Shape Shifter

The baseline shape shifter has only the abilities of an exceptional human - having either peak strength, toughness, or dexterity and the other two attributes are quite high as well. The shifter has excellent physical health and will age more slowly than normal humans and heal more quickly, but it is subtle and not obviously supernatural. They are also virtually immune to normal diseases and infections.

Shifters can select a single form of a natural mammal roughly the same size as an adult human or smaller. This is an exceptionally healthy version of this animal but not otherwise exceptional. In this form, the shifter gains all of the natural abilities and enhanced senses of the animal. It also has the ability to live as this animal, to communicate with others of its kind, and the physical ability. All shifters start with this power automatically.

Shifters can be repelled by holy symbols, but take no damage from holiness or holy ground. However, they cannot change forms on holy ground (unless it is a religion which tolerates shifters) and can be forced out of their shifted form by the touch of a holy item by someone with faith.

Shifters get have 12 points with which to select special abilities below.

Greater Animal Form
The shifter can assume the form of a natural animal who weighs up to 1500 pounds. This could include a bear, lion, etc.

War Form (counts as 2)
The shifter can assume the form of a massively powerful miss of man and animal. The exact nature of this form will vary with the base animal, but in any case it will be extremely vicious in combat with large muscles, natural weapons, and the same enhanced senses of the base animal. In this form, the shifter gains in human strength, dexterity, and toughness and is more resistant to pain. When selecting a form, it can have one of the following 4 sets of attributes, each number representing a multiple of peak human ability. The options are: strength 4, dexterity 1.5, toughness 3; strength 5, dexterity 1, toughness 4; strength 1.5, dexterity 2.5, toughness 1.5; and strength 2, dexterity 2, toughness 3.

Increased Attributes
The shifter's war or subtle form is extremely fast, strong, or tough. Each time this power is purchased, the war form gains either 2 strength, .5 dexterity, or 2 toughness. This power may be purchased only once for each attribute. The prerequisite is War Form above.

Regeneration
While in shifted form, the shifter quickly regenerates from any injury that is inflicted on it. Minor injuries heal within seconds to minutes, while major injuries such as missing limbs or massive tissue damage take hours to heal. The shifter can only be killed if it is decapitated, blown into pieces, or is injured by a source that doesn't regenerate. Injuries inflicted from silver or from holy weapons do not regenerate, but do heal at twice the normal human rate. If the shifter suffers massive damage it may pass out for several minutes while it's body regenerates.

Subtle Form
The shifter can assume a form that looks almost human with only a few trace animal characteristics such as sharp teeth, unusual eyes, a but of extra hair or fur, or something similarly inconspicuous. While in this form the shifter has peak human strength, dexterity, and toughness and also benefits from Increased Attributes (above). While in this form the shifter has senses half way between what the base animal has and his human senses.

Berserker
When fighting the shifter will go mad with rage and gain greater strength and speed. While in this rage, the shifter gains 2 strength, 2 toughness, .5 dexterity and becomes immune to fear and pain. On the down side, the shifter will not back down from fighting and will fight to the death until all enemies are dead, have fled beyond his ability to sense, or the shifter is incapacitated.

Stone Skin
While in war or subtle form, the shifter's flesh is extremely tough as resilient to injury, yet only feels slightly different to the touch. This gives the shifter much greater resistance to damage, even from modern weapons, fire, or silver.

Beast Master
The shifter can control 1500 pounds worth of the kind of animal that is linked to the shifters, which could include one large bear, 15 wolves, 5 lions, etc. This power can be purchased multiple times for an extra 1500 lb per purchase.

Animal Magnetism
While this power does not change your physical appearance, it gives you a certain aggressive and yet alluring quality that many people find appealing. This gives you an advantage both in seducing others along with asserting dominance in a variety of social situations. The effects are somewhat subtle and can't be forced to make others act against their nature or interests.

Healing Touch
The shifter can perform a special ritual that allows it to heal itself or other living creatures. This ritual takes an hour to perform and causes the target to slowly regenerate all damage that it has taken over the course of a single day or shifters or a week for humans. This cures diseases as well as injuries, but does not heal natural conditions such as genetic disorders. This also allows the shifter to heal a shifter who has suffered damage from silver, but it takes a week like human healing.

Nature Sense
When the shifter is in the wilderness or a natural area, it has an innate sense of what is going on around it with a mile radius. It also has the ability to sense unnatural creatures in the wild such as vampires, undead, demons, etc. Outside of the wilderness, it can only recognize such unnatural creatures by sight.

Stealth
The shifter can move through any wild area in complete silence. It leaves no tracks or scent when it concentrates on leaving none. It is also incredibly stealthy and hard to detect, but not technically invisible. A shifter with this power cannot be detected with Nature Sense above.

Terrify
While in a shifted form the shifter can growl, howl, hiss, roar or otherwise make a terrible noise which strikes fear into the hearts of all who are nearby. Most mortals will run in terror from this and even supernatural creatures will be frightened. Anything brave enough to face the shifter in combat immediately after being terrified suffers a 25% penalty to combat ability.

Spirit Speech
The shifter can speak with the spirits of natural things - those found in trees, rocks, rivers, etc. These spirits do not think in human terms, but may be able to express certain vague concepts or recall recent events that occurred nearby. This also allows the shifter to communicate with any animal, though the communication will be on its level.

Spirit Walk
The shifter can enter a trance and send its spirit into the spirit world, making it effectively invisible and immaterial. While in this form, it is immune to physical damage and normal senses, though it can be attacked by other creatures who are in spirit form - the spirit form has the same physical abilities and it does in flesh form. In the spirit world the shifter can look at things in the physical world, but in cities or other places that are unnatural the material world will be hazy.

Spirit Quest
The shifter can enter the spirit world and go on a special spirit quest. This will involve going a variety of places within the spirit world and accomplishing certain difficult tasks. If the shifter succeeds at these tasks, then it gets some special favor from friendly spirits - usually some special information. This will usually take between a week and a month to complete. The prerequisite is Spirit Walk above.

Shamanism
The shifter is a shaman, a religious figure who venerates the spirits. This gives the shifter the ability to bless items, create holy ground, and to engage in special religious rituals to ward off creatures of evil. This allows to shaman to use his faith against creature of evil such as vampires or demons but not other shifters.

Money
The shifter has access to a certain amount of money each month. This can be from an extended family network, from investments, a rich ally, or some supernatural source. What ever the case, the shifter has $5,000 each month that he can use.

Pack (counts as 4 or more)
Shifters sometimes have a pack, especially if the base animal are social creatures such as wolves or lions. The character will be the head of this pack and will be the most powerful among them. The pack includes 4 shifters in addition to the character himself. These shifters each have 4 points to spend on powers that they all share (and must share with the character) and an additional 1 point each to have an individual power which is all their own. The basic pack costs 4 points, though additional pack members may be purchased at a rate of 2 pack members per point. In addition, the number of powers shared by the pack may also be increased by spending 1 point per point the pack members gain. Pack members may not have packs themselves or a tribe.

Tribe
A tribe is an extended network of humans that have some kinship to the shifter. Each tribesman is a relatively normal human, though for every 10 tribesmen you have, one has a single shifter ability chosen from the following list: shamanism, money, spirit walk, spirit speech, stealth, nature sense, healing touch, beast master, berserker, or stealth. Every 5 tribesmen counts as 1 power.