30 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½), Does Not Work While 
  Density Increase Or Desolidiﬁcation Are Active 
  (-1), Does Not Work Against Aﬀects Desolidi-
  ﬁed Attacks (-¼). Total cost:  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Blink Intangibility:  Increase to +8 DCV. 40 
  Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  2)  Weak Blink Intangibility:  Decrease to +4 DCV. 20 
  Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  INTANGIBLE FORM
  Effect:  Power Defense (25 points), Linked (to Desolidi-
  ﬁcation)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  While he’s intangible, the character’s 
  body is so “diﬀuse” that characters with Adjust-
  ment Powers, Transforms, and the like have trouble 
  “touching” or attacking him.
  Game Information:  Power Defense (25 points) 
  (25 Active Points); Linked (to Desolidiﬁcation; 
  -½). Total cost:  17 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Form:  Increase to Power Defense (30 
  points). 30 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Form:  Decrease to Power Defense (20 
  points). 20 Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  INTANGIBLE MIND
  Effect:  Mental Defense (25 points + (EGO/5)), Linked (to 
  Desolidiﬁcation)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  While he’s intangible, the character’s 
  mind is so “diﬀuse” that characters with Mental 
  Powers have trouble “touching” or attacking it.
  Game Information:  Mental Defense (25 points 
  + (EGO/5)) (25 Active Points); Linked (to 
  Desolidiﬁcation; -½). Total cost:  17 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Mind:  Increase to Mental Defense  
  (30 points + (EGO/5)). 30 Active Points; total 
  cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Mind:  Decrease to Mental Defense  
  (20 points + (EGO/5)). 20 Active Points; total 
  cost 13 points.
  SEMI-SOLID FORM
  Effect:  Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, Resis-
  tant, 50%
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character decreases his density to 
  the point where he’s only semi-solid. He’s still solid 
  enough to eﬀect other people and pick up objects, 
  but he’s suﬃciently incorporeal that attacks cause 
  him little harm.
  Alternately, a character can deﬁne this power 
  as “selective intangibility” — he sees an attack 
  coming and Desolidiﬁes the part of his body it will 
  hit to lessen the eﬀect of the blow.
  Game Information:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 + 30 = 
  60 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½). Total 
  cost:  20 + 20 = 40 points.
  Options:
  1)  On The Edge Of Intangible:  Increase to Physi-
  cal and Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 
  75%. 60 + 60 = 120 Active Points; total cost 40 + 
  40 = 80 points.
  2)  Can’t Touch This:  Substitute +12 DCV. 60 Active 
  Points; total cost 40 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  136 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  MOVEMENT POWERS
  DENSITY DECREASE
  Effect:  Gliding 15”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character decreases his density 
  to the point where he can float through the air by 
  riding thermals and updrafts. A character cannot 
  use this power while using Density Increase 
  or any other power with the special effect of 
  increasing his mass.
  Game Information:  Gliding 15” (15 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Lighter Than Air:  The character can even reduce 
  his density to the point where he becomes so light 
  he can rise through the air like a helium-ﬁlled 
  balloon. While “ﬂying” this way, he may be blown 
  oﬀ-course by the wind. Change to a Multipower 
  with a 15-point reserve, one slot Density Decrease, 
  one slot Flight 4” (8 Active Points); Only To Rise 
  Straight Up (-1), Subject To The Winds (-0) (total 
  cost:  4 points). Total cost:  17 points.
  LIGHT WALKER
  Effect:  Gliding 6”, Ground Gliding
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character lowers his density to the 
  point where he doesn’t leave tracks when he walks, 
  can walk on fragile surfaces such as snow, and won’t 
  trigger nightingale ﬂoors or other traps activated by 
  the weight of someone stepping on them.
  Game Information:  Gliding 6” (6 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½), Ground Gliding (-¼). 
  Total cost:  3 points.
  Options:
  1)  Faster Light Walking:  Increase to Gliding 9”. 9 
  Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  2)  Slower Light Walking:  Decrease to Gliding 3”. 3 
  Active Points; total cost 2 points.
  3)  Really Light Walking:  The character weighs so 
  little he can even walk on water. Change to Flight 6” 
  (12 Active Points); Only In Contact With Horizon-
  tal Surface (-¼). Total cost:  10 points.
  WALKING ON AIR
  Effect:  Flight 6”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has enough control over 
  his intangible form to literally “walk on air.” Uncon-
  strained by gravity, he can walk through open air 
  as easily as a normal person walks on the ground, 
  climbs hills, and so forth. However, because this 
  requires some concentration and eﬀort, he still suf-
  fers a Turn Mode.
  The character should buy this power as 
  inches of Flight equal to or less than his inches 
  of Running. This examples assumes a character 
  with Running 6”.
  Game Information:  Flight 6” (12 Active 
  Points); Linked (to Desolidification; -½). 
  Total cost:  8 points.
  
  137 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  S
  hape Alteration Powers represent a char-
  acter’s ability to change his own form and 
  shape. The change may only aﬀect part of 
  his body (allowing him to grow claws, or 
  enhance the muscles in his legs), or it may involve 
  a complete change of form. This category does not 
  include the ability to alter other characters’ shape; 
  for that sort of ability, see the Matter Manipula-
  tion Powers section of The UNTIL Superpowers 
  Database. You might also want to look at Animal 
  Powers, Body Control Powers, and Size Alteration 
  Powers; many of those abilities could be re-deﬁned 
  as “changing shape or form.”
  The two basic Powers for this category 
  are Multiform and Shape Shift. You should use 
  Multiform when a change substantially alters a 
  character’s abilities; examples include a metamorph 
  who can transform himself into various animal 
  shapes, or a character with a malleable body who 
  can change into an airplane or similar objects. 
  You should use Shape Shift when the changes the 
  character can make in his body are more “cosmetic” 
  — when they don’t change his powers or abilities, 
  but just the way others perceive him. See the Basic 
  Powers, below, for examples.
  BASIC POWERS
  FORM ALTERATION
  Effect:  Multiform (one other form of up to 300 Charac-
  ter Points)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the ability to 
  assume the form of one being or object built with 
  300 Character Points. This is often an animal 
  form, but it doesn’t have to be; the character 
  simply has to define the alternate form when 
  he purchases the power. For alternate forms of 
  greater or lesser cost, simply recalculate the cost 
  of the power accordingly.
  Game Information:  Multiform (300-point alter-
  nate form; true form is human form). Total 
  cost:  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Multiple Forms I:  The character can change into 
  multiple alternate forms, though he must deﬁne those 
  forms when he purchases the power. Add the ability to 
  change into up to eight forms. Total cost:  75 points.
  2)  Multiple Forms II:  As Multiple Forms I, but 
  increase to up to 250 forms. Total cost:  100 points.
  3)  Swift Change:  The character can assume his 
  alternate form quickly and easily. Add Instant 
  Change. Total cost:  65 points.
  4)  Tiring Change:  Changing forms places some 
  strain on the character’s system. Add Costs Endur-
  ance (to change forms; -½). Total cost:  40 points.
  5)  Lengthy Change:  It takes the character a long 
  time to change forms. Add Extra Time:
  Full Phase to activate (-¼). Total cost:  48 points.
  Extra Phase to activate (-½). Total cost:  40 
  points.
  1 Turn to activate (-¾). Total cost:  34 points.
  1 Minute to activate (-¾). Total cost:  34 points.
  6)  Focused Change:  The character has to concen-
  trate on what he’s doing to change forms. Add Con-
  centration (½ DCV; -¼). Total cost:  48 points (or 
  40 points for 0 DCV; -½).
  7)  Restricted Change:  The character’s change is 
  tiring, takes a long time, and requires his concen-
  tration. Add Costs Endurance (to change forms; 
  -½),  Extra Time (Full Phase to activate; -¼), and 
  Concentration (½ DCV; -¼). Total cost:  30 points.
  8)  Altered Nature:  The character must take care 
  not to spend too long in alternate form, lest the 
  alternate form’s instincts overwhelm his human 
  personality. This only applies if the alternate form 
  has a diﬀerent personality (animal instincts, for 
  example). Add Personality Loss (1 Minute; -1¾). 
  Total cost:  22 points.
  9)  True Form Alteration:  The character can alter 
  his form into nearly any creature or being of no 
  more than 300 Character Points. The GM may wish 
  to restrict or forbid this ability to preserve game 
  balance. In any event, a character should not be 
  allowed to change into a form for which he does 
  not have a prepared character sheet (or one he can 
  use from a book like the HERO System Bestiary) 
  to avoid slowing down or complicating the game. 
  Change to Variable Power Pool, 60 base + 30 con-
  trol cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase 
  Action (+½); Only For Multiform (-¼). 60 + 45 = 
  105 Active Points; total cost 60 + 36 = 96 points.
  10)  Restricted True Form Alteration:  As True Form 
  Alteration, but with restrictions on the forms the 
  character can assume — only animals, for example. 
  This increases the value of the Limitation, though 
  the GM may leave it at -¼ if the category of forms 
  SHAPE  
  ALTERATION
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  138 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  is so broad it doesn’t really impose additional 
  hindrances on the character. Change to Only For 
  [Deﬁned Category] Multiforms (-½). Total cost:  60 
  + 30 = 90 points.
  11)  Werewolf Forms I:  Lycanthropes are among the 
  most common types of characters associated with 
  the concept of “changing shape or form.” Here’s 
  how you’d buy a typical werewolf’s ability to change 
  form either into wolf or wolf-man form, using the 
  character sheet from page 230 without the Multi-
  form listed there. Multiform (character can assume 
  320-point wolf-man or 150-point wolf form) (69 
  Active Points); Extra Time (Extra Phase to change 
  form; -¾). Total cost:  39 points.
  12)  Werewolf Forms II:  This power is similar to 
  Werewolf Forms I, but represents a version of 
  lycanthropy that causes pain an exhaustion when 
  the character changes form. Multiform (character 
  can assume 320-point wolf-man or 150-point wolf 
  form) (69 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Minute 
  to change form; -1½), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout change; -1), Costs Endurance (-½), 
  Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1). Total cost:  
  14 points.
  13)  Vampire Forms:  Vampires are said to possess 
  the power to change into wolf, bat, or mist forms 
  (and in some traditions, many other forms, such as 
  rat and snake). Multiform (character can assume 
  or 150-point wolf and bat forms) (total cost:  35 
  points) plus Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by air/wind, 
  heat, or cold powers) (40 Active Points); Cannot 
  Pass Through Solid Objects (-½) (total cost:  27 
  points). Total cost:  62 points.
  HUMAN MIMICRY
  Effect:  Shape Shift (any humanoid form), Imitation
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  5
  Description:  This is a tailored example of Shape 
  Alteration, below. The character can alter his form 
  to resemble any other human or humanoid being. 
  The only ways to discern his true identity are to 
  read his mind or perform a cellular analysis.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight, Hear-
  ing, Radio, Smell/Taste, and Touch Groups, 
  any humanoid form), Imitation. Total cost:  
  42 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Human Mimicry:  The character only has to 
  pay END when shifting shape; thereafter maintain-
  ing his new shape doesn’t tire him out. Add Costs 
  Endurance Only To Change Shape (+¼). Total cost:  
  52 points.
  2)  Swift Human Mimicry:  The character can 
  change shape quickly. Add Instant Change. Total 
  cost:  47 points.
  3)  Enhanced Human Mimicry I:  Even cellular analy-
  sis can’t tell the character apart from whoever he’s 
  imitating. Add Cellular. Total cost:  52 points.
  4)  Enhanced Human Mimicry II:  As Enhanced 
  Human Mimicry II, but the character can  
  change shape quickly. Add Instant Change. Total 
  cost:  57 points.
  5)  Restricted Human Mimicry I:  The character can 
  change into other humanoid shapes at will, but if 
  he wants to imitate someone, he has to touch that 
  person. Remove Imitation from power (changing 
  its cost to 42 points) and then buy it as a naked 
  Adder:  Imitation (10 Active Points); Must Touch 
  Person To Be Imitated Skin-To-Skin (-1) (total cost:  
  5 points). Total cost of power:  37 points.
  6)  Restricted Human Mimicry II:  As Restricted 
  Human Mimicry I, but the character needs an 
  actual biological sample — typically blood or skin 
  cells — from the person to be imitated. Change 
  Must Touch Person To Be Imitated Skin-To-Skin (-
  1) to Must Have Biological Sample from Person To 
  Be Imitated (-1½). Total cost of Imitation 4 points; 
  total cost of power 36 points.
  7)  Restricted Human Mimicry III:  The character can 
  only change his body; his clothing, small carried 
  items, and the like remain unchanged. Add Aﬀects 
  Body Only (-½). Total cost:  28 points.
  SHAPE ALTERATION
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight Group, one form)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character can alter the appearance 
  of his form to the Sight Group by assuming a single 
  other shape. He must deﬁne this shape when he 
  purchases the power. He still sounds, feels, smells, 
  tastes, and appears to Radio Senses like his normal 
  form. (See the Human Mimicry and Appearance 
  Manipulation powers, below, for more deﬁned ver-
  sions of this power.)
  Several Adders could apply to this power or 
  any of its options. You can add Imitation to any of 
  the options for +10 Character Points, and Cellular 
  for another +10 Character Points. Instant Change 
  (the ability to alter shape as a Zero-Phase Action) 
  costs +5 Character Points.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight Group, 
  one form). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  Multiple Shapes:  The character can assume more 
  than one shape, but only as to the Sight Group.
  1)  Multiple Shapes I:  The character can assume 
  any one of four predeﬁned shapes, but the change 
  still only applies to Sight Group senses. Increase to 
  Shape Shift (Sight Group, four predeﬁned forms). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  2)  Multiple Shapes II:  The character can assume 
  any form within a predeﬁned limited group (such 
  as “humanoids,” “animals,” or “furniture”), but the 
  change still only applies to Sight Group senses. 
  Increase to Shape Shift (Sight Group, Limited 
  Group of forms). Total cost:  20 points.
  
  139 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  3)  Multiple Shapes III:  The character can assume 
  any shape, but the change still only applies to Sight 
  Group senses. Increase to Shape Shift (Sight Group, 
  any form). Total cost:  30 points.
  Multiple Senses (Sight, Hearing, Touch):  The 
  character’s shape(s) change as to these three 
  Sense Groups.
  4)  Multiple Senses I:  The character’s ability to 
  change shape aﬀects not only how people see him, 
  but how he sounds and feels. Increase to Shape 
  Shift (Sight, Hearing, and Touch Groups, one form). 
  Total cost:  16 points.
  5)  Multiple Senses II:  The character can can assume 
  any one of four predeﬁned forms, and this change 
  aﬀects how he looks, sounds, and feels. Increase 
  to Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, and Touch Groups, 
  four predeﬁned forms). Total cost:  21 points.
  6)  Multiple Senses III:  The character can can 
  assume any form within a predefined limited 
  group (such as “humanoids,” “animals,” or “fur-
  niture”), and this change affects how he looks, 
  sounds, and feels. Increase to Shape Shift (Sight, 
  Hearing, and Touch Groups, Limited Group of 
  forms). Total cost:  26 points.
  7)  Multiple Senses IV:  The character can can 
  assume any form, and this change aﬀects how he 
  looks, sounds, and feels. Increase to Shape Shift 
  (Sight, Hearing, and Touch Groups, any form). 
  Total cost:  36 points.
  Multiple Senses (all but Mental):  The character’s 
  shape(s) change as to all Sense Groups except the 
  Mental Sense Group (for that, see Psychomorph, 
  page 145).
  8)  Multiple Senses V:  The character’s ability to 
  change shape aﬀects all senses except Mental 
  Senses. Increase to Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, 
  Radio, Smell/Taste, and Touch Groups, one form). 
  Total cost:  22 points.
  9)  Multiple Senses VI:  The character can can 
  assume any one of four predeﬁned forms, and this 
  change aﬀects all senses except Mental Senses. 
  Increase to Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, Radio, 
  Smell/Taste, and Touch Groups, four predeﬁned 
  forms). Total cost:  27 points.
  10)  Multiple Senses VII:  The character can can 
  assume any form within a predeﬁned limited group 
  (such as “humanoids,” “animals,” or “furniture”), and 
  this change aﬀects all senses except Mental Senses. 
  Increase to Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, Radio, 
  Smell/Taste, and Touch Groups, Limited Group of 
  forms). Total cost:  32 points.
  11)  Multiple Senses VIII:  The character can can 
  assume any form, and this change aﬀects all senses 
  except Mental Senses. Increase to Shape Shift 
  (Sight, Hearing, Radio, Smell/Taste, and Touch 
  Groups, any form). Total cost:  42 points.
  Linked Abilities
  12)  Shape Powers:  The character can use some 
  or all of the powers of the form he changes to. If 
  he changes to a “winged man” form, he can have 
  Flight; if he changes into an animal, he could have 
  extra Running or claws. Due to the high cost of 
  simulating all of the major abilities (never mind all 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  140 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  the abilities) of various forms, this power becomes 
  quite expensive — and if anything, this VPP is too 
  small. Multiform is a preferable method for creat-
  ing such radical alterations in a character’s shape. 
  Additionally, this power requires the GM’s permis-
  sion because it involves Linking an entire Power 
  Framework to a power. (See page 65 for further 
  discussion.) Character also buys Variable Power 
  Pool, 100 base + 50 control cost, Powers Can Be 
  Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1), No Skill 
  Roll Required (+1);  Linked (to Shape Shift; -¼), 
  Only For Abilities Of Shape Shifted Forms (-¼). 
  Total cost:  100 + 100 = 200 points.
  13)  Large Forms:  The character can become taller/
  larger than the +10% allowed by the normal Shape 
  Shift power. Character also buys Growth (+30 STR, 
  +6 BODY, +6 STUN, -6” KB, 6,400 kg, -4 DCV, +4 
  PER Rolls to perceive character, 8 m tall, 4 m wide) 
  (30 Active Points); Linked (need not be propor-
  tional to Shape Shift; -¼). Total cost:  24 points.
  14)  Small Forms:  The character can become 
  shorter/smaller than the -10% allowed by the 
  normal Shape Shift power. Character also buys 
  Shrinking (.25 m tall, .2 kg mass, -6 to PER Rolls 
  to perceive character, +6 DCV, takes +9” KB) (30 
  Active Points); Linked (need not be proportional to 
  Shape Shift; -¼). Total cost:  24 points.
  OFFENSIVE POWERS
  ARMS INTO BLADES
  Effect:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with STR), Armor Piercing
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can reshape his hands or 
  arms into razor-sharp cutting and stabbing blades.
  Game Information:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 
  with STR), Armor Piercing (+½). Total cost:   
  22 points.
  Options:
  1)  Bigger Blades:  Increase to HKA 1½d6 (up to 
  3d6+1 with STR). Total cost:  37 points.
  2)  Smaller Blades:  Decrease to HKA ½d6 (up to 
  1d6+1 with STR). Total cost:  15 points.
  3)  Arms Into Clubs:  The character can transform 
  his hands into sledgehammers, blunt maces, blocks 
  of stone, or some other type of bludgeon. Change 
  to HA +3d6 (15 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½). Total cost:  10 points. (The character 
  could buy this ability in a Multipower with Arms 
  Into Blades; this would cost 22 (reserve) +2 + 1 = 
  25 points.)
  HORRIFIC TRANSFORMATION
  Effect:  +20 PRE, Only For Fear-Based Presence Attacks 
  During Transformation
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s change of shape is 
  particularly horrifying, disgusting, or disturbing. 
  People who witness the transformation are likely 
  to run screaming in fear. (In game terms, when 
  the character changes shape he always makes an 
  accompanying Presence Attack with the command 
  “run in fear from the terrible shapechanger!”.)
  Game Information:  +20 PRE (20 Active Points); 
  Only For Fear-Based Presence Attacks During 
  Transformation (-1½). Total cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Horrifying Change:  Increase to +30 PRE. 
  30 Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  2)  Less Horrifying Change:  Decrease to +10 PRE. 10 
  Active Points; total cost 4 points.
  NATURAL WEAPONRY
  Effect:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with STR), Indirect (any 
  point of origin)
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can morph part of his 
  body to create natural weaponry. He could grow 
  claws from his hands, turn his mouthful of teeth 
  into a mouthful of fangs, sprout horns, or the like.
  Game Information:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with 
  STR), Indirect (power can manifest from any 
  appropriate part of the character’s body; +¼). 
  Total cost:  19 points.
  Options:
  1)  Bigger Natural Weapons:  Increase to HKA 1½d6 
  (up to 3d6+1 with STR). Total cost:  31 points.
  2)  Smaller Natural Weapons:  Decrease to HKA ½d6 
  (up to 1d6+1 with STR). Total cost:  12 points.
  3)  Blunt Natural Weapons:  Change to HA +3d6, 
  Indirect (+¼) (19 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½). Total cost:  13 points.
  
  141 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  DEFENSIVE POWERS
  ARMOR UP
  Effect:  Armor (9 PD/9 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character alters the shape and 
  nature of his skin, making it into something ﬂex-
  ible, yet protective — such as chitin, “organic metal,” 
  or “organic wood.”
  Game Information:  Armor (9 PD/9 ED) (27 
  Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½). Total 
  cost:  18 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tougher Armor:  Increase to Armor (12 PD/12 
  ED). 36 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  2)  Softer Armor:  Decrease to Armor (6 PD/6 ED). 
  18 Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION
  Effect:  Life Support (Expanded Breathing:  underwater; 
  Safe Environments:  all)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can alter his body to 
  compensate for environmental conditions such as 
  intense heat or being underwater.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Expanded 
  Breathing:  breathe underwater; Safe Environ-
  ments:  all) (15 Active Points); Nonpersistent 
  (-¼). Total cost:  12 points.
  MUTATING EXTERIOR
  Effect:  Lack Of Weakness (-10) for Normal and Resis-
  tant Defenses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:   1
  Description:  The character constantly shifts his 
  exterior form and appearance, making it virtually 
  impossible for attackers to detect any weaknesses in 
  his body. This only applies to innate defenses, such 
  as the character’s own PD, ED, and Damage Resis-
  tance; it has no eﬀect on worn armors, force ﬁelds 
  the character generates, or the like (the Limitation 
  that reﬂects this should be removed if the character 
  has no non-innate defenses).
  Game Information:  Lack Of Weakness (-10) 
  for Normal and Resistant Defenses (20 Active 
  Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Only Applies 
  To Character’s Innate Defenses (-¼). Total cost:  
  11 points.
  Options:
  1) Greater Mutating:  Increase to Lack Of Weakness 
  (-15). 30 Active Points; total cost 17 points.
  2) Lesser Mutating:  Decrease to Lack of Weakness 
  (-5). 10 Active Points; total cost 6 points.
  MOVEMENT POWERS
  GROW WINGS
  Effect:  Flight 12”, Restrainable
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can grow wings, thus 
  enabling him to ﬂy. (See the Wings power, page 87, 
  for other options.)
  Game Information:  Flight 12” (24 Active Points); 
  Restrainable (-½). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Wings:  Increase to Flight 15”. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Wings:  Decrease to Flight 9”. 18 Active 
  Points; total cost 12 points.
  3)  Manipulable Wings:  The character can grow and 
  re-absorb wings at will, making it impossible to foul 
  or snare them. Remove Restrainable (-½). Total 
  cost:  24 points.
  LEG ENHANCEMENT
  Effect:  Running +7”, Leaping +14”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character can alter the shape of, or 
  enhance the musculature of, his legs so that he can 
  run faster and leap further.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  11 
  Leg Enhancement:  Multipower, 14-point 
  reserve, all Extra Time (Full Phase to acti-
  vate; -¼)
  1u 
   1)  Enhanced Running:  Running +7”; Extra 
  Time (Full Phase to activate; -¼)
  1u 
   2)  Enhanced Leaping:  Leaping +14”; Extra 
  Time (Full Phase to activate; -¼)
  Total cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Stronger, Longer Legs:  Increase Multipower 
  reserve to 20 points, slot one to Running +10”, and 
  slot two to Leaping +20”. Total cost:  20 points.
  2)  Weaker, Shorter Legs:  Decrease Multipower 
  reserve to 10 points, slot one to Running +5”, and 
  slot two to Leaping +10”. Total cost:  10 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  142 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  SENSORY POWERS
  THE EYES HAVE IT
  Effect:  Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) for 
  Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  When the character needs to see all 
  around himself, he simply grows some more sets of 
  eyes all over his body.
  Game Information:  Increased Arc Of Perception 
  (360 Degrees) for Sight Group (10 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  I’LL JUST GROW SOME MORE EYES
  Effect:  Clairsentience (Sight Group)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  When the character’s ordinary eyes 
  are blinded by a Flash, he grows a second set right 
  above them and goes right on seeing as usual.
  This power requires the GM’s permission to 
  buy because it uses Clairsentience in an unusual 
  way. Ordinarily a Flash that affects a character’s 
  eyes is also going to affect his ability to “see” 
  through Clairsentience (Sight Group). However, 
  as noted on page 355 of the rulebook, Clairsen-
  tience and Sense-Affecting Powers sometimes 
  interact in unusual ways. In this case, since the 
  character can’t activate his Clairsentience until 
  after his ordinary eyes have been Flashed, the 
  Clairsentience essentially takes the place of his 
  regular eyesight and is not blinded.
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group) (20 Active Points); No Range (-½), Can 
  Only Be Used When Regular Eyes Are Flashed 
  (-0). Total cost:  13 points.
  SENSORY ENHANCEMENT
  Effect:  Various (see below)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can alter the shape or 
  nature of his sensory organs to improve his ability 
  to perceive. A character can buy any of the listed 
  powers he wants.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  3 
  Animal’s Nose I:  +2 PER for Smell/Taste 
  Group; Costs Endurance (-½)
  3 
  Animal’s Nose II:  Tracking for Normal Smell; 
  Costs Endurance (-½)
  3 
  Bigger Ears:  +2 PER for Hearing Group; 
  Costs Endurance (-½)
  3 
  Bigger Eyes:  +2 PER for Sight Group; Costs 
  Endurance (-½)
  3 
  Cat’s Eyes:  Nightvision; Costs Endurance 
  (-½)
  6 
  Falcon’s Eyes:  +6 versus Range for Sight 
  Group; Costs Endurance (-½)
  MISCELLANEOUS POWERS
  DNA ALTERATION
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight and Touch Groups), Cellular, 
  Imitation, Only To Alter DNA
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character can alter his DNA at will, 
  even imitating the DNA of other people if necessary.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight and 
  Touch Groups), Cellular, Imitation (33 Active 
  Points); Only To Alter DNA (-2). Total cost:  
  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  Fingerprint Alteration:  Instead of changing his 
  DNA, the character can only change his ﬁnger-
  prints. Change to Only To Alter Fingerprints (-1½). 
  Total cost:  13 points.
  
  143 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  FACIAL MANIPULATION
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight, Touch, and Hearing Groups), 
  Imitation, Facial Features And Voice Only
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  
  Skill Roll Penalty:  N/A
  Description:  The character has such ﬁne control 
  over his facial muscles that he can use them to alter 
  the shape of his face, making him look just like 
  someone else.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight, Touch, 
  and Hearing Groups), Imitation, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (39 Active Points); 
  Facial Features And Voice Only (-1), Extra 
  Time (1 Minute to activate; -¾). Total cost:  
  14 points.
  Options:
  1)  Moldable Face:  The character doesn’t have 
  fine control over his facial muscles. Instead, 
  something’s happened to his face to make it mal-
  leable, allowing him to mold it so that he resem-
  bles other people. It stays in the alternate shape 
  until he changes it (or, at the GM’s option, until 
  his face experiences a strong impact, such as a 
  punch, which deforms it). Add Persistent (+½). 
  52 Active Points; total cost 19 points.
  GENDER BENDER
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight and Touch Groups), Only To 
  Change Gender
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has the ability to 
  change his gender. He can’t change his appear-
  ance otherwise — if he’s normally male, he just 
  looks like a female version of himself (however 
  the GM chooses to let him define that) — but the 
  change is a true one, and that’s enough of a dis-
  guise in most situations.
  In the event the character gets pregnant while 
  female and then shifts into male form, the GM 
  must determine what happens. Typically the fetus 
  dies and is absorbed into the body (perhaps the 
  character is ill for a while as well).
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight and 
  Touch Groups) (13 Active Points); Only To 
  Change Gender (-1). Total cost:  6 points.
  Options:
  1)  Lasting Change:  The character’s change of sex 
  remains in place until he decides to change back. 
  Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) and Persis-
  tent (+½). 26 Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  GROW GILLS
  Effect:  Life Support (Expanded Breathing:  Breathe 
  Underwater)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character can grow gills, thus 
  enabling him to breathe underwater.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Expanded 
  Breathing:  Breathe Underwater) (5 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½). Total cost:  3 points.
  HUMAN LOCKPICK
  Effect:  Lockpicking (DEX Roll +5)
  Target/Area Affected:  One lock
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:   1
  Description:  The character can extend tiny portions 
  of his ﬁnger into a mechanical lock, adjusting the 
  tumblers by feel until it opens.
  Game Information:  Lockpicking (DEX Roll +5) 
  (13 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Only 
  Versus Mechanical Key Locks (-1). Total cost:  
  5 points.
  Options:
  1) Precise Lockpick:  Increase to Lockpicking (DEX 
  Roll +10). 23 Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  2) Simple Lockpick:  Decrease to Lockpicking (DEX 
  Roll). 3 Active Points; total cost 1 point.
  INSTANT TURNAROUND
  Effect:  Teleportation 1”, Position Shift, Trigger, Only To 
  Change Facing
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  To the extent that it has any eﬀect on 
  game play, changing a character’s facing (i.e., which 
  way is “front” for him, the direction his eyes look 
  when he’s looking straight ahead) is a Zero Phase 
  Action. For a character with this power it doesn’t 
  even take that long. He can morph his body and 
  instantly “rearrange” it so that what was his back is 
  now his front, and vice-versa.
  Game Information:  Teleportation 1”, Position 
  Shift, Trigger (as desired, activating Trigger 
  takes no time, Trigger resets automatically; 
  +1¼) (16 Active Points); Only To Change 
  Facing (character does not actually travel 1”, he 
  remains in position but is just facing a diﬀerent 
  way; -2). Total cost:  5 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  144 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  OBJECT MANIFESTATION
  Effect:  Variable Power Pool (Object Manifestation Pool)
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Self, Touch, or No Range
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character has the ability to 
  change parts of his body into various useful 
  forms or objects — his hands into weapons (as 
  with Arms Into Blades, above) or suction cups 
  (Clinging), his feet into gripping claws (Knoc-
  back Resistance), and so on.
  Game Information:  Variable Power Pool (Object 
  Manifestation Pool), 30 base + 15 control cost; 
  Limited Powers (no Ranged Attacks or other 
  abilities that can’t be simulated by altering a 
  part of one’s body into an object; -1). Total cost:  
  37 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Manifestation:  Increase to 40 base + 20 
  control cost. Total cost:  50 points.
  2)  Weak Manifestation:  Decrease to 20 base + 10 
  control cost. Total cost:  25 points.
  OPACITY ALTERATION
  Effect:  Invisibility to Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can alter the opacity of 
  his skin and ﬂesh, making himself invisible. Anyone 
  who gets within about six feet of him may still be 
  able to notice him, though. Furthermore, his power 
  doesn’t aﬀect his clothing....
  Game Information:    Invisibility to Sight Group 
  (20 Active Points); Doesn’t Aﬀect Worn/Car-
  ried Objects (-½). Total cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Invisibility:  Add No Fringe. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Invisibility:  The character can be seen 
  more easily from a distance. Add Bright Fringe (-
  ¼). 20 Active Points; total cost 22 points.
  3)  Lasting Invisibility:  The character can remain 
  translucent as long as he likes. Add Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) and Persistent (+½). 40 
  Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  4)  Standstill Invisibility:  The power only works if 
  the character stands still; when he moves it’s easy 
  to see his outline. Add Chameleon (-½). 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  
  145 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  PERSONALITY SHIFTING
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Mental Group) plus +4 with Inter-
  action Skills
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character can alter his personality 
  in such a way that characters using mental powers 
  to search for his mind can’t ﬁnd it (similar to Psy-
  chomorph, see below). Even better, he can easily 
  “adapt” his personality to whatever a person he’s 
  interacting with likes, making the interaction easier.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Mental Group, 
  any humanoid shape) (total cost:  15 points) 
  plus +4 with Interaction Skills (total cost:  20 
  points). Total cost:  35 points.
  Options:
  1)  Imitative Shifting:  The character can not only 
  change his personality, he can ﬂawlessly imitate the 
  personality and mental patterns of another person. 
  Add Imitate to Shape Shift. Total cost of that power 
  25 points; total cost of overall power 45 points.
  2)  Lengthy Shifting:  Altering the character’s per-
  sonality takes time. To both powers add Extra 
  Time (1 Turn to activate; -¾). Total cost 9 + 11 = 
  20 points.
  3)  Focused Shifting:  The character has to con-
  centrate to change his personality. Add Concen-
  tration (½ DCV; -¼) to both powers. Total cost:  
  12 + 16 = 28 points.
  4)  Lengthy, Focused Shifting:  Add Extra Time (1 
  Turn to activate; -¾) and Concentration (½ DCV 
  throughout activation; -½) to both powers. Total 
  cost:  7 + 9 = 16 points.
  PSYCHOMORPH
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Mental Group, any shape)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can alter his brain waves 
  and other mental/psionic “identifying marks” to 
  make a person with mental powers think he’s some-
  one else. He still looks, feels, sounds, and smells the 
  same, but someone perceiving or reading his mind 
  perceives a “completely diﬀerent” mind inside his 
  skull. He cannot, however, make his thought pat-
  terns resemble those of someone else.
  A character who can Psychomorph cannot 
  change his Psychological Limitations, any more 
  than a character who has Shape Shift (Touch 
  Group) can make himself stronger or eliminate his 
  Physical Limitations. Changing Psychological Limi-
  tations requires Multiform, but few characters ever 
  buy such an ability — after all, the new personality 
  might not want to change back! 
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Mental Group, 
  any shape). Total cost:  25 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Psychomorphing:  The character does not 
  ﬁnd it diﬃcult to maintain his psychomorphed 
  state. Add Costs Endurance Only To Change Shape 
  (+¼). Total cost:  31 points.
  2)  Psychomorphic Copycat:  The character can 
  duplicate the brain waves and thought patterns 
  of another being, thus disguising himself as that 
  person for purposes of Mental Group senses. He 
  must have perceived the other person’s mind at 
  some point (using Telepathy, Detect Minds, or the 
  like) to copy it. Add Imitation. Total cost:  35 points.
  3)  Rapid Psychomorphing:  The character can 
  change his “mental shape” quickly. Add Instant 
  Change. Total cost:  30 points.
  SCENT MANIPULATION
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Smell/Taste Group), Imitation
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can alter his scent, thus 
  allowing him to throw oﬀ hunting dogs and other 
  creatures that track by smell. He can even imitate 
  the smells of other persons.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Smell/Taste 
  Group, any humanoid scent/taste), Imitation. 
  Total cost:  25 points.
  Options:
  1)  Weak Scent Manipulation:  The character can 
  change his scent, but not precisely enough to imi-
  tate other people. Remove Imitation. Total cost:  15 
  points.
  2)  Easy Scent Manipulation:  Maintaining a change 
  of scent doesn’t tire the character out. Add Costs 
  Endurance Only To Activate (+¼). Total cost:  31 
  points.
  3)  Lengthy Scent Manipulation:  It takes the charac-
  ter a little time to alter his scent. Add Extra Time 
  (takes 1 Turn to alter scent; -¾). Total cost:  14 
  points.
  4)  Focused Scent Manipulation:  The character has 
  to concentrate to change his scent. Add Concentra-
  tion (½ DCV; -¼). Total cost:  20 points.
  5)  Scent Cessation:  The character can eliminate his 
  body’s scent altogether, making it virtually impos-
  sible to track him by smell. Change to Invisibility to 
  Smell/Taste Group. Total cost:  10 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  146 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  SHAPECHANGE HEALING
  Effect:  Simpliﬁed Healing 2d6, Trigger
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  For some metamorphs, changing 
  form is tiring or painful. Not so a metamorph with 
  this power — he actually ﬁnds changing shape 
  invigorating and healing. In game terms, whenever 
  the character uses his Shape Shift or Multiform 
  to change shape, he heals 2d6 STUN and BODY 
  damage. The GM determines what constitutes 
  “changing shape” for purposes of Triggering the 
  Healing. The power requires a fairly profound or 
  substantial change; characters shouldn’t be allowed 
  to make minor changes as Zero Phase Actions just 
  to heal themselves.
  Game Information:  Simpliﬁed Healing 2d6, 
  Trigger (when character changes form, activat-
  ing Trigger takes no time, Trigger resets auto-
  matically; +1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (50 Active Points); Self Only (-½). Total 
  cost:  33 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Healing:  Increase to Simpliﬁed Healing 
  3d6. 75 Active Points; total cost 50 points.
  2)  Weak Healing:  Decrease to Simpliﬁed Healing 
  1d6. 37 Active Points; total cost 25 points.
  TWO-DIMENSIONAL FORM
  Effect:  See text
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Self, Touch
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can alter the shape of his 
  body so that he has a form with only two dimensions, 
  height and width (or nearly only two). When in this 
  form, he can slip underneath doors and through tiny 
  cracks, become “invisible” by turning edge-on to a 
  person’s perceptions (a diﬃcult trick to maintain), 
  glide easily, and inﬂict vicious poking damage.
  Game Information:
  Cost Two-Dimensional Form
  14 
  Two-Dimensional Form:  Desolidiﬁcation 
  (aﬀected by any attack) (40 Active Points); 
  Only To Pass Through Long, Narrow Cracks 
  (-¾), Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1)
  18 
  Edge-On Invisibility:  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  No Fringe, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  (45 Active Points); Chameleon (-½), Only 
  Versus A Single Person At Once (-1)
  8 
  Glide Like Paper:  Gliding 8”
  60 
  Two-D Poke:  Armor Piercing (x2; +1) for up 
  to 20 STR, Aﬀects Physical World (+2)
  Total cost:  100 points.
  Options:
  1)  Two-Dimensional Body:  The character has a two-
  dimensional form permanently. Change to:
  Cost Two-Dimensional Body
  28 
  Two-Dimensional Form:  Desolidiﬁcation 
  (aﬀected by any attack), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½), Inherent (+¼) 
  (90 Active Points); Always On (-½), Only 
  To Pass Through Long, Narrow Cracks (-¾), 
  Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1)
  18 
  Edge-On Invisibility:  Invisibility to Sight 
  Group, No Fringe, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (45 Active Points); Chameleon 
  (-½), Only Versus A Single Person At Once 
  (-1)
  8 
  Glide Like Paper:  Gliding 8”
  60 
  Two-D Poke:  Armor Piercing (x2; +1) for up 
  to 20 STR, Aﬀects Physical World (+2)
  Total cost:  114 points.
  The character should also take the following 
  Disadvantages:
  30 
  Vulnerability:  2 x Eﬀect from Knockback 
  (Very Common)
  30 
  Vulnerability:  2 x BODY from Killing 
  Attacks (Very Common)
  VOICE MANIPULATION
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Hearing Group), Imitation, Voice 
  Only
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can change his voice at 
  will, even ﬂawlessly imitating other peoples’ voices 
  as well as other sounds.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Hearing Group, 
  any humanoid voice), Imitation (25 Active 
  Points); Voice Only (power doesn’t change 
  character’s appearance to Sonar or the like, it 
  just alters his voice; -¼). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Weak Voice Manipulation:  The character can 
  change his voice, but not precisely enough to imi-
  tate other people. Remove Imitation. 15 Active 
  Points; total cost 12 points.
  2)  Easy Voice Manipulation:  Maintaining a change 
  of voice doesn’t tire the character out. Add Costs 
  Endurance Only To Activate (+¼). 31 Active Points; 
  total cost 25 points.
  3)  Lengthy Voice Manipulation:  It takes the charac-
  ter a little time to alter his voice. Add Extra Time 
  (takes 1 Turn to alter voice; -¾). Total cost:  12 
  points.
  4)  Focused Voice Manipulation:  The character has 
  to concentrate to change his voice. Add Concentra-
  tion (½ DCV; -¼). Total cost:  17 points.
  
  147 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  SKIN ALTERATION POWERS
  These powers represent the character’s abil-
  ity to change the color, feel, or other aspects of 
  his skin (see also Armor Up, above). Usually this 
  is done to make it easier to hide or conceal one’s 
  self, but it can also enhance disguises or simply 
  be entertaining. See also the Hyper-Comeliness 
  Powers on page 125.
  APPEARANCE MANIPULATION
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight Group), Imitation
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can alter the cosmetic 
  details of his appearance — hair color, eye color, 
  facial shape, skin color, lack or presence of facial 
  and body hair, and so forth. He cannot alter his 
  appearance to change gender, size, or the like.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight Group), 
  Imitation (20 Active Points); Cosmetic Details 
  Only (-¼). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Weak Appearance Manipulation:  The charac-
  ter can change his appearance, but not precisely 
  enough to imitate other people. Remove Imitation. 
  10 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  2)  Easy Appearance Manipulation:  Maintaining a 
  change of appearance doesn’t tire the character out. 
  Add Costs Endurance Only To Activate (+¼). 25 
  Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  3)  Lengthy Appearance Manipulation:  It takes the 
  character a little time to alter his appearance. Add 
  Extra Time (takes 1 Turn to alter appearance; -¾). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  4)  Focused Appearance Manipulation:  The character 
  has to concentrate to change his appearance. Add 
  Concentration (½ DCV; -¼). Total cost:  13 points.
  5)  You Can’t See Me:  The character’s ability to 
  manipulate his appearance is so good he can eﬀec-
  tively make himself invisible. Substitute Invisibility 
  to Sight Group (20 Active Points); Chameleon (-½). 
  Total cost:  13 points. See also Chameleon Camou-
  ﬂage, page 93, for a similar ability.
  DIVERSITY
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight Group), Only To Change 
  Racial Appearance
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has the ability to change 
  the tone and color of his skin, and if necessary 
  other general details (shape of the eyes and nose, 
  color of the hair, and so on), so that he looks like a 
  member of another race. He can’t change his fea-
  tures beyond that, but a change of race alone is a 
  foolproof disguise in many cases.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight Group) 
  (10 Active Points); Only To Change Racial 
  Appearance (-1). Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Lasting Diversity:  The character’s change of race 
  remains in place until he decides to change back. 
  Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) and Persis-
  tent (+½). 20 Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  148 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  C
  haracters with Size Alteration Powers 
  can become much bigger or smaller than 
  normal (sometimes both). The basic 
  powers for doing this are, naturally enough, 
  Growth and Shrinking, but characters can create 
  many related powers based on the eﬀects of being 
  extremely large or extremely small.
  GROWTH POWERS
  These powers are appropriate for characters 
  who are, or can become, taller and larger than 
  normal humans.
  Basic Growth Powers
  GIGANTIC SIZE
  Effect:  Growth (32 m tall)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can grow to a height 
  of as much as 32 meters (105 feet). While at 
  that height, he becomes prodigiously strong and 
  much tougher — but also easier to perceive and 
  to hit in combat.
  Game Information:  Growth (+60 STR, +12 BODY, 
  +12 STUN, -12” KB, 400,000 kg, -8 DCV, +8 PER 
  Rolls to perceive character, 32 [105 feet] m tall, 16 
  m wide). Total cost:  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Gargantuan Size:  Increase to Growth (+75 
  STR, +15 BODY, +15 STUN, -15” KB, 3,200,000 
  kg, -10 DCV, +10 PER Rolls to perceive charac-
  ter, 64 m [about 200 feet] tall, 32 m wide). Total 
  cost:  75 points.
  2)  Enormous Size:  Decrease to Growth (+45 STR, 
  +9 BODY, +9 STUN, -9” KB, 50,000 kg, -6 DCV, 
  +6 PER Rolls to perceive character, 16 m [about 52 
  feet] tall, 8 m wide). Total cost:  45 points.
  3)  Easy Growth:  Remaining at gigantic sizes doesn’t 
  tire the character out. Add Costs Endurance Only 
  To Activate (+¼). Total cost:  75 points.
  4)  Tiring Growth:  Remaining at gigantic sizes 
  places a terrible strain on the character’s body. Add 
  Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½). 60 Active 
  Points; total cost 40 points.
  Offensive Growth Powers
  GIGANTIC FISTS
  Effect:  Area Of Effect (One Hex) for up to STR 100
  Target/Area Affected:  One Hex
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  By the time the character reaches 32 
  meters (105 feet) in height, his hands have become 
  so large that he has little diﬃculty hitting targets in 
  HTH Combat. Sometimes he can smash more than 
  one person under his gigantic palm.
  Game Information:  Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; 
  +½) for up to STR 100, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) (75 Active Points); Linked (to 
  Growth; only applies at 60 points’ worth of 
  Growth or more; -¼). Total cost:  60 points.
  GIGANTIC MUSCLES
  Effect:  +20 STR, Linked to Growth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  As he grows, the character becomes 
  even stronger than normal growing characters. He 
  gains +5 STR per 15 points of Growth (adjust the 
  cost to suit if the character has less than 60 points’ 
  worth of Growth).
  Game Information:  +20 STR (20 Active Points); 
  Linked (to Growth, gains +5 STR per 15 points 
  of Growth; -¼). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Gigantic Muscles:  Increase to +40 STR 
  (+10 STR per 15 points of Growth). 40 Active 
  Points; total cost 32 points.
  SIZE ALTERATION
  POWERS
  
  149 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  GIGANTIC SWING
  Effect:  +4 OCV with Sweep
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s large, strong arms can 
  wield large weapons, and he’s particularly skilled at 
  at using weapons (or even his ﬁsts) to make a pow-
  erful, scything stroke that hits several foes at once.
  In game terms, characters should only use 
  these Levels to Sweep multiple opponents. How-
  ever, since the rules for placing Limitations on CSLs 
  would actually make this power cost more if it were 
  so Limited, it’s not actually built with any Limita-
  tion — the player just voluntarily agrees to only 
  use the Levels that way, and the GM enforces that 
  restriction as part of the power’s special eﬀect.
  Game Information:  +4 OCV with Sweep. Total 
  cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Power:  Increase to +6 OCV with Sweep. 
  Total cost:  12 points.
  2)  Weak Power:  Decrease to +2 OCV with Sweep. 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  IMPRESSIVENESS
  Effect:  +20 PRE, Linked to Growth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  As he grows, the character becomes 
  even more impressive than normal growing char-
  acters. He gains +5 PRE per 15 points of Growth 
  (adjust the cost to suit if the character has less than 
  60 points’ worth of Growth).
  Game Information:  +20 PRE (20 Active Points); 
  Linked (to Growth, gains +5 PRE per 15 points 
  of Growth; -½). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Impressive:  Increase to +40 PRE (+10 
  PRE per 15 points of Growth). 40 Active Points; 
  total cost 32 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  150 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  MACROVERSAL ATTACK
  Effect:  Area Of Effect (One Hex; +½) for up to 60 STR, 
  Transdimensional
  Target/Area Affected:  One Hex up to 10 billion km wide, 
  deep, and broad
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  If the GM doesn’t allow characters in the 
  Macroverse to aﬀect ordinary-sized reality normally 
  “for free” as a way of deﬁning how the Macroverse 
  works (see page 217), characters who can enter the 
  Macroverse (see below) must buy this attack. It deﬁnes 
  how their hands and feet are so large that they can 
  eﬀortlessly crush planets and everything on them, 
  sweep solar systems aside with a wave of their arms, 
  cause artiﬁcial eclipses by placing their hands between 
  the sun and a planet, protect a world by batting aside 
  comets and meteors about to hit it, and so forth.
  The power assumes the character has 60 STR; 
  for other levels of STR, just recalculate the cost. It 
  further assumes that a character who enters the 
  Macroverse can become, at maximum, as tall as a 
  light-year is long; you may need to adjust the cost if 
  the GM sets diﬀerent parameters.
  If the character has other attacks, such as the 
  power to ﬁre energy beams, he should buy a similar 
  ability for them as well (perhaps, with the GM’s 
  permission, in a Power Framework).
  For purposes of this power, STR is assumed 
  to have certain innately “Indirect” eﬀects, in that a 
  character’s reach isn’t necessarily direct.
  Game Information:  Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; 
  +½) for up to 60 STR, Transdimensional (can 
  aﬀect targets in normal-sized reality; +½), 
  MegaArea (the hex is is up to 10 billion km 
  [one solar system] wide, deep, and broad, can 
  decrease to 1” = 1 km; +3), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) (150 Active Points);  Can Only 
  Be Used While Character’s In The Macroverse 
  (-¼). Total cost:  120 points.
  MACROVERSAL STRENGTH
  Effect:  +100 STR, Transdimensional
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  15
  Description:  When he becomes macroversally large, 
  the character’s ability to aﬀect the normal-sized 
  world with his STR also increases. Even if he’s 
  superhumanly strong at ordinary size, he’s even 
  stronger at Macroverse size. The character should 
  also buy Macroversal Attack, above.
  For purposes of this power, STR is assumed 
  to have certain innately “Indirect” eﬀects, in that a 
  character’s reach isn’t necessarily direct.
  Game Information:  +100 STR, Transdimen-
  sional (can aﬀect targets in normal-sized real-
  ity; +½) (150 Active Points); Can Only Be Used 
  While Character’s In The Macroverse (-¼), 
  Only Works Against Non-Macroversal Targets 
  (-¼). Total cost:  100 points.
  Options:
  1)  Greater Strength:  Increase to +120 STR. 180 
  Active Points; total cost 120 points.
  2)  Lesser Strength:  Decrease to +80 STR. 120 
  Active Points; total cost 80 points.
  MACROVERSAL WEATHER MANIPULATION
  Effect:  Change Environment (alter the weather), Trans-
  dimensional
  Target/Area Affected:  800 km Radius
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  23
  Description:  While in the Macroverse, the character 
  can do various things to alter the weather over a 
  vast area of a planet. By standing near the planet, he 
  could act as a solar reﬂector, heating part of it up. 
  By holding his hand over an area, he can cool that 
  area down. He could even use one of his ﬁngers 
  to stir up storms, move storms from one area to 
  another, stop a storm from happening, or the like.
  Game Information:  Change Environment 8” 
  radius, +/-10 Temperature Levels, Multiple 
  Combat Eﬀects, Varying Combat Eﬀects, Varying 
  Eﬀect (any type of weather; +1), Indirect (to allow 
  for Transdimensional; +½), MegaArea (1” = 100 
  km broad and wide; +¾), Transdimensional (can 
  aﬀect targets in normal-sized reality; +½) (232 
  Active Points); Can Only Be Used While Charac-
  ter’s In The Macroverse (-¼), No Range (-½), Can 
  Only Alter Existing Weather, Not Create Weather 
  (-¼), Extra Time (minimum of 1 Minute per step 
  on the Weather Change Table on page 252 of The 
  UNTIL Superpowers Database; -1½). Total cost:  
  66 points.
  Defensive Growth Powers
  GIGANTIC DEFENSE
  Effect:  +20 PD and ED, Linked to Growth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  As he grows, the character becomes 
  even tougher to hurt than normal growing char-
  acters. He gains +5 PD and ED per 15 points of 
  Growth (adjust the cost to suit if the character has 
  less than 60 points’ worth of Growth).
  Game Information:  +20 PD (20 Active Points); 
  Linked (to Growth, gains +5 PD per 15 points 
  of Growth; -¼) (total cost:  16 points) plus +20 
  ED (20 Active Points); Linked (to Growth, gains 
  +5 ED per 15 points of Growth; -¼) (total cost:  
  16 points). Total cost:  32 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Gigantic Defenses:  Increase to +40 PD 
  and ED (+10 PD/ED per 15 points of Growth). 40 
  and 40 Active Points; total cost 32 and 32 points.
  
