Tenser’s Transformation
CL/Dr 6, MU 7
Range: 10’ per level
Duration: Special (see below)
Area of Effect: One or more Daughters of Uther (see below)
Tenser’s Transformation temporarily suspends the antimagical bindings that keep a Daughter of Uther from unleashing the full power of the dragonstones she wields. It also strips the Daughter’s dragonstone core limiters, allowing for tremendous boost in strength and speed.
If not cast by a siren or shrike but by a battlemage or warpriest, this spell has the potential to "jump" to another shrke within 10' per level of the caster, triggering a sympathetic Transformation.
The shrike’s binders unravel, reweaving themselves into wickedly sharp talons that flow over her fingers, granting an unarmed shrike two claw attacks of 1d6 damage each (plus Strength bonuses, see below) The claws are treated as +3 weapons, though they do not grant any bonuses to hit above those granted by the shrike's enhanced strength. A long single-edged spike extends from the rear of the bracer, nearly as long as the shrike’s upper arm. The circlet drops a length of battleweave across the back of the shrike’s head, fusing with the battlecloth dress, which itself undergoes a hardening into plate-like material (becoming AC 2).
The headdress continues to flow down the shrike’s back, forming a “tail” which ends in a double-bladed protrusion (possible tail-sweep attack, as a dragon).
Most striking of all, though, are the spindly metallic “wings” that sprout from the shrike’s back, a gauzy film of smoldering red-gold energy manifesting between the tarsal structures. While they do not allow for true flight, the energy webbing is dense enough to allow a shrike to “glide” from a greater height, or arrest a fall of more than 10’.
These “wings” are actually dragonstone energy radiators, carrying away the tremendous heat let out by a dragonstone reactor core in overdrive. The magical energies emit a field of Phase 2 Radiance poisoning to all within 25 feet (Save vs. Poison at -2). Those between 26 and 50‘ must Save vs. Poison every turn. Beyond 50’, emissions cause dizziness and weakness as per Phase 1 poisoning, but with no permanent, lasting damage.
Shrikes gain the following benefits from the Transformation:
Leansethar’s Strength:
+4 to strength
Leansethar’s Dance:
Operate as if hasted
Radiant Aura:
+3 to all Saving Throws against outside forces.
25% magic resistance (due to fluctuations in the planet’s magical field surrounding the shrike)
Deflect up to four nonmagical missiles per round on Save vs. Death Ray
Eyes of the Siren:
Weapon Mastery spikes to Grand Master in whichever form the shrike wields her Andahar’s Edge.
These powers do not come for free. The shrike operates under the following penalties:
Leansethar’s Fury:
-4 to Wisdom
Must Save vs. Spells thrice (with no bonus from above) to willingly disengage the Transformation or suppress an unwilling engagement.
Kiss of the Troll Queen:
Must Save vs. Poison (with no bonus from above)each round or lose 1 Con to heavy Radiance poisoning.*
Mortal’s Shroud:
The shrike is stripped of her natural regenerative power while enveloped in the Radiant aura, and takes 1d3 points of damage per round, in addition to the possible Constitution damage.
Blessed and Cursed of Dealth:
the shrike’s dragonstone magic runs wild: attacks always hit for full damage, but targets indiscriminately (treat as if the shrike were confused)
*a shrike willingly embracing her Transformation usually holds a white dragonstone in reserve to fend off the damage dealt by the Radiance
The Transformed state lasts until the shrike regains control with three successful Saves vs. Spell, or until the shrike reaches 0 hit points, at which point she petrifies (a Save vs. Petrification indicates that she is merely in “cool down” mode and can be revived. A failed save indicates that the shrike has burnt out her dragonstone reactor and cannot be revived; there is a 3 percent chance that she may reawaken as a Stone Dryad; this chance triples if the killing blow was dealt by a demonic foe)
Should the shrike recover, she resumes her “normal” form, but cannot be approached for 3d6 turns due to the latent Radiant energy. The energy can be dissipated faster by immersion in a Collection Tower’s coolant pool (for 1d6 rounds), or submerged in running water for 1d4 turns (half that time, the water around the shrike will boil, giving off a toxic cloud of Radiant fumes. Bystanders are warned to stay upwind!)
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