Shifter

Shifters are humans with some lycanthropic traits. They are a blend of human and beast, able to partially shift forms to gain features like claws, increased strength, or improved senses. Some believe them to be descended from lycanthropes, but the shifters themselves believe that they're bound at birth to an animal spirit that shapes them.
Because of these features, shifters get a mixed reception from other races. In rural areas, it's not unusual for a community to host a few shifters; they make good hunters, trappers, and guides. City folk may react differently. For the most part, they keep away from heavily settled areas, because they simply feel more at home in the wilderness and fields. But shifters value freedom and self-reliance, so they won't hesitate to leave home if it becomes necessary or wanderlust strikes them.
There are four subtypes of shifter: beasthide, longtooth, swiftstride, and wildhunt.

Beasthide shifters have traits of large, tough animals like bears or boars. They're stubborn and thick-skinned, with a powerful build.
Longtooth shifters are pack animals such as wolves. They are faithful friends, if a bit standoffish with strangers.
Swiftstrides are usually feline in nature. They have a lithe, delicate build, and tend to be aloof.
Wildhunt shifters can have the qualities of any animal that tracks its prey.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Shifters are easily distinguished from humans by their facial features: flattened noses, large eyes, a slight harelip, and prominent canine teeth. They're also more hirsute than usual. Their bodies are covered in fur, which gets thicker and changes to a darker or lighter color (matching their head hair) on the arms, legs, back, chest, and belly. Even women have this extra hair, though theirs is less coarse than that of men.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Shifters tend to follow the naming traditions of humans wherever they happen to live. But as they often dwell in wild areas where crossings to the Feywild can be found, they have a certain superstition about giving their true name to strangers, so travelers usually