Shapeshifting, Necromancy, and more!

Shapeshifting​

The ability to shapeshift.... found in many games and in the lore of many stories. Sometimes called Druidism (WoW, Skyrim mod, etc) the ability to shapeshift has always been my favorite power. My favorite classes/races are animal(ish) (think tauren or worgen from WoW, or Avians and Apex from starbound) and always have the ability to shapeshift. To transform. To become an animal. To change from humanoid form, to animal form. This power can be phenomenal when used correctly, or when over-used can be deadly. If you turn into animals for too long, you will be forced to stay as that animal for a few minutes, then if you stay that way, a few more minutes. Into hours. If you wanted to, you could be stuck for days. The max time you could be in the shapeshifted form would be 2 minutes (THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE)You can be in the form for as long as you live. How can you shapeshift you might ask? Well you need to touch an animal. By touch, I mean get hit by the animal. Get smacked by a bear. Clawed by a tiger. Yes, you will be hurt, but you will have the power to turn into the animal of which you got hit. Of course, you would need a special artifact to have this power. The artifact would be very hard to get. You would need to pass many a test, they would be based on the most common/important animals and their powers, and how you would need to use them wisely, as this power is not intended for you to go crazy as a ________ and slaughter everything in sight, it is to use for dire situations or, well, to go crazy as a ________ and slaughter everything in sight. Maybe the strongest creature you could become is a dragon or a dinosaur (considering they are added to the game). UPDATE: Also, these animals would have many different powers. EX: A wolf form could run faster then a bear form, but the bear form can run longer. (I know thats not right IRL, but for balence purposes..) The bear form would obviously attack stronger, but the wolf form attacks faster and could be in a pack. You CAN become bosses, but only if you completely master the art of shapeshifting. When you become the boss, you will be a slightly weaker version of it, just enough so its not OP. It will require a LOT of stones, and you will need to beat the boss. UPDATE: Sneaking. It is basically the natural equivalent for cloaking. If you get to close to a mob, you will be visible. If you are hiding behind something, you wont even need to sneak to be hidden. If you are sneaking in grass, you will be able to get even closer to your target. Some mobs will be more alert then others though. The only difference between Cloaking and Sneaking, is sneaking makes you move slower, while cloaking takes up energy. REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BIG UPDATE: Now added the Necromancy part, please suggest and I will add . COMEON GUYS, I need help . If this is to be added I think it needs more support . GARGANTUON UPDATE: Space/Starboundian Forms!!!! ITS TEH PURPLE SECTION!! Another Update: As animals, any animal, you can feast apon the carcass of your prey! You will be able to eat leaves, veggies, and fruit as a herbivore and omnivore, and meat and dead carcasses as a omnivore and carnivore. As a herbivore/carnivore you get better bonuses, but food is more restricted, but as a omnivore you get less bonuses bit your food options are bigger! DRAGONIC UPDATE: Added Dragons ​

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For all you TL;DR's out there: You can shapeshift into creatures using stones you find in temples, and you need to collect samples of the animal.​

Suggested Forms.​

This shall be where people (me and everyone else) say and put forms and powers for the forms. KEEP IN MIND NOT ALL OF THESE WILL BE ADDED EVEN IF MY IDEA GETS ADDED!​

Killer Snowmans idea: A Caterpillar who basically eats leaves to regenerate HP, and can sneak around people without getting caught. Can also sense next winter. Also, if you somehow manage to kill someone using your extremely small teeth, people will try to kill you, as they will see you arent a caterpiller. Also farmers will give you high fives and maybe some free stuff, like yummy apples. Mmm... apples.....Anyway, next is the Mosquito. Basically the same, but it can fly around and suck blood for HP. If spotted however, fly away ASAP! People will try to kill you and 1 shot you. Another is the first water creature! Ze Crab! He is good with stealth, and has better defenses then bugs. He can also attack by grabbing people by the nose with his claws!​

Axe Garians idea: Wyverns. The little brother of dragons. They don't have arms, just legs and wings. They can fly for extremely long periods of time, and are very fast. They lack the intelligence of their larger cousins, so they often use hit and run tactics. They typically have acid/poison breath, not of flame. They are much less honorable, killing people like they don't care. They are pretty wild and they usually do the "pick up, fly high, and drop" tactic on weaker creatures. They don't even really get along with each other. And if things get bad, they run away just to save their own neck. They are very cunning and opportunistic. And they are very, very dangerous.​

