F'Vasa

(Pronounced Vasser)

The F'Vasa, often the subject of human myths and legends, are a species of shapeshifters known for their ability to alter their physical form. Renowned for their skills in subterfuge and deception, they are masters of infiltration, blending seamlessly into any society or culture they encounter. This has allowed them to visit Earth centuries ago, leaving a profound effect on human imagination and folklore. Their need to consume vast quantities of food, up to five times that of a typical humanoid, fuels their transformative abilities but can also lead to fatigue if not sufficiently satisfied.

Culturally, the F'Vasa exhibit a rich tapestry of traditions and values largely shaped by their unique biology and transformative abilities. As an asexual species, they reproduce independently, a trait that influences their societal structures and relationships. Concepts of gender and traditional family units are not inherent to F'Vasa culture; instead, they form intricate social networks based on shared interests and affinities.

Their natural talent for mimicry extends beyond the physical, leading them to adopt and integrate cultural elements from the many societies they infiltrate. This results in a wonderfully eclectic array of traditions and practices within their own communities. Artistic expression, particularly in the form of performance and transformation, is highly revered among the F'Vasa, reflecting their inherent shape-shifting capabilities.

Physical Description

Physically, the F'Vasa present a visage that can be both fascinating and unsettling. Their large torsos support two sets of arms - one larger and one smaller - that provide them with a unique range of movement and manipulation. Their heads are marked by sizable cavities on the left and right sides of their foreheads. This characteristic endows them with exceptional auditory senses across a broad range of frequencies. Rather than legs, the F'Vasa move using four robust tentacles. Depending on their specific subspecies, these tentacles make them either adept swimmers or climbers, allowing them to traverse various environments with ease.

F'Vasa's physical characteristics vary, with their height ranging from 155 cm to 210cm, and weight averaging between 65 kg to 95kg

Movement: When in natural form their running speed is reduced by 4 metres (maximum of 6 metres per turn).

Subspecies

F'Vasari

The inland, terrestrial subspecies of the F'Vasa, the F'Vasari are distinguished by their earth-toned hues, varying from deep browns to vibrant yellows. Their physical adaptations are well suited to navigating terrestrial environments, and they excel in climbing over diverse terrains.

Movement: When in natural form their climbing speed is 10 metres per turn.

F'Vasara

The coastal subspecies, known as the F'Vasara, is adorned with a dazzling array of blues and greens, enabling them to blend seamlessly into underwater habitats. Their physical adaptations are more attuned to aquatic life, giving them superior swimming capabilities.

Movement: When in natural form their swimming speed is 10 metres per turn.

Average Life Span

Life span average: 150 years

Reaches Maturity

The F'Vasa tend to mature at a slower pace compared to other sentient species. They typically reach adulthood between the ages of 25 to 30 years. This is mainly attributed to their transformative capabilities, which require several years to develop and become stable fully. This slow maturation process allows for a gradual and controlled development of their shape changing abilities.

Features

Exceptional Hearing

While in their natural form, the F'Vasa possess large ear cavities that grant them exceptional hearing. They receive a +1d bonus to sound-based Perception skill checks. The F'Vasa can detect frequencies as low as 15 Hz and as high as 40,000 to 60,000 Hz, allowing them to hear both subsonic and ultrasonic sounds beyond the range of most species.

Tentacled Mobility

Subspecies-specific Adaptation

F'Vasari: These F'Vasa can effortlessly scale vertical surfaces with their strong, flexible tentacles, receiving a +1d bonus on Athletics skill checks when Climbing.

F'Vasara: These F'Vasa can navigate through water with exceptional speed and agility, receiving a +1d bonus on Athletics skill checks when Swimming.

Unarmed Combat Manoeuvre

All F'Vasa learn from an early age to use their tentacles in unarmed combat and are granted the 'Tangle' manoeuvre automatically. Using just two tentacles, they can ensnare their opponents, immobilising or restricting their movements while keeping the F'Vasa's hands free.

