Shifter/Skinwalker

"Lunatics, the lot of them, howling at the moon at all hours. Not a good thing for decent folk to do if you ask me." - Max, human bartender, repeating common myths about shifters.

"They can keep pace with us through the back-allies and fight with the best of them. Good partners. Don't cheat them." -Walloper, kenku thief, on positive connections for aspiring thieves to make.

"They understand the beast in all of us. It's simply more literal for them." -Ubonchu, half-orc cleric of Asus, on which species she feels kinship with.

"They can throw a party with the best of them! Take a hit and keep on drinking! My kind of folks!"- Rikoris, fey-blooded bard, during one of his many benders.

Lycanthropes are just a fact of Apian life. Some link them to the moons, others to curses or the wrath of one God or another. There is a thousand explanations for the werebeasts but all acknowledge the simple fact that they exist. Because a werecreature appears like a normal member of its species the majority of its life, half-breeds are common. Those lycanthropic genes are strong however, and those half-breeds have half-breeds and so on. Shifters, sometimes called skinwalkers, are now a race all their own, breeding true with a shared common identity. The descendants of lycanthropes and mortals, shifters can tap into that power in small amounts, using it to "shift" themselves into more bestial forms. Shifters share much in common with half-orcs, being wandering souls with aggressive, bestial tendencies who enjoy life's simple pleasures. Unlike half-orcs, shifters are a full race all their own and thus are often more confident in who they are than the common half-orc.

Appearance: Shifters can often pass for humans of a particularly hairy variety. Most have features that are reminiscent of their lycanthorpic ancestry, which changes depending on the type of were-creature in question. Longer than average canines alongside sharp, predatory teeth, are a near universal trait. Intense, animalistic eyes are another recognizable trait for those who know to look for it. Most are excessively hairy, with long hair common for both sexes and almost all males wear mustaches and beards. Many shifters have either full or vestigial claws and, depending on heritage and alignment, keep them sharp enough to fight with. Each shifter feels a pull towards nature and they dress accordingly. Furs and leather are the most common choice of dress, with form over function. A highly individualistic race, each skinwalker has his or her own attitude towards fashion, often featuring, bone jewelry, tattoos, piercings and ritual scarring.

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History: No one is sure where the first lycanthrope came from. The faithful of Reeyar claim that those worshipers who are truly devoted to the bestial lord are transformed into creatures better suited for their impulses. Delorgan berserkers and warriors claim that lycanthropy is a gift from their forefathers and the gods, allowing a raider to truly rule the battlefield. There are even select wizards who suggests were-creatures were mind flayer experiments, or the results of evil druids trying to become one with nature. Ultimately the answer is irrelevant, were-creatures simply are. Some of those who fought for Latrell were bestial lycanthropes as were some who fought against them. Many frontier towns were swept away by ferocious beasts. What did set these lycanthropes apart from many other monsters was that they could breed true, and produce children of their same kind. Because lycanthropes came in all races and alignments, and weren't bestial all the time, they often married or mated with non-lycanthropes. The results were shifters, also known as skinwalkers. While no history of the race truly exists, particularly considering the sheer number of individuals fitting the criteria they are surprisingly common on Apia. After tieflings and aasimar, shifters are the most common "blooded" humanoid, beating out the fey and genasi by quite a margin. While they lack a nation or kingdom of their own, their are small frontier towns made up entirely of skinwalkers.

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Geography: Delorgan has a large amount of skinwalkers among its population as does Druz and Taskanada.Still, it is a rare nation indeed that doesn't count a few shifters among its citizens.

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Personality: Shifters carry a wide-range of personality traits due to the individualistic nature of the shifters as a race but also the variance of environments one is raised in. While shifters can have any personality, most tend to be aggressive, even predatory; the blood of a hunter runs through their veins and its difficult to unlearn that inner bloodlust. Most are loners though some, those descended from were-rats or were-boars, tend to be decently social. Many are strongly independent, confident enough in their own natures to live alone or with some kind of partner. Others are attoners, trying to keep the beast at bay and are thus gentle recluses. Still others can be deeply spiritual, reverent creatures who seem to revere the moon and various spirits almost as much as chosen gods. Some see their "shifted" aspect as an entirely separate being and address it as such while others embrace a duality that suggests both man and beast are two sides of one coin. Ultimately, aside from their enhance bloodlust, most are indistinguishable from humans.

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Society: Shifters tend to work in positions that allow them to take advantage of their natural predilection towards violence or the wilderness, serving as rangers, trackers, hunters, bouncers, bodyguards and mercenaries. Others turn to the darker aspects of their talents, becoming assassins, thugs or general bandits. Most are not drawn to positions of leadership and in the towns where they live, happily take up a supporting role as a stable, but mysterious presence in town. Others live out in small cabins or huts, near enough to the villages to trade pelts and meat for other supplies but happily remaining away from non-humanoids. Unlike other sub-races, shifters rarely form districts of their own within major cities, nor do the excessively seek out others of their kind for mating purposes. While many shifters end up marrying shifters, tieflings, half-orcs and humans are just as possible as mates. From a family side, shifters are just as diverse as humans in that regard with some being happy monogamists and others rejecting the institution all together.