Land Forms.​

Perhaps the most often thought of Forms a shapeshifter can be. There are bears, wolves, cats, reptiles, amphibians, bugs, land birds, rodents, herbivores, and many more! I shall go over the most common. Bears have very very tough skin, so they can take a LOT of damage without going down. They are also very powerful but attack and move slowly. They can run kinda fast for a pretty long while. Wolves attack faster but are weaker and have weaker skin. They can run fast for a medium time. You can howl and call in 3 wolves to help until they die/you change form. Cats like lions and tigers are in the middle of those two, but have acess to medium amounts of stealth. Leopards and Panthers however, are about the same as wolves, but have high stealth. Crocs and alligators can swim pretty good, and can stay underwater for a nice amount of time, and they have really good armor (except for their belly). They also deal LARGE damage, but attack slowly. If they can grab an enemy, and do a death roll with it underwater, its basically insta killed. Komodo Dragons run fast for very short bursts, but are as strong as wolves and have extremely deadly poison. Hit and run tactics favor this guy. Ostriches can run as fast as a horse, but not as long, but deals more damage with its kick. Small rats and mice can infiltrate bases and homes with ease. Herbivores like Deer and Horses eat foliage (plants) for hp and they run (or prance, in the deers case) really fast for a long time. Herbies (Herbivores) like the Elephant, however, run slowly and for short distances, but have more tough skin then the bear by far, and attack for large damage. And you will get left alone because you are huge.​

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Air Forms.​

You can also be a bird and have the ability to fly. And yes you can attack. Hawks would be in the middle of attack and speed, Falcons would be the fastest, but weakest, and Eagles would be the slowest, but strongest. Starboundian creatures would vary, as i do not know many of them . You can also be a bat, they will be slightly slower then a falcon, but their attacks give a DoT (damage over time) of poison, and they can see in the dark. If possible, they can have some sort of echolocation, which will allow them to see around corners and in tunnels that the normal eye cannot see, with night vision or not (basically allowing them to see behind walls, without needing to break the wall ). The bats poison would leech life, it would deal damage, but return some/all of the damage dealt as health (Added by Killer Snowman!) . The bats and birds are very fragile. Also, as a bird, you have powerful vision, so you can *zoom in* with the potency of a sniper rifle. When you're a bird, not a bat, you can "dive". So when you fly straight down or angled down, you will get a large speed increase. Say, when you're going 70 mph normally as a falcon, diving will get you 150 mph. Hawks 60 mph, 130 mph. Eagles 60 mph, 110 mph. This might make Eagles seem irrelevant, but their defense is large against falcons. It would take 3 bullets to take falcons down, but 7 to take down a eagle (5 vs a hawk).​

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Aquatic Forms.​

There are also water creatures. These consist of Sharks, whales, dolphins, fish, and many more! Sharks are pretty slow but can go fast in short bursts, and deal heavy damage. No one, and i mean NO ONE, messes with whales. Except for maybe the Colossal Squid, but we'll get into that later. Dolphins are really really fast, and can sometimes be in groups or pairs. If they do their headbutt while going fast, they can be pretty strong as well. Then there are the little cute fish. They swim in large groups and go medium speed. Not much to them, mostly they are used to travel in small holes and underwater caverns, but basically everyone wants to kill them lol. Crabs and lobsters live on the bottom of the sea, walking around and being awesome. Now, onto the Octopuses and Squids. These guys are... weird, at best. Best camouflage available, able to change texture and color instantaneously, and they can get pretty darn big. They are pretty slow, unless they sprint. Then they use their jet-propelled swimming technique. They can also then deploy their ink. The only real downside is that they are pretty weak, unless your a colossal squid, or get a sneak attack.​