  151 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  GIGANTIC PHYSIQUE
  Effect:  +20 CON, No Figured Characteristics, Linked to 
  Growth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  As he grows, the character becomes 
  even hardier and more resistant to being stunned 
  than normal growing characters. He gains +5 
  CON per 15 points of Growth (adjust the cost 
  to suit if the character has less than 60 points’ 
  worth of Growth).
  Game Information:  +20 CON (40 Active 
  Points); Linked (to Growth, gains +5 CON per 
  15 points of Growth; -¼), No Figured Charac-
  teristics (-½). Total cost:  23 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Gigantic Physique:  Increase to +40 CON 
  (+10 CON per 15 points of Growth). 80 Active 
  Points; total cost 46 points.
  2)  And Tougher, Too:  Remove No Figured Charac-
  teristics (-½). Total cost:  32 points.
  GIGANTIC RESILIENCE
  Effect:  Damage Resistance (20 PD/20 ED), Linked to 
  Growth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  As he grows, the character becomes 
  even more resistant to lethal damage than normal 
  growing characters. He gains +5 PD and ED 
  Damage Resistance per 15 points of Growth (adjust 
  the cost to suit if the character has less than 60 
  points’ worth of Growth).
  Game Information:  Damage Resistance (20 PD/20 
  ED) (20 Active Points); Linked (to Growth, gains 
  5 PD/5 ED Damage Resistance per 15 points of 
  Growth; -¼). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Gigantic Resilience:  Increase to 
  Damage Resistance (40 PD/40 ED) (10 PD/10 
  ED per 15 points of Growth). 40 Active Points; 
  total cost 32 points.
  GIGANTIC TOUGHNESS
  Effect:  Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, Resis-
  tant, 25%, Linked to Growth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  As he grows, the character becomes 
  harder to hurt. He has to become at least 4” (8 
  meters) tall before this ability applies.
  Game Information:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% (30 Active 
  Points); Linked (to Growth, only applies at 30 
  points’ worth of Growth or more; -¼). Total 
  cost:  24 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Gigantic Toughness:  Increase to 
  Damage Reduction 50%. 60 Active Points; total 
  cost 48 points.
  2)  Macroversal Toughness:  When the character is 
  macroversally large, it’s almost impossible to hurt 
  him with normal-sized attacks (which have to be 
  bought with Transdimensional so they have some 
  chance of aﬀecting him at all). Character buys 
  Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 
  75% (120 Active Points); Only Applies Against 
  Normal-Size Attacks Made Against Character 
  When He’s In The Macroverse (-2). Total cost:  40 
  points.
  NICE TRY, LITTLE MAN
  Effect:  +15 PD and ED versus smaller attackers
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Smaller beings just don’t cause as 
  much harm as those of the character’s size.
  Game Information:  +15 PD (15 Active Points); 
  Only Applies Versus Attackers At Least One 
  Size “Class” Smaller (-¼) (total cost:  12 points) 
  plus +15 ED (15 Active Points); Only Applies 
  Versus Attackers At Least One Size “Class” 
  Smaller (-¼) (total cost:  12 points). Total cost:  
  24 points.
  Options:
  1)  Even Tougher:  Increase both Characteristics to 
  +20. 20 + 20 = 40 Active Points; total cost 16 + 16 = 
  32 points.
  2)  Weaker Defenses:  Decrease both Characteristics 
  to +10. 10 + 10 = 20 Active Points; total cost 8 + 8 
  = 16 points.
  3)  What Was That, A Mosquito?:  The base power 
  assumes the character’s toughness due to size 
  doesn’t work as well against Killing Attacks. Some 
  characters don’t suﬀer from that problem. Change 
  to Armor (15 PD/15 ED) (45 Active Points); Only 
  Applies Versus Attackers At Least One Size “Class” 
  Smaller (-¼). Total cost:  36 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  152 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  Movement Growth Powers
  ENTER THE MACROVERSE!
  Effect:  Extra-Dimensional Movement
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can grow to such enor-
  mous sizes that he enters the Macroverse — the 
  level of reality where he’s so gigantic that ordinary-
  scaled attacks, powers, and phenomena can’t aﬀect 
  him in any meaningful way. Characters buying this 
  ability should also buy Macroversal Attack and 
  Macroversal Perception unless the GM rules other-
  wise (see page 217 for more information).
  Game Information:  Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment (any location in a single dimension [the 
  Macroverse] corresponding to the point character 
  is at in this dimension). Total cost:  22 points.
  Options:
  1)  Come See The Macroverse:  The character can 
  increase some of his friends’ size and bring them 
  into the Macroverse with him. Add x8 Increased 
  Mass. Total cost:  37 points.
  2)  Restricted Macroversality:  The character’s 
  range of sizes isn’t unlimited. Apply the 
  Restricted Size Limitation:
  Restricted to Earth size (-1):  22 Active Points; 
  total cost 11 points.
  Restricted to Jupiter size (-¾):  22 Active Points; 
  total cost 13 points.
  Restricted to solar system size (-½):  22 Active 
  Points; total cost 15 points.
  Restricted to light-day size (-¼):  22 Active 
  Points; total cost 18 points.
  GIGANTIC LEGS
  Effect:  Running +24”, Linked to Growth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  As he grows, the character’s legs 
  become longer, and thus so do his strides. In 
  game terms, this means he can cross ground 
  more quickly, which is represented by giving him 
  more inches of Running. He gains Running +6” 
  per 15 points of Growth (adjust the cost to suit 
  if the character has less than 60 points’ worth of 
  Growth). If he starts out with more than the base 
  6” of Running, you should alter this power to add 
  his total normal inches of Running per 15 points’ 
  worth of Growth.
  Game Information:  Running +24”, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) (60 Active Points); 
  Linked (to Growth; -¼). Total cost:  48 points.
  Options:
  1)  Macroversal Legs:  When he’s in the Macroverse, 
  the character can “walk” across a planet or the 
  cosmos at tremendous speeds because his legs are 
  so large. This option assumes that a character who 
  enters the Macroverse can become, at maximum, as 
  tall as a light-year is long; you may need to adjust 
  the cost if the GM sets diﬀerent parameters. You 
  should also buy more than 6” of Flight if the char-
  acter has more Running than the standard 6” (i.e., 
  the Flight should equal his Running). Character 
  buys Flight 6”, MegaScale (1” = 10 billion km [one 
  solar system] long, can decrease to 1” = 1 km, but 
  character must use MegaScale proportionately 
  to his size; +3), No Turn Mode (+¼) (51 Active 
  Points); Can Only Be Used While Character’s In 
  The Macroverse (-¼). Total cost:  41 points.
  Sensory Growth Powers
  GIGANTIC EYES
  Effect:  See below
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When the character becomes taller, his 
  eyes become larger, making them more eﬃcient at 
  seeing things and gathering light.
  Characters can buy similar abilities for their 
  other Senses. A Gigantic Nose would provide 
  bonuses to Smell/Taste PER Rolls, and perhaps 
  Tracking for that Sense Group; Gigantic Ears give 
  Hearing bonuses and perhaps some Ultrasonic Per-
  ception; and so forth.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  3 
  Gigantic Eyes:  +2 PER with Sight Group; 
  Linked (to Growth, only applies at 30 points’ 
  worth of Growth or more; -¼)
  4 
  Gigantic Eyes:  Nightvision; Linked (to 
  Growth, only applies at 30 points’ worth of 
  Growth or more; -¼)
  Total cost:  7 points.
  
  153 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  MACROVERSAL PERCEPTION
  Effect:  Dimensional (can perceive into the dimension 
  of normal-sized objects) for Normal Sight, 
  Hearing, Smell/Taste, and Touch
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When a character enters the Macro-
  verse, he doesn’t lose the ability to perceive normal-
  sized reality — though what constitutes a “detail” 
  too ﬁne for him to perceive changes (to a character 
  in the Macroverse, Mt. Everest might look like 
  nothing more than a tiny bump at best). This ability 
  allows the character to perceive into the “dimen-
  sion” of normal size. If a character has more than 
  the ﬁve standard human Senses, he may need to 
  upgrade some of the Dimensional Sense Modiﬁers 
  to cover entire Sense Groups.
  Game Information:  Dimensional (can perceive 
  into the dimension of normal-sized objects) for 
  Normal Sight, Hearing, Smell/Taste, and Touch. 
  Total cost:  25 points.
  MACROVERSAL VISION
  Effect:  Macroversal Microscopic (x1,000,000) for Sight 
  Group
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When in the Macroverse, the char-
  acter has a much easier time seeing small objects, 
  even individuals on the face of planets. This power 
  provides a +60 PER Roll bonus to help overcome 
  the standard PER Roll penalty for looking into the 
  normal-sized world (see pages 59, 220).
  Game Information:  Macroversal Microscopic 
  (x1,000,000) for Sight Group. Total cost:  30 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Vision:  Increase to Macroversal Micro-
  scopic (x10,000,000) for Sight Group. Total cost:  
  35 points.
  2)  Weak Vision:  Decrease to Macroversal Microscopic 
  (x100,000) for Sight Group. Total cost:  25 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  154 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  Miscellaneous  
  Growth Powers
  STENTORIAN VOICE
  Effect:  Images to Hearing Group, +4 to PER Rolls, Only 
  To Make Character’s Voice Really Loud
  Target/Area Affected:  1,000” Radius
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s voice is truly stento-
  rian. People can hear him shout over a mile away if 
  he really puts some eﬀort into it.
  Game Information:  Images to Hearing Group, 
  +4 to PER Rolls, Increased Size (1,000” radius; 
  +2½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (68 
  Active Points); Instant (-½), Limited Eﬀect 
  (Normal Hearing only; -¼), No Range (-½), 
  Set Eﬀect (only to make character’s voice really 
  loud; -1). Total cost:  21 points.
  SHRINKING POWERS
  These powers are appropriate for characters 
  who are, or can become, shorter and smaller than 
  normal humans.
  At the GM’s option, a character small enough 
  to get inside someone and attack them (as with the 
  power Internal Agony might also be able to help 
  them by stimulating the adrenal gland, repair-
  ing damaged cells, and so forth. You can simulate 
  this with some of the “internal metamorph”-style 
  powers from the Body Control Powers section 
  bought Usable As Attack.
  Basic Shrinking Powers
  MICROSIZE
  Effect:  Shrinking (.032 m tall)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can shrink to a height 
  of as little as .032 meters (about 1 inch). While at 
  that height, he’s much harder to perceive, or to hit 
  in combat, but he gets knocked around easily if an 
  attack does hit him.
  Game Information:  Shrinking (.032 m tall 
  [about 1 inch], .0004 kg mass, -12 to PER Rolls 
  to perceive character, +12 DCV, takes +18” 
  KB). Total cost:  60 points.
  Options:
  1)  Picosize:  Increase to (.008 m tall [about .25 
  inch], .0000063 kg mass, -16 to PER Rolls to per-
  ceive character, +16 DCV, takes +24” KB). Total 
  cost:  80 points.
  2)  Miniature Size:  Decrease to (.125 m tall 
  [about 4 inches], .025 kg mass, -8 to PER Rolls to 
  perceive character, +8 DCV, takes +12” KB). Total 
  cost:  40 points.
  3)  Easy Microsize:  Changing size only stresses the 
  character’s metabolism while he’s doing it; once he 
  stops shrinking, he can remain at reduced height 
  without diﬃculty. Add Costs Endurance Only To 
  Activate (+¼). Total cost:  75 points.
  4)  Tiring Microsize:  Remaining at tiny sizes places 
  a signiﬁcant strain on the character’s body. Add 
  Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½). 60 Active 
  Points; total cost 40 points.
  5)  Small But Slow:  While small, the character 
  can’t run very fast. Add Side Effect (reduce Run-
  ning by -1” per 10 points of Shrinking, to a mini-
  mum of 1”, always occurs; -½). 60 Active Points; 
  total cost 40 points.
  6)  Small But Weak:  While small, the character can’t 
  exert his full Strength. Add Side Eﬀect (reduce STR 
  by 5 points per 10 points of Shrinking, to a mini-
  mum of -30, always occurs; -½). 60 Active Points; 
  total cost 40 points.
  
  155 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  7)  Let’s Get Small:  The character can make his 
  friends tiny, too. Add Usable Simultaneously (up to 
  four people at once; +¾). Total cost:  105 points.
  8)  Stayin’ Heavy I:  Although the character Shrinks, 
  he retains his normal mass. Add Normal Mass 
  (+½). Total cost:  90 points.
  9)  Stayin’ Heavy II:  The character can choose 
  whether to have normal mass or Shrunk mass. Add 
  Normal Mass (+1). Total cost:  120 points.
  Offensive Shrinking Powers
  DIMINUTION 
  Effect:  Shrinking, Usable As Attack
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  12
  Description:  The character has the power to 
  shrink other people and objects down to as little 
  as four inches in height. The target remains tiny 
  as long as the character keeps paying END to 
  maintain the effect.
  To reduce someone’s STR or Running by 
  Shrinking them, buy some Linked Drains or a 
  Transform.
  Game Information:  Shrinking (.125 m tall 
  [about 4 inches], .025 kg mass, -8 to PER Rolls 
  to perceive character, +8 DCV, takes +12” KB), 
  Usable As Attack (defense is Growth, Shrinking, 
  or Power Defense; +1). Total cost:  80 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tiny Enemies:  The character can reduce targets 
  to as little as one inch tall. Increase to Shrinking 
  (.032 m tall [about 1 inch], .0004 kg mass, -12 to 
  PER Rolls to perceive character, +12 DCV, takes 
  +18” KB). Total cost:  120 points.
  2)  Easy Diminution:  The character can maintain the 
  Diminution eﬀect without diﬃculty. It still stops 
  working if he’s Stunned, Knocked Out, or killed. 
  Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½). Total cost:  
  100 points.
  INTERNAL AGONY
  Effect:  Energy Blast 6d6, Affects Physical World, Pen-
  etrating
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Special
  END Cost:  10
  Description:  This power depends on the character’s 
  ability to become so small that he can move among 
  the molecules of a target’s body (see the Walking 
  Between Molecules power, below). The character 
  moves into the target and begins punching, kicking, 
  and generally wreaking havoc. Despite the charac-
  ter’s microscopic size, he can inﬂict serious damage 
  because of the sensitive internal places he attacks.
  In game terms, an Internal Agony attack quali-
  ﬁes as an Energy Blast 6d6 — though the amount 
  of “energy” released by the attack isn’t nearly equal 
  to that of most EBs 6d6, it has an equivalent eﬀect 
  on the target’s body because it hits such a vulner-
  able location. The target still gets to apply his 
  defenses normally against the attack, but it is Pen-
  etrating, so in most cases the character can inﬂict at 
  least a little damage each time.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 6d6, Affects 
  Physical World (+2), Penetrating (+½) (105 
  Active Points); Only When Desolidified 
  Inside Target (-1), No Knockback (-¼). Total 
  cost:  47 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Internal Agony:  Increase to Energy Blast 
  8d6. 140 Active Points; total cost 62 points.
  2)  Weak Internal Agony:  Decrease to Energy Blast 
  4d6. 70 Active Points; total cost 31 points.
  3)  Weakening Agony:  The character can’t inﬂict any 
  permanent harm, but can make a target pass out 
  by causing pain, restricting his blood ﬂow, and so 
  forth. Decrease to Energy Blast 4d6, remove Pen-
  etrating (+½) and No Knockback (-¼), and add 
  NND (defense is Desolidiﬁcation or natural PD 
  Damage Resistance; +1). 80 Active Points; total cost 
  40 points.
  4)  Deadly Internal Agony I:  The character can inﬂict 
  serious, even deadly, injuries while inside a target. 
  Change to HKA 2d6 and add No STR Bonus (-½). 
  105 Active Points; total cost 38 points.
  5)  Deadly Internal Agony II:  As Deadly Internal 
  Agony I, but reduce to HKA 1d6 and add NND 
  (defense is Desolidiﬁcation or natural PD Damage 
  Resistance; +1) and Does BODY (+1). 75 Active 
  Points; total cost 27 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  156 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  MICRO-COMBAT
  Effect:  Energy Blast 6d6, Penetrating, Transdimensional
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  This attack resembles Internal Agony; 
  it’s a way of achieving the same result (becoming 
  small enough to enter the victim and attack him 
  “from inside”) using diﬀerent mechanics. Charac-
  ters often buy both powers as part of a Multipower. 
  In this case, the character doesn’t need to have 
  size-based Desolidiﬁcation, but instead must have 
  the ability to go into the Microverse (see Enter The 
  Microverse!, below). Once in the Microverse, he 
  can get inside the target and attack with impunity 
  from another “dimension.” Because the character 
  has to be “inside” the target, the attack’s assumed to 
  be suﬃciently “inherently Indirect” to allow it to be 
  made Transdimensional.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 6d6, Penetrat-
  ing (+½), Transdimensional (from the Micro-
  verse to the normal-sized world; +½) (60 Active 
  Points); No Range (must be “inside” target; -½), 
  No Knockback (-¼). Total cost:  34 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Micro-Combat:  Increase to Energy Blast 
  8d6. 80 Active Points; total cost 46 points.
  2)  Weak Micro-Combat:  Decrease to Energy Blast 
  4d6. 40 Active Points; total cost 23 points.
  3)  Weakening Micro-Combat:  The character can’t 
  inﬂict any permanent harm, but can make a target 
  pass out by causing pain, restricting his blood ﬂow, 
  and so forth. Remove Penetrating (+½) and No 
  Knockback (-¼), and add NND (defense is Deso-
  lidiﬁcation or natural PD Damage Resistance; +1). 
  75 Active Points; total cost 50 points.
  4)  Deadly Micro-Combat I:  The character can inﬂict 
  serious, even deadly, injuries while inside a target. 
  Change to RKA 2d6. 60 Active Points; total cost 34 
  points.
  5)  Deadly Micro-Combat II:  As Deadly Micro-
  Combat I, but reduce to RKA 1d6, remove Pen-
  etrating (+½), and add NND (defense is Deso-
  lidification or natural PD Damage Resistance; 
  +1) and Does BODY (+1). 52 Active Points; total 
  cost 30 points.
  OPTIC NERVE TRAMPOLINE
  Effect:  Sight Group Flash 6d6, NND, Transdimensional
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  This power is similar to Micro-
  Combat; characters often buy it with that power 
  in a Multipower or the like. It allows the character 
  to get inside the character’s nervous system and 
  assault his optic nerve, creating temporary blind-
  ness. Because the character has to be “inside” the 
  target, the attack’s assumed to be suﬃciently “inher-
  ently Indirect” to allow it to be made Transdimen-
  sional.
  Game Information:  Sight Group Flash 6d6, 
  NND (defense is Desolidiﬁcation or inherent 
  Sight Group Flash Defense; +½), Transdimen-
  sional (from the Microverse to the normal-sized 
  world; +½) (60 Active Points); No Range (must 
  be “inside” target; -½). Total cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Assault:  Increase to Sight Group Flash 
  8d6. 80 Active Points; total cost 53 points.
  2)  Weak Assault:  Decrease to Sight Group Flash 
  4d6. 40 Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  3)  Auditory Nerve Trampoline:  Instead of impair-
  ing the target’s sight, the character can disrupt 
  his hearing. (Characters often buy this power in a 
  Multipower with Optic Nerve Trampoline; they can 
  also include other slots for other senses.) Change 
  to Hearing Group Flash 10d6 (and change “Sight 
  Group Flash Defense” to Hearing Group Flash 
  Defense as a defense to the NND). 60 Active Points; 
  total cost:  40 points.
  4)  Optic Internal Agony:  This variant accomplishes 
  the same thing, but uses the “Internal Agony” power 
  structure instead. Change to Sight Group Flash 5d6, 
  NND (defense is Desolidiﬁcation or inherent Sight 
  Group Flash Defense; +½), Aﬀects Physical World 
  (+2) (87 Active Points); Only When Desolidiﬁed 
  Inside Target (-1). Total cost: 43 points.
  
  157 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  Defensive Shrinking Powers
  FORM COHESION
  Effect:  Damage Resistance (12 PD/12 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  As the character shrinks in size, his 
  molecules become more compact, making him 
  more resistant to damage. He gains Damage Resis-
  tance (2 PD/2 ED) for every 10 points’ worth of 
  Shrinking he uses (this power, as built, assumes the 
  character as 60 points’ worth of Shrinking total).
  Game Information:  Damage Resistance (12 
  PD/12 ED) (12 Active Points); Linked (to 
  Shrinking; -¼). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Form Cohesion Variant:  Instead of becoming 
  more resistant to lethal damage, the character just 
  becomes generally tougher. Substitute +12 PD. 12 
  Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  2)  Neural Cohesion:  The character’s mind also 
  becomes more compact, and thus tougher to 
  hurt or probe mentally. When he uses his ﬁrst 10 
  points of Shrinking, he gains 2 points of Mental 
  Defense, plus his natural EGO/5 in Mental Defense. 
  Each additional level of Shrinking he uses adds 
  +2 Mental Defense. Character also buys Mental 
  Defense (12 points plus EGO/5); Linked (-½). 12 
  Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  Movement Shrinking Powers
  ENTER THE MICROVERSE!
  Effect:  Extra-Dimensional Movement
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can shrink down to 
  such tiny sizes that he enters the Microverse 
  — the atomic and sub-atomic level of reality, 
  where a single molecule can be an island, or even 
  a solar system! This effectively means the charac-
  ter is in another reality altogether, since normal-
  size persons cannot perceive or interact with him 
  in any way. However, he needs special powers 
  (such as the Transdimensional Energy Blasts 
  described above) to affect normal-sized reality, 
  and also a special sense (Spatial Correspondence 
  Detection, below) to keep himself oriented with 
  regard to normal-sized space.
  Game 
  Information:  Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement (any location in a single dimen-
  sion [the Microverse], corresponding to the 
  point character is at in this dimension). Total 
  cost:  22 points.
  Options:
  1)  Come See The Microverse:  The character can 
  shrink some of his comrades down and bring them 
  into the Microverse with him. Add x8 Increased 
  Mass. Total cost:  37 points.
  2)  Restricted Microversality:  The character’s range 
  of sizes isn’t unlimited. Apply the Restricted Size 
  Limitation:
  Restricted to 1 micron size (-1):  22 Active Points; 
  total cost 11 points.
  Restricted to average virus size (-¾):  22 Active 
  Points; total cost 13 points.
  Restricted to molecule size (-½):  22 Active 
  Points; total cost 15 points.
  Restricted to atomic nucleus size (-¼):  22 Active 
  Points; total cost 18 points.
  MICROFLIGHT
  Effect:  Flight 12”, Linked to Shrinking
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  As the character shrinks in size, he 
  can harness the kinetic power from compacting 
  his molecules to propel himself through the air. He 
  gains Flight 2” per 10 points of Shrinking (adjust 
  the cost to suit if the character has less than 60 
  points’ worth of Shrinking).
  Game Information:  Flight 12” (24 Active Points); 
  Linked (to Shrinking, gains 2” Flight per 10 points 
  of Shrinking used; -¼). Total cost:  19 points.
  Options:
  1)  Faster Microﬂight:  Increase to Flight 18” (3” per 
  10 points of Shrinking). 36 Active Points; total cost 
  29 points.
  2)  Slower Microflight:  Decrease to Flight 6” (1” 
  per 10 points of Shrinking). 12 Active Points; 
  total cost 10 points.
  SURFING THE ’NET
  Effect:  Teleportation 10”, MegaScale, Only Through 
  Phone Lines
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character shrinks down to such 
  tiny size that he can ride the electronic and light 
  impulses that carry telephone messages through 
  phone and ﬁber optic cables. The GM may require 
  him to buy an appropriate Knowledge Skill, Navi-
  gation Skill, or Power (such as Clairsentience) to 
  properly discern where he’s going when he wants to 
  travel to places he’s never been to before.
  Game Information:  Teleportation 10”, MegaS-
  cale (1” = 10 km, can scale down to 1” = 1 km; 
  +¾) (35 Active Points); Only Through Phone 
  Lines (-1). Total cost:  17 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  158 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  Options:
  1)  Faster Surﬁng:  Increase to MegaScale (1” = 100 
  km, can scale down to 1” = 1 km; +1). 40 Active 
  Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Slower Surﬁng:  Decrease to Teleportation 5”. 17 
  Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  Sensory Shrinking Powers
  SPATIAL CORRESPONDENCE DETECTION
  Effect:  Detect Point In Normal-Sized Space
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  When the character is in the Micro-
  verse, he can stop, concentrate for a moment, and 
  gain an exact understanding of where he currently 
  is in relation to normal space. This allows him to 
  target Transdimensional attacks accurately and 
  travel to desired locations without error.
  Game Information:  Detect Point In Normal-
  Sized Space Corresponding To Current Posi-
  tion In The Microverse (INT Roll +6) (no Sense 
  Group), Targeting. Total cost:  19 points.
  Miscellaneous  
  Shrinking Powers
  I’M IN HERE
  Effect:  Sight and Hearing Group Images, Set Effect, 
  Only When Inside Appropriate Machinery
  Target/Area Affected:  1” Radius
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  When the character becomes tiny 
  and gets inside a machine with audio speakers 
  and/or a viewscreen (such as a computer, a stereo, 
  a television, or a security camera), the character 
  can manipulate the machine so that normal-sized 
  people can see him on the screen and hear him 
  through the speakers.
  Game Information:  Sight and Hearing Group 
  Images, Indirect (to allow for Transdimen-
  sional; +½), Transdimensional (from the 
  Microverse to the normal-sized world; +½) (30 
  Active Points); Set Eﬀect (only creates Images 
  of what character’s saying and doing; -1), Only 
  When Inside Appropriate Machinery (-1), No 
  Range (-½). Total cost:  9 points.
  Options:
  1)  Can You Hear Me?:  If the character’s small enough 
  to be inside someone’s body, he can stimulate their 
  auditory nerve to “speak” to them. Because the char-
  acter has to be “inside” the target, the attack’s assumed 
  to be suﬃciently “inherently Indirect” to allow it to 
  be made Transdimensional. Telepathy 6d6 (30 Active 
  Points); Communication Only (-¼), Incantations 
  (must speak throughout; -½), No Range (character 
  must be “inside” target; -½), Only Works If Character 
  Is Next To Auditory Nerve (-2), Language Barrier 
  (-½). Total cost:  6 points.
  WALKING BETWEEN MOLECULES
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation, Only To Pass Through Solid 
  Objects (-½) and Clinging
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can shrink down to the 
  point where he’s small enough to slip between the 
  molecules of solid matter and walk through walls, get 
  inside peoples’ bodies to attack them, and so forth.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  27 
  Walking Between Molecules:  Desolidiﬁcation 
  (aﬀected by any attack that breaks the object 
  character is in); Only To Pass Through Solid 
  Objects (-½)
  3 
  Walking Between Molecules:  Clinging 
  (normal STR); Only To Remain Merged 
  With A Body/Object If It’s Moved Involun-
  tarily (-2), Linked (to Desolidiﬁcation; -½)
  Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Come Along For The Trip:  The character can 
  shrink some of his comrades down and bring them 
  through the walls with him. Add Usable Simulta-
  neously (up to four people at once; +¾) to both 
  powers. 70 and 17 Active Points; total cost 47 + 5 = 
  52 points.
  
  159 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  T
  his category of powers includes abilities 
  common to characters with malleable, 
  stretchable bodies. In addition to the ones 
  listed here, many powers in the Shape 
  Alteration and Size Alteration categories, such 
  as Human Mimicry, might be appropriate for 
  stretching characters.
  At the GM’s option, a malleable character 
  may be able to use some of these powers one 
  time only by making a Power:  Stretching Tricks 
  Skill Roll at an appropriate penalty (typically -1 
  per 10 Active Points in the power). If a character 
  wants to use a trick repeatedly, he should pay 
  Character Points for it, but a one-time use is just 
  what the Power Skill is meant for.
  BASIC POWERS
  MALLEABLE BODY
  Effect:  Stretching 8”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can stretch and con-
  tort his malleable body, reaching distances of up 
  to 8” away from where he’s standing (or even 16” 
  in some situations).
  Game Information:  Stretching 8”. Total cost:  40 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Longer Stretching I:  Increase to Stretching 12”. 
  Total cost:  60 points.
  2)  Longer Stretching II:  Increase to Stretching 20”. 
  Total cost:  100 points.
  3)  Longer Stretching III:  Add x8 Noncombat. Total 
  cost:  50 points.
  4)  Mega-Stretching:  The character can Stretch for, 
  literally, miles. Add MegaScale (1” = 1 km; +¼). 
  Total cost:  75 points.
  5)  Shorter Stretching:  Decrease to Stretching 6”. 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  6)  Easy Stretching:  Add Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½). Total cost:  60 points.
  7)  Stretching Beyond My Limits:  The character 
  can Stretch up to 8” eﬀortlessly. He can go beyond 
  that, up to 16”, but doing so tires him out and may 
  even hurt. Character buys Stretching 8”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (total cost:  60 points) 
  plus Stretching +8” (40 Active Points); Increased 
  Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Requires A Stretch-
  ing Tricks Roll (-½), Side Eﬀects (Drain BODY 1d6, 
  points return at the rate of 5 per 1 Hour; -¼) (total 
  cost:  14 points). Total cost:  74 points.
  OFFENSIVE POWERS
  BIG FIST
  Effect:  HA +4d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can make his ﬁst larger 
  and tougher, so that when he hits someone he 
  inﬂicts more damage.
  Game Information:  HA +4d6 (20 Active 
  Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Bigger Fist:  Increase to HA +6d6. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Smaller Fist:  Decrease to HA +3d6. 15 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  3)  Really Big Fist:  Add Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; 
  +½). 30 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  4)  Really, Really Big Fist:  Add Area Of Eﬀect (4” 
  Radius; +1) for 40 STR (adjust Radius and cost for 
  other levels of STR). Total cost:  20 points.
  5)  Big Spiky Fist:  The character also makes his ﬁst 
  sprout small spikes that allow his punch to pen-
  etrate armor and other defenses more easily. Add 
  Armor Piercing (+½). 30 Active Points; total cost 
  20 points.
  6)  Mace-Hand:  Instead of making his ﬁst bigger, 
  the character makes it sprout sharp spikes. Change 
  to HKA 1d6+1 (up to 2½d6 with STR). Total cost:  
  20 points.
  STRETCHING 
  POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  160 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  BOUNCEBACK BODY
  Effect:  Energy Blast 6d6, Damage Shield, Double 
  Knockback, Only Against Move Through 
  Attacks
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:   The character’s body is so springy that 
  when he wants to, he can make other characters 
  running into him bounce back.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 6d6, Con-
  tinuous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Double 
  Knockback (+¾), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (112 Active Points); Only Against Move 
  Through Attacks (-1½). Total cost: 45 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bounce:  Increase to Energy Blast 8d6. 
  150 Active Points; total cost 60 points.
  2)  Weak Bounce:  Decrease to Energy Blast 4d6. 75 
  Active Points; total cost 30 points.
  3)  Skilled Bounce:  The character’s power doesn’t 
  always work. Add Requires A Stretching Tricks Roll 
  (penalty is -1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  41 points.
  BOUNCING BASH
  Effect:  Energy Blast 6d6, Only In Enclosed Areas
  Target/Area Affected:  16” Radius
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  8
  Description:  Also known as Bowl ’Em Over when 
  the character assumes a sphere-like form to make 
  the attack, this power allows a character to bounce 
  around in an enclosed area (such as most rooms, 
  but few outdoor locations) hitting opponents as he 
  goes. He’s skilled enough to miss his friends and 
  only hit his enemies. When he’s done bouncing 
  around he ends up back in the hex where he started 
  the attack.
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 6d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect (16” Radius; +1½), Selective (+¼) (82 
  Active Points); No Range (-½), Limited Power 
  (only works in enclosed areas, see text; -½). 
  Total cost:  41 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bounce:  Increase to Energy Blast 8d6. 
  110 Active Points; total cost 55 points.
  2)  Weak Bounce:  Decrease to Energy Blast 4d6. 55 
  Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  3)  Awkward Bounce:  The character’s not always so 
  good at avoiding hitting his friends. Change Selec-
  tive (+¼) to Nonselective (-¼). 75 Active Points; 
  total cost 33 points.
  4)  Skilled Bounce:  Sometimes the character doesn’t 
  get the bounce quite right and this power doesn’t 
  work properly. Add Requires A Stretching Tricks 
  Roll (penalty is -1 per 20 Active Points; -¼) and 
  Side Eﬀects (character inﬂicts the damage on the 
  nearby environment, usually in some humorous or 
  disadvantageous way; -0). Total cost:  36 points.
  GOTCHA!
  Effect:  Entangle 2d6, 2 DEF, Damage Shield
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s body is so malleable 
  and ﬂexible that anyone who strikes him gets stuck 
  in him. Pulling free isn’t too diﬃcult (and may hurt 
  the character), but in the meantime the victim is 
  unable to move and thus easy prey for the charac-
  ter’s attacks.
  Game Information:  Entangle 2d6, 2 DEF, Con-
  tinuous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), Feedback (charac-
  ter takes all damage done by victim or anyone 
  else to break victim out of the Entangle; -1). 
  Total cost:  27 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Gotcha:  Increase to Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF. 
  90 Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  2)  Safe Gotcha:  Breaking free from the Entangle 
  doesn’t harm the character. Remove Feedback (-1). 
  60 Active Points; total cost 48 points.
  3)  Skillful Gotcha:  The character has to do the “cap-
  turing” just right or it doesn’t work. Add Requires A 
  Stretching Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  22 points.
  POKE IN THE EYE
  Effect:  Sight Group Flash 8d6, NND
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character can stretch out his ﬁn-
  gers and give his opponent a debilitating (though 
  not directly harmful) poke in the eyes.
  Game Information:  Sight Group Flash 8d6, 
  NND (defense is rigid eye protection; +½) (60 
  Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-½), Linked 
  (to Stretching, range of power depends upon 
  length of Stretching; -½). Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Poke:  Increase to Sight Group Flash 
  10d6. 75 Active Points; total cost 37 points.
  2)  Weak Poke:  Decrease to Sight Group Flash 6d6. 
  45 Active Points; total cost 22 points.
  
  161 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  SPIKY BODY
  Effect:  RKA 1½d6, Damage Shield, No Knockback
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  The character causes his entire body to 
  sprout sharp spikes, making it dangerous to hit him 
  or try to hold on to him.
  Game Information:  RKA 1½d6, Continuous 
  (+1), Damage Shield (+½) (62 Active Points); 
  No Knockback (-¼). Total cost:  50 points.
  Options:
  1)  Bigger Spikes:  Increase to RKA 2d6. 75 Active 
  Points; total cost 60 points.
  2)  Smaller Spikes:  Decrease to RKA 1d6. 37 Active 
  Points; total cost 30 points.
  3)  Sharper Spikes:  Add Armor Piercing (+½). 75 
  Active Points; total cost 60 points.
  STRETCHING SLINGSHOT
  Effect:  +30 STR, Only For Throwing
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  After the character picks up something 
  he can throw, he stretches his arm around some 
  appropriate ﬁxed object (such as a lamppost or 
  telephone pole), pulls his arm tight so it’s like the 
  rubber strip in a slingshot, then uses his arm to 
  throw or ﬂing the object much further, and with 
  much greater force, then he ordinarily could.
  Game Information:  +30 STR (30 Active Points); 
  OIF (requires appropriate “pivot point” of 
  opportunity; -½), Extra Time (Full Phase; -½), 
  Only For Throwing (-½), Must Follow Grab (-
  ½). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Throw:  Increase to +40 STR. 40 Active 
  Points; total cost 13 points.
  2)  Weak Throw:  Decrease to +20 STR. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 7 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  162 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  STRETCH-PUNCH
  Effect:  HA +3d6, Only Works With Stretching Velocity
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Most characters with Stretching can 
  punch harder than normal using their “Stretching 
  velocity” when they hit someone directly. A charac-
  ter with this power has practiced that maneuver so 
  that he hits really hard.
  Game Information:  HA +3d6 (15 Active Points); 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½), Only Works With 
  Stretching Velocity Bonus Damage (-½). Total 
  cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Punch:  Increase to HA +4d6. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  2)  Weak Punch:  Decrease to HA +2d6. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 5 points.
  SUFFOCATE
  Effect:  Energy Blast 4d6, NND
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  6
  Description:  Most people need air to breathe. 
  After Grabbing someone (or Entangling him with 
  Wraparoud or its variants), the character can cause 
  part of his body to ﬂow over their mouth and nose, 
  quickly causing the victim to pass out.
  For possible variations on this power, see Suf-
  focation and Strangulation Bubble (pages 15 and 99, 
  respectively, of The UNTIL Superpowers Database).
  Game Information:  Energy Blast 4d6, No 
  Normal Defense (defense is Life Support [Self-
  Contained Breathing]; +1), Continuous (+1) 
  (60 Active Points); No Range (-½), Must Follow 
  Grab Or Entangle (-½). Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Constriction:  This form of Suﬀocation lets the 
  character apply a slow, gradual squeeze that even-
  tually bypasses the target’s defenses to inﬂict both 
  STUN and BODY damage. However, he has to 
  keep the target Grabbed or Entangled during that 
  entire time. Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points); 
  No Range (-½), Gradual Eﬀect (5 Minutes, 1d6 
  immediately plus 1d6/minute thereafter; -¾), Must 
  Follow Grab Or Entangle (-½), Must Maintain 
  Grab Or Entangle (-½). Total cost: 18 points.
  2)  Over The Teeth And Past The Gums...:  Instead of 
  just squeezing someone unconscious, the character 
  lets his malleable form ﬂow into their mouth and 
  nose and down the throat so he can inﬂict griev-
  ous damage internally. Change to:  Energy Blast 
  4d6, Continuous (+1), Penetrating (+½) (50 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Must Follow Grab Or 
  Entangle (-½). Total cost:  25 points.
  WRAPAROUND
  Effect:  Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  5
  Description:  The character can wrap another 
  person up in his malleable body, preventing that 
  person from moving. Any eﬀorts to cut the trapped 
  person free also inﬂicts damage on the character, so 
  he needs to be careful when and on whom he uses 
  this power. Another drawback to it is that it pre-
  vents him from using any other stretching powers 
  while he maintains it.
  Game Information:  Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF (50 
  Active Points); Feedback (character takes all 
  damage done to break out of the Entangle by 
  victim or anyone else; -1), Lockout (character 
  can only Entangle one person, and cannot use 
  other stretching powers, while the Entangle 
  remains in eﬀect; -½), No Range (-½), Cannot 
  Form Barriers (-¼). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Wrapping:  Increase to Entangle 6d6, 8 
  DEF. 70 Active Points; total cost 21 points.
  2)  Weak Wrapping:  Decrease to Entangle 4d6, 4 
  DEF. 40 Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  3)  Unhindering Wraparound:  The character only 
  uses part of his malleable body to wrap up the 
  victim, leaving other parts free to Entangle other 
  characters or perform other tasks. Remove Lockout 
  (-½). Total cost:  18 points.
  4)  I’m Sorry, Did That Hurt?:  The character’s ﬂexible 
  body “reﬂects” the victim’s eﬀorts to escape back 
  at him, causing him to hurt himself in the process. 
  Add Backlash (+½) and change Feedback to (char-
  acter takes all damage done to break victim out of 
  the Entangle by anyone other than victim; -1). 75 
  Active Points; total cost 23 points.
  5)  Engulf:  The character so thoroughly wraps up 
  the victim that the victim can neither see nor hear. 
  Add Stops A Given Sense (Sight Group, Hearing 
  Group). 70 Active Points; total cost 21 points.
  6)  Big Wraparound:  The character can stretch his 
  body enough to wrap up a lot of people. Decrease 
  to Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF and add Area Of Eﬀect (4” 
  Radius; +1). 80 Active Points; total cost 25 points.
  7)  Skillful Wraparound:  The character has to get 
  the wrapping-up just right or it doesn’t work. Add 
  Requires A Stretching Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  
  13 points.
  8)  Suffocating Wraparound:  The character can cut 
  oﬀ a target’s breathing while Entangling him. Link 
  (-¼) Suﬀocate to Wraparound. 50 + 60 = 110 Active 
  Points; total cost 15 + 27 = 42 points.
  9)  Adhesive Wraparound:  Anyone who touches the 
  character also gets wrapped up. Add Sticky (+½). 75 
  Active Points; total cost 23 points.
  
  163 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  10)  Alternate Wraparound:  Instead of buying 
  this ability as an Entangle, the character buys an 
  improved ability to Grab. This is particularly eﬀec-
  tive if the character has lots of Extra Limbs. On the 
  other hand (no pun intended!), unlike the Entangle 
  the extra STR costs END every Phase. Change to:  
  +50 STR (50 Active Points); Only To Grab (-½). 
  Total cost:  33 points.
  DEFENSIVE POWERS
  BODY BARRIER
  Effect:  Force Wall (8 PD/6 ED), Opaque
  Target/Area Affected:  Varies
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can stretch and ﬂatten 
  his body to form a sort of “living wall” to protect 
  his friends or block access to an area. Unfortunately 
  he takes damage from the attacks he blocks, and 
  one that’s powerful enough to “break through” him 
  causes his body to collapse into a rubbery heap 
  until he can reform the wall (or his body).
  Game Information:  Force Wall (8 PD/6 ED), 
  Opaque (Sight Group) (45 Active Points); No 
  Range (-½), Feedback (-1). Total cost:  18 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Barrier:  Increase to Force Wall (11 PD/9 
  ED). 60 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  2)  Longer Barrier:  Increase to 3” long, 2” high. 51 
  Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  3)  Lockout Barrier:  The character can do nothing 
  but maintain his Barrier. Add Lockout (-½). 45 
  Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  FLEXIBLE DODGING
  Effect:  Missile Deﬂection (all Ranged attacks)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can, easily and almost 
  reﬂexively, stretch and contort his body to avoid 
  missiles and energy beams.
  Game Information:  Missile Deﬂection (all 
  Ranged attacks). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Bounce Attacks Back:  The character can “catch” 
  physical missiles in his malleable body and then 
  bounce them back at whoever ﬁred them. Add Mis-
  sile Reﬂection (20 Active Points); Only Physical 
  Missiles (-½) (total cost:  13 points). 20 + 20 = 40 
  Active Points; total cost 20 + 13 = 33 Active Points.
  2)  Tiring Flexible Dodging:  The character has to exert 
  himself to ﬂexibly dodge attacks. Add Costs Endur-
  ance (-½). 20 Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  3)  Variant Dodging:  Instead of deﬁning his ability to 
  “stretch” out of the way of an attack, the character 
  buys DCV Combat Skill Levels, which also apply 
  against HTH Combat attacks. Change to:  +4 DCV. 
  Total cost:  20 points.
  IMPACT ABSORPTION
  Effect:  Knockback Resistance -5”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s body is so malleable 
  that it “gives” with physical impact rather than get-
  ting Knocked Back. For example, if the character’s 
  punched in the face at takes 4” of Knockback, his 
  head ﬂies back 4” while his body remains where 
  it is, then his head snaps back into place instantly. 
  Even if the character hits something while part of 
  him is moving backwards, he just bounces oﬀ of it, 
  taking no (or less) damage.
  Game Information:  Knockback Resistance -5” 
  (10 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-¼). Total 
  cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Absorption:  Increase to Knockback Resis-
  tance -8”. 16 Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  2)  Weak Absorption:  Decrease to Knockback Resis-
  tance -2”. 4 Active Points; total cost 3 points.
  3)  Lesser Absorption:  Whenever parts of the charac-
  ter’s body are Knocked Back out of place, he has to 
  spend a little time “retracting” them back to where 
  they should be. Until he does this, he usually suﬀers 
  -2 CV or other penalties established by the GM. Add 
  Requires Half Phase Action To “Retract” Knocked 
  Back Body Parts (-½). Total cost:  6 points.
  MISSILE GRABBING
  Effect:  Missile Deﬂection
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  8”
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can reach out and grab 
  relatively slow-moving physical missiles to keep 
  them from hitting himself, or his friends.
  The range for this power depends on the 
  character’s inches of Stretching. As built, it assumes 
  Stretching 8”.
  Game Information:  Missile Deﬂection (non-
  gunpowder projectiles), Range (+1) (20 Active 
  Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Limited Range 
  (8”; -¼). Total cost:  11 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  164 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  RUBBERY BODY
  Effect:  Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% plus 
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Attacks just bounce oﬀ the character’s 
  malleable body, or have diﬃculty aﬀecting so ﬂex-
  ible a form. The eﬀect is much more pronounced 
  with physical attacks than energy ones.
  Game Information:  Physical Damage Reduc-
  tion, Resistant, 50% plus Energy Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 25%. Total cost:  30 + 15 
  = 45 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tiring Rubbery Body:  The character has to exert 
  himself to diminish the eﬀect of attacks. Add Costs 
  Endurance (-½) to both. 30 + 15 = 45 Active Points; 
  total cost 20 + 10 = 30 points.
  2)  Restricted Rubbery Body:  The character cannot 
  bounce or avoid the eﬀects of sharp, cutting, slash-
  ing, or piercing attacks. Change to Normal Damage 
  Reduction. Total cost:  20 + 10 = 30 points.
  3)  Skillful Rubbery Body:  The character has to use 
  his body in just the right way to absorb or bounce 
  attacks, or he gets hurt. Add Requires A Stretching 
  Tricks Roll (-½). 30 + 15 = 45 Active Points; total 
  cost 20 + 10 = 30 points.
  SAFETY PILLOW
  Effect:  Breakfall DEX +10
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self/Touch
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can form his body into 
  a big, soft pillow to either minimize the damage he 
  takes from falls, or “catch” other people as they fall. 
  See also Caught Ya!, below.
  Game Information:  Breakfall DEX +10, Usable 
  By Other (+¼) (29 Active Points); Costs Endur-
  ance (-½). Total cost:  19 points.
  UNIFORM FORM I
  Effect:  Lack Of Weakness (-10) for Normal and Resis-
  tant Defenses
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:   1
  Description:  The character’s malleability powers 
  mean he has a uniform body throughout, making 
  it difficult to detect weaknesses because every 
  part is as defensive as any other. This only applies 
  to innate defenses, such as the character’s own 
  PD, ED, and Damage Resistance; it has no effect 
  on worn armors, force fields the character gener-
  ates, or the like (the Limitation that reflects this 
  should be removed if the character has no non-
  innate defenses).
  Characters with this power often buy Look, Ma, 
  No Organs! as well, and GMs sometimes allow them 
  to buy the Automaton Power No Hit Locations.
  Game Information:  Lack Of Weakness (-10) 
  for Normal and Resistant Defenses (20 Active 
  Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Only Applies 
  To Character’s Innate Defenses (-¼). Total cost:  
  11 points.
  Options:
  1) Greater Uniformity:  Increase to Lack Of Weakness 
  (-15). 30 Active Points; total cost 17 points.
  2) Lesser Uniformity:  Decrease to Lack of Weakness 
  (-5). 10 Active Points; total cost 6 points.
  UNIFORM FORM II
  Effect:  +6 DCV, Only To Increase Hit Location Penalties
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  In games where the GM won’t let mal-
  leable metamorphs buy the Automaton Power No 
  Hit Locations (see page 59), this power acts as a 
  reasonable substitute — it makes it much, much 
  harder for an attacker to target any speciﬁc Hit 
  Location successfully.
  Game Information:  +6 DCV (30 Active Points); 
  Only To Increase Hit Location Penalties (-2). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Greater Uniformity:  Increase to +8 DCV. 40 
  Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  2)  Lesser Uniformity:  Decrease to +4 DCV. 20 
  Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  
  165 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  MOVEMENT POWERS
  CARRYALL
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight and Touch Groups, any 
  simple shape or container)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can contort and reshape 
  his body into simple shapes and containers. For exam-
  ple he could form a boat or sled for other characters to 
  ride in, a large box or bag to store things in, or the like.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight and 
  Touch Groups, any simple shape or container). 
  Total cost:  23 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Carryall:  Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½). Total cost:  34 points.
  ELASTIC ARMS
  Effect:  Climbing (DEX Roll +5)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s ability to stretch out 
  his arms makes it easy for him to climb just about 
  any surface, since he can use handholds beyond the 
  reach of ordinary climbers. (See also Molding To 
  Surfaces, below.)
  Game Information:  Climbing (DEX Roll +5). 
  Total cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Longer Arms:  Increase to DEX Roll +7. Total 
  cost:  17 points.
  2)  Shorter Arms:  Decrease to DEX Roll +3. Total 
  cost:  9 points.
  JET FORM
  Effect:  Flight 10”, Side Effect (-3 DCV) plus +10 STR, 
  Only To Carry “Passengers”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self + “passengers”
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2 + 1
  Description:  Uncontrained by reality or logic, the 
  character can actually stretch his form into a working 
  jet plane! The size of the jet depends on the number 
  of people he wants to carry with him (“passengers”), 
  which is typically restricted by his STR.
  Game Information:  Flight 10” (20 Active 
  Points); Side Eﬀect (character is at -3 DCV, 
  always occurs; -½) (13 Active Points) plus +10 
  STR (10 Active Points); Linked (to Flight; -½), 
  Only To Carry “Passengers” While Flying (-½) 
  (total cost:  5 points). Total cost:  18 points.
  Options:
  1)  Fast Jet I:  Increase to Flight 15”. 30 + 10 = 40 
  Active Points; total cost 20 + 5 = 25 points.
  2)  Fast Jet II:  Add x8 Noncombat. 30 + 10 = 40 
  Active Points; total cost 20 + 5 = 25 points.
  3)  Slow Jet:  Decrease to Flight 8”. 16 + 10 = 26 
  Active Points; total cost 11 + 5 = 16 points.
  4)  More Passengers:  Increase to +20 STR. 20 + 20 
  = 40 Active Points; total cost 13 + 10 = 23 points.
  5)  Fewer Passengers:  Decrease to +5 STR. 20 + 5 = 
  25 Active Points; total cost 13 + 2 = 15 points.
  MOLDING TO SURFACES
  Effect:  Clinging (normal STR)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  By carefully molding his malleable 
  hands and feet into the cracks and rough spots of 
  a surface (even a surface that seems smooth to the 
  touch), the character can climb up walls, cling to 
  ceilings, and the like. (Alternately, he may shape his 
  hands into suction cups.)
  Game Information:  Clinging (normal STR) (10 
  Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Cannot 
  Resist Knockback (-¼), Requires A Stretching 
  Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  4 points.
  PARASAIL FORM
  Effect:  Gliding 6”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character flattens his body out 
  into a parasail-like form so he can glide through 
  the air. He has to keep his body in the proper 
  shape to stay airborne, which means he can’t use 
  other stretching powers.
  Game Information:  Gliding 6” (6 Active Points); 
  Lockout (character cannot use other stretching 
  powers while Gliding; -½). Total cost:  4 points.
  Options:
  1)  Parachute Form:  The character shapes his mal-
  leable body into a parachute-like form, allowing him 
  (and up to one person holding onto his arms and 
  legs) to drift gently to the ground. Add Usable Simul-
  taneously (character and one other person; +½) and 
  Limited Movement (character cannot gain altitude, 
  and must move at least 12” downward for every 1” 
  forward; -½). 9 Active Points; total cost 4 points.
  2)  Gliding Membranes:  The character can create 
  “wings” under his arms that allow him to glide, but 
  keep his arms and legs free to do things (within 
  reason). Remove Lockout (-½). Total cost:  6 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  166 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  PERSONAL BRACHIATION
  Effect:  Swinging 10”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character uses his stretchable, mal-
  leable limbs as swinglines. He reaches out, grabs 
  a branch, cornice, overhang, ﬂagpole, or the like 
  and swings swiftly to wherever he wants to go. The 
  big diﬀerence between this type of Swinging and a 
  version involving a external swingline that it uses 
  the character’s own body — if someone attacks the 
  “swingline,” the character takes the damage.
  Game Information:  Swinging 10”. Total cost:  
  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Faster Brachiation:  Increase to Swinging 15”. 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  2)  Slower Brachiation:  Decrease to Swinging 5”. 
  Total cost:  5 points.
  SPRING-LEAPING
  Effect:  Leaping +10”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character changes shape to give 
  his lower body some elasticity so he can travel by 
  bouncing. He may change his legs into springs or 
  his entire body into a giant rubber ball, or he may 
  simply use his Stretching to aid his ability to jump 
  — but whatever he does, it allows him to make 
  enormous leaps.
  Game Information:  Leaping +10”. Total cost:  
  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Super-Springiness:  Increase to Leaping +20”. 
  Total cost:  20 points.
  2)  Less Springy:  Decrease to Leaping +6”. Total 
  cost:  6 points.
  3)  Stretch-Leaping:  The character’s Leaping 
  depends entirely on his Stretching. Add Linked (to 
  Stretching; -½). Total cost:  7 points.
  STRETCH-SPRINTING
  Effect:  Running +5”
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character stretches his legs so he 
  can take longer strides and thus run faster.
  Game Information:  Running +5”. Total cost:  
  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Stretched Legs:  Increase to Running +8”. 
  Total cost:  16 points.
  2)  Less Stretched Legs:  Decrease to Running +3”. 
  Total cost:  6 points.
  3)  Wheels:  The character can change his legs or 
  lower body into an axle and wheels for really fast 
  movement. Change to Running +8”, x8 Noncombat. 
  Total cost:  26 points.
  SENSORY POWERS
  PEEKING AROUND CORNERS
  Effect:  Clairsentience (Sight and Hearing Group), Visible
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character can stretch his head, 
  or perhaps just an eye and an ear, around corners 
  and under doors to perceive where he normally 
  could not.
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Sight and 
  Hearing Group) (30 Active Points); No Range 
  (-½), Visible (perception point can be perceived; 
  -¼). Total cost:  17 points.
  
