SCP-953's shapeshifting kit hits SCP: Secret Laboratory in Megapatch III
SCP-953, the next permanent playable SCP, comes to SCP: Secret Laboratory in Megapatch III. She's an infiltrator who spawns disguised among humans, builds Essence by blending in, and can impersonate nearly the entire SCP roster. Everything shown is subject to change.
Disguise-first design
Essence is a new resource bar unique to SCP-953 and fuels most of her abilities. It starts at 0% and passively generates up to 50% while disguised. Nearby humans add to generation, and she gains a small amount for every point of damage humans deal to her while disguised. Passive gain is disabled for the first 90 seconds of a round, so she can't launch an early attack.
SCP-953 spawns disguised among human classes as a Scientist, Class-D, or Facility Guard, complete with that class's inventory. She can't leave disguise until she reaches 50% Essence, and lingering at 100% is risky: her Hume Shield drains and her eyes glow, revealing her to nearby players.
In her human disguise, she can mimic picked-up items, including fake reloads, healing, and weapon fire that uses no ammo and deals no damage. High-value items such as the O5 keycard and Micro HID can't be picked up.
SCP disguises
Her disguise menu covers human roles plus an option to undisguise, and she can also morph into every SCP except SCP-079. Disguised as an SCP, she gains moderate resistance to all damage sources and extra Essence per point of damage taken.
- SCP-049: movement speed matches SCP-049.
- SCP-049-2: base SCP-049-2 movement plus its swipe attack; the only disguise that can use an SCP's abilities to damage humans.
- SCP-096: Docile SCP-096 movement. Players looking at her face get the same effect as looking at SCP-096, without granting Enrage, and SCP-096's sobbing plays from her.
- SCP-106: movement speed matches SCP-106; she can walk through doors and glass.
- SCP-173: movement speed increased to 5.8 m/s.
- SCP-939: movement speed matches SCP-939, with silent footsteps while walking and a weaker version of SCP-939's sprint.
Bewitch and Hexed
At 75% Essence while disguised, SCP-953 unlocks Bewitch as an alternate reveal. Holding the ability briefly triggers a blinding flash and cracks reality around her, consuming 25% Essence, revealing her, and flashing and disorienting nearby humans for under a second.
Bewitch applies Hexed, a new status effect unique to SCP-953. Affected players have distorted audio and purple-tinted vision, become more vulnerable to SCP-953, and can be seen through walls while she's nearby. Hexed also unlocks or improves SCP-953's abilities against them.
Revealed combat
Once revealed, SCP-953 constantly drains Essence and can no longer passively regenerate it. Only swift aggression and effective ability use restore it, and running dry forces her back into a disguise.
- Slash: her basic attack, dealing moderate damage and capable of quickly killing players who get too close. Hits generate Essence, Hexed targets take extra damage, and killing a Hexed target restores Essence and Hume Shield.
- Fox Hunt: she drops to all fours, curses nearby line-of-sight humans with Hexed, gains movement speed, and unlocks Pounce and Grapple. Her passive Essence drain increases, her other abilities are disabled, and the state auto-cancels if she runs out of Essence.
- Pounce: a charge attack with a short, slowing wind-up and a narrow turn window. Landing it injures the target and restores Hume Shield; a kill restores Essence. Whether or not it lands, she's briefly slowed afterward and forced back into Fox Hunt.
- Grapple: Pounce's special variant on Hexed targets. SCP-953 tackles the target to the ground, drags them around, then either rips out and eats their liver for an instant kill that restores Essence and Hume Shield, or disguises as them and steals their inventory as the body vanishes in smoke. If no choice is made within a few seconds, she automatically kills the victim.
