Shifters
Geth’s ancient heritage rose up from deep within him, spreading out from the core of his being. Some shifters manifested terrible claws, massive fangs, astounding speed, or heightened senses. Geth’s gift from his lycanthrope ancestors was sheer toughness. Strength seeped into his bones and flooded his flesh. His skin hardened, and his hair became coarse like an animal’s tough hide. A sense of invincibility spread through him. For the moment, at least, he felt unstoppable!—Don Bassingthwaite, The Binding Stone
Shifters are sometimes called the weretouched, as many believe that they are the descendants of humans and lycanthropes. They are humanoids with a bestial aspect. While they can’t fully change shape, they can temporarily enhance their animalistic features—a state they call shifting. Whatever their origins, shifters have evolved into a unique race. A shifter walks on the knife’s edge between the wilds and the world around them. Do they embrace their primal instincts or the path of civilization?
The Beast Within
Early in childhood, a shifter forms a bond with a beast within: a totemic force that shapes their body and mind. Some shifters believe that these spirits are independent entities, and they might speak of Bear or Wolf as ancestors or guides. Most just see the beast within as a formidable expression of their inner nature, something that emerges over time as the shifter’s personality takes shape. The beast within is a pool of powerful instincts, and its influence is revealed by the shifter’s personality: a feline shifter might be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while a shifter with a lupine spirit is drawn to find and protect a pack. When a shifter fully embraces this beast within, they physically transform for a short time. This beast within is reflected by the shifter’s subrace. The following subraces are especially common:Beasthide often signifies the bear or boar: stoic, stubborn and thick-skinned.
Broadwing shifters are often light and thin. They contain traits of things that can fly; insects, bats, or birds.
Longtooth shifters typically have lupine traits and are attracted to pack life.
Seastalker shifters are at home in the water. They often embody amphibians, reptiles, fish, turtles, crocodilians, or sharks.
Swiftstride shifters are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows.
Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey.
While the beast within certainly has a physical impact on a shifter, it also has a spiritual and psychological effect. Two beasthide shifters share the same special ability, but if one has the aspect of the boar and the other is more like a bear, they’ll be quite different in personality. With any shifter, identifying the beast within is a crucial part of understanding the character.
Similar and Diverse
Shifters are similar to humans in height and build but are more naturally lithe and flexible. Their facial features have a bestial cast, with large eyes, flat noses, and pointed ears; most shifters also have prominent canine teeth. They grow fur-like hair on nearly every part of their bodies. The traits of the beast within affect a shifter’s appearance as well. A swiftstride shifter might have catlike eyes and delicate build, while a beasthide shifter is likely a massive brute built like a bear. While a shifter’s appearance might remind an onlooker of an animal, they remain clearly identifiable as shifters even when at their most feral.The Journey Yet to Come
Shifters have a strong presence in the Eldeen Reaches, and they often live among humans and can be found in rural areas across Khorvaire. While they form powerful bonds with friends and kin, shifters place great value on self reliance and freedom. It’s a shifter proverb to “always be prepared for the journey yet to come,” and most shifters strive to be ready for change or opportunity. Shifters have a natural inclination toward classes with a primal connection. A shifter barbarian draws their rage from the beast within. A shifter ranger indulges their urge to wander and hunt. A shifter rogue harnesses their own predatory instincts. But shifters can pursue any path or faith.Shifter Names
Shifters have no language of their own and often live in blended communities. As such, shifter names typically overlap with the names of other cultures in their region. Many shifters prefer to keep their personal names for their friends and use “wandering names” with strangers. These are usually tied to an obvious physical or personality trait. Shifter Names: Badger, Bear, Cat, Claw, Fang, Fin, Gill, Grace, Grim, Moon, Rain, Red, Scale, Scar, Stripe, Swift, Talon, Whiskers, Wing, WolfShifter Traits
Your shifter character has the following traits.Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Shifters are quick to mature both physically and emotionally, reaching young adulthood at age 10. They rarely live to be more than 70 years old.
Alignment. Shifters tend toward neutrality, being more focused on survival than concepts of good and evil. A love of personal freedom can drive shifters toward chaotic alignments.
Size. Shifters range from 5 to almost 7 feet tall, depending on their subrace. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. 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.
Keen Senses. You have proficiency with the Perception skill.
Shifting. As a bonus action, you can assume a more bestial appearance. This transformation lasts for 1 minute, until you die, or until you revert to your normal appearance as a bonus action. When you shift, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 temporary hit point). You also gain additional benefits that depend on your shifter subrace, described below. Once you shift, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common.
Subrace. Choose one of the following subraces, representing the beast within: beasthide, broadwing, longtooth, seastalker, swiftstride, or wildhunt.
Beasthide
Stoic and solid, a beasthide shifter draws strength and stamina from the beast within. Beasthide shifters are typically tied to the bear or the boar, but any creature known for its toughness could apply.Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Tough. You have proficiency with the Athletics skill.
Shifting Feature. Whenever you shift, you gain 1d6 additional temporary hit points, and while shifted, you have a +1 bonus to your AC.
Broadwing
Broadwing shifters are curious and clever. They tend to enjoy collecting things. Their light bodies make them great for delicate operations such as traversing crumbling architecture. They often enjoy delicate crafting and detail work.Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity and Constitution scores both increase by 1.
Nimble Fingers. You have proficiency with the Sleight of Hand skill.
Alert. Even when asleep you remain alert to your environment. You may make Perception (wisdom) hearing checks even when asleep to hear things approaching.
Shifting Feature. While shifted, You may choose to be under the effect of the feather fall spell whenever you want (This does not count as a spell for the purpose of antimagic fields, counterspell or other things that end spells). You must not be restrained, grappled, or prone and need at least 5 feet on either side to spread your wings in order to use this ability.
Longtooth
Longtooth shifters are fierce and aggressive, but they form deep bonds with their friends. Many longtooth shifters have canine traits that become more pronounced as they shift, but they might instead draw on tigers, hyenas, or other predators.Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Fierce. You have proficiency with the Intimidation skill.
Shifting Feature. While shifted, you can use your elongated fangs to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action. If you hit with your fangs, you can deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Seastalker
Seastalker shifters feel at home in the water. They tend to be patient and laid back. Most of them prefer to let things come to them, rather than adamantly seeking anything. They tend to be sturdily built and strong.Ability Score Increase. Your Strength and Constitution scores both increase by 1.
Fear sense. You have proficiency with the Insight skill. You can smell fear, like blood in the water.
Aquatic adaptation. You gain the ability to breathe underwater.
Shifting Feature. While shifted, You gain a swim speed equal to your movement speed. You may ignore non-magical difficult terrain while swimming.
Swiftstride
Swiftstride shifters are graceful and quick. Typically feline in nature, swiftstride shifters are often aloof and difficult to pin down physically or socially.Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity and Charisma scores both increase by 1.
Graceful. You have proficiency with the Acrobatics skill.
Swift Stride. Your walking speed increases by 5 feet.
Shifting Feature. While shifted, your walking speed increases by 5 feet. Additionally, you can move up to 10 feet as a reaction when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
Wildhunt
Wildhunt shifters are sharp and insightful. Some are constantly alert, wary for possible threats. Others focus on their intuition, searching within. Wildhunt shifters are excellent hunters, and they also tend to become the spiritual leaders of shifter communities.Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Natural Tracker. You have proficiency with the Survival skill.
Mark the Scent. As a bonus action, you can mark one creature you can see within 10 feet of you. Until the end of your next long rest, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make to find the marked creature, and you always know the location of that creature if it is within 60 feet of you. You can’t use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.
Shifting Feature. While shifted, you have advantage on Wisdom checks.
Shifter Quirks
You may use the Shifter Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for a shifter character or to inspire a unique mannerism.| d12 | - Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vegetables make you gag. |
| 2 | Monster hunters and adventurers make you uncomfortable, like they might confuse you for a lycanthrope. |
| 3 | You can’t sleep well unless you’re outside. |
| 4 | You enjoy your meat raw. |
| 5 | You have a vague smell of wet animal that won’t wash out. |
| 6 | You have nightmares about losing yourself to your animalistic side. |
| 7 | Personal space doesn’t exist for you. |
| 8 | Sometimes you find yourself subconsciously smelling things and people if they are close enough. |
| 9 | You are easily distracted by shiny or moving objects. |
| 10 | You find it hard to focus on one thing to listen to. Sometimes in a room full of voices your companions might need to get your attention to speak to you. |
| 11 | You only blink about a third as often as most, and sometimes people find this unnerving. |
| 12 | You tend to prefer body language over words. |
Barbarian: Path of the Awakened
Prerequisite: ShifterAs a barbarian you have been trained by the hardships of nature and tribal life. You have utilized your life as a shifter as a way to become one with nature, and you have learned to awaken a more bestial transformation when you rage. Whenever you rage your body shifts into a hybrid lycanthrope form. The breed of your Lycan is determined by the shifter DNA you were born with. Unlike lycans you are not contagious, you can merely access more of the inert powers that hide within all shifters.
Vulnerability to Silver. Silvered weapons overcome your resistances and do normal damage to you while raging.
Improved Shifting
Starting at 3rd level, As part of awakening your latent lycan DNA, the abilities you gain from shifting also surface any time you transform fully with rage. When your rage ends early you change back to your shifted form for the rest of the 1 minute duration. When shifted or raging You also gain the following benefits:- Your claws are natural weapons. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. You must have a free hand to use this natural weapon. If you are a Longtooth shifter your natural weapons (claws and fangs) become 1d8 instead.
- if you use the attack action to make a melee weapon attack on your turn you may make a natural weapon attack as a bonus action.
Essence of the Moon
At 6th level your natural weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. In addition, While raging, ancestral DNA gives you one of the following benefits based on your shifter species:- Longtooth: You gain immunity to the frightened status condition. You also gain resistance to Cold damage.
- Beasthide: You gain immunity to the poisoned status condition. You also gain resistance to Poison damage.
- Swiftstride: You gain immunity to the charmed status condition. You also gain resistance to Thunder damage.
- Broadwing: You may ignore non-magical difficult terrain. You also gain resistance to Lightning damage.
- Seastalker: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by heavy rain, falling snow, mist, or water. You also gain resistance to Acid damage.
Animal Instincts
Starting at 14th level you have begun developing some of the natural instincts of your lycan ancestors. When you are raging you gain one of the following benefits based on your shifter species:- Longtooth: The damage for your natural weapon attacks goes up to 1d10
- Beasthide: The temporary hitpoint bonus you gain from shifting increases from 1d6 to 2d6.
- Swiftstride: When moving as a reaction using your shifting feature, you may now move up to half your speed. Your walk speed goes up by an additional 5 ft in all forms.
- Broadwing: You gain a flying speed equal to your movement speed.
- Seastalker: While in heavy rain, falling snow, mist, or water you can use your bonus action to take the dodge action.
Speak with Animals
1st-level divination
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 10 minutes
You gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts for the duration. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at minimum, beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day. You might be able to persuade a beast to perform a small favor for you, at the DM’s discretion.