  167 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  MISCELLANEOUS POWERS
  BRIDGEWORK
  Effect:  Flight 8”, Usable By Other, Not Usable By Character
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  2
  Description:  The character can stretch his body 
  between two places (typically two rooftops, or two 
  banks of a river), forming an impromptu bridge for 
  others to use. One person can walk over him at a 
  time, and his weight must not exceed the charac-
  ter’s STR lifting limit, or else the “bridge” collapses 
  in the middle, probably causing injury to both 
  characters. (The collapse also occurs if two or more 
  characters try to use the “bridge” at once.) The per-
  sons granted the power can only use it to “ﬂy” back 
  and forth along one speciﬁc path of no more than 
  8” in length.
  Game Information:  Flight 8”, Usable By Other 
  (+¼) (20 Active Points); No Noncombat Move-
  ment (-¼), Not Usable By Character (-½), Can 
  Only Travel 8” Maximum Along Speciﬁed Path 
  (-1), Weight Load Must Not Exceed Character’s 
  STR (-¼). Total cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Long Bridge:  Increase to Flight 12”. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  2)  Short Bridge:  Decrease to Flight 5”. 12 Active 
  Points; total cost 4 points.
  CAUGHT YA!
  Effect:  +50 STR, Only To Catch Falling Objects/Charac-
  ters plus +3 OCV, Only With Grabbing Fall-
  ing Characters
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent/Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  5
  Description:  The character’s particularly skilled at 
  using his elastic form to catch falling objects and 
  characters. Maybe he stretches his body out into a 
  “chute” to catch them and lower them safely to the 
  ground, or he makes his hands so large and pillow-
  like that it’s easy to grab them as they plummet to 
  Earth. Whatever the special eﬀect, the end result is 
  that both the falling object/person and the charac-
  ter are much less likely to be hurt by the maneuver 
  than normal.
  Game Information:  +50 STR (30 Active 
  Points); Only To Catch Falling Objects/
  Characters (-2) (total cost:  17 points) plus 
  +3 OCV (15 Active Points); Only With Grab-
  bing Falling Characters (-2) (total cost:  5 
  points). Total cost:  22 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Catching:  Increase to +75 STR. 75 + 15 = 
  90 Active Points; total cost 25 + 5 = 30 points.
  2)  Weak Catching:  Decrease to +30 STR. 30 + 15 = 
  45 Active Points; total cost 10 + 5 = 15 points.
  FEATURE MOLDING
  Effect:    Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, and Touch Groups, 
  any humanoid form)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Description:  The character can mold and reshape 
  his elastic ﬂesh to change his appearance (and, by 
  changing the shape of his mouth and vocal chords, 
  his voice as well). He can’t imitate other people 
  (unless he makes a Disguise roll), but he can make 
  himself look like a completely diﬀerent person.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, 
  and Touch Groups, any humanoid form). Total 
  cost:  26 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Molding:  The character has ﬁne enough 
  control to imitate other people. Add Imitation. 
  Total cost:  36 points.
  2)  Weak Molding:  The character can’t change his 
  voice signiﬁcantly. Remove Hearing Group. Total 
  cost:  23 points.
  3)  Lasting Molding:  The character’s features remain 
  in altered form until he decides to change them. 
  Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) and Persis-
  tent (+½). Total cost:  52 points.
  4)  Lengthy Molding:  The character has to take some 
  time to mold his features into shape, almost like 
  sculpting with clay. Add Extra Time (1 Minute to 
  activate; -¾). 26 Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  HUMAN AIR BUBBLE
  Effect:  Force Wall (2 PD/2 ED, 2” long), Opaque, Only To 
  Form Oxygen Bubble
  Target/Area Affected:  One Hex
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can form himself into 
  a 1” radius bubble (with his head on the inside) to 
  surround several people and maintain an envelope 
  of oxygen around them if they’re trapped underwa-
  ter or in a cloud of gas. How long the oxygen lasts 
  depends on how many people are breathing it, of 
  course, but usually this is just an emergency mea-
  sure to allow the group time to devise a solution to 
  the problem.
  Game Information:  Force Wall (2 PD/2 ED, 2” 
  long), Opaque (22 Active Points); No Range 
  (-½), Only To Form Oxygen Bubble (see text; 
  -¼). Total cost:  13 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  168 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  LOOK, MA, NO ORGANS!
  Effect:  Life Support (Total)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s rubbery form has no 
  internal organs — somehow he can survive with 
  nothing but tissue, muscles, and malleable bones. 
  As a result he can’t be poisoned, doesn’t have to 
  sleep or eat, and can survive extreme environmen-
  tal conditions.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Total). Total 
  cost:  45 points.
  PSEUDOPODS
  Effect:  Extra Limbs
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character can extrude additional 
  limbs from his body at will — as many as desired. 
  Alternately, you can use this power to represent the 
  diﬃculty of ﬁghting someone who has a malleable 
  body — even when his hands are occupied, he can 
  always form another “loop” to wrap around a foe or 
  Grab someone with.
  Game Information:  Extra Limbs (however 
  many the character wants) (5 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½). Total cost:  3 points.
  SQUEEZING THROUGH CRACKS
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Description:  The character can squeeze his mal-
  leable body through the tiniest of openings 
  — between jail bars, underneath doors, through 
  mouseholes, even through chicken wire.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by 
  any attack) (40 Active Points); Does Not Protect 
  Against Damage (-1), Cannot Pass Through 
  Solid Objects (-½). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easy Squeezing:  Add Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½). 60 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  2)  Taxing Squeezing:  The character has to focus his 
  attention and take extra time to ﬁt through small 
  openings. Add Concentration (0 DCV; -½), Extra 
  Time (Extra Phase; -¾). Total cost:  11 points.
  3)  Malleable Skeleton:  The character doesn’t have a 
  fully malleable form; only his skeleton is truly mal-
  leable. Thus, while he can squeeze through cracks 
  and crevices ordinary humans can’t, he cannot ﬁt 
  through narrow pipes, underneath doors, or the 
  like. Change Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-
  ½) to Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (see text; 
  -1). Total cost:  13 points.
  
  169 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  BERSERKER FURY
  Effect:  +10 STR, +10 CON, and +4 PD, Side Effects 
  (become Berserk)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1 + 0
  Description:  The character can drive himself into 
  a berserk frenzy during which he becomes much 
  stronger and harder to hurt... but also likely to 
  attack his friends in his blind rage.
  Game Information:  +10 STR (10 Active Points); 
  Nonpersistent (-¼), Side Eﬀects (character 
  becomes Berserk with a recovery roll of 8-, always 
  occurs; -½) (total cost:  6 points) plus +10 CON 
  (20 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-¼), Side 
  Eﬀects (character becomes Berserk with a recov-
  ery roll of 8-, always occurs; -½) (total cost:  11 
  points) plus +4 PD (4 Active Points); Nonpersis-
  tent (-¼), Side Eﬀects (character becomes Berserk 
  with a recovery roll of 8-, always occurs; -½) (total 
  cost:  2 points). Total cost:  19 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Berserker:  Increase to +15 STR, +15 
  CON, and +6 PD. 15 + 30 + 6 = 51 Active Points; 
  total cost 9 + 17 + 3 = 29 points.
  2)  Weak Berserker:  Decrease to +5 STR, +5 CON, 
  and +2 PD. 5 + 10 + 2 = 17 Active Points; total cost 
  3 + 6 + 1 = 10 points.
  3)  Lengthy Berserker:  It takes the character a little 
  while to work himself into a berserk fury. Add to 
  each Characteristic Extra Time (Extra Phase to 
  activate; -½). 10 + 20 + 4 = 34 Active Points; total 
  cost 4 + 9 + 2 = 15 points.
  4)  Alternate Berserker I:  This form of Berserker 
  Fury is Triggered by going Berserk, rather than 
  automatically causing the character to go Berserk. 
  Change to:  +10 STR, Trigger (whenever character 
  goes Berserk, activating Trigger takes no time, char-
  acter does not control activation of Trigger, Trigger 
  requires a Turn or more of rest to reset after Ber-
  serk fades; +0) (10 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-
  ¼), STR Fades Immediately When Character Stops 
  Being Berserk (-¼) (total cost:  7 points) plus +10 
  CON, Trigger (see above; +0) (20 Active Points); 
  Nonpersistent (-¼), CON Fades Immediately 
  When Character Stops Being Berserk (-¼) (total 
  cost:  13 points) plus +4 PD, Trigger (see above; 
  +0) (4 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-¼), PD Fades 
  Immediately When Character Stops Being Berserk 
  (-¼) (total cost:  3 points). Total cost:  23 points.
  5)  Alternate Berserker II:  This version of Berserker 
  Fury is built with Aid STR and Damage Reduction, 
  like the Berserk Fury Talent in Fantasy Hero:  Aid 
  STR 3d6 (30 Active Points); Self Only (-½), Only 
  When Fighting (-½), Side Eﬀect (automatically 
  becomes Berserk in combat while Aid remains in 
  eﬀect, can only make 11- recovery rolls after all 
  Aided points fade; -½), Cannot Be Used Again 
  Until All Points Fade (-¼) (total cost:  11 points) 
  plus Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% 
  (15 Active Points); STUN Only (-½), Only When 
  Fighting (-½), Side Eﬀect (-½), Linked (lasts only 
  as long as Aid lasts; -½) (total cost:  5 points). Total 
  cost:  16 points.
  BODYJACKING
  Effect:  Mind Control 18d6 plus Desolidiﬁcation plus 
  Clinging
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character can merge with and take 
  over another person’s body. He converts his own 
  body to psychic energy and invades the mind of 
  his target, “imprinting” himself on the target’s mind 
  and controlling his body. (Alternately, he may not 
  have a physical form, but simply exist as a coher-
  ent pattern of psychic energy.) He must touch the 
  person to do this.
  In game terms, this power consists of high-
  powered Mind Control Linked to Desolidiﬁcation. 
  When the character attacks, he touches his poten-
  tial victim and makes his ECV Attack Roll (the 
  GM may require a DEX Roll to touch the victim, 
  if appropriate). If he hits, he makes his Eﬀect Roll, 
  and he must achieve an EGO +30 or greater result. 
  If he fails, the power doesn’t work at all, leaving him 
  standing there looking foolish (and vulnerable). If 
  the victim ever succeeds with a Breakout Roll, the 
  character is ejected from the victim’s body immedi-
  ately, appearing next to him as described below.
  If he succeeds, his Desolidiﬁcation activates 
  and he automatically “merges” with the person 
  he’s just taken control of. His Desolidiﬁcation and 
  Clinging only allow him to enter a victim’s body 
  and move with it as it moves; while Desolidiﬁed, he 
  cannot use his own equipment (except for Foci that 
  provide defense, such as an armored costume or 
  suit), physical abilities, or mental/psionic abilities. 
  The character can do nothing but control the body 
  and communicate with it telepathically while inside 
  it. Standard rules about changing orders with Mind 
  Control apply.
  MISCELLANEOUS 
  POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  170 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  While in control of the victim, the character 
  can make use of any of the victim’s Skills, Perks, 
  Talents, Powers, or other abilities he knows about 
  (whether through experience, study, or use of 
  Telepathy). The victim moves and acts with his 
  own SPD or the character’s SPD, whichever is 
  lower. If the victim attacks, he does so with his 
  own DEX/EGO or the character’s DEX/EGO, 
  whichever is lower.
  If the victim takes any damage after applying 
  his (the victim’s) defenses, the character takes that 
  damage, too (though he can apply his own defenses 
  to it). Any Mental Powers used on the victim auto-
  matically aﬀect only the character, not the victim. If 
  the victim becomes Stunned, the character becomes 
  Stunned as well; if the victim is Knocked Out, the 
  character is immediately ejected from the body (and 
  may take damage, as discussed above). If a victim dies 
  while the character possesses him, the character dies 
  as well. If the character is Stunned, Knocked Out, or 
  killed separately from the victim, he automatically re-
  appears next to the victim in that state.
  When the character fails an Effect Roll or 
  voluntarily ends his possession of a victim, he 
  appears in physical form right next to the victim, 
  in the same spatial relationship they had when 
  he attacked. For example, if he touched a victim 
  from the left side, he’ll re-appear to the left of 
  that person.
  If the character wants to move from one body 
  to another without re-appearing, he must touch the 
  potential victim while still possessing the current 
  victim. If he fails his ECV Attack Roll or Eﬀect Roll, 
  he’s immediately ejected from his current victim 
  and re-appears. If everything goes as planned, he 
  merges from the ﬁrst victim to the second, leaving 
  the ﬁrst person once again in control of himself.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  135 
  Bodily Possession:  Mind Control 18d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Telepathic 
  (+¼), Aﬀects Physical World (+2); No Range 
  (-½), Linked (to Desolidiﬁcation; -¼), Man-
  datory Eﬀect (must achieve EGO +30 result; 
  -¾), Side Eﬀects (potential negative eﬀects 
  while controlling victim, see text; -0)
  24 
  Bodily Possession:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by magic or any attack that aﬀects possessed 
  body), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  Linked (to Mind Control; -½), Only To 
  “Merge” With Possessed Body (see text; -1)
  9 
  Bodily Possession:  Clinging (normal STR), 
  Aﬀects Physical World (+2); Only To Remain 
  Merged With A Body If It’s Moved Involun-
  tarily (-2), Linked (to Desolidiﬁcation; -½)
  61 
  Thought Reading:  Telepathy 7d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Aﬀects Physical 
  World (+2); No Range (-½), Only On Pos-
  sessed Target (-½)
  Total cost:  229 points.
  Options:
  1)  Ranged Bodyjacking:  The character doesn’t have 
  to touch his victim to possess him; he can do so 
  from up to 15” distance, instantly transforming to 
  psychic energy and traveling into the victim’s mind 
  if his attack succeeds. Remove No Range (-½) from 
  Mind Control (total cost:  168 points) and add Tele-
  portation 15” (30 Active Points); Linked (to Mind 
  Control; -½), No Noncombat Multiple (-¼) (total 
  cost:  17 points). Total cost:  279 points.
  2)  Corporeal Remnant:  Instead of transforming 
  wholly into psychic energy, the character leaves 
  his body behind when he projects his mind into 
  another person’s body. Any harm inﬂicted on the 
  body aﬀects the character. To the Mind Control 
  power add Character’s Body Is Helpless And Inca-
  pacitated While Character Uses Mind Control (-1) 
  (total cost:  96 points). Total cost:  190 points.
  3)  Psychic Energy Form:  The character doesn’t have 
  a physical form, his “body” is made of pure psychic 
  energy. Change power as follows:
  Cost Power
  53 
  Psychic Energy Form:  Desolidiﬁcation 
  (aﬀected by magic or any attack that aﬀects 
  possessed body), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½), Persistent (+½); Always On (-½)
  150 
  Bodily Possession:  Mind Control 18d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Telepathic 
  (+¼), Aﬀects Physical World (+2); No Range 
  (must “merge” with target to establish and 
  maintain Mind Control; -½), Mandatory 
  Eﬀect (must achieve EGO +30 result; -¾), 
  Side Eﬀects (potential negative eﬀects while 
  controlling victim, see text; -0)
  10 
  Bodily Possession:  Clinging (normal STR), 
  Aﬀects Physical World (+2); Only To Remain 
  Merged With A Body If It’s Moved Involun-
  tarily (-2)
  61 
  Thought Reading:  Telepathy 7d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Aﬀects Physical 
  World (+2); No Range (-½), Only On Pos-
  sessed Target (-½)
  Total cost:  274 points.
  
  171 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  DISEMBODIED MIND
  Effect:  Variable Power Pool (Disembodied Mind Pool), 
  Only For Multiform, No Conscious Control
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character is a disembodied mind 
  that “jumps” from physical form to physical form 
  at random. The character can’t control the jump 
  — neither when it occurs, nor who he’ll jump 
  into — and thus may be stuck in an undesireable 
  body for a long time. The character may have the 
  means to predict when a jump will occur (for 
  example, he knows he usually won’t remain in a 
  body for more than three days), but he can never 
  be certain. The GM determines when a jump 
  occurs, and whose body the character ends up 
  with. (If you want the character to be able to con-
  trol his jumps, he needs powers like Bodyjacking 
  or Mind Transfer.)
  As constructed, this power assumes the char-
  acter’s only going to be jumping into the bodies 
  of mostly trivial NPCs — player characters and 
  important NPCs are immune. To put it another 
  way, this power isn’t a form of Mind Control, so 
  the GM should only allow a jump into a signiﬁcant 
  character if doing so furthers the story or contrib-
  utes to everyone’s enjoyment of the game.
  The cost of this power assumes a world with 
  superhumans or other people of such great power 
  that they could be built on up to 1,000 Character 
  Points. If that’s not the case (i.e., if the character’s 
  limited to weaker people, or there are lots of char-
  acters built on more points than that), adjust the 
  cost of the power appropriately.
  Game Information:  Variable Power Pool (Dis-
  embodied Mind Pool), 200 base + 100 control 
  cost; Only For Human Multiforms (see text; -
  ½), No Conscious Control (see text; -2). Total 
  cost:  200 + 29 = 229 points.
  MASTER OF DISGUISE
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight Group, any human form, Imi-
  tation), Extra Time (1 Hour)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Skill Roll Penalty:  -6
  Description:  A character with this ability is a master 
  of disguise. Give him an hour and the right sup-
  plies, and he can make himself look like anyone of 
  roughly the same height and weight. The disguise 
  remains in eﬀect even if he’s Knocked Out or goes 
  to sleep (i.e., it’s Persistent), but can be damaged by 
  punches to the face (or similar impacts), and will 
  start to fall apart after a few days (at the latest) if 
  the character can’t “touch it up” periodically.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight Group, 
  any human form), Imitation, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (60 Active 
  Points); OIF (disguise supplies of opportunity; 
  -½), Extra Time (1 Hour; -3), Requires A Dis-
  guise Roll (-½). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Disguise:  Change to Extra Time (20 Min-
  utes; -2½). Total cost:  13 points.
  2)  Weak Disguise:  Change to Extra Time (6 Hours; 
  -3½). Total cost:  11 points.
  3)  Easier Disguise:  Change to Requires A Dis-
  guise Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  4)  Tougher Disguise:  Change to Requires A Dis-
  guise Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  
  11 points.
  5)  Master’s Disguise:  Remove Requires A Disguise 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  13 points.
  6)  Challengeable Disguise:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Disguise Roll 
  (-¼). Total cost:  11 points.
  7)  Rapid Disguise:  So skilled is the character, and/
  or so high-quality his equipment, that he can pre-
  pare a disguise much faster than even other experts. 
  Change to Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2). Total cost:  
  15 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  172 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  MASTER OF MIMICRY
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Hearing Group, any human voice, 
  Imitation)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Skill Roll Penalty:  -6
  Description:  A character with this ability has an 
  amazingly — sometimes frighteningly — accurate 
  ability to imitate the voices of others. To any human 
  ear his voice is an exact duplicate of the one he imi-
  tates. The character must have heard a voice before 
  (either in person or on tape) to imitate it, but he 
  can change his voice so it’s not recognizable as his 
  any time.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Hearing Group, 
  any human voice), Imitation, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½) (37 Active Points); Requires 
  A Mimicry Roll (-½). Total cost:  25 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Mimicry:  The character can not only imi-
  tate human voices, he can mimic other sounds — 
  bird calls, sirens, and so forth — as long as they’re 
  within the decibel and octave range of the human 
  voice. Change to any sound. 52 Active Points; total 
  cost 35 points.
  2)  Weak Mimicry:  The character can disguise 
  his own voice, but lacks the skill to imitate other 
  voices. Remove Imitation. 22 Active Points; total 
  cost 15 points.
  3)  Easier Mimicry:  Change to Requires A Mim-
  icry Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  30 points.
  4)  Tougher Mimicry:  Change to Requires A Mim-
  icry Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  
  18 points.
  5)  Master’s Mimicry:  Remove Requires A Mimicry 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  37 points.
  6)  Challengeable Mimicry:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Mimicry Roll 
  (-¼). Total cost:  21 points.
  MEMORY THEFT
  Effect:  Telepathy 20d6, Mandatory Effect
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Some types of mimic and doppel-
  ganger characters have the ability to copy the 
  memories of the victims whose forms they copy. 
  Despite the power’s name, they don’t literally “steal” 
  the memories, they just learn them well enough to 
  imitate the victim to a T.
  When using this power, the character must 
  achieve a minimum of EGO +20 (for the “memo-
  ries” level of Telepathy) +20 (so that the victim 
  doesn’t detect the Telepathy).
  Game Information:  Telepathy 20d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (150 Active Points); 
  Mandatory Eﬀect (must achieve EGO +40, see 
  text; -¾), Skin Contact Required (-1). Total 
  cost:  54 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Theft:  Increase to Telepathy 24d6. 180 
  Active Points; total cost 65 points.
  2)  Weak Theft:  Decrease to Telepathy 16d6. 120 
  Active Points; total cost 44 points.
  3)  Perceivable Theft:  The character doesn’t care if 
  the victim knows his memories have been copied. 
  Change to Mandatory Eﬀect (must achieve EGO 
  +20; -½). Total cost:  60 points.
  4)  True Memory Theft:  The character actually steals 
  the target’s memories, leaving him a total amne-
  siac. Character also buys Major Transform 6d6 
  (human into human without any of his memories; 
  heals back through application of this power, a 
  similar power, or Telepathy with an EGO +30 
  roll), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1), Works 
  Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼) (202 Active Points); 
  Limited Target (humans; -½), Linked (to Telepathy; 
  -¼), No Range (-½). Total cost:  90 points.
  
  173 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  MIMICKING
  Effect:  Variable Power Pool for copying another charac-
  ter’s powers
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character has the ability to touch 
  another character and “copy” his powers (and, 
  at the GM’s option, other abilities, such as Skills 
  and Talents). For example, if the target had ﬁve 
  Ice/Cold Powers, the character would, by touching 
  him, manifest those exact same powers. Typically 
  this power only copies a target’s innate abilities; it 
  doesn’t mimic Foci or the like.
  In game terms, Mimicking is built with a 
  large Variable Power Pool. The Pool has to be large 
  enough to copy lots of powers — and to copy them 
  individually, since a character cannot build other 
  Power Frameworks with his VPP (though the GM 
  may waive this rule if he wants to, of course). Due 
  to the cost, in many cases a character with Mimick-
  ing has this as his only superpower; otherwise he’s 
  mostly a normal person.
  When the character activates the power and 
  makes an Attack Roll in HTH Combat to touch 
  the skin of the character whose powers he wants 
  to copy, the VPP copies those powers, starting 
  with the one with the highest Active Point total. It 
  continues copying, moving from the highest Active 
  Point total to the next highest, then the next high-
  est, and so on until the Pool has used up all of its 
  points. The Pool can only make the powers as pow-
  erful as the targets’; it cannot create a Flash 12d6 if 
  the target’s Power is only a Flash 6d6.
  The character retains the copied powers as 
  long as he wants, or until he uses the VPP to copy 
  another character’s powers. When he copies more 
  powers, he immediately loses all the powers cur-
  rently built with the Pool, even if copying the new 
  powers doesn’t use up all of the Pool’s points. If he 
  wants to get the previous powers back, he has to 
  touch the person who has them again.
  Game Information:  Variable Power Pool (Mimic 
  Pool), 200 base + 100 control cost; Requires 
  Successful HTH Attack Roll (-½), Skin Contact 
  Required (-1), VPP Mimics Targets’s Innate 
  Powers (-½), Powers May Only Be As Powerful 
  As Target’s Powers (-½), No Conscious Control 
  (VPP copies the largest Active Point power ﬁrst, 
  character can activate the VPP but has no con-
  trol over the powers he gets; -1), Cannot Retain 
  Copied Powers (when character copies other 
  powers, he immediately loses all previously-
  copied powers; -¼). Total cost:  200 + 21 = 221 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Greater Mimicking I:  Increase to 250 base + 125 
  control cost. Total cost:  250 + 26 = 276 points.
  2)  Greater Mimicking II:  Increase to 300 base + 150 
  control cost. Total cost:  300 + 32 = 332 points.
  3)  Lesser Mimicking:  Decrease to 150 base + 75 
  control cost. Total cost:  150 + 16 = 166 points.
  4)  Ranged Mimicking:  The character doesn’t have to 
  touch a character to copy his powers, he only has to 
  be within 10” of him and have Line Of Sight to him. 
  Replace Successful HTH Attack Roll (-½) and Skin 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  174 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  Contact Required (-1) with Can Only Copy Powers 
  From Characters Within 10” And LOS (-½). Total 
  cost:  200 + 27 = 227 points.
  5)  Mimic Memory I:  If the character has already 
  mimicked some powers, and then decides to copy 
  another person’s powers, but the second person’s 
  powers don’t take up the entire Pool, he can keep 
  the “excess” powers from the ﬁrst person. Remove 
  Cannot Retain Copied Powers (-¼). Total cost:  200 
  + 22 = 222 points.
  6)  Mimic Memory II:  The character can manifest 
  the powers of anyone he’s ever touched, regard-
  less of how long ago it was. Change to:  Variable 
  Power Pool (Mimic Pool), 200 base + 100 control 
  cost; Requires Successful HTH Attack Roll And 
  Skin Contact To First Acquire A Target’s Powers 
  (-¼), Only To Create Powers Copied From Per-
  sons Touched (-¼), Powers May Only Be As 
  Powerful As Targets’ Powers (-½). Total cost:  200 
  + 50 = 250 points.
  7)  Uncontrollable Mimicking:  Any time the charac-
  ter makes skin-to-skin contact with someone, he 
  copies that person’s abilities whether he wants to 
  or not. Increase No Conscious Control to -2. Total 
  cost:  200 + 17 = 217 points.
  8)  Mimicking Variant:  This form of Mimicking uses 
  a Variable Power Pool of Multiforms rather than 
  a Pool which directly copies powers. When the 
  character uses the power, he “changes form” into 
  a character with all of his own abilities (including 
  this one) and all the abilities copied from the target. 
  This makes it easy to copy Power Frameworks, for 
  example. However, this has two drawbacks. First, it 
  limits the character to an “alternate form” with no 
  more than 1,000 Character Points — if his points, 
  plus the target’s points, exceed 1,000, the power fails 
  to work. Second, he also copies the target’s power-
  related Disadvantages. Change to:  Variable Power 
  Pool (Mimic Pool), 200 base + 100 control cost; 
  Only For Multiform (Multiform is “alternate” form 
  with all of character’s powers and exact copies of 
  target’s powers and power-related Disadvantages; 
  -½), Requires Successful HTH Attack Roll (-½), 
  Skin Contact Required (-1), Power Fails To Work 
  If Cannot Copy Entire Target (-¼), Cannot Retain 
  Copied Forms (when character switches to another 
  “form,” he immediately loses all previously-copied 
  powers; -¼). Total cost:  200 + 29 = 229 points.
  9)  And I Look Like Them, Too!:  The character also 
  mimics the target’s appearance. Character also buys 
  Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, Smell/Taste, and Touch 
  Groups, any humanoid shape), Imitation, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Trigger (when character 
  mimics someone with his VPP; +¼) (68 Active 
  Points); Only To Copy Person Whose Power’s Being 
  Mimicked (-1). Total cost:  34 points.
  MIND TRANSFER 
  Effect:  Major Transform 6d6 (transfer character’s mind 
  to victim’s body), Side Effects (transfer 
  victim’s mind into character’s body)
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  LOS
  END Cost:  20
  Description:  The character has the ability to “switch 
  minds” with the target, in eﬀect “transforming” 
  himself by switching bodies:  the character’s mind 
  ends up in the target’s body, while the target’s mind 
  ends up in the character’s body.
  If Mind Transfer succeeds, the character shifts 
  his mind into the victim’s body (the “host body”). 
  He retains the following:  his own EGO, INT, and 
  PRE Characteristics; all INT-, EGO-, and PRE-
  based Skills; all Skills which are not necessarily 
  based on INT or EGO but which reﬂect intellectual 
  learning with no physical skills (for example, Lan-
  guages transfer; TFs, which require some physical 
  abilities, do not); and all of his mental and psionic 
  powers. However, he retains none of his physical 
  Characteristics or abilities. Instead, he can use all of 
  the host body’s physical Characteristics and abili-
  ties (even superpowers), including physical Skills 
  (such as Climbing, Combat Driving, and most 
  types of Skill Level). In some cases the GM may 
  require the character to succeed with EGO Rolls to 
  make the host body function properly, at least for 
  the ﬁrst few Turns of use.
  Meanwhile, the mind that used to inhabit the 
  host body has been shunted to the character’s body. 
  It has the same beneﬁts — it keeps its mental-ori-
  ented abilities, but uses the physical abilities of the 
  character’s body. If possible, characters often have 
  themselves restrained before they use this power; 
  that way the victim can’t wander oﬀ and harm the 
  character’s body somehow. If either body becomes 
  Stunned or Knocked Out, the mind within it suf-
  fers the same eﬀect; if for some reason the char-
  acter transfers his mind into a body that’s already 
  Stunned or Knocked Out, he instantly suﬀers the 
  same fate when the transfer succeeds (and the 
  victim’s mind becomes conscious or not Stunned, 
  since it’s now in a conscious and aware body). If 
  either body dies, the mind within it dies as well.
  Once the character’s mind is in the host body, 
  he can, if he so desires, use Mind Transfer again to 
  “jump” from the host body to another host body. 
  The mind of host body #2 would then take up resi-
  dence in host body #1, while the character’s mind 
  occupied host body #2. A character could mentally 
  “jump” through an entire crowd of people this way, 
  possibly leaving a mighty confused group of vic-
  tims in his wake.
  For the purposes of Mind Transfer, SPD is 
  a physical Characteristic. If a change in SPDs is 
  involved, the GM should use the Optional Speed 
  Change rules on page 357 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised. If the GM does not use those 
  rules, he should adjudicate the situation fairly and 
  not cheat either of the characters involved out of 
  any Phases.
  
  175 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  To reverse a Mind Transfer, the character 
  simply uses the power again. For ease of game play, 
  the GM can assume this succeeds unless the victim 
  does not want to leave the character’s body for 
  some reason.
  Mind Transfer is a rare, and rarely-used, 
  power. While it is extremely powerful, it poses a lot 
  of dangers for the character — even most heroes 
  ﬁnd the risk of being trapped outside their own 
  bodies terrifying.
  Game Information:  Major Transform 6d6 
  (transfer character’s mind to victim’s body; 
  heals back through application of the same 
  power), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1), 
  Works Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼) (202 
  Active Points); Limited Target (humans; -½), 
  All Or Nothing (-½), Side Eﬀects (transfer vic-
  tim’s mind into character’s body, automatically 
  happens; -2). Total cost:  50 points.
  Options:
  1)  Transfer Touch I:  The character must touch the 
  victim to accomplish a Mind Transfer. Add No 
  Range (-½). Total cost:  45 points.
  2)  Transfer Touch II:  The character must touch the 
  victim skin-to-skin to accomplish a Mind Transfer. 
  Add Skin Contact Required (-1). Total cost:  40 points.
  3)  Tiring Transfer:  The transferral process is par-
  ticularly tiresome. However, if it works, it leaves the 
  victim’s mind in a body that’s weary. Add Increased 
  Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½). Total cost:  45 points.
  4)  Easy Transfer:  Effecting a Mind Transfer 
  doesn’t tire the character out at all. Add Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½). 247 Active Points; total 
  cost 62 points.
  5)  Slow Mind Transfer:  The character may have to 
  spend a little longer attacking the victim to accom-
  plish the Mind Transfer, but he usually succeeds 
  eventually. Decrease to Major Transform 4d6 and 
  remove All Or Nothing (-½). 135 Active Points; 
  total cost 39 points.
  6)  Mind Shunting:  Some extremely powerful psion-
  ics have perfected the ability of “mind shunting” 
  (also called “possession”), in which they project 
  their mind into a host body while ejecting the 
  victim’s mind into some nearby object or “the back 
  of” the host body’s mind where it can do nothing. 
  Change Side Eﬀect to Character’s Body Is Helpless 
  And Incapacitated While Character Uses Mind 
  Shunting (-1). Total cost:  67 points.
  7)  Mind Switch I:  Instead of transferring his mind 
  into someone else’s body, the character can switch 
  the minds of two other people. Remove Side Eﬀects 
  (-2) and add Must Be Rapid Fired (character must 
  attack both targets in the same Phase with this 
  power; -0). Total cost:  101 points.
  8)  Mind Switch II:  As Mind Switch I, but the 
  character must touch each of the victims to 
  accomplish the switch. Change Must Be Rapid 
  Fired to Must Use Sweep (-0) and add No Range 
  (-½). Total cost:  81 points.
  MULTI-LIMBED COMBATANT
  Effect:  Extra Limbs, plus various powers reﬂecting 
  having multiple limbs
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Varies
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  Some characters, such as Grond in the 
  Champions Universe, can ﬁght their foes with more 
  than just two arms — they have tails, extra arms, or 
  other appendages that make them more eﬀective 
  brawlers. The powers listed below provide sev-
  eral possible ways to represent the added combat 
  eﬀectiveness of multiple limbs. With the exception 
  of Extra Limbs, none of them are mandatory; a 
  character can buy as many of them as he wishes (or 
  none of them).
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  6 
  More Limbs:  Extra Limbs (number varies), 
  Inherent (+¼)
  13 
  Even Stronger Extra Limbs:  +20 STR; Only 
  With Extra Limbs (-½)
  6 
  Four-Armed Combatant:  +2 SPD; Activation 
  Roll 11- (-1), Costs Endurance (-½), Only To 
  Punch (-1)
  12 
  Hitting Lots Of Targets:  +6 OCV with Sweep 
  (assumes four manipulatory limbs; charac-
  ter should buy two Levels per limb after the 
  ﬁrst)
  30 
  Many Fists, Many Punches:  Autoﬁre (4 shots 
  [assumes four manipulatory limbs]; +½) for 
  up to 60 STR
  20 
  Too Many Fists To Avoid I:  +4 HTH
  45 
  Too Many Fists To Avoid II:  The character 
  has so many limbs moving around that being 
  near him almost certainly means getting 
  hit at least once. Energy Blast 6d6 (dice of 
  damage should equal at least half of char-
  acter’s STR damage, and cannot exceed that 
  damage), Continuous (+1), Damage Shield 
  (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  Activation Roll 11- (-1)
  18 
  Grasping Limbs:  For characters that have 
  dozens or hundreds of limbs, grabbing and 
  restraining their foes becomes a simple and 
  eﬀective combat tactic. Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF; 
  Feedback (character takes all damage done 
  to try to break victim free from Entangle; -1), 
  No Range (-½), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼)
  10 
  Two-Fisted Fighting:  Two-Weapon Fighting 
  (HTH)
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  176 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  RAGE-AUGMENTED STRENGTH
  Effect:  Aid STR 2d6, Only While Enraged/Berserk
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Brick Tricks Roll Penalty:  -13
  Description:  The madder the character gets, the 
  stronger he gets — his rage transform him from 
  his normal self to a superhumanly-strong self (or 
  a more superhumanly-strong self). As soon as he 
  becomes Enraged (or Berserk), his fury triggers a 
  reaction in his body that starts making him stron-
  ger. He rolls Aid 2d6 each Phase and applies it to 
  his STR until he reaches a maximum of +60 STR. 
  The points gained fade 20 minutes after he gains 
  them, or immediately if he recovers from being 
  Enraged/Berserk.
  Game Information:  Aid STR 2d6, Can Add A 
  Maximum Of 60 Points’ Worth Of Strength, 
  Continuous (+1), Delayed Return Rate (points 
  fade at the rate of 5 per 20 Minutes; +¾), Trig-
  ger (becoming Enraged/Berserk; +¼) (132 
  Active Points); No Conscious Control (cannot 
  activate power on his own, but can use the STR 
  freely once it’s activated; -1), Self Only (-½), 
  Points Fade Immediately If Character Recovers 
  From Being Enraged/Berserk (-½). Total cost:  
  44 points.
  Options:
  1)  Greater Enragement:  Increase to Aid STR 3d6, 
  Can Add A Maximum Of 90 Points’ Worth Of 
  Strength. 198 Active Points; total cost 66 points.
  2)  Lesser Enragement:  Decrease to Aid STR 1d6, 
  Can Add A Maximum Of 30 Points’ Worth Of 
  Strength. 66 Active Points; total cost 22 points.
  3)  Berserk Strength:  The character can trigger 
  his increased STR at will, but this causes him to 
  become uncontrollably angry. Change to Aid STR 
  1d6, Can Add A Maximum Of 40 Points’ Worth Of 
  Strength, Continuous (+1), Delayed Return Rate 
  (points fade at the rate of 5 per Minute; +¼), Trig-
  ger (mental command; +¼) (67 Active Points); Self 
  Only (-½), Only In Combat (-½), Side Eﬀect (auto-
  matically activates character’s Berserk [or gives 
  him the Disadvantage Berserk In Combat, go 14-, 
  recover 8-, and activates it]; -1), Points Fade Imme-
  diately If Character Recovers From Being Berserk 
  (-½). Total cost:  19 points.
  
  177 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  REFLEX MEMORY
  Effect:  Variable Power Pool for copying another per-
  son’s used physical skills
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  Varies
  Description:  The character can copy, mimic, or other-
  wise use the physical skills and abilities of any person, 
  provided he observes the target using them. Once he’s 
  copied them into his own “reﬂex memory,” he can use 
  them again whenever he wants (assuming he allocates 
  Variable Power Pool points to them). “Physical skills” 
  include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
  ■ Skills such as Acrobatics, Breakfall, Climbing, 
  Combat Skill Levels, Contortionist, Defense Maneu-
  ver, Fast Draw, Martial Arts, Skill Levels with Agility 
  Skills, Sleight Of Hand, and Two-Weapon Fighting
  ■ Powers and abilities deﬁned as “super-skills” or 
  “enhanced physical training,” such as an Energy 
  Blast or RKA deﬁned as “super-accurate throwing” 
  or a Hand-To-Hand Attack deﬁned as a secret mar-
  tial arts maneuver.
  Note that this does not necessarily include any 
  skill with a physical component. The character couldn’t 
  copy Lockpicking, for example, because it requires 
  more than just deft physical movements — it requires 
  knowledge the character can’t acquire just by watch-
  ing a locksmith at work. The GM determines whether 
  the character can copy a particular skill or ability. If 
  appropriate, the GM may allow the character to sub-
  stitute a related Professional Skill. For example, Reﬂex 
  Memory won’t let a character copy Computer Pro-
  gramming by watching a programmer type, but the 
  GM might let him “copy” PS: Typing instead.
  This power requires the GM’s permission for 
  two reasons. First, it involves putting Skills (includ-
  ing Combat Skill Levels) in a Power Framework, 
  something normally forbidden by the rules. Second, 
  it has a signiﬁcant potential to unbalance a cam-
  paign, since it lets a character have a wide variety 
  of Skills and skill-like abilities without paying for 
  them individually. The GM may eventually decide 
  that the character has copied so many abilities that 
  the Only For Physical Skills Limitation no longer 
  really restricts or hinder him, in which case he may 
  require the character to pay Experience Points to 
  buy the value of the Limitation down to -0.
  Game Information:  Variable Power Pool (Reﬂex 
  Memory Pool), 30 base + 15 control cost; Only 
  For Physical Skills The Character Observes In 
  Use (-½). Total cost:  30 + 10 = 40 points. 
  Options:
  1)  Larger Reﬂex Memory I:  Increase to 50 base + 25 
  control cost. Total cost:  50 + 17 = 67 points.
  2)  Larger Reﬂex Memory II:  Increase to 60 base + 30 
  control cost. Total cost:  60 + 20 = 80 points.
  3)  Smaller Reﬂex Memory I:  Decrease to 20 base + 
  10 control cost. Total cost:  20 + 7 = 27 points.
  4)  Smaller Reﬂex Memory II:  Decrease to 10 base + 
  5 control cost. Total cost:  10 + 3 = 13 points.
  REGENERATION
  Effect:  Healing BODY 2d6 (Regeneration; 2 BODY per Turn)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character heals with tremendous 
  speed, allowing him to recover from even poten-
  tially deadly wounds in seconds.
  Game Information:  Healing BODY 2d6 (Regen-
  eration; 2 BODY per Turn), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (40 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (2 BODY per Turn; -1¼), 
  Self Only (-½). Total cost:  14 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Regeneration:  Increase to Healing BODY 
  3d6 (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Turn). 60 Active 
  Points; total cost 22 points.
  2)  Weak Regeneration:  Decrease to Healing BODY 
  1d6 (Regeneration; 1 BODY per Turn). 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 7 points.
  3)  Slow Regeneration:  The character heals more 
  slowly than with the standard power... but still signiﬁ-
  cantly faster than ordinary people. Change to Healing 
  BODY 2d6 (Regeneration; 2 BODY per Minute) and 
  Extra Time + Increased Time Increment (2 BODY 
  per Minute; -1½). Total cost:  13 points.
  4)  Limb Regeneration:  The character’s Regenera-
  tion also allows him to regrow limbs. Add Can Heal 
  Limbs. 50 Active Points; total cost 18 points.
  5)  Resurrection:  The character’s healing powers 
  are so profound he can return to life after being 
  killed. Add Resurrection. 80 Active Points; total 
  cost 29 points.
  6)  Lernean Regeneration:  When the character 
  regenerates, he Duplicates. He can only create one 
  Duplicate per wound healed, no matter how large 
  the wound is. (His Duplicates do not have this abil-
  ity themselves). Character also buys Duplication 
  (create up to 500 Duplicates built on up to 350 
  Character Points each), Trigger (one Duplicate cre-
  ated every time character Regenerates the damage 
  from a wound, but just one per wound no matter 
  how large the wound, Trigger activates automati-
  cally, Trigger automatically immediately resets; +1). 
  Total cost:  230 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  178 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  REPLICATIVE CLONING
  Effect:  Major Transform 20d6 (other person into dupli-
  cate of self)
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  A character with this power can touch 
  another person and transform that person into 
  an exact duplicate of himself. The duplicate looks 
  exactly like him, thinks exactly like him, has the 
  same spirit and personality as he does, and has 
  the same powers he has. To eﬀect the change, he 
  must maintain contact with the victim for an Extra 
  Phase; if the victim breaks contact during that time, 
  the power fails to work. The Transform heals back 
  through another application of this power.
  Game Information:  Major Transform 20d6 
  (person into exact physical duplicate of character), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (450 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Extra Time (Extra Phase; 
  -¾), Concentration (0 DCV throughout; -1), All 
  Or Nothing (-½), Limited Target (humans; -½), 
  Linked (to Mental Transform; -½) (total cost:  95 
  points) plus Major Transform 20d6 (person into 
  exact mental duplicate of character), Based On 
  Ego Combat Value (Power Defense applies; +1), 
  Works Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (825 Active Points); No 
  Range (-½), Extra Time (Extra Phase; -¾), Con-
  centration (0 DCV throughout; -1), All Or Noth-
  ing (-½), Limited Target (humans; -½) (total cost:  
  194 points) plus Major Transform 20d6 (person 
  into exact spiritual duplicate of character), Based 
  On Ego Combat Value (Power Defense applies; 
  +1), Works Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (825 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Extra Time (Extra Phase; 
  -¾), Concentration (0 DCV throughout; -1), All 
  Or Nothing (-½), Limited Target (humans; -½) 
  (total cost:  194 points). Total cost:  483 points.
  SHIFTING MIND
  Effect:  Mental Defense (20 points + EGO/5)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character’s mind shifts “shape” so 
  thoroughly that it can eﬀectively become a diﬀerent 
  class of mind, making it very diﬃcult to aﬀect him 
  with Mental Powers.
  Game Information:  Mental Defense (20 points 
  + EGO/5) (20 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-
  ¼). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Mind:  Increase to Mental Defense (30 points 
  + EGO/5). 30 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  2)  Weak Mind:  Decrease to Mental Defense (15 points 
  + EGO/5). 15 Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  SLOW LIMB GROWTH
  Effect:  Extra Limbs, Extra Time (1 Turn per limb)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the power to grow 
  up to a dozen extra limbs. However, it takes him 12 
  seconds to grow each one.
  Game Information:  Extra Limbs (up to 12) (5 
  Active Points); Extra Time (takes 1 Turn to 
  grow each limb; -1¼). Total cost:  2 points.
  SPIRIT CHANNELING
  Effect:  Multiform (four forms based on channeling the 
  spirits of certain deceased people)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Description:  The character has the power to chan-
  nel the spirits of persons long dead. When he 
  channels a spirit, that spirit completely takes over 
  his body, transforming its personality and spirit 
  to match its own (the physical form changes only 
  very slightly, if at all). While this gives the character 
  access to many Skills and other abilities he usually 
  lacks, it also poses a real danger of his personality 
  getting “lost” underneath the spirit’s personality if 
  he remains in alternate form for more than a few 
  minutes.
  Game Information:  Multiform (assume the 
  form of a 300-point Roman gladiator, a 200-
  point pirate captain, a 200-point Victorian 
  steampunk scientist, or a 300-point two-ﬁsted 
  Pulp hero) (70 Active Points); Costs Endurance 
  (to change forms; -½), Extra Time (activating 
  power takes 1 Turn; -¾), Personality Loss (5 
  Minutes; -1½), Reversion (assumes true form is 
  signiﬁcantly weaker; -1). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Swift Channeling:  Remove Extra Time (-¾). 
  Total cost:  17 points.
  2)  More Channeling:  Increase to 16 alternate forms. 
  80 Active Points; total cost 17 points.
  
  179 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Two
  SPIRITUAL DISGUISE
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Danger Sense)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  1
  Description:  The character has the ability to alter 
  his spirit so other people subconsciously perceive 
  him as being just like them — a calming, sooth-
  ing, reassuring, perhaps even helpful presence, not 
  someone who poses a threat.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Danger Sense). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  TRANSFERENCE TOUCH
  Effect:  Multiform (into self with extra powers) plus 
  Transform (person into person with no 
  superpowers or exceptional abilities)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self/One character
  Duration:  See text
  Range:  Touch
  END Cost:  22
  Description:  This power gives the character the 
  ability to temporarily steal all the powers, abili-
  ties, skills, and memories of another character. The 
  character “transforms” into a “version” of himself 
  with all his abilities (including this one), plus all 
  the abilities stolen from the target (including any 
  “negative” abilities, such as Disadvantages associ-
  ated with the powers). The target “transforms” into 
  a version of himself that’s an average member of 
  his species, with no superpowers or exceptional 
  abilities, though he retains all his memories. For 
  example, a human victim would have 8 in all Pri-
  mary Characteristics, no Skill Rolls above an 11-, 
  and so forth. The character can only steal the innate 
  abilities and powers of the victim; he cannot steal 
  abilities derived from technology (Foci) or other 
  “external” powers.
  To use this power, the character must touch 
  the target, and the duration of their respective 
  changes varies based on the duration of the contact 
  between them. The change occurs as soon as the 
  character successfully attacks the target. Then, for 
  every Phase (not Segment) the character maintains 
  skin-to-skin contact with the victim, the character 
  retains the victim’s powers for 1 Turn (this duration 
  begins running as soon as skin-to-skin contact is 
  broken). At the end of that time, the character auto-
  matically reverts back to what he was like before 
  he used the power, and the victim regains all of his 
  stolen abilities and powers. At the GM’s option, a 
  lengthy contact (many minutes or hours) might 
  result in a permanent transference of abilities; that 
  should be handled as an in-game plot device or 
  “radiation accident.”
  In game terms, this power consists of two Linked 
  abilities. The ﬁrst is a Multiform — the character 
  transforms from his standard self into his standard 
  self with all the abilities and powers of the victim. The 
  Multiform has a cap of 3,000 Character Points’ worth 
  of abilities, meaning the character can potentially 
  absorb the abilities of a single incredibly powerful 
  person, or more than one lesser-powered person at 
  once (to a maximum of eight, the number of Multi-
  forms the character has). If the target has more than 
  3,000 points’ worth of abilities, or if his abilities would 
  take the character over the 3,000 point limit when 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  180 ■ Metamorphic Powers
  added to the ones the character currently has, the 
  power fails to work altogether. The power also fails to 
  work if the Transform of the victim fails to work.
  Ordinarily characters should not use Multi-
  form in this “ﬂoating” way, without precisely deﬁn-
  ing the abilities of the alternate form(s). However, 
  allowing a “ﬂoating Multiform” is acceptable in this 
  instance because of the other restrictions on the 
  ability. This power also uses an optional rule for 
  Linking two powers to each other.
  Obviously, this ability is incredibly powerful, 
  and the GM should allow it into his game only after 
  carefully considering its potential eﬀects on game 
  balance. For a similar ability, see Mimicking, below.
  Game Information:  Multiform (assume up to 
  eight diﬀerent forms which include all the char-
  acter’s current abilities plus abilities and related 
  Disadvantages absorbed from the victim, with 
  no form or combination of forms totalling more 
  than 3,000 Character Points; Multiforms must 
  have a Physical Limitation specifying that they 
  revert back to the true form after having the 
  powers for 1 Turn per Phase of contact) (615 
  Active Points); Linked (-¼) (total cost:  492 
  points) plus Major Transform 15d6 (person 
  into person with no exceptional abilities) (225 
  Active Points); Skin Contact Required (-1), 
  Linked (-½), Limited Target (living beings; -¼), 
  All Or Nothing (-½) (total cost:  69 points). 615 
  + 225 = 840 Active Points; total cost 492 + 69 
  = 561 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tiring Transference:  Taking on another person’s 
  powers and abilities wearies the character even 
  further. Add Costs Endurance (to activate; -½) to 
  Multiform. 615 + 225 = 840 Active Points; total cost 
  351 + 69 = 420 points.
  2)  Ranged Transference:  The character doesn’t have 
  to establish skin-to-skin contact with the victim 
  to steal his abilities, he can do so at range! Remove 
  Skin Contact Required (-1) from Transform. 615 + 
  225 = 840 Active Points; total cost 492 + 100 = 592 
  points.
  3)  Stunning Transference:  The loss of all his powers 
  and exceptional abilities stuns the victim. Apply 
  this damage to his defenses and STUN total before 
  he’s Transformed, then apply whatever damage he 
  took to his new form. Add Drain STUN 12d6 (120 
  Active Points); Linked (-½) (total cost:  80 points). 
  615 + 225 + 120 = 960 Active Points; total cost 492 
  + 69 + 80 = 641 points.
  4)  Lengthy Transference:  The character has to 
  maintain contact with the victim for at least twelve 
  seconds to steal his powers; the transfer remains in 
  eﬀect for 1 Turn per Phase contact is maintained 
  beyond 1 Turn. Add Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼). Total 
  cost:  246 + 50 = 296 points.
  5)  Just Plain Contact:  Skin-to-skin contact isn’t 
  required, just contact. Change Skin Contact 
  Required (-1) to Contact Required (-0). Total cost:  
  492 + 100 = 592 points.
  6)  Alternate Power Stealing:  Instead of using Trans-
  form to turn the victim into a normal person, the 
  character Suppresses all of the victim’s abilities. 
  Change Transform to:  Suppress Powers 40d6, all 
  Characteristics, powers, and so forth of all special 
  eﬀects simultaneously (+4), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END, turns oﬀ when character changes victims; 
  +½) (1,100 Active Points); No Range (-½), Linked 
  (to Multiform; -¼). Total cost 629 points; total cost 
  of power 492 + 629 = 1,121 points.
  7)  Alternate Transference Touch:  This form of 
  Transference Touch relies on a massive Transfer 
  to accomplish the “theft” of the target’s powers. 
  Eventually the stolen powers fade from the char-
  acter and return to his victim. Change to:  Transfer 
  Powers 30d6, all Characteristics, powers, and so 
  forth of all special eﬀects simultaneously (+4), 
  Delayed Return Rate (points fade at the rate of 5 
  per Day; +1½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½). 
  Total cost:  3,150 points.
  
  chapter three:
  chapter three:
  METAMORPHS  
  GENRE BY GENRE
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  182 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  T
  he comic book genre has the largest pos-
  sible spectrum of metamorph characters, 
  since the scope of a comic book setting 
  allows you to create virtually any sort of 
  character you can think of. Some types of meta-
  morphs, such as malleables, are found only in 
  this genre, because only in a comic book could 
  you have something so fantastic.
  Similarly, the possibilities for metamorph 
  origins and backgrounds are virtually limitless 
  in Champions. You could have a team of heroes 
  including a traditional werewolf, a wizard who 
  uses spells to change shape, a mutant with stretch-
  ing powers, a disembodied mind who moves from 
  body to body, a sentient robot with interchange-
  able parts, and a character who gained his ability 
  to mimic the appearance of other people due to a 
  weird laboratory accident.
  Depending on the nature of the campaign, 
  metamorph characters may be hated and feared. 
  If the setting features an ancient tradition of clans 
  of lycanthropes who live in the shadows and prey 
  on humans, shapechanging automatically becomes 
  something to be feared. The same applies if gov-
  ernments routinely create doppelganger spies for 
  undercover missions... since inevitably some of 
  those spies will go rogue and become supervil-
  lains. The more the public’s aware of the presence 
  of shapeshifters in society, the more likely they are 
  to fear or distrust them... since how can you trust 
  someone who can look like someone else?
  CHAMPIONS
  GM’S EYES ONLY
  While the information 
  this chapter contains on 
  metamorphs in various 
  genres is for all gamers, 
  the sample character 
  sheets are for the GM’s 
  eyes only. If you’re not 
  a GM, don’t read the 
  character sheets unless 
  your GM gives you per-
  mission.
  