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Dinosaur Forms.​

The power to become a DINOSAUR. Tell me that does not scream to be added. This is only for high-max level shapeshifters. You can become Velociraptors, Stegosaurases, T-Rexes, Gigantosauroses, and a ton of other long named, prehistoric beasties! They have amoung the highest power, and they look SO FREAKIN AWESOME!! T-Rexes would be very slow, but their bites are very powerful. Velociraptors are the fastest dino form, and their sprinting claw kicks deal a lot of burst, but you need to be sprinting for 3 seconds to accomplish, so best used as an opener. Stegosaurases are slow, and you can eat veggies to regain HP, but the way the attack is with their spiky, long, thick tail. Gigantosauroses are the largest form. They are basically a bigger T-Rex, that dont do as much biting damage, but they use claw attacks that do overall more DPS. You can also become those tiny little dinos, <insert name here>, that are 2nd fastest, but you can "call" (summon) a pack, similar to wolves, that follow you till death/you become a different form.​

Space/Starboundian Forms​

What? Space forms? Shapeshifting is a old magick, used to become the creatures of nature!!!​

Yes, but in Starbound, we are in the future, heck, we ARE the future! WE Shapeshifters can become the Starboundian creatures and alienic creatures. We can fly and float in space, travelling the galaxy in "animal" form! This can be done without your ship so its more mobile and convenient, but the distance you can travel is smaller. You can, however, find random alien ships (even when camouflaged, you bump into them and they flicker) and then you can fight and raid them! You will be a true Space Scourger, but a natural, more unexpected one. Being a Starboundian creature will have strange and special effects, as they are so amazing! The "deer" for example, there was a dark one so you will use its powers, perhaps teleport and horn stab! The ice deer might freeze opponents. These forms are very, very, very broad. THIS will make being a Shapeshifter addicting. Sure, so will the Darkbound, normal animals, aquatic forms, flying forms (those two, i have amazing ideas for :O), and the way to get those forms is all extremely interesting and fairly unique, in my opinion. But these forms will be so varied and so strange, it will be mind wrackingly amazing.​

This... we, are the future. Are we not?​

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Dragon Forms.​

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Dragons. Some might argue that this is a sci-fi game, so no dragons allowed murph murph murphy, BUT I believe dragons will be added. If they are, then this will be awesome even if this isnt implemented, but if it is.... the Dovahkiin got nothin on this. These forms are for a skilled shapeshifter, but not necissarily master. Some forms you need to be a master, but most you dont. There are MANY types of dragons, and just as many forms. The first one is not required for you to be a master, it is the Basilisk. Some might be saying that its a bird thingy with a lizard face, THAT IS NOT TRUE. The Basilisk is a serpent (snake) with a crown-like structure on his head, and they move by springing forward. Their skill is to shoot a gas that stays for a while, then disappears. It does a fair amount of damage, then does a long lasting, largely damaging DoT. Then there is the Wyvern. He requires you to be nearly a master, and his skill is his barbed tail. You stab people to cause damage, and then a DoT poison occurs. There are also common dragons, the Greens. While they are the most commonly thought of, they are the biggest and deal much damage. Their fire breath isnt the strongest, but its still horrifically damaging, and it can slash, bite, and slam its tail. He can also fly, of course. There is the Thunder dragon, who is the smallest (Not counting the Basilisk), but he is the fastest of all. He has lightning breath that does a fair amount of damage, and bounces between enemies. He can obviously fly, but his roar lets him go even faster, but cannot attack during this time. It is said that within the duration of this, the dragon can travel around a whole planet with ease. Next, the Infernal Dragon. He is the master of the fire breath! His is the strongest with fire, 2nd smallest however, and he is the only one that can breathe a fireball that explodes on contact (not breaking any blocks however). Perhaps the strangest Dragon, is the one of the Earth. The Stone Dragon, as it is commonly called, is the 2nd largest. He can slash, bite, and tail slam like the Green dragon (albeit weaker), but cannot breath fire and cannot fly. What he can do, however, is an amazing skill. His roar allows him to run through walls, and make tunnels without needing to mine. (This feature is probably the hardest to add, I understand. What would happen is he would jump upwards, gain wings made of stone, and allow him to "Fly" through almost anything. W goes up, A left, D right, S down.) There is also, finally, the dragons of Ying and Yang. Light and Dark, dawn and twilight (Breaking dawn part 2). They are of the middle sizes. The Shadow dragon is the most mysterious, he cannot breathe fire, but instead can roar and make all the enemies enraged, and they fight eachother. He can also become invisible and teleport around. The Light dragon can breath a blast of shining light that illuminates caves and makes creatures passive, for a moment (doesn't work for bosses). She emanates light, and no humane mob dares strike her down (animals will), unless they are pure evil, and/or hunt dragons. *MIGHT CHANGE LIGHT DRAGONS SKILLS LATER, SEEMS KINDA OP*​

