Actually, Normal maps can affect the shape of an object. Look at some of the normal map effects in Unreal Tournament 2007, and in second life.

Second Life uses them to deform simple prim (primitives) into amazing shapes. The same might be possible in Poser pro, and some thing cool, is that tecxtures can be animated, and that might open up a lot of interesting possibilities.

Much depends on how they are implimented though.

Way too many people take way too many things way too seriously.