  183 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  Character Examples
  ECLIPSE
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   11 BODY 2 
  11-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   20 EGO 
  20 
  13- 
  ECV:  7
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   4 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  4 PD (0 rPD)
   4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  4 ED (0 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  4
   30 END 
  0
   29 STUN 
  5 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  88
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  457 
  Mimic Powers:  Variable Power Pool  
  (Mimic Pool), 400 base + 200 control cost; 
  Only For Multiform (Multiform is  
  “alternate” form with all of character’s  
  powers and exact copies of target’s powers 
  and power-related Disadvantages, and  
  must have the Reversion Limitation; -½), 
  Requires Successful HTH Attack Roll  
  (-½), Skin Contact Required (-1), Power  
  Fails To Work If Cannot Copy Entire  
  Target (-¼), Cannot Retain Copied Forms 
  (when character switches to another  
  “form,” she immediately loses all  
  previously-copied powers; -¼) 
  0
  629 
  Steal Powers:  Suppress Powers 40d6, all 
  Characteristics, powers, and so forth of  
  all special eﬀects simultaneously (+4), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END, turns oﬀ  
  when Reversion occurs or Eclipse  
  changes victims; +½); No Range (-½),  
  Linked (see text; -¼) 
  0
  34 
  Copy Appearance:  Shape Shift (Sight,  
  Hearing, Smell/Taste, and Touch Groups, 
  any humanoid shape), Imitation, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Trigger (when 
  character mimics someone with her  
  VPP; +¼); Only To Copy Person Whose 
  Power’s Being Mimicked (-1) 
  0
  25 
  Detect Life-Force:  Detect Life Energy 12-  
  (no Sense Group), Discriminatory,  
  Analyze, Range 
  0
   
  Perks
  3 
  Anonymity
  1 
  Money:  Well Oﬀ
   
  Skills
  10 
  +2 HTH
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  1,168
  Total Cost:  1,256
  200+ Disadvantages
  25 
  Accidental Change:  whenever she touches 
  another person skin-to-skin (Common, 
  Always)
  20 
  Hunted:  UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Hunted:  FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Paranoid (Very 
  Common, Strong)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful  
  (Uncommon, Strong)
  10 
  Social Limitation:  Socially Inept  
  (suﬀers -2 to Interaction Skill Rolls)  
  (Frequently, Minor)
  10 
  Unluck:  2d6
  941 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  1,256
  Background/History:  Kim Culhane grew up plagued 
  with bad luck. Her high school years were particu-
  larly unkind, mostly because she spent them in a 
  dismal boarding school. Something within her kept 
  her apart from others — she’d spend hours watch-
  ing people from the shadows, wishing she could 
  be like them, but never talking to them. Eventually, 
  to spite her parents, she ran away from school and 
  joined the military.
  When the initial screening process showed 
  a particular abnormality in her DNA, the Army 
  asked if she’d participate in several biological 
  experiments. Its goal was to create someone power-
  ful enough to take out rogue superheroes the mili-
  tary was usually powerless against. Intrigued, and 
  desperate for cash, Kim agreed.
  Whether the procedures brought out some-
  thing in her DNA, or empowered something she’d 
  wanted all her life, the Army succeeded in creating 
  someone who could easily cripple most superhu-
  mans with just a touch. But the plan depended on 
  her wanting to help her country, and that wasn’t 
  uppermost in Kim’s mind. Overwhelmed by all the 
  attention, she just wanted a vacation and time to 
  think about things. Unwilling to let its new “asset” 
  loose on her own, the Army locked her up. But 
  her keepers didn’t realize her powers could aﬀect 
  normal people as well as superhumans, and it 
  wasn’t long before she’d copied the appearance and 
  skills of one of her captors, cleared out all records 
  of her existence from the computer ﬁles, and 
  walked out the front door.
  Personality/Motivation:  Eclipse (as Kim calls her-
  self) is cursed, now more than ever. Her powers 
  completely cut her oﬀ from human contact 
  — while she can’t hurt anyone, touching a person 
  immediately makes her transform into that person, 
  and she only changes back into herself when she 
  falls asleep or gets knocked unconscious. As a result 
  she’s become more paranoid, bitter, and alone than 
  ever. She takes jobs as a mercenary supervillain 
  both to earn money and to have some minimal 
  social contact with other people. Sometimes she 
  takes over a person’s appearance and identity and 
  keeps him captive so she can blend into his group 
  of family and friends and feel like a “real person” 
  for a while... but sooner or later she’s found out 
  again and has to ﬂee, usually focusing her rage into 
  ECLIPSE  
  PLOT SEEDS
  The classic Eclipse 
  plot:  she accidentally 
  bumps into a hero who 
  maintains a Secret 
  Identity and doesn’t 
  want to reveal his real 
  name to his teammates. 
  Now equipped with his 
  powers and Skills, she 
  ﬂees. He has to ﬁnd a 
  way to convince the 
  other PCs to track her 
  down and get him his 
  powers back without 
  revealing who he is.
  Eclipse accidentally 
  steals Holocaust’s 
  powers during a battle. 
  When she refuses to 
  give them back, he hires 
  a squad of powerful 
  technology-based vil-
  lains to hunt her down 
  and kill her. She turns to 
  the PCs for help... will 
  they give it?
  After Eclipse steals a 
  PC’s powers and Skills 
  during a battle, she 
  learns (and makes sure 
  to write down) some 
  of his most important 
  secrets. Now she’s black-
  mailing him. What will 
  he do to get out of the 
  dilemma?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  184 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  doing as much damage to the social unit as she can 
  before she leaves.
  Quote:  “OK, it’s a deal. Whatever you say. Here, 
  shake on it....”
  Powers/Tactics:  Eclipse has two basic powers. The 
  ﬁrst is to perceive and analyze life energy. This 
  allows her to know who around her has superpow-
  ers, and the basic source of those powers (mutant, 
  mutate, mystic, technological, and so on). It also 
  tells her whether a person has a strong, healthy life-
  force, since she’d rather not mimic weak or sickly 
  people if she can avoid it.
  The second power is a suite of two abilities. 
  The ﬁrst is a Mimic Variable Power Pool that lets 
  her copy the appearance, Skills, powers, and other 
  abilities of a single individual. She can’t copy more 
  than one person at a time (even if she has Pool 
  points unspent). The change occurs automatically 
  if she touches someone skin-to-skin, whether she 
  wants it to or not (thus, a good tactic to use against 
  her in combat is to force her into contact with 
  a normal person). She can only copy natural or 
  innate abilities (including some OIFs and Restrain-
  able powers, such as implanted cyberware); Foci, 
  objects of power, and the like are beyond her abili-
  ties to steal.
  When Eclipse mimics someone’s powers, she 
  doesn’t just copy them — she steals them. When 
  she uses her Power Pool she also activates a massive 
  Suppress that aﬀects all of the target’s powers, Skills, 
  and other abilities, regardless of origin or special 
  eﬀect — in eﬀect it reduces him to an ordinary, 
  completely ignorant being of his species. (Ordinar-
  ily it’s illegal to Link a power to an entire Frame-
  work, as is done here, but since her VPP essentially 
  represents one single power doing so shouldn’t 
  cause any game balance problems.) Once she 
  returns to her own shape (by being Knocked Out, 
  for example) or steals another person’s abilities, the 
  Suppress eﬀect fades instantly and the ﬁrst victim’s 
  abilities return to him in full.
  Eclipse dislikes open combat unless and until 
  she has some tactically eﬀective abilities. She pre-
  fers to ambush a powerful superhero whose skin 
  she can touch, steal his powers, and then start ﬁght-
  ing. She’s quick to ﬂee if things aren’t going her way.
  Campaign Use:  Eclipse makes a good subversive 
  villainess, particularly within a crowd or group 
  where she can blend in without arousing suspicion. 
  Since she can copy literally anyone by touch, and 
  since she gains the Skills of her victims as well, she 
  makes a perfect spy. In addition, her powers could 
  give rise to all sorts of plots relating to mistaken 
  identities, heroes who have to cope with powerless-
  ness, and the like.
  If Eclipse isn’t powerful enough for your cam-
  paign, give her some extra Skills to carry along in 
  all of her forms (such as Martial Arts) and increase 
  her Characteristics (primarily DEX, CON, SPD, and 
  REC).  If she’s too tough, lower her Suppress so that 
  it only weakens heroes, and doesn’t totally remove 
  their powers.
  Eclipse has a strong vengeful streak, so she’s 
  likely to Hunt anyone who humiliates or harms her. 
  Unless she’s equipped with stolen powers (in which 
  case she uses them to best eﬀect), the threat she 
  poses as a Hunter is limited by her need to get close 
  enough to the target to touch his skin.
  Appearance:  Eclipse usually covers herself up with 
  lots of clothing to prevent accidental contact with 
  other people, so to keep from looking out of place 
  prefers to live in the colder regions of the world. 
  Beneath all those clothes she wears a plain bodys-
  tocking that’s white on the right half and black on 
  the left, with the blackness curving slightly to the 
  right as if it were a moon eclipsing the sun. She has 
  red hair and green eyes.
  
  185 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  EL JAGUAR
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2]
   25 DEX 
  45 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   22 CON 
  24 
  13-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   10 PD 
  6 
   
  Total:  20 PD (10 rPD)
   10 ED 
  6 
   
  Total:  20 ED (10 rED)
   5 SPD 
  15 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   44 END 
  0
   40 STUN 
  4 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  146
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  90 
  Werejaguar Forms:  Multiform (assume 
  jaguar or man-jaguar form built on up  
  to 400 Character Points; see text),  
  Instant Change 
  0
  27 
  Enchanted Flint Knife:  HKA 1d6+1  
  (1½d6 with STR), +2 Increased STUN  
  Multiplier (+½), Penetrating (x2; +1), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF  
  (-1), No Knockback (-¼) 
  0
  30 
  Tezcatlipoca’s Divine Protection:  Armor  
  (10 PD/10 ED) 
  0
  6 
  Swift:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  6 
  Contact:  Tezcatlipoca 8- (extremely useful 
  Skills/resources, access to major institutions, 
  signiﬁcant Contacts of his own)
   
  Talents
  3 
  Lightsleep
   
  Skills
  6 
  +3 OCV with Enchanted Flint Knife
  3 
  Climbing 12-
  3 
  Concealment 12-
  3 
  AK: Mexico 12-
  3 
  AK: Southwestern US 12-
  3 
  CK: Mexico City 12-
  3 
  KS: Aztec History, Culture, And Mythology 12-
  5 
  KS: Tezcatlipoca Cult Doctrine And  
  Practices 14-
  2 
  Language:  English (ﬂuent conversation; 
  Spanish is Native)
  2 
  Language:  Nahuatl (ﬂuent conversation)
  1 
  Sleight Of Hand 8-
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  2 
  Survival (Desert) 12-
  3 
  Tracking 12-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  207
  Total Cost:  353
  200+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Mystic Aura (Not Con-
  cealable; Always Noticed; Detectable Only 
  With Unusual Senses)
  20 
  Hunted:  UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Hunted:  Los Ángeles de la Guarda 8- (Mo 
  Pow, Capture)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Devoted Servant 
  Of Tezcatlipoca (Very Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy And Cruel 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Miguel 
  Delgato) (Frequently, Major)
  53 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  353
  Background/History:  Miguel Delgato grew up 
  poor in northern Mexico. Anyone who saw him 
  as a kid — always in trouble, rarely in school, 
  committing petty crimes by his early teens — 
  would’ve figured he was destined to live a short, 
  pointless, and wasted life. But fate had other 
  things in store for him.
  One day the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca (see 
  Arcane Adversaries, page 113), ever in search 
  of cat’s-paws to carry out his plans on Earth, 
  chanced to notice Miguel. Maybe Miguel had 
  in him the blood of the Lord of Misfortune’s 
  ancient priests. Perhaps he reminded Tezcatli-
  poca of one of the ixiptla, or personifications-to-
  be-sacrificed, who were chosen to represent him 
  on Earth every year by the Aztecs centuries ago. 
  Or maybe some spark of evil in Miguel’s heart 
  simply spoke to the god. No man shall ever know. 
  But what men do know is that Tezcatlipoca 
  gifted Miguel with power. He made him strong 
  and swift, with the ability to change shape into 
  either a jaguar (Tezcatlipoca’s totem animal) or a 
  man-jaguar hybrid. Since then Miguel has served 
  the Smoking Mirror as El Jaguar, one of his chief 
  servants on Earth.
  Personality/Motivation:  Since receiving his 
  powers from Tezcatlipoca, El Jaguar has been a 
  devoted servant of the god. Although not for-
  mally a participant in or leader of Tezcatlipoca’s 
  secret cult, El Jaguar is recognized by the cultists 
  as a favored servant of the Lord of Misfortune. 
  He retains his greedy, criminal nature, and his 
  powers have made him arrogant and cruel when 
  dealing with “mere mortals”... but neither attitude 
  is a sin in the eyes of Tezcatlipoca.
  Quote:  “I am the son of the Lord of Jaguars, and in 
  his name I shall destroy you.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Tezcatlipoca’s spells augmented 
  El Jaguar’s Characteristics and other attributes to 
  superhuman levels, but the most powerful abil-
  ity the god granted him was to change his shape 
  into either a man-jaguar or a true jaguar. For 
  El Jaguar’s man-jaguar form, use the Weretiger 
  from page 101 of The HERO System Bestiary, but 
  with Characteristics upgraded to match his true 
  form’s, no Multiform power of its own, no Lycan-
  thrope’s Bite, and other appropriate changes. For 
  his jaguar form, use the Leopard from page 145 
  EL JAGUAR  
  PLOT SEEDS
  Tezcatlipoca orders El 
  Jaguar to steal a valuable 
  Aztec artifact from a 
  museum in the cam-
  paign city. Knowing he 
  lacks the power to defeat 
  the museum’s state of 
  the art security systems 
  or battle the PCs on his 
  own, El Jaguar recruits 
  some villains to help 
  him rob the place. He 
  plans to slip away, steal 
  the artifact, and then 
  betray his “comrades” to 
  the PCs and escape in 
  the confusion.
  El Jaguar believes a 
  PC (or well-liked NPC 
  hero) with wind or 
  weather powers is an 
  incarnation of the god 
  Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlip-
  oca’s ancient enemy. He 
  makes it his personal 
  goal to harass and hurt 
  the hero, with the inten-
  tion of killing him as 
  soon as he can ﬁgure 
  out a way to capture him 
  and sacriﬁce him to the 
  Lord of Misfortune.
  Thanks to several spec-
  tacular crimes pulled by 
  El Jaguar, Tezcatlipoca’s 
  cult begins to grow in 
  Mexico... and even a 
  little in the southwest 
  US! The heroes have to 
  put a stop to him before 
  he does anything more 
  to further the Smoking 
  Mirror’s cause on Earth.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  186 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  of the Bestiary, with appro-
  priate changes to its INT and 
  the like. For times when El 
  Jaguar prefers to fight in his 
  human form, Tezcatlipoca 
  has given him an enchanted 
  flint knife (tecpatl) made of 
  stone from Mictlan (land of 
  the dead) that can cut nearly 
  anything.
  Campaign Use:  El Jaguar 
  could show up in the cam-
  paign in many ways. He 
  might simply be a mercenary 
  villain, working with other 
  villains to enrich himself in 
  the absence of any orders 
  from Tezcatlipoca. Or he 
  could spearhead one of 
  the god’s schemes, leading 
  troops of Nagual cultists, 
  undead Aztec sorcerers, 
  obsidian spirits, and other 
  terrors on behalf of the Lord 
  of Misfortune. Most of his 
  crimes and activities take 
  place in Mexico City, north-
  ern Mexico, or the south-
  western US, but he could 
  appear anywhere Tezcatli-
  poca needs him to.
  If you want to make El 
  Jaguar tougher, you have 
  several options. First, you 
  could increase his Characteristics and Running 
  to make him both more brick-like and more 
  speedster-like. Second, you could give him more 
  enchanted weapons, such as a macahuitl (obsid-
  ian-edged war club) or obsidian-tipped spear. 
  Third, you could draw on Tezcatlipoca’s aspect 
  as god of sorcerers and give El Jaguar magic 
  spells, or even a Variable Power Pool for magic. 
  (The Mystic World has plenty of sample spells he 
  could cast; just change the special effects to make 
  them look “Aztec.”) To weaken him, reduce his 
  Characteristics (especially DEX and SPD) and/or 
  make it harder for him to change shape (add 
  Extra Time, Concentration, or Side Effects to his 
  Multiform).
  El Jaguar rarely Hunts anyone unless Tezcatli-
  poca orders him to, in which case he follows orders.
  Appearance:  El Jaguar is a tall, muscular, hand-
  some man of Mexican Indian ancestry; he has 
  dark eyes and black hair simply cut. As El Jaguar 
  he wears brown boots and pants, a broad black 
  belt with a silver buckle shaped like a jaguar’s 
  head, no shirt, and a vest and bracers made of 
  jaguar fur. He carries his enchanted flint dagger, 
  with a hilt in the shape of a crouching Aztec war-
  rior, thrust into his belt.
  
  187 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  MORPH
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   25 CON 
  30 
  14-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   16 COM 
  3 
  12-
   10 PD 
  7 
  Total:  25 PD (15 rPD)
   8 ED 
  3 
  Total:  23 ED (15 rED)
   6 SPD 
  30 
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   50 END 
  0
   41 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  143
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  440 
  Morphic Powers:  Variable Power Pool 
  (Shapechanging Pool), 200 base + 100  
  control cost, Cosmic (+2); Shapechanging 
  Abilities Only (see text; -¼) 
  var
  75 
  Malleable Form:  Stretching 10”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  45 
  Resilient Form:  Armor (15 PD/15 ED) 
  0
  60 
  Resilient Form:  Physical and Energy  
  Damage Reduction, 50%, Resistant 
  0
  13 
  Malleable Mind:  Mental Defense  
  (15 points total) 
  0
  36 
  No Internal Organs:  Life Support  
  (Diminished Eating:  no need to eat;  
  Diminished Sleeping:  no need to sleep; 
  Immunity:  to all terrestrial biological  
  weapons, chemical weapons, diseases,  
  and poisons; Self-Contained Breathing) 
  0
   
  Talents
  5 
  Eidetic Memory
   
  Skills
  20 
  +4 HTH
  2 
  KS: The Superhuman World 11-
  15 
  Power:  Shapechanging/Stretching Tricks 18-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  717
  Total Cost:  860
  200+ Disadvantages
  25 
  Hunted:  UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
  ture)
  20 
  Hunted:  PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
  ture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Ruthless And 
  Greedy (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Tabitha 
  Markham) (Frequently, Major)
  5 
  Unluck:  1d6
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x Eﬀect from Transforms 
  and other attacks that involuntarily change 
  her shape or form (Uncommon)
  570 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  860
  Background/History:  The supervillainess the world 
  calls Morph isn’t even human. Unbeknownst to 
  anyone — including herself — she comes from a 
  dimension called Xargann whose advanced and 
  sophisticated people naturally possess shapeshifting 
  powers. A Xargann scientist, eager to experience 
  life among the “unchanging” whom she’d viewed 
  in her transdimensionscope, designed a device to 
  transport her to Earth by causing her to be born to 
  a human woman and grow up a human child.
  But two things went wrong with her plan. 
  The first was a rival scientist who, jealous of her 
  accomplishments, sabotaged the transporter 
  device. As a result, Morph was born and grew up 
  without ever accessing the knowledge of her true 
  self and background which she’d “programmed” 
  into her mind. Second, knowing little of Earth, 
  she chose her host family poorly. Rather than 
  picking a pair of responsible, mature, loving 
  parents, she ended up with Rob and Cindy 
  Markham, two of the most selfish people imagin-
  able. Rob was a four-time loser with a record of 
  petty (and occasionally not-so-petty) crime as 
  long as his arm, Cindy a prostitute and junkie.
  Growing up in that sort of “family,” it’s not 
  surprising that “Tabitha Markham” learned to 
  look out for herself pretty fast. When her native 
  shapechanging abilities manifested at age 13 (as 
  “programmed”), she realized right away they 
  were her meal ticket. At 15 she ran away from 
  home, supporting herself with the proceeds of 
  the robberies she could effortlessly pull with her 
  powers. By the time she was 18 she was a well-
  known member of the Superhuman World, code-
  named Morph. She’s been captured three times, 
  and once Stronghold even kept her imprisoned 
  for almost six months... but inevitably she finds a 
  way to use her powers to free herself and plague 
  the world once more.
  Personality/Motivation:  There’s little to like 
  about Morph. Selfish and greedy, she assumes 
  everyone she meets will try to screw her over if 
  they can... and so, in a self-fulfilling prophecy, 
  her suspicion and thinly-veiled hostility tend 
  to make people dislike and betray her. She pre-
  fers to work alone when she can (and is power-
  ful enough to do so), though she occasionally 
  takes high-paying jobs from master villains 
  and organizations like VIPER. 
  Quote:  “I’m “in shape” for any job you got. But I get 
  paid up front.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Morph is a true physical meta-
  morph with absolute control over her physical 
  shape and substance. She can’t assume energy 
  or gaseous forms, nor any form that involves 
  moving parts or a chemical reaction (for 
  example, she can’t change herself into a light-
  ning bolt, a working pistol, or a motor), and 
  she can’t alter her density or opacity, but aside 
  from that her powers are unrestricted. She can 
  distort her body with Stretching, flawlessly 
  imitate other people right down to the cellular 
  level with Shape Shift, accurately mimic ani-
  mals with Multiform, form parts of her body 
  MORPH  
  PLOT SEEDS
  In her most callous (and 
  perhaps proﬁtable!) 
  scam yet, Morph goes 
  to India and pretends to 
  be a multi-armed Hindu 
  goddess. The PCs have 
  to expose her in the face 
  of tens of thousands of 
  fanatic believers... who 
  may not be pleased to 
  have their illusions shat-
  tered.
  A series of high-proﬁle, 
  locked-room, “impos-
  sible” crimes has been 
  committed throughout 
  the city over the past 
  two weeks. UNTIL 
  believes Morph is 
  responsible and asks the 
  PCs to help track her 
  down and capture her.
  The government needs 
  Morph’s “help” to “ﬁne-
  tune” a new medicine 
  that may hold the cure 
  for cancer. It falls to 
  the PCs to ﬁnd her and 
  persuade her to oﬀer her 
  services.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  188 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  into melee weapons, transform her flesh into 
  stone or metal, and so forth. See Chapter Two 
  for many example powers she could create with 
  her Power Pool; some of her favorites include 
  Body Of Metal and Arms Into Blades.
  In combat, Morph usually opens up with 
  something spectacular, like transforming her 
  body to stone or metal and then making her 
  fist enormous to smash people with, or using 
  Growth to become gigantic and powerful. She’ll 
  follow her initial attack with a Presence Attack 
  in the hope of cowing her opponents. If that 
  doesn’t work, she’ll become more subtle, using 
  her powers to keep her opponents off-balance 
  and attack in the most effective way possible. If 
  things go bad, escape is just a little Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement (to the Microverse) or Deso-
  lidification (“stretching” to ooze through small 
  openings) away.
  Campaign Use:  Morph is an 
  all-purpose shapechanger 
  who gives the GM access to 
  whatever metamorphic abili-
  ties he needs to make a plot 
  work right. She can be tough 
  enough to take on an entire 
  team of heroes if necessary 
  (especially if you use her Vari-
  able Power Pool to beef up 
  her Damage Reduction).
  To strengthen Morph, 
  give her more powers out-
  side her Variable Power 
  Pool so she’s not entirely 
  dependent on the VPP. A 
  little Growth, Shrinking, or 
  Shape Shift that she can then 
  augment with her Pool frees 
  up more points for defenses 
  and attacks. To weaken her, 
  get rid of her Stretching 
  (requiring her to buy it with 
  the VPP) and her Damage 
  Reduction, and perhaps 
  reduce her SPD to 5.
  Morph is a terrifyingly 
  eﬀective Hunter. Her powers 
  let her follow and spy on just 
  about anyone easily, and she 
  can attack from surprise even 
  in places where the character 
  feels the safest — from the 
  Microverse or via Stretching 
  she can get just about anywhere.
  Appearance:  Morph can have any appearance 
  she wants, obviously, but usually favors her 
  “true” form:  a beautiful Caucasian woman 
  about 21 years old with dusky skin, short, dark 
  hair, dark eyes, and a slender, well-propor-
  tioned figure. Her “costume” (actually just part 
  of her body) consists of leather-looking pants, 
  belly-baring and decolletage-displaying short-
  sleeved top, and bracers.
  
  189 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  I
  n the typical Cyber Hero setting, metamorpho-
  sis is going to depend on technology. It’s cer-
  tainly possible to have a Cyber Hero campaign 
  that includes magic (which would allow for 
  traditional shapeshifters and mystic shape-alter-
  ing spells) or superpowers (which opens the ﬁeld 
  wide for just about anything you can think of), but 
  neither phenomenon falls within the traditional 
  conﬁnes of “cyberpunk.”
  In a genre where medical enhancements are 
  commonplace, characters who are in trouble can 
  buy plastic surgery on the street. Cosmetic surgery 
  might become so common and easy that people can 
  “update their look” on a weekly or monthly basis 
  to keep up with the latest trends. The underworld 
  could take advantage of this to change a wanted 
  criminal’s appearance radically as a way of helping 
  him hide out, or to establish a thriving trade in pro-
  viding new identities (complete with new appear-
  ance) for people looking to escape debts or other 
  diﬃculties. In a world where anyone can look like 
  anything, what are the standards of beauty?
  Going a step further, genetic technology and 
  cloning might allow for all sorts of changes at the 
  cellular level, the creation of Duplicates in the labo-
  ratory, cloned organs, and drugs with genetic side 
  eﬀects. If “brain transplants” become possible, the 
  incredibly wealthy may shift from body to body to 
  achieve a form of immortality. Biotechnology may 
  make all sorts of internal metamorph-like changes 
  or abilities possible.
  And then there’s cybernetics. “Cyberware” 
  implanted in the human body could justify many 
  diﬀerent metamorphic powers. A character might 
  have a cyber-arm that can be changed or reconﬁg-
  ured into diﬀerent weapons (see Dis Armament, 
  below); a “persona-on-a-chip” reader that lets him 
  change his personality at will (see John Doe 4.0, 
  below); or artiﬁcial organs that make it possible for 
  him to regulate adrenaline production, blood ﬂow, 
  and other internal autonomic functions at will.
  Character Examples
  JOHN DOE 4.0
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   12 DEX 
  6 
  11- 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3 
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   4 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  4 PD (0 rPD)
   4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  4 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
  8 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   5 REC 
  0
   26 END 
  0
   22 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  30
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  46 
  Numatsu Skillslot System, Model Delta,  
  With Personachip Upgrade:  Variable  
  Power Pool (Skill and Personality Pool),  
  40 base + 20 control cost; Extra Time  
  (takes 1 Turn to change slots; -¾),  
  Restrainable (-¼), Limited Use (see text;  
  -½), No More Than Four Slots Can Be  
  Active At Once (-¼), No Skill-Based  
  Slot Can Have More Than 11 Active  
  Points (-½) 
  0
   
  Skills
  3 
  Bribery 12-
  1 
  Computer Programming 8-
  3 
  Conversation 12-
  2 
  KS: Hudson City Underworld 11-
  1 
  Lockpicking 8-
  3 
  Persuasion 12-
  3 
  Sleight Of Hand 11-
  3 
  Stealth 11-
  7 
  Streetwise 14-
  1 
  WF: Handguns
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  73
  Total Cost:  103
  CYBER HERO
   JOHN DOE 4.0 
  PLOT SEEDS
  John Doe 4.0 slots the 
  personality of a vicious 
  serial killer, which he 
  was told was the per-
  sonality of a business-
  man. Now he’s stalking 
  women around the city, 
  and the attributes he’s 
  using to pick his victim 
  match those of a DNPC 
  or favorite NPC of the 
  heroes’. It’s up to them to 
  ﬁnd him, stop him... and 
  hopefully ﬁnd out who 
  did this to him, and why.
  John Doe 4.0’s real 
  memories start to 
  return... slowly, in tiny 
  pieces. He can visual-
  ize scenes that seem to 
  be Chicago — a mob 
  war with the yakuza 
  — a woman and a baby 
  — some things he can’t 
  fully “see.” He hires the 
  PCs to help him dig up 
  his true background.
  The PCs ﬁnd John Doe 
  4.0 with four personach-
  ips jammed into his 
  skillslot system. This has 
  rendered him catatonic, 
  even after the chips are 
  removed. Who did this 
  to him, and why? Why 
  didn’t they just kill him 
  (and take his valuable 
  skillslot system)?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  190 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  75+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Accidental Change:  when his personachip (if 
  any) is removed in any way, Always (Uncom-
  mon)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Amnesia (see text) 
  (Very Common, Total)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Personality Bleed 
  (see text) (Uncommon, Strong)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  130
  Background/History:  By the mid-twenty-ﬁrst cen-
  tury, advances in neurobiological engineering made 
  it possible to “copy” information onto digital stor-
  age media. By inserting these “chips” into his brain 
  via an implanted interface device called a skillslot 
  system, a person can, in eﬀect, instantly learn a 
  language, or how to operate a type of vehicle, or 
  everything there is to know about Shakespeare... 
  but only as long as the chip remains inserted. Take 
  it out, and all that knowledge vanishes.
  Even more advanced than the typical 
  “skillchip” are athletichips (which allow a person 
  to instantly “learn” physical abilities and Skills, 
  such as Climbing or Lockpicking) and persona-
  chips. The latter, which in some forms are ille-
  gal in nearly every country around the world, 
  contain the entire personality and memories of 
  a single person (or at least, as much of the per-
  sonality and memories as can fit on a skillchip, 
  or that the manufacturers want to include). By 
  inserting a personachip (which requires special 
  upgrades to the skillslot system), a person can 
  take on the best qualities of another person tem-
  porarily, making him more self-confident, more 
  assertive, or whatever it is he wants to be.
  Unfortunately, humanity being what it is, the 
  invention of personachips almost instantly cre-
  ated a black market for versions that were illegal 
  (because they contained criminal personalities, 
  such as those of serial killers) or that were made 
  illegally (by kidnapping someone to record his 
  personality against his will). Some people get a 
  perverse kick out of adopting the personality of a 
  favorite music or ﬁlm star... or a psychopath.
  A couple years ago, a guy woke up in an alley 
  in Hudson City. He was dressed in rags, and he 
  had few memories — he didn’t even know his own 
  name. But there was a top-model Numatsu skillslot 
  system installed in his skull. Lacking any real per-
  sonality or memories of his own, he soon began 
  using personachips to adopt others’ personalities... 
  and he didn’t really care whose personality it was or 
  how it got recorded on a chip. Calling himself “John 
  Doe 4.0,” he’s merged with the Hudson City cyber-
  underground, putting his criminal skills (which he 
  mysteriously remembered) and skillslot system to 
  work to earn every fast buck he can.
  Personality/Motivation:  John Doe 4.0 is a near-total 
  amnesiac. He has no memory of who he is, where 
  he comes from, or how he got to Hudson City 
  beyond when he woke up there a couple years ago. 
  He’s almost addicted to using personachips, since 
  he can’t bear to face the blank nothingness that is 
  his own reality. Unfortunately for him, he’s used 
  some badly-manufactured personachips that have 
  damaged his skillslot system without his know-
  ing it. He now sometimes suﬀers from personality 
  bleed, a condition in which fragments of previ-
  ously-slotted personalities remain in the buﬀer of 
  his skillsoft system and occasionally “bleed into” 
  his real personality or whichever personality he’s 
  currently using. It’s rare for the fragments to merge 
  into the existing personality well; the typical result 
  is confusion, odd behavior, and unsettling personal 
  mannerisms. (In game terms, at least once per 
  game the GM should roll John Doe’s Amnesia Psy-
  chological Limitation; if it fails, he suﬀers a -2 on all 
  Intellect and Interaction Skill rolls until such time 
  as the GM decides the condition has faded away 
  [usually within ½d6 hours]).
  Quote:  “I can be whoever you need me to be.”
  Powers/Tactics:  John Doe 4.0 has a four-slot 
  Numatsu “Skillslot” implant that’s been upgraded 
  to run personachips. In plain English, that means 
  he has a device implanted in his head that can hold 
  up to four “chips” (actually small modules about 1.5 
  inches long, 0.25 inches wide, and 0.5 inches “tall”); 
  when plugged in, the chip leaves about 0.5 inches 
  of itself showing that he usually covers up with his 
  hair or a cap. Each chip comes programmed with a 
  single Skill he can use. Typically these are Intellect 
  Skills, since (a) his set’s not upgraded for full athlet-
  ichip functionality that would let him use physical 
  Skills properly (and he’s not in good enough shape 
  to get the best use out of them anyway), and (b) 
  he gets any Interaction Skills he needs from per-
  
  191 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  sonachips. However, he does have a personachip 
  upgrade, meaning he can insert chips that contain 
  the full personality and memory of another person. 
  When he inserts a personachip, his own personal-
  ity (such as it is) and memories get “shunted” to the 
  back of his brain while the personality on the chip 
  becomes dominant.
  In game terms, the skillslot system is built as 
  a Variable Power Pool for Skills and certain Multi-
  forms. John Doe 4.0 can only have four slots active 
  at any one time, and no Skill-based slot can have 
  more than 11 Active Points (due to the limitations 
  of his model of skillslot system, the Skills he slots 
  can only work so well; of course, they also derive 
  in part from his own natural abilities, such as his 
  INT Roll for Intellect Skills). He can only run one 
  personachip at a time. Personachips are built as a 
  Multiform into a person with a diﬀerent personal-
  ity, memories, and the like. Typically the alternate 
  form is built the same as John Doe 4.0, but it has 
  diﬀerent KSs (representing memories and the like), 
  Interaction Skills (if any), and mental Disadvan-
  tages (if any). The Multiform can be built on up to 
  200 Character Points; that’s the limit of the system, 
  so it means personachips manufactured for his 
  system and based on some very learned persons 
  simply can’t contain all of those personas’ knowl-
  edge and memories.
  John Doe’s tactics in combat tend to depend 
  on the personality he’s currently running. How-
  ever, he has little in the way of military or ﬁghting 
  skills, so he prefers to run away when confronted 
  with violence or danger. He may get himself into 
  trouble if he’s running a belligerent personality that 
  “remembers” having boxing or martial arts skills....
  Campaign Use:  John Doe 4.0 oﬀers the GM all sorts 
  of scenario possibilities. The most obvious ones 
  involve answering the big questions in his back-
  ground:  who is he, where does he come from, and 
  how’d he become an amnesiac? Beyond that, his 
  underworld machinations could draw the PCs into 
  an adventure easily. They might even hire him to 
  help them run a scam or imitate someone.
  To make John Doe 4.0 tougher, upgrade his 
  skillsoft system so he can have more Skills at 
  once and so it can run athletichips at full func-
  tionality. To weaken him, reduce his number of 
  slots usable at once, or the Active Points available 
  for each Skill slot.
  John Doe 4.0 doesn’t really Hunt anyone. He 
  might stalk a particular character if he wants to 
  make that person the target of a crime, but he’s not 
  going to start vendettas or hold grudges.
  Appearance:  John Doe 4.0 is a pretty bland-
  looking Caucasian male with short, dirty blonde 
  hair. He dresses in the best he can afford, which 
  usually isn’t anything more than typical work-
  ingman’s clothes. He often wears a cap or some 
  other head covering to keep people from seeing 
  that he’s got a skillslot system.
  DIS ARMAMENT
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift 200 kg; 3d6[1]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   16 INT 
  6 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   4 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  4 PD (4 rPD)
   4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  4 ED (0 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  2 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  73
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  30 
  Cybernetic Right Arm:  Multipower, 60-point 
  reserve; Extra Time (takes a Full Phase to 
  change slots; -½), all slots OIF (-½)
  1u 
  1)  Metal Fist:  HA +4d6, Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OIF (-½),  
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  0
  4u 
  2)  Metal Claws:  HKA 2d6 (2d6+1 with 
  STR), Armor Piercing (+½), Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OIF (-½) 
  0
  3u 
  3)  Mini-Chain Gun:  RKA 2d6, Autoﬁre  
  (3 shots; +¼), Penetrating (+½); OIF  
  (-½), 12 Charges (-¼) 
  [12]
  2u 
  4)  Mini-Flamethrower:  RKA 2d6; Area  
  Of Eﬀect (7” Cone; +1); OIF (-½), No  
  Range (-½), 3 Charges (-1¼) 
  [3]
  2u 
  5)  Microgrenade Launcher:  RKA 1½d6; 
  Explosion (-1 DC/2”; +¾); OIF (-½), 6 
  Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  5 
  Cybernetic Left Arm:  As Cybernetic  
  Right Arm
  7  
  Bone Lacing On Fists:  HA +2d6; Hand- 
  To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  0
  3 
  Bone Lacing:  Armor (1 PD/1 ED) 
  0
  2 
  Bone Lacing:  Armor (3 PD/3 ED)  
  (9 Active Points); Only Works Against  
  BODY Damage (-1), Only To Protect  
  Against Breaking Bones (-2) 
  0
   
  Perks
  6 
  Contact:  The Yakuza 11- (Organization)
  4 
  Contact:  Mercenary 13- (old war buddy)
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Private Investigator License
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Cybernetic Weapon Permit
  2 
  Reputation:  detective/mercenary for hire (in 
  the metroplex) 11-, +2/+2d6
   
  Skills
  16 
  +2 with All Combat
  7 
  Criminology 14-
  3 
  Forensic Medicine 12-
  5 
  Interrogation 13-
  1 
  Language: Japanese (basic conversation;  
  English is Native)
  2 
  Language: Spanish (ﬂuent conversation)
  3 
  Lockpicking 13-
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  192 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  5 
  PS:  Private Detective 14-
  5 
  SS: Cybernetics 14-
  3 
  Security Systems 12-
  5 
  Shadowing 13-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  7 
  Streetwise 14-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  140
  Total Cost:  213
  75+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  right cyberarm (Easily 
  Concealable, Noticed And Recognizable)
  15 
  Hunted:  megacorporation 11- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching)
  10 
  Hunted:  local gang 8- (As Pow, Kill)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Of The Mer-
  cenary (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Honorable; Wants 
  To Do The Right Thing (Common, Strong)
  5 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from Electrical 
  Attacks (Uncommon)
  73 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  213
  Background/History:  Rick 
  Reynolds grew up in the Chi-
  cago metroplex, no diﬀerent 
  from a million other street 
  punks — taking drugs, com-
  mitting petty crimes, hoping 
  for a better life but doing 
  nothing to get it. One day he 
  took a job to deliver a package 
  for a local yakuza boss who 
  needed someone who’d blend 
  into the neighborhood better 
  than his own men.
  Everything was going 
  ﬁne... until a rival clan 
  ambushed Rick, beat him to 
  within an inch of his life, and 
  took the package. He knew 
  he’d be killed if he told the 
  oyabun he’d been robbed, so 
  he dragged himself out of 
  the alley and followed his 
  attackers. When they got to 
  their place, he hid nearby and 
  waited. Later that night, most 
  of them went out — and Rick 
  made his move. After shoot-
  ing the few guards left behind 
  with his pistol, he grabbed 
  the package and was getting 
  away... when a gangster he’d 
  actually only wounded blasted 
  him with a shotgun, destroy-
  ing his right arm.
  Despite shock and massive bleeding, Rick 
  made it back to the oyabun. Impressed with the 
  dedication and devotion of a man who wasn’t even 
  his employee, the oyabun paid for Rick’s medi-
  cal care, including the installation of cybernetic 
  replacement arms (he had to have the left one 
  amputated and replaced with a cyber-arm to bal-
  ance the system). Grateful for the treatment he’d 
  received, Rick spent a few years working for the 
  oyabun before striking out on his own as a private 
  detective and “troubleshooter” for hire. Now known 
  on the street by the nickname Dis Armament, he’s 
  spent a lot of his earnings over the years on new 
  attachments for his arm or other cyberware.
  Personality/Motivation:  Dis’s reputation and 
  demeanor give the impression of a cold, detached 
  detective. He makes no moral judgments and 
  always follows through with any job he takes. 
  Knowing this, he generally refuses jobs with a high 
  potential for extreme danger, that involve blatant 
  criminal activity, or which are obviously going to 
  make him lots of new enemies. He maintains that 
  EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Damage 
  STUN 
  STR Min 
  Shots
  Colt Renegade 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  10 
  15
  Armor
  Armorcloth (3 PD/3 ED), Activation Roll 14-
  Gear:  Investigators’ tools, mini-ﬂashlight, lockpicks
  Clothing:  As appropriate for his current case, but usually reasonably nice men’s suits
  DIS ARMAMENT 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Dis Armament takes a 
  job from someone who 
  seems like an ordinary 
  citizen, but is actually 
  a megacorporation 
  employee. The job 
  requires him to dig up 
  some dirt on one of the 
  heroes’ DNPCs (or a 
  well-liked NPC). When 
  what he’s doing becomes 
  known to the PCs and 
  they confront him, what 
  will he do?
  A back-alley cyberneti-
  cist begins oﬀering Dis 
  Armament some good 
  deals on new cyberarm 
  modules. Puzzled by 
  how the guy could oﬀer 
  such bargains, he starts 
  poking around and 
  stumbles onto a major 
  organ- and cyberware-
  legging operation. 
  Unable to take on such 
  a powerful group on his 
  own, he appeals to the 
  PCs for help.
  When Dis Armament 
  goes in for some routine 
  maintenance on his 
  cyberarms, the doctor 
  (who’s secretly working 
  for the megacorporation 
  Hunting him) implants 
  a control chip in his 
  brain. Now the corp’s got 
  him doing all its dirty 
  work. The PCs have to 
  ﬁgure out why he sud-
  denly “turned evil” and 
  rescue him.
  
  193 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  his job is detective work, not mercenary work, 
  which basically means any mercenary work costs 
  two to three times extra.
  Secretly, Dis wants to “do the right thing” and 
  help the good guys. But he’s cynical enough to 
  think everyone out there is essentially evil, which 
  makes it diﬃcult for him to ﬁnd work he can take 
  without feeling guilty (but easy to shoot people 
  who get in his way). If asked to hurt innocent 
  people, he’ll make excuses for why he can’t do it; 
  if he takes a job before he realizes an innocent is 
  going to get in the way, he’d have a real conﬂict 
  of interest between his desire to do good and his 
  desire to always complete the job.
  Quote:  “Consider yourself served.”
  Powers/Tactics:  While Dis can ﬁght with his ﬁsts or 
  use a pistol (he favors the big-bore Colt Renegade), 
  most of his oﬀensive capability comes from his 
  cybernetic arms. Each one functions like a normal 
  arm (albeit one made of steel, so he can punch 
  pretty hard with it), but also has a modular fore-
  arm that he can swap out. He usually keeps it like a 
  normal arm and hand, but he can replace that with 
  a clawed hand, a ﬂamethrower, an automatic gun, 
  or a microgrenade launcher. To make the switch, 
  he has to (a) have a replacement module with him, 
  and (b) spend a Full Phase changing Multipower 
  slots. He usually leaves the modules he’s not using 
  at his oﬃce, since they’re too bulky to carry around, 
  but if he’s expecting trouble he can carry two in a 
  briefcase or all of them in a duﬄe bag.
  Campaign Use:  An enemy of the PCs could hire Dis 
  to pester and spy on the players or DNPCs. Once 
  he realizes they’re “the good guys,” he’s going to 
  experience a real moral dilemma. Teaming up with 
  the PCs may be the only way out.
  To make Dis tougher, give him more cyber-
  ware — replacement eyes or legs, for example — or 
  give him some Martial Arts (Dirty Inﬁghting). If 
  he’s already too tough, get rid of several of his Mul-
  tipower slots.
  As a Hunter, Dis Armament is precise and 
  methodical. He gathers all the information about 
  the PCs he can through his usual channels — oﬃ-
  cial records, yakuza contacts, Streetwise — then 
  makes his move. He’d rather sic the cops or one of 
  their enemies on them than tackle them in combat 
  himself, but if he’s got a contract to fulﬁll he’ll do 
  whatever he has to.
  Appearance:  Dis Armament is a large, broad-shoul-
  dered black male with two full-replacement cyber-
  netic arms in shiny chrome steel. The forearms 
  are modular, allowing him to take them oﬀ and 
  replace them with ones containing diﬀerent weap-
  ons or gadgets. (He’s never far away from a case or 
  backpack that contains one or two of his weapon 
  arm attachments.) He’s a big fan of the trenchcoat 
  and fedora look, combined with sunglasses and a 
  chewed-up cigar (never smoked). His clothes are 
  usually rumpled and dirty, and he shaves about 
  once a week.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  194 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  A
  s a genre, Dark Champions tends to be 
  well-grounded in reality in most respects, 
  making metamorphs and their powers 
  incredibly rare (or even just plain non-
  existent). But if the campaign makes allowances 
  for some “weird” powers, mysticism, and the like, 
  then many intriguing possibilities exist. Even a 
  single low-powered metamorphic ability may let 
  an adversary create mysteries to baﬄe the PCs or 
  pose a danger to them. Examples of metamorphs 
  you might ﬁnd in a Dark Champions campaign 
  that allows weird abilities include:  a serial killer 
  who can contort himself to ﬁt through pipes or 
  under doors; a doctor who uses modern science to 
  recreate Dr. Jekyll’s formula (see Nathan Sumbru, 
  below); a murderer who can trigger a multiple 
  personality disorder at will so that he can hide 
  from the police more eﬀectively; or a criminal 
  who can change his ﬁngerprints, DNA, or even 
  scent to confuse criminalists.
  Character Example
  DR. NATHAN SUMBRU
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   12 DEX 
  6 
  11- 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   12 CON 
  4 
  11-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   13 PRE 
  3 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  2½d6
   11 COM 
  1 
  11-
   3 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  3 PD (0 rPD)
   3 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  3 ED (0 rED)
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   24 END 
  0
   21 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  19
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  12 
  Unleashing His Inner Demon:  Multiform 
  (assume 249-point “evil self” form);  
  OIF Fragile (-¾), Costs Endurance (-½),  
  1 Charge (-2) 
  [1]
   
  Perks
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  License to Practice Medicine
  10 
  Money:  Wealthy
   
  Skills
  15 
  +3 with Science Skills
  3 
  High Society 12-
  2 
  KS: The Medical World 11-
  4 
  TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Snow Skiing
  1 
  WF: Handguns
  3 
  Scientist
  2 
  1)  SS: Anatomy 12-
  2 
  2)  SS: Biochemistry 12-
  2 
  3)  SS: Biology 12-
  2 
  4)  SS: Chemistry 12-
  2 
  5)  SS: Genetics 12-
  2 
  6)  SS: Medicine 12-
  2 
  7)  SS: Psychology 12-
  2 
  8)  SS: Surgery 12-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  67
  Total Cost:  86
  DARK  
  CHAMPIONS
  
  195 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  DNPC:  Maureen, Katie, Mary, and John 
  Sumbru (wife and kids) 8- (Group DNPC)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Scientiﬁc Curios-
  ity (Common, Total)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Compulsion To 
  Unleash Inner Demon (Uncommon, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (isn’t 
  known to be the “madman” who’s committed 
  so many brutal crimes) (Frequently, Major)
  5 
  Social Limitation:  Harmful Secret (biomedi-
  cal ethics violations) (Occasionally, Minor)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  170
  DR. SUMBRU’S INNER DEMON
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   30 STR 
  30 
  15- 
  Lift 1,600 kg; 6d6 [6]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   6 COM 
  -2 
  10-
   12 PD 
  10 
   
  Total:  12 PD (2 rPD)
   10 ED 
  8 
   
  Total:  10 ED (2 rED)
   4 SPD 
  15 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   10 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   50 STUN 10 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  126
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  30 
  Necksnapper:  HKA 2d6, NND (defense is  
  rigid rPD on the neck, or anything else  
  that prevents the neck/head from being  
  turned and twisted the right way; +1), Does 
  BODY (+1); Must Follow Grab (-½), Must 
  Target The Head (-1), No STR Bonus (-½), 
  Requires A STR Roll (no Active Point penalty; 
  -0) 
  9
  5 
  Fearsome:  +10 PRE; Only To Make Fear-/
  Intimidation-Based Presence Attacks (-1) 
  0
  60 
  Tough:  Physical and Energy Damage  
  Reduction, Resistant, 50% 
  0
  2 
  Tough:  Damage Resistance (2 PD/2 ED) 
  0
   
  Skills
  15 
  +3 HTH
  3 
  Climbing 12-
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  125
  Total Cost:  251
  100+ Disadvantages
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk in combat (Very 
  Common), go 11-, recover 11-
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Revels In Malice, 
  Bloodshed, Evil, Destruction, Death, And 
  Suﬀering (Very Common, Total)
  91 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  251
  Background/History:  Nathan Sumbru is a gifted 
  doctor and biochemist, respected as a pillar of the 
  community and the patriarch of a large and loving 
  family. The ethics violations involving experiments 
  on live subjects, the ones that got him quietly 
  removed from several university faculties — almost 
  no one knows about those, or just how driven Dr. 
  Sumbru can become when he ﬁxates on something.
  A few years ago, Sumbru was passing a quiet 
  evening at home reading The Strange Case Of Dr. 
  Jekyll And Mr. Hyde when a thought occurred to 
  him:  what if the book weren’t ﬁction? Was it pos-
  sible to bring out someone’s “dark side” through 
  scientiﬁc processes and formulae? Even if it weren’t 
  possible back then, was it possible with modern 
  science, technology, and psychology?
  Fascinated by the concept, Dr. Sumbru set to 
  work, hiding the budget for his new “project” in the 
  funding for various jobs he did for the US military. 
  After many months of eﬀort, he ﬁnally found the 
  breakthrough he’d been looking for. Unable to resist 
  the temptation, he drank down the bitter-tasting 
  potion in one swift gulp.
  At first, nothing happened. Then he felt 
  something welling up in his mind, like the giggle 
  of a madman who realizes his jailer’s acciden-
  tally left the door free. And then the pain hit, 
  wracking his body with spasms and leaving him 
  writhing on the floor. When it passed, he was... 
  different. Looking in the mirror, he saw that his 
  features were superficially similar, but somehow 
  darker, more intense. There was a look of malice 
  and cunning in his eyes that he’d never seen 
  before — and thoughts filled his mind that he’d 
  never dared to even think of thinking.
  The crime spree began later that night. Soon 
  the police had a ﬁle cabinet drawer full of case 
  reports about brutal rape-murders, acts of savage 
  butchery, cannibalism, and perverse vandalism. 
  But they could never catch anyone; the few eyewit-
  nesses who were willing to talk to them confusedly 
  described a “dark man” whose very appearance 
  somehow revolted them.
  Since he ﬁrst took what he now calls the Drac 
  formula (from the Romanian word for “demon”), 
  Dr. Sumbru has slowly but surely become addicted 
  to releasing what he refers to as his “inner demon.” 
  He remembers in full the acts his inner demon 
  commits, and he doesn’t care. The intensity of 
  the experience, the pleasure of being able to do 
  anything he wants without feeling guilt or fear, 
  have overwhelmed him. A time or two he’s nearly 
  exposed his beloved wife and children to his dark 
  side... and while the thought of what the inner 
  demon would do to them terriﬁes him, that terror 
  isn’t enough to make him stop.
  Personality/Motivation:  Nathan Sumbru is a rela-
  tively normal man of science. What sets him apart 
  from other doctors and researchers is his obsessive 
  nature:  once he gets interested in something, he 
  investigates it to the very end, and damn all the 
  protocols, rules, regulations, and biomedical ethics 
  that might stand in his way. He’s searching for 
  Knowledge, for the Truth, and petty bureaucratic 
  nonsense can’t be allowed to interfere.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  196 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  When he “unleashes his inner demon,” Sumbru 
  becomes evil incarnate. The inner demon joyfully 
  causes as much pain, death, and misery as it can, 
  and it has a ﬁendish and unbounded imagination 
  in this regard. It is all the base and selﬁsh impulses 
  of humanity made form in one single individual.
  Quote:  “Do you ever wonder just what depths of 
  depravity a man can sink to? I don’t — I live there.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Nathan Sumbru himself is a doctor 
  and scientist — learned, even brilliant, but oth-
  erwise not particularly remarkable except for his 
  personal wealth. His inner demon, on the other 
  hand, is strong, fast, and vicious. The Drac formula 
  unlocks all the aggression and cruelty in Sumbru’s 
  soul and brings it to the forefront of his personal-
  ity, which in turn works certain physical changes 
  on his body to make him tough and strong. The 
  change alters his DNA and ﬁngerprints just enough 
  that the inner demon’s trace evidence can’t be con-
  nected to Sumbru himself.
  The inner demon won’t ﬁght heroes in a one-
  on-one confrontation unless it has to. It prefers to 
  ambush a victim, cripple him (or, far more often, 
  her), and then drag him away to some isolated loca-
  tion where he can “play” until his victim dies from 
  the abuse. If forced to ﬁght, he responds with bru-
  tality and ruthlessness, breaking necks and limbs.
  Doctor Sumbru changes back to his normal 
  self after about 24 hours or when he takes another 
  dose of the Drac formula (which is something the 
  inner demon won’t do voluntarily; it doesn’t hate 
  Sumbru, but prefers to remain free). The potion (or 
  sometimes injection) is referred to as an Obvious 
  Inaccessible Focus because although it’s Accessible 
  to Grab, making the inner demon take it usually 
  means Knocking him Out (or holding him down) 
  and forcing it down his throat.
  Campaign Use:  Sumbru’s inner demon is a perfect 
  example of a totally irredeemable villain, one your 
  PCs can enjoy hunting and, eventually, gunning 
  down. Sumbru himself is a dramatic example of the 
  hubris of science and learning, and of why biomed-
  ical ethics exist. If possible, introduce him into the 
  campaign before the PCs meet the inner demon; 
  that way they can get to know him, making the rev-
  elation of his secret all the more shocking.
  To make the inner demon more powerful, give 
  him more defenses, CON, and/or STUN — noth-
  ing’s as scary as a foe who just won’t fall down. You 
  could also give him some stealth-related abilities so 
  he can sneak up on the PCs easily. To weaken him, 
  reduce his STR and/or Necksnapper ability.
  The inner demon has little patience for Hunt-
  ing — if someone annoys it or attracts its malign 
  attention, it stalks him until it has the chance to 
  make a safe attack, then attacks.
  Appearance:  Nathan Sumbru is a quiet, digniﬁed-
  looking man in his mid-thirties with brown hair 
  and eyes. He favors simple, conservative men’s fash-
  ions, and of course wears a labcoat when engaged 
  in his scientiﬁc experimentation. When he drinks 
  his Drac formula and unleashes his “inner demon,” 
  his skin becomes slightly darker and ﬂushed, his 
  eyes and face take on a crazed, malevolent look, and 
  his muscles bulge slightly (often enough to tear his 
  tight clothes a little here and there).
  DR. NATHAN 
  SUMBRU  
  PLOT SEEDS
  The classic Dr. Sumbru 
  plot:  the inner demon 
  begins committing a 
  wave of particularly 
  horriﬁc crimes, which 
  the PCs have to investi-
  gate and stop. At some 
  point they meet Dr. 
  Sumbru and have to put 
  two-and-two together 
  to ﬁgure out his real 
  involvement.
  While investigating 
  some military- or espio-
  nage-related matter, 
  the PCs stumble across 
  one of the “projects” Dr. 
  Sumbru is working on 
  for the government... 
  one that’s not exactly 
  legal, or safe. To keep 
  them from interfer-
  ing with his work, he 
  unleashes his inner 
  demon on them.
  The inner demon 
  kidnaps Dr. Sumbru’s 
  family... and for some 
  reason, when he reverts 
  to himself, he can’t 
  remember where the 
  inner demon hid them, 
  or what it plans to do 
  with them. He has to 
  get the PCs to help him 
  without revealing his 
  secret... and hopefully 
  ﬁnd out what caused the 
  memory lapse.
  
