Hey there Marfish
Ahh, changelings.
Here's my two cents on this.
Question 1: Can I take metagenic qualities as shapeshifter/metasapients/metahuman/meta-anything?
Ok so whilst there's no RAW absolute to this I like to say no. Here's my reasoning.
1. Lore reasons
Changelings are created via 4 ways.
- The first pass of Haylley's comet
- The second pass of Haylley's comet
- Manaspike locations
Several locations around the globe have highly fluid
mana levels, and occasional mana spikes occur randomly.
If the right person with the right genetic code is in the
right place at the right time, that individual might express.
Those who wish for the changeling life—mostly disgruntled
teens hell-bent on avoiding the corporate leash
they fail to realize is already around their necks— make
pilgrimages to these locations, hoping to experience
SURGE. Some do, some don’t, some keep trying, some
accept their mundane fate, and some suddenly change
a week, a month, or a year later. RF.101
(ugh teens! lol)
- Genetic parentage
Once a change has occurred, there is a chance a
changeling trait will pass on to offspring. RF.101
The demographics of SURGE changes are also detailed as being:
When looking at pre-change demographics for
changelings, humans are the most likely to SURGE (59
percent), followed by orks (16 percent), trolls (10 percent),
dwarfs (9 percent), and elves (6 percent). Those who have
SURGEd are separated into three basic categories based
on the extent of their change, though these categories
are beginning to blur and shift over time.
There's no indication that any meta-sapient or meta-varients have experienced any further SURGE. We know metavarients are the result of SURGE. Gnomes are just dwarves that have Neoteny and such.
2. Anti Munchkin reasons
When changlings hit your table you'll hands down get players who want their Pixie to have exceptional attribute, genetic optimization and metagenic attribute so they can have 15 willpower or something stupid.
Does the shapeshifter snowflake really want to be a changeling as well lol?
3. Counterpoint
SURGE can happen to anyone and anything. RF.103
So I guess it's a GM's call.
Question 2: Can Nartaki have more than one pair of Shiva Arms? If so, how? Just claim she would have two pair of Shiva Arms? Or do I need to pay karma for it?
I dunno, but the metavarients are typically balanced so that their positive metagenic qualities (kinda) equals their negatives. Nartaki don't give a karma bonus or negative suggesting the devs decided that an extra set of arms equaled out the striking skin pigmentation.
Talk to your GM?