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The Darkbound.​

created by the LEGENDARY Ghostar​

Not all shapeshifters are good.... some adopt evil powers. Yes. They find evil powers in an adoption center. But what they actually find, to their horror, is the Darkbound. Evil creatures, not even creatures, DEMONS!!! Yet somehow, you have the ability to transform into them. This power comes with a price, however. All of your normal animal forms are now corrupt looking and evil. Being a darkbound is very hard. You need to kill them and collect many of their evil parts. BE CAREFUL, DO NOT BECOME INFECTED. This is not the easy way to become a darkbound, this will remove your power to shapeshift completely until you cure yourself. Once you collect enough parts, you go to the Darkbound temple**, filled with powerful and evil darkbound. Get to the temples peak and then you will find a strange obsidian plate. Put in 25-100* strange stones in it and the plate, and mix them with the darkbound parts. You now have a darkbound artifact with the ability to transform into the darkbound that the parts were of, and can now use their power. Have..... fun.​

*: These forms are very very powerful, and these strange stones aren't normal ones. They are found on the Darkbounds home, dangerously near the core and the Darkbound queen. You can NOT become the Queen, as her power is far too powerful for even the strongest shapeshifter to handle.​

**: These temples are found underground. They are MASSIVE, but often have an extreme amount of Darkboundian strange stones. They are also filled with darkbound, so bring your best gear and strongest forms.​

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This is often called a suicide mission. Incredibly difficult, only a fool would come here without mastering the art of shapeshifting. As i said, even then, it's called a suicide mission.​

Prove them wrong.​

(i will keep adding to this, dont worry if this seems short)​

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And now.... the moment i have all been waiting for.....​

A new type of this..... it is called.....​

Necromancy.​

Disclaimer: It is a completely different idea, if shapeshifting gets added this might not, and vice versa.​

I listed the ability to be one with nature, to shapeshift and such. But for some, this isnt enough. For some, they dont want to like animals. They want to be badass and stuff. So they resort to probably the most widely known and looked down apon form of dark magic, Necromancy. You can summon the dead to do your bidding, basically. You will have these soul crystals, and when you kill mobs they slowly fill. There will be weaker, smaller gems that are easy to fill, and harder bigger stronger ones that have more rewards, but harder to fill. For big crystals you cant just farm little mobs, you need to kill big and strong ones. Most of the small crystals would be able to summon a skeleton/zombie or maybe a zombie dog, medium would summon bigger and more dangerous zombies, maybe a small werewolf, large would summon a HUGE zombie or a large werewolf. You also will have spells and abilitys to steal life from enemies to heal yourself and/or minions. REMEMBER, THIS WILL KEEP BEING ADDED TO BY ME, AND BY YOU!!! Suggestions open, do not hesitate to suggest about this new idea, I am still adding to it, and it shall hopefully be a gargantuan update! You could also use some life leeching spells to do damage and take HP.​

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Suggestions​

Suggestion by Angry Muffin: An artifact for every animal (you cant turn into EVERY animal you see, alot, but not all) and you'd need to encounter the animal to become it.​

Suggestion by Fuzbal: You'd need to train to become the animal, and you would need to get special stones to transform into the animal. Perhaps requiring more then one stone? (more stones depending on how strong the animal is, max 10, min 1. ex: a common wolf might need 3-4 stones, but a demon wolf needs 6-7​

Suggestion by Tehlonelydonut: 1. Go and murdah an animal, and take something from it. Claws, fur, etc. (Tiger) 2. Get a statuette from a temple similar to the habitat that the animal lives in. (Jungle/Forest) 3. Get sacred stones from the temple. (It's a big temple) 4. Craft the animal bit, the statuette, and the sacred stones, on the temple's sacred table, to make an animal transformation artifact.​

Suggestion by Axe Garian: The longer you have the power stone/artifact to transform and the more you use it to attack and stuff, you will master it after some time, and then have the ability to use the form to its full extent, this would require a LOT of work, as great power takes time to master and sharpen. Perhaps its harder with much more powerful forms and easier with more common/weaker ones (not to a HUGE extent, just a little difference. It will be hard either way)​

