By David Eber.
Transformed Chameleons are very rare; the world's most notable example is Mr. X.
Constitution +3, Intelligence +1, Perception +2, Charisma +3
Chi Cost: 2
Shot Cost: 1
You can blend into a crowd, giving yourself a type of invisibility by making yourself indistinguishable from the people around you. Make an Intrusion check, with the Perception of the target character as the difficulty. If successful, the target does not see you, though you are in plain sight. Of course, the GM should add modifiers as appropriate, based on the size of the crowd, the visibility of the area, and how closely your appearance matches that of the crowd you are trying to blend in with. When used against multiple opponents, you must check against each Perception separately. Each schtick bought in Blend above the first adds +1 to your task check. You do not need multiple schticks in this ability to target more than one person.
Chi Cost: 4
Shot Cost: 1
This power works just like Blend, except that in this case you are blending into your physical surroundings instead of into a crowd. It is similar to Lurk, except that you are not so much hiding as you are making yourself indistinguishable from your surroundings. Make an Intrusion check, with the Perception of the target character as the difficulty. If successful, the target simply does not see you. When used against multiple opponents, you must check against each Perception separately. Each schtick bought in Camouflage above the first adds +1 to your task check. You do not need multiple schticks in this ability to target more than one person.
Chi Cost: special
Shot Cost: special
This schtick allows you to physically change your appearance. You may alter your height by up to 6 inches (taller or shorter) and your weight by up to 60 lbs. (heavier or lighter). You may also change your skin, hair, and eye color, and you may make more radical changes such as lengthening or changing the nature of your hair (naturally curly to straight, etc...), changing facial features, adding and removing birthmarks, and so on (the only thing you cannot do is physically change your gender, though you can make it look as though you have). The chi cost for these changes depends on how dramatic the changes are, as follows:
Increase or decrease height by up to an inch and a half, increase or decrease weight by up to 15 lbs., increase hair length by up to 6 inches, slightly lighten or darken skin tone, hair color, or eye color, fade or enhance birthmarks or blemishes, slight changes to features.
Increase or decrease height by up to 3 inches, weight by up to 30 lbs. Increase hair length by up to 12 inches, remove or create birthmarks or blemishes, moderate alterations to features, moderate change to voice (higher or lower).
Increase or decrease height by up to 4 and a half inches, weight by up to 45 lbs. Increase hair length by up to 18 inches, change skin color, eye color, or hair color entirely, change the nature of your hair (straight to curly), remove or create large blemishes or scars, major changes to features.
Increase or decrease height by up to 6 inches, weight by up to 60 lbs. Increase hair length by up to 24 inches, dramatically change features and/or hair (e.g., Asian to African), Make minute and specialized changes to your appearance, change your bone and muscle structure, change your voice completely.
Making these changes are not only costly, but they are difficult as well. Whenever a Chameleon attempts a change, they must make a task check on their constitution with the following difficulties: Minor 3, Moderate 6, Major 9, Radical 12. If they are making multiple changes simultaneously, combine the difficulties together. Failure means that the chi is spent, but that the chameleon could not effect the change. A way awful failure means that a change occurs, but that it was vastly different from what the chameleon wanted. A critical success means that the change occurred in half the normal time with only half the chi cost. For each schtick bought in Change Appearance above the first, add +1 to the task check.
Please note that the chi costs are for each change, not each group of changes. So increasing your weight by 10 pounds (minor), your height by an inch (minor), changing your eyes from brown to blue (major), and making major changes to your features (major) would cost 10 chi. Because of the high cost of these changes, chameleons will do them slowly if at all possible. The minimum time for a change to take place is one shot per point of chi, and all the changes that are being made can be made simultaneously. However, sometimes the changes are so drastic that it requires more chi than the chameleon has available. In these cases, he or she must begin the changes and then rest once they have used up their available chi, finishing the task when their chi is restored. Complete changes in appearance often take days to complete. Because of the strenuous nature of making multiple changes, chameleons prefer to take them slowly and one at a time. If time is short, they will sometimes augment their physical changes with disguises and makeup to complete the transformation.
The GM should handle these changes in game terms as they see fit. Remember that these changes, if radical enough, are not a disguise but an actual change in appearance. While adding a few pounds won't make much of a difference, completely changing one's skin color and facial features will. Also note that these changes are not temporary. To resume their old appearance, the chameleon must spend the chi again to reverse the changes.
Change Appearance requires twice as many experience points for non-chameleons to learn and progress in.
Chi Cost: X
Shot Cost: 3
This schtick is identical to the Scorpion schtick of the same name.
Last modified: December 22, 1996; please send comments to durrell@innocence.com.