Primary/Secondary or Pool Power: Secondary
Archetype: Scrappers / Stalkers
[Good to combine with Claws or Spines Primaries.]
1) Chitin Armor - insect-like armored skin-plates give moderate protection from Smashing and Lethal damage. Insectoid armor plates sprout forth from the user like spines, and then fold flat to overlap in a protective coat.
2) Transformation - can assume the outward appearance of a targeted NPC mob, and creatures of that mobs faction type will not attack the user while he is in that form. Cannot be used while any other Shapeshifting power is in effect and any attack will end the transformation. Does not reduce movement rate, and cost is negligible.
[For Stalkers, Transformation is the first power and replaces Hide, with the Chitin Armor becoming their number two power choice. All Assassin Strike abilities can be used while disguised as if the Stalker was Hidden, but only against a foe whom the 'Transformation' has fooled. (So if he turns into an Arachnos and walks into a fight between Arachnos and Circle of Thorns, he can AS an Arachnos, but not a CoT, and the CoT may interrupt his AS attempt by shooting him, unless he has some other form of Stealth that is fooling the CoT as well... For all purposes where a Stalker must be Hidden, assume that a Transformed Stalker gets the same bonus, but only to those 'fooled' by the Transformation (i.e. the same mob type as his current 'disguise')]
3) Spined Armor - creates spines and spikes from the users’ skin that cause a minor increase to hand-to-hand damage and accuracy, and also cause foes striking the users body to suffer light damage. Those striking the user with hand-held weapons, such as Knives or Bats, are also affected, but suffer only trivial damage. Ranged attackers are not affected. (8 foot radius?) Appears more like darker thinner spines than used by Thorns or Spines.
4) Slippery Skin - gives moderate protection from Smashing damage (but not Lethal) and also strong protection from Immobilization and Hold effects. Also confers a run-speed increase (faster than Swift, but using the 'Power-Slide' animation, as the character skates along). Not usable with Chitin Armor or Spined Armor. The character looks 'slimy' and leaves a trail of goo behind briefly on the ground.
5) Adaptation - when the power is toggled, the next attack striking the character inflicts only partial damage, and all additional attacks of that sort for the duration are protected against to strong effect. No other attack forms during the duration are shielded against, and the power costs Endurance while in effect and has a Moderate recharge time. The character goes into a 'wait for it' tense posture until he is hit, and then his body ripples visibly, 'adapting' to whatever just hit him. (Great for fights with a lot of one attack type, such as vs. Clockworks, as the user can make himself temporarily resistant to Energy attacks.)
6) Formative Healing - reorganizes the users’ body to cleanse it of injury. Long recharge full healing effect. Also removes any DoT, debuff, Immobilize or Hold effect. Dull Pain plus, basically.
7) Tower of Flesh - tentacles sprout from the characters lower body and anchor him to the ground, making him immovable and immune to knockback and most disorientation effects. Visually freaky, but effective.
8) Dispersed Organs - this effect is always on, and makes the user strongly resistant to Disorient attacks, and gives some resistance to many secondary effects, such as DoTs, debuffs (such as the slowing effect of Cold or the Endurance drain of an electrical attack) and chemical / poison-based attacks (such as from Spines or Cadavar acid spit-attacks), as the users body no longer contains vital areas or sensitive tissues that would be susceptible to those effects. Includes a minor resistance to some normally hard-to-resist attack forms, like Psychic attacks.
9) Armored Abomination - the user grows massive plates of chitin, so much that he becomes all-but incapable of movement while this power is in effect, but becomes strongly resistant to all forms of damage, and immune to knockback and disorientation. (Replaces, doesn't stack with, Slippery Skin, Tower of Flesh and Chitin Armor. Stacks with Spined Armor.)