If you’re going to use shapeshifters in your stories, you need to decide what the rules are first. You need to decide if your shapeshifter is a Fantasy type shapeshifter, a SF type shapeshifter or maybe even a blend of both Fantasy & SF types.
1.Fantasy Shapeshifters: For the most part, Fantasy shapeshifters (it doesn’t matter what shape, they could be any type of werecreature or vampire) use magic in order to change their shape. Many authors prefer magical shapeshifters because then they don’t have to worry about what happens to the shifter’s clothing during the transformation. Magic takes care of everything. But regardless of the fact that you’re using magic as the basis for your shifter, rules must always be set up ahead of time and adhered to strictly during the story.
a.) Rules. You can pick and choose and mix any number of rules but once you’ve set up your rules, you cannot deviate from them within your story. Why? Because it ruins the story for your readers when the characters don’t have specific rules for their abilities. It’s sloppy writing and lousy worldbuilding.
Penny Ehrenkrantz discusses rules of magic and the need to be consistent with these rules in her excellent article entitled Creating a Realistic Fantasy World at this webpage. http://www.writing-world.com/sf/world.shtml
Patricia Wrede dissects the usage of Rules of Magic at this page from her Fantasy Worldbuilding website. http://www.sfwa.org/writing/worldbuilding4.htm#tech
b.) Limits
Your characters need limits on their abilities in order to make them believable to your readers. Weaknesses, imperfections, quirks, and vices make your character more real & appealing. The audience can identify with the character.
If your characters have no limits and can do anything they want, then it’s too easy for them to escape from dangerous situations. There’s no suspense in the story when they’re too strong and perfect. Even Superman had a limiting factor, kryptonite.
Flaws and imperfections create the character arc where a character develops and grows, overcomes obstacles, gains knowledge and wisdom. A real character isn’t just one single obvious trait, but a person with a unique combination of many qualities and drives, some of them conflicting.
Here are a few classic examples of magical rules and limitations on these rules for shapeshifters.
i. Werewolves can only shape shift when there’s a full moon.
ii. Sunlight kills vampires.
iii. Garlic, holy water, crosses and other religious symbols are protection against vampires.
iv. Vampires create new vampires with three bites and by sharing blood with their creation.
v. A single vampire bite makes you a slave to that vampire.
vi. Vampires cannot cross a threshold without invitation.
vii. Vampires need to carry along a piece of Earth from their home territory in order to leave that territory.
viii. Vampire magic is so strong, they can dissolve their clothing when they turn into bats and smoke and recreate their clothing when they return to human shape.
ix. Werewolf magic alters body shape, not clothing.
x. A witch or wizard can curse a person into becoming any type of animal with no ability to change back to his or her human form. Removing the curse turns the person back to his or her human form.
Preferred Methods of Killing a Fantasy Vampire.
#1. Albania = Stake through heart
#2. Bulgaria = Chain to grave with wild roses
#3. Macedonia = Pour boiling oil on, drive nail through navel
#4. Prussia = Put poppy seeds in grave. (With all due respect, putting seeds in the grave, it doesn’t have to be poppy seeds, just something unfeasibly numerous and un-countable, wasn't to kill a vamp, simply to keep him occupied counting 'til the end of days. You ever wonder why they had the counting Count on Sesame Street? Old folklore.)
#5. Rumania = Remove heart, cut in two; garlic in mouth, nail in head
#6. Saxony = Lemon in mouth
2. Science Fiction Shapeshifters:
a.) Werewolves are a genetic mutation and can only pass their heritage to their children.
b.) Werewolves are caused by a viral infection by blood & saliva similar to the transmission of the AIDS/HIV infection. A werewolf bite changes his or her victim into a werewolf.
c.) Vampires are a genetic mutation and can only pass their heritage to their children.
d.) Vampires are caused by a viral infection transmitted by blood & saliva similar to the transmission of the AIDS/HIV infection. A vampire bite changes his or her victim into another vampire.
e.) Werewolves, vampires and other shapeshifters are alien extraterrestrials who migrated to Earth because humans are an excellent source of food.
f.) Shapeshifters can only alter their own DNA & body shape. They cannot alter or dissolve clothing because the clothing doesn’t contain the shapeshifter’s DNA.
g.) Shapeshifters who can assume ANY form whatsoever like Odo in Deep Space Night or the later model robot Terminators in the Terminator 2 & 3 movies don’t have to wear clothing. WHY? Because when they alter their shape, they also alter their skin so it looks like they’re wearing clothing.
So, if you’re going to create vampires or other shapeshifters, you have a variety of rules to use. Regardless of which rules you use, make sure you adhere to them and don’t change the rules in mid-story.
Science Fiction and Fantasy readers are passionate about the worlds they find in their books and they hate sloppy worldbuilding. After you have the worldbuilding set up, then comes the fun part of writing the story and watching your characters have very active and happy sex lives in between their adventures.
Barbara Karmazin
http://www.sff.net/people/selkiewife
