Dragon Shifter
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dragon Shifters technically have three appearances, however their main appearance and first form usually sports traits of dragon kind.
There Main appearance is typically a human sporting talons instead of nails, dragon wings and a tail. They sometimes also have dragon scale patches or horn, maybe even dragon eyes.
The have a human appearance as well which is their second form. This is part of their shifting ability it takes energy and concerntration to hold. In this form they are absent of all their dragon traits and can even blend in. Unfortunately this is not a form they can hold permanently.
Their third form is the dragon form, this is part of their shifting ability. Shifters typically turn into a specific dragon, in this form they feature all the power of that dragon. This form require energy and concentration and can not be held permanently.
Biological Traits
Dragon Shifter are inherently magical beings, and in no case should Dragon Shifters be considered reptiles, despite obvious similarities such as a scaled epidermis and reproduction by laying eggs.
Dragon Shifter are being inherently warm-blooded and with an eye composition similar to felines, although far more complex.
Genetics and Reproduction
The number of eggs a Dragon Shifters lays each brood depens on its race, but was usually low, between one and ten.
Some Dragon Shifters of adult age often lay and abandon clutches of eggs, leaving the younglings to work together to raise themselves until they were old enough to go their separate ways.
While other Dragon Shifters of adult age will form families consisting of the mated pair and their offspring. The children generally leave the family by the time they reach young adulthood.
Most older Dragonshifter pairs will continue to mate, but would assign a single parent to the duty of raising the offspring.
Growth Rate & Stages
Young Dragon Shifter, who hatch from eggs like their draconic relatives, grow at an impressively rapid rate, much faster than most other races, reaching the equivalent maturity of a human child of 10 by age 3.
Dragon Shifter nurse their hatchlings for several months before teeth began to come in.
Dragon-Shifter will then slowly introduce soft food and then move towards normal Dragon Shifter eating habits, which contain more meat than was typical of most other races.
Their rate of maturation slows dramatically within a few short years and they were not considered physically mature until the age of 12, when their bodies reach their adult height and appearance.
Psychologically, Dragon Shifter are considered mature as a human adult by age 12, and when they reach age 15 they are considered legally adults in Dragon Shifter society.
Ecology and Habitats
Dragon Shifter are able to live in a variety of environments due to their level of technology, they will alter the environment to make it hospitable for them to live.
Dragon Shifter are generally found in temperate, sub-tropical or very warm or cold climates.
Dietary Needs and Habits
All Dragon Shifters are omnivorous and can eat almost anything, thanks to their innate elemental nature that allows them to consume and digest all sorts of food, including substances that wouldn't qualify as food to other living creatures.
Most dragons preferre a carnivorous diet, but a few of them have developing unique dietary habits.
Metallic Dragon Shifters, for instance, preferre to eat primarily inorganic fare.
Biological Cycle
As time progresses Dragon Shifter age and grow until eventually their body reaches a point that they can no longer sustain themselves and die.
Behaviour
Dragon Shifter have a well-known dedication to honor, but how deeply rooted this trait is remains debatable.
However, all Dragon Shifter tend to view all living things, even hated enemies, as deserving of courtesy and respect.
To Dragon Shifter, honor is more than a word and is often considered more important than life itself. Cowardice is not simply undesirable among Dragon Shifter, it is considered outright repulsive. Part of the roots of this honorable attitude lay in the Dragon Shifter's drive for self-improvement.
The draconic nature of Dragon Shifter gives them a strong self-consciousness and a tendency for strong emotions.
Both of these combined to make Dragon Shifter particularly wanting for the approval of others. Dragon Shifter place great value on the skill of an individual, including themselves.
Failing at a task is anathema to Dragon Shifter and as a result they can sometimes push themselves to unhealthy extremes of effort.
This aspect of the Dragon Shiter mind means few of the race took a laid-back approach to any skill or ability, striving always to become the masters of a particular skill, and Dragon Shifter respected those among other races who approached life in the same manner. As a result, most Dragon Shifter adventurers come to their way of life through a desire to prove themselves and win respect from their brethren.
Other races see Dragon Shifter as proud or even arrogant because of this dedication to excellence and high standards. It is true that Dragon Shifter are typically proud of their race's accomplishments. However, Dragon Shifter are also more than willing to recognize with respect the accomplishments of other races in turn, whether or not the race in question was an ally or enemy.
The Dragon Shifter sense of honor also compelles them to seek honorable deaths. Most Dragon Shifter preferre to die in battle than to suffer the infirmities of old age, and because of that few Dragon Shifter live past 70 years old.
Dragon Shifter are enthusiastic about life, particularly success, and brooded about failure for only a short time before their disappointment is shaped into a strong drive for improvement. But most Dragon Shifter´s demonstrat traits that might be considered timid or reserved.
Trust is a major factor in the lives of all Dragon Shifter and each expect others to be just as open and forthcoming with them as they are.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Most Dragon Shifters are inherently territorial and some even covetous.
These Dragon Shifters hoard wealth —although "wealth" can mean different things to them —and jealously protect their hoards. For most of those Dragon Shifters, there are no such thing as enough treasure.
