[attr="class","sitetep"]shapeshifters

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In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting (or metamorphosis) is the ability of a being or creature to completely transform its physical form or shape. This is usually achieved through an inherent ability of a mythological creature, divine intervention, or the use of magic. The idea of shapeshifting is mostly found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism as well as the oldest extant literature and epic poems, including works such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad, where the shapeshifting is usually induced by the act of a deity. The idea stuck through the middle ages where it was believed that the shapeshifting was caused by a witch or a shaman, and was terribly hard to cure. Other terms for shapeshifters include metamorph, the Navajo skin-walker, and mimic.

Shapeshifters usually shift into animals or objects around them. Most commonly known for taking on the form of small to medium sized mammals, it's not uncommon for shapeshifters to get the itch so bad to change that they simply don't resume their human forms.

• Sharp features
• Animal like behavior
• Keen senses
• Sharp claws
• Sharp teeth
• High endurance
• Adaptable
• Energetic
• Focused
• High metabolism

• Shifting: A shifters main power is...well...shifting. They can turn into just about everything, except for another person. No animals no matter how rare or deformed are out of their range, as long as they see the animal before attempting to shift into it.
• Enhanced Senses: All shifters, as a byproduct of their shifting, have enhanced senses. This includes the basic ones as well as sixth sense that acts mostly as "intuition." Sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch are all heightened to incredible lengths after the first few initial shifts, and then intuition is useful for bad situations where shifters can generally get a good feel for situations.

• Tweaking: Some shifters tend to "tweak" out, which basically means they start to get a real itch to shift that never really stops. Shifting too much can increase chemicals in the body that create a sense of euphoria when shifting to erase the levels of pain that occur when shifting into other objects or animals, which can become addicting. Those stuck "tweaking" never really stop, and will continue to shift until they die.
• Gold: Gold is a metal that can weaken a shifter, and even kill them if introduced to the bloodstream. Not much is known about why gold can kill a shifter or why it's harmful at all to them, but many steer clear away from it.
• Glitching: Sometimes things happen, and shifters can get caught between forms. While unfortunate it does happen, and often times these shifters need to be magically fixed in order to recover. Sometimes though, they can't be fixed, and will often wish for death as an alternative to their semi-shifted form.

Skinwalker:

A skinwalker is a type of witch who can turn themselves into the likeness of another person. According to the legend of the Navajo tribe, Skinwalkers are evil witches whose powers allow them to transform into any animal on earth. This includes other people. A shapeshifter must kill another shapeshifter from their own family in order to become a skinwalker. If the skinwalker stays shifted as a human for too long, they will experience several unpleasant side effects. These include loss of consciousness, high fever (even for a shifter) and vomiting blood. Extended skinwalking wreaks havoc on the skinwalker's body and can be fatal.

Skinwalkers are notoriously hard to come by and are even believed generally to be a myth in the creature community.