Hi all

I'm looking at Ars Magica 5th ed and have a query...

If I'm House Bjornaer I get Heartbeast as a free Virtue. However, can I also select Shapeshifter as a Virtue? The rules aren't clear. Heartbeat says you can only turn into one animal, but doesn't specifically say that you can't take Shapeshift as well as a different transformation ability.

Thoughts?

Bjornaer, for the most part, view shapeshifting using other methods than the heartbeast as wrong.
Even other hermetic MuCo that allows them to change form.

In fact, they have a long-standing feud with a Gothic shapeshifter cult, who Birna (the founder) escaped from when she joined the order.
Best place to find more info is the Mystery Cults book, which goes into detail for Houses Bjornaer, Merinita, Criamon, and Verditius.

In reply to dybbuk67 (msg # 2):

Thanks. So if I want to do multiple shapeshifting then maybe avoid Bjornaer and choose another house?

Probably.
Though some of the Bjornaer inner mysteries let them do some pretty neat things with their heart beasts!