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Religion: Many shifters praise Ahphion, the goddess of the moon, as their patron. Indeed, the moon itself is borderline divine to the shifters. Other popular choices include Atix Crowfeather, The Green Lord and Emdera Ruggedfist. Evil shifters almost exclusively worship Reeyar, most in the hopes that they'll be "purified" into full lycanthropes.

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Alignment: Shifters can be of any alignment, though most hold some tendency to chaos or neutrality. Very few are lawful due to the inner animal instinct but its not unheard of.

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Relations: Shifters get along well with other half-breeds, particularly half-orcs and tieflings, though even half-elves share their appreciation for wild places. In general they have few enemies. Despite their stand-offness they don't tend to go out of their way to make enemies. Only lupins and tibbits seem to really dislike most shifters, lupins struggle to separate shifters from their were-ancestors and tibbits get their hackles up whenever one is present.

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Language: Shifters speak common and whatever other language is taught in their home town or country.

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Adventurers: Shifters make natural adventurers as they seek prey, and explore the wilderness. The inborn tenacity and limited, shapeshifting can prove quite valuable during a dungeon crawl. Besides that, adventuring parties tend to be more accepting of various freaks and misfits, like the average shifter. Many a skilled ranger, druid or even barbarian is a shifter and those parties whose membership includes one tend to be happy with the provided muscle.

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Names: Shifter names tend to be self-picked and monosyllabic. Alternatively, they can have any name that is provided by their human (or non-were) parent and so human names are perfectly acceptable.

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Example male names: Beast, Claw, Mountain, Flame, Coal, Smoke, Flax, Char, Tor,Kindle

Example female names: Evening, Dawn, Fluff, Brook, Cricket, Sunshine, Sunrise, Vapor, Ember, Horizon

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Traits: Shifter traits are described below...

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Humanoid (Shapechanger)

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+2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma

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Medium

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Base land speed 30

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Shifting (SU): 1/day for 3 + Con modifier rounds, a shifter can enter a transformed state superficially similar to a barbarian rage, gaining a benefit and a +2 bonus to one ability score based on their shifter subrace. For every Shifter feat, their transformation time per day increases by +1 round, and for every 2 such feats, they can transform +1 time per day.

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Beasthide: +2 Constitution, +2 natural AC

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Longtooth: +2 Strength, bite attack 1d6+1/4 levels damage

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Cliffwalk: +2 Dexterity, Climb speed 20 feet

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Razorclaw: +2 Dexterity, 2 claw attacks 1d4+1/4 levels damage

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Longstride: +2 Dexterity, +10ft speed

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Wildhunt: +2 Constitution, Scent

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 Low-light Vision

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+2 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks.

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Favored Class: Ranger Saurian Shifters

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Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma

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Racial Classification: Humanoid (Reptilian, Shapechanger)

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Size: Medium

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Base Land Speed: 30ft

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Low-Light Vision

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Racial Skill Bonus: +2 to Balance, Climb and Jump checks.

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Shifting (Su): Each saurian shifter has one dinothropic lineage, chosen from the list of seven below. This choice is set at character creation and cannot be changed afterwards. Once per day, the saurian shifter can tap into this lineage, gaining bonuses dependent on their lineage. Shifting is a free action and lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the saurian shifter's Constitution bonus (using the increased bonus caused by any Constitution boost gained from shifted form, if appropriate). As with normal shifters, a saurian shifter can increase this duration and how readily it may take shifted form by taking Shifting Feats; shifting duration increases by +1 round per Shifting Feat taken, whilst every 2 Shifting Feats taken increases the amount of times a saurian shifter can shift each day by +1. If shifting grants a natural attack option, a saurian shifter may only make one natural attack each round, even if they have a base attack bonus high enough to grant multiple attacks.

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Favored Class: Ranger

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Beasthide: +2 Constitution and +2 natural armor bonus.

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Broadwing: +2 Dexterity, ignore the first 40 feet of a fall.

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Junglerunner: +2 Dexterity and increase base land speed by +20 feet.

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Longtooth: +2 Strength, grow fangs that bestow a natural attack (bite) that inflicts 1D6 + 1 per 4 character levels damage. A shifted Longtooth can make its bite attack as a secondary attack with a -5 penalty.

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Raptorleap: +2 Strength, +4 to all Jump checks, always counts as having a running start for Jump checks.

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Razorclaw: +2 Strength, grow claws that bestow a natural attack (claw) that inflicts 1D4 + 1 per 4 character levels damage. A shifted Razorclaw can make an attack with one claw as a standard action or with both claws as a full-round action (in both cases as a primary natural weapon). They can also use their claw as a secondary attack (light off-hand weapon), with a -2 penalty.

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Widetail: +2 Constitution, grow a powerful tail that bestows a natural attack (tail slap) that inflicts 1D6 + 1 per 4 character levels damage. A shifted Widetail can make its tail slap attack as a secondary attack with a -5 penalty.

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