Homebrew Beast Shifter Species Details

Appearance: Humanoid form
Beast Shifters are described as being elvish in appearance, with their height and main features being roughly the same, with the main difference being their Digitigrade legs, which allows them to be one of the most agile races in the game. An incredibly common feature of the Beast Shifter’s humanoid form includes fur on the back of the neck that springs up when under stress, anxiety, anger, etc. The fur color can range from earthy colors like brown, gray, or some shades of dark green, to more vibrant shades like purple, red, yellow, or even blue in some rare cases. 

The fur color is determined on the location the beast shifter was born in as well; vibrant colors are often found in colorful rainforest with great plant variety, while earthy colors are found more in low toned forests or tall-grass plains biomes.

Another common feature of Beast shifters are their clawed hands which allow them to climb the trees of their home. The claw length is determined on where they were born, just like the fur color. Long claws are often found in forests that house a tree species with strong bark, while short claws are found in forests with trees with weaker bark, or in tall-grass plains biomes.

A rare feature of Beast Shifters are saber-like teeth, often found in only chieftains or leaders. The tooth length can range from 4-12 inches in length.

Appearance: Beast form
The Beast Form of a Beast Shifter comes in the appearance of large, carnivorous mammals, often either canines, or felines with unusual features; though, there are rare cases where the Beast form could take the shape of a reptile such as a Komodo Dragon or Gecko. The Beast Form is determined by the personality, and physical characteristics of the Beast Shifter. It also is affected by who their parents were. For example: If their parents are both cheetahs in beast form, their beast form will be a cheetah, or if their mother is a tiger beast form, and father is a lion beast form, then their beast form will be a Liger.

A Beast Shifter’s Beast Form evolves throughout the Beast Shifter’s life, changing as their personality evolves. As children, their Beast form looks plain, like a normal animal; but over time, it changes as the personality and physical features of the Beast Shifter change and evolve.

Beast Shifter Traits

Here is the traits of this race.

Ability Score Increase.

Your Dexterity has a +2 bonus, and Wisdom has a +2

Age

Beast Shifters reach adulthood at 20 years, while usually die at around 70-80 years.

Alignment

Most Beast Shifters are normally Neutral or Neutral good, but it is not uncommon for them to be other alignments.

Size

Beast shifters, while in their normal form, range from 5-6 ft in height.

Speed

Your walking speed is 50, while climbing is 10.

Darkvision

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.

Beast Form

When in a stressful situation, the ability "Beast Form" is unlocked. This allows you to transfer into your beast form, which then your strength, dexterity, and constitution gets a +5 bonus, but you lose control of your character for the duration of your Beast Form. Beast form runs out once the player is either calmed down, or 6 turns have passed.