  197 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  A
  side from Champions, the genre in which 
  you’re most likely to ﬁnd the widest variety 
  of metamorphs is Fantasy. In a Fantasy 
  Hero game, lycanthropes and masquers 
  might be extremely common (or at least deadly 
  adversaries when encountered), entire races of 
  shapechangers might co-exist peacefully with Men, 
  Dwarves, and Elves, faerie-folk are practically 
  deﬁned by their ability to shapechange, and wizards 
  can use spells to change their shapes and appear-
  ances in nearly any way imaginable. (In fact, the 
  “battle of forms,” in which two wizards duel each 
  other by changing shape, is a classic Fantasy “bit.”)
  Unless changing shape is common in a Fantasy 
  setting, the populace — often superstitious, igno-
  rant peasants and townsfolk — is likely to fear it. 
  Their main contact with shapeshifters will be when 
  a lycanthrope preys on their ﬂocks (and them) or 
  a wizard transforms one of them into a newt. So 
  if they suspect someone of being, say, a werewolf, 
  their response is likely to involve torches and pitch-
  forks rather than reasoned dialogue.
  Fortunately for the hapless peasants, tradi-
  tional shapeshifting creatures usually have well-
  known traditional weaknesses. Werewolves can 
  be killed with silver weapons (and in some set-
  tings, any blessed weapon), while vampires have 
  a plethora of restrictions and vulnerabilities for 
  hunters to exploit.
  Character Examples
  ALVARAN NINEFORMS
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   16 CON 
  12 
  12-
   13 BODY 6 
  12-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  6 PD (0 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  6 ED (0 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   32 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  1 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  75
  Movement: 
  Running:  7”/14”
   
  Swimming:  3”/6”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  31 
  The Druid’s Gift:  Multiform (eight animal 
  forms built on up to 200 Character Points  
  each; see text); Extra Time (takes 1 Turn to 
  change forms; -¾) 
  0
  2 
  Strong Runner:  Running +1” (7” total) 
  1
  1 
  Strong Swimmer:  Swimming +1” (3” total) 
  1
  3 
  Alert:  +1 to PER Rolls with all Sense  
  Groups 
  0
   
  Skills
  16 
  +2 with All Combat
  4 
  +2 OCV with Bows
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  3 
  Concealment 12-
  5 
  AK: The Westerlands 14-
  2 
  KS: Flora And Fauna 11-
  7 
  KS: Orcs And Goblins 16-
  1 
  Language:  Ilurian (basic conversation;  
  Vestrian is Native)
  1 
  Language:  Umbrian (basic conversation)
  1 
  Language:  Westerlands Skhai (basic  
  conversation)
  1 
  Language:  Westerlands Vugrash (basic con-
  versation)
  2 
  Navigation (Land) 12-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  6 
  Survival (Mountains, Temperate/ 
  Subtropical) 13-
  7 
  Tracking 14-
  6 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons, Staﬀ, Oﬀ Hand
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  105
  Total Cost:  180
  75+ Disadvantages
  15 
  Hunted:  Orc chieftain 11- (As Pow, Kill)
  20 
  Hunted:  enemies of Vestria 8- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Hatred Of Orcs, 
  Goblins, And Their Kin (Common, Total)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (King 
  of Vestria) (Very Frequently, Major)
  30 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  180
  Background/History:  Alvaran, the son of a Ves-
  trian blacksmith and his wife, was orphaned at 
  age 7 when Orcs and Goblins from the Greyward 
  Mountains attacked his village, slaughtering most 
  of the inhabitants. Adopted into the household of 
  the local earl, he grew up hating “greenskins” with a 
  passion. With the help of some of the lord’s retain-
  ers, he learned swordplay and woodcraft so he 
  could protect other people from the foul creatures.
  One day after he’d been a ranger for several 
  FANTASY HERO
  ALVARAN  
  PLOT SEEDS
  The PCs need to ﬁnd a 
  Vestrian Orc shaman 
  who knows the answer 
  to a riddle that will help 
  them lift a curse from 
  a bewitched village. 
  The only person who’s 
  likely to be able to ﬁnd 
  the shaman in time is 
  Alvaran Nineforms... but 
  they have to keep him 
  from killing the shaman 
  in the process.
  Alvaran fails to show 
  up at a village the King 
  of Vestria ordered him 
  to visit (the village 
  priest had reported that 
  some strange monster 
  raids were plaguing the 
  peasants). He seems to 
  have vanished without 
  a trace. The king asks 
  the PCs to look into the 
  situation.
  While exploring a 
  ruined castle in search 
  of treasure, the PCs ﬁnd 
  Alvaran — wounded, 
  bloody, and deeply 
  unconscious. Heal-
  ing-spells don’t seem 
  to work on him, either. 
  What happened here?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  198 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  years, he was tracking a tribe of Goblins through 
  the forest. He caught up to them as they were 
  attacking an elderly druid who lived by himself 
  in a woodland glade. Alvaran slew the Goblins 
  one and all, but he was too late to save the druid 
  — the old man’s wounds were too extensive, and 
  neither he nor Alvaran had the magic to heal them. 
  Silently cursing himself for not getting there in 
  time, Alvaran tried to make the druid’s last hours as 
  comfortable as possible.
  As his last act, the grateful druid gave Alvaran 
  a gift:  the power to assume eight animal forms (for 
  eight was a sacred number to his sect, representing 
  the four seasons viewed under the Sun and under 
  the Moon). With this new ability, Alvaran has 
  pressed his war against the greenskins even more 
  strongly than before, for who among their dim-
  minded kind would ever suspect a crow or serpent 
  of spying on them?
  Personality/Motivation:  Alvaran is obsessed with 
  the idea of protecting people from Orcs and 
  Goblins... by slaying every Orc or Goblin he can. 
  He scoffs at the idea that greenskins can be as 
  intelligent and civilized as other folk; he’s never 
  met a Thordarian Orc, and if he did would prob-
  ably want to kill him regardless of his clothes 
  and manners. He’s spent his entire life learning 
  about and hunting Orcs and Goblins, and he’s so 
  devoted to that pursuit that getting him to focus 
  on anything else isn’t likely to work.
  Quote:  “I’ve got their trail now. This is one tribe of 
  greenskinned butchers that isn’t going to survive 
  long enough to hurt anyone else.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Alvaran is a ranger, skilled at 
  tracking, wilderness survival, and the use of 
  the bow... but he has powers most rangers lack. 
  Thanks to the dying druid’s gift, he can take on 
  eight different animal forms:  bear, cat, crow, 
  deer, falcon, pike, serpent, and wolf. Each is basi-
  cally a normal animal of its type, though gifted 
  with Alvaran’s INT and Combat Skill Levels 
  (in addition to any CSLs it may already have). 
  Changing into an animal form (or back to his 
  true form) takes Alvaran twelve seconds.
  Alvaran’s preferred role is that of scout and 
  sniper. He uses his Stealth and alternate forms to 
  gather information on his enemy, then his bow 
  to remove his enemy from the world. If that’s not 
  possible, he prefers to ﬁght with longsword in one 
  hand and dagger in the other, but he’s also skilled 
  with the quarterstaﬀ.
  Campaign Use:  Alvaran makes a useful ally for 
  the PCs... albeit a singleminded one, and a dan-
  gerous one if they count any Orcs, Half-Orcs, or 
  Goblins among their number or their comrades. 
  Alvaran finds it almost impossible to believe 
  anything good about any “greenskin,” so getting 
  him to interact with them other than at sword-
  point is difficult at best.
  To make Alvaran more powerful, increase the 
  number of forms he can change into, or give him some 
  Martial Arts with either sword or bow. To weaken him, 
  impose more restrictions on his ability to change form, 
  such as Costs Endurance or Concentration.
  See above for how Alvaran Hunts his enemies.
  Appearance:  Alvaran Nineforms is a Vestrian man 
  in his mid-20s, with dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, a 
  short blondish beard, and a serious look on his face. 
  He wears a simple tunic and leggings in brown, 
  boots (and if necessary gloves) of darker brown 
  leather, and a hooded forest green cloak; all of his 
  clothes have seen a lot of hard use, but they’re not 
  torn or excessively patched. He carries a longsword, 
  a heavy bow, and a quiver of 30 arrows.
  EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Damage 
  STUN 
  STR Min 
  Shots
  Longsword 
  +0 
  —  
  1d6+1 
  0 
  12 
  —
  Bow, Heavy 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  0 
  10 
  30
  Quarterstaﬀ 
  +1 
  — 
  5d6 N 
  — 
  15 
  —
  Dagger# 
  +0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  6 
  —
  Armor
  Cuir bouilli armor (DEF 3)
  Gear:  Backpack, ﬂint and steel, bedroll, tent, travel rations
  Clothing:  Brown tunic, pants, and boots; dark green hooded cloak
  
  199 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  HROLF KELLINGSON
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   13 BODY 6 
  12-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   6 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  6 PD (0 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  5 ED (0 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   36 END 
  0
   32 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  80
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  4 
  Enchanted Wolfskin:  Multiform (assume 
  120-point wolf form); OAF (can’t be taken 
  away from character once he changes form; 
  -½), Independent (-2), Extra Time (Extra 
  Phase; -¾), Personality Loss (1 Hour; -1), 
  Aﬀects Body Only (-½) 
  0
  4 
  Wolf’s Speed:  Running +2” (8” total) 
  0
  3 
  Lupine Senses:  +1 PER with all Sense  
  Groups 
  0
   
  Talents
  16 
  Berserk Fury
   
  Skills
  15 
  +3 HTH
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  2 
  AK: Vulkringland 11-
  3 
  KS: Vulkring Culture And Lore 12-
  2 
  Navigation (Marine) 12-
  3 
  Riding 13-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  2 
  Survival (Temperate/Northern Temperate) 12-
  3 
  Tracking 12-
  3 
  TF: Large Rowed Boats, Large Wind-Pow-
  ered Boats, Small Rowed Boats
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  70
  Total Cost:  150
  75+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Hunted:  village chieftain and elders 8- (Mo 
  Pow, NCI, Watching)
  10 
  Hunted:  old family enemy 8- (As Pow, Kill)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Wolf’s Nature 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Supersti-
  tious; Believes In Omens And Evil Spirits 
  (Common, Strong)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (war-
  band chief) (Very Frequently, Major)
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with his best friend 
  Hogar)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  150
  Background/History:  Hrolf Kellingson was just 
  another Vulkring warrior — loud, boisterous, vio-
  lent, hot-tempered, superstitious, honorable in his 
  rough way — until the day he got lost in the forest 
  following a major battle. He’d taken a blow to the 
  head that didn’t penetrate his helmet... but scram-
  bled his brains good. By the time he truly came to 
  himself he had no idea where he was. He couldn’t 
  hear the sound of the battle at all.
  He wandered in the woods two more days, 
  never seeing another soul or a path. He found 
  a few roots to eat, but he was starving to death. 
  That’s when he noticed the wolf off in the dis-
  tance. It hadn’t seen him as it loped along. Maybe 
  it would lead him to some food! With all the 
  stealth he could muster, he followed the wolf. He 
  nearly fell over with astonishment when it led 
  him to a little cottage and walked right in the 
  door. He stared with amazement as the wolf took 
  off its skin and became a man!
  Hrolf realized the man was a skinchanger, 
  a person who put on an enchanted animal-skin 
  to assume that animal’s shape. He also realized 
  the man must have food. Filled with supersti-
  tious fright, but too hungry to care, he crept up 
  to the cottage, charged through the door with a 
  Vulkring shout, and cut the man down with his 
  sword. After gorging himself on the dead man’s 
  food, he rested. When he awoke, he gathered up 
  everything valuable he could find... including the 
  skin... and left.
  Since that day, Hrolf Kellingson has been a 
  skinchanger himself. At first the skin terrified 
  him, but after he’d had it a few days and it didn’t 
  do anything to him, he couldn’t resist the tempta-
  tion to try it on. He found that he loved being 
  a wolf — the strength, the senses, the ferocity. 
  Now he changes shape frequently, though never 
  in sight of others unless he intends to kill them. 
  He usually keeps the skin near him, often wear-
  ing it as part of his animal-fur cloak when the 
  weather’s cold.
  Personality/Motivation:  Kellingson’s pretty much 
  a typical Vulkring warrior, despite owning a 
  changing-skin. He lives for the day, taking all the 
  enjoyment out of life that he can and not worry-
  ing much about tomorrow, because tomorrow he 
  may be dead. But since he started changing shape, 
  he’s become more wolf-like in his outlook:  greedy, 
  rapacious, and ruthless, but also loyal to his com-
  rades and those who care for him.
  Kellingson’s deeply superstitious; he puts great 
  stock in omens, old tales, witchcraft, and similar 
  matters. Many a time he’s given up on some quest 
  or crime because he saw or experienced something 
  that spooked him.
  Quote:  “There’s a little wolf in any Vulkring... but 
  more in me.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Although he has the craftiness 
  and tactical sense of a trained and experienced 
  Vulkring warrior, Hrolf Kellingson’s not a par-
  ticularly subtle fighter. He prefers to meet his 
  enemies in honorable open combat where he 
  can hack them down. But sometimes his wolf’s 
  HROLF KELLINGSON 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Hrolf comes to the PCs 
  for help. He claims his 
  enchanted wolf’s-skin is 
  taking him over — that 
  it’s forcing him to change 
  shape, and changing 
  him on its own when 
  he’s asleep. He’s begin-
  ning to wonder what 
  human ﬂesh would taste 
  like, and he desperately 
  wants their help to stop 
  whatever’s happening 
  to him.
  Hrolf hears tell that in a 
  barrow on distant Ohrec 
  Island lie the bones of 
  a king... and the king’s 
  magical sword! He 
  wants that sword, and he 
  needs the PCs’ help to 
  get it. He promises them 
  all the gold and treasure 
  in the barrow except for 
  the sword if they’ll help 
  him get it.
  Hrolf washes up on the 
  shore near the PCs’ vil-
  lage. Obviously he’s a 
  Vulkring, which means 
  there must have been 
  a Vulkring raid some-
  where nearby... what 
  happened to him, and 
  what will they do?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  200 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  nature pushes him to use sneakier, less honorable 
  ways of fighting... or even to assume wolf-form 
  and dispose of his enemies in the night.
  Campaign Use:  Hrolf Kellingson is a typical exam-
  ple of a skinchanger, and as such could serve as a 
  template for many similar characters in your cam-
  paign. He might also make a 
  good “sidekick” for a PC — an 
  often loud and obnoxious one, 
  but one who’s unfailingly loyal 
  and willing to risk his life for 
  his friend.
  To make Hrolf tougher, 
  make him a better warrior. Give 
  him more Combat Skill Levels 
  or some Martial Arts with his 
  sword. If he’s too tough, scale 
  his higher Characteristics back 
  to the 14-17 range, and perhaps 
  reduce his SPD to 3.
  Hrolf doesn’t really Hunt 
  people — he knows how to 
  hold a grudge, but not partici-
  pate in a vendetta. That’s too 
  much work.
  Appearance:  Hrolf Kellingson 
  is a big, burly, rough-looking 
  Vulkring warrior. His hair and 
  beard are both coal-black; he 
  wears the former in braids. He 
  usually dresses as appropri-
  ate for a Vulkring and carries 
  a large battle axe and shield. 
  When he wants to don his 
  changing-skin and assume 
  wolf-form, he has to take oﬀ his 
  armor and clothes and put on 
  his enchanted wolf-skin. Like 
  many skinchangers, his face has 
  taken on a slightly lupine look.
  EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Damage 
  STUN 
  STR Min 
  Shots
  Longsword 
  0 
  — 
  1d6+1 
  0 
  12 
  —
  Battle Axe 
  0 
  — 
  2d6 
  0 
  13 
  —
  Dagger# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  6 
  —
  Armor
  Chainmail (DEF 6)
  Medium shield (+2 DCV)
  Gear:  As appropriate for current activities
  Clothing:  Tunic, leggings, leather boots, fur cloak
  
  201 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  M
  etamorphs are more at home in the 
  Horror genre than practically anyplace 
  else. What could be more creepy than a 
  being who can look exactly like you... or 
  even steal your abilities, thoughts, and memories? 
  Out there in the dark of night are werewolves, vam-
  pires, and other monsters (perhaps entire clans of 
  them, warring with each other and using human-
  ity as fodder) — and lurking in the greater dark 
  of Outer Space are Lovecraftian gods and demons 
  whose quasi-physical bodies ooze and change 
  shape almost reﬂexively. Their shifting appearances 
  may be so horrifying as to drive anyone who sees 
  them insane. A more human form of evil, demons, 
  can possess humans, warping and transforming 
  them physically, mentally, and spiritually in ways 
  little diﬀerent from “real” metamorphosis.
  Character Examples
  NAZERON JOHNSON
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV:  3/DCV:  3
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   20 EGO 
  20 
  13- 
  ECV:  7
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   16 COM 
  3 
  12-
   2 PD 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 PD (0 rPD)
   3 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 ED (0 rED)
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
   5 REC 
  0
   26 END 
  0
   22 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  49
  Movement: 
  Running:  4”/8”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  130 
  Soul Switching:  Major Transform 8d6  
  (transfer Johnson’s current soul into victim’s 
  body, and victim’s soul into Johnson’s; heals 
  back through application of the same  
  power), BOECV (Power Defense applies; 
  +1), Fully Invisible (+1), Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END; +¼); All Or Nothing (-½), Limited 
  Target (humans; -½), No Range (-½), Works 
  Against PRE, Not BODY (see text; -½), Side 
  Eﬀects (transfer victim’s soul into Johnson’s 
  body, automatically happens; -0) 
  18
  15 
  A Spell For Chaining The Wills Of Men:  
  Mind Control 12d6; Concentration  
  (0 DCV throughout casting; -1), Extra  
  Time (1 Minute; -1½), Requires A  
  Sorcery Roll (-½) 
  6
  -4 
  -2” Running
   
  Perks
  2 
  Money:  Well Oﬀ
   
  Skills
  3 
  Conversation 13-
  3 
  High Society 13-
  2 
  AK: Europe 11-
  5 
  KS: Arcane And Occult Lore 15-
  2 
  KS: World History 11-
  1 
  Language: German (basic conversation; Eng-
  lish is Native)
  2 
  Language: Latin (ﬂuent conversation)
  3 
  Persuasion 13-
  17 
  Power:  Sorcery 20-
  2 
  SS: Psychology 11-
  3 
  Seduction 13-
  7 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  196
  Total Cost:  245
  50+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Malicious And 
  Cruel (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Seeks Occult 
  Knowledge (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful 
  (Common, Strong)
  145 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  245
  Background/History:  Nazeron Johnson was a 
  small, wiry, plain-looking little guy who got 
  picked on a lot in school. He was unusually 
  bright, but not particularly interested in any 
  topics anyone could teach him in school, and had 
  no social graces to speak of. In fact, he seemed 
  to go out of his way to offend and upset people; 
  he was the master of the barbed comment, the 
  thinly-veiled insult, the subtle dig. He had a nat-
  ural gift for figuring out what bothered someone 
  the most... and then confronting him with it.
  But that wasn’t the extent of his cruelty. 
  Some of his other childhood pursuits included 
  torturing animals, setting fires, and playing 
  vicious, physically dangerous “pranks” on other 
  people when he could get away with it. As he 
  grew older and smarter, he turned to the study 
  of the occult, and soon became obsessed with 
  the subject.
  HORROR HERO
  NAZERON JOHNSON 
  PLOT SEEDS
  What’s happened to 
  Johnson’s true soul 
  — the one he was born 
  with? It resides in the 
  body of his ﬁrst victim, 
  long forgotten by him. 
  Perhaps tracking it 
  down would provide 
  the PCs with a weapon 
  to use against him, or 
  a way to reverse every 
  soul transference he’s 
  ever performed....
  Johnson hears about a 
  powerful new occult 
  text that was recently 
  discovered and sets out 
  to track it down. That 
  brings him into opposi-
  tion against the PCs, 
  who also want it (or 
  want to prevent anyone 
  from obtaining it).
  Johnson’s wife works up 
  the courage to ﬂee him. 
  She comes to the PCs 
  (either purposely, or by 
  some fortuitous acci-
  dent) and babbles her 
  story to them. What will 
  they do?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  202 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  After graduating from 
  high school, Johnson left 
  home for Europe. He spent 
  years touring the continent 
  in search of arcane lore and 
  texts. He studied with every 
  “master” he could ﬁnd, and his 
  notebooks were soon bulging 
  with disturbing notes and foul 
  mystic diagrams. In Lisbon he 
  stumbled across a worm-eaten 
  book that contained certain 
  spells that would change his 
  life forever.
  When Johnson returned 
  home, he was... diﬀerent. The 
  shy, homely boy was now a 
  handsome, conﬁdent young 
  man. Soon people, particu-
  larly women, were clamoring 
  for his attention. He traveled 
  the social circuit for a while, 
  always the hit at parties but 
  (to his great delight) also the 
  subject of enormous amounts 
  of secret jealousy. He left in his 
  wake a trail of broken hearts, 
  abused women, and jealous 
  boyfriends. When he was done 
  with partying he married the 
  prettiest woman in town — a 
  girl many years his junior — 
  and settled down to a genteel 
  life. No one knows where his 
  money comes from, but he never seems to work... 
  and people still seem utterly captivated by him.
  Personality/Motivation:  Johnson is completely 
  self-centered. Nothing makes him happier than 
  to do whatever he wants, regardless of who he 
  hurts or how much. Since he can “cleanse” the 
  evil from his soul by switching it (see below), 
  he has no qualms whatsoever about commit-
  ting crimes or harming others. For example, he 
  married his wife primarily to show off. He cares 
  nothing for her and casually forces her to submit 
  to any and every degradation he can think of. She 
  never leaves the house anymore unless she’s with 
  him, because she doesn’t dare be away when he 
  decides he wants to “play” — that will only make 
  him angry and more “imaginative.”
  Aside from satisfying his personal desires, 
  Johnson’s other goal is the acquisition of occult 
  lore. The genuine spells and powers he learned in 
  Lisbon have convinced him that many others must 
  exist, and he wants to learn them. He’s particularly 
  interested in spells that would extend his life or 
  grant him immortality.
  Quote:  “Surely such a thing must weigh on one’s soul.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Nazeron Johnson is a sorcerer who 
  possesses a few powers — two innate, one he must 
  cast as a spell — learned from a genuine grimoire he 
  obtained years ago in Lisbon. The ﬁrst, and in many 
  ways more important, of his powers is enhanced 
  charisma. Handsome, self-conﬁdent, and possessing a 
  je ne sais quois that makes people want to be around 
  him despite the petty cruelties he inﬂicts on them, he 
  can succeed in nearly any social situation.
  Second, Johnson can cast a spell that allows 
  him to dominate the minds of others. He primarily 
  uses this to force women to submit to his lusts and 
  to convince people to believe what he says or give 
  him valuable things. The spell requires incantations 
  and gestures, but he can perform them subtly and 
  quietly and so gets no Limitation for this.
  His third, and in the end perhaps best, power, is 
  the ability to exchange souls with someone else. The 
  evil deeds he commits place black marks on his soul 
  that would unquestionably damn him to Hell when 
  he dies... except that he “cleanses” himself of them by 
  trading souls with an innocent person. Then he starts 
  out “karmically fresh,” while his victim must bear the 
  weight of his sins. Typically a victim, unable to psychi-
  cally withstand the eﬀects of his new soul, descends 
  into self-destructive, criminal, or evil behaviors, which 
  just makes Johnson chuckle. Johnson often uses this 
  power on children; their souls are just about as “clean” 
  as a human’s can be, and easy to take as well. In game 
  terms, the soul switch is a Major Transform that works 
  against PRE rather than BODY (PRE in this case rep-
  resenting the strength of the victim’s soul/self).
  Campaign Use:  Nazeron Johnson is a Horror sce-
  nario waiting to happen. Switching souls with a 
  PC (or perhaps several PCs) creates a special sort 
  of isolation and powerlessness, both of which are 
  important elements in Horror. There are also plenty 
  of mysteries surrounding him, such as where he got 
  his powers, the source of the Portuguese grimoire, 
  and the metaphysical questions about how he can 
  “cleanse” himself of sin.
  If Nazeron isn’t powerful enough for your 
  game, give him more spells — perhaps a Mental 
  Illusions power, or Mind Scan, or a curse. If he’s too 
  tough, remove or reduce his Mind Control a little, 
  or impose Limitations on his soul switching (such 
  as Extra Time).
  Johnson doesn’t Hunt people unless they’ve 
  deeply oﬀended him or he thinks they have some-
  thing he wants (such as a valuable occult text). In that 
  case, he tries to get close and switch souls with them 
  after committing some particularly heinous acts.
  Appearance:  Nazeron Johnson is tall and lanky. 
  His hair is slicked back and dark, and walks a little 
  bit hunched over. He wears expensive suits that are 
  rumpled and worn because he travels in them so 
  much and pays little attention to domestic chores like 
  laundry. His eyes have an unnatural red glint to them, 
  although this is only visible if you really gaze deep 
  into them… and that’s not a good idea. He exudes an 
  unnatural sense of charm that attracts other people 
  while simultaneously making them wonder what on 
  Earth they could see in such a man.
  
  203 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  I
  n most Ninja Hero games, metamorphs are 
  at best uncommon; in many, particularly the 
  more realistic subgenres, they’re non-exis-
  tent. In some cases, highly-trained martial 
  artists may have body control abilities that dupli-
  cate internal metamorph-type powers, even if 
  they don’t literally involve changing the charac-
  ter’s organs or tissues in any way.
  In subgenres involving more fantastic powers 
  and abilities, shapechanging as an innate ability or 
  magical spell would ﬁt just ﬁne. Perhaps an anime-
  style martial artist-wizard can summon demons 
  that can change shape and assume the forms of 
  mortals. Imagine having a kung fu battle against 
  someone who can alter his form at will or a multi-
  tentacled protoplasmic demon who can extrude 
  weapons and clawed hands from its body!
  Oriental mythology, legend, and folklore 
  describe dozens, if not hundreds, of monsters and 
  creatures with various shapechanging powers. See 
  The Asian Bestiary, Vols. I-II for numerous exam-
  ples, a few of which you can also ﬁnd in the Meta-
  morphic Bestiary in Chapter Four of this book.
  Character Example
  BISHAMON
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 14-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   5 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  5 PD (0 rPD)
   4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  4 ED (0 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  80
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  25 
  Stimulate Adrenal Glands:  Succor STR,  
  DEX, CON and SPD 5d6, four  
  Characteristics simultaneously (+1);  
  Extra Time (Extra Phase to activate; -½),  
  Self Only (-½) 
  5
  13 
  Mask The Mind:  Aid PRE and COM  
  2d6, two Characteristics simultaneously 
  (+½); Self Only (-½), Boost In Characteris-
  tics Only Applies Against Women (-¾) 
  0
   
  Martial Arts:  Karate, Aikijutsu
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Atemi Strike 
  -1 
  +1 
  2d6 NND(1)
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 30 STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  3 
  Hold 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two 
  Limbs, 30 STR 
  for holding on
  5 
  Joint Break 
  -1 
  -2 
  Grab One Limb; 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 with 
  STR), Disable
  4 
  Joint Lock/Throw 
  +1 
  +0 
  Grab 
  One Limb; 1d6 
  NND(1); Target 
  Falls
  3 
  Legsweep 
  +2 
  -1 
  5d6; Target Falls
  4 
  Knifehand Strike -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 with 
  STR)
  NINJA HERO
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  204 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  4 
  Punch/Snap Kick 
  +0 
  +2 
  6d6 Strike
  5 
  Side/Spin Kick -2 
  +1 
  8d6 Strike
  3 
  Throw 
  +0 
  +1 
  4d6 Strike + v/5; 
  Target Falls
  11 
  Refuse Death:  Aid BODY and STUN 2d6, 
  two Characteristics simultaneously (+½), 
  Trigger (when character, while still  
  conscious, reaches the point of death;  
  activating Trigger takes no time; +½);  
  Self Only (-½), 1 Charge (-2) 
  0
  5 
  Meditative Healing:  Healing 2d6, any  
  Characteristic one at a time (+¼);  
  Concentration (0 DCV throughout use;  
  -1), Extra Time (20 Minutes; -2½), Self 
  Only (-½) 
  2
  20 
  Shadow Ways:  Invisibility to Sight  
  Group, Reduced Endurance (0 END;  
  +½); Chameleon (-½) 
  3
  6 
  Observant:  +2 PER with all Sense Groups
  5 
  Unimpressed:  +10 PRE; Only To Protect 
  Against Presence Attacks (-1) 
  0
   
  Talents
  4 
  Double Jointed
   
  Skills
  9 
  +3 with Martial Arts
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Contortionist 13-
  3 
  Criminology 12-
  2 
  KS: Aikijutsu 11-
  2 
  KS: Karate
  2 
  KS:  The Martial World 11-
  1 
  Language: Japanese (basic conversation;  
  English is Native)
  7 
  Security Systems 14-
  5 
  Shadowing 13-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  4 
  WF:  Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Martial Arts Weapons
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  186
  Total Cost:  266
  75+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Style (Not Concealable, 
  Noticed And Recognizable, Detectable By 
  Large Group)
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Tattoos (Easily Con-
  cealed; Noticed And Recognizable)
  15 
  Hunted:  Rival Martial Arts Gang 11- (Mo 
  Pow, NCI, Watching)
  20 
  Hunted:  Yakuza 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Honorable 
  (Common, Total)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  101 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  266
  Background/History:  Joseph Tanasawa was born 
  in the United States, but always yearned to 
  discover his family’s past. When he turned 18 
  he traveled to Japan, land of his ancestors, and 
  hasn’t gone back to America since. He began 
  simply enough, studying holistic medicine and 
  meditation. He was on a path to becoming a 
  monk when fate intervened. He fell in love with 
  a woman named Keiko who lived nearby and 
  began sneaking out at night to watch her and 
  sometimes to talk to her. As their relationship 
  grew, he could tell there was something she 
  wasn’t telling him. One night as he crept down to 
  see her, he surprised a group of men who were in 
  the process of kidnapping her and her sisters for 
  ransom. Joseph begged for her life, offering his 
  in exchange. The men — members of a strange, 
  ancient sect of assassin-priests — accepted his 
  offer. In return for his pledge of lifelong service 
  to the cult, they trained him in the martial arts 
  and other, more esoteric, disciplines. He hasn’t 
  seen the girl he loves for years, and realizes he 
  never will, but still thinks of her every time he 
  performs a mission.
  Personality/Motivation:  In Joseph’s mind his life 
  ended when he gave it up so the woman he loves 
  could live and remain free. Every task is but a dis-
  traction from the time he can spend alone thinking 
  about her. Killing, stealing, destroying beautiful 
  things — none of these things bother him if the 
  sect orders him to do them. The only thing that 
  would ever cause him to hesitate would be if it ever 
  threatened the life or welfare of the one person who 
  still matters to him.
  Quote:  “You cannot harm me, I am already dead”
  Powers/Tactics:  Joseph’s boss re-named him 
  Bishamon and taught him Karate and Aikijutsu, 
  but his real powers come from the sect’s deeper 
  training. The disciplines he’s learned have given 
  him greater control over his body, allowing him 
  to enhance its performance temporarily and 
  make it function more efficiently. Through sheer 
  force of will he can even stave off the effects of 
  fatal wounds... at least for a time.
  Bishamon fights ruthlessly and without fear, 
  for while his body commits horrible acts, his 
  mind is distracted by thoughts of the woman he 
  loves. Only his love is real; the fighting and vio-
  EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Damage 
  STUN 
  STR Min 
  Shots
  Katana 
  +1 
  — 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  — 
  12
  Tanto 
  +0 
  RBS 
  ½d6 
  1d6-1 
  — 
  5 
  Can be thrown, carries 2
  Armor
  Leather armor (3 DEF)
  Gear:  As appropriate for current activities
  Clothing:  See Appearance
  BISHAMON  
  PLOT SEEDS
  Bishamon encounters 
  his long-lost love again... 
  only to ﬁnd out that 
  she’s married to a man 
  she’s deeply in love with 
  and barely remembers 
  him. Now he’s on a bit-
  terness-fueled spree of 
  crime and killing that 
  the PCs have to stop.
  Keiko approaches the 
  PCs and asks them to 
  rescue Bishamon and 
  bring him back to her. 
  Lacking the resources 
  to destroy the sect, how 
  can they accomplish 
  this?
  The sect orders 
  Bishamon to hunt 
  down and kill the PCs. 
  They have to stop him, 
  then ﬁnd out how they 
  earned the sect’s enmity 
  so they can protect 
  themselves from it.
  
  205 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  lence are mere illusions. The only thing he finds 
  distasteful is using his Mask The Mind power, 
  for it requires him to pretend to have romantic 
  interest in another woman.
  Campaign Use:  Bishamon is a tragic figure 
  and should be played as such — make sure the 
  heroes learn of his story eventually so they can 
  appreciate who he is and why he does what 
  he does. It might even be possible for them 
  to redeem him and turn him toward the path 
  of heroism, but that would require them to 
  destroy the sect so that he no longer felt bound 
  by his oaths of loyalty.
  If Bishamon needs to be more powerful, 
  increase his STR, SPD and DEX, and possibly give 
  him more Combat Skill Levels or some martial arts 
  weapons. If you need to weaken him, reduce his 
  Aids to 1d6 each and consider lowering his STR, 
  DEX, or SPD.
  Appearance:  Bishamon is a Japanese man in 
  his mid-twenties with short, simply cut black 
  hair and no facial hair. He has the athletic 
  build of someone who regularly gets intensive 
  exercise. He wears a white business suit over a 
  black shirt and white tie. He personally thinks 
  it looks ridiculous, but his boss has ordered 
  him to dress that way. His left and right wrist 
  are circled with tattoos of the order that taught 
  him his strange powers, and on the back of his 
  neck is tattooed the Japanese characters that 
  spell out the name of his beloved Keiko.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  206 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  T
  he Pulp genre is a pretty wide-open ﬁeld, 
  allowing for just about anything in the right 
  setting or circumstances, so many types of 
  metamorphs are possible. However, they 
  tend to be low-powered, and usually function as 
  adversaries rather than PCs. A hero who was a 
  gifted contortionist or psychic might have some 
  low-level physical or mental transformative powers, 
  but nothing approaching the sorts of abilities seen 
  in Fantasy or comic books.
  For example, a group of bold Pulp heroes 
  might encounter a werewolf in France and a vam-
  pire in Transylvania while adventuring in Europe. 
  Later, while exploring darkest Africa, they ﬁnd a 
  lost civilization whose immortal, corrupt queen 
  has the power to assume the shape of other people 
  (which allows her to go among her subjects and spy 
  on them, so they all fear her).
  As discussed in Pulp Hero, Disguise is an 
  incredibly common Skill among Pulp heroes (espe-
  cially Masked Crimeﬁghters) — in eﬀect it’s a faux 
  metamorphic power. Some Pulp adventurers have 
  related Heroic Talents or weird abilities, such as 
  the power to alter the facial muscles to change his 
  appearance (see Facial Manipulation in Chapter 
  Two for an example). And who knows what other 
  metamorphic powers Weird Science devices might 
  give a character?
  Character Example
  THE GHOUL
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   13 EGO 
  6 
  12- 
  ECV:  4
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   2 COM 
  -4 
  9-
   4 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  7 PD (3 rPD)
   4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  7 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  0
   26 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  73
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  11 
  Organic Masks:  Shape Shift (Sight and  
  Touch Groups, any humanoid form),  
  Imitation, 4 Continuing Charges lasting  
  6 Hours each (+¾); IIF (-¼), Facial  
  Features Only (-1), Extra Time (1 Hour  
  to activate; -3) 
  [4cc]
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Perks
  10 
  Money:  Wealthy
   
  Skills
  5 
  Acting 14-
  3 
  Bureaucratics 13-
  3 
  Conversation 13-
  3 
  Disguise 13-
  2 
  Forgery (Documents) 12-
  3 
  High Society 13-
  2 
  Language: French (ﬂuent conversation; Eng-
  lish is Native)
  2 
  Language: Russian (ﬂuent conversation)
  2 
  Language: Spanish (ﬂuent conversation)
  3 
  Lipreading 13-
  3 
  Lockpicking 13-
  3 
  Mimicry 13-
  3 
  Persuasion 13-
  2 
  SS: Chemistry 11-
  3 
  Shadowing 13-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  77
  Total Cost:  150
  75+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Distinctive Features:  horribly burned face 
  (Concealable With Eﬀort; Causes Extreme 
  Reaction [fear/loathing])
  30 
  Hunted:  Coletti Mob 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Pulp Hero’s Code 
  (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Protect 
  Innocents (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Carson 
  Whitlock) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  175
  Background/History:  Carson Whitlock was a success-
  ful young industrialist who’d turned his talent for 
  chemistry and science into a thriving business. Work-
  ing late one night, he developed a special fabric that 
  could conform like skin to a person’s body and would 
  be adjustable to make the wearer look more attractive.
  PULP HERO
  VICTORIAN HERO
  The Victorian genre is 
  a lot like Pulp from the 
  metamorph perspective 
  — it just takes place 30+ 
  years earlier. If meta-
  morphs exist, they tend 
  to be low-powered and 
  adversarial. But if the 
  campaign has “steam-
  punk” technology or 
  Victorian weird science 
  as an element, meta-
  morphs might become 
  more common. After all, 
  The Strange Tale Of Dr. 
  Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, a 
  great Victorian horror/
  adventure story, depicts 
  a classic transformation:  
  the man who becomes 
  his evil self.
  
  207 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  Just as he was ﬁnishing work, thugs hired by a 
  business rival burst into the place, looking to steal 
  anything of value and smash his equipment. He 
  fought back, but it was useless; there were too many 
  of them. They took what they could, setting the 
  place on ﬁre as they ﬂed.
  Whitlock survived... barely. He dragged 
  himself out of the burning building, still clutch-
  ing his notes and samples for the experimental 
  fabric. But the fire had done terrible damage to 
  his face. The doctors feared he might die, but he 
  stubbornly clung to life. As he healed, he realized 
  he could adapt his “miracle cloth” to fashion a 
  new face for himself.
  A few months later, Whitlock’s society 
  friends were amazed to see how well he’d come 
  through his ordeal. He was his old self again, 
  with nary a scar or burn-mark... that they could 
  see. Underneath his new false face, Whitlock’s 
  horrific visage lurked. But he had more plans 
  than just returning to his old life — he wanted 
  to create a new one, a secret one, that would let 
  him take revenge on the people who’d hurt him 
  and protect innocents from their ilk. Fashion-
  ing a costume from an old Inverness cloak, and 
  making himself a hideous new face with the mir-
  acle cloth, he created the masked crimefighting 
  identity of the Ghoul — a name given him by the 
  underworld because of his penchant for adopt-
  ing the faces of dead criminals to scare their 
  former confederates. Ever since the underworld 
  has trembled in fear at the very mention of his 
  name... and he intends to see to it that crooks go 
  on feeling that way.
  Personality/Motivation:  The Ghoul is an implacable 
  enemy of crookdom. He feels driven to protect 
  innocent people from the sort of fate that befell 
  him, and that means stopping hoodlums, thugs, and 
  killers before their schemes come to fruition. While 
  he maintains the facade of a hard-working indus-
  trialist and carefree playboy, the truth is that these 
  days he only has thoughts for his crusade against 
  evil and injustice.
  Quote:  “Who knows the true face of The Ghoul....”
  Powers/Tactics:  The Ghoul’s main power is the 
  ability to change his facial features — he can 
  even copy the faces of other people. It takes him 
  an hour to prepare a new “organic mask” from 
  his miracle cloth, and it only remains in the 
  shape he molded it into for six hours, but during 
  that time it’s virtually indistinguishable from a 
  normal face. It would take several seconds’ worth 
  of detailed examination when he wasn’t moving 
  to figure out that it’s just a mask.
  One of the Ghoul’s favorite tactics is to copy 
  the appearance of a criminal his foes know is dead, 
  or whom they have special feelings for. Then he can 
  attack them both physically and emotionally when 
  he confronts them, or work his way into their good 
  graces without their suspecting a thing.
  Rather than risk hurting innocents with stray 
  bullets, the Ghoul relies on a gas-gun of his own 
  design. It renders most people unconscious in mere 
  seconds. Special miniaturized gas masks built into 
  his organic masks protect him from the eﬀects.
  Campaign Use:  The Ghoul makes a good NPC 
  hero (especially in campaigns without a masked 
  crimeﬁghter NPC), but you can convert him into a 
  villain if you want. In this case the loss of his face 
  destroyed his sanity. He feels he has to “steal” the 
  faces of others to stay alive, so he kills people and 
  assumes their identities.
  To make the Ghoul tougher, give him some 
  Combat Skill Levels, some Martial Arts, or more 
  Weird Science weaponry and gadgets. To weaken 
  him, remove some Skills and replace his Gas Gun 
  with a .45 automatic.
  The Ghoul Hunts his enemies with deception, 
  subterfuge, and terror. He prefers to get close to 
  them in disguise and then lower the boom at the 
  most opportune moment, but if necessary he’ll 
  simply attack them with his gas gun.
  Appearance:  The Ghoul rarely shows his true 
  face — a hideously scarred countenance topped 
  by patchy, dirty 
  blonde hair — to 
  anyone. Instead he 
  uses his organic 
  cloth to mold a 
  false face for him-
  self, or better yet 
  to copy the face 
  of someone living 
  or dead. When he 
  wishes to reveal 
  his involvement 
  in a scheme to the 
  heroes, he adopts 
  the face of his 
  namesake (a sort 
  of skeletal, bestial, 
  greenish-tinged 
  face with unruly 
  black hair) and 
  wears dark grey 
  clothes and a grey 
  Inverness cloak.
  EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Damage 
  STUN 
  STR Min 
  Shots 
  Notes
  Gas Gun 
  +0 
  +0 
  8d6 NND 
  — 
  — 
  30 
  4” radius, 3” range
  Armor
  None
  Gear:  Gas mask (built into mask); as appropriate for current activities
  THE GHOUL  
  PLOT SEEDS
  A female PC (or well-
  liked NPC) becomes 
  romantically interested 
  in, or even involved 
  with, handsome man-
  about-town Carson 
  Whitlock. What will 
  happen when she ﬁnds 
  out his secret?
  The Ghoul begins “bor-
  rowing” the appearance 
  of one of the PCs to 
  assist with his war on 
  crime. The PCs have 
  to track him down and 
  find out what he’s up 
  to... and convince him 
  to leave their “trade-
  marks” alone.
  The Ghoul believes 
  he’s worked his way 
  deep enough into the 
  Scaravelli gang that he 
  can bring the whole 
  thing down... but not 
  without help, there are 
  too many of them. He 
  asks the PCs to team 
  up with him.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  208 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  I
  n Science Fiction, classic metamorphs are 
  extremely rare (though they sometimes enter 
  into stories that provide a “scientiﬁc explana-
  tion” of how they could exist). But technological 
  ones are more possible than ever. Easily-created 
  clones, “chameleon suits” that let someone look like 
  someone else, androids and robots with exchange-
  able parts, plastic surgery that takes only seconds, 
  and treatments to alter DNA or ﬁngerprints are 
  commonplace in some Space Opera-style settings, 
  and even in Low SF the technology often exceeds 
  what can be done on modern-day Earth.
  Beyond technology, there are some other 
  possibilities. Psionic mind-transference powers 
  and related abilities exist in some settings, as do 
  advanced body-control powers. Shapeshifting alien 
  species (or creatures/monsters) may inhabit some 
  planets. Some settings feature beings of pure energy 
  who can take over physical bodies or use their 
  energy powers to cause transformations.
  Character Examples
  PRANA MONK
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   6 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  6 PD (0 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  6 ED (0 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  103
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
   
  Swimming:  4”/8”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  20 
  Prana Combat Studies:  Multipower,  
  20-point reserve
  1u 
  1)  Strikes:  HA +4d6; Hand-To-Hand  
  Attack (-½) 
  3
  2u 
  2)  Lethal Strikes:  HKA 1d6+1  
  (2½d6 with STR) 
  2
  1u 
  3)  Trained Strength:  +20 STR; Only To 
  Disarm, Escape, And Grab (-¾), No  
  Figured Characteristics (-¼) 
  3
  20 
  Adrenal Stimulation:  Aid STR, DEX,  
  CON, and SPD 3d6, four Characteristics  
  simultaneously (+1); Extra Time (Full  
  Phase; -½), Self Only (-½), 4 Charges (-1) [4]
  60 
  Pain Resistance:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 
  0
  11 
  Reject Death:  Aid BODY and STUN 2d6, 
  two Characteristics simultaneously (+½), 
  Trigger (when character, while still  
  conscious, reaches the point of death;  
  activating Trigger takes no time; +½);  
  Self Only (-½), 1 Charge (-2) 
  [1]
  15 
  Environmental Resilience:  Life Support  
  (Total); Nonpersistent (-¼), Concentration  
  (0 DCV while activating; -1), Extra Time  
  (1 Minute to activate; -¾) 
  0
  20 
  Body Heat Control:    Invisibility to  
  Infrared Perception 
  2
  6 
  Swift Runner:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
  2 
  Swift Swimmer:  Swimming +2” (4” total) 1
  9 
  Profound Observation:  +3 PER with all  
  Sense Groups 
  0
  7 
  Analyze Self:  Detect Self’s Biological  
  Functions, Discriminatory, Analyze;  
  Concentration (0 DCV; -½), Extra Time  
  (Full Phase; -½) 
  0
   
  Talents
  4 
  Double Jointed
  5 
  Eidetic Memory
  3 
  Environmental Movement:  Supreme Bal-
  ance, no penalties on narrow surfaces
  3 
  Lightsleep
  5 
  Resistance (5 points)
  3 
  Simulate Death
   
  Perks
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Membership:  Prana Order
   
  Skills
  20 
  +4 HTH
  3 
  Bureaucratics 13-
  3 
  Contortionist 13-
  3 
  Conversation 13-
  3 
  Deduction 13-
  3 
  High Society 13-
  2 
  KS: The Prana Order 11-
  12 
  KSs appropriate to individual character
  3 
  Persuasion 13-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  8 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons, Common Martial Arts 
  Weapons, Small Arms
  6 
  TFs:  of GM’s choice
  12 
  Other Skills of GM’s choice
  STAR HERO
  
  209 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  284
  Total Cost:  387
  75+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Prana Order robes 
  (Easily Concealed; Noticed And Recogniz-
  able)
  15 
  Hunted:  Galactic Empire 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Watching)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Totally Loyal To 
  The Prana Order (Common, Total)
  10 
  Reputation:  powerful, dangerous, manipula-
  tive, and always following their own agenda 
  no matter what they seem to be doing, 11-
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  242 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  387
  OPTIONS
  Cost Power
  18 
  Prana Nun:  Add Pregnancy Control (page 
  108)
  Background/History:  The Prana Order is an 
  organization founded thousands of years ago; its 
  origins are lost in the mists of time (or perhaps 
  kept secret by the Order itself). Its members are 
  men and women who are either born to existing 
  members of the Order or are adopted into the 
  Order after being left on a seminary doorstep 
  or bought in a slave-market on some backwater 
  planet. The monks and nuns study esoteric disci-
  plines developed over centuries and drawn from 
  the traditions of dozens of inhabited worlds. A 
  Prana monk becomes a complete master of his 
  own body who can override or stimulate many of 
  its functions and limitations at will, a supremely-
  skilled hand-to-hand combatant, and a keen 
  observer of the world and people around him.
  Throughout the Galaxy, it’s believed the Prana 
  Order has some longstanding, well-hidden agenda 
  that its members labor to achieve. What this ulti-
  mate goal might be remains unknown outside the 
  Order, but many people study the Order as care-
  fully as they can and speculate endlessly about it.
  Personality/Motivation:  Prana monks are indoc-
  trinated during their teachings to be wholly loyal 
  to the Order. They follow their superiors’ orders 
  without hesitation (even if they don’t understand 
  the reasoning behind them) and willingly lay down 
  their lives or freedom for the cause without ques-
  tion. Beyond that they’re subtle and quietly obser-
  vant, hiding their own emotions while carefully 
  taking in the emotions of everyone they deal with 
  (and manipulating them to serve their own pur-
  poses, some people say).
  Quote:  “The body is clay, the mind transcendent” 
  (from the Prana Chant).
  Powers/Tactics:  A Prana monk can control many 
  of his body’s functions (and if he survives his train-
  ing, his body has been hardened into a tool/weapon 
  much stronger, tougher, and swifter than a normal 
  person’s frame). Through adrenal stimulation 
  he becomes mightier and faster. By shutting oﬀ 
  or rerouting some functions temporarily, he can 
  survive being poisoned or extremes of the environ-
  ment. He instinctively shuts down pain receptors 
  so he can keep functioning when injured, and can 
  even remain “alive” and active for a few seconds 
  after suﬀering a mortal wound. On top of all this, 
  his instructors have taught him ﬁghting arts and 
  techniques from all over the Galaxy, making him a 
  deadly warrior.
  Campaign Use:  The Prana Order is a manipulative 
  force that does its work mostly behind the scenes. 
  The monks and nuns are its most obvious servants; 
  it has many others, versed in diﬀerent body-control 
  powers, that neither the Empire nor its subjects 
  know about. Whenever the PCs stumble across 
  it, they should wonder if they did so because the 
  Order wanted them to....
  Appearance:  Most Prana monks have certain 
  features in common — when not changing their 
  appearance with their abilities or a disguise, of 
  course. They wear robes of red and dull orange, 
  sandals (even in the coldest weather), and a distinc-
  tive golden torc that indicates their membership 
  in the Prana order. Both genders shave their heads, 
  and men keep their faces clean-shaven. Their faces 
  usually show placid expressions, even in the midst 
  of intense crises.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  210 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  M
  etamorphs and metamorphic powers 
  are probably less common in Western 
  stories than any other genre — even 
  compared to Dark Champions, Western 
  Hero tends to be grounded in reality. But some 
  gamers enjoy mixing and matching genres, so they 
  inject a little Horror or Fantasy into their Wild 
  West. In that sort of weird setting, werewolves, 
  Indian shamans with shapechanging spells, and 
  maybe even Lovecraftian things could exist — and 
  perhaps the Indian tales of the trickster powers of 
  Raven and Coyote are true.
  Character Example
  SUN EAGLE
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   14 DEX 
  12 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   14 EGO 
  8 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   4 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  7 PD (3 rPD)
   4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  7 ED (3 rED)
   3 SPD 
  6 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   5 REC 
  0
   26 END 
  0
   24 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  52
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Spells (see The Fantasy Hero Grimoire II)
  5 
  Banish Disease Spirit
  16 
  Calling Upon The Spirits Of The Flames
  16 
  Calling Upon The Spirits Of The Stones
  4 
  Journey To The Spirit Realm
  12 
  Lesser Spirit Ward
  9 
  Majesty Of The Eagle
  7 
  Perceive Spirits
  31 
  Shamanic Forms:  Multiform (eight animal 
  forms built on up to 200 Character Points 
  each; see text); Extra Time (takes 1 Turn to 
  change forms; -¾) 
  0
  3 
  Observant:  +1 PER with all Sense Groups 0
   
  Perks
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Right To Marry
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Membership:  tribal shaman
  4 
  Reputation:  wise and powerful shaman 
  (among Plains Indians tribes) 14-, +2/+2d6
   
  Talents
  6  
  Spirit Protection:  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  3 
  Conversation 13-
  3 
  Deduction 12-
  3 
  KS: Tribal History And Lore 12-
  2 
  Navigation (Land) 12-
  3 
  Paramedics 12-
  3 
  Persuasion 13-
  29 
  Power:  Shamanism 25-
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  3 
  Tracking 12-
  3 
  Trading 13-
  3 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Bows
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  175
  Total Cost:  227
  75+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  demon-wolf 11- (Mo Pow,  
  Corrupt/Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Protect  
  Tribe From Hostile Spirits, Other Mystic 
  Menaces, And The “Time Of Turmoil” 
  (Common, Total)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Dislikes And 
  Distrusts White Men; Is Always Ready To 
  Assume The Worst About Them (Common, 
  Moderate)
  102 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  227
  Background/History:  One day, a baby was born to 
  a Plains Indian tribe. As it came into the world, the 
  tribe’s shaman saw an eagle ﬂy in front of the sun 
  to oﬀer a moment’s shade to the newborn. The new 
  parents named their boy Sun Eagle to honor this 
  good omen.
  The shaman kept a close eye on Sun Eagle, and 
  it came as no surprise when he displayed wisdom 
  and leadership early on. During his visionquest, the 
  young man was visited by the most favorable totem 
  of all, White Buﬀalo. The spirit told him he was 
  destined to become a great shaman himself, but he 
  would have to lead his people through a time of 
  turmoil, danger, and despair. To assist him with this 
  mission, White Buﬀalo gifted Sun Eagle with the 
  power to assume eight totemic forms and enter the 
  Spirit World.
  Since that day, Sun Eagle has served as his 
  tribe’s shaman, with the old shaman acting as 
  his assistant rather than the other way around. 
  His insight, lore, and power have become known 
  throughout the Plains, and many tribes seek his 
  wisdom to resolve disputes, answer questions, or 
  solve problems.
  WESTERN 
  HERO
  SUN EAGLE  
  PLOT SEEDS
  While out hunting by 
  himself, Sun Eagle hurts 
  his leg and can’t get 
  home or change shape 
  safely. His cries for 
  assistance attract one 
  of the PCs, who’s also 
  out hunting by himself. 
  In trying to rescue Sun 
  Eagle, the PC also gets 
  hurt. Now they’re going 
  to have to work together 
  to save both their lives... 
  and perhaps learn some-
  thing about themselves 
  and each other in the 
  process.
  After a group of white 
  settlers massacres a 
  tribe, Sun Eagle declares 
  war on the white man. 
  The Plains rise up and 
  ﬂames engulf the West! 
  The PCs have to resolve 
  the situation... one way 
  or another. Could it 
  be that the massacre 
  was committed by a 
  rival tribe that wants to 
  weaken Sun Eagle?
  Sun Eagle receives a 
  visitation from White 
  Buﬀalo, who tells him 
  he must journey far, ﬁnd 
  the PCs, and convince 
  them to help him. “Help 
  me with what?” he asks. 
  “That you will learn in 
  time,” White Buﬀalo 
  enigmatically replies.
  
