Shifter

Shifters are a race of humanoids with a savage ancestry that are native to the Dreadwood Forest but have spread throughout the Evenfall.

Shifter Traits

Your lycanthrope heritage grants you the following:

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
• Age. Shifters age as humans or perhaps slightly quicker.
• Alignment. Due to their primal nature, most shifters concentrate primarily on their own survival and tend to be unaligned.
• Size. Shifters have roughly the same proportions as humans. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night's sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Shifting. You draw from your primal ancestry, temporarily taking on beastial powers. This power ends after one minute or if you fall unconscious. You cannot use this feature again until you have completed a long rest. Shifting requires an action to activate but can be ended at anytime. Specific powers are listed under each subrace.
• Languages. You can speak, read and write Common.
• Subrace. Two main subraces of shifters exist within the Evenfall: longtooth shifters and razorclaw shifters. Choose one of these subraces.

Longtooth Shifter

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
• Primal Tenacity. You have proficiency in the Survival skill.
• Shifting.
  • Each time you take an action to shift, you regain 1d6 hit points. The number of hit points you regain increases to 2d6 at 8th level and 3d6 at 15th level.
  • While shifted, you gain a +1 bonus to the first Strength-based attack you make each turn. This bonus increases to +2 at 8th level and +3 at 15th level.

Razorclaw Shifter

• Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
• Natural Predator. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
• Shifting.
  • While shifted, your base walking speed is increased to 40 feet.
  • While shifted, you gain a +2 bonus to your AC and advantage on Dexterity saving throws.

Description

Also known as the weretouched, shifters count both humans and lycanthropes among their distant ancestors. Thus, they posses just a small portion of their forefathers' shape-shifting abilities. Shifters cannot transform wholly into an animal but can instead shift parts of their body to become animal-like for short periods of time. Although lycanthropes have been nearly hunted from existence by various crusades throughout the ages, shifters blend in exceptionally well to civilized society, often passing as humans. However, their wild heritage makes them prefer the frontier to city life.

Shifters resemble humans but with more animal like features. Their bodies are physically fit and lithe, they tend to move around in a animal like manor, crouching, springing and leaping. Like cats they have wide flat noses with large eyes, pointed ears and claw like nails on both their toes and fingers. Their hair is thick and worn long and some have long sideburns to match. Longtooth shifters claim that werewolves are their ancestors and have more canine like features while the razorclaw shifters claim weretigers to be their ancestors and display more feline features. Most shifters have long hair growing from their forearms and lower legs.

Due to their predator instincts shifters can't help acting or thinking like animals and think in terms of hunting and prey. Like wolves, longtooth shifters feel the urge to form packs with companions whether they be family or even a group consisting of no other shifters. They make useful companions as they work well in teams, capable of coordinating attacks and will come to the rescue of any of its pack members.

Razorclaw shifters are more independent, self-reliant and adaptable than their longtooth cousins. They're just as loyal to their group as longtooth shifters however, they expect their companions to be just as self-reliant and capable as they are. Razorclaw shifters strive to carry their own weight within their groups.

Shifters are accustomed to distrust and don't expect better treatment from the other races though, some try to earn trust with their companions through good deeds. Most shifters are unaligned and are concerned more with their survival than ethics and morals.   

Shifters names tend to reflect aspects of nature which could include: Ash, Aurora, Autumn, Brook, Claw, Cliff, Dawn, Flint, Frost, Hazel, Iris, Lily, Rain, River, Rock, Rose, Storm, Summer, Thorn, Torn.