The Twelve Celestial Transformations

"An Arcane Rite of Perfect Becoming—Where Form, Power, and Identity Converge Under the Gaze of the Zodiac."

Created & Written by Khali A. Crawford

Effect

Any Mage who has mastered this advanced spell gains the ability to not just mimic the physical appearance of any being but to fully assume their form, powers, and abilities. This is an elevated version of shapeshifting; the mage doesn’t merely copy the external traits but takes on the full essence of the target. The mage becomes indistinguishable from the target in every aspect, including their magical capabilities, combat skills, and unique traits. 

Unlike 2nd Body Art: Shapeshifting, which is a superficial change of appearance or basic physical features, this rite involves creating a complete magical "Mold" of the target, allowing the mage to perfectly embody the target’s powers and abilities.

• Energy Cost and Mold Creation: The initial creation of the Mold is a laborious and energy-intensive process. To form a Mold, the mage must acquire a Relic (an item imbued with the target's essence or magical energy) and either defeat the target in combat or outwit them in a battle of wits. Once the Mold is forged, the mage can transform into that form at will with minimal energy cost. The Mold acts as a snapshot of the target at the moment the Mold was created, so any changes the target undergoes afterward (e.g., becoming more powerful or learning new skills) are not reflected in the transformation unless a new Mold is made.
• Maintenance of Form: The duration a mage can maintain a form is tied directly to the magical energy inherent in the Mold. If the transformation consumes all the energy associated with that form, the mage will automatically revert to their true self. However, if the target had significant magical reserves, the mage could potentially sustain that form for a long time. The Mage and the Mold's magical reserves are different, but since Magic comes from the SOUL and the Mold has no soul, any Soul or Spiritual attacks will directly harm the Mage.

Many Lives of the Many-Formed Mages

Mastering this spell allows the mage to store up to 12 different Molds internally, granting a form of immortality. Each Mold serves as a “life” for the mage. If the mage is killed in any form, they lose access to that specific Mold but can survive up to 11 more times in the same form before it's permanently lost. With 12 Molds, this grants the mage a theoretical capacity to “die” 144 times before being truly killed. External storage of additional Molds is possible, but those transformations would not be immediately accessible in the same way the internal ones are. 

Each Mold is like a “backup life” for the mage. When the mage dies, they sacrifice one of their stored Molds to resurrect themselves. This process leaves them without access to that particular form but allows them to avoid death. Giving up a Mold to cheat death is not the same as being killed while in a Transformation. When in a Transformation, the Mage needs to be killed 12 times in that Transformation before they lose access to it. However, when in their original form, if a Mage is killed, they can completely sacrifice a Transformation (including all 12 deaths) to save their life once, losing that Transformation.

Mahābhūta Resonance through Transformation

Upon receiving the Twelve Celestial Transformations, the Mage’s soul undergoes a metaphysical attunement that grants an intrinsic affinity and intuitive command over all Lower Mahābhūta—not just in their base form but as they manifest through each stored Mold.

This resonance is not the same as learned control—it is innate, etched into the Mage’s magical lattice by virtue of their bond with the Zodiacal weave. As a result, the Mage can fluidly create, control, and manipulate the five foundational elements—Prithvi, Ap, Tejas, Vayu, and Akasha—across all assumed forms.

In essence, each Mold the Mage inhabits retains its original elemental alignment, but the Mage’s underlying mastery carries over, allowing them to weave Mahābhūta magic seamlessly across identities and even synthesize advanced Upper Mahābhūta combinations with greater ease.

This multidimensional familiarity with the elements turns the Celestial Transformer into a walking crucible—where form, element, and soul become tools of divine mimicry.

Manifestation

When invoking the spell, the mage physically and spiritually transforms into their target as they were at the time of the Mold’s creation. They replicate everything about the target: their physicality, voice, magical signature, and abilities. However, the transformation is static; any subsequent changes in the target require the mage to create a new Mold.

Source

This Spell must be given to a Mage by one of the XII Zodiac Mansions. The 12 Zodiacs are primordial Metabeings, entities as ancient as Yggdrasil, the Tree of Worlds itself. These vast, cosmic intelligences reside within the celestial strata surrounding Yggdrasil, existing as luminous, reality-defining archetypes whose presence extends across all realms and dimensions. Unlike simple constellations or astrological symbols, the Zodiacs are sentient forces, interwoven into the very fabric of causality and metaphysical law, dictating certain patterns of existence across space-time.