Suggestion by Killer Snowman: Basically what tehlonelydonut said, except for the murdah the animal part. You would have to tame then and extract DNA. And maybe you need to spend time with the animal to learn "the ways" of how it lives and fights.​

Suggestion by Master Geass: Maybe those rare stones could be used to make the masks along with pieces of what ever it is you are going to turn into.​

Suggestion by Killer Snowman: When you completely master two forms, you can mix them together (ex: Sharktopus). It would be kinda like splicing. Maybe you need a single statue, but it is really rare, as this can be pretty powerful, or very silly (DodoRaptor).​

Suggestion by §hifter: In between shifting forms, you will be in "smoke mode" for a second or so. You cant take damage and can pass through blocks, although you cant deal damage in this mode, and its very short.​

Suggestion by Axe Garian: Since there will be stealth, if you are a fox or raccoon you can be like a spy, but if you talk to people as the animal they will treat you suspiciously, unless they are very gullible ​

Suggestion by The Enderman: For necromancers, you would have the ability to steal others life, this makes up for the lack of protection.​

Suggestion by Axe Garian: Have the ability to shapeshift into some sort of undead creature, without the need to be dead in the first place!​

Suggestion by Axe Garian: Maybe the Sci-Fi "DNA" idea can be combined with the "Stones" Idea to create... the "Alien Artifact" idea, Ben 10 style! Extract DNA, feed it into the Alien Artifact Bracer, & the Bracer transforms you into that Creature temporarily! Ya get better at it with use, get more control of the ability as ya use it more frequently, & ya can 'Load' Transformations into the Bracer or 'Unload' them out of the Bracer & into a seperate Artifact that stores DNA Info to make room for new discoveries (aka stronger creatures from higher difficulty planets) to get stronger & stronger at this stuff as ya practice & explore with it more. It would be kinda like a Accessory-powered Advanced Class!​

DISCUSS this, and i ask you to discuss this question: Should you be able to get multiple forms over the amount of which they get hit? Like if you get hit by a bear and a tiger and a lion, should you be able to turn into all of them whenever you want, or just the last one you got hit by? And perhaps also how to get this artifact, but more in detail then i did . Also suggest some forms and what powers they would have (croc would have ____, cat would have _______, etc) . Suggest please about the Animals, and dragons too. Also if enough people say to remove Necromancy then I will, that doesnt fit quite well.​

Let me say one more time....​

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PLEASE PLEASE keep suggesting about these things . It would really, really, really help.

>O> DISCUSS!!!!! <O< ​

 

I frickin love shape shifting in games, but I believe it should only be accessible to a weak race. Also I like the artifacts idea, but I'd like to make an artifact for each animal, but you'd need to encounter the animal before you could make an artifact.

Great idea btw.

 

cool idea, not sure I have a whole lot to say, maybe you would need some kind of training to be different animals, plus get a special stone or something. maybe there should be more than one stone?

 

Maybe more stones depending on the power of the animal. Max 10, minimum 1. A common wolf would need about 3-4 stones, but a demon wolf might need 7-8?

Perhaps the hardest creature to become would be a Dragon :O

 

I haz an idea:
1. Go and murdah an animal, and take something from it. Claws, fur, etc. (Tiger)
2. Get a statuette from a temple similar to the habitat that the animal lives in. (Jungle/Forest)
3. Get sacred stones from the temple. (It's a big temple)
4. Craft the animal bit, the statuette, and the sacred stones, on the temple's sacred table, to make an animal transformation artifact.

Notes: The different animals can have different buffs, like a hawk artifact allowing you to fly, or a shark one allowing you to swim fast. Better buffs and the duration of said buffs will require more sacred stone to make the artifact with. Or if you make an artifact with more sacred stones, the buffs will be more pronounced. More swimming speed, longer and faster flight, more defense, etc.

So say you make a hawk artifact with 10 stones, and another with 25. The artifact with 25 stones would allow you to fly farther and faster than the other artifact.

