Homebrew Shapeshifter Race Details

Shapeshifters are humanoid creatures that have hairless, smooth, grey skin that looks almost metallic in appearance but is otherwise soft like normal skin. They have completely black eyes that lack a pupil and do not seem to have facial features beyond the eyes and mouth. The mouth is rounded and have ridges instead of teeth. They do not seem to have ears but can hear normally. On each hand they have 3 fingers and a thumb which are about an inch longer than a human's and the same goes for their toes on their feet. They vary in builds and height just as much as humans do.

Gender has minimal importance for shapeshifters and they can change their gender at-will. Each individual is effectively an hermaphrodite and choose which gender to be, if any. Some may have a preference for a particular gender and keep to it their entire lives while others change their gender as frequently as some humans may change their hairstyle.

Aside from their strange appearance and shapeshifting abilities they are much like humans but they are rarer and live longer. They breed slower and produce two offspring at a time as both parents become pregnant. While pregnant their shapeshifting abilities will be limited to the Partial Shapeshifting until after birth. Gestation is about 6 weeks and a newborn Shapeshifter will have Partial Shapeshifting right away but will not gain Full Shapeshifting until they reach adulthood which takes about the same amount of time as a human. Shapeshifters can breed only with themselves and, curiously, humans. If they breed with a human gestation is standard 9 months and there is 50% chance the child will be a Shapeshifter and if so will typically  be born in a Partial Shapeshifted state as a human. They breed slower because they control their own fertility and having less children makes it easier to hide plus each individual shapeshifter can produce only 2 offspring in their lifetime.

Shapeshifters are very rare and have no culture of their own. They wll typically be raised amongst humans and human societies more often than not but can live amongst others. They will usually pose as a member of a different race and take the names common to that race or culture. Some may often develop multiple identities and switch between multiple lives easily.

Shapeshifter Traits

Racial Traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age

Shapeshifters reach adulthood in their late teens but can live to be a little over 600 years old.

Alignment

Shapeshifters tend toward no particular alignment. The best and the worst are found among them.

Size

Shapeshifters can alter their forms but for their natural form they vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.

Shapeshifer Immunity

You are considered a shapechanger and immune to spells that detail they do not work on such like the Polymorph spell unless it is through the effect of a racial feature.

Partial Shapeshift

You can alter your form as though by the Alter Self spell at-will. This takes a bonus action and the duration is 'until dismissed' which is also a bonus action. This is a natural ability and not a spell. The altered form remains even if unconcious or dead. This feature can be used even when in a completely different form as from the Full Shapeshift feature and applies the benefits to that form where possible.

Full Shapeshift

As a shapeshifter you can, as an action, fully transform yourself into a different form as though from a Polymorph spell but with the following differences:

  • This is a natural ability and not a spell.
  • The duration is 'until dismissed' which is a bonus action and is otherwise permanent, even if you are unconcious. You will, however, revert to your normal form on death.
  • You keep your mental stats unless the new form's are greater. You may use either the new form's proficiencies and skills or your own, whichever are greater.
  • Any damage is transferred between forms as a percentage, rounded up. If you had 50 Hit Points and took a form that had 100 Hit Points then took 20 damage this is 20%. When you return to your normal form you would be 50 Hit Points less 20%, which is 10, so you would be at 40 Hit Points. Therefore death in your shapeshifted form means death for you.

Formless

The mastery of your form extends beyond ordinary transforming and does contain a hint of the arcane. You may cast the Gaseous Form spell once without needing any components. You may use this even if you are in a different form from your Full Shapeshift feature and return to that form when this Gaseous Form ends. You recover the ability to use this spell after a Long Rest. Charisma is the spellcasting ability for this spell.

Shifting Minds

The thoughts of a shapeshifter are hard to read as they possess natural telepathic abilities. As a shapeshifter you gain the following benefits:

  • Telepathy, 120 feet. You can speak through your mind to any creature you are aware of within range. You may select a single creature, a specific few, or all creatures. This communication is one-way and is words only as they hear your voice. They need not speak the same language as you to understand you but must know at least one language.
  • You have resistance to psychic damage.
  • You have advantage on saving throws against Enchantment magic and effects to control your mind.
  • Your thoughts cannot be read unless you want them to be and may choose what thoughts can or cannot be read by others. You can choose to render yourself immune to other creatures' telepathy.

Natural Actors

Shapeshifters are naturally adept at reading into people and deceiving them. You have proficiency in the Insight and Deception skills. You have advantage on Deception skill checks when impersonating a person that you have previously spent at least 1 minute studying their voice, form, mannerisms and physical traits. You also have advantage on any Performance skill checks as an actor in a performance such as a play.
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