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, give too much and risk losing themselves.

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: First, make Constitution your highest ability score, followed by Strength or Dexterity. Then, take the Hermit background.

Bloodline

At 1st level, you choose the Bloodline from the list below that best represents your primal abilities and favored wild Beasts:

    Your Bloodline grants you features at 1st level, and again when you reach 7th, 13th, and 18th level in this class. Your Bloodline features all use your Shifter save DC (see below).

Bloodline Shapes

Each Bloodline has an instinctive connection to certain types of Beasts; these are known as their Bloodline Shapes. Beast stat blocks in the Compendium of Beasts will include which Bloodline (or Bloodlines) they belong to.

For other Beasts, work with your DM to determine which of the seven Bloodlines, if any, other Beasts may belong to.

Mystical Taxonomy

While animals in the real world are organized into
a complex taxonomy, the primal power of Shifters recognizes seven Bloodlines: Aquatic, Avian, Brute, Carnivore, Insect, Reptilian, and Vermin.

Though, legends speak of Shifters bound to the primeval power of an Ancient Bloodline of Beasts...

The Shifter

Level	PB	Features	Max. CR
1st	+2	Bloodline, Wild Shape	0
2nd	+2	Primal Bond	¼
3rd	+2	Bestial Instincts	½
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

Wild Shape

Also at 1st level, you gain the mystical ability to change your form, Shifting into Beast Shapes, following the rules below:

Beast Shapes

At 1st level, you instinctively learn one CR 0 Beast Shape of your choice from your Bloodline Shapes. As a bonus action, you can Shift to take the form of a Beast Shape you know.

When you Shift, your statistics are replaced by those of the Beast Shape, 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. However, after you spend 1 hour in Beast Shapes without reverting to your normal form, you will instantly revert to your normal form.

Diminutive Beasts

Some of the Beast Shapes referenced by this class are a new creature size: Diminutive. If you take any damage or you fail a saving throw while Shifted into a Diminutive Beast Shape, you instantly revert back to your normal form.

           Also at 5th level, your Natural Weapon attacks count as
             magical for overcoming Resistances and Immunity to
                  nonmagical attacks and damage.

At 9th level, your mystical abilities grant you an instinctive knowledge of your surroundings while you are in the wild. When you finish a short or long rest, you gain the benefits
of the commune with nature spell.

Aquatic Bloodline

You have formed a mystical bond with all Beasts of the water. From the smallest tide pool to the crushing deeps of the sea, you are familiar with its multitude of life. Drawing upon their power, you have become a savage warrior of the waves.

Aquatic Beasts

The Aquatic Beasts listed by CR below are Bloodline Shapes for Aquatic Shifters. These updated Aquatic Beast stat blocks can be found in the Laserllama Compendium of Beasts:

Avian Shapes

1st-level Avian Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline infuses you with an instinctive knowledge of certain animals. All Beasts with the Avian creature subtype are considered Bloodline Shapes for you.

Avian Anatomy

1st-level Avian Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline infuses you with avian grace, poise, and speed, granting you the following Avian characteristics and traits:

Featherweight Frame. You can take the Dash action as a bonus action. Whenever you Dash, opportunity attacks made against you have disadvantage, and you have advantage on all Acrobatics checks for the rest of that turn.

Natural Armor. Your light frame and feathers make you a difficult target. You gain Natural Armor with an Armor Class equal to 13 + your Dexterity modifier.

Natural Weapons. Your fingers become pointed talons. They are Natural Weapons with the Light property that deal 1d6 Slashing damage on hit and use your Dexterity for their attack and damage rolls.

Swift Wing

7th-level Avian Bloodline feature
The mystical power within your blood allows you to take to the skies even when you do not have wings. Whenever you take the Dash action in a form that does not have a flying speed, you gain a temporary flying speed equal to your walking speed until the end of your turn.

Also, while you have a flying speed, you have
advantage on Dexterity saving throws.

Driving Squall

13th-level Avian Bloodline feature
Your bond with the Beasts of the skies
grants you control over the winds.
While in a Bloodline Shape, you
can use your bonus action to
buffet enemies with wind.
Choose either an adjacent
20-foot cone, a 30-foot by
5-foot line, or a 10-foot
radius around you.

Creatures in that
area must make a
Strength saving
throw or be thrown
20 feet away from
you in a straight
line. The distance
is halved for each
size a creature is
larger than you.

