The new Racial Transmogrification ritual is neat. However, I have a couple clarifications regarding its ritual text and how it compares to the text of its older sibling, Racial Transformation. On the surface, “This ritual just turns you into a new race for 5 days” seems simple, but there are a few nitpicky details in real-world execution to hammer out along the way.
Clarification 1:
The Racial Transformation ritual involves the target dissipating to resurrect in the form of the new race, though this step is not included in Racial Transmogrification. While this dissipation/resurrection narratively served a role in the target “reforming a new body”, it also served the out-of-game function of bringing the player out-of-game so as to change their racial makeup/prosthetics accordingly before returning to the in-game setting. As currently written, Racial Transmogrification creates scenarios where a player is expected to instantly become a different race without that out-of-game “makeover” period, which seems problematic.
Example: I’m a Dark Elf. I have a Racial Transformation cast on me to become a Human. I dissipate, and while out-of-game after the dissipation, I go take off my ears and clean off all my Dark Elf makeup, then go to resurrect as a Human once I’m no longer looking Dark Elfy. 15 minutes later, a big scary NPC successfully hits me with a “Spell Strike Racial Transmogrification” in the middle of a fight and I decide that Humans are boring and I want to go back to being a Dark Elf. I’m in the middle of the battlefield, but I’m supposed to instantly be wearing full gray makeup and elf ears to appropriately represent my race, which I obviously don’t have. ("Trust me guys, I'm totally a dark elf; I've just got the pox and it makes me reeeeaaaaallly pale until we can get back to my cabin for a few minutes!")
Is the lack of a built-in out-of-game “racial makeover period” intentional with Racial Transmogrification? If so, how best should players engage in the Racial Transmogrification and instantaneously becoming another race on the spot (whether on the field as in the example or in a regular casting), especially if it requires the extensive application/removal of makeup/prosthetics?
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Clarification 2:
The Racial Transformation ritual includes the following text: “Any racial skills of the Target Spirit’s current Player Race are lost and their XP refunded. New racial skills specific to the new Chosen Player Race may be gained in their place depending on the amount of XP refunded to the player."
Racial Transmogrification does not include that text. That said, does a Transmogrified target get the ability to refund/respend Racial XP in the same manner, or do they retain the Racial Skills of their original race during their time as the temporary race?
Example: I’m a Wylderkin with the Claws skill purchased (for 8 XP). I have a Racial Transmogrification cast on me to become a Biata. Do I get to respend the 8 XP from Claws on applicable Biata Racial skills for the next 5 days, or do I get to be a Biata with Claws for the next 5 days? ("Behold my claws, I'm deeeeefinitely a for-realsy Gryphon rider and not a con man imposter at all, kneel before my Gryphony might!")
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Clarification 3:
The Racial Transformation ritual includes the following text: “The target must have enough XP to have a valid character after any adjustments are made for lost racial skills and changes to skill costs, without losing any of their skills, otherwise the Ritual will fail.”
Racial Transmogrification does not include that text. That said, can a player use a Racial Transmogrification in a situation where their racial skills and changes to skill costs would make their character card illegal?
Example: I’m a Dwarf Fighter with 100 EXP. My entire character card is 50 ranks of Smithing, for 2 XP each (since I get a -1 cost to Smithing as a Dwarf). I have a Racial Transmogrification cast on me to become a Human. Since I lose my -1 cost to Smithing benefit of being a Dwarf, I now have 150 XP worth of Smithing on a 100 EXP character card. ("Aha, I'm overflowing with forge talent beyond what my beardless Human face could ever have hoped to imagine before now!")
As a temporary ritual that won’t last longer than an event, I’m honestly okay with allowing edge cases where people have illegal cards like that example (especially since it just changes the skill cost rather than actually giving extra skills they did not already possess before), but I want to confirm that is allowed and/or the intent before it comes up at an actual event.
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Clarification 4:
As a 1-hour duration Spellcraft ritual, the Racial Transmogrification scroll is consumed upon Spellcrafting, correct?
