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Partial Shift

Expression: Partial Shift

AX.GHW.08.07.01

You don't have to go all the way. You never had to go all the way.

Partial Shift is the most immediately useful expression of Pact-Shifting in practical, day-to-day hidden-world work. The ability to deploy claws without full transformation, enhance senses without triggering the morphological changes, or increase physical density without the obvious animal characteristics that mark a full shift; these are the capabilities that let a Skinchanger operate in human-facing environments without blowing the Veil every time they need an edge.

The full shift is a blunt instrument. It is powerful, unambiguous, and obvious. Partial Shift is the scalpel version: precise, controlled, useful in contexts where the sledgehammer approach would be a problem.

Partial Shift- Applications

Isolated Feature (Free Action, Threshold 1–2)

The practitioner deploys a single specific feature from their pact's physical expression without triggering the full transformation.

  • Minor feature (cosmetic or minor sensory enhancement): Threshold 1. Examples: eyes shifting to reflect animal light-gathering (dim-light vision perk), sharpened hearing, slight increase in scent detection. No physical morphological change visible to casual observation.
  • Significant feature (functional combat or physical enhancement): Threshold 2. Examples: claws extending to the Claws lineage perk's mechanical value; muscle density increasing for one physical action with the pact's full physical bonus; scent sharpening to full supernatural tracking quality. These changes are visible on close physical inspection and may be detectable as wrong to observers who look carefully.

Duration: Until the end of the current scene or until the practitioner deactivates the feature (Free Action). Multiple features can be active simultaneously, but each additional feature past the first requires its own roll, and the combined Threshold must be met in full on each (not cumulative, each roll is independent, but each subsequent roll in the scene is Strained).

Scaling: Excess successes on a significant feature extend its duration (1 excess = until Long Rest) or allow it to remain fully invisible to casual inspection, not just close observation (1 excess).

Functional Partial (Primary Action, Threshold 3)

The practitioner maintains two or more significant pact features simultaneously in a deliberately chosen partial-form configuration. This is the operational expression of Partial Shift, deploying the most useful elements of the pact's physical expression without the all-or-nothing of full transformation.

Example configurations (not exhaustive): - Enhanced physical performance partial: claws + increased muscle density + acute scent. Social viability: low. Combat effectiveness: high. - Observation partial: acute scent + enhanced hearing + eyes. Social viability: high (barely visible). Combat effectiveness: low. - Resilience partial: muscle density + Regeneration/Minor (if the lineage perk is available) + thickened skin equivalent. Social viability: moderate (the practitioner looks slightly wrong). Combat effectiveness: moderate.

The practitioner defines their intended configuration when rolling. The GM adjudicates what is possible within the pact's established features. Features not present in the Skinchanger's lineage perk list are not available through Partial Shift.

Duration: Scene.

Scaling: Excess successes allow one additional feature per 2 excess, or extend duration (1 excess = until Long Rest).

Backlash:

  • Minor: One feature the practitioner wasn't trying to activate comes online anyway, the pact insists. The GM chooses which feature from the pact's available options. It runs at full expression for the remainder of the scene and cannot be suppressed by the practitioner.
  • Moderate: The partial pushes toward full. The practitioner must succeed on a Controlled Form suppression roll (Threshold 3) as a Free Action or the shift triggers fully. If they succeed, they hold the partial but are Strained. If they fail, the full shift initiates on their next Turn.
  • Severe: Full shift triggers immediately, against the practitioner's intention. They are in full animal form as of the start of their next Turn. They retain their consciousness and motivation; they do not retain their human form, social access, or equipment. Duration: until the end of the current scene or until they successfully use Controlled Form to reverse it (Threshold 4 while in full form).