Primal Connection

While many claim a deep understanding of the natural world, none hold a deeper connection than those known as Shifters. These rare warrior sages live among beasts in the wilderness and develop primal powers of their own. For many, the mystic power of this bond infuses their blood with incredible bestial power, enhancing their senses and changing their form.

Drawing upon this primal connection to the wild, Shifters can communicate with beasts as if they were one of the pack. Their own physical forms are changed, and they gain savage claws or fangs and thickened skin. This primeval bond is also the source of their signature ability, the power to transform themselves, taking on the physical form of wild beasts.

Many Forms

The mystical ability that flows in their blood allows Shifters to take on the form of any animal that they have bonded with. Though each Shifter has a certain family of beasts they favor, and instinctively learn to transform into beasts in that family, all Shifters can learn the shape of any animal they encounter.

For many Shifters, the struggle between their own rational intellect and the savage instincts of the beasts they transform into is core to their being. Ignore their instincts and dull their
    mystical power, but give too much and risk losing their self.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d10 per Shifter level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier.
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Shifter level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, blowguns, longbows, nets
• Tools: None

• Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
• Skills: Choose any two: Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival

Equipment

As a Shifter, you start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) two clubs, (b) a greatclub, or (c) a quarterstaff
• (a) a shortbow and 20 arrows, or (b) four javelins
• leather armor, a dagger, and an explorer’s pack

Alternately, if your group uses the starting wealth rule to purchase equipment, the Shifter starts with 2d4 x 10 gold.

Quick Build

You can make a Shifter quickly by using these suggestions: Make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, then your Constitution. Second, choose the Hermit background.

Feral Physique

At 1st level, the primal power that courses through your veins has made your physical traits more bestial. Your appearance becomes notably bestial, and you gain the following benefits:

Wild Empathy

Also at 1st level, you gain the ability to verbally communicate with and understand Beasts. This does not mean that Beasts are always friendly toward you, and when you communicate with a Beast, its awareness and ability to recall knowledge is limited by its Intelligence score.

Lastly, whenever you make an ability check to soothe a wild Beast, such as with a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check, you
    can add your Shifter level to the result of your roll.

The Shifter

Level	PB	Features	Max. CR
1st	+2	Feral Physique, Wild Empathy	—
2nd	+2	Bloodline, Wild Shape	½
3rd	+2	Bestial Instincts	1
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	1
5th	+3	Feral Warrior, Mystical Strikes	1
6th	+3	Adrenaline Surge	2
7th	+3	Bloodline Feature	2
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	2
9th	+4	Wild Awareness	3
10th	+4	Primal Resilience	3
11th	+4	Primeval Form	3
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4
13th	+5	Bloodline Feature	4
14th	+5	Feral Senses	4
15th	+5	Mythic Forms	5
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5
17th	+6	Primeval Resurgence	5
18th	+6	Bloodline Feature	6
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	6
20th	+6	Force of Nature	6

Bloodline

At 2nd level, you choose a Bloodline that best represents your primal abilities and connection to wild animals: Avian, Brute, Carnivore, or Reptilian. Each detailed at the end of this class.

Your Bloodline grants you features at 2nd level, and again when you reach 7th, 13th, and 18th levels in this class.

Bloodline Shapes

Each Shifter Bloodline has deep a connection certain types
of Beast, known as Bloodline Shapes. Any Beast Shapes you instinctively learn are limited to these Bloodline Shapes.

Beast stat blocks included in the Compendium of Beasts include which Bloodline they belong to. For other Beasts, the DM determines which Bloodline, if any, a Beast belongs to.

Mystical Taxonomy

While animals in the real world are organized into
a complex taxonomy, there are only six Bloodlines that the mystical powers of a Shifter use: Aquatic, Avian, Brute, Carnivore, Reptilian, and Vermin.

Though, legends speak of Shifters who call on the powers of an Ancient Bloodline of Beasts...

Beast Shapes

At 2nd level, you know two Beast Shapes of your choice of CR 1/2 or lower, both of which must be Bloodline Shapes.
As a bonus action, you can Shift to magically take the form
of one Beast Shape that you know.