  211 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Three
  In recent years, a new people — the white man 
  — has come to the Plains. Sun Eagle has found the 
  pale-skinned folk untrustworthy, violent, and cruel, 
  and has learned to dislike and even fear them. He 
  thinks the white man’s arrival marks the beginning 
  of the “time of turmoil” White Buﬀalo warned him 
  about, and he’s unsure how to deal with it.
  Personality/Motivation:  Sun Eagle is a devoted 
  shaman to his people. He cares for all of them 
  deeply, and is proud to have the power to commune 
  with the spirits and protect his tribe (and often 
  other tribes) from evil manitous and other mystic 
  threats. But at the same time, he feels the burden 
  of leadership strongly, and often worries about 
  whether he’s doing the right thing... though he 
  never lets his people see his doubt.
  Quote:  “There is wisdom here — but you must use 
  your own wisdom to read it right.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Sun Eagle is a shaman able to 
  cast a variety of “spells” pertaining to spirits and 
  the spirit world (see The Fantasy Hero Grimoire 
  II for complete details on his spells). He also 
  has the spirit-given power to change shape into 
  eight totemic animals:  bison, coyote, deer, eagle, 
  mouse, raven, serpent, and turtle. Typically he 
  looks like a normal version of each animal, but 
  he may alter the colors slightly to indicate the 
  creature’s spirit nature, and even in animal form 
  may be able to use some of his spells.
  Sun Eagle dislikes ﬁghting — he believes 
  disputes and diﬃculties can be solved through 
  discussion, reason, and compromise. If he can’t 
  talk his way out of a problem, he’ll try to withdraw 
  (perhaps by changing to a swifter form), regroup, 
  and ﬁnd a way to deal with the diﬃculty. One of 
  the reasons he has such problems with white men is 
  that they don’t seem to follow this sort of philoso-
  phy, and there are getting to be too many of them 
  to oppose with the force necessary to make them 
  see reason.
  Campaign Use:  Sun Eagle is sort of an “honorable 
  adversary” for a Western Hero campaign. He’s not 
  a bad person — in fact, he’s quite admirable — but 
  as a power among the Plains Indians he may come 
  into conﬂict with the PCs. On the other hand, if he 
  can learn from the PCs that not all paleskins are 
  evil folk, perhaps he can help broker a truce that 
  will keep the Indian Wars from ever occurring.
  To make Sun Eagle tougher, give him more 
  spells (or mystic powers), or raise his Characteris-
  tics and give him the abilities of a powerful warrior 
  (making him both a war-shaman and a regular 
  shaman). To weaken him, get rid of most (or all) of 
  his spells.
  Sun Eagle doesn’t Hunt anyone.
  Appearance:  Sun Eagle is a Plains Indians shaman 
  who’s seen over ﬁfty winters. He dresses in clothes 
  made from the skins of deer and buﬀalo, wears his 
  long black hair tied back in a braided ponytail that 
  reaches nearly to his waist, and keeps his medi-
  cine pouch (a leather bag containing fetishes and 
  charms) with him at all times.
  EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Damage 
  STUN 
  STR Min 
  Notes
  Tomahawk 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  8 Can Be Thrown 
  Armor
  None
  Gear:  Medicine pouch, various fetishes and charms, bow and arrow
  Clothing:  Buckskin tunic and pants for everyday occasions, special ceremonial headdress and garb for  
  holidays and festivals
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  212 ■ Metamorphs Genre By Genre
  CHARACTER SUMMARY TABLE
  The following table provides basic information about the characters described in this chapter for easy reference. All characters are listed in alphabetical order, without regard for which chapter they appear in. The 
  “Attacks” column lists only the character’s most common or prominent attacks, since many criminals have too many ways to attack to list them all. See the end of the table for an explanation of the notation used.
  Criminal Summary Table
  Name 
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON BODY 
  PRE PD/rPD 
  ED/rED 
  SPD 
  REC 
  STUN OCV 
  DCV MOVE 
  Attacks 
  Page
  Eclipse 
  10 
  18 
  15 
  11 
  15 
  4/0 
  4/0 
  4 
  7 
  29 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  Mimic VPP (400 points) 
  183
  El Jaguar 
  20 
  25 
  22 
  15 
  20 
  20/10 
  20/10 
  5 
  8 
  40 
  8 
  8 
  9” 
  (1d6+1)%, jaguar form 
  185
  Morph 
  15 
  20 
  25 
  20 
  20 
  25/15 
  23/15 
  6 
  8 
  41 
  7 
  7 
  6” 
  Morphic VPP (200 points) 
  187
  John Doe 4.0 
  10 
  12 
  13 
  10 
  15 
  4/0 
  4/0 
  3 
  5 
  22 
  4 
  4 
  6” 
  Skill VPP 
  189
  Dis Armament 
  15 
  18 
  15 
  12 
  15 
  4/4 
  4/0 
  4 
  6 
  30 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  +4d6, (2d6)%, (2d6) AF 
  191
  Sumbru, Dr. Nathan 
  10 
  12 
  12 
  10 
  13 
  3/0 
  3/0 
  2 
  4 
  21 
  4 
  4 
  6” 
  Multiform into Inner Demon 
  194
  Sumbru’s Inner Demon 
  30 
  15 
  20 
  15 
  20 
  12/2 
  10/2 
  4 
  10 
  50 
  5 
  5 
  6” 
  6d6, (2d6) NND 
  195
  Alvaran Nineforms 
  15 
  18 
  16 
  13 
  15 
  6/0 
  6/0 
  4 
  6 
  30 
  6 
  6 
  7”, (3”) 
  Weapons; Multiform into animals 
  197
  Hrolf Kellingson 
  20 
  18 
  18 
  13 
  15 
  6/0 
  5/0 
  4 
  8 
  32 
  6 
  6 
  8” 
  Weapons, Multiform into wolf 
  199
  Johnson, Nazeron 
  10 
  10 
  13 
  10 
  20 
  2/0 
  2/0 
  2 
  5 
  22 
  3 
  3 
  4” 
  MC 12d6, Transform 8d6 
  201
  Bishamon 
  20 
  18 
  15 
  12 
  15 
  5/0 
  4/0 
  4 
  7 
  30 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  Martial Arts (Karate, Aikijutsu) 
  203
  Ghoul, The 
  15 
  18 
  15 
  10 
  20 
  7/3 
  7/3 
  4 
  6 
  26 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  3d6, weapons 
  206
  Prana Monk 
  20 
  20 
  15 
  12 
  20 
  6/0 
  6/0 
  4 
  7 
  30 
  7 
  7 
  9”, (4”) 
  +4d6, (1d6+1)% 
  208
  Sun Eagle 
  10 
  14 
  13 
  12 
  20 
  7/3 
  7/3 
  3 
  5 
  24 
  5 
  5 
  6” 
  Shaman spells, weapons 
  210
  NOTES
  Attacks
  #:  A Normal Damage attack.
  (#):  A Killing Damage attack
  AF:  Autoﬁre
  MC:  Mind Control
  VPP:  Variable Power Pool
  %:  Character can increase the attack’s damage with STR
  Movement
  #”:  Running (ground movement)
  (#”):  Swimming (listed only if character can swim faster than 2”)
  [#”]:  Flight
  {#”}:  Leaping (listed only if character can leap a diﬀerent distance than indicated by its STR)
  !#”!:  Special mode of movement (e.g., Swinging, Tunneling, Teleportation)
  
  chapter four:
  chapter four:
  METAMORPHIC CAMPAIGNING
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  214 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  Having metamorphs in your game may create 
  a few issues pertaining to combat and adventuring.
  PERCEIVING METAMORPHS
  In a setting where shapechangers exist (espe-
  cially as monsters or enemies), characters may 
  become concerned about detecting them. The idea 
  that someone nearby could actually be a person or 
  creature disguising himself with Multiform, Shape 
  Shift, or some other power is enough to make many 
  people — from presidents and kings all the way 
  down to the man in the street — nervous, scared, or 
  even paranoid.
  Perceiving a shapechanged individual tends 
  to be diﬃcult. Neither Multiform nor Shape Shift 
  allow for a PER Roll to “see through” the change 
  or perceive that a shape-altering power is in use. 
  With Shape Shift it may be possible to detect that 
  something’s amiss if the perceiver has the chance 
  to use a Sense the Shape Shift doesn’t work against 
  — particularly Mental Senses or Sense-like powers, 
  such as Telepathy or perhaps Aura Vision — but 
  that’s often diﬃcult (especially in Heroic campaigns 
  where exotic Senses are rare). If the metamorph 
  poses a danger to a character, Danger Sense could 
  alert him to that, but it won’t reveal the exact nature 
  of the danger — the character will have to reach 
  the conclusion that “it’s a shapeshifter!” on his own. 
  Retrocognition that allows a character to view the 
  point in time at which the shapeshifter changes 
  form would also work (assuming the GM allows it).
  If a character has the chance to analyze trace 
  evidence from a shapechanger’s body using Crimi-
  nology, Forensic Pathology, or an appropriate Sci-
  ence Skill, that may reveal that the shapechanger’s 
  not who he’s pretending to be. However, the Imita-
  tion and/or Cellular Adders for Shape Shift can 
  negate even those methods.
  Some characters may try to get around these dif-
  ﬁculties by buying a dedicated Enhanced Sense, such 
  as Detect Shapeshifters. Gamemasters should review 
  such Senses with caution, and usually disallow them; 
  it’s too cheap and dramatically inappropriate a way to 
  get around expensive shape-altering powers. However, 
  in some settings Senses like that make perfect sense 
  (no pun intended). For example, in a Fantasy world 
  where werewolves, masquers, or shapeshifted spies 
  are a major threat to humanity or a kingdom, it stands 
  to reason that wizards would devise spells to detect 
  them. Broader Enhanced Senses, such as Detect Evil, 
  Detect Lie, or Detect Magic, might also be used to 
  reveal a metamorph.
  METAMORPHS IN COMBAT
  Changing form in the middle of combat has 
  implications for some HERO System mechanics 
  that GMs should consider.
  CHANGING SPEEDS
  A character changing from one form to the 
  other through Multiform (or the like) may change 
  SPD during a Turn. In this case, the rules for chang-
  ing SPD (either standard or optional, as the GM 
  prefers) apply; see page 357 of The HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised. Gamemasters who want a simpler 
  way to resolve changes of SPD can let a character 
  immediately start acting on the Phases for his new 
  SPD as soon as he changes it, though a GM should 
  only do this if the players don’t abuse the privi-
  lege — the intention is to help game play proceed 
  quickly and smoothly, not to grant characters lots 
  of extra Phases. In no case should a character get 
  more Phases per Turn than his fastest SPD.
  COMBAT MODIFIERS
  Several Combat Modiﬁers have interesting 
  applications when metamorphs are involved.
  Concealment:  A character with Growth or Stretch-
  ing powers might increase his size to provide Con-
  cealment to his friends or other people. If he does 
  so, he automatically gets hit by (and potentially 
  takes damage from) any attack targeted at someone 
  who’s taking cover behind him but which misses by 
  less than or equal to the OCV penalty imposed by 
  the Concealment.
  Spreading:  Characters with Growth or Stretching 
  powers sometimes buy Area Of Eﬀect for their STR 
  to represent how large their hands/ﬁsts are (the 
  Gigantic Fists and Big Fist powers in Chapter Two 
  are examples). To keep characters from having to 
  do this, or as a “trick” performed using an appropri-
  ate Power Skill, the GM might allow such characters 
  to Spread their STR damage even though STR isn’t 
  a Ranged attack.
  Surprise Move:  Surprise Moves are a staple of many 
  shapeshifters. Suddenly producing Extra Limbs, 
  switching between two radically diﬀerent forms, 
  or sending an elongated limb behind an opponent 
  are all ways a metamorph could potentially take an 
  opponent by surprise. Similarly, a shapeshifter may 
  adopt the form of an opponent’s friend or loved 
  one to disconcert him; only the most disciplined 
  character should be able to keep ﬁghting in that 
  sort of situation without at least hesitating.
  COMBAT AND
  ADVENTURING
  
  215 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  Target Prone:  If a character can quickly make 
  himself two-dimensional, very small, or the like, 
  he might define “becoming Prone” as activating 
  such a power. The basic effects (getting behind 
  small amounts of Concealment, avoiding certain 
  attacks, and the like) remain the same (as do the 
  penalties for using the Modifier), the visual is 
  just a little different.
  COMBAT MANEUVERS
  You can include a character’s shape-altering 
  powers as part of the “special eﬀect” of perform-
  ing a Combat Maneuver — in other words, when 
  describing how a metamorph uses a Maneuver, 
  consider his powers. For example, a malleable-
  bodied character who Dodges may “stretch out of 
  the way” of an attack (rather than simply side-step-
  ping it, ducking it, or what have you); when Diving 
  For Cover he may “instantly ﬂatten himself out 
  over the ground” rather than literally moving out 
  of the way. A shapechanger might deﬁne a Block as 
  instantly growing another limb to parry an attack 
  with, creating a thick “padding” of cartilage and 
  bony armor where the blow will land, or “catching” 
  a blow in his plastic body.
  Grab
  The rules for Grab dictate that a character 
  using it can Grab two limbs. This makes sense 
  when the Grabber himself has two manipulatory 
  limbs, but it may not work for characters that have 
  Extra Limbs. In that case, the GM can rule that a 
  character can Grab two limbs for every two limbs 
  he uses as part of the Grab.
  HIT LOCATIONS
  As mentioned on page 59, for some meta-
  morphs the Automaton Power No Hit Locations 
  may be appropriate. If the GM doesn’t allow that, he 
  may rule that some metamorphs have harder to hit 
  Hit Locations. It’s usually best for a character to buy 
  this power (see Uniform Form II, page 164), but in 
  some campaigns the GM may prefer to establish it 
  as a ground rule.
  SHAPECHANGING WITH INJURIES
  In some adventure fiction and movies, meta-
  morphs who suffer serious injuries — particu-
  larly broken bones — experience intense pain 
  when they change forms (or try to). Their rent 
  flesh and shattered limbs can’t undergo the meta-
  morphosis painlessly. In game terms, a character 
  can buy this as a form of Side Effect (suffers 6d6 
  Normal Damage when tries to change shape/
  form while injured, always occurs when injured; 
  -½), or the GM can establish as a campaign 
  “ground rule” that shapechanging when injured 
  can cause further injury.
  COMBINING CHARACTERS
  Combining characters, like some mecha, raise 
  certain questions and considerations in combat. See 
  page 56 for general information about combining.
  Distributing Damage
  When a group of characters combines into 
  a larger one, does battle, takes damage, and then 
  separates, the GM must determine how to distrib-
  ute the damage among the component characters. 
  The simplest method (and probably the best in 
  campaigns that want fast, easy character combat) 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  216 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  is to keep track of the overall BODY damage to 
  the combined character, and then distribute that 
  damage equally among the component characters 
  when they separate. On the other hand, if the cam-
  paign uses the Hit Location rules, the GM should 
  know which Hit Locations on the combined char-
  acter each component forms. Then he keeps track 
  of the damage by Location, and when the compo-
  nents split up, the ones who formed the Locations 
  that took damage still have that damage.
  Similar considerations apply if one or more 
  component characters have suﬀered damage prior 
  to combining. If the combined character’s BODY 
  is equal to, or greater than, the total BODY of all 
  component characters, any damage to a component 
  accrues directly to the combined character. For 
  example, suppose the Legionnaire consists of six 
  component characters, each with 12 BODY, and has 
  a total of 72 BODY. If one character has suﬀered 
  6 BODY damage, and another has taken 3 BODY 
  damage, then when all ﬁve form the Legionnaire, it 
  has only 63 BODY (72-9).
  If the combined character’s BODY is not equal 
  to or greater than the total component BODY, 
  the GM should determine what percentage a 
  component character’s BODY is to the combined 
  character’s BODY, and then apply that percent-
  age of damage taken to the combined character. 
  For example, Team Warrior Alpha is a combined 
  character with 48 BODY. Each of his components 
  has 24 BODY. Since 24 is 50% of 48, 50% (half) of 
  any damage a component sustains accrues to Team 
  Warrior Alpha when it’s formed. If one component 
  has taken 15 BODY, then 7 BODY of that damage 
  applies to Team Warrior Alpha.
  In either case, if the total damage taken by 
  the combined character as a result of previously-
  suffered damage to its components exceeds the 
  combined character’s BODY, the components 
  cannot combine.
  Adjustment Powers
  If an attacker uses Adjustment Powers against 
  a combined character, divide the eﬀect up among 
  the components as equally as possible when they 
  separate. For example, if the combined character 
  received +9 DEX from an Aid DEX, when its ﬁve 
  components separate, four get +2 DEX and one 
  (determined randomly) would only get +1.
  If a component has been aﬀected by an Adjust-
  ment Power prior to combining, apply the result 
  directly to the combined character. If the compo-
  nents separate before the eﬀect wears oﬀ, it divides 
  equally as speciﬁed above.
  Unavailable Component characters
  Sometimes a character wants to combine, but 
  all of its components are not available. In this case, 
  one of two things happens:  
  1. The available components form the combined 
  character, but all of its powers and abilities are pro-
  portionately weaker than it would be if it had all 
  components (or, perhaps some powers and abilities 
  simply aren’t available to it).
  2. The components cannot combine.
  The GM determines which result applies, based 
  on the nature of the components and the combined 
  character. Some combined characters have Limita-
  tions that aﬀect this decision (see page 56).
  
  217 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  A
  s mentioned on page 56, Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement is the best way to 
  simulate the situation in which characters 
  become really large or really small. Here are 
  rules for how those two “dimensions” — the Mac-
  roverse and the Microverse — operate in relation to 
  normal-sized reality.
  The rules below are presented in terms of the 
  environmental eﬀects on or of existing abilities. 
  In many cases this may in eﬀect give characters 
  (or their attackers) free Transdimensional modi-
  ﬁers on attacks, Dimensional Sense Modiﬁers on 
  Senses, Areas Of Eﬀect for STR or attacks, and so 
  forth, as noted below. Gamemasters who are con-
  cerned about this may prefer to have characters pay 
  Character Points for macroversal and microversal 
  abilities (see the Size Alteration Powers section of 
  Chapter Two for numerous examples).
  THE MACROVERSE
  In HERO System terms, the power characters 
  use to become larger is Growth. However, it may 
  present some problems when you want characters 
  to become so large that they consider planets step-
  ping-stones for a walk across the Galaxy. First, 
  extrapolating the Growth Table (page 36) to the 
  point where it makes the characters as large as 
  you want them to may not be worth the eﬀort. It’s 
  simpler to deﬁne “Growth” as Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement (send the character to the Macroverse), 
  since in eﬀect that’s what’s happening — he’s enter-
  ing another level of “reality,” one in which the abil-
  ity of the normal-sized world to aﬀect him dimin-
  ishes or disappears.
  Second, unlike entering the Microverse, enter-
  ing the Macroverse may make a character more able 
  to aﬀect normal-sized reality. A microversally-small 
  character has problems attacking larger characters, 
  making himself seen and heard by them, and so 
  forth. Since these conditions are usually disad-
  vantageous, it’s fairly easy to represent them as 
  environmental parameters or ground rules (see 
  The Microverse, below). Doing the same with the 
  Macroverse may cause game balance problems — if 
  characters can invest a few points in Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement and for free become able to crush 
  planets and cross the Galaxy, the ability to grow to 
  macroversally large sizes becomes a very attractive 
  purchase. On the other hand, requiring charac-
  ters to buy powers representing their macroversal 
  capabilities (such as Macroversal Attack, Macrover-
  sal Strength, Macroversal Weather Manipulation, 
  Macroversal Toughness, and Macroversal Legs (all 
  of which you can ﬁnd in the “Growth Powers” 
  subsection of the Size Alteration Powers section 
  of Chapter Two) may not be fair either, since that 
  represents an enormous investment of points for 
  powers a character’s probably only going to get to 
  use occasionally. Each GM needs to decide on the 
  proper balance of Macroverse-as-environment (as 
  described below) and Macroverse-as-purchased-
  powers for his campaign.
  The rules below assume a character who 
  enters the Macroverse must be at least as tall as a 
  mountain (equivalent to about 165-180 points of 
  Growth) and can become, at maximum, as tall as a 
  light-year is long. You may need to adjust the rules 
  if the GM sets diﬀerent parameters. A character 
  who can enter the Macroverse deﬁnes how large he 
  is each time he uses it; he’s not restricted to a spe-
  ciﬁc height (or range of heights) unless the GM or 
  a Restricted Size Limitation (page 60) on the power 
  so dictates.
  Proportional Enhancement  
  Of Powers
  In most cases, you’ll want your macroversal 
  characters to have a proportionately greater eﬀect 
  on the normal-sized world. Here are rules for that 
  situation. The GM may want to apply these rules 
  only in adventure where all the characters some-
  how become macroversally large; they may provide 
  an unfair beneﬁt if allowed for general use by char-
  acters who have the Growth Power.
  ATTACKS
  The first thing most PCs are going to want 
  to know is how well their attacks work when 
  they’re large.
  Damage
  Against a target who’s his size or larger, a char-
  acter’s attacks do their regular damage. For targets 
  in the normal-sized world, or who are macrover-
  sally large but smaller than the character, increase 
  the damage done using the following method:
  1.  Use the Growth Table to determine how many 
  points’ worth of Growth it takes to increase the 
  character and his target to their respective sizes 
  (if the target is normal human size or larger, it 
  takes 0 points to “Grow” him; taking Growth into 
  account is only necessary for characters who 
  are using Growth but aren’t using Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement to enter the Macroverse). If 
  you’re using Extra-Dimensional Movement or 
  SIZE
  DIMENSIONS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  218 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  some other method to simulate becoming mac-
  roscopic size, use the Growth Table to estimate 
  the cost. If a character has Growth as a power, 
  don’t worry about Active Points or Advantages 
  on it; just look at the points needed to increase 
  someone to that size on the table.
  2.  Subtract the target’s “points in Growth” from the 
  character’s “points in Growth.”
  3.  Divide the remainder by 50. Do not round the 
  result.
  4.  Multiply the Active Points in the character’s 
  attack by (1 + (result of Step 3)). That tells you 
  the “Active Points” in his attack for purposes of 
  damaging that target. If the attack has Advantages, 
  you’ll have to recalculate it to determine how many 
  dice of damage are involved. This does not aﬀect 
  the END cost of the attack, since it simulates an 
  environmental eﬀect rather than a true increase in 
  strength or power.
  Regardless of the characters’ respective sizes, 
  the GM may establish a maximum amount of 
  damage a macroscopic character’s attack does, or 
  otherwise adjust the results of this process as he 
  sees ﬁt. Note that using this method to allow a 
  macroversally-large character to attack a normal-
  sized character essentially makes the macroversal 
  character’s attacks Transdimensional for free.
  Example:  Planet Man (STR 60) uses his Enter 
  The Macroverse! power to grow to 12 million 
  km tall. Becoming that large would require 495 
  points of Growth.
  First, he decides to use his STR to smash 
  Defender, who’s normal size (0 points of Growth) 
  (this assumes he can perceive, locate, and suc-
  cessfully attack just Defender; see below). Per 
  Step 2, 495-0 = 495; per Step 3, 495/50 = 9.9. 
  Planet Man’s 60 STR is multiplied by (1+9.9 = 
  10.9), meaning that he eﬀectively has (60 x 10.9 
  =) 654 STR when attacking Defender. Unfortu-
  nately, it’s not likely Defender’s armor can pro-
  tect him against a 130½d6 Normal Damage 
  attack...
  Seeing that Planet Man’s about to make his 
  nefarious attack, Defender’s friend Tower (STR 
  50) tries to protect him. He, too, has the Enter 
  The Macroverse! power, but can only become 
  roughly the size of Earth (about 16,000 km tall, 
  or 345 points of Growth). Planet Man, realizing 
  he’s got someone his own size (more or less...) 
  to pick on, attacks Tower instead. For purposes 
  of attacking Tower, his STR eﬀectively equals 
  (495-345 = 150, 150/50 = 3, 60 x (1+3 =)) 240. 
  Tower, on the other hand, uses his ordinary 50 
  STR against Planet Man, since Planet Man is 
  “his size or larger.” Might be a short ﬁght....
  Attack Rolls
  Macroscopic characters have reduced DCVs, 
  as indicated in the Growth Table. (Again, if you’re 
  using Extra-Dimensional Movement or some other 
  method, use the Table to extrapolate a DCV modi-
  ﬁer for characters.) If two larger than normal char-
  acters ﬁght each other, the rules on page 17 apply to 
  alter their respective DCV modiﬁers toward each 
  other.
  At the GM’s option, a macroscopic character 
  may suﬀer an OCV penalty to hit someone who’s 
  normal sized (or smaller) because it’s diﬃcult to 
  see or target a normal-sized person (or object) 
  precisely with a macroscopic-sized attack. Subtract 
  the normal-sized target’s DCV bonus from Growth 
  (which is +0 for normal human-sized characters, 
  of course) from the character’s DCV penalty from 
  Growth, then apply the remainder as an OCV pen-
  alty to the macroversal character’s attack. (Don’t 
  forget that characters using Shrinking, or who are 
  otherwise smaller than human normal, have DCV 
  bonuses as well.) Of course, the fact that a macro-
  versal character’s attacks can aﬀect entire areas (see 
  below) may render this penalty meaningless unless 
  the character only wants to aﬀect a single target.
  Range
  Being larger than normal aﬀects the range of 
  a power, and the calculation of the Range Modiﬁer, 
  the same way it does movement (see below):  the 
  length of each hex (1”) is increased to match the 
  size of the character.
  Example:  Tower is roughly as tall as Earth’s 
  diameter (16,000 km). His Energy Blast 10d6 
  has a Range of (5” x 50 Active Points =) 250”. 
  Normally that means 500 meters (1,640 feet). 
  However, since he’s 16,000 km tall, each hex 
  (1”) is also 16,000 km long, not 2 meters as 
  usual. Therefore his 250” attack has a maxi-
  mum range of 4,000,000 kilometers! For the 
  ﬁrst 4” (up to 64,000 km), he suﬀers no Range 
  Modiﬁer; for 5-8” (80,000-128,000 km) he suf-
  fers a -2 Range Modiﬁer; and so forth.
  Area Aﬀected
  Because a macroscopic character is so enor-
  mous, his attacks aﬀect a larger than normal area as 
  well — they gain an Area Of Eﬀect (Radius) Advan-
  tage. This applies not only to STR but to any other 
  form of attack, unless the GM rules otherwise.
  To define the size of an attack in relation to 
  its target, determine how many points’ worth of 
  Growth it would take to increase the character to 
  his macroversal size. Divide that by 50 (normal 
  HERO System rounding rules apply). The result 
  indicates the size of the Radius of the Area 
  affected by the character’s STR (i.e., his hands, 
  feet, and the like) and various attacks. Each hex 
  in the Radius is equal in size to one-fiftieth 
  (1/50) of the character’s height.
  Example:  Planet Man (STR 60) becomes 12 
  million km tall, which would require 495 
  points of Growth (see above). Since 495/50 = 
  9.9 (rounds to 10), his attacks have an Area Of 
  Eﬀect (Radius) of 10”. Each hex is (12/50 =) 
  240,000 km wide and broad, so his hands and 
  attacks can aﬀect everything in a 2.4 million 
  km radius!
  If the attack the character uses has been built 
  with Area Of Eﬀect or Explosion, or innately 
  
  219 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  aﬀects an area (such as Change Environment or 
  Darkness), apply the result of dividing points in 
  “Growth” by 50 as a multiplier to the attack’s stan-
  dard size, and consider the hexes the same size as 
  indicated above. For example, suppose Planet Man 
  has a Darkness 4” radius attack. When he’s solar 
  system-sized, it becomes a Darkness 40” radius, 
  and each hex is 240,000 km wide and broad — thus 
  allowing him to black out an area with a 9.6 million 
  km radius!
  DEFENSES
  Macroversal characters are typically very dif-
  ﬁcult for normal-sized characters to hurt. In game 
  terms, the easiest way to explain this is that normal-
  sized characters need Transdimensional attacks to 
  aﬀect them because they’re in another “dimension” 
  — no matter how powerful the attack, it simply has 
  no eﬀect against a target who’s so large it means 
  nothing more to him than a gnat’s bite. Against 
  attacks made by other macroversal characters, a 
  macroversal character has his standard defenses.
  Alternately, the GM may prefer to allow for 
  the fact that normal-sized persons can aﬀect a 
  macroscopic target if they have a powerful enough 
  attack — after all, even an elephant can be brought 
  down by a suﬃciently large, fast-moving bullet. 
  In this case, determine how many points’ worth 
  of Growth it would take to increase the character 
  to his macroversal size. Divide that by 50 (normal 
  HERO System rounding rules apply). Multiply all 
  of his defenses that are rated in terms of points of 
  eﬀect — PD and ED, Armor, Force Field, and so on 
  — by the result. This increased defense only applies 
  against attacks made by normal-sized attackers; 
  macroversal attackers, even ones smaller than the 
  target, attack against the target’s standard defenses. 
  Unless the GM rules otherwise, the increased 
  defenses should be considered Resistant even if 
  they’re ordinarily Normal.
  Example:  Planet Man (PD 30, ED 30) becomes 
  12 million km tall, which would require 495 
  points of Growth (see above). Since 495/50 = 
  9.9 (rounds to 10), he eﬀectively has (30 x 10 
  =) PD 300, ED 300 against attacks by normal-
  sized foes.
  DCV
  A macroscopic character’s DCV should be 
  determined using the appropriate penalty from the 
  Growth Table for his size (and, if appropriate, the 
  rules on page 17). In short, almost no normal-sized 
  attacker can miss a macroscopic target, provided 
  that target’s within range of his attack.
  MOVEMENT
  Becoming macroscopic aﬀects Movement 
  Powers sort of the same way MegaScaling does:  the 
  increase in the character’s size increases the length 
  of each “inch” he travels. The size of 1” equals the 
  size that the character’s grown to. For example, if a 
  character becomes Earth-sized (about 16,000 km), 
  then 1” = 16,000 km (instead of the 2 meters it nor-
  mally equals). If he becomes Jupiter-sized (125,000 
  km tall), then 1” = 125,000 km.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  220 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  Despite this, characters may still have trouble 
  moving across the Macroverse, which is really just 
  the Universe of Earth’s “reality.” They can’t use Run-
  ning, since most of outer space has nothing to step 
  on (and stars and planets at best make unstable and 
  dangerous stepping-stones). Either the character 
  has to buy Flight equal to his Running so he can 
  “stride” across the Galaxy (see Macroversal Legs, 
  page 152, for an example), or the GM has to assume 
  that in the Macroverse, Running can function as 
  “Flight” so that characters can walk in empty space.
  Example:  Planet Man (Running 6”) becomes 
  12 million km tall. That means each 1” of his 
  movement equals 12 million km. With a single 
  Full Move, he can cross 72 million kilometers!
  SENSES
  Typically, being larger than normal does not 
  aﬀect a character’s senses or PER Rolls (though it 
  does make it easier for others to perceive him, as 
  indicated by the PER Roll modiﬁer in the Growth 
  Table). However, the Range Modiﬁer for PER Rolls 
  is aﬀected by the character’s size the same way it is 
  for attacks; see above.
  At the GM’s option, a macroscopic character 
  has diﬃculty (to put it mildly) perceiving normal-
  sized objects and characters. (Technically, in fact, 
  he can’t see them at all unless he applies the Dimen-
  sional Sense Modiﬁer to his Senses; see Macroversal 
  Perception on page 153 as an example.) Their dif-
  ferences in size make them so tiny to him as to be 
  nigh-invisible (if not, in eﬀect, truly invisible, the 
  way viri are to the naked human eye). To determine 
  the PER Roll penalty, subtract the smaller char-
  acter’s “PER Roll penalty” (i.e., the bonus to per-
  ceive him) from Growth (which is +0 for normal 
  human-sized characters, of course) from the char-
  acter’s PER Roll penalty, then apply the remainder 
  as a standard penalty to the character’s PER Rolls. 
  (Don’t forget that characters using Shrinking, or 
  who are otherwise smaller than human normal, 
  inﬂict additional penalties on characters trying to 
  perceive them.)
  As discussed on page 59, at the GM’s option 
  macroscopic characters can use a form of the 
  Microscopic Sense Modiﬁer to eliminate some or 
  all of these penalties. Alternately, the GM can alter 
  or abolish any size-based PER Roll modiﬁer in the 
  interest of common sense, dramatic sense, game 
  balance, or other factors.
  Example:  Planet Man (PER Roll 13-) becomes 
  12 million km tall, which would require 495 
  points of Growth (see above). That much 
  Growth would impose a +66 bonus on other 
  characters’ PER Rolls to perceive him. If he tries 
  to perceive a normal-sized person or object 
  (such as Defender, whom he wants to attack), 
  he suﬀers a PER Roll penalty of (66-0 =) -66. 
  Better roll a 3....
  On the other hand, suppose Planet Man’s trying 
  to see Earth. Earth has a diameter of approxi-
  mately 16,000 km, or about 345 points’ worth 
  of Growth. That much Growth provides a +46 
  bonus to PER Rolls to perceive. 66 - 46 = 20, so 
  Planet Man only has a -20 PER Roll penalty to 
  see Earth.
  SURVIVAL
  Characters entering the Macroverse often leave 
  the warm, safe conﬁnes of Earth’s atmosphere when 
  they become so large the planet can’t hold them 
  anymore. The easiest way around this dilemma is to 
  assume that macroscopic characters can automati-
  cally breathe and survive in outer space. Alternately, 
  the GM can require characters who can enter the 
  Macroverse to buy appropriate Life Support powers 
  or suﬀer the consequences.
  GRAVITY
  A macroscopically large character has tremen-
  dous mass, as indicated by the Growth Table (as 
  usual, if you’re using Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  or some other method to simulate becoming mac-
  roscopic size, use the Growth Table to estimate the 
  eﬀect). The rules on page 20 describe the potential 
  gravitic pull the character might generate.
  THE MICROVERSE
  In HERO System terms, the power characters 
  use to become smaller is Shrinking. However, 
  it may present some problems when you want 
  characters to become microscopically small. First, 
  extrapolating the Shrinking Table (page 51) to the 
  point where it makes the characters as small as 
  you want them to may not be worth the eﬀort. An 
  electron is 2.9x10-19 meters long, which requires 
  about 630 points of Shrinking. In this situation, it’s 
  simpler to deﬁne “Shrinking” as Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement (send the character to the Microverse), 
  since in eﬀect that’s what’s happening — he’s enter-
  ing another world, one where he can’t aﬀect the 
  normal-sized world and the laws of “reality” that 
  he’s used to may not function exactly the same.
  Second, Shrinking doesn’t reduce characters’ 
  physical capabilities at all. They remain just as 
  strong, their Energy Blasts just as powerful, their 
  Flight just as fast. This isn’t appropriate in some 
  situations, such as the “microscopic adventure” sce-
  narios discussed in Chapter Six of Villainy Amok 
  — adventures like that portray shrunken heroes as 
  signiﬁcantly weaker than they are when full-sized. 
  Insects don’t present much of a threat to a half-inch 
  tall hero if his Energy Blast still does a full 12d6 
  damage — the insect’s only a threat if the char-
  acter’s powers are proportionately reduced. Once 
  again, Extra-Dimensional Movement presents a 
  possible solution. You simply deﬁne the “Micro-
  verse” dimension that the heroes enter as operating 
  under physical laws which dictate that their powers 
  are reduced proportionately to their size.
  The rules below assume a character who enters 
  the Microverse must be at least as tiny as an animal 
  cell (equivalent to about 170 points of Shrinking) 
  and that his maximum reduction in size is equal 
  to approximately that of a subatomic particle 
  (around 630 points of Shrinking). You may need 
  
  221 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  to adjust the rules if the GM sets diﬀerent param-
  eters. A character who can enter the Microverse 
  deﬁnes how small he is each time he uses it; he’s not 
  restricted to a speciﬁc size (or range of sizes) unless 
  the GM or a Restricted Size Limitation (page 60) on 
  the power so dictates.
  Proportional Reduction  
  Of Powers
  In most cases, you’ll want your teeny-tiny 
  heroes to have a proportionately lesser eﬀect on 
  the normal-sized world, as described above. Here 
  are rules for that situation. These rules apply only 
  in microscopic adventure scenarios; they’re not 
  intended for general use for characters who have 
  the Shrinking Power (since they would unfairly 
  penalize and restrict such characters).
  ATTACKS
  The ﬁrst thing most PCs are going to want to 
  know is how well their attacks work when they’re tiny.
  Damage
  Against a target who’s his size or smaller, a 
  character’s attacks do their normal damage. For 
  targets larger than the character, reduce the damage 
  done using the following method:
  1.  Use the Shrinking Table to determine how many 
  points’ worth of Shrinking it takes to reduce the 
  character and his target to their respective sizes 
  (if the target is normal human size or larger, it of 
  course takes 0 points to “Shrink” him). If you’re 
  using Extra-Dimensional Movement or some other 
  method to simulate becoming microscopic size, use 
  the Shrinking Table to estimate the cost. If a char-
  acter has Shrinking as a power, don’t worry about 
  Active Points or Advantages on it; just look at the 
  pointed needed to reduce someone to that size on 
  the table.
  2.  Subtract the target’s “points in Shrinking” from 
  the character’s “points in Shrinking.”
  3.  Divide the remainder by 50. Do not round the 
  result.
  4.  Divide the Active Points in the character’s 
  attack by (1 + (result of Step 3)). That tells you 
  the “Active Points” in his attack for purposes of 
  damaging that target; if the attack has Advan-
  tages, you’ll have to recalculate it to determine 
  how many dice of damage are involved. This 
  does not affect the END cost of the attack, since 
  it simulates an environmental effect rather than a 
  true decrease in strength or power.
  Regardless of the characters’ respective sizes, 
  the GM may establish a minimum amount of 
  damage a microscopic character’s attack does (such 
  as ½d6 Normal Damage), or otherwise adjust the 
  results of this process as he sees ﬁt. Note that using 
  this method to allow a microscopic character to 
  attack a normal-sized character essentially makes 
  the microscopic character’s attacks Transdimen-
  sional for free.
  Example:  Shrinker uses her Enter The Micro-
  verse! power to become microscopic size. The 
  GM decides she’s as small as a virus when she 
  does this. While small, she’s attacked by a bacte-
  rium. Becoming virus-sized would require 230 
  points’ worth of Shrinking; becoming bacte-
  rium-sized requires 210 points’ worth. Shrinker 
  has an Energy Blast 12d6. Per Step 2, 230-210 
  = 20; per Step 3, 20/50 = 0.4. Therefore Shrink-
  er’s EB has 60/(1 + .4) = 43 Active Points. So, 
  Shrinker’s EB only does 8½d6 damage to the 
  bacterium.
  Later Shrinker encounters an ant (80 points’ 
  worth of Shrinking). Against the ant, her 
  Energy Blast only does 15 Active Points’ worth 
  of damage (60/(1 + ((230-80)/50))), or 3d6 
  damage. Against a normal-sized human, she 
  only does EB 2d6 (60/(1 + ((230-0)/50)) = 11 
  Active Points).
  Attack Rolls
  Tiny characters have improved DCVs, as 
  indicated in the Shrinking Table. (Again, if you’re 
  using Extra-Dimensional Movement or some other 
  method, use the Table to extrapolate a DCV modi-
  ﬁer for characters.) If two smaller than normal 
  characters ﬁght each other, the rules on page 17 
  apply to alter their respective DCV modiﬁers 
  toward each other.
  At the GM’s option, a tiny character may have 
  an OCV bonus to hit someone larger than himself, 
  on the grounds that the larger character presents a 
  much bigger target. Subtract the larger character’s 
  DCV bonus from Shrinking (which is +0 for 
  normal human-sized characters, of course) from 
  the character’s DCV bonus, then apply the remain-
  der as an OCV bonus. (Don’t forget that characters 
  using Growth, or who are otherwise larger than 
  human normal, suﬀer DCV penalties as well.)
  Range
  Being smaller than normal aﬀects the range of 
  a power, and the calculation of the Range Modiﬁer, 
  the same way it does movement (see below):  the 
  length of each hex (1”) is reduced to match the size 
  of the character.
  Example:  Shrinker is 4 mm tall (90 points’ 
  worth of Shrinking). Her Energy Blast 12d6 
  has a Range of (5” x 60 Active Points =) 300”. 
  Normally that means 600 meters (1,950 feet). 
  However, since she’s 4 mm tall, each hex (1”) is 
  only 4 mm long, not 2 meters as usual. There-
  fore her 300” attack has a maximum range of 
  1,200 mm — only 1.2 meters! For the ﬁrst 4” 
  (up to 16 mm), she suﬀers no Range Modiﬁer; 
  for 5-8” (20-32 mm), she suﬀers a -2 Range 
  Modiﬁer; and so forth. 
  DEFENSES
  Being smaller than normal does not decrease 
  or increase the defenses of a character or his target, 
  regardless of relative size. (Technically speaking, 
  normal-sized characters should only be able to 
  aﬀect characters in the Microverse with Transdi-
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  222 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  mensional attacks, but if the GM prefers to rely 
  on environmental eﬀects to deﬁne the Microverse, 
  that doesn’t matter.) However, to make small ani-
  mals (housecats, insects, and the like) a threat, you 
  should “increase” the damage done by their attacks 
  to compensate. When a cat’s claws seem as large 
  as greatswords to the tiny heroes, they should be 
  afraid of getting hit by them no matter how tough 
  their personal defenses are.
  DCV
  A microscopic-sized character’s DCV should 
  be determined using the appropriate bonus from 
  the Shrinking Table for his size (and, if appropriate, 
  the rules on page 17).
  MOVEMENT
  Becoming small aﬀects Movement Powers 
  in sort of the opposite way as MegaScaling does:  
  decreasing in size reduces the length of each “inch” 
  a character travels. The size of 1” equals the size 
  that the character’s shrunken to. For example, if a 
  character becomes child-size (half human size, or 
  roughly 1 meter tall), then 1” = 1 meter (instead of 
  the 2 meters it normally equals). If he becomes 1 
  inch (2.5 cm) tall, then 1” = 1 inch (2.5 cm). If he 
  becomes 1 millimeter tall, then 1” = 1 mm.
  Example:  Ironclad contracts a mysterious Per-
  seid virus that’s not susceptible to Human med-
  icines. To save the life of their friend, the rest of 
  the Champions have to shrink down to micro-
  scopic size, enter his blood vessels, and ﬁght the 
  viri! A virus is approximately .0000002 m in 
  size, so when they use their Movement Powers, 
  each 1” equals .0000002 m. Hopefully they 
  won’t have to go very far!
  SENSES
  Typically, being smaller than normal doesn’t 
  affect a character’s senses or PER Rolls (though 
  it does make it harder for others to perceive him 
  when he’s hiding, as indicated by the PER Roll 
  modifier in the Shrinking Table). However, the 
  Range Modifier for PER Rolls is affected by the 
  character’s size the same way it is for attacks; see 
  above.
  At the GM’s option, a tiny character has a 
  better than normal chance to perceive something 
  that’s larger than him. The diﬀerence in size makes 
  what he’s trying to perceive seem “bigger” to him, 
  and thus easier to perceive. For example, to a 
  normal-sized human, a dime is pretty small, but to 
  a character using 60-70 points’ worth of Shrinking 
  (or the equivalent), it seems nearly human-sized! 
  To determine the PER Roll bonus, subtract the 
  larger character’s PER Roll modiﬁer from Shrink-
  ing (which is +0 for normal human-sized char-
  acters, of course) from the character’s PER Roll 
  modiﬁer, then apply the remainder as a PER Roll 
  bonus. (Don’t forget that characters using Growth, 
  or who are otherwise larger than human normal, 
  provide other characters with additional bonuses to 
  perceive them.)
  Example:  Shrinker is 2 mm tall (100 points’ 
  worth of Shrinking), which imposes a -20 
  PER Roll modifier on other characters’ PER 
  Rolls when she tries to hide. She tries to see 
  something that’s only 3.2 cm tall (normally 
  a -12 PER Roll modifier). She receives a +8 
  PER Roll bonus (20-12) because it’s so much 
  larger than she is.
  Similarly, a tiny character has an easier time 
  perceiving things smaller than him — again, 
  they’re relatively “larger” to him compared to how a 
  normal-sized human perceives them. Subtract the 
  smaller object’s PER Roll modiﬁer from the char-
  acter’s own PER Roll modiﬁer; that’s the character’s 
  PER Roll modiﬁer to see that object. Remember 
  that the PER Roll penalty only applies if the char-
  acter’s trying to hide or the like; it doesn’t always 
  make the character harder to see or act as the 
  equivalent of Invisibility (though of course, practi-
  cally speaking, there’s a limit to what the unaided 
  human eye can see).
  Example:  Shrinker is 2 mm tall (100 points’ 
  worth of Shrinking), which imposes a -20 PER 
  Roll modiﬁer on other characters’ PER Rolls 
  when she tries to hide. She tries to see some-
  thing that’s only 64 micrometers tall (normally 
  a -30 PER Roll modiﬁer). She only suﬀers a -10 
  PER Roll modiﬁer (30-20) because she herself 
  is so small.
  
