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Body of the Mouse

Up until this level of mastery of Flesh Shintai is reached, Kuei-jin, even the penangallans, are generally limited to changing their bodies into shapes of roughly the same size and mass as their "true" form. Now they can transcend that restriction. With Body of the Mouse, they not only can alter their shape, they can become smaller in the process. Many Kuei-jin find this power extremely useful for sneaking into forbidden areas, spying on their rivals, and so forth.

System: The player spends a point of Yang Chi and rolls

Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7). For every success, the Kuei- jin may reduce his size by half, to a maximum of one inch tall. (Thus, two successes means the Kuei-jin is one-fourth normal height.) The Kuei-jin may also change shape, just like the power Ten Thousand Forms (Kindred of the East, p. 117).

Body of the Serpent

This power makes the Kuei-jin's entire body flexible, as if it were made out of rubber. He is able to stretch his limbs or

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enough simply to "pour" through. While using Body of the Serpent, the Kuei-jin is considered to have three points of armor against all physical attacks such as punches, kicks, knives, and bullets; this armor does not apply against damage such as fire or Discipline powers.

torso, bend them at impossible angles, squeeze through small spaces, and resist most forms of physical damage.

System: The player spends two points of Yang Chi; no roll is

required, and the Kuei-jin remains in Body of the Serpent form until he chooses to return to normal form or the next dawn occurs. While in Serpent form, the Kuei-jin may stretch his limbs and/or body up to one foot per point of permanent Yang Chi that he possesses. Unlike Long Neck, the skin stretches along with bones and muscles. While he is stretching, his body and bones have the consistency of firm rubber. The Kuei-jin can, for example, bend in ways that a body is not supposed to bend. He can fit through spaces as narrow as three inches wide, though the smaller the space, the longer it takes him to ooze through; his body is not fluid

feet tall or wide and several tons. The most disgusting or terrifying forms imaginable can be assumed with this power.

System: The Kuei-jin concentrates for a turn while the player

spends a point of Willpower and two points

Bloat

Despite its distasteful (to some) name, this power is actually a favorite for many Flesh Shintai masters. It allows them to absorb enormous amounts of Yang Chi from the surrounding area, which causes them to grow and expand their bodies, thus increasing their combat abilities.

System: The Kuei-jin concentrates for a turn and the player

spends a point of Willpower and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7). He gains +1 Strength and +1 Stamina for every success rolled, with a minimum of +3 to each Attribute; this effect lasts until the Kuei-jin chooses to return to normal size, or the next dawn occurs. The Kuei-jin's Appearance decreases by one point for every point of Strength and Stamina he gains (to я minimum of 1). Although я Kuei-jin using Bloat becomes grossly obese as well as extremely tall, while under the effect of this power he does not suffer any reduction to his Dexterity or ability to move. However, his size may prevent him from walking through normal doorways (unless he is willing to damage them), fitting into cars and other vehicles, riding horses, and similar activities.

Because this Discipline depends on ambient Yang Chi, it may not work well, or at all, in areas that are extremely Yang- Chi deficient. If, in the Storyteller's estimation, the area has little Yang Chi, the difficulty of the roll should increase by one or two. If there is no (or almost no) Yang Chi available, it cannot be used at all. Under no circumstances can this power be used in the Yin World.

Unchaining the Form

This level of Flesh Shintai mastery allows a Kuei-jin to change his form with little regard for his mass. He can assume any shape he wishes, of any size or mass, from a half-inch tall and about a quarter kilogram, to hundreds of

of Yang СЫ, and rolls Perception + Athletics (difficulty 6). If successful, he can change his shape as described above. This change does not occur instantly; it takes a few seconds to add or subtract each foot of height or breadth. Thus, while a Kuei-jin can make himself as large as a skyscraper with this power, should he for some reason wish to do so, it will take him a long time. While changing shape in this way, the Kuei-jin cannot move more than a foot or two, thus, rendering him vulnerable to attack or discovery.

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If the character wishes to add strange or unusual features to his body, he may choose them from the list of Demon Shintai Characteristics, or with the Storyteller's approval, make up his own features (and related effects).