Turnskin

Known commonly as a shapeshifter in other worlds, with the most infamous being a werewolf, these Monsters are all carnivorous, and are perhaps the most common type of Monster to exist in Geardagas. History tells of a Witch and Turnskin being the originators of Bonds as they are today, breaking boundaries and bringing to light that not all Monsters were monstrous. While Turnskin are social enough, there's always the risk that one may attract the attention of their more predatory nature if they don't take care.

**A Turnskin can be any non-extinct mammalian carnivore that exists on Earth**, excluding seals. This can range from household cats and dogs to wild animals like bears, lions, wolves, weasels, hyenas, and more. Some cosmetic trait mixing between breeds of the same animal is allowed, such as different fur colors or patterns, but it is not possible to mix two different breeds as doing so would be a Chimera instead.

### Mandatory Changes

#### Physical

* Elongated and sharpened teeth, typically the canines but can also include others, as well as claws specific to the animal in question. If the animal has retractable claws, so does the Turnskin, etc.
* Fur along the shoulders, back, arms, and legs. Fur growth progresses on legs towards more animal-like feet. This includes paw pads at the bottom of the feet.
* Pointed or even animal ears as opposed to human ones. These can remain on the side of the head or move further up along the skull per player choice.
* Under the full moon, a larger more animalistic form when shifted. Larger animals result in a larger shifted form, whereas smaller animals won't be much bigger than the unshifted form, if at all.  There are two ways to approach this:
	+ A form not unlike the Beastman, a bipedal animal with human-like physiology, i.e. longer limbs, thicker fur. These forms are digitigrade, whether the unshifted form had plantigrade legs previously.
	+ A form that is fully animal, which can be larger than that of the animal’s typical size (think *Twilight* werewolves).

#### Mental

* A need to shift into their shifted form on full moons. Whether they go berserk or not is largely dependent on the Turnskin - those more in tune with their transformation and instincts will have an easier time holding onto their clarity in their shifted form. Those that fight the transformation risk losing control of themselves.
* Exhaustion post-shift, whether this is to or from the shifted form. This transformation takes a lot of energy out of a Turnskin, and they'll need to recuperate after.
* A more voracious appetite to help account for the energy burned by a transformation.
* A pack instinct. Turnskin, even as animals with typically solitary behavior, prefer being near others. Whether this is a large group like a lion's pride or a wolf's pack, or only one or two people, they don't tend towards being loners.
* As werecreatures especially bound to the moon, a more feral mindset will also kick in for Turnskins that have a harder time with their less human instincts, the ones that fight the change. Because this mindset is already so close to the surface, many will find that they struggle to keep control, regardless of their confidence in their stability.

### Optional Changes

* More animalistic traits everywhere in their non-shifted form - more fur coverage, pawpads on the hands as well as the feet, a tail or nub of a tail, digitrade legs instead of plantigrade, longer tongues, more animal-like eyes.
* If players wish to have a smaller beast form as their *unshifted* form, muzzle and all, then they can go all out and change their characters completely -- this is referred to as a fullshift or fully shifted Turnskin.
* Shifting while emotional. Sprouting more traits associated with their animal in question depending on their emotions, whether they're angry or stressed or excited. May trigger a full shift if the emotion is powerful enough, and could result in a loss of control due to it.
* Memory loss while in their Monster forms. This can range from forgetting little details to completely forgetting the entire time they're shifted like they blacked out. More likely in Turnskin that fight their shift.
* Higher body temperature than they would have if they were a normal human.
* Possible psychological or physiological changes that come with their respective animals or shapeshifter lore. A bear Turnskin may find themselves wanting to eat more and hibernate in colder seasons, for example, or a wolf Turnskin may find themselves developing a tolerance for eating raw meat without getting sick.
* Territorial and/or protective instinct -- Turnskin are willing to take others into their "pack," as it were, but are protective of the area that they call home and the people that they call theirs.
* **Access to a secondary form** that is the full animal form both during and outside of the full moons. Turnskin who have completed most of their changes can perform this shift, which is difficult to master if the Turnskin has not accepted their Monster form (is still fighting the changes).

### Strengths

* **Shapeshifting**.With practice, Turnskin can change into their secondary form at will. This form can be similar to their full moon shifted form if they are a full animal during it or different if they remain bipedal as their full moon forms.
* **Enhanced strength, reflexes, and/or agility.** Some Turnskin will be stronger or faster than others, depending on what animal they are, but they are all stronger and faster than the average human. Generally seen as one of the stronger varieties of Monsters in Geardagas.
* **Stronger senses**. Some Turnskin will have better sight, hearing, or smell than others, depending on what kind of animal they are, but they all have better senses than a normal human.
* **Night vision.** Turnskin have acute night vision and all have eyeshine when a light is reflected off their eyes.
* **Some resistances** based on their animal type. For example, a polar bear Turnskin can survive extreme cold.

### Weaknesses

* **Silver** can burn a Turnskin and cause their injuries to heal more slowly, making it an effective means of restraining or killing them. Being stabbed or shot with something silver may kill a Turnskin instantly depending on where the injury is inflicted.
* **Herbs such as aconite, mistletoe, and hemlock** poison Turnskin faster and more potently than they would a human. Aconite is especially deadly -- without an antidote, the Turnskin in question may die within an hour of poisoning.
* **Nightshade** can be used to dull their senses in smaller quantities, poison them in higher doses, and possibly control them if used in combination with other ingredients, such as henbane and mandrake.
* **Weaknesses in contrast to their resistances above** based on their animal type, i.e. the same polar bear Turnskin would have a resistance to cold but in turn find hot weather difficult to be in.