  223 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  T
  hroughout the world, mythology, legend, folk-
  lore, and ﬁction describe all sorts of creatures 
  known for their shapechanging powers. Here 
  are character sheets and descriptions of a few 
  of the most common or enjoyable; see The HERO 
  System Bestiary, The Asian Bestiary, Vols. I-II, and 
  other Hero Games products for more.
  Berserker
  BERSERKER
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   17 CON 
  14 
  12-
   13 BODY 6 
  12-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   13 PRE 
  3 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  2½d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   5 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  5 PD (0 rPD)
   3 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  3 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
  5 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   7 REC 
  0
   34 END 
  0
   32 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  54
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Power 
  END
  19 
  Berserker Fury:    +10 STR; Nonpersistent 
  (-¼), Side Eﬀects (character becomes  
  Berserk with a recovery roll of 8-, always 
  occurs; -½) plus +10 CON; Nonpersistent 
  (-¼), Side Eﬀects (character becomes  
  Berserk with a recovery roll of 8-, always 
  occurs; -½) plus +4 PD; Nonpersistent  
  (-¼), Side Eﬀects (character becomes  
  Berserk with a recovery roll of 8-,  
  always occurs; -½) 
  1
   
  Skills
  15 
  +3 HTH
  3 
  Climbing 12-
  2 
  AK: Home Region 11-
  2 
  KS: Enemy/Rival Tribe, Nation, Or The Like 
  11-
  3 
  Riding 12-
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  2 
  Survival (choose environment) 11-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  53
  Total Cost:  107
  75+ Disadvantages
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk in combat (Very 
  Common), go 11-, recover 11-
  0 
  Physical Limitation:  Human Size
  Total Disadvantage Points:  107
  THE METAMORPHIC
  BESTIARY
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Damage 
  STUN 
  STR Min 
  Shots
  Battle Axe 
  0 
  — 
  2d6 
  0 
  13 
  —
  Longsword 
  0 
  — 
  1d6+1 
  0 
  12 
  —
  Dagger# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  6 
  —
  Throwing Spear# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6+1  
  0 
  8 
  —
  Armor
  Chainmail Shirt (DEF 6, protects Hit Locations 8-13) (or Soft Leather [DEF 2] overall) 
  Medium Shield (+2 DCV)
  Gear:  Flint and tinder, whetstone, horse
  Clothing:  Furs, skins, leather clothing
  Description:  This character sheet represents a typical berserker like the ones characters might encounter in battle. A wide 
  variety of other Skills and abilities are possible.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  224 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  Brollachan
  BROLLACHAN
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift 400 kg; 4d6  [2]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   4 COM 
  -3 
  10-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  8 PD (2 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  6 ED (2 rED)
   3 SPD 
  5 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   35 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  66
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Swimming:  4”/8” 
  Cost Powers 
  END
  57 
  Formlessness Into Form:  Shape Shift  
  (Sight, Hearing, Radio, Smell/Taste, and 
  Touch Groups, any form), Imitation,  
  Instant Change 
  6
  400 
  Formed Powers:  Variable Power Pool,  
  200 base + 100 control cost, Powers Can  
  Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action  
  (+1), No Skill Roll Required (+1); Linked  
  (to Shape Shift; -¼), Only For Abilities  
  Of Shape Shifted Forms (-¼) 
  var
  7 
  Fearsome:  +15 PRE; Only For Fear- 
  Based Presence Attacks (-1) 
  0
  2 
  Tough Form:  Damage Resistance  
  (2 PD/2 ED) 
  0
  60 
  Hard To Harm:  Physical Damage  
  Reduction, Resistant, 75%; Does Not Work  
  Against Iron/Steel Weapons (-1) plus  
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 0
  10 
  Shifting Form:  No Hit Locations 
  0
  5 
  At Home Underwater:  Life Support  
  (Expanded Breathing:  breathe underwater) 0
  2 
  Strong Swimmer:  Swimming +2” (4” total) 1
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  543
  Total Cost:  609
  75+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Malevolent And 
  Wicked (Common, Total)
  514 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  609
  Ecology:  Sometimes said to be the child of a fuath 
  (evil water faerie), a brollachan (“shapeless thing”) 
  typically lives in millstreams or other bodies of 
  water. It kills and eats men for its sustenance, and 
  also thrives on inﬂicting terror.
  Personality/Motivation:  Brollachans are malign and 
  wicked. As members of the Unseelie Court, they 
  care nothing for humans, looking upon them as 
  food, playthings, or the like.
  Powers/Tactics:  Scottish folklore and legends 
  describe a brollachan as being “without form” 
  except for having eyes and a mouth; some tales 
  liken it to a fog-cloud or puddle of muck with a few 
  human aspects, such as hands. In a gaming context 
  a brollachan is a shapeless mass of ﬂesh that can 
  transform itself into whatever shape it likes. One of 
  a brollachan’s favorite tricks is to disguise itself to 
  look like one of its victim’s loved ones and lure him 
  into a lonely spot so that it can feast undisturbed 
  after it kills him.
  Campaign Use:  A brollachan works well in sev-
  eral roles, and can perhaps play several of them 
  in the space of a single scenario. It might start 
  out spying on the PCs, curious about who and 
  what they are... then introduce an element of 
  potential danger by trying to join them in human 
  form, or even worse kill one of them and take 
  his place. Ultimately, when it’s found out, it can 
  revert to a sort of Lovecraftian horror-form as a 
  thing with countless eyes, tentacles, and mouths 
  that can fight all the PCs at once.
  Appearance:  A brollachan is a formless mass of 
  ﬂesh able to change its shape into that of people, 
  animals, or monsters.
  
  225 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  Kitsune
  KITSUNE
  True Form
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   -5 STR 
  -15 
  8- 
  Lift 12.5 kg; 0d6 [1]
   14 DEX 
  12 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   5 BODY -10 
  10-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   5 PD 
  5 
  Total:  5 PD (0 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
  Total:  5 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
  6 
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   4 REC 
  2
   26 END 
  0
   18 STUN 
  6 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  40
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
   
  Leaping:  1”/2”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  105 
  Illusions:  Mental Illusions 14d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END) 
  0
  149 
  Kitsune-tsuki:  Mind Control 18d6, Tele-
  pathic (+¼), Aﬀects Physical World (+2), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½);  
  Lockout (kitsune cannot use any other 
  powers while possessing a target; -½),  
  Mandatory Eﬀect (EGO +30; -¾), No  
  Range (-½) plus Desolidiﬁcation  
  (aﬀected by magic or any attack that  
  aﬀects possessed body), Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½); Linked (to  
  Mind Control; -½) Only To “Merge”  
  With Possessed Body (see text; -1) plus 
  Clinging (normal STR); Linked (to  
  Desolidiﬁcation; -½), Only To Remain 
  Merged With A Body If It’s Moved  
  Involuntarily (-2) 
  0
  10 
  Bite:  HKA ½d6 (½d6 with STR) 
  1
  1 
  Leaping:  Leaping +1” (1” forward, ½” 
  upward) 
  1
  4 
  Supernatural Speed:  Running +2” (8” Total) 2
  6 
  Acute Senses:  +2 PER with all Sense Groups 0
  2 
  Acute Hearing:  +1 PER with Hearing  
  Group 
  0
  5 
  At Home In The Dark:  Nightvision 
  0
  27 
  Assume Human Form:  Multiform  
  (change shape into 205-point human  
  form); Costs Endurance (-½) 
  4
  5 
  Long-Lived:  Life Support (Longevity:  
  Immortality) 
  0
   
  Talents
  3 
  Lightsleep
   
  Skills
  10 
  Kitsune-tsuki:  +5 OECV with Mind Control
  20 
  Hard To Hit:  +4 DCV
  3 
  Climbing 12-
  5 
  Concealment 15-; Self Only (-½)
  5 
  Mimicry 14-
  3 
  Shadowing 13-
  11 
  Stealth 16-
  3 
  Tracking 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  377
  Total Cost:  417
  75+  Disadvantages
  15 
  Distinctive Features:  Accompanied By Fox-
  ﬁre At Night (Not Concealable; Noticed And 
  Recognizable)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Diminutive (about .5m 
  long; +6” KB) (Frequently, Slightly Impair-
  ing)
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Very Limited Manipula-
  tion (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Amoral And 
  Mischievous; Malicious Trickster (Very 
  Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Of Ven-
  geance:  Must Avenge All Insults To Self And 
  Family (Common, Total)
  15 
  Reputation:  trickster, troublemaker, and 
  seducer of men 14- 
  247 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  417
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  226 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  KITSUNE
  Human Form
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   14 DEX 
  12 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  10-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   13 PRE 
  3 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  2½d6
   30 COM 
  10 
  15-
   5 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  5 PD (0 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  5 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
  6 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   5 REC 
  0
   26 END 
  0
   22 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  68 
  (+10 with NCM)
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  88 
  Assume Any Human Form:  Shape Shift 
  (Sight, Touch, Hearing, and Smell/Taste 
  Groups, any humanoid form), Imitation, 
  Makeover, Reduced Endurance (0 END;  
  +½), Persistent (+½) 
  0
  4 
  Supernatural Speed:  Running +2” (8” total) 2
  5 
  At Home In The Dark:  Nightvision 
  0
  5 
  Long-Lived:  Life Support (Longevity:  
  Immortality) 
  0
   
  Talents
  3 
  Lightsleep
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Conversation, Persuasion, and 
  Seduction
  3 
  Conversation 12-
  3 
  Disguise 13-
  5 
  Mimicry 14-
  3 
  Persuasion 12-
  3 
  Seduction 12-
  3 
  Shadowing 13-
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  3 
  Tracking 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  137
  Total Cost:  205
  75+  Disadvantages
  15 
  Distinctive Features:  Unearthly Beauty 
  (Concealable With Diﬃculty; Causes Major 
  Reaction [desire])
  15 
  Distinctive Features:  Reﬂection (or shadow, or 
  other feature) Reveals True Form (Not Con-
  cealable; Causes Major Reaction [fear, hatred])
  0 
  Physical Limitation:  Human Size
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Amoral And 
  Mischievous; Malicious Trickster (Very 
  Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Of Ven-
  geance:  Must Avenge All Insults To Self And 
  Family (Common, Total)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (as a kit-
  sune) (Frequently, Severe)
  40 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  205
  Ecology:  Kitsune, or spirit foxes, dwell nearly 
  everywhere men do, preferring forests and ﬁelds, 
  although some have been known to live in aban-
  doned houses or dig burrows under storage sheds 
  and the like. In fox form, kitsune eat oﬀerings left 
  for them at shrines to the god Inari as well as what-
  ever they can acquire or steal from their human 
  neighbors. In human form, a kitsune eats human 
  foods. Regardless of form, kitsune adore aburage 
  (deep-fried tofu).
  Since they are kami (spirits), kitsune are very 
  long-lived. Lifespans of a thousand years or more 
  are considered typical, with the creatures gain-
  ing more and more magical powers the older he 
  becomes. The number of tails a kitsune has also 
  increases with age, with the ﬁrst tail growing in at 
  age 100 (along with the power to shape shift and 
  possess people), while at the age of 1000 years a 
  spirit fox gains its full nine tails and becomes a 
  “celestial fox.”
  Most kitsune dwell in family groups. The 
  younger kitsune seem to be the most active and often 
  cause trouble in local villages. Asking the older kitsune 
  to restrain and control their young family members 
  usually brings an end to any problems.
  For more details about kitsune, including 
  optional powers, numerous types or “subspecies” 
  of kitsune, and regional variants of the kitsune, see 
  The Asian Bestiary, Vol. II.
  Personality/Motivation:  Kitsune are, simply put, 
  tricksters. They’re fairly amoral and don’t adhere to 
  the human concepts of good and evil. They follow 
  their own code and don’t care for interference from 
  others. As humans, they tend to be malicious, play-
  ing tricks and causing trouble. A common trick 
  is to assume human form (usually of a beautiful 
  woman) and seduce a human. Some can produce 
  balls of fox-ﬁre and use them to lead humans trav-
  eling after dark astray. Naturally, as tricksters, not 
  all of their pranks work out as planned; sometimes 
  a kitsune becomes the butt of his own joke. On the 
  other hand, kitsune can also be helpful, especially 
  to humans who aid the kitsune in some fashion, 
  or otherwise act in a manner which pleases them. 
  Thus, kitsune are both feared and worshipped, 
  especially because some of them are servants of 
  Inari, god of foxes. These kitsune, known as myobu, 
  are said to dwell within certain Shinto temples, pro-
  tecting them from harm.
  Powers/Tactics:  Because of their small size, kitsune 
  do not engage in physical combat... but thanks to 
  their extensive supernatural powers, they don’t need 
  to. Most kitsune prefer to use their powers of illusion 
  to distract, confuse, and disrupt their opponents. If 
  he wishes to strike directly at someone, a kitsune will 
  possess the mind and body of someone close to his 
  intended target and use that form to attack.
  The kitsune’s possession power is known as 
  kitsune-tsuki (“fox madness”). To use kitsune-tsuki, 
  a kitsune must touch his intended target and make 
  an ECV Attack Roll (a DEX Roll may be required 
  to touch the victim, if appropriate). If the kitsune 
  hits, he makes an Eﬀect Roll, on which he must 
  
  227 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  achieve an EGO +30 or greater result. If the roll 
  fails, the attack fails, leaving the fox spirit vulner-
  able to attack. (This is why most kitsune prefer to 
  strike at sleeping targets or one in the throes of a 
  powerful illusion. They also like to Haymaker their 
  initial Mind Control attempt, going all-out in an 
  attempt to possesses a target.)
  If the attack succeeds, the kitsune’s Deso-
  lidification activates and the fox “merges” with 
  his intended target. The Desolidification and 
  Clinging powers only allow a kitsune to enter 
  the target body and move with it when it moves, 
  he cannot use any other powers (besides Mind 
  Control) in this state. He can, however, use any 
  abilities the possessed body may have (such as 
  martial arts or spells). The possessed victim 
  moves and acts with either his SPD and DEX, 
  or the kitsune’s, whichever is lower. If the victim 
  attacks, he does so with either his DEX/EGO or 
  the kitsune’s DEX/EGO, whichever is lower.
  If at any point the kitsune fails an Eﬀect Roll, 
  the victim makes a Breakout Roll, or the kitsune 
  ends its possession of the victim (either volun-
  tarily or not), then the kitsune takes physical form 
  right next to its former victim. Once revealed as a 
  kitsune or if exorcised from his possessed host, a 
  kitsune usually ﬂees, since it has no special defenses 
  from mortal weapons.
  Kitsune are master shapeshifters and can 
  assume virtually any human form. Some may be 
  able to assume any form, including inanimate 
  objects. Some kitsune apparently need to use a 
  human skull (worn atop the head) to turn into a 
  human, while others can be startled back into their 
  normal form by a sudden blow.
  Campaign Use:  There are many tales of kitsune 
  destroying the lives of mortal men. The most 
  famous of the kitsune legends is the story of 
  Tamamo-no-mae. Also known as Hua-yang, she 
  was a 1,000 year-old nine-tailed fox and the wife 
  of the Indian king Pan-Tsu. Through him she 
  caused the death of over 1,000 people. Afterward 
  she traveled to China, took the name Pau-ssu, 
  and became the wife of the Chou emperor Yu. 
  Willing to do anything to see Tamamo-no-mae 
  smile, Yu committed all sorts of despicable acts. 
  After the Chou dynasty fell, Tamamo-no-mae 
  flew through the air and came to Japan. There 
  she joined the court of the Emperor and caused 
  more people to be killed. Upon her discovery she 
  fled the court, finally landing on Nasuno moor 
  and becoming a large stone. As a stone she con-
  tinues to kill, instantly slaying anything — man, 
  animal, or plant — that comes too close.
  A kitsune can be a very powerful opponent 
  for any group of characters, regardless of the power 
  level and campaign setting. They’re highly intel-
  ligent, sly, and often ruthless. Just ﬁguring out who’s 
  a kitsune in disguise (or if there’s even a kitsune 
  present) can be an adventure in and of itself. How-
  ever, not all kitsune are harmful to humans; some 
  legends talk of kitsune going to great lengths to aid 
  a human who does them a kindness.
  This character sheet for the kitsune’s human 
  form represents a typical competent kitsune the 
  PCs might encounter in a situation where you need 
  a character sheet (i.e., combat or the like). You can 
  easily customize this character sheet (speciﬁcally 
  the human form of the kitsune) by applying one of 
  the templates found on pages 116-118 of Monsters, 
  Minions, And Marauders, such as Priest, Shaman, or 
  Wizard. Other kitsune, such as the very young and 
  the very old, would have diﬀerent characteristics as 
  well as diﬀerent Skills.
  Appearance:  A kitsune normally appears as a red 
  fox. It can change its shape, assuming almost any 
  form it wishes, although most kitsune prefer to 
  turn themselves into beautiful young women to 
  better seduce mortal men. As a kitsune ages, it gains 
  tails. A young kitsune has only a single tail, while 
  an older kitsune has three, ﬁve, or nine tails. Upon 
  achieving nine tails, a kitsune turns gold, silver, or 
  white in color. At this point, it’s called a celestial fox 
  and possesses unsurpassed supernatural powers.
  Regardless of form, a kitsune often retains a 
  portion of its animal nature. This can include a fox’s 
  tail, a fur-covered body, slit or glowing eyes, pointed 
  or fox-like ears, a fox’s feet, claws, elongated canine 
  teeth, the smell of a fox (instantly recognizable to 
  dogs, who will often attack the kitsune), or the form 
  of a man-sized bipedal fox (often the result of the 
  kitsune making a mistake in transforming). Even 
  if the kitsune’s disguise is ﬂawless, its reﬂection in 
  a mirror or bowl of water, or its shadow, reveals its 
  true nature.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  228 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  Lycanthropes  
  (Werecreatures)
  Lycanthropes are humans with the ability 
  to change their shape into that of a particular 
  animal. (Or, more rarely, an intelligent animal 
  with the power to assume man-shape.) Many 
  people consider lycanthropy a curse, a dreaded 
  disease they would give anything to be cured of, 
  but some accept (or even revel in) their bestial 
  nature and abilities.
  Ecology:  Some lycanthropes live as humans, 
  whether among human societies or by themselves 
  (they tend to be loners); others prefer to dwell with 
  their wild brethren (perhaps even acting as their 
  protector). All of them hunt or forage in animal 
  shape to some degree, but they may also eat cooked 
  human food.
  A mating between two lycanthropes pro-
  duces a child who also possesses lycanthropic 
  powers. A mating between a lycanthrope and an 
  ordinary human, or an ordinary member of the 
  species whose shape the lycanthrope can assume, 
  produces offspring with lycanthropic powers 
  about half the time.
  Personality/Motivations:  Typically, lycanthropes 
  have ordinary human motivations (ranging from 
  pure beneﬁcence to utter evil), but their personali-
  ties usually have a touch of the bestial nature of 
  their animal shape. Werewolves are cruel and cun-
  ning, but also quite loyal to their friends (“pack”); 
  wererats are sneaky and shifty; and so forth.
  Powers/Tactics:  Lycanthropes possess three forms:  
  a normal human form; a human-animal “mixed” 
  form; and an animal form. The animal form may 
  be physically normal for its kind, or unusually 
  large and strong, but it almost always retains some 
  or all of the human’s intelligence. For the sake of 
  simplicity, the character sheets below portray the 
  half-animal, half-human form as the “true form,” 
  and uses the normal animal write-ups from this 
  book and a 150 Character Point human as the other 
  forms. (The animal forms receive some extra points 
  to account for their superior nature, intelligence, 
  and the like.) However, for characters who con-
  tract lycanthropy from a werecreature’s attack, the 
  human form should be the true form. See Lycan-
  thropy As A Disease, page 76, for more information.
  Common lycanthropic powers include:  
  greater than normal physical Characteristics; fangs 
  and claws; and the ability to heal with incredible 
  speed. They also relate well to animals of their type 
  (their Animal Handler Skill represents this; some 
  may also have a Mind Link that works only with 
  that type of animal). However, lycanthropes suﬀer 
  extra damage from weapons made of silver (a few 
  even suﬀer injury from just touching pure silver), 
  and they have a tendency to lose control of them-
  selves in battle or when hurt.
  Campaign Use:  Lycanthropes make excellent adver-
  saries for PCs in many games. They’re as intelligent 
  as humans, but possess powerful animal abilities 
  — including the ability to infect others with the con-
  dition, which can make for some interesting stories.
  You can use the three character sheets below (plus 
  three more you can ﬁnd in The HERO System Bestiary) 
  as templates for many other types of lycanthropes. For 
  example, the wererat makes for a good wereserpent if 
  you add some scales and a venomous bite.
  WERERAT
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   16 CON 
  12 
  12-
   14 BODY 8 
  12-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   18 PRE 
  8 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  3½d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   8 PD 
  5 
   
  Total:  8 PD (2 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  8 ED (2 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   32 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  80
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
   
  Leaping:  3”/6”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  20 
  Shapechanging:  Multiform (change shape 
  into 150-point human or rat; true form is 
  half-animal form); Extra Time (takes an 
  Extra Phase to change shape; -¾) 
  0
  20 
  Bite:  HKA 1d6+1 (2½d6 with STR) 
  2
  8 
  Claws:  HKA ½d6 (1d6+1 with STR); 
  Reduced Penetration (-¼) 
  1
  60 
  Lycanthrope’s Bite:  Major Transform 7d6 
  (human into wererat; heals back through 
  special magic ritual), Persistent (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Always 
  On (-½), Limited Target (humans; -½), All 
  Or Nothing (-½), Must Do Half Of Target’s 
  Positive BODY With Bite (-1) 
  0
   
  Martial Arts:  Red In Tooth And Claw
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Avoid Harm 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Chomp/
   
  Claw Slash 
  +0 
  +2 
  Strike +2 DC
  3 
  Holding Bite 
  +0 
  -1 
  Grab One Limb, 
  +10 STR
  2 
  Lycanthropic Resilience:  Damage Resistance 
  (2 PD/2 ED) 
  0
  40 
  Lycanthropic Resilience:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%; Does Not Work 
  Against Silver-Based Attacks (-½) plus 
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; 
  Does Not Work Against Fire Attacks (-½) 0
  18 
  Lycanthropic Regeneration:  Healing 3d6 
  (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Turn), Persistent 
  (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼), Self Only (-½), 
  Does Not Heal Damage Caused By Silver 
  Weapons (-½) 
  0
  6 
  Lycanthrope’s Legs:  Running +3” (9” total) 1
  
  229 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  6 
  Lycanthropic Senses:  +2 PER with all  
  Sense Groups 
  0
  5 
  Lycanthrope’s Eyes:  Ultraviolet Perception 
  (Sight Group) 
  0
  5 
  Lycanthropic Nose:  Discriminatory for 
  Normal Smell 
  0
  5 
  Lycanthropic Nose:  Tracking for Normal 
  Smell 
  0
   
  Skills
  10 
  +2 HTH
  2 
  Animal Handler (Rodents) 13-
  3 
  Concealment 11-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Tracking 11-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  232
  Total Cost:  311
  75+ Disadvantages
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk in combat or when injured 
  (Very Common), go 11-, recover 11-
  0 
  Physical Limitation:  Human Size
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Silver Weap-
  ons (Common)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x BODY from Silver Weap-
  ons (Common)
  161 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  311
  Description:  Wererats are shorter than other lycan-
  thropes. In human form they often look shifty, with 
  tiny eyes, sharp noses, black or dark grey hair, and 
  other rat-like features. In half-human form, they 
  often favor weapons (such as daggers, short swords, 
  and short bows) over their small claws.
  WERESHARK
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   25 STR 
  15 
  14- 
  Lift 800 kg; 5d6 [2]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   18 BODY 16 
  13-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   10 PD 
  5 
   
  Total:  10 PD (4 rPD)
   8 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  8 ED (4 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   9 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   41 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  105 
  (+22 with NCM)
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Leaping:  5”/10”
   
  Swimming:  20”/40”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  34 
  Shapechanging:  Multiform (change shape 
  into 150-point human or 275-point shark 
  true form is half-animal form); Extra Time 
  (takes an Extra Phase to change shape; -¾) 0
  25 
  Jaws:  HKA 1½d6 (3d6+1 with STR) 
  2
  60 
  Lycanthrope’s Bite:  Major Transform 7d6 
  (human into wereshark; heals back through 
  special magic ritual), Persistent (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Always 
  On (-½), Limited Target (humans; -½), All 
  Or Nothing (-½), Must Do Half Of Target’s 
  Positive BODY With Jaws (-1) 
  0
   
  Martial Arts:  Red In Tooth And Claw
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Avoid Harm 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Chomp 
  +0 
  +2 
  Strike +2 DC
  3 
  Holding Bite 
  +0 
  -1 
  Grab One Limb, 
  +10 STR
  3 
  Knockover 
  +2 
  -1 
  Strike +1 DC; 
  Target Falls
  4 
  Lycanthropic Resilience:  Damage  
  Resistance (4 PD/4 ED) 
  0
  40 
  Lycanthropic Resilience:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%; Does Not Work 
  Against Silver-Based Attacks (-½) plus  
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; 
  Does Not Work Against Fire Attacks (-½) 
  0
  18 
  Lycanthropic Regeneration:  Healing 3d6 
  (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Turn),  
  Persistent (+½), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½); Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼),  
  Self Only (-½), Does Not Heal Damage 
  Caused By Silver Weapons (-½) 
  0
  18 
  Shark’s Body:  Swimming +18” (20” total) 1
  6 
  Lycanthropic Senses:  +2 PER with all  
  Sense Groups 
  0
  4 
  Shark’s Nose:  +2 PER with Smell/Taste 
  Group 
  0
  5 
  Lycanthrope’s Eyes:  Ultraviolet Perception 
  (Sight Group) 
  0
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  230 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  5 
  Shark’s Eyes:  Increased Arc Of Perception 
  (240 Degrees) for Sight Group 
  0
  5 
  Lycanthropic Nose:  Discriminatory for 
  Normal Smell 
  0
  5 
  Lycanthropic Nose:  Tracking for Normal 
  Smell 
  0
   
  Skills
  10 
  +2 HTH
  4 
  +2 OCV with Move By
  2 
  Animal Handler (Sharks) 13-
  3 
  Concealment 11-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Tracking 11-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  272
  Total Cost:  377
  75+ Disadvantages
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk in combat or when injured 
  (Very Common), go 11-, recover 11-
  30 
  Enraged:  Berserk when smells blood (Very 
  Common), go 8-, recover 11-
  0 
  Physical Limitation:  Human Size
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Silver Weap-
  ons (Common)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x BODY from Silver Weap-
  ons (Common)
  197 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  377
  Description:  Weresharks are perhaps the oddest-
  looking lycanthrope. They have the upper body and 
  head of a shark combined with the arms and legs 
  of a man. Some even have shark-like tails. Rarely 
  found outside the water (or far from it on land), 
  they ﬁght in shark-like fashion, performing Move 
  Bys with their jaws.
  WEREWOLF
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   16 BODY 12 
  12-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   9 PD 
  5 
   
  Total:  9 PD (2 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  8 ED (2 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   36 END 
  0
   35 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  95 
  (+2 with NCM)
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
   
  Leaping:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  20 
  Shapechanging:  Multiform (change shape 
  into 150-point human or wolf; true form 
  is half-animal form); Extra Time (takes an 
  Extra Phase to change shape; -¾) 
  0
  20 
  Fangs:  HKA 1d6+1 (2½d6 with STR) 
  2
  12 
  Claws:  HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR); Reduced 
  Penetration (-¼) 
  1
  60 
  Lycanthrope’s Bite:  Major Transform 7d6 
  (human into werewolf; heals back through 
  special magic ritual), Persistent (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Always 
  On (-½), Limited Target (humans; -½), All 
  Or Nothing (-½), Must Do Half Of Target’s 
  Positive BODY With Fangs (-1) 
  0
   
  Martial Arts:  Red In Tooth And Claw
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Avoid Harm 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Chomp/
   
  Claw Slash 
  +0 
  +2 
  Strike +2 DC
  3 
  Holding Bite 
  +0 
  -1 
  Grab One Limb, 
  +10 STR
  3 
  Knockover 
  +2 
  -1 
  Strike +1 DC; 
  Target Falls
  2 
  Lycanthropic Resilience:  Damage  
  Resistance (2 PD/2 ED) 
  0
  40 
  Lycanthropic Resilience:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%; Does Not Work 
  Against Silver-Based Attacks (-½) plus  
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; 
  Does Not Work Against Fire Attacks (-½) 
  0
  18 
  Lycanthropic Regeneration:  Healing 3d6 
  (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Turn),  
  Persistent (+½), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½); Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼),  
  Self Only (-½), Does Not Heal Damage 
  Caused By Silver Weapons (-½) 
  0
  6 
  Lycanthrope’s Legs:  Running +3” (9” total) 1
  2 
  Wolf’s Legs:  Leaping +2” (6” forward, 3” 
  upward) 
  1
  6 
  Lycanthropic Senses:  +2 PER with all  
  Sense Groups 
  0
  
  231 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  5 
  Lycanthrope’s Eyes:  Ultraviolet Perception 
  (Sight Group) 
  0
  5 
  Lycanthropic Nose:  Discriminatory for 
  Normal Smell 
  0
  5 
  Lycanthropic Nose:  Tracking for Normal 
  Smell 
  0
   
  Skills
  15 
  +3 HTH
  2 
  Animal Handler (Canines) 13-
  3 
  Concealment 11-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Tracking 11-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  245
  Total Cost:  340
  75+ Disadvantages
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk in combat or when injured 
  (Very Common), go 11-, recover 11-
  0 
  Physical Limitation:  Human Size
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Silver Weap-
  ons (Common)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x BODY from Silver Weap-
  ons (Common)
  190 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  340
  Description:  Werewolves, the best known and in 
  many places the most common type of lycan-
  thrope, are also often the fiercest and most 
  savage of their kind. They often live in packs, and 
  seem to enjoy killing not just to obtain food, but 
  for the sake of slaughter.
  The werewolf is known by many names 
  throughout Europe. These include bisclavret, eigi 
  einhamir, lob ombre, lobizon, lubins, luceres, lupo 
  manero, vilkacis, and vilkatas. See also Other 
  Shapechanging Creatures, below.
  Masquer
  MASQUER
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift 200 kg; 3d6  [1]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   5 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  5 PD (0 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  5 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
  5 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  0
   26 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  58
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  24 
  Masquing:  Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing,  
  Smell/Taste, and Touch Groups, any  
  humanoid form), Costs Endurance Only To 
  Change Shape (+¼); Can Only Duplicate  
  Flesh, Not Worn/Carried Items (-½) 
  3
  7 
  Masquing:  Imitation for Shape Shift,  
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only  
  Works If Masquer Establishes Skin-To-Skin 
  Contact With Person To Be Imitated (-1) 
  0
  32 
  Throttling:  RKA 1d6, NND (defense is  
  having rigid armor on the neck, a PD Force 
  Field, or Life Support [Self-Contained  
  Breathing]; +1), Does BODY (+1),  
  Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼); No Range (-½), Must  
  Follow Grab (-½) 
  3
  10 
  Iron Grip:  +20 STR; Only For Grabs (-1) 0
  3 
  Masquer’s Senses:  +1 PER with all Sense 
  Groups 
  0
  5 
  Masquer’s Nose:  Tracking for Normal Smell 0
   
  Skills
  6 
  +3 OCV with Throttling
  3 
  Climbing 12-
  3 
  Concealment 14-; Self Only (-½)
  3 
  Sleight Of Hand 12-
  7 
  Stealth 14-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  107
  Total Cost:  165
  75+ Disadvantages
  0 
  Physical Limitation:  Human Size
  90 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  165
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  232 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  OPTIONS
  Cost Power
  +2 
  Greater Masquer:  Change to Shape Shift 
  (Sight, Hearing, Smell/Taste, and Touch 
  Groups, any humanoid form), Imitation, 
  Costs Endurance Only To Change Shape 
  (+¼); Can Only Duplicate Flesh, Not Worn/
  Carried Items (-½) (and remove Imitation as 
  a naked Adder)
  Ecology:  Masquers are carnivores who eat the ﬂesh 
  of humanoids. They use their powers of shape-
  changing and shape-mimicking to approach their 
  victims without arousing suspicion, then attack 
  from surprise.
  It’s not known what sort of society (if any) 
  masquers maintain, or how they reproduce. Some 
  experts claim they breed like mammals; others say 
  they create their young by budding. A few adven-
  turers claim to have found entire underground 
  cities of these beings, but most people consider 
  those claims nothing but tavern tales.
  Personality/Motivation:  Normal sentient humanoid 
  motivations. Although they often seem “evil” to 
  humans, masquers as a species aren’t necessarily 
  any more evil than any other predator that preys on 
  humanoids.
  Powers/Tactics:  Masquers rely on stealth and sur-
  prise to make their attacks. All they have to do is 
  get close enough to wrap their long, strong ﬁngers 
  around a victim’s neck. If they fail to score a quick 
  kill, or they’re discovered before completing the 
  task, they ﬂee.
  Although powerful, a masquer’s shapechang-
  ing powers aren’t unrestricted. First, they cannot 
  duplicate a person’s features unless they can touch 
  that person’s skin (the person does not have to be 
  alive, but his corpse does have to be undecayed). 
  Second, they can only duplicate ﬂesh, not worn or 
  carried items; they usually take the armor, weapons, 
  and other possessions of their victims to complete 
  their disguise. However, once it assumes a form, it 
  can later assume that form at any time, even with-
  out re-establishing skin contact.
  As intelligent humanoid beings, masquers can 
  learn to cast spells or use Skills, though they usually 
  do not.
  Campaign Use:  Like the living chest, the masquer 
  is as much a trap as it is a creature. With the coop-
  eration of a willing player, you can have a masquer 
  inﬁltrate the party and wreak havoc as it manipu-
  lates events so it can kill and eat the entire group.
  Appearance:  The humanoid masquer has no fea-
  tures (facial or otherwise) and its skin has a bland, 
  neutral grey color throughout. In most situations 
  it retains the appearance and features of the last 
  person it copied.
  Nanometal Robot
  NANOMETAL ROBOT
   Val Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   40 STR 
  30 
  17- 
  Lift 6,400 kg; 8d6 [4]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  0 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   20 PD 
  12 
   
  Total:  20 PD (20 rPD)
   18 ED 
  14 
   
  Total:  18 ED (18 rED)
   5 SPD 
  20 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   12 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   50 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  156
  Movement: 
  Running:  11”/22”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  65 
  Shape Alteration And Form Imitation:   
  Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, Radio, Smell/
  Taste, and Touch Groups, any form),  
  Imitation, Costs Endurance Only To  
  Activate (+¼) 
  5
  22 
  Nanometal Weaponry:  Multipower,  
  22-point reserve
  2u 
  1)  Arms Into Blades:    HKA 1d6 (2d6  
  with STR), Armor Piercing (+½) 
  2
  1u 
  2)  Arms Into Clubs:    HA +4d6; Hand- 
  To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  2
  16 
  Squeezing Through Cracks:   
  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by any attack); 
  Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1), 
  Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-½) 4
  19 
  Hard To Harm:  Damage Resistance  
  (20 PD/18 ED) 
  0
  90 
  Hard To Harm:  Physical Damage  
  Reduction, Resistant, 75% plus Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 59% 
  0
  18 
  Nanometal Mind:  Mental Defense  
  (20 points total) 
  0
  15 
  Feels No Fear:  +30 PRE; Only To Resist  
  Presence Attacks (-1) 
  0
  22 
  Self-Repair Capability:  Healing BODY  
  3d6 (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Turn), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½),  
  Persistent (+½); Extra Time (3 BODY  
  per Turn; -1¼), Self Only (-½) 
  0
  45 
  Robot Form:  Life Support (Total) 
  0
  10 
  Fast:  Running +5” (11” total) 
  1
  12 
  Onboard Communications:  HRRP (Radio 
  Group) 
  0
  20 
  Onboard Radar:  Radar (Radio Group), 
  Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) 0
  5 
  Thermasensors:  Infrared Perception  
  (Sight Group) 
  0
  5 
  Ultraviolet Sensors:  Ultraviolet Perception 
  (Sight Group) 
  0
  3 
  Sonic Sensors:  Ultrasonic Perception  
  (Hearing Group) 
  0
  
  233 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
   
  Talents
  10 
  Resistance (10 points)
   
  Skills
  10 
  +1 Overall
  16 
  +2 with All Combat
  3 
  Acting 13-
  3 
  Demolitions 13-
  3 
  Electronics 13-
  3 
  Lockpicking 13-
  3 
  Mechanics 13-
  3 
  Security Systems 13-
  3 
  Shadowing 13-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Tracking 13-
  10 
  TF:  Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Combat Aircraft, Construction & Agricul-
  tural Vehicles, Helicopters, Large Planes, 
  Small Planes, Tracked Military Vehicles, 
  Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Wheeled Military Vehicles
  10 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons, Small Arms, Flame-
  throwers, General Purpose/Heavy Machine 
  Guns, Grenade Launchers, Shoulder-Fired 
  Weapons
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  453
  Total Cost:  609
  75+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Physical Limitation:  Heavy (weighs 250 kg 
  or more) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Obey Pro-
  gramming (Very Common, Total)
  504 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  609
  Ecology:  A nanometal robot, being a robot, doesn’t 
  need to eat or sleep. It goes where it’s ordered to go 
  or its programming takes it; it can survive in pretty 
  much any environment, from the ocean ﬂoor to the 
  icy depths of space.
  Personality/Motivation:  A nanometal robot has no 
  real personality to speak of, though its sophisticated 
  programming allows it to mimic emotions and feel-
  ings with Acting. It’s a slave to its programming and 
  has to do whatever its owner orders it to.
  Powers/Tactics:  A nanometal robot differs from 
  most androids, robots, and other artificial beings. 
  Instead of having a rigid metal framework or 
  “skeleton,” its body is a linked colony of millions 
  of nanomachines, thus giving it complete control 
  over its form. It can alter its shape at will to imi-
  tate people or human-sized objects flawlessly, or 
  convert its arms into blades or clubs to attack. (It 
  can also use just about any weapon it can get its 
  hands on.)
  The nanometal robot 
  is so sophisticated in design 
  and construction that it func-
  tions like human in most 
  game terms — it takes STUN 
  damage, for example, when 
  an attack temporarily slows 
  it down or knocks its proces-
  sors oﬀ-line. It belongs to the 
  Machine class of minds.
  Campaign Use:  Nanometal 
  robots are typically used as 
  spies and assassins. They have 
  trouble with long-term under-
  cover assignments — sooner 
  or later they give away their 
  non-humanity — but in the 
  short term there are few 
  weapons that are deadlier.
  Appearance:  A nanometal 
  robot looks like whatever 
  it wants to — a housewife, 
  a policeman, a vending 
  machine, a mailbox, a bear 
  — provided it’s roughly 
  human-sized. When it uses 
  its powers to change shape, it 
  appears to be made of a liquid 
  chrome-like metal.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  234 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  Tanuki
  TANUKI
   Val  Char 
  Cost 
  Roll 
  Notes
   -5 STR 
  -15 
  8- 
  Lift 12.5 kg; 0d6 [1]
   14 DEX 
  12 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   7 BODY -6 
  10-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   5 PD 
  5 
   
  Total:  5 PD (0 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  5 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
  6 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   4 REC 
  2
   26 END 
  0
   18 STUN 
  4 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  34
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Leaping:  1”/2”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  5 
  Enormous Scrotum:  Extra Limb, Inherent 
  (+¼); Limited Manipulation (-¼) 
  0
  40 
  Enormous Scrotum:  Multipower,  
  40-point reserve
  1u 
  1) Enormous Scrotum:  HA 3d6, Area  
  Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½); Hand-To- 
  Hand Attack (-½), Only Usable With  
  Extra Limb (-½) 
  2
  1u 
  2) Strangling The Unwary:  Energy Blast  
  4d6, Continuous (+1); No Range (-½),  
  Must Target Hit Location 5 (-2), Only  
  Usable With Extra Limb (-½) 
  4
  1u 
  3) Hypnotic Drumbeat:  Hearing Group 
  Images, +6 to PER Rolls; Extra Time  
  (Full Phase; -½), Gestures (must pound  
  scrotum throughout; -½), Set Eﬀect  
  (drum beat; -1) 
  2
  10 
  Bite:  HKA ½d6 (½d6 with STR) 
  1
  90 
  Illusions:  Mental Illusions 12d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END) 
  0
  1 
  Leaping:  Leaping +1” (1” forward, ½” 
  upward) 
  1
  9 
  Acute Senses:  +3 PER with all Sense Groups 0
  5 
  Tanuki Nose:  Tracking for Normal Smell 0
  3 
  Tanuki Ears:  Ultrasonic Perception  
  (Hearing Group) 
  0
  49 
  Assume Any Form:  Shape Shift (Sight,  
  Touch, Hearing, and Smell/Taste Groups,  
  any form), Imitation, Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); OIF (any 
  [lotus] leaf of opportunity; -½), Gestures 
  (must place [lotus] leaf on head; -¼),  
  Incantations (must chant; -¼) 
  0
   
  Skills
  10 
  +2 HTH
  10 
  Hard To Hit:  +2 DCV
  5 
  Concealment 15-; Self Only (-½)
  3 
  Shadowing 13-
  5 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Tracking 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  251
  Total Cost:  285
  75+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Physical Limitation:  Small (roughly 1m; +3” 
  KB) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Very Limited Manipula-
  tion (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Amoral And 
  Mischievous; Malicious Trickster (Very 
  Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Loves Saké 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Reputation:  dangerous trickster and trouble-
  maker 14- 
  140 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  285
  Ecology:  Often confused with the badger, a 
  tanuki is actually a form of dog, and in some 
  areas is known by the name of mujina. Tanuki 
  live in small groups in the forests, lowlands, and 
  mountain valleys of Japan, lurking on the fringes 
  of human society. They eat a variety of foods, 
  and are known to be gluttons, consuming any-
  thing and everything they can find. They also 
  have a notable weakness for saké, which they’re 
  known to drink in great quantities.
  For more details about tanuki, including 
  optional powers, see The Asian Bestiary, Vol. II.
  Personality/Motivation:  Much like the kitsune (see 
  above) and tengu, the tanuki are tricksters, prone 
  to playing practical jokes on humans. These pranks 
  can range from the simple (changing tree leaves 
  into money to buy saké) to the outright malignant 
  (one tanuki killed a farmer’s wife and then changed 
  shape to take her place, eventually feeding the 
  farmer a stew made from his now-dead spouse). 
  Tanuki like to play their tricks on priests, and one 
  of the most famous tanuki stories was of a man 
  who sold a tea kettle to a monastery only to have 
  the kettle sprout the head, legs, and tail of a tanuki, 
  and run about the temple, causing great confusion 
  before being captured. But the tanuki assumed the 
  form of a tea kettle speciﬁcally so the man could 
  sell it — the idea being to make him a little money 
  as a reward for saving the tanuki’s life.
  Powers/Tactics:  Due to its small size, the tanuki 
  prefers to use its powers of illusion and shape-
  shifting to trick and confuse foes, rather then 
  attack them outright. When it does attack physi-
  cally, it uses its enormous scrotum to batter and 
  throttle a foe, usually attacking from behind or 
  by surprise. A tanuki’s scrotum can be gigantic 
  — up to the size of eight tatami mats (144 square 
  feet)! It can use its scrotum as a kimono, wrap-
  ping it around its body, or as an umbrella, by flip-
  ping it over its head. The tanuki is also known to 
  beat on its scrotum as if it were a drum, luring 
  the unwary with the hypnotic sound. When on 
  the move, the tanuki simply slings its scrotum 
  over one shoulder, carrying it like a pack.
  The tanuki’s overly large scrotum is considered 
  by some a symbol of good luck, and tanuki statues 
  made to be placed outside of shops and drinking 
  
  235 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  establishments usually show the tanuki with a leaf 
  on its head (used to transform itself), a saké bottle 
  in one hand, money in the other (usually fake), and 
  enormous testicles. Of these items, many have sym-
  bolic means themselves. The leaf on its head is usu-
  ally of the lotus plant, which is sacred to Buddhists, 
  while the money in its hand is normally made from 
  leaves, altered by the tanuki’s powers of illusion.
  Campaign Use:  While similar in many respects 
  to the kitsune, tanuki seem to be far more malign 
  — more inclined to play cruel and dangerous 
  jokes. You can use them any way you see ﬁt in a 
  campaign, but keep the tanuki’s capricious spirit in 
  mind if one happens to befriend a group of PCs. To 
  truly represent the tanuki’s shape-shifting abilities, 
  you might want to give it a Variable Power Pool 
  with which to create additional powers suitable to 
  each of the tanuki’s various forms.
  Appearance:  The tanuki is normally a small dog 
  with dark brown fur, a long, furry tail, and a black 
  raccoon-like mask across the eyes. It might wear a 
  simple robe, left open in front to expose its over-
  sized scrotum. However, the tanuki can change 
  shape freely, and will assume any number of dis-
  guises as needed, often appearing as a priest or a 
  household implement.
  HENGEYOKAI
  In Japan, animals with the ability to transform them-
  selves (usually into humans) are known as henge. 
  The word yokai is a general term for a monster or 
  monstrous being. Thus, hengeyokai are monstrous 
  shape-changing animals. The tanuki is one type of 
  hengeyokai; others include:
  Cat (neko):  Cat hengeyokai tend to be arrogant and 
  contemptuous of people. They usually assume the 
  form of beautiful geisha and use this shape to cause 
  a great deal of strife and trouble. There is at least one 
  tale of a vampiric cat who assumed human form to 
  drain the life force of a human.
  Dog (inu):  Dog hengeyokai are very large in both their 
  natural and human forms. As with normal dogs, an 
  inu is very loyal to its friends and family, even if it’s 
  not very bright.
  Flower (kashin):  Flowers tend to assume the forms of 
  slim, beautiful women, and often appear to artists and 
  poets.
  Rat (nezumi):  Rat hengeyokai are sly, stealthy, and not 
  to be trusted. They prey on humans both for their 
  riches and their ﬂesh.
  Spiders (kumo):  Also known as goblin spiders or earth 
  spiders, these creatures appear as huge spiders with 
  human-like faces. In human form, they tend to be 
  quite beautiful and handsome, but cold. Kumo like 
  to eat humans, and seduce victims with their human 
  form to trap them.
  Trees (kodama):  Trees often take the appearance of 
  beautiful young women or handsome young men. In 
  either form, they’re strong and graceful, and like ﬂow-
  ers tend to appear to artists and poets.
  This is only a small sampling of hengeyokai. Other 
  Japanese animals that can shape shift into human 
  form include carp, cranes, ducks, frogs, and monkeys.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  236 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  Other Shapechanging  
  Creatures
  Here are a few more metamorphic creatures 
  from world myths and legends.
  Anjing Ajak:  Similar to the werewolf of European 
  legend, the anjing ajak is an evil man who trans-
  forms into a cannibalistic wolf when night falls.
  Boudas:  Native to Ethiopia, Morocco, and Tan-
  zania, a boudas is a sorcerer who can transform 
  himself into a hyena. The transformation lasts from 
  dusk till dawn.
  Boxenwulf:  A werewolf from Germany, the boxen-
  wulf assumes wolf-form by wearing a magic belt. 
  They have a high degree of cunning and enjoy 
  harassing humans.
  Ceasg:  These Scottish fairy-mermaids are similar 
  to selkies (see below). They usually appear as a 
  beautiful and well-endowed woman from the waist 
  up, and a salmon from the waist down. Known as 
  a trickster, the ceasg is normally benevolent... but 
  not always. They can shapeshift into a fully human 
  form and have been known to seduce young sail-
  ors. They sometimes marry men, and the child of 
  a ceasg often becomes a great sailor and sea cap-
  tain. The ceasg is also known as the Maighdean na 
  tuinne, or the Maiden of the Wave.
  Jaguar-Men:  Found in the legends of Paraguay and 
  the Amazon basin, jaguar-men look like normal 
  humans during the day, but at night use magic ritu-
  als to transform into man-eating jaguars.
  Leyak:  In Bali, a leyak is man who steals the entrails 
  of corpses to manufacture a potion that lets him 
  transform into a tiger.
  Lobishomen:  Lobishomen (or lob omem) is the 
  name given to werewolves in Portugal. Closely 
  associated with the bruxa (a vampire-witch), the 
  lobishomen changes shape only on Tuesdays and 
  Fridays. A lobishomen is created through witchcraft 
  or incest. At the time of puberty, it leaves home and 
  assumes an animal form.
  Stories of the lobishomen are also found in 
  Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, where it’s also 
  called the lobisón. There it’s described as a small, 
  hunchbacked, monkey-like being. Its face is yellow, 
  with a bushy beard and black teeth. The lobishomen 
  attacks females and becomes intoxicated from the 
  blood it consumes. If caught, the lobishomen is 
  cruciﬁed on a tree. The lobishomen’s condition can 
  be prevented and cured if it is cut with steel, but the 
  blood of a lobishomen is fatal if touched.
  Loup-garou:  Loup-garou is the French name for 
  a werewolf. A common creature in many French-
  Canadian legends and stories, the loup-garou is not 
  always a person who transforms into a wolf, but 
  may refer to a person who becomes a cow, horse, or 
  other animal. 
  In older versions of the Breton dialect of 
  northwestern France, the loup-garou is known 
  as the bisclaveret or the bisclavaret. The modern 
  Breton dialect uses bliez-grav and den-bleiz.
  Macan Gadungan:  A Javanese weretiger, the 
  macan gadungan is said to be a man’s soul, active 
  and abroad at night while the man sleeps. A man 
  who is a macan gadungan can be detected by 
  having a smooth upper lip, with no depression 
  in the center. Some men can assume tiger form 
  via a magic ritual; this creature is called a ngelmu 
  gadungan (magic tiger).
  Mambu-Mutu:  A form of mermaid said to live in 
  Lake Tanganyika. Although mambu-mutu is a Swa-
  hili word meaning “crocodile-man,” the creature 
  appears to be half-man and half-ﬁsh. It lurks near 
  the shore and preys on people, devouring the brains 
  and drinking the blood.
  Naga:  Nagas (female Naginis) are the snake people 
  of Hindu myth. Descended from the gods Kadru 
  and Kasyapa, the Naga have human bodies from 
  the waist up, and are serpents from the waist down. 
  They live in the undersea city of Bhagavati or in 
  the depths of the earth in the city of Nagaloka, 
  and are associated with various deities and heroes. 
  Nagas can shapeshift and assume human form, and 
  great heroes have married the extremely beautiful 
  daughters of Naga kings.
  Qutrub:  The werewolf of Arabian myth. It’s 
  described as a great beast that comes out at night 
  to devour corpses. Qutrub is also the name of the 
  male ghul.
  Swan Maidens:  Swan Maidens, or swan-mays, are 
  fairy women who can assume the shapes of swans 
  through the use of feathered cloaks. If a mortal 
  man can steal this cloak of feathers (usually while 
  the Swan Maiden is bathing), then he can force the 
  Swan Maiden to marry him. This marriage lasts 
  until the Swan Maiden can recover her cloak, at 
  which point she ﬂees back to the fairy realms. But 
  not all Swan Maidens ﬂee. One who’s treated well 
  will often fall in love with her husband and remain 
  with him. But if her husband treats her poorly, she’ll 
  seek to escape as soon as possible.
  Tales about Swan Maidens are found through-
  out Europe and the rest of the world. Some can 
  assume forms other than swans — doves, guinea 
  fowl, partridges, and peahens are just some of the 
  shapes they can take. 
  Taw:  The taw is found in Burma. It’s a man who 
  takes the shape of a beast and only appears at cer-
  tain times of the month.
  Tigre Capiango:  Found in Argentina and Brazil, this 
  creature is a man who can assume the form of a 
  jaguar at will. Normally the tigre capiango is harm-
  less, only using its animal shape to frighten friends 
  and passersby, but some outlaws have been known 
  to become a tigre capiango because they can use the 
  ability to attack victims and hide from the authori-
  ties. Similar to the tigre capiango are the runa-utu-
  rungu and the yaguareté-abá, both of whom can 
  assume jaguar form.
  Vilkacis:  This is the name of the Latvian werewolf. In 
  Lithuania it is called vilkatas or vilkolakis. Both types 
  of werewolf are said to be horrible monsters, although 
  some hoard treasure and occasionally share it.
  
