Shifters
[Art Credit - KILART]
No stat bonus
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Shifters must be recognizably of Human or Elf appearance
The Origin and Fall of the Shifters
[Art Credit - KILART]
No stat bonus
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Shifters must be recognizably of Human or Elf appearance
The Origin and Fall of the Shifters
When the Painter claimed his place within the cosmere, he found his canvas already marred. A darker, corrupted force had taken root in the space he now called his own. To challenge this threat, the Painter summoned forth an army like no other. From raw essence and the memory of myths, he birthed the Shifters creatures of immense power and shifting form.
They were the first beings ever crafted by the divine hand of the Painter, an ancient and powerful entity who shaped reality with brushstrokes of pure will. They were not born as people, nor given the luxuries of choice or growth. Shifters were forged as soldiers, living weapons in a war the world had long forgotten. Baring the traits of phoenixes, griffins, hydras, colossal serpents, and other legendary beasts, each one a war-born avatar of destruction.
The battle that followed was apocalyptic. For the Painter, a moment passed; for the cosmos, an eternity cracked and burned. With their divine gifts, the Shifters tore through the enemy forces, scattering the corruption like dust on the wind. Victory came swiftly. The Shifters had done what they were made to do: win.
They were the first beings ever crafted by the divine hand of the Painter, an ancient and powerful entity who shaped reality with brushstrokes of pure will. They were not born as people, nor given the luxuries of choice or growth. Shifters were forged as soldiers, living weapons in a war the world had long forgotten. Baring the traits of phoenixes, griffins, hydras, colossal serpents, and other legendary beasts, each one a war-born avatar of destruction.
The battle that followed was apocalyptic. For the Painter, a moment passed; for the cosmos, an eternity cracked and burned. With their divine gifts, the Shifters tore through the enemy forces, scattering the corruption like dust on the wind. Victory came swiftly. The Shifters had done what they were made to do: win.
Satisfied, the Painter left the world in their hands a gift for their triumph. They celebrated, reveled, and roamed the land they had earned in blood and fire. But the story did not end there.
In time, the Painter continued his creation. New beings emerged, gentler and more refined, meant not for war but for living. These mortals saw the Shifters not as equals, but as gods; mighty beings of shifting form and terrifying grace. They bowed, worshipped, and built altars. And the Shifters, once soldiers, became idols.
The balance faltered.
Jealousy took root in the Painter’s heart. His newer creations, meant to inherit the world, now lived in awe and fear of those he had made first. The Shifters had become more than weapons they had become rulers. The Painter, seeking to restore equilibrium and fearing the hubris of his earliest creations, acted.
The retribution was swift.
With a sweep of divine will, he tore power from flesh. The great forms of the Shifters phoenix-fire, serpent-scale, dragon-bone were ripped away. Most died in the unraveling. Those who remained were stripped of grandeur, left with only the most mundane animal form a cruel echo of what they once were. No longer gods. No longer soldiers. Just remnants.
To ensure his new creations could rise without fear of their forebears, the Painter cast the Shifters into the world’s harshest corners, wastes of ice, storm, and shadow. There, abandoned and broken, they were left to endure. Not as punishment, but as erasure.
The Painter turned his back.
Yet the Shifters remember.
Their bones remember the war.
Their dreams burn with the glory they once held.
And deep in the wild lands where the Painter does not watch, something ancient stirs a whisper, a hunger, a longing to reclaim what was lost.
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The Avian Clans in times past, were once known to be powerful keepers of knowledge, heralds of new technologies. In the golden era, it was said civilizations that made use of an Avian’s knowledge would surpass that of any other in the area. This would result in higher counts of libraries and public schools, violent tendencies becoming secondary to creation, discovery, and recording information.The Reptilian Clan were said to be the most cunning of the three, no deal cut by a reptile would be a losing hand. A pride to be found on having a stake in all sides, they were especially well known for political espionage, the right hand of any crafty noble.
The Mammalian Clan considered strength to be the most important trait. Before the collapse, many armies were made up of the strongest mammal warriors. Within their own clans children were trained in the ways of warfare from a young age, often resulting in death. Even further, they believed fervently in honourable deaths through combat. It was said that all warriors would grow their hair and braid it, only cutting it upon defeat in a show of shame.
In the current Era, the third generation of Sanctuary, shifters find themselves as second class citizens. Many are enslaved or paid miserly wages for demeaning labour. The Avians find work as carrier birds delivering letters, the Reptiles often demoted to those who stock stores, and the Mammals became used for back breaking work.
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Appearance
As the first race of man they bear a close resemblance to Humans and Elves, though it would be more accurate to say it was truly the other way around. They maintain a notably ‘human’ appearance with the same amount of arms, legs, and eyes by default.Appearance
Each shifter gains their appearance from their clan of either Avian, Reptilian, or Mammalian, with each further diversifying by their specific species.
An avian Shifter may find that they have feathers growing from the crown of their head, or that they have talons instead of fingers. Small vestigial wings can sprout in place of ears or even along the spine, though they offer no functional use.
Reptilian Shifters are often seen with scales that line their flesh or large unwieldy tails, eyes that contain a second lid, or other various markings from their animal form such as digitigrade legs.
Mammalian Shifters are commonly seen with ears specific to their animal form, tails, patches of fur. Sometimes they have slitted eyes, enlarged canines, claw-like nails, or patterns along their skin and hair.
In their animal form, though greatly restricted from what they once were, they are as varied as the animals found within the real world. These forms are always recognisably the animal they are intended to be, following the same colouring and limb scheme one would expect of a mundane variant to have. They are able to be smaller or larger than their real counterparts, within reason.
At the end of the page, you will find a further list of restrictions.
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Traits
Uncanny - At all times, Shifters give off a foreboding feeling when viewed. This can be explained as similar to a predator watching it’s prey. Too human to be an animal, too animalistic to be a person. Unsettling at best, uncanny valley at worst.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Traits
Bane of the Almighty - As a result of being cast aside by the old god, Shifters have continued to find themselves outside of the purview of the new godlings. At this time, Shifters are unable to use the Faithful system.
Transformation - All shifters are capable of changing between their two forms. All transformations take 2 combat turns, however this can be bypassed in regular RP. This comes with additional benefits, further listed below.
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Traits Continued
Shifters are able to pick a single trait from the following list. These traits come with stipulations on how they can be used. This list is an example of what is permitted without approval, though anything not listed requires a systems ticket to balance. Traits approved by systems team must be listed on a public character profile on the forums.Traits Continued
The following traits are only in effect while in their animal form.
Flight - This Shifter is capable of flight.
Great Strength - This Shifter is capable of great strength. This gives advantage on all strength checks.
Great Speed - This Shifter is capable of moving very fast. This doubles their movement speed.
Tough Hide - This Shifter has additional armour, in the form of scales or toughened skin, giving the equivalent to leather armour.
OR
The following traits are always in effect.
Enhanced Senses - This Shifter has enhanced senses of smell and hearing, giving advantage on perception related to this.
Night Vision - This Shifter is capable of perfect vision at night.
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