Transformation Rules

Transformation is the act of changing one’s body into another form in order to tap into greater stores of energy, strength, and speed. There are four types of Transformations: Alternate Forms, Enhancement Powers, Manifested Powers and Legendary Forms. Alternate Forms are a powerful but temporary change, Enhancement Powers are potent, supportive Transformations, Manifested Powers are a permanent but weaker change and Legendary Forms are the pinnacle of Transformations, difficult to obtain but incredibly potent, usually with their own unique additional rules.

Transforming. Characters can voluntarily enter a form and revert to their normal state or a lesser stage of a Transformation at will. To transform into a Transformation requires a Transformation Maneuver. Reverting back to your normal state or a lower stage of a Transformation is an Instant Action.

Stages of an Alternate Form or Legendary Form are considered a Transformation for all rules that refer to Transformations.

Forms entries. A table lists Attributes, denoted by their first two letters, that are increased when you are using a form by the bonus listed below them – this is known as the Attribute Modifier Bonus. You benefit from these Attribute Modifier Bonuses as long as you are in this transformation. Some Transformations have multiple stages or levels. Each stage gains the benefits of the previous stage unless otherwise specified.

Due to the Attribute Modifier Bonus from transformations usually being a significant jump in power, it does not affect all concepts that the Attributes usually affect (see – Interactions, below).

Combining Transformations. Most Transformations are incompatible with one another and cannot be used together. Alternate Forms and Legendary Forms cannot be used in conjunction with another Alternate Form or Legendary Form. Manifested Powers, however, due to their permanence still give their benefits when in a transformed state. The only true case of Transformation stacking can be seen in Enhancement Powers, that can be used in conjunction with both Alternate and Legendary Forms.

Although Legendary Forms cannot be used with Alternate Forms or Legendary Forms, the Legendary Traits they give as a bonus are still applied to other Transformations you enter.

Interactions. The Attribute Modifier Bonuses given by a Transformation does NOT increase your Saving Throws or Skills while you are in that transformed state and does not influence the base value of that Modifier. Additionally, your Life Points are not increased by a bonus to your Tenacity Modifier. The Attribute Modifier Bonus still influences rolls and aptitudes that specifically mention the Attribute Modifier and do not refer to its ‘base’ value (such as Soak Value, Combat Rolls or an Opposed Ability Check).

The only exception to this is Manifested Powers (see – Permanent Improvement & Natural State below).

Accessibility. Transformations are accessible almost purely by ARC guidance. Some ARCs may like Transformations to be earned through story, good roleplaying or Downtime activities. Always ask your ARC at the start of your game what Transformations are available to you and their philosophy on obtaining Transformations.

Having access to a Transformation and being able to transform into it are two majorly different things. Having access means that you may attempt to transform into the Transformation at any time where you meet the requirements, but if you do not meet them then you cannot attempt to transform into it. Some Transformations have unique requirements to transform into them, such as the Oozaru Alternate Form requiring a moon or a moon substitute, but all transformations have a Tier of Power Requirement.

To transform into any Transformation (Alternate Form/Legendary Form/Enhancement Power) your current Tier of Power must be equal to or higher than the Tier of Power Requirement. You do not automatically gain access to higher stages of a Transformation due to meeting the Tier of Power Requirement, each one is treated like a separate transformation and you must gain access for each one individually unless otherwise stated.

Transformation Types

Manifested Powers. Manifested Powers are permanent Transformations which will always be active after being gained. You can gain the same Manifested Power multiple times (each instance being referred to as a Stack), gaining its Attribute Modifier Bonuses but not gaining repeat instances of its Traits (see – Double Dip). You can only have a number of stacks on each Manifested Power up to its listed number of Maximum Number of Stacks.

• Permanent Improvement. The Attribute Modifier Bonuses from a Manifested Power can increase your maximum Life Points and Saving Throws. However, you only use half of the Attribute Modifier Bonus (rounded down) for the purpose of Permanent Improvement. For instance, if you gain a +2 bonus to Tenacity, you only treat your Tenacity Modifier as +1 higher for the sake of deciding Life Points and for your Corporeal Saving Throw.
• Natural State. For all effects and traits that refer to Transformations, Manifested Powers are not considered Transformations unless specifically stated otherwise.