  237 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  Vircolac:  Vircolac is a Romanian name for a wolf-
  like beast said to capable of devouring the sun and 
  the moon. Also known as a procolici or a tricolici, 
  the vircolac periodically assumes the form of a dog, 
  pig, or wolf.
  Vrykolakas:  A vrykolakas was originally a Greek 
  name for the werewolf. It refers to a person who 
  assumes the form of a wolf and preys on the local 
  cattle. Over the years, “vrykolakas” has come to 
  mean a type of vampire, and no longer refers to any 
  sort of shapechanger.
  Vulkodlac:  This Slavic werewolf is said to rise as a 
  vampire once killed. The vampire can then become 
  a wolf when needed. The name vulkodlac means 
  “wolf’s hair.”
  Yenaldooshi:  The yenaldooshi, or “skinwalker,” is 
  found in the myths of the Navajo. A human witch, 
  the yenaldooshi can assume animal form by wear-
  ing coyote skins and traveling at night.
  A yenaldooshi is very malevolent. It gains its 
  power by murdering a relative (such as a sibling), 
  it goes naked (an aﬀront to Navajo beliefs about 
  modesty), and wears only a mask and a great deal 
  of jewelry. They create sacred Navajo sandpaintings 
  only to deﬁle them, have intercourse with the dead, 
  practice cannibalism, and sprinkle disease-caus-
  ing powders into the homes of sleeping Navajo. 
  The presence of a yenaldooshi can be sensed by the 
  sound of dogs barking, dirt falling from the ceil-
  ing on one’s hogan (Navajo dwelling), or strange 
  sounds at night. 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  238 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  H
  ere are a few examples of gadgets and 
  devices that grant characters metamorphic 
  powers, or which relate to metamorphs 
  and metamorphosis somehow.
  BLACK HOLE BELT
  Effect:  Density Increase (400,000 kg mass)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  6
  Breakability:  12 DEF
  Description:  This belt emits an energy ﬁeld that 
  causes the wearer to become much denser and 
  heavier — up to 400,000 kg in weight!
  Game Information:  Density Increase (400,000 
  kg mass, +60 STR, +12 PD/ED, -12” KB) (60 
  Active Points); OIF (-½). Total cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Black Hole Belt:  Increase to Density 
  Increase (3.2 million kg mass, +75 STR, +15 PD/
  ED, -15” KB). 75 Active Points; total cost 50 points.
  2)  Weak Black Hole Belt:  Decrease to Density 
  Increase (50,000 kg mass, +45 STR, +9 PD/ED, -9” 
  KB). 45 Active Points; total cost 30 points.
  3)  Experimental Black Hole Belt:  The energies that 
  increase the wearer’s density don’t always interface 
  properly with the human biosystem; ﬂuctuations 
  may cause the character to spontaneously revert to 
  normal mass on occasion. Add Activation Roll 14- 
  (-½). Total cost:  30 points.
  BRAINWAVE OSCILLATOR
  Effect:    Major Transform 6d6 (transfer Target 1’s mind 
  to Target 2’s body and vice-versa)
  Target/Area Affected:  Two characters
  Duration:  Instant
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  29
  Breakability:  1 DEF
  Description:  A masterpiece of Mad Science, the 
  Brainwave Oscillator allows a character to swap two 
  peoples’ minds! He simply straps the victims onto 
  their respective slabs, lowers the device’s helmet-
  like headpieces onto each one’s head, and then acti-
  vates the Oscillator. Colored buttons on the console 
  ﬂash, the lights in the room dim due to the massive 
  power requirements of the device, and ﬁve minutes 
  later each victim has the other’s mind!
  In game terms, this device works more or 
  less the same as the Mind Transfer power on page 
  174, except that it’s Usable As Attack — instead of 
  switching his mind with the target’s, the character 
  has two subjects and switches their minds (the 
  attack should be made as a Sweep so the character 
  can aﬀect both victims’ minds at once).
  Game Information:  Major Transform 6d6 
  (transfer Target 1’s mind to Target 2’s body and 
  vice-versa; heals back through application of the 
  same power), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; 
  +1), Works Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼), 
  Usable As Attack (+1) (292 Active Points); 
  OAF Immobile Fragile (-2¼), All Or Noth-
  ing (-½), Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), Limited 
  Target (humans; -½), No Range (-½), Requires 
  A Power:  Brainwave Oscillator Roll (no Active 
  Point penalty; -0). Total cost:  43 points.
  CAMOUFLAGE SUIT
  Effect:  Sight Group Images, -6 to PER Rolls, Set Effect 
  (camouﬂage)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  3
  Breakability:  6 DEF
  Description:  This suit uses sophisticated video 
  technology to make it look like the wearer isn’t 
  there. Miniaturized cameras on each side ﬁlm the 
  character’s surroundings and broadcast the footage 
  to the ﬂexible ﬂat screens that make up most of the 
  suit. Thus, other people “look right through” the 
  character at what’s beyond him. This “camouﬂage” 
  is diﬃcult to penetrate if the character remains still; 
  if he moves it becomes easier to see him... and of 
  course the suit doesn’t cover his noises or smells.
  Game Information:  Sight Group Images, -6 
  to PER Rolls (28 Active Points); IIF (-¼), No 
  Range (-½), Set Eﬀect (only to camouﬂage 
  wearer; -½). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Suit:  Increase to -10 to PER Rolls. 40 
  Active Points; total cost 18 points.
  2)  Weak Suit:  Decrease to -4 to PER Rolls. 22 
  Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  3)  Experimental Suit:  The miniaturized cameras 
  and ﬂexible screen technology used with this suit 
  are highly experimental and don’t always work. Add 
  Activation Roll 14- (-½). Total cost:  10 points.
  4)  Built-In Battery:  The suit has a built-in power 
  source strong enough to keep it functioning 
  METAMORPHIC 
  GADGETS
  
  239 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  indeﬁnitely... even if the wearer is unconscious. Add 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) and Persistent 
  (+½). 56 Active Points; total cost 25 points.
  CHANGING-SKIN
  Effect:  Multiform (assume 120-point wolf form)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Breakability:  5 DEF
  Description:  As discussed on page 9, a changing-skin 
  is an enchanted animal skin that transforms a char-
  acter into that type of animal when he puts it on. This 
  particular one is a wolf’s-skin. A character who uses it 
  must beware, though, lest he spend too long in wolf-
  form and be taken over by the wolf’s nature.
  Game Information:  Multiform (assume 120-
  point wolf form) (24 Active Points); OAF 
  (Focus can’t be taken away from character once 
  he changes form; -½), Independent (-2), Extra 
  Time (it takes an Extra Phase to put on or take 
  oﬀ the skin; -¾), Personality Loss (1 Hour; -1). 
  Total cost:  5 points.
  CLONING MACHINE
  Effect:  Duplication, Usable As Attack
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  No Range
  END Cost:  14
  Breakability:  28 DEF for machinery, 1 DEF for genetic 
  samples
  Description:  Also known as an Artiﬁcial Womb, this 
  Science Fiction device creates clones of human beings. 
  This basic unit requires extensive laboratory equip-
  ment, speciﬁc DNA and tissue samples from the sub-
  ject, a highly-trained operator, and a lot of time.
  Game Information:  Duplication (creates one 
  Duplicate built on up to 350 Character Points), 
  Usable As Attack (+1) (140 Active Points); 
  OAF Immobile Fragile Expendable (device, lab 
  equipment, and DNA samples; -2½), Cannot 
  Recombine (-0), Costs Endurance (-½), Extra 
  Time (1 Month; -5), Requires A Power: Genetic 
  Technology Roll (no Active Point penalty; -0), 
  Side Eﬀects (clone suﬀers from randomly-deter-
  mined Psychological Limitation, and subject 
  may also develop mental problems; -¼). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Advanced Cloning Machine:  In the farther future, 
  or in Space Opera-style settings, the cloning pro-
  cess is much faster, easier, and safer. Change to:  
  Duplication (creates one Duplicate built on up to 
  350 Character Points), Usable As Attack (+1) (140 
  Active Points); OAF Bulky Fragile (device and lab 
  equipment; -1¾), Cannot Recombine (-0), Costs 
  Endurance (-½), Extra Time (1 Day; -4), Requires 
  A Power: Genetic Technology Roll (no Active Point 
  penalty; -0). Total cost:  19 points.
  DRACOFORM AMULET
  Effect:  Multiform (change shape into 800-point dragon)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Persistent
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Breakability:  Unbreakable
  Description:  This golden amulet, a powerful relic 
  of ancient days, is shaped like a dragon’s head that 
  stares straight at the observer with its ruby eyes. It 
  grants the character the power to transform him-
  self into a mighty dragon... but he dare not remain 
  in dragon form too long, lest the draconic nature 
  take over his mind, leaving him a dragon forever. 
  The amulet can only be used once per day (i.e., one 
  change to dragon form and then back again).
  Game Information:  Multiform (change shape 
  into 800-point dragon) (160 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), Independent (-2), 1 Charge (-2), Per-
  sonality Loss (5 Minutes; -1½). Total cost:  21 
  points.
  INTANGIBILITY COSTUME
  Effect:  Desolidiﬁcation
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4
  Breakability:  8 DEF
  Description:  This costume, which powers itself 
  via the wearer’s body heat and motion, allows the 
  wearer to become intangible by cybernetic com-
  mand. While intangible, the wearer can still be 
  aﬀected by magic and some other attack forms.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected 
  by magic) (40 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total 
  cost:  27 points.
  Options:
  1)  Realistic Costume:  The costume has a built-
  in battery with a limited power supply. Add 12 
  Charges (-¼). Total cost:  23 points.
  2)  Experimental Costume:  The intangibility-gener-
  ating circuitry in the costume is highly experimen-
  tal and doesn’t always work. Add Activation Roll 
  14- (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  3)  Self-Renewing Battery:  The costume comes with 
  its own power supply that replenishes itself via the 
  character’s body heat and movement, solar power, 
  and the like. Add Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½). 60 Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  240 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  INVISIBILITY SUIT
  Effect:  Invisibility to Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  2
  Breakability:  4 DEF
  Description:  This suit generates a ﬁeld around the 
  wearer that bends light, rendering him invisible. 
  However, persons near him can see the “fringe” as 
  the lightwaves arc around his body.
  Game Information:  Invisibility to Sight Group (20 
  Active Points); IIF (-¼). Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Suit:  Add No Fringe. 30 Active Points; 
  total cost 24 points.
  2)  Weak Suit:  Add Bright Fringe (-¼). Total cost:  
  13 points.
  3)  Realistic Suit:  The suit only works if the charac-
  ter remains still. Add Chameleon (-½). Total cost:  
  11 points.
  4)  Experimental Suit:  The suit is a prototype that 
  has an unfortunate tendency to go on the fritz. Add 
  Activation Roll 14- (-½). Total cost:  11 points.
  5)  Built-In Battery:  The suit has a built-in power 
  source strong enough to keep it functioning 
  indeﬁnitely... even if the wearer is unconscious. Add 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) and Persistent 
  (+½). 40 Active Points; total cost 32 points.
  6)  Silence Suit I:  This form of the suit doesn’t hide 
  a character from being seen; it emits counter-fre-
  quency sound waves that hide him from other 
  peoples’ hearing (unless, of course, he speaks or 
  otherwise deliberately makes noise). Change to 
  Invisibility to Hearing Group. 10 Active Points; 
  total cost 8 points.
  7)  Silence Suit II:  This suit masks the wearer from 
  both sight and hearing. Change to Invisibility to 
  Sight and Hearing Groups. 25 Active Points; total 
  cost 20 points.
  MASQUERADE MESH
  Effect:  Shape Shift (Sight Group; any humanoid form), 
  Imitation, Instant Change
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  4 to change shape
  Breakability:  9 DEF
  Description:  This device, built into a belt or gar-
  ment, generates a powerful hologram to disguise 
  the wearer, who can even specify a hologram that 
  looks like another person by cybernetic command.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift (Sight Group; 
  any humanoid form), Imitation, Instant 
  Change, Costs Endurance Only To Change 
  Shape (+¼) (44 Active Points); IIF (-¼). Total 
  cost:  35 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Mesh:  Change Costs Endurance Only 
  To Change Shape to Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½). 52 Active Points; total cost 42 points.
  2)  Weak Mesh:  Remove Costs Endurance Only 
  To Change Shape (+¼). 35 Active Points; total 
  cost 28 points.
  3)  Realistic Mesh:  The Mesh has its own self-
  contained energy supply. Remove Costs Endur-
  ance Only To Change Shape (+¼) and add 4 
  Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute each (stop 
  working if character goes through an energy 
  field or intense magnetic field; -¼). 35 Active 
  Points; total cost 23 points.
  4)  Experimental Mesh:  The Mesh is a prototype and 
  doesn’t always work properly. Add Activation Roll 
  14- (-½). Total cost:  25 points.
  METAMORPHIC SCRAMBLER
  Effect:  Suppress Metamorphosis Powers 18d6
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  10”
  Charges:  1 Continuing Charge (1 Hour)
  Breakability:  54 DEF
  Description:  Because many metamorphs tend, by 
  their very nature, to frighten normal humans, the 
  demand for ways to stop them from using their 
  powers exists. Recently Harmon Industries intro-
  duced a weapon for law enforcement personnel 
  that does just that. Similar in appearance (and in 
  some ways function) to a ranged taser, it consists 
  of a small gun that ﬁres a pair of tiny spikes that 
  connect to the weapon’s battery pack by two super-
  conductive wires. When the spikes hit a target, 
  the weapon surrounds the target’s body with an 
  electromagnetic ﬁeld that competes with the brain’s 
  normal electronic impulses, particularly those 
  normally associated with human transformations, 
  thus “jamming” the body’s ability to change forms 
  for about one hour. (Depending on the extent of 
  the target’s powers, they may not be completely 
  removed, but most targets are rendered powerless 
  for the duration.)
  
  241 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  Because it works by directly interfering with 
  the brain, the scrambler has no aﬀect on meta-
  morph powers deriving from sources such as 
  potions, spells, or devices — it only works against 
  innate, internal abilities. However, it has been 
  known to prevent even uncontrollable changes 
  such as those associated with lycanthropes chang-
  ing on nights of the full moon.
  Game Information:  Suppress Metamorph 
  Powers 18d6; all metamorph powers simulta-
  neously (+2) (270 Active Points); OAF (taser-
  like pistol; -1), Only Versus “Natural” Changes 
  (see text; -½), Limited Range (10”; -¼), 1 Con-
  tinuing Charge lasting 1 Hour (-¼). Total cost:  
  90 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Scrambler:  Increase to Suppress Meta-
  morph Powers 24d6. 360 Active Points; total cost 
  120 points.
  2)  Weak Scrambler:  Decrease to Suppress Meta-
  morph Powers 12d6. 180 Active Points; total cost 
  60 points.
  3)  Experimental Scrambler:  The Scrambler is a new 
  form of technology and doesn’t always work properly. 
  Add Activation Roll 14- (-½). Total cost:  77 points.
  POTION OF GIANT FORM
  Effect:  Growth
  Target/Area Affected:  One character (usually self)
  Quafﬁng Time:  Full Phase
  Duration:  Constant (5 minutes)
  Range:  Self
  Charges:  4 Charges
  Breakability:  1 DEF
  Description:  After quaﬃng this potion, the imbiber 
  grows to giant size — 8”, or 16 meters tall — in the 
  blink of an eye. Now much stronger and tougher 
  than normal, he can wreak havoc among his ene-
  mies... but can also be hit more easily by them.
  Game Information:  Growth (+45 STR, +9 
  BODY, +9 STUN, -9 KB, 50,000 kg, -6 DCV, 
  +6 PER Rolls to perceive, 16m tall, 8 m wide), 
  Delayed Eﬀect (may have available a number 
  of potions equal to character’s INT; +½) (67 
  Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1¼), Concentra-
  tion (0 DCV throughout brewing; -1), Extra 
  Time (6 Hours to brew; -3½), Extra Time (Full 
  Phase to quaﬀ potion and grow; -½), Requires 
  An Alchemy Roll (to brew; -½), 4 Continuing 
  Charges lasting 5 Minutes each (-0). Total cost:  
  9 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  242 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  POTION OF INVISIBILITY
  Effect:  Invisibility to Sight Group, No Fringe
  Target/Area Affected:  One character (usually self)
  Quafﬁng Time:  Half Phase
  Duration:  Constant (5 minutes)
  Range:  Self
  Charges:  4
  Breakability:  1 DEF
  Description:  One dose of this potion, and the char-
  acter fades from sight completely for ﬁve minutes. 
  Even someone standing right next to him cannot 
  see him.
  Game Information:  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  No Fringe, Delayed Eﬀect (may have available 
  a number of potions equal to character’s INT; 
  +½) (45 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1¼), 
  Concentration (0 DCV throughout brewing; -
  1), Extra Time (6 Hours to brew; -3½), Requires 
  An Alchemy Roll (to brew; -½), 4 Continuing 
  Charges lasting 5 Minutes each (-0). Total cost:  
  6 points.
  POTION OF TINY FORM
  Effect:  Shrinking
  Target/Area Affected:  One character (usually self)
  Quafﬁng Time:  Full Phase
  Duration:  Constant (5 minutes)
  Range:  Self
  Charges:  4 Charges
  Breakability:  1 DEF
  Description:  After quaﬃng this potion, the imbiber 
  shrinks to become a mere four inches tall. Not 
  only does this make it easy for him to slip into or 
  through places he ordinarily could not ﬁt, it also 
  makes him harder to hit and to see.
  Game Information:  Shrinking (.125m tall 
  [about 4 inches], .025 kg mass, -8 to PER 
  Rolls to perceive character, +8 DCV, +12” KB), 
  Delayed Eﬀect (may have available a number 
  of potions equal to character’s INT; +½) (60 
  Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1¼), Concentra-
  tion (0 DCV throughout brewing; -1), Extra 
  Time (6 Hours to brew; -3½), Extra Time (Full 
  Phase to quaﬀ potion and shrink; -½), Requires 
  An Alchemy Roll (to brew; -½), 4 Continuing 
  Charges lasting 5 Minutes each (-0). Total cost:  
  8 points.
  POTION OF TRANSMUTATION
  Effect:  Multiform (deﬁned type of animal of up to 250 
  points)
  Target/Area Affected:  One character (usually self)
  Quafﬁng Time:  Full Phase
  Duration:  Constant (1 hour)
  Range:  Self
  Charges:  4
  Breakability:  1 DEF
  Description:  This potion allows the imbiber to change 
  his form to that of one speciﬁc type of animal. The 
  alchemist must specify the type of animal when he 
  creates the potion, and it cannot be built on more 
  than 250 Character Points (the GM may, if he wishes, 
  recalculate the cost of this potion for animals built on 
  more or fewer points). While in animal form he has 
  all the abilities of that animal — if it has wings, he can 
  ﬂy; if it can breathe water, so can he; if it has fearsome 
  claws, so does he. However, he retains his own intel-
  ligence, memories, and ability to think. The change 
  wears oﬀ after one hour.
  Game Information:  Multiform (deﬁned type 
  of animal of up to 250 points), Delayed Eﬀect 
  (may have available a number of potions equal 
  to character’s INT; +½) (75 Active Points); 
  OAF Fragile (-1¼), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout brewing; -1), Extra Time (6 Hours 
  to brew; -3½), Extra Time (Full Phase to quaﬀ 
  potion and change; -½), Requires An Alchemy 
  Roll (to brew; -½), 4 Continuing Charges last-
  ing 1 Hour each (-0). Total cost:  10 points.
  ROBES OF INVISIBILITY
  Effect:  Invisibility to Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Breakability:  6 DEF
  Description:  These exquisitely-made silk robes can, 
  upon mental command from the wearer, render 
  him unseen. Someone who gets close to him 
  might have a chance to perceive him, but even that 
  remains doubtful.
  Game Information:  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (30 Active 
  Points); OIF (-½), Independent (-2). Total cost:  
  9 points.
  Options:
  1)  Improved Robes Of Invisibility:  Even someone 
  standing close to the wearer of these Robes cannot 
  see him. Add No Fringe. Item:  45 Active Points; 
  total cost 10 points; creation spell:  30 Active Points; 
  total cost 4 points.
  2)  Chameleon Robes:  This form of Robes Of Invisi-
  bility only works when the wearer remains motion-
  less. Add Chameleon (-½). Item:  30 Active Points; 
  total cost 7 points; creation spell:  15 Active Points; 
  total cost 2 points.
  
  243 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  SHRINKING RAY
  Effect:  Shrinking, Usable As Attack plus related Linked 
  powers
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:  Uncontrolled
  Range:  50”
  Charges:  4 Charges
  Breakability:  105 DEF
  Description:  This insidious device projects a beam 
  that shrinks a human being down to the size of an 
  insect! It also reduces a normal human victim’s STR 
  and Running to insect-like levels (persons stronger 
  and faster than normal suﬀer the same eﬀect, but 
  retain more overall STR and Running because they 
  had more than normal to begin with). The victim 
  returns to normal size after a month, or if he’s 
  exposed to the Shrinking Ray a second time.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  83 
  Shrinking Ray:  Shrinking (.032 m tall [about 
  1 inch], .0004 kg mass, -12 to PER Rolls to 
  perceive character, +12 DCV, takes +18” KB), 
  Usable As Attack (does not work against 
  characters who have Density Increase, 
  Desolidiﬁcation, Growth, or Shrinking; +1), 
  Ranged (+½), Continuous (+1), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Uncontrolled 
  (eﬀects wear oﬀ after a month, or if the 
  victim is exposed to the Shrinking Ray while 
  shrunk; +½) (270 Active Points); OAF (-1), 4 
  Charges (-1), Limited Range (50”; -¼)
  150 
  Shrinking Ray:  Drain STR 15d6 (standard 
  eﬀect:  -45 STR), Ranged (+½), Continu-
  ous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), 
  Uncontrolled (eﬀects wear oﬀ after a month, 
  or if the victim is exposed to the Shrinking 
  Ray while shrunk; +½) (525 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1), Limited Range 
  (50”; -¼), Linked (to Shrinking; -¼), Victim 
  Always Has Minimum Of 0 STR (-0)
  37 
  Shrinking Ray:  Drain Running 4d6 (standard 
  eﬀect:  -5”), Ranged (+½), Continuous (+1), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Uncon-
  trolled (eﬀects wear oﬀ after a month, or if 
  the victim is exposed to the Shrinking Ray 
  while shrunk; +½) (140 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), 4 Charges (-1), Limited Range (50”; -¼), 
  Linked (to Shrinking; -½), Victim Always 
  Retains Minimum Of 1” Running (-0)
  Total cost:  270 points.
  Options:
  1)  Attached Shrinking Ray:  This form of the Ray is 
  more diﬃcult to take from the character. Change 
  OAF (-1) to OIF (-½) throughout. Total cost 98 + 
  175 + 43 = 316 points.
  2)  Variant Shrinking Ray:  GMs who prefer a more 
  predictable eﬀect for this weapon, and who don’t 
  mind bending the rule about substituting Trans-
  form for other Powers, can build the Shrinking 
  Ray this way instead:  Major Transform 10d6 
  (normal-sized person or object to person or object 
  one inch tall with STR -35 [but no less than 0 STR], 
  Running 1”, and other relevant abilities appropri-
  ately reduced; heals back after one month or when 
  exposed to Shrinking Ray a second time), Continu-
  ous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (375 
  Active Points); OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1), Limited 
  Range (50”; -¼). Total cost:  115 points.
  STEALTH SUIT
  Effect:  +8 to Stealth
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  0
  Breakability:  3 DEF
  Description:  This suit, a primitive gadget com-
  pared to the Camouflage and Invisibility suits, 
  augments the wearer’s ability to hide in shad-
  ows and move silently. It adds to his Stealth roll 
  (either the one he’s paid for, or his natural 8- 
  Everyman roll in the Skill).
  Game Information:  +8 to Stealth (16 Active 
  Points); IIF (-¼). Total cost 13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Suit:  Increase to +10 to Stealth. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 16 points.
  2)  Weak Suit:  Decrease to +6 to Stealth. 12 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  3)  Experimental Suit:  The suit’s technology is so 
  cutting-edge it’s prone to malfunction. Add Activa-
  tion Roll 14- (-½). Total cost:  9 points.
  TITANOBELT
  Effect:  Growth (32 m tall)
  Target/Area Affected:  Self
  Duration:  Constant
  Range:  Self
  END Cost:  6
  Breakability:  12 DEF
  Description:  This belt emits an energy ﬁeld or gas 
  that causes the wearer to grow to a height of about 
  100 feet, making him proportionately stronger and 
  tougher as well.
  Game Information:  Growth (+60 STR, +12 
  BODY, +12 STUN, -12” KB, 400,000 kg, -8 
  DCV, +8 PER Rolls to perceive character, 32 
  [105 feet] m tall, 16 m wide) (60 Active Points); 
  OIF (-½). Total cost:  40 points.
  OPTIONS FOR 
  TITANOBELT
  1)  Strong Titanobelt:  
  Increase to Growth 
  (+75 STR, +15 BODY, 
  +15 STUN, -15” KB, 
  3,200,000 kg, -10 DCV, 
  +10 PER Rolls to per-
  ceive character, 64 m 
  [about 200 feet] tall, 
  32 m wide). 75 Active 
  Points; total cost 50 
  points.
  2)  Weak Titanobelt:  
  Decrease to Growth 
  (+45 STR, +9 BODY, 
  +9 STUN, -9” KB, 
  50,000 kg, -6 DCV, +6 
  PER Rolls to perceive 
  character, 16 m [about 
  52 feet] tall, 8 m wide). 
  45 Active Points; total 
  cost 30 points.
  3)  Experimental Titano-
  belt:  The energies (or 
  gas) that allow this belt 
  to function don’t always 
  interface properly with 
  the human biosystem; 
  ﬂuctuations may cause 
  the character to sponta-
  neously revert to normal 
  size on occasion. Add 
  Activation Roll 14- (-½). 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  244 ■ Metamorph Campaigning
  BOOKS
  Allan, Tony, Michael Kerrigan and Charles Phillips. 
  Spirits of the Snow: Arctic Myth
  Barber, Richard and Anne Riches. A Dictionary of 
  Fabulous Beasts
  Borges, Jorge Luis. The Book of Imaginary Beings
  Clark, Jerome. Unexplained!
  Clark, Jerome and Nancy Pear. Strange And Unex-
  plained Phenomena
  Cohen, Daniel. The Encyclopedia Of Monsters
  Douglas, Adams. The Beast Within
  Gibson, William. Neuromancer
  Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia Of Ghosts 
  And Spirits
  Hawksworth, Henry and Ted Schwarz. The Five Of 
  Me
  Herbert, Frank. Dune
  Igmack, Carol and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide To 
  Demons, Faeries, Fallen Angels And Other Subver-
  sive Spirits
  Irwin, Robert. The Arabian Nights:  A Companion
  Keel, John A. The Complete Guide To Mysterious 
  Beings
  Lovecraft, H.P. Various works
  Rose, Carol. Giants, Monsters, And Dragons:  An 
  Encyclopedia Of Folklore, Legend, And Myth
  —Spirits, Faeries, Leprechauns, And Goblins:  An 
  Encyclopedia
  Rovin, Jeﬀ. The Fantasy Almanac
  Schwarz, Ted, et al. Minds In Many Pieces
  Smith, Malcolm, ed. Mythical And Fabulous Crea-
  tures
  Steiger, Brad. The Werewolf Book
  Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case Of Dr. 
  Jekyll And Mr. Hyde
  Strauss, Steven. The Sizesaurus
  COMIC BOOKS
  Here are some notable metamorph characters 
  from the comics, most of whom have appeared in 
  numerous titles.
  The Absorbing Man (Marvel Comics)
  Ant-Man (Marvel Comics)
  Bouncing Boy (DC Comics)
  Chameleon Boy (DC Comics)
  Changeling/Beast Boy (DC Comics)
  Colossal Boy (DC Comics)
  Colossus (Marvel Comics)
  Elastic Lad (DC Comics)
  Elongated Man (DC Comics)
  Giant-Man (Marvel Comics)
  Goliath (Marvel Comics)
  The Hulk (Marvel Comics)
  The Impossible Man (Marvel Comics)
  Invisible Girl/Woman (Marvel Comics)
  The Lizard (Marvel Comics)
  Jamie Madrox (Marvel Comics)
  Metamorpho (DC Comics)
  Mimic (Marvel Comics)
  Mister Fantastic (Marvel Comics)
  Mystique (Marvel Comics)
  Plastic Man (DC Comics)
  Kitty Pryde (Marvel Comics)
  Rogue (Marvel Comics)
  The Sandman (Marvel Comics)
  Sasquatch (Marvel Comics)
  Shrinking Violet (DC Comics)
  Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel (DC Comics)
  The Vision (Marvel Comics)
  The Wasp (Marvel Comics)
  BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
  245 
  The Ultimate Metamorph ■  Chapter Four
  FILMS
  Any werewolf movie
  All Of Me
  The Blob
  Body Snatchers
  Darkman
  Enter The Dragon
  The Exorcist
  Fallen
  The Fantastic Four
  Fantastic Voyage
  Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
  Innerspace
  Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
  The Island Of Dr. Moreau
  Island Of Lost Souls
  Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger
  The Sixth Day
  Terminator II
  The Thing
  Tron
  The X-Men (and X-Men II)
  TELEVISION
  Quantum Leap
  The X-Files (particularly episodes such as “Tooms,” 
  “Jump The Shark,” “Gender Bender,” or any in 
  which aliens are shown changing forms)
  
  246 ■ Index
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Accident (metamorph background) ..8
  Accidental Change (Disadvantage) ..68
  Accuracy (power) .............................128
  Acrobatics (Skill) ................................14
  Activation Roll (Limitation) .............62
  Adjustable Form (type of Minor Meta-
  morph) ..........................................7, 73
  Adjustment Powers ............................59
  Adrenal Stimulation (power) ............95
  Advantages ..........................................62
  Adventuring, metamorphs and .......214
  Aid (Power) .........................................59
  Alertness (power) .............................129
  Alter Appearance (power) ...............125
  Alter Density (variant Power) ...........26
  Alter Size (variant Power) .................53
  Alternate Desolidiﬁcation .................25
  Alvaran Nineforms  
  (example character) .......................197
  Ambidexterity (Talent) ......................16
  Animal Form (power) ........................83
  Animal Form (type of Major Meta-
  morph) ..............................................76
  Animal Handler (Skill) ......................14
  Animal Powers ....................................83
  Animal Senses (power) ......................83
  Anjing ajak (monster) ......................236
  Anticipation (power) .......................128
  Appearance (aspect of characters that 
  can change) .........................................6
  Appearance Manipulation (power) 147
  Archetypes for metamorphs .............11
  Area Of Eﬀect (Advantage) ...............62
  Armor Up (power) ...........................141
  Arms Into Blades (power) ...............140
  Army Of One (power) .....................120
  Artiﬁcial Metamorph (metamorph 
  archetype) .........................................11
  Attack Tracking (power) ..................129
  Augmented Defenses (power) ........117
  Augmented Strength (power) .........116
  Automaton Powers .............................59
  Avian Powers .......................................89
  Awareness (power) ...........................129
  Backgrounds for metamorphs ............8
  Barrier Bypass (power) ....................122
  Beast Within, the (metamorph  
  personality) .......................................10
  Beauty Too Wondrous To Harm  
  (power) ............................................125
  Berserker (example creature) ..........223
  Berserker (metamorph archetype) ...11
  Berserker (type of Internal  
  Metamorph) ..................................6, 71
  Berserker Fury (power) ...................169
  Bestiary, Metamorphic ...............223-37
  Bibliography ......................................244
  Big Fist (power) ................................159
  Biochemical Assault (power) ............95
  Bioelectric Touch (power) .................84
  Biokinetic ...............................................6
  Bird’s Eyes (power) .............................89
  Bishamon (example character) .......203
  Black Hole Belt (gadget) ..................238
  Blink Intangibility (power) ..............135
  Blood Flow Control (power) ...........104
  Body Barrier (power) .......................163
  Body Control Powers .........................95
  Body Heat Control (power) ............101
  Body Of Acid (power) .....................109
  Body Of Air (power) ........................109
  Body Of Earth/Mud (power) ..........110
  Body Of Electricity (power) ............110
  Body Of Energy (power) .................110
  Body Of Fire (power) .......................111
  Body Of Light (power) ....................111
  Body Of Metal (power) ....................111
  Body Of Mist (power) ......................111
  Body Of Radiation (power) ............112
  Body Of Sand (power) .....................113
  Body Of Shadow (power) ................113
  Body Of Sound (power) ..................113
  Body Of Stone (power) ....................113
  Body Of Water (power) ...................114
  Body Of Wood (power) ...................114
  Body-Aﬀecting Powers ......................17
  Body-Transforming Powers ............109
  Bodyjacking (power) ........................169
  Bombardier Blast (power) .................89
  Bone Growth (power) ......................105
  Bone Wracking (power) .....................96
  Bonewarping (power) ........................96
  Boudas (monster) .............................236
  Bounceback Body (power) ..............160
  Bouncing Bash (power) ...................160
  Boxenwulf (monster) .......................236
  Brainﬂow (power) ............................105
  Brainwave Oscillator (gadget) .........238
  Breakfall (Skill) ...................................14
  Breathe Underwater (power) ............87
  Bridgework (power) .........................167
  Bring It To Me (power) ....................120
  Brollachan (example creature) ........224
  Budding (power) ..............................122
  Camouﬂage Suit (gadget) ................238
  Campaigning with metamorphs .....213
  Carryall (power) ...............................165
  Caught Ya! (power) ...........................167
  Ceasg (monster) ...............................236
  Chameleon (type of Cosmetic  
  Metamorph) ........................................7
  Chameleon Camouﬂage (power) .....93
  Champions ........................................182
  Change Environment (Power) ..........59
  Changing SPD ...................................212
  Changing-skin (metamorph  
  background) .......................................9
  Changing-Skin (gadget) ..................239
  Character creation .......................... 5-80
  Characteristics (Power) .....................59
  Charges (Limitation) ..........................63
  Clairsentience (Power) ......................59
  Classifying metamorphs ......................6
  Claw Clinging (power) ......................84
  Claws (power) .....................................84
  Climbing (Skill) ..................................14
  Clone (type of Minor  
  Metamorph) ..................................7, 33
  Cloning ................................................33
  Cloning Machine (gadget) ..............239
  Cohesion Control (power) ..............101
  Combat Maneuvers ..........................213
  Combat, metamorphs and ...............214
  Combat Modiﬁers ............................212
  Combat Perception (power) ............130
  Combat Skill Levels (Skill) ................14
  Combining ............................56, 215-16
  Comedian (metamorph  
  personality) .......................................10
  Complete Metamorphs ..................8, 78
  Concealment (Combat Modiﬁer)...212
  Concealment (Skill) ...........................14
  Concentration (Limitation) ..............63
  Condition (aspect of characters  
  that can change) .................................6
  Constrictor’s Strength (power) .........93
  Contact Required (Limitation) .........63
  Contagion (power) .............................96
  Contortionist (Skill) ...........................14
  Contracting lycanthropy ...................76
  Cosmetic Doppelganger (type of  
  Cosmetic Metamorph) ..........7, 72, 77
  Cosmetic Metamorphs ..................7, 72
  Create Giant Insect (power) ..............90
  Criminology (Skill) ............................14
  Crush You! (power) ..........................116
  Crushing damage ................................18
  Curse (metamorph background) .......9
  Cused (metamorph personality) ......10
  Cyber Hero ........................................189
  Damage, changing form/shape with .213
  Damage Reduction (Power) ..............59
  Damage Resistance (Power) ..............59
  Damage Shield (Advantage) ..............62
  Danger Sense Dodging (power) .....129
  Dark Champions ..............................194
  Darkness (Power) ...............................59
  Deep-Sea Adaptation (power) ..........87
  Defense Maneuver (Skill) ..................15
  Delphine Sonar (power) ....................88
  Density Changer (type of Minor  
  Metamorph) ........................................7
  Density Decrease ................................20
  Density Decrease (power) ...............136
  Density Enhancement (power) .......116
  Density Increase .................................18
  Density Increase Powers ..................116
  Desensitization (power) ....................97
  Desolidiﬁcation ...................................22
  Detached (metamorph personality) 10
  Detached Eyes (power) ....................103
  Detecting metamorphs ....................212
  Devices, metamorphic .....................238
  Diminution (power) .........................155
  Dis Armament  
  (example character) .......................191
  Disadvantages .....................................68
  Disease (metamorph background) ....9
  Disease Incubation (power) ..............97
  Disease, lycanthropy as ......................76
  Disembodied Mind (power) ...........171
  Disguise (Skill) ....................................15
  Dispel (Power) ....................................59
  Disrupt Electronics (power) ...........133
  Distinctive Features (Disadvantage) ...69
  Diversity (power) ..............................147
  DNA Alteration (power) .................142
  DNA Proﬁle (power) ........................103
  Doppelgangers (type of  
  metamorph) ........................ 7-8, 73, 77
  Double Jointed (Talent) .....................16
  Dr. Nathan Sumbru (example  
  character) ........................................194
  Dracoform Amulet (gadget) ...........239
  Duplicate Wall (power) ....................121
  Duplication (Power) ...........................26
  Duplication (power) .........................119
  Duplication Powers ..........................119
  Duplicative Beneﬁcence (power) ...123
  Duplicative Confusion (power) ......121
  Duplicative Movement (power) .....121
  Duplicative Regeneration (power) .123
  Duplicative Scholarship (power) ....123
  Duplicator (metamorph archetype) .12
  Duration Advantages (Advantage) ...62
  Eclipse (example character) ............183
  El Jaguar (example character) .........185
  Elastic Arms (power) .......................165
  Elemental Metamorph (type of  
  Major Metamorph) ......................7, 78
  Endurance Limitations  
  (Limitation) ......................................63
  Energy Man (metamorph  
  archetype) .........................................12
  Enhanced Digestion (power) ..........105
  Enhanced Running (power) ............103
  Enhanced Senses (Power) .................59
  Enhanced Swimming (power) ........103
  Enraged/Berserk (Disadvantage) .....69
  Entangle (Power) ................................60
  Enter The Macroverse! (power) ......152
  Enter The Microverse! (power) .......157
  Environmental Adaptation  
  (power) ............................................141
  Environmental Resilience (power) ....105
  Exploiter (metamorph personality) .10
  Externally-Altered Character  
  (type of Cosmetic Metamorph) .7, 73
  Extra Limbs .........................................34
  Extra Time (Limitation) ....................63
  Extra-Dimensional Movement  
  (Power) ..............................................60
  Eyes Have It, The (power) ................142
  Facial Manipulation (power) ..........143
  Fangs (power) .....................................84
  Fantasy Hero .....................................197
  Fatigue Poison Suppression  
  (power) ............................................106
  INDEX
  
  247 
  The Ultimate Metamorph
  Feature Molding (power) ................167
  Fleshwarping (power) ........................97
  Flexible Dodging (power) ...............163
  Focus (Limitation) ..............................63
  Forensic Medicine (Skill) ...................14
  Form Alteration (power) .................137
  Form Cohesion (power) ..................157
  Formless Metamorph (type of Major 
  Metamorph) ......................................77
  Frameworks ...................................65, 75
  Free Spirit (type of Complete  
  Metamorph) ........................................8
  Function (aspect of characters  
  that can change) .................................6
  Gadgets, metamorphic .....................238
  Gender Bender (power) ...................143
  Genre by genre ..................................181
  Ghoul, the (example character) ......206
  Gigantic Defense (power) ................150
  Gigantic Eyes (power) ......................152
  Gigantic Fists (power) ......................148
  Gigantic Legs (power) ......................152
  Gigantic Muscles (power) ...............148
  Gigantic Physique (power) ..............151
  Gigantic Resilience (power) ............151
  Gigantic Size (power) .......................148
  Gigantic Swing (power) ...................149
  Gigantic Toughness (power) ...........151
  Gotcha! (power) ................................160
  Grab (Combat Maneuver) ...............213
  Gravity, personal for very dense  
  characters .................................... 19-20
  Grow Gills (power) ...........................143
  Grow Wings (power) ........................141
  Growth .................................................35
  Growth momentum .........36, 39, 41, 52
  Growth Powers .................................148
  Hardened Flesh (power) ..................101
  Have A Look Around (power) ........121
  Healing (power) ................................106
  Healing (Power) ..................................61
  Heatsense (power) ..............................93
  Heavy (Physical Limitation) .............20
  Heightened Hearing (power) ..........130
  Heightened Senses (power) .............130
  Heightened Sight (power) ...............130
  Heightened Smell (power) ..............130
  Heightened Touch (power) .............130
  Hengeyokai (metamorph  
  archetype) .........................................12
  Hengeyokai (were-animals) ............235
  High-density characters .....................19
  Hit Locations, metamorphs and .....213
  Horn Of The Rhino (power) .............91
  Horriﬁc Transformation (power) ...140
  Horror Hero ......................................201
  Hrolf Kellingson (example  
  character) ........................................199
  Human Air Bubble (power) ............167
  Human Lockpick (power) ...............143
  Human Mimicry (power) ................138
  Hunted (Disadvantage) ......................69
  Hyper-Body Powers .........................124
  Hyper-Characteristics ......................124
  Hyper-Comeliness Powers ..............125
  Hyper-Constitution Powers ............124
  Hyper-Dense Body (power) ............118
  Hyper-Dexterity Powers ..................124
  Hypersenses .......................................128
  I Can Hear You Breathing (power) ....131
  I’m In Here (power) .........................158
  Imitator (metamorph archetype) .....12
  Immunity (power) ............................124
  Impact Absorption (power) ............163
  Impressiveness (power) ...................149
  Improved Senses (power) ................104
  Improved Swimming (power) ..........88
  Induce Heart Attack (power) ............98
  Injuries, changing form/ 
  shape with .......................................213
  Insect Powers ......................................89
  Insect Size (power) .............................90
  Insectile Awareness (power) .............90
  Instant Turnaround (power) ...........143
  Intangibility (power) ........................133
  Intangibility Blessing (power) .........134
  Intangibility Costume (gadget) .......239
  Intangibility Powers .........................133
  Intangible Form (power) .................135
  Intangible Mind (power) .................135
  Intangible Touch (power) ................134
  Interaction Skills .................................14
  Internal Agony (power) ...................155
  Internal Metamorphs .....................6, 71
  Internal Physical Metamorph  
  (type of Internal Metamorph) ....6, 71
  Introduction ..........................................4
  Invisibility (Power) .............................61
  Invisibility Suit (gadget) ...................240
  Items Of Power (metamorph  
  background) .......................................9
  Jaguar-Men (monster) .....................236
  Jet Form (power) ..............................165
  John Doe 4.0 (example character) ..189
  Just How You Like ’Em (power) ......125
  Kitsune (example creature) .............225
  Knockback, Shrinking and ..........50, 52
  Knowledge Skill (Skill) ......................15
  Lack Of Weakness (Power) ...............61
  Large characters ..................................38
  Leapfrog (power) ................................93
  Leaping (Power) ..................................61
  Leg Enhancement (power) ..............141
  Legs Of The Gazelle (power) ............91
  Let Me Lend You A Hand (power) ....106
  Leyak (monster) ................................236
  Lie Detector (power) ........................131
  Life Support (Power) ..........................61
  Light Walker (power) .......................136
  Lightning Reﬂexes (Talent) ...............16
  Limitations ..........................................62
  Living Brain (type of Complete  
  Metamorph) ................................ 79-80
  Living Hair (power) .........................106
  Lobishomen (monster) ....................236
  Lockpicking (Skill) .............................15
  Look, Ma, No Organs! (power) .......168
  Loup-garou (monster) .....................236
  Low-density characters ......................20
  Lycanthrope (metamorph archetype) .13
  Lycanthropes (example creatures) ..228
  Lycanthropes, lycanthropy ..8, 76, 228-31
  Macan gadungan (monster) ............236
  Machine Body (power) ....................114
  Macroversal Attack (power) ............150
  Macroversal Legs (power) ...............152
  Macroversal Perception (power) ....153
  Macroversal Strength (power) ........150
  Macroversal Toughness (power) ....151
  Macroversal Vision (power) ............153
  Macroversal Weather Manipulation 
  (power) ............................................150
  Macroverse, the ...........................60, 217
  Magic (metamorph background) .......9
  Magical item (metamorph  
  background) .......................................9
  Major Metamorphs ........................7, 74
  Malleable (type of Major  
  Metamorph) ..................................7, 77
  Malleable Body (power) ..................159
  Malleable Man (metamorph  
  archetype) .........................................13
  Mambu-Mutu (monster) .................236
  Mammal Powers .................................91
  Martial Arts (Skill) .............................16
  Masquer (example creature) ...........231
  Masquerade Mesh (gadget) .............240
  Mass, of characters .............................17
  Master Of Disguise (power) ............171
  Master Of Mimicry (power) ...........172
  Material Mimic (type of Major  
  Metamorph) ........................................8
  Material Mimicry (power) ..............115
  Material Mimicry Pool ......................67
  MegaScale (Advantage) .....................62
  Memory Theft (power) ....................172
  Mental Adaptive (type of Internal  
  Metamorph) ..................................6, 72
  Metamorph archetypes ......................11
  Metamorph backgrounds ....................8
  Metamorph classiﬁcation ....................6
  Metamorph creation ...................... 5-80
  Metamorph personalities ..................10
  Metamorphic Bestiary ...............223-37
  Metamorphic Gadgets .....................238
  Metamorphic Powers .................81-180
  Metamorphic Scrambler (gadget) ..240
  Micro-Combat (power) ...................156
  Microﬂight (power) ..........................157
  Microsize (power) ............................154
  Microverse, the ............................60, 220
  Mimic (metamorph archetype) ........13
  Mimic (type of Major  
  Metamorph) ............................8, 44, 77
  Mimic Power Pools ...................... 65-67
  Mimicking (power) ..........................173
  Mimicry (Skill) ...................................15
  Mind Transfer (power) ....................174
  Minimized Breathing (power) ........107
  Minor Metamorphs ........................7, 73
  Miraculous Healing (power) ...........107
  Miscellaneous Powers ......................169
  Missile Grabbing (power) ................163
  Mister/Miss Flexible (metamorph  
  personality) .......................................11
  Moldable Face (power) ....................143
  Molding To Surfaces (power) .........165
  Morph (example character) ............187
  Multi-Limbed Combatant (power) ...175
  Multifaceted Eyes (power) .................90
  Multiform ......................................39, 74
  Multiple Bodies (type of Complete  
  Metamorph) ......................................80
  Multiple Limbs (power) .....................85
  Multiple Personalities (type of  
  Internal Metamorph) ...................6, 44
  Muscle Augmentation (power) .........98
  Mutating Exterior (power) ..............141
  Mutation (metamorph background) ..10
  Naga (monster) .................................236
  Nanometal Robot (example  
  creature) ..........................................232
  Natural Weaponry (power) .............140
  Nazeron Johnson (example  
  character) ........................................201
  Negate Toxins (power) .....................107
  Neurokinesis (power) ........................98
  Nice Try, Little Man (power) ...........151
  Nictitating Membrane (power) .........93
  Ninja Hero .........................................203
  No Conscious Control (Limitation) ....63
  Nowhere Man (power) ....................126
  Object Manifestation (power) ........144
  Only In Heroic Identity  
  (Limitation) .......................... 64, 74-75
  Opacity Alteration (power) .............144
  Opacity Changer (type of Minor  
  Metamorph) ........................................7
  Optic Nerve Trampoline (power) ...156
  Organ Control (power) ......................98
  Override (power) ................................99
  Oxygenated Skin (power) ................101
  Pain Resistance (power) ..................102
  Paramedics (Skill) ...............................14
  Parasail Form (power) .....................165
  Parasite (type of Complete  
  Metamorph) ................................ 79-80
  Pathway Of The Mole (power) ..........91
  Peeking Around Corners (power) ..166
  Perceiving Metamorphs ...................214
  Perceptive Skills ..................................14
  Perks .....................................................16
  Personal Brachiation (power) .........166
  Personalities for metamorphs ...........10
  Personality (aspect of characters that  
  can change) .........................................6
  Personality Loss (Limitation for  
  Multiform) ..................................43, 45
  Personality Shifting (power) ...........145
  Persuasive Beauty (power) ..............126
  Pheromonic Control (power) .........100
  Physical Limitation (Disadvantage) ....69
  Physical Symbiont (type of  
  Complete Metamorph) ...............8, 79
  Plastic surgery .....................................73
  Poke In The Eye (power) .................160
  Potion Of Giant Form (gadget) ......241
  Potion Of Invisibility (gadget) ........242
  Potion Of Tiny Form (gadget) ........242
  Potion Of Transmutation (gadget) .242
  
  248 ■ Index
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Power Advantages ...............................62
  Power Frameworks .......................65, 75
  Power Limitations ..............................62
  Power Modiﬁers ..................................62
  Powers ............................................ 17-61
  Prana Monk (example character) ...208
  Pregnancy Control (power) ............108
  Protective Skin (power) .....................85
  Pseudopods (power) ........................168
  Psychic Symbiont (type of Complete 
  Metamorph) ........................................8
  Psychological Limitation  
  (Disadvantage) .................................69
  Psychomorph (power) .....................145
  Pulp Hero ..........................................206
  Quadruple-Jointed (power) ............124
  Quills Of The Porcupine (power) .....92
  Qutrub (monster) .............................236
  Racial (metamorph background) .....10
  Radar-Sense (power) ........................131
  Radio Sense (power) ........................131
  Rage-Augmented Strength (power) 176
  Rapid Attack (Skill) ............................16
  Rapid Healing (power) ....................102
  Raptor’s Shriek (power) .....................89
  Recombination Resurrection  
  (power) ............................................123
  Redundant Organs (power) ............124
  Reﬂex Memory (power) ..................177
  Regeneration (power) ......................177
  Regrow Limbs (power) ......................93
  Reject Death (power) .......................102
  Replicative Cloning (power) ...........178
  Reptile Powers .....................................93
  Reputation (Disadvantage) ...............70
  Requires A Skill Roll (Limitation) ....62
  Resilience (power) ............................102
  Resilient Senses (power) ..................129
  Robes Of Invisibility (gadget) .........242
  Rubbery Body (power) ....................164
  Safety Pillow (power) .......................164
  Scent Manipulation (power) ...........145
  Science Skill (Skill) .............................16
  Security Systems (Skill) .....................15
  Seizure Induction (power) ..............100
  Semi-Solid Form (power) ................135
  Sense Weakness (power) ..................128
  Senses, metamorphs and .................212
  Sensory Enhancement (power) ......142
  Serpentine Body (power) ..................94
  Shadowing (Skill) ...............................14
  Shape Alteration (power) ................138
  Shape Alteration Pools .......................67
  Shape Alteration Powers ..................137
  Shape Shift .........................46, 65, 72, 75
  Shapechange Healing (power) ........146
  Shapechanging creatures .................236
  Shifting Mind (power) .....................178
  Shrinking .............................................50
  Shrinking Powers ..............................154
  Shrinking Ray (gadget) ....................243
  Side Eﬀects (Limitation) ....................64
  Simulate Death (Talent) .....................16
  Single-Form Major Metamorph  
  (type of Major Metamorph) .............8
  Size Alteration Powers .....................148
  Size Changer (type of Minor  
  Metamorph) ........................................7
  Size dimensions ..........................60, 217
  Size, of characters ...............................17
  Skills .....................................................14
  Skin Alteration Powers ....................147
  Skinchangers (type of Major  
  Metamorph) ....................9, 13, 76, 239
  Sleep Resistance (power) .................108
  Sleight Of Hand (Skill) ......................16
  Slow Limb Growth (power) ............178
  Small characters ..................................52
  Small spaces, becoming large in .......39
  Sonar (power) ...................................132
  Spatial Correspondence Detection 
  (power) ............................................158
  SPD, changing ...................................212
  Spell (metamorph background) .........9
  Spiky Body (power) ..........................161
  Spirit Channeling (power) ..............178
  Spiritual Disguise (power) ...............178
  Spiritual Metamorph (type of  
  Internal Metamorph) ...................6, 72
  Spitting Blindness (power) ................94
  Spreading (Combat Modiﬁer) ........212
  Spring-Leaping (power) ..................166
  Squeezing Through Cracks  
  (power) ............................................168
  Squid’s Ink (power) ............................88
  Star Hero ............................................208
  Stealth (Skill) .......................................14
  Stealth Suit (gadget) .........................243
  Stentorian Voice (power) .................154
  Sticky (Advantage) .............................62
  Sticky Body (power) .........................100
  Sticky Fingers (power) .......................86
  Sting (power) .......................................86
  Stretch-Punch (power) ....................162
  Stretch-Sprinting (power) ...............166
  Stretching .............................................54
  Stretching Pool ....................................67
  Stretching Powers .............................159
  Stretching Slingshot (power) ..........161
  Suﬀocate (power) ..............................162
  Summon (Power) ...............................61
  Sun Eagle (example character) .......210
  Super-Dense Fists (power) ..............117
  Super-Dense Legs (power) ..............117
  Surﬁng The ’Net (power) .................157
  Surprise Move (Combat Modiﬁer) ....212
  Susceptibility (Disadvantage) ...........70
  Swan Maiden (monster) ..................236
  Swarm Form (power) .......................115
  Switcher (type of Complete  
  Metamorph) ..................................8, 78
  Tail (power) .........................................86
  Talents ..................................................16
  Tanuki (example creature) ..............234
  Target Prone (Combat Modiﬁer) ...213
  Taw (monster) ...................................236
  Team Punch (power) ........................120
  Teamwork (Skill) ................................16
  Terrifying Roar (power) ....................92
  Terrifying Visage (power) ................126
  Thief’s Touch (power) ......................134
  Tigre capiango (monster) ................236
  Titanobelt (gadget) ...........................243
  Touch Of The Eel (power) .................88
  Transdimensional (Advantage) ........62
  Transference Touch (power) ...........178
  Transform (Power) .............................61
  Triggers for Accidental Change ........68
  True Awareness (power) ..................132
  True Doppelganger (type of Minor  
  Metamorph) ..................................7, 77
  True Form Alteration (power) ........137
  True Metamorph (type of Complete 
  Metamorph) ........................................8
  True Physical Metamorph (type of  
  Complete Metamorph) .....................8
  Two-Dimensional Form (power) ...146
  Two-Weapon Fighting (Skill) ...........16
  Ugly Enough To Stop A Bus  
  (power) ............................................127
  Underwater Senses (power) ..............89
  Uniform Form I-II (powers) ...........164
  Usable On Others (Advantage) .........62
  Vampire Forms (power) ..................138
  Vampires ..............................................76
  Variable Disadvantage  
  (Disadvantage) .................................70
  Variable Power Pool ..................... 65-67
  Venom (power) ...................................86
  Vilkacis (monster) ............................236
  Vircolac (monster) ...........................237
  Visible (Limitation) ............................64
  Voice Manipulation (power) ...........146
  Voice Of Beauty (power) .................127
  Vrykolakas (monster) ......................237
  Vulkodlac (monster) ........................237
  Vulnerability (Disadvantage) ............70
  Walk On Hot Coals (power) ...........103
  Walking Between Molecules  
  (power) ............................................158
  Walking On Air (power) ..................136
  Wallcrawling (power) ........................87
  Water Adaptation (power) .................94
  Web-Swinging (power) ......................91
  Webs (power) ......................................90
  Were-animals (hengeyokai) ............235
  Wererat (example creature) .............228
  Wereshark (example creature) ........229
  Werewolf (example creature) ..........230
  Werewolf Forms (powers) ...............138
  Western Hero ....................................210
  Wings (power) ....................................87
  Wounds, changing form/shape with .213
  Wraparound (power) .......................162
  X-Ray Vision (power) ......................132
  Yenaldooshi (monster) .....................237
  You Look Stunning (power) ............127
  Zoomorph (type of  
  Major Metamorph) ......................8, 76
  Zootoxic Immunity (power) .............87
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero System/Hero System - The Ultimate Metamorph.pdf