They enjoy collecting mountains of gold, gems, coins, and magic items. They find these treasures radiant and enticing, and will make nooks and beds for themselves in their money piles.
The habit of sleeping on their wealth means that most tall Dragon Shifters have hundreds of coins and gems embedded in their hides in their first and third form.
In early time it was said that the Dragon Shifter were born from the dragon god Jusji and a human woman. Mindless creature that were used as weapons by the other gods. Upon winning Jusji gifted them sentience and a sense of Justice.
Upon gaining this new mind they learned that through justice many things could be accomplished and a sense of brotherhood can drive a people into glory.
Dragon Shifters belong to Clans and these clans dictate their names. These clans have a loose class system only mainly being headed by Chief and Chieftess.
These clans tend to lean towards the goal to protect the common good, causing most Dragon Shifters to become knights, paladins, or clerics.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Even when Dragon Shifters are a sentient race they are every often mistaken with a really dragon in their third form or are hunted because they are scene as worth less and are easier to kill then a really dragon when caught of guard.
The meat of a Dragon Shifter is said to be similar to white bustard meat but with a much more intense flavor. Any offer of meat billed as "dragon tail" (or any other part of the shifter) is usually a ruse or a get-rich-quick scheme. The largest and best tasting joints are said to come from the wings. This area of the body also yielded large slices of fat with the consistency of jelly. It is used to make fine stews when harvested in time, or as bait for bears and other large carnivores and scavengers if not.
Dragon Shifterhide is valuable for crafting armor and the other inedible parts of a Dragon Shifter have many uses, both magical and mundane. The tendons from the wings are very strong and flexible, for example. Indeed, there are a few shops that specialized in Dragon Shifter parts but these got quite rare since a few small groups started to protect Dragon Shifter from beign hunted and give the race save places to live.
Some alchemists claim that properly prepared Dragon Shifter organs, blood, or other fluids have magical healing or anti-poison properties. The same sort of claims are also made for Dragon-tail juice which is maked out of Dragon Shifter tails so it is often difficult to separate fact from fiction.
Powdered Dragon Shifter bones is one of the components to create a very powerful magical talismans.
Facial characteristics
Dragon Shifters have a pair of human eyes or dragon eyes, that come in various colours and ears with one nose and mouth. Some even have dragon scale patches on their cheeks, chin or forehead or even horns. Male Dragon Shifters are able to grow facial hair.
Average Intelligence
Dragon Shifter have a quite high level of intelligence and are known to be one of the more intelligent races.
Dragon Shifters are renowned for their ambition.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
As for their senses, which varies depending on the species, Dragon Shifter are superior in most ways to other creatures.
Dragon Shifter have excellent depth perception and comparably good peripheral vision, able to see twice as well as a human in daylight; they have great night vision, and are able to see even when conditions have no light to offer, though not in color.
Dragon Shifter can also pick up scents very well, utilizing both their sensitive nose and forked tongue, much like a snake.
Their hearing is on par with human hearing, although their minds can filter what noise it hears.
Dragon Shifter taste is also refined, although they do not respond well to sweet flavors, and most Dragon Shifters didn't discuss why. They are able to eat almost everything, but each race has a preferred diet; some preferred flesh, other to eat precious metals or gems, and so forth.
Of all its senses, a Dragon Shifter´s sense of touch is the only one to decrease with age, due mostly to the development of thick, hard scales.
Dragon Shifter are capable of blindsense, the sense in which eyes, ears, and other senses are used to detect invisible persons or objects.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Dragon Shifter commonly have their own names used among their race.
Dragon Shifter are given a personal name at birth, placing their clan name first as a symbol of honor.
They may also have a childhood name, a descriptive nickname given in their youth and used as a term of endearment among family.
Beauty Ideals
Beauty ideals within Dragon Shifters culture are up to each individual, but long crested horns and well kept frills.
Body paint and tattoos are seen as beautiful, as well as piercings and chains.
Gender Ideals
The Dragon Shifter only care for gender in the case of breeding.
Gender is something that they don't much care for and the term Cheiftess is to denote whoever is married to the Chief not to denote a female Chief.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Human language, Draconic, Bestial
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
A strange mix between monster and man
Lifespan
100 years
Conservation Status
Worshiper of Dragons, Peacekeeper, Wild Protectors, Rangers, Anti-Hunters and people who accepted Dragon Shifters help to protect this kind.
They provide save spaces to life to them or even share their own lands with them.
Average Height
1.9‒2 m
Average Weight
100‒150 kg
Average Physique
A human sporting talons instead of nails, dragon wings and a tail. They sometimes also have dragon scale patches or horn, maybe even dragon eyes.
The average Dragon Shifter physique is lean and slightly muscular; however, their physique can vary from being fatter, thinner and/or muscular.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Dragon Shifters skin colour ranges from pale to dark brown. Dragon Shifters hair colour ranges from red, blond, brown and black.
Dragon Shifters dragon scales and horns color depends on the dragon they can turn into.
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