Master of the Winds

18th-level Avian Bloodline feature
You are a master of the winds that blow across every world.
As a bonus action, you can use Driving Squall to create the effect of the whirlwind ^ll spell in a space adjacent to you.

When you do so, this effect does not require concentration, and you are immune to its effects. With a subsequent bonus action, you can use Driving Squall to move the whirlwind up to 30 feet so long as you are adjacent to it.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can conjure another whirlwind.

Brute Shapes

1st-level Brute Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline infuses you with an instinctive knowledge of certain animals. All Beasts with the Brute creature subtype are considered Bloodline Shapes for you.

Brutish Biology

1st-level Brute Bloodline feature
The power that flows in your blood has made you as hardy as the greatest Beasts, granting you the following Brutish traits:

Natural Armor. You grow woolly hair or thickened skin. You have a Natural Armor with an Armor Class that is equal to 13 + your Constitution modifier.

Natural Weapons. Your skull thickens, or you grow horns; Natural Weapons that deal 1d10 Bludgeoning damage on hit.

Primal Fortitude. Whenever you make a Strength check or saving throw, you can add your normal form's Constitution modifier (minimum of +1) to the result of your roll.

Stout Frame. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and increases by 1 again each time you gain another Shifter level.

Resilient Hide

7th-level Brute Bloodline feature
Your brutish Beasts are infused with mystical fortitude. Any time you start your turn in a Bloodline Shape, you can choose to gain temporary hit points equal to the Beast's Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).

Moreover, any time you have temporary hit points, you gain Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage.

Stampede

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

On a failure, they take Bludgeoning damage based on your size, as shown 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 Bludgeoning 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 has Resistance 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

1st-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline infuses you with an instinctive knowledge of certain animals. Beasts with the Carnivore creature subtype are considered Bloodline Shapes for you.

Carnivorous Physique

1st-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
The primal drive to hunt flows in your blood and has altered your physiology, granting you certain carnivorous Traits:

Natural Armor. Your body is hardened to resist your prey, giving you a Natural Armor with an Armor Class of 10 + your Strength and Constitution modifiers.

Natural Weapons. You grow sharp claws or deadly fangs. They are Natural Weapons with the Light property that deal 1d6 Slashing damage on hit.

Primal Senses. When you make an ability check based on your sense of smell, you treat a d20 roll of 7 or lower as an 8.

Prey Drive

1st-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
Ancient instincts in your blood drive you to hunt. When you Shift into a Bloodline Shape, you can mark a Hostile creature you can see as your Prey. You can also spend an action while in a Bloodline Shape to analyze signs of a creature's passing (such as tracks, etc.) to mark it as your Prey.

It remains your Prey for 1 hour, until it is slain, you mark another creature as your Prey, or you leave that Beast Shape. For the duration, you gain certain benefits and drawbacks:

• Your Natural Weapon attacks against your Prey score
  a critical hit on a d20 roll of 19 or 20, but you have disadvantage on attacks against all other targets.
• When you make an ability check to track your
  Prey that uses your sense of smell, you have
  advantage on your roll.
• Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.

Primal Bloodlust

7th-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
You unleash your ferocity when you taste blood. When you hit your Prey with a Natural Weapon attack, you can expend one Adrenaline Surge to enhance your Prey Drive. While it lasts, you have advantage on Natural Weapon attacks against your Prey, and you cannot be Grappled, Paralyzed, or Restrained.

Apex Predator

13th-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
You are driven to pursue your foes until the hunt is finished. You have advantage on any saving throw your Prey forces you to make, and your Natural Weapon attacks against your Prey now score a critical hit on a d20 roll of 18-20.

At 18th level, this critical hit range increases to 17-20.

     Primeval Frenzy

        18th-level Carnivore Bloodline feature
           Ancient predatory instinct drives you to fight past the
               brink of death. If you are reduced to 0 hit points and
                 Prey Drive is active, you don't fall Unconscious and
                       can gain temporary hit points. Until you regain
                       hit points, you continue to make death saving
                        throws, dying if you fail three.

Insect Bloodline

Your blood is bound to all insects, arachnids, and arthropods, creatures which creep, crawl, and sting. Strangest of Shifters, you use your insectoid power to entrap and incapacitate foes.

Insect Beasts

The Insect Beasts listed by CR below are Bloodline Shapes for Insect Shifters. These updated Insect Beast stat blocks can be found in the Laserllama Compendium of Beasts.

Beast Swarms * are only learned after you reach 7th level.

Reptilian Shapes

1st-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline infuses you with instinctive knowledge
of certain animals. Beasts with the Reptilian subtype
are considered Bloodline Shapes for you.

