Asset - Therianthropy (Ritual) (Patreon)

DESIGN NOTES

Inspiration taken from bkrwm13's post on Reddit.

1st ability: This asset takes the chassis of the Invoke and Lightbearer rituals, taking from the first the imposing cost of enduring damage while taking from the latter the granting of a fixed value of the asset resource.

As opposed to the Invoke asset, I didn't make the Endure Harm move a cost of a weak hit result, but obligatory, in order to balance the fact that...

• On a hit, you are taking a fixed and considerable amount of the asset resource (morph). This is to abstract the fact that shapeshifting is not an ephemeral experience, but a bit more perdurable.
• On a strong hit, you would only be suffering -1 health or taking +1 momentum. In an average scenario, you are exchanging -2 health for four +1 additions to any move that leverages your form. The asset pushes you to burn momentum to perform this ritual in order to take full advantage of it, which fits the narrative intent of a shape-shifting scene.
• You can leverage the asset by making any move that would benefit your feral form, as opposed to the Invoke asset, which is limited to the Secure an Advantage and Face Danger moves. This is more in tune with the Lightbearer asset, which grants a +2 addition when leveraging the asset with any move. However, the framing condition of Lightbearer is so narrow (when you make a move to overcome or navigate darkness) that is understandable that makes you add such a high boon of +2. The framing condition of Therianthropy is so wide in contrast (when you make a move leveraging your feral form) that a +1 addition would be the fairest design choice to avoid breaking the odds. A +1 addition might not be a great boon, but it has never been the intention to make a powerful lycanthropy skill proper of the high fantasy genre. The general intent is conveying a subtle mysticism.
• Taking the +1 addition is optional (note the "you may"), which offers you the choice of using the asset resource (morph) any time. The consumption of morph is not forced.

2nd ability: Inflicting additional harm is appropriate to the nature of the asset. A boon to the Heal move (used in oneself) is in tune with the idea of having expertise in the control of the own body. However, since these two boons are offered in the same ability, and health and harm is such an impactful resource in the system, it is fair to set an exchange rate of -2 morph for 1 harm/health.

This ability also offers the possibility to entirely recover from the negative effects of the ritual and even gain additional health, under the gamble of the Endure Harm and Heal moves, by exchanging -4 morph for +2 additional health, or -6 morph for +3 additional health.