Shapeshifting Ability

The F'Vasa possess a unique ability to alter their shape through advanced biomolecular restructuring. Their ability is rooted in the highly adaptive nature of their cellular matrix and the presence of specialised morphogenic proteins. A limitation of their shapeshifting ability is that their mass (weight) remains constant regardless of the size they change into. Initially, they can only mimic the general appearance of other species and are unable to create look-alike replicas. However, over time, they can hone this ability by learning the Chameleon species' quirk to eventually create exact duplicates of another living creature.

Due to their hollow internal structure and unique cellular properties, a F'Vasa can compress their biomass to the size of a human toddler while maintaining their original weight (e.g., 95kg). This discrepancy would be immediately noticeable to anyone attempting to lift the seemingly small form, revealing an anomalous density.

Additionally, a F'Vasa can expand their volume by creating internal cavities, effectively redistributing their cellular composition to exceed their normal height or girth. The process involves intricate cytoplasmic reorganisation and the generation of temporary extracellular matrices to support the new form. Due to the sophistication of their shapeshifting abilities, high-security areas are equipped with both biological scanners including scales integrated into the flooring at checkpoints to detect disguised F'Vasa.

A F'Vasa can perform this transformation once every 24 hours. Reverting to their natural form does not count towards this limit. The transformation process takes four turns to complete, during which their cellular architecture undergoes rapid and precise reconfiguration.

Size Limitations

The shapeshifting abilities of the F'Vasa have specific size limitations:

Smallest Size: A F'Vasa can compress themselves to the size of a human toddler, miniature horse, or large dog. This size reduction is limited by their constant mass, meaning their density increases significantly. Mechanically, size can be reduced to ⅓ of their natural form.

Largest Size: A F'Vasa can expand to the size of a bear or horse. This expansion involves creating internal cavities to maintain their mass, leading to a larger but less dense form. Mechanically, size can be double their natural form.

These size limitations ensure that while F'Vasa can significantly alter their appearance, they cannot become exceptionally small or excessively large creatures. Their ability to shift within these bounds makes them versatile but not omnipotent in their disguises.

Nutritional Requirements

All F'Vasa consume twice the calories of a similarly sized sentient species. They are constantly hungry and, without large meals, must snack constantly—something that can give them away to the trained eye.

The shapeshifting abilities of the F'Vasa come with significant metabolic demands. All F'Vasa who shapeshift on a given day must consume twice (4 x normal species) their normal caloric intake to maintain the new form. This increased consumption rate is especially noticeable when mimicking a smaller life form, as the caloric needs remain disproportionately high compared to the apparent size.

Furthermore, when a F'Vasa maintains an exact replica of an individual or creature (see Chameleon Quirk below), their caloric intake must be increased to three times the normal daily amount. This heightened nutritional requirement is due to the precise cellular control and constant metabolic activity needed to sustain an accurate replication. These increased dietary needs can serve as an identifying factor, revealing the presence of a F'Vasa in disguise.

Note on Disguises Without further training (Chameleon species quirk) a F’Vasa with the Espionage (Disguise) skill, would require advanced nanoware prosthetics or micro-holographic disguise equipment to mimic the visual aspects of another sentient creature convincingly enough to pass close inspection.

Species Quirks

Shapeshifter

AP: 8

This quirk allows F'Vasa to transform their shape a number of times equivalent to half their Morale trait after every 8-hour rest period. This quirk replaces their original 'Shapeshifting Ability' feature.

Chameleon

AP: 12

This ability requires the F'Vasa to have either made prolonged physical contact with the individual they wish to impersonate or have obtained a biological sample of the target's DNA (e.g., blood, cellular material). Physical contact involves microscopic needles from the tendrils puncturing the target's epidermis to take a small biological sample, which the F'Vasa then uses to mimic the target, destroying the sample in the process.

The F'Vasa can replicate even the most intricate biological details of another being, including visual duplicate, fingerprints, iris patterns, and mimicking a creature's DNA sequence, thereby eluding low-level biological detection via non intrusive scanners (handheld or security booths). Only a biological test which extracts a sample of blood or tissue (high-level security systems), will reveal the falsehood as the sample will immediately revert to the natural F’Vasa DNA sequence.

Time to Shapeshift

Mimicry on this level is complex and takes 1 full minute to complete the transformation.

Limitations

Once the F’Vasa returns to their natural form, they can not shift again to the specific creature without another biological sample.