Form Traditions
Form Traditions
AX.C.08.03.03
The transformation of physical structure, biological, material or constructed.
Form Traditions alter what things are at a fundamental level: their shape, their composition, their living state, their relationship to a category of existence. This includes shapeshifting, biological modification, construct animation and the manipulation of the threshold between life and non-life.
Default Attribute tendency: Body (physical transformation) for biological Form Traditions; Wit (design, inscription, programming) for constructed or animated Form Traditions. Both are equally valid expressions of the same category.
Design scope for Genre Catalogs: Form Traditions should define what can be transformed (self, others, objects, materials, living state), how permanent transformations are, what the cost of maintaining an altered form is, and what the limits of transformation are (mass conservation, energy requirements, complexity ceiling). Permanent or large-scale Form effects should require High or Epic Thresholds with Full Rest recovery.
Common Genre Labels
| Setting Type | Form Tradition Labels |
|---|---|
| Fantasy | Shapeshifting, Lycanthropy, Golem-Binding, Necromancy |
| Modern/Hard Fantasy | Biohacking, Construct Animation, Song-Smithing |
| Sci-Fi | Nanoform, Synthetic Rebuild, Genetic Rewriting, Drone Control |
| Horror | Mutation, Corruption, Parasite Cultivation |
Defining characteristics:
- Effects alter the category or composition of the subject, not just its behavior
- Transformation effects are often the most difficult to reverse (Form Backlash frequently leaves lasting physical traces)
- Permanent Form alterations require Epic Thresholds; temporary ones scale normally
- Form Traditions frequently carry the strongest ethical and social weight in a setting, what it means to permanently alter a living being is culturally significant in most Genre Catalogs