Homebrew Feyhide Species Details

Feyhide

High Elf–Beasthide Shifter Hybrid

Feyhides descend from unions between high elves and Beasthide shifters. Their elven blood gives them an instinctive connection to arcane magic, while their shifter ancestry lies dormant beneath the skin—quiet, watchful, and prepared to surface when danger closes in.

Most Feyhides appear elven at first glance. They possess pointed ears, angular features, bright eyes, and a graceful bearing, though their bodies tend to be broader and more heavily built than those of most high elves. Their hair is frequently thick, coarse, or mane-like, and subtle traces of fur may grow along the forearms, shoulders, spine, or jaw. Their fingernails are unusually durable, their canine teeth slightly pronounced, and their eyes often reflect light like those of a nocturnal predator.

When a Feyhide shifts, those restrained characteristics become much more pronounced. Muscle thickens, patches of coarse fur spread across the body, the jaw becomes heavier, and the eyes acquire a distinctly animal intensity. Unlike many shifters, the transformation frequently carries an arcane quality. Glowing lines may appear beneath the skin, fur might shimmer with silver or blue light, or the Feyhide’s breath may briefly mist with magical energy.

Feyhides often struggle with conflicting instincts. Their elven inheritance encourages patience, study, refinement, and control. Their shifter blood favors immediate judgment, physical certainty, and rapid reaction. Some become remarkably disciplined because they have spent their lives controlling both impulses. Others alternate between cold deliberation and sudden, almost frightening decisiveness.

Feyhide Traits

Your Feyhide character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Age. Feyhides mature physically at approximately the same rate as humans, though elven communities rarely consider them fully mature before their first century. They commonly live between 300 and 450 years.

Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.

Size. Feyhides vary considerably in height and build. Most stand between 5 and 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Accustomed to both elven twilight and the heightened senses of your shifter ancestry, you can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as though it were bright light, and in darkness as though it were dim light. You discern colors in darkness only as shades of gray.

Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Charmed condition on yourself, and magic cannot put you to sleep.

Arcane Instinct. Choose one of the following cantrips: mage hand, minor illusion, or prestidigitation. You know the chosen cantrip, and Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.

Beasthide Shift. As a bonus action, you can draw out the durable beast within your blood. Your transformation lasts for 1 minute, until you die, or until you end it as a bonus action.

When you shift, you gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus plus your Constitution modifier, with a minimum of 1 temporary hit point. While shifted, you also gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class while you are not wearing heavy armor.

You can shift a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

The exact appearance of your shifted form is personal. It might resemble a bear, boar, wolf, great cat, or another physically resilient predator, but this appearance does not grant additional game statistics.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish.

Feyhide Traits

You have the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.

 

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish.

 

Creature Type

You are Humanoid.

Size

Feyhides vary considerably in height and build. Most stand between 5 and 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

 

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

 

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as though it were bright light, and in darkness as though it were dim light. You discern colors in darkness only as shades of gray.

 

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Charmed condition on yourself, and magic cannot put you to sleep.

 

Arcane Instinct

Choose mage hand, minor illusion, or prestidigitation. You know the chosen cantrip, and Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.

 

Beasthide Shift

As a bonus action, you can draw out the durable beast within your blood. Your transformation lasts for 1 minute, until you die, or until you end it as a bonus action.

When you shift, you gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus plus your Constitution modifier, with a minimum of 1 temporary hit point. While shifted, you also gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class while you are not wearing heavy armor.

You can shift a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.