 

Suggestion: The Stones for that Animal have to be equipped & stay equipped, & as ya spend time as that Animal in Transformation & use it's powers/attacks such, you gain Experience at it (Stored in the Stones until Power Mastery) & eventually, after lots of training, dedication, & dead Monster Bodies, you Master that Animal Transformation forever & from then on, you can use that Transformation at will without the help of those particular Stones, then ya can Equip other Stones for training in other Transformations.

It feels right for a strong power like Transformation to take hard work & dedication to master, power is not a toy after all... it's not something some dumb undisciplined bugger should be able to just get ahold of & be able to use effortlessly for no reason at all whatsoever.

 

So if you completely master it, you can turn into it at any time? This all seems like a great thing to go with Doobnuts idea :O
You see, my goal for this thread is that the more ideas people say, the bigger and better it will get.
Just like skill.

 

I mean, gamewise, that makes sense. But... as a shapeshifter... who shapeshifts into these animals... Don't you think they'd have some kind of attachment to them? Maybe, you have to tame them instead, and extract DNA in a lab or something.

Perhaps you have to actually spend some time with the animal you are going to shapeshift into to learn "its ways". This way, you could unlock better abilities and whatnot.

Also, this would let me live out my dream to play a game as a dodo bird... Or... oh man... a caterpillar! YES![/quote]

 

I have a question, what is the shape shifting benefits apart from pvp? Do you receive the creature's abilities?

 

This is @ Killer snowman
I like the learn the ways part, that sounds really cool
Added to op

Yeah im gonna add that. You do get the abilitys. It could be increased speed (most forms have that), a sprint ability (if thats not normal) or more stamina (so you can sprint farther).
This is all depending on the animal.
EX: Wolves could run faster then bears, but bears can run longer (this isnt true IRL i know, but it would need balence). The bear would attack much stronger, but the wolf attacks faster and could be in packs.
Being able to be a hawk or falcon and fly is still being considered, it might be OP if you could do it forever, but in a few short bursts might be fine (unless flight is easily acessable anyway)

 

Would you be able to shape shift into bosses?

 

...You...can...play...as...a...caterpillar/dodo bird/BUNNEH. (if in game)
A caterpillar/dodo bird/BUNNEH who KILLS.
That warrants a purchase all in itself for me.

But... Since you asked...
It would probably provide "buffs" as tehlonelydonut mentioned. Maybe enhanced speed or enhanced strangth, or if you're a caterpillar, enhanced AWESOMENESS and WINTER PREDICTABILITY.

EDIT: EpicFace... I was writing my reply just before you posted yours. CURSES.

 

This is @ Scruffy.
This is restricted to animals, as you might know.
Depends.... if the boss is extremely powerful with many powers and such that if you could become it, it would be OP.
So i would have to say no, but the ability to shapeshift into all the other normal animals is good enough I think

Added to the Shapeshift part at the bottom of it

 

Well what if the boss is an animal

 

Quote by EpicFace "Depends.... if the boss is extremely powerful with many powers and such that if you could become it, it would be OP."

 

When do Players ever get to be bosses... ever...? This is one of the reasons why Boss Fights are so big for us Players, we exercise our jealousy that we don't ever get to be Bosses!

Will we get to Transform into Starbound Animals, like Pok-Took?

 

I've played a few games were you could shapeshift. Like The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask & Twilight Princess as well as two of the Shadow Hearts games. Graffiti Kingdom was also fun. I liked using masked to transform. Maybe those rare stones could be used to make the masks along with pieces of what ever it is you are going to turn into.

 

Sir, I cannot describe what I feel towards this with mere words. So, here's a picture:

In other words; I think that this is an awesome idea and I would totally love to see it in the game. The Sorcerer approves

 

1. It cant be extremely OP, please understand where I'm comin from here. But maybe at a really high rank (master rank) of being a shapeshifter, you can be a slightly less powerful version of the boss. They would have amazing powers however.
2. Obviously, without being able to do that this power would be pretty minuscule.

Nice idea, and added to OP

Thank you friend!
Gentleman and a scholar mixed together is a werewolf.
Logic.

 

Look at MegaMan X Seven: Command Mission. Axl was the most OP person in the game. If he was on your team when you defeated a boss, he would "capture" the boss, and in later battles, could transform into the bosses.

At the mention of Majora's Mask, my inner child just sprang back to life. Am now going to find MM and play the living hell out of it.

YOU BROKE DA ROOLZ