---

External Transformation Molds: Storage, Risk, and Resonance

Not all Mages choose to internalize their Molds. Some elect to house a Transformation externally, embedding it directly within the Relic from which it was forged—or transferring it into a suitable vessel, talisman, or sanctified location.

This practice, while riskier than internal storage, offers flexibility, strategic delegation, and the ability to preserve powerful forms outside one’s magical lattice. When stored within the original Relic, the Mold becomes symbiotically bound to it, allowing the Mage—or any wielder attuned to the spell’s signature—to activate the Transformation simply by possessing the item.

Note: Internally stored Molds do not require the continued presence of the Relic. Once absorbed into the soul matrix, the Transformation is permanently anchored—until sacrificed or lost.

Alternative Storage: Objects and Locations

If the original Relic is too dangerous to retain, is likely to be reclaimed by its original owner, or has degraded beyond usability, a Mage may transfer the Mold into another vessel: a sword, ring, tome, or even a physical space like a consecrated chamber or hidden shrine.

However, this process requires arcane compatibility. The vessel must:

• It possesses enough Magical Weight Capacity to contain the Mold’s essence.
• Be properly ritually prepared, often with reinforcement using Super Alloys or layered enchantments.
• Be safeguarded against ambient magical contamination.

Failure to meet these requirements may result in instability, degradation, or Mold corruption. In worst-case scenarios, the Transformation becomes volatile—eroding into magical static or absorbing traits from its new container.

Contamination and Curse Inheritance

Because a Mold is a metaphysical impression—a captured living identity—it is highly impressionable. When stored in a foreign vessel, especially one exposed to dark energy, emotional trauma, or cursed enchantments, the Transformation may begin to mutate.

For instance:

• A Mold stored in a cursed blade might gain bloodthirsty tendencies or uncontrollable rage.
• A Mold sealed within a tomb may absorb necrotic echoes, rendering it undead-tinged.
• A Mold implanted in a sentient relic may develop a will of its own.

This phenomenon is known as Essence Tainting, and while sometimes weaponized deliberately, it can render the Transformation dangerously unpredictable.

Key Limitation

For a Mage to access an externally stored Mold, the vessel must be on their person or actively linked to them through a binding ritual. Proximity is not enough—the vessel must be magically attuned, and the Mage must retain sufficient control to invoke the Transformation.

As Above So Below As Within So Without Logo by Khali A. Crawford

Grandmaster SixPathsSage

Khali Crawford

   

---

---

Material Components

The Twelve Celestial Transformations cannot be performed without the acquisition of a Relic—a metaphysically charged item bound to the target’s essence. These objects serve as more than magical catalysts; they are identity anchors, preserving the spiritual and elemental imprint of a being in physical form.

Relics are typically items of profound personal or historical resonance: an ancestral blade, a sovereign's crown, a war-banner soaked in legacy, or even a bone fragment still humming with dormant magic. For the spell to function, the Mage must conquer the Relic—either by defeating the target in open combat, besting them in a battle of will, or unraveling their defenses through cunning manipulation.

To conquer a Relic is to confront the target’s soulprint as it existed in that exact moment of spacetime and to overcome it. Only then can a Mold be extracted from the Relic, effectively sealing the target’s nature, abilities, and form into a transmutable state. When the Mage assumes that Mold, they may also wield the Relic bound to it, provided it remains in their possession.

Gestures & Ritual

A Mantra is typically associated with each Mold a mage makes, related to the transformation itself that is invoked to enter the Transformation.

Related Discipline

The 3rd Body Arts: Advanced Mastery of Physical and Metaphysical Transformation

Related School

Illusion

Applied Restriction

• The mage cannot assume the form of a being they have not defeated or overcome.
• The Mold is static, reflecting only the abilities of the target at the moment of the Mold’s creation.
• A mage can store only 12 Molds internally.
• There is a countermeasure to this powerful transformation. Beings with the Truth Seeing Eye of the Inner Mind possess the ability to see through all forms of illusion and deception, including this spell. These beings can forcibly strip away the mage’s assumed form, revealing their true self. Additionally, a mage cannot use the Mold of a being who possesses the Truth-Seeing Eye, as this power rejects falsehoods at a fundamental level.