Shapeshifter

A Shapeshifter taking the form of a humanoid hyena.

In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, **Shapeshifters** are creatures able to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ability. The idea of shape-shifting is in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existent literature and epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad. The concept remains a common literary device in modern fantasy, children's literature and popular culture.

## Folklore

Popular shape-shifting creatures in folklore are werewolves and vampires, and the gods, goddesses, and demons and demonesses like succubus and incubus and other numerous mythologies, such as the Norse Loki or the Greek Proteus. Shape-shifting to the form of a gray wolf is specifically known as lycanthropy, and such creatures who undergo such change are called lycanthropes. Therianthropy is the more general term for human-animal shifts, but it is rarely used in that capacity. It was also common for deities to transform mortals into animals and plants.

## Capabilities

Shapeshifters can change their shape, size, color, density, texture, cellular composition, and atomic composition to mimic qualities, impersonate entities, amplify abilities, and traverse environments. The origins of this power play a significant role in their capabilities and limitations; altering oneself on a cellular, atomic, and conceptual level will permit varying degrees of alteration; while methods that defy the laws of reality, such as magic, will most likely keep to their own set of conventions.

## Common powers

**Adaptive Appearance:** Shapeshifters can change their appearance based on their adaptations, potentially completely changing the way they look either permanently or temporarily based on the user and the adaption in question.

**Base Form:** Shapeshifters, while capable of different transformations and Shapeshifting, possesses a base form that they remain in most of the time.

**Biomorphing:** Shapeshifters can turn into any living organism, possibly including living machines.

**Camouflage:** Shapeshifters can visually blend into surroundings by blending in with the coloration and form of their background to avoid optical perception.

**Desire Form:** Shapeshifters can take on the form of others' greatest desire, becoming what the viewer most wants their observant to be.

**Eye Color Manipulation:** Shapeshifters are able to change eye color, varying from realistic colors to fantastic colors.

**Feign Damage:** Shapeshifters can appear as if they are taking damage by various means, including illusions, shapeshifting, etc. Note that this is not just the act of pretending to be hurt, but rather the ability to display physical signs of damage such as blood, wounds, and the like.

**Gender Transformation:** Shapeshifters can alter their own and another's person or creature's sex either permanently or temporarily, they may be able to combine genders to gain androgyny or remove both for genderneutrality. The change is complete to the cellular level.

**Malleable Anatomy:** Shapeshifters can modify the physiological features of oneself, including face, body, skin, or size to disguise or look like another person.

**Multiple Forms:** Shapeshifters possess a variety of forms which they can shift between them to unlock different abilities based on the nature of their selected forms each one resembling a different version of the users original form, as the user undergoes a powerful transformation to shift from one form to another.

**Multi-Shapeshifting:** Shapeshifters can turn into more than one being at once.

**Nemesis Form:** Shapeshifters can take on the form of others' worst fear and use it against them.

**Personal Size Manipulation:** Shapeshifters can manipulate their own size, from tiny to absolutely gigantic while retaining their physical proportions, some may be able to alter their own density.

**Personal Wardrobe:** Shapeshifters possess their own, personalized wardrobe which is one or more sets of clothing, armor, accessories, etc., that is designed or chosen specifically for the user; it can be made of normal or supernatural materials.

**Regenerative Healing Factor:** Shapeshifters possess a regenerative healing factor, meaning that they can rapidly heal and get restored to their optimal and full health at an extremely fast rate.

**Reshaping:** Shapeshifters of this ability can change the shape of beings and objects, including themselves.

**Voice Manipulation:** Shapeshifters are freely capable of manipulating their voice, allowing them to control their voices to imitate sounds of creatures such as animal noises and explosions or increase or decrease the tone of their voice.