Reptilian Physiology

1st-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
The power of your Bloodline physically changes you.
You gain the following Reptilian traits and features:

Natural Armor. You are covered in a thin sheen of
scales; Natural Armor granting you an Armor Class of
10 + your Dexterity and Constitution modifiers.

Natural Weapons. Your hands grow elongated claws.
They are Natural Weapons with the Light property. On
hit, they deal 1d6 Slashing damage and use Dexterity
for their attack and damage rolls.

Sticky Grip. You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and you can climb up difficult and sheer surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without
needing to make an ability check.

Serpentine Stalker

1st-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
You move with the fluidity and silence of a reptilian
predator. You gain proficiency in Stealth. If you are already proficient, whenever you make a Stealth check, you treat a
d20 roll of 7 or lower as an 8.

In addition, when you are in a Bloodline Shape, you can take the Disengage action as a bonus action.

Adaptive Camouflage

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

Unlike the spell, this ability does not require concentration.

Coiled Strike

7th-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
You strike at your foes with deadly speed. When you are in a Bloodline Shape, you gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on opportunity attacks.
• When a creature misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against it.
• If you have already used your reaction for a round, you can expend an Adrenaline Surge to take another reaction.

Reflexive Defense

13th-level Reptilian Bloodline feature
Primeval instinct grants you a supernatural ability to react to danger. When you are targeted by an attack or forced to make a saving throw while in a Bloodline Shape, you can use your reaction to gain advantage on your saving throw or to impose disadvantage on that attack. If you still take damage, you can
    use Adrenaline Surge as part of the same reaction.

Vermin Shapes

1st-level Vermin Bloodline feature
Your Bloodline infuses you with an instinctive knowledge of certain animals. Beasts with the Vermin creature subtype are considered Bloodline Shapes for you.

Verminous Anatomy

1st-level Vermin Bloodline feature
The power of your Bloodline has altered your very physiology, granting you certain characteristics and traits of Vermin:

Darkvision. You gain Darkvision out to a 60-foot radius. If you already have Darkvision, its range increases by 60 feet.

Natural Armor. Your skin is covered in thin, wiry fur, that gives you a Natural Armor with an Armor Class equal to 10 + your Constitution and Dexterity modifiers.

Natural Weapons. Your teeth transform into thick, gnarled fangs. They are Natural Weapons with the Finesse and Light properties that deal 1d6 Piercing damage on hit.

Scamper. When you Shift into a Bloodline Shape, you also gain the benefits of either the Disengage or the Hide action.

Plague Bearer

1st-level Vermin Bloodline feature
Your bloodline carries ancient plague and disease. When you hit a creature with a Natural Weapon attack, it cannot regain hit points until the beginning of your next turn.

Swarm Shape

7th-level Vermin Bloodline feature
Your mystical bond with the smallest of vermin allows you to join their swarms. You can learn Beast Shapes and Shift into Swarms so long as they are Vermin Swarms. When you Shift into a Vermin Swarm, you use the following rules:

• You gain temporary hit points equal to twice your Shifter level + your Constitution modifier. If these temporary hit points are reduced to 0, you instantly revert back to your normal form, then take any remaining damage.
• When you use the Swarm's Flurry attack, you use
  these temporary hit points to determine the
  damage dealt by the Flurry attack, in place
  of your current hit points.
• The Swarm's Flurry attack counts
  as a Natural Weapon attack for
  the purposes of your Shifter
  features and your Plague
  Bearer feature.

You can Shift into a Swarm
of Vermin once in between
each short or long rest at
no cost. However, after
that, you must expend
an Adrenaline Surge
to Shift into a Swarm
of Vermin again.

Unseen Infiltrators

13th-level Vermin Bloodline feature
When you use Wild Awareness, you gain the knowledge and understanding of all Vermin within a 3-mile radius. This can be used in settlements, caves, and wilds. It reveals pathways, hiding spots, locations of dangerous creatures, and traps.

Overwhelming Horde

18th-level Vermin Bloodline feature
You can overwhelm foes with a great multitude of Vermin. As an action, one creature you can see within 30 feet is swarmed by a Vermin horde, and must make a Dexterity saving throw.

On a failed save, it is covered by Vermin, and until it takes damage equal to twice your level, its speed is halved, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and Dexterity saving throws. On a success, it is still covered, and must only take damage equal to your level for this effect to end.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can all upon the Overwhelming Horde again.