So as I understand   What it sounds like you want is in fact a new court of vampires.

So it seems to me that true shapeshifting, does not really reflect shapeshifting as we have seen it in the dresden books, I can't remember anyone ever turning into an inanimate object.  is removing the ability to shift into inanimate things worth a -1 to the refresh cost?  It seems like it removes a large amount of variety and utility from the power, but it's not something most people with shapeshifting would usually use.

It also depends on the power level and how you do things.  If you are playing in anything less than submerged I would recommend having an Item of power (Spirit Skins are in theme) for the shapeshifting, ot maybe even the SP Magic.  If you want more than one animal form this is almost a necesity even at Submerged.

Sponsered Magic (-4)
Item of power (+2)
True Shapeshifting (-4)
Human Form (+1)
Modular abilities (-4)

this way you can suddenly grow wings if you need to, or grab an inhuman ability when needed.

I Hope this helped, this is the power set I used for my Navajo shapeshifter while testing out various character builds.  Out of curiosity who is your sponsor?

As I understand it those people who have let their supernatural talents overwhelm their free will are the definition of a character unplayable due to low refresh.  So, yeah, while they can make decent villains I wasn't considering anyone playing Ursiel, just the cooperative coins.

First off I'm pretty sure that the Lawbreaker stunts and the laws of magic only apply to spells, if someone has supernatural strength and sticks a sword in someone they do not get lawbreaker.  Not to mention thwe fact that lawbreaker stunts are gained because you completely believe in the action.  But even assuming that you are right lets look at those laws

if you do it to a human i at least would hit you with lawbreaker First [as appropriate] , Second [nearly always], Third [especially if taking skills] and  Fifth [ if you use the power on corpses]

1st: probably not as you most likely wouldn't kill them via this power, you might kill them before or after this power but I don't think that this power itself does any damage to them.

2nd: You really aren't transforming another person.  That is meant to be warping their body and destroying thier mind, this power does neither.

3rd: The problem I see with this law is that you don't mess with their thoughts, but you do copy their skills, so this is really an ST call.

5th: It is demonstrated in the books that imprints can be read off of a dead body without breaking the laws, so I'd say if you eat a corpse to gain its' power that wouldn't grant a lawbreaker.

All that being said I strongly disagree with giving lawbreaker to anyone who did not cast spells.

My read on the laws as stated would be that if the intent is to do X to end up at the target's death then the law is broken.  That being said a number of people do things like that who do not have the Lawbreaker stunt.

As pointed out above, Morgan is a good example of this, I'm sure in his fanatical qest to root out warlocks that he has used magic to incapacitate and then killed the person in question.  That being said, he doesn't have the stunt which is part of what triggered this question.

Just to clarify: In my game I would give the lawbreaker stunt to anyone who tied someone up with magic and then killed them.

these were just a couple of questions that I came up with while rereading the series.

In grave Peril Harry summons a large number of ghosts/specters into existence and directs them at Bianca to kill her.  How is this different from corpstaker's spectral soldiers and how does it not earn him a lawbreaker stunt?

and a more general question:  do you get lawbreaker if you use magic to guarantee that someone will be killed but not actually kill them with the magic? (binding someone into paralysis and then letting them drown or just shooting them)

1: Seelie and Unseelie magic grant effectivly channeling and rituals with the apropriate theme instead of a normal elemental focus.  Does that mean that a staff that enhances Unseelie magic would be (Unseelie Magic +1 Power) or would you still have to choose an element for the item despite using the theme in channeling?

2:  In the example of Harry's duster why is the total halved a second time.  He has 4 pointss then it is halved for being always on.  That leaves him 2 then "halved again to act as armor: 1."  Is every effect that grants Armor halved (The next example is just a block and it is not halved)?

3: When enchanting item it says "The Uses-per-session limitation may be removed by halving the base strength, rounded down..."  The only examples of these are always on items.  Is it possible to make, say a weaker form of Harry's rings that can fire whenever instead of once per session?  or are constant effects the only things that can get around the uses-per-session bit?

4: Do you need to know Thaumatury or Rituals (Crafting) to make focus and enchanted items?  The rules for these items are found under the crafting section of thaumaturgy, but all of the spellcasting merits grant slots.  Is it assumed that being able to use the item makes you capable of crafting them?