Alternate Forms. In the Dragon World, there are many different and powerful beings that can change or rapidly evolve. Perhaps the most iconic is the Super Saiyan Transformation. Alternate Forms have these additional rules:

• Ki Multiplier. When you use a Transformation Maneuver to transform into this Transformation, double your maximum Ki Point Pool and increase your Capacity Rate by +1/2, then restore Ki Points equal to your base Capacity Rate. This effect only applies for the duration of your Transformation. If you transform into another Alternate or Legendary Form, maintain the bonus to your maximum Ki Point Pool and Capacity Rate. You can NOT gain this effect more than once every five rounds and this effect does NOT stack.
• Threshold Breaker. If you transform while under the effects of any Health Threshold, reduce the threshold’s penalty to zero for three turns. At the end of your third turn the effects return to normal. If you suffer from another Health Threshold while under the effects of Threshold Breaker those effects are also reduced to zero for the remainder of your initial three turns.
• Stacking Power. If a form has more than one stage, the Attribute Modifier Bonuses from each stage stack with the previous stage and the higher stages gain the traits from the lower stages. As an example, if you are using Super Saiyan 2 the Attribute Modifier Bonuses from Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 will be added to your normal Attribute Modifier Bonus alongside the traits of those Transformations. If you are using Super Saiyan 3 the Attribute Modifier Bonuses from Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3 will be added to your normal Attribute Modifier Bonus alongside the traits of those Transformations.
• Legend Realized. You cannot gain this effect more than once per stage, during a Combat Encounter. The first time you use the Transformation Maneuver to transform into this Transformation, roll a solid 2d10(T) plus your Power Level and restore that many Life and Ki Points. You can gain this effect once for each stage of a Transformation, as if each stage was a different Transformation.
• Step-by-Step Transformation. While you are in this Transformation, when you transform into a different Alternate Form or Legendary Form, you may reduce the initial Stress Test Requirement by an amount equal to your current Transformation’s Tier of Power Requirement. Increase this reduction by -1 if you are transforming into a higher stage of the same Alternate Form. Step-by-Step Transformation only applies to the initial Stress Test to enter the Transformation. Further Stress Tests use the normal Stress Test Requirement.

Enhancement Powers. Enhancement Powers are more taxing than Alternate Forms and require you to pass a Stress Test at the start of every turn. Unlike other Transformations you can use an Enhancement Power in conjunction with other Transformations, meaning that when you are using an Alternate Form or Legendary Form you can still transform into an Enhancement Power and the bonuses stack together; though you can still elect to use most Enhancement Powers independently as well.

• Stacking Strength. When you use an Enhancement Power along with another Transformation, add 1/2 of the Stress Test Requirement from the Transformation with the lower Stress Test onto the Transformation with the higher Stress Test’s Stress Test Requirement. This is the Stress Test Requirement you must meet to maintain both Transformations. You must roll this Stress Test every turn as per Enhancement Power rules and if you fail it, you exit both forms and suffer from Stress Exhaustion.
  
  You may choose to leave an Enhancement Power as an Instant Action. When you do so, you do not suffer from Stress Exhaustion. If you are in another Transformation at the time, you do not exit that Transformation.
• Accumulating Power. You can NOT have two or more different Enhancement Powers active at one time unless a rule states otherwise. As an example, if you activate Kaioken you can NOT then activate Enraged. If you attempt to activate a second Enhancement Power, then the first Enhancement Power you activated will automatically end.

Legendary Forms. A Legendary Form is a Transformation brought about by unique circumstances coming together to give way to a level of power not normally accessible. Legendary Forms can sometimes be the combination of two or more Transformations, creating a new, higher tier of power or they can be a completely unique Transformation brought about by any number of legendary reasons. An ARC should be careful when giving out Legendary Forms, as they tend to be incredibly powerful. While using a Legendary Form, you must roll a Stress Test at the start of each of your turns. Legendary Forms are very taxing. When you fall out of a Legendary Form for any reason, increase the number of Combat Rounds you suffer Stress Exhaustion by +1. Legendary Forms have these additional rules:

• Inheritance. Legendary Forms possess the ‘Ki Multiplier’, ‘Threshold Breaker’ and ‘Legend Realized’ rules possessed by Alternate Forms.
• Legendary Traits. Each Legendary Form has a Legendary Trait, which is a trait that is active even when you are not transformed into that state. Simply gaining access to a Legendary Form gives you permanent access to these traits.
• Legendary Scaling. Legendary Forms can also have multiple stages like Alternate Forms but there are some differences. The attribute bonuses are carried over between stages but not every trait is also carried over due to the immense power of Legendary Forms. As such, if a trait of a higher stage has a trait of a lower stage depicted in brackets then it means that it replaces that trait. For example, Deific Super Saiyan has Divine Acclimation in brackets after its name meaning that it replaces that trait.
  