"When spellcrafting any Ritual with a normal duration of one hour or less, the Ritual Scroll is expended and should be immediately given to the Crafting Marshal." - 2.1 ARB, pg 82
Clarification 1:
The Racial Transformation ritual involves the target dissipating to resurrect in the form of the new race, though this step is not included in Racial Transmogrification. While this dissipation/resurrection narratively served a role in the target “reforming a new body”, it also served the out-of-game function of bringing the player out-of-game so as to change their racial makeup/prosthetics accordingly before returning to the in-game setting. As currently written, Racial Transmogrification creates scenarios where a player is expected to instantly become a different race without that out-of-game “makeover” period, which seems problematic.
Example: I’m a Dark Elf. I have a Racial Transformation cast on me to become a Human. I dissipate, and while out-of-game after the dissipation, I go take off my ears and clean off all my Dark Elf makeup, then go to resurrect as a Human once I’m no longer looking Dark Elfy. 15 minutes later, a big scary NPC successfully hits me with a “Spell Strike Racial Transmogrification” in the middle of a fight and I decide that Humans are boring and I want to go back to being a Dark Elf. I’m in the middle of the battlefield, but I’m supposed to instantly be wearing full gray makeup and elf ears to appropriately represent my race, which I obviously don’t have. ("Trust me guys, I'm totally a dark elf; I've just got the pox and it makes me reeeeaaaaallly pale until we can get back to my cabin for a few minutes!")
Is the lack of a built-in out-of-game “racial makeover period” intentional with Racial Transmogrification? If so, how best should players engage in the Racial Transmogrification and instantaneously becoming another race on the spot (whether on the field as in the example or in a regular casting), especially if it requires the extensive application/removal of makeup/prosthetics?
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Clarification 2:
The Racial Transformation ritual includes the following text: “Any racial skills of the Target Spirit’s current Player Race are lost and their XP refunded. New racial skills specific to the new Chosen Player Race may be gained in their place depending on the amount of XP refunded to the player."
Racial Transmogrification does not include that text. That said, does a Transmogrified target get the ability to refund/respend Racial XP in the same manner, or do they retain the Racial Skills of their original race during their time as the temporary race?
Example: I’m a Wylderkin with the Claws skill purchased (for 8 XP). I have a Racial Transmogrification cast on me to become a Biata. Do I get to respend the 8 XP from Claws on applicable Biata Racial skills for the next 5 days, or do I get to be a Biata with Claws for the next 5 days? ("Behold my claws, I'm deeeeefinitely a for-realsy Gryphon rider and not a con man imposter at all, kneel before my Gryphony might!")
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Clarification 3:
The Racial Transformation ritual includes the following text: “The target must have enough XP to have a valid character after any adjustments are made for lost racial skills and changes to skill costs, without losing any of their skills, otherwise the Ritual will fail.”
Racial Transmogrification does not include that text. That said, can a player use a Racial Transmogrification in a situation where their racial skills and changes to skill costs would make their character card illegal?
Example: I’m a Dwarf Fighter with 100 EXP. My entire character card is 50 ranks of Smithing, for 2 XP each (since I get a -1 cost to Smithing as a Dwarf). I have a Racial Transmogrification cast on me to become a Human. Since I lose my -1 cost to Smithing benefit of being a Dwarf, I now have 150 XP worth of Smithing on a 100 EXP character card. ("Aha, I'm overflowing with forge talent beyond what my beardless Human face could ever have hoped to imagine before now!")
As a temporary ritual that won’t last longer than an event, I’m honestly okay with allowing edge cases where people have illegal cards like that example (especially since it just changes the skill cost rather than actually giving extra skills they did not already possess before), but I want to confirm that is allowed and/or the intent before it comes up at an actual event.
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Clarification 4:
As a 1-hour duration Spellcraft ritual, the Racial Transmogrification scroll is consumed upon Spellcrafting, correct?
"When spellcrafting any Ritual with a normal duration of one hour or less, the Ritual Scroll is expended and should be immediately given to the Crafting Marshal." - 2.1 ARB, pg 82
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