Changing Moon anima

Jukashi

Jukashi

Four Thousand Club
When a Changing Moon Lunar uses their anima power, they can appear as anyone they're familiar with.


Can this include "myself, as I appeared before my Exaltation"?
 
that seems like it wold be covered by the "before exaltation" part of the descripion.


unless that's a blanket question about the anima effect in general in which case I'd think so, it'd be a bit pointless if it didn't.
 
Well, I haven't seen the text on the Changing Moon anima myself, but if they're not really any more specific than that, I'd be immediately inclined to state that it has to be someone as they last saw them (barring changeable things like clothes, of course). Meaning, of course, the Lunar can't take on the visage of their own, younger self. Then again, we're talking about the Chosen of Luna the trickster deity, here, so I could be easily swayed to think otherwise. It might be flawed a little bit by any idealism/self-delusion, looking like a better version of themself as they were at that time, though.
 
As a note, having just read the text, the illusion hides tattoos (or it feels the need to state that the tattoos become visible if an anima flare begins), but doesn't mention tell one way or the other, don't know if this helps.
 
There's no obvious reason why you shouldn't be able to look like yourself before your exaltation. Similarly, I don't see why it should cover the tell.
 
Since it's an illusion and not a shapechange I don't see why the tell should be displayed.


I think since there's no clear answer in the description of the Anima, maybe the answer lies in the description of the Tell.


Mind you I've not read the part about the Tell recently(or indeed any part of the book apart from the anima description) so I'm not sure, is the tell usually present if an illusion (say, disguise of the new face) is use to change yourself? can you disguise a tell using mundane means? (like using a hat to cover ears, or a wig to cover leopard spotted hair).
 
Smeggedoff said:
Since it's an illusion and not a shapechange I don't see why the tell should be displayed.
I think since there's no clear answer in the description of the Anima, maybe the answer lies in the description of the Tell.


Mind you I've not read the part about the Tell recently(or indeed any part of the book apart from the anima description) so I'm not sure, is the tell usually present if an illusion (say, disguise of the new face) is use to change yourself? can you disguise a tell using mundane means? (like using a hat to cover ears, or a wig to cover leopard spotted hair).
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In the page 130 of the MoEP:TL, the text says that "It must be noticeable". I don't see why any effect that doesn't specifically include hiding the tell should do so.
 
I suppose it depends on what you view the anima power to be. Is it a mental effect on everyone who sees you? A shimmering energy field that projects a holographic facsimile around you? The description does specify that people who touch you will feel what you're really like, so you're still physically you underneath it.


The Tell is a sort of identity thing; no matter what sort of shape you take, the Tell has to be part of your body. But if, instead of changing your body, you're simply covering it, then the Tell would be concealed; it's not like if you put on a skirt, your monkey tail is going to rip itself out through the cloth or give people x-ray powers to see it.


So I would have thought the Tell only applies to shapeshifting, and any other form of disguise, including the changing moon anima, would be unaffected.
 
Jukashi said:
But if, instead of changing your body, you're simply covering it, then the Tell would be concealed; it's not like if you put on a skirt, your monkey tail is going to rip itself out through the cloth or give people x-ray powers to see it.
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Actually, the text implies that these efforts to hide your tell won't work, and specifically states that you can't cover it. The text isn't overtly clear, and I doubt a Lunar's tell will give you "x-ray powers", but, for some reason, covering it will not prevent people from spotting it:

The Tell of a Lunar may show up in his shadow if nowhere else. The Tell is usually thematic and only occasionally blatant. It must be noticeable' date=' if not noticed. (No, you can’t put a birthmark at a human shape’s tailbone and then cover it with clothing.)[/quote']
Edit: What I'd assume is that your tell reconfigures itself to be visible in all your shapes. Or maybe it will just show to anyone who manages to spot it as a caste mark would, and "shine" through clothing and armour.
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Hrmm. Well, that quote's pretty damning.


Even if you were to use an illusion to create a tell free facade it pretty much says it's going to squirm though somehow, even if it's just in your shadow.


Which could be kind of cool actually, depending on if your tell would normally alter your silhouette.


"uuh, why does your shadow have tiger stripes?"


"what? FFFFFFFFFFFFFFU-"
 
Hrmm. Well, I wouldn't allow Tells that are obviously designed to be easily hidden, but I would house-rule it myself that it is possible to hide them with some methods. As you may have gathered, since I have Marena hide her Tell in the comic.


Oh well, da book is da book.
 
ok, assuming you are physically capable of assuming your former self. Is this still considered one of your "true forms" for hiding the tell? If so then most can see the tell, if not then most can not.
 
The thing is that you don't physically assume your younger self. The anima power is an illusion, not shapeshifting. And I don't think there is a way to shapechange to your younger self... a custom Knack, maybe, based off Changing Plumage mastery, that would allow you to control the age-appearance of whatever shape you're wearing? In that case it wouldn't affect the Tell at all.
 
The root of my question is this: The Changing Moon anima power is an illusion. Ergo, people looking at you don't actually see you, they see a false image. Does the Tell permeate this, or is it hidden?
 
It's not hidden. It does however still have it's mental effect to prevent people from noticing.
 
I think the consensus at this point (certainly what the section on tells seems to say) is that the tell cannot be hidden completely, some part of it will always show though no matter how you try to hide it, illusions are no exeption to this.


The mental effect preventing people from seeing the tell however, is still in effect no matter how you attempt to hide it.


though I've got no idea why this part would stop working.
 
thats makes me wonder, if a lunar somehow became invisible would you be able to find him/her if you defeated the tell's mental defence?
 
If your whole body is invisible, then that's exactly the same as being somewhere you can't be seen. You can't be spotted through your tell if you are, for example, behind a wall, so I'd say invisibility hides the tell.
 
But what's the difference between being behind a wall, and behind an illusion? If you say you can see a Tell through the illusion, does that mean if you walked behind someone else' illusion your Tell would be visible behind it?
 
The tell is a magical thing. It says to whoever is looking or seeing you that you are a lunar, at least once your MDV is high enough to ignore the jedi trick the tell employs automatically.


Now, if you are behind a wall... people can not see you or your tell.


Using an illusion to change your appearance, people would still see you. This is when it pops up. Pro-tip, try not to have a tell that is a birthmark somewhere intimate, unless you want to keep flashing it by accident.


If you walk BEHIND someone who is larger than you... they would not see you and your tell.
 
Jukashi said:
But what's the difference between being behind a wall, and behind an illusion? If you say you can see a Tell through the illusion, does that mean if you walked behind someone else' illusion your Tell would be visible behind it?
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How many illusions are there? The ones I've seen (admittedly few and I've not gone looking for them) are simply fancy disguises, thus the tell pokes through them. Invisibility is a grey area, but I'd say non targeted illusions and things cover the tell fine.


I doubt there's anything to back my up on this though
 
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