  Additionally, Legendary Forms with multiple stages have stages to their Legendary Traits, depicted in roman numerals. You gain access to the Legendary Traits equal to and below the highest stage of the Legendary Form you have access to. For example, Super Saiyan Blue is the second stage of the Super Saiyan God Legendary Form, so you have access to both Divine Remnants and Divine Remnants II after unlocking it.
• Step-by-Step Evolution. While you are in this Transformation, if you would use the Transformation Maneuver to transform into the Full Power or Shattered Limits Transformation, with the Transformation you were previously in chosen as the Maximized Transformation, you may reduce the Stress Test Requirement for those Transformations by -2 and -3 respectively. This effect applies until you leave either of those Transformations, unless you are transforming from the Full Power Transformation to the Shattered Limits Transformation, at which point you would retain this effect as if you transformed from the Maximized Transformation directly into the Shattered Limits Transformation.

Mastery. Alternate Forms and Legendary Forms can both be mastered, increasing the effectiveness of those Transformations. Mastery is typically given by ARCs to show your progress through the use of the Transformation, but with ARC permission can be gained through Downtime Activities as well.

Some traits can be influenced and changed by mastering the transformation they are from. If these traits are gained through any other means, you gain them after the modifications made by mastery.

If an Alternate Form or Legendary Form has multiple stages, Mastery must be obtained for each individual stage.

New Level of Power. When you enter a Transformation for the first time, for the remainder of that Combat Encounter, treat its Stress Test as -1(T) lower and treat your Tier of Power as +1 higher (see – Breakthrough in Core Rules). When you gain a Tier of Power through this method, it counts as if it was your base Tier of Power for the sake of gaining actions through Power Advantage.

You cannot stack New Level of Power and you cannot gain New Level of Power if you have Transformed into that transformation previously (even if not during a Combat Encounter – such as during training or at some other point during your character’s lifespan, such as how Metamorphosis is a transformation they would have had to use previously as it is simply returning to your full power).

Stress Test

Stress Test. Transformations can be taxing; when you attempt to use a Transformation Maneuver, you will need to take a stress test. If successful you will transform; if you fail, you will not transform and cannot attempt to use the Transformation Maneuver to enter this transformation for the remainder of your turn (you do not suffer Stress Exhaustion). Additionally, when you reach a Health Threshold you will need to take a stress test. If successful, you maintain the Transformation, if you fail you will suffer from Stress Exhaustion (see – Stress Exhaustion, below).

The test represents the sustain cost and the toll a Transformation takes on your body. Making the Stress Test takes no time in-game and is rolled only when the rules call for it. Some forms do not have a listed stress test TN; these don’t require you to roll a Stress Test but typically have some other barrier to entry – such as the Oozaru transformation requiring a Full Moon. A Stress Test’s TN is commonly referred to as a Stress Test Requirement.

To make a stress test, roll a d10, add your Power Level and 1/2 of your base Personality Modifier. Do NOT add additional dice from Tier of Power. Stress tests cannot be modified by Combat Conditions and are Solid Dice. (See – Attacking & Conditions)

Stress Exhaustion. While in a Transformation, if you pass a Stress Test, you maintain your form. If the test is failed, you will immediately return to your normal state and lose that form’s benefits. When you return to your normal state, reduce your current Ki Points by -1/2 of their total, to a minimum of 10, then return your Capacity Rate and your Maximum Ki Point Pool to their normal values. If you willingly end any type of Transformation, reduce your current Ki Points by -1/4 of their total instead. This effect does not apply to Enhancement Powers unless they have the Exhausting Aspect.

Stress Exhaustion is the effect that occurs after you leave a Transformation: you cannot use the Transformation Maneuver while suffering from Stress Exhaustion. If you leave a Transformation and return to your normal state (without any Transformations active) voluntarily, you suffer the effects of Stress Exhaustion until the start of your next turn. If you leave a Transformation due to failing the Stress Test, you will suffer the effects of Stress Exhaustion for 3 Combat Rounds.

Returning to Normal. While using any type of Transformation other than Manifested Powers, if at any point you are Defeated or are reduced to 0 Ki Points, you will exit the Transformation automatically and suffer Stress Exhaustion as if you had failed a Stress Test even if the Transformation has the Natural Form Aspect. You cannot enter any type of Transformation other than Manifested Powers while Defeated or at 0 Ki Points.

An unconscious (e.g. asleep) character can maintain Transformations with Natural Form so long as they aren’t also Defeated and have more than 0 Ki.