[Nightwatch Campaign] Shifter Race

Legend has it that the first shifter and vampire was created together. Once, there was a powerful Other family under the name of Corvinus. It was said that Corvinus had a set of twins. Named Marcus and William, Marcus was bitten by a bat while William was bitten by a wolf. From that moment on, the first werewolf and vampire was born.

Losing restraint on his bestial urges, William disappeared into a grove and never to be seen again. When he appeared again, William's once bestial features had all but disappeared. He claimed that he met an angel in the grove who transformed his curse into a blessing. He was now blessed by the forest to become its champion.

William is said to become the greatest leader the villages have seen in history and would lead the Corvinus family to glory. 

All shifters claim descent from William. Or at least the elder shifters would tell the young shifters who would promptly dismiss these tales as ridiculous. This was only one example of how the shifters have changed in the modern days.

When elder shifters tells of tales of how shifters was revered as preservers of nature and champions of the downtrodden, they are more often than not ignored. The fast paced society have led the shifter race to be more "civilised" as one of the elder human Others put it. With large vasts of land disappearing by the minute, many shifters have grew up in urban areas without seeing a forest in their lifetime. Nature, to these shifters, was a foreign concept.

Rumors has it that there is a movement between elder shifters who are trying to maintain the old ways. But with so many distractions, the shifter race seems to be losing their tradition more and more.

Shifter Racial Trait 

 * This is adapted from the Eberron Camapign Setting.

Ability Score : Wisdom

• +2 Dexterity,,  –2 Charisma: Shifters are lithe and agile, but their fundamental bestial nature detracts from both their social interaction.

• Medium: As Medium creatures, shifters have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Shifter base land speed is 30 feet.

• Low-Light Vision: Shifters can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

• +2 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks: A shifter’s animalistic heritage enhances many of his physical skills.

• Shifting (Su): A shifter can tap into his bestial to gain short bursts of physical power. Once per encounter, a shifter can enter a state known as shifting. Each shifter has one of ten shifter traits—characteristics that manifest themselves when a character is shifting. Shifter traits are described below.Each shifter trait typically provides a +2 bonus to one of the character’s physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution) and grants some other advantage as well.

Shifting is a free action and lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the shifter’s Constitution modifier. (If a shifter trait or other effect increases the character’s Constitution modifier, use the newly improved modifier.) A shifter can take feats to improve this ability.

Every shifter feat a character takes increases the duration of his shifting by 1 round. For every two shifter feats a character takes, the number of times per encounter he can tap into the ability increases by one. So, a character with two shifter feats can shift two times per day (instead of the usual one), and each use of the ability lasts for a number of rounds equal to 5 (instead of 3) + the shifter’s Con modifier.

Shifting Traits:

Beasthide (Su):While shifting, a beasthide shifter gains a +2 bonus to Constitution and natural armor that provides a +2 bonus to AC.

Cliffwalk (Su):While shifting, a cliffwalk shifter gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity and has a climb speed of 20 feet.

Dreamsight (Su): The dreamsight trait is the rarest of all shifter traits, and many dreamsight shifters become druids within shifter communities. Unlike other shifter traits, which increase a shifter’s physical abilities, the dreamsight trait sharpens a shifter’s instincts and awareness. While shifting, a dreamsight shifter temporarily gains a +2 bonus to Wisdom and gains the ability to communicate with animals as if under the effect of a speak with animals spell.

In addition, the shifter gains a +2 bonus on Handle Animal and wild empathy checks, even while not shifting.

Gorebrute (Su): While shifting, a gorebrute shifter temporarily gains a +2 bonus to Strength and manifests powerful horns that can be used as a natural weapon, but only during a charge attack. (The horns are too awkward to use as a natural weapon in any circumstance other than a charge.) If a gorebrute shifter uses his horns in a charge attack, the horns function as a natural weapon, dealing 2d6 points of damage (plus an extra 1 point for every four character levels he has). A gorebrute shifter can’t combine a charge attack with his horns with any other attack, even if he has the ability to make more than one attack as part of a charge (such as from the pounce ability).

Longstride (Su):While shifting, a longstride shifter gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity and a bonus of +10 feet to his base land speed.

Longtooth (Su): While shifting, a longtooth shifter gains a +2 bonus to Strength and grows fangs that can be used as a natural weapon, dealing 1d6 points of damage (plus an extra 1 point for every four character levels he has) with a successful bite attack. He cannot attack more than once per round with his bite, even if his base attack bonus is high enough to give him multiple attacks. He can use his bite as a secondary attack (taking a –5 penalty on his attack roll) while wielding a weapon.

Razorclaw (Su):While shifting, a razorclaw shifter gains a +2 bonus to Strength and grows claws that can be used as natural weapons. These claws deal 1d4 points of damage (plus an extra 1 point for every four character levels he has) with each successful attack. He can attack with one claw as a standard action or with two claws as a full attack action (as a primary natural weapon). He cannot attack more than once per round with a single claw, even if his base attack bonus is high enough to give him multiple attacks. He can attack with a claw as a light off-hand weapon while wielding a weapon in his primary hand, but all his attacks in that round take a –2 penalty.

Swiftwing (Su): While shifting, a swiftwing shifter temporarily gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity. His arms grow leathery flaps of skin (similar to a bat’s wings), which grant him a fly speed of 20 feet (average maneuverability).While airborne, the shifter can’t use his hands for anything other than flying, though he can still hold or carry objects. A shifter can’t fly while carrying a medium or heavy load or while wearing medium or heavy armor.

Truedive (Su):

While shifting, a truedive shifter temporarily gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity and a swim speed of 30 feet. Gaining a swim  speed grants him a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks.

In addition, the shifter can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to 5 × his Constitution score before he risks drowning. A truedive shifter gains this benefit even when he isn’t shifting.

Wildhunt (Su):While shifting, a wild hunt shifter temporarily gains a +2 bonus to Constitution and the scent ability.

When not shifting, a wildhunt shifter gains a +2 bonus on Survival checks due to the lingering effects