When you Shift, your game statistics are replaced by those of the Beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, hit points, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the Beast. If you and your Beast Shape both share a proficiency, use the higher bonus.

You revert to your normal form if you are Incapacitated or
if you use your bonus action to do so. You can Shift from one Beast Shape directly into another, but if you spend 1 hour in Beast Shapes without returning to your normal form, you instantly revert to your normal form.

Finally, some of the Beast Shapes referenced by this class are Diminutive size. If you take any damage as a Diminutive Beast, you instantly revert to your normal form.

Natural Armor

Unless your Beast Form's Armor Class was already higher, you can use your Feral Physique Armor Class while in Beast Shape. If you do, use your normal form's Constitution score.

Equipment

When you Shift, you can choose for any natural or unrefined equipment, such as objects made from wood, animal parts, or other natural materials, to merge with your Beast Shape.

However, any equipment made from metal or other highly processed materials, such as metal weapons
or armor, falls to the ground in your space
when you Shift into a Beast Shape.

Features & Spellcasting

When you Shift, you retain all benefits of features from class, race, or other sources, and can still use them so long as your Beast Shape is physically capable of doing so. However, you cannot use any special senses, such as Darkvision or Keen Senses, unless your Beast Shape also has that sense. Other features have special rules while in Beast Shape:

Multiattack. When you are in a Beast Shape, you cannot take the Multiattack action even if the Beast Shape has it.

Spellcasting. You cannot cast spells while you are in a Beast Shape. However, you can maintain your concentration on spells and other abilities you used before you Shifted.

Saving Throws

When one of your Beast Shapes forces a creature to make a saving throw, you can use the DC in its stat block, or you can use your Shifter save DC, as calculated below. It uses your normal form's Constitution score and Proficiency Bonus:

Learning New Beast Shapes

At certain Shifter levels, you learn to Shift into more powerful Beasts, as shown in the Max. CR column of the Shifter table.

Whenever this Max. CR increases, you instinctively learn one Bloodline Shape of your choice of that CR or lower.

You can also learn new Beast Shapes from any Bloodline by using an action to touch a living, non-hostile Beast of a CR equal to the Max. CR for your level or lower. There is no limit to the number of Beast Shapes you can learn this way.

Starting at 5th level, whenever you take the Attack action
in your normal form, you can make two attacks instead
of one. You can also take the Multiattack action when in
Beast Shape if your Beast Shape has that feature.

Also, whenever you take the Dash or Disengage action,
you can make a Natural Weapon attack as a bonus action.

Brute Shapes

2nd-level Brute Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline has infused you with an instinctive knowledge of certain animals. All Beasts with the Brute creature subtype are considered Bloodline Shapes for you.

Primal Fortitude

2nd-level Brute Bloodline feature
The power that flows in your blood has made you as hardy as the greatest Beasts. Your hit point maximum increases by 2, and it increases by 1 again whenever you gain a Shifter level.

Also, you add your normal form's Constitution modifier to all Strength ability checks and Strength saving throws.

Resilient Hide

7th-level Brute Bloodline feature
If you begin your turn in one of your Bloodline Shapes, you gain temporary hit points equal to the Beast's Constitution modifier, which last as long as you remain in that Shape.

Whenever you have temporary hit points, you are resistant to all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Stampede

13th-level Brute Bloodline feature
The primal power in your blood drives you into fits of anger. As an action, you can move up to your full speed in a straight line, forcing creatures you pass through to make a Strength saving throw against your Shifter save DC.

On a failed save, they take bludgeoning damage dependent on your size, as shown on the table below, and if the target is smaller than you, it falls Prone. On a success, your movement immediately stops, and the target takes half as much damage.

Great Behemoth

18th-level Brute Bloodline feature
On rare occasions, you can manifest the full primal power of your Bloodline, transforming into a Great Behemoth. When you use Primeval Form, you can choose for the Beast Shape to become a Great Behemoth, gaining additional benefits:

• It becomes Huge in size if it was not already.
• Creatures smaller than Huge have disadvantage on their Strength saving throw to resist your Stampede feature.
• Its Natural Weapon attacks deal a bonus 1d12 damage.
• It is resistant to all damage except force and psychic.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use your Great Behemoth form again.

Carnivore Shapes

2nd-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline has infused you with an instinctive knowledge of certain Beasts. Beasts with the Carnivore creature subtype are considered Bloodline Shapes for you.

Prey Drive

2nd-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
Something ancient in your blood compels you to hunt. As a bonus action, you can mark one hostile creature you can see as your Prey. If your Prey has less than half its maximum hit points and you can see, hear, or smell it, you have advantage on the first Natural Weapon attack you make against it each turn and your speed increases by 10 feet. However, you have disadvantage on attacks against all other targets.

The creature remains your Prey until it is dead, you cannot see, hear, or smell it for 1 hour, or you are Incapacitated. You can only have one creature marked as your Prey at a time.

Predatory Instinct

2nd-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
You have the instincts of the great predators of the wild. You gain proficiency in either Perception, Insight, or Survival.

When you make an ability check related to your Prey using the skills above, you can treat a d20 roll of 7 or lower as an 8.

Bestial Bloodlust

7th-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
Primal savagery boils up from within you when you can sense blood. While your Prey Drive is active, you have advantage
on Natural Weapon attacks against your Prey and you
cannot be Grappled, Paralyzed, or Restrained.

You can also mark a creature as your Prey after
you spend an action studying signs of its passing
(tracks, etc.) it left within the past 24 hours.

Apex Predator

13th-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
You are driven to pursue your foes until the hunt is finished. Whenever your Prey forces you to make an ability check or saving throw, you have advantage on your roll.

You also gain the benefits from Prey Drive whenever your Prey has less than its maximum hit points.

Primeval Frenzy

18th-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
Ancient predatory instincts drive you to fight on, even on the verge of death. While under the effects of Prey Drive, falling to 0 hit points does not knock you Unconscious, and you can gain temporary hit points at 0 hit points.

In this state, you make death saving throws as normal,
        and suffer the effects of taking damage at 0 hit points. If
           you start your turn and have three death saving throw
              failures, you must succeed on a Constitution saving
                 throw (DC 10) or die. Each subsequent round you
                     make this saving throw, the DC increases by 5.

                  The DC resets to 10 if you regain hit points.

Reptilian Shapes

2nd-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline infuses you with instinctive knowledge
of certain animals. Beasts with the Reptilian creature
subtype are considered Bloodline Shapes for you.

Reptilian Physiology

2nd-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
The power of your Bloodline physically changes you,
granting you traits common to many reptiles. You gain
a climbing and swimming speed equal to your walking
speed. You can also take the Disengage action as a
bonus action on each of your turns.

You retain these benefits in your Bloodline Shapes.

Venomous Strike

2nd-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
You can afflict foes with natural venom. When you hit
a creature with a Natural Weapon attack, you can force
it to make a Constitution saving throw against your
Shifter save DC. On a failure, it takes poison damage
equal to 1d8 + your Shifter level and is Poisoned. On
a successful save, the creature takes half as much
damage and isn't Poisoned.

A Poisoned creature repeats this saving throw at
the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, it is no longer Poisoned, but on a failed save, the creature takes
an additional 1d8 poison damage.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your normal form's Constitution modifier (a minimum of once). You regain one expended use when you finish a short rest, and all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Adaptive Camouflage

7th-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
Your reptilian skin can adapt to blend into any environment. As an action, you can expend one use of Adrenaline Surge to turn invisible for 10 minutes, as if by the invisibility spell.

Unlike the spell, this ability does not require concentration.

Primal Venom

7th-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
The mystical power of your Bloodline empowers your natural toxins. Whenever you deal poison damage to a creature with one of your Shifter or Beast Shape features, you can choose to deal necrotic damage instead.

Coiled Strike

13th-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
You strike back at your foes with deadly purpose. When a creature you can see within your reach misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to make a single Natural Weapon attack against that creature.

If this special reaction attack hits and you use Venomous Strike, the creature has disadvantage on its initial saving
    throw to resist the effects of your Venomous Strike.