If one were to mutate by using an arconowave device, or perhaps from some other evil GM inspired source, the rules state that you can now purchase Creature schticks. This sounds great. Do you have to purchase Creature Powers first or does it just go off something else? It would seem a little off for a GM to suddenly "award" CP at any level really, especially for failing a check - with the exception of course of when it's funny.
Also, may of the examples for Creature Schticks don't explicitly state that they go off Creature Powers - Tentacles do whereas Abysmal Spines don't for example. With this in mind would the Gnared Marauder (p169 for eg) use Abysmal Spines x2 off his MA skill or his Creature Powers skill? (I realise they're both the same at 8 but humour me) as he would use his tentacles off Creature Powers. I'm thinking that there would be this distinction because the Hopping Vampire (p170) has CP 10 and MA 8 - which to me says that powers such as corruption would be a CP check but A. Spines, though a Creature Schtick, would go off his MA - perhaps to ensure there's a variety of potency between monster abilities?
Unless it specifically mentions a CP check, I've always rules that attacks use MA- so Abysmal Spines would run off MA as you say. Letting different attacks run off different skills gives the GM the option of having a particularly nasty special attack that hits slightly less often than its standard one.
This was part of the motivation behind Feral Strength in Out for Blood, so a supernatural creature with plenty of CP but little MA could still pack a punch with the schticis that require a MA check.
For characters who gain the ability to receive Creature Power schticks, they would be best advised to get ones that don't require a CP check (Armour is another good one for that). Of course, they can still use Schticks that need CP using Magic-3, as per the rules for checks without the right skill. It's quite limiting in that respect, but they could invest the XP in a Creature Powers skill if their Magic was high enough to make it worthwhile.
thanks, that's pretty much what I was looking for. To be honest, powers like tentacles are quite powerful in and of themselves so to have the ability to use them but at Mag -3 to start with, considering they would come from a failed roll, would seem fair.
I think it might depend on whether the GM or the player comes up with the exact mutation. If the player is doing it because they want say a free tentacle schtick then the GM should impose the -3 penalty until they put xp into Creature Powers as a skill - and of course make it very hard to conceal those tentacles...
You could grants CP temporarily, if say the plot revolved around someone falling victim to the Corruption power they could have one session of tentacle-based shenanigans to find the cure and restore themselves before it's too late. They'd get the fun of an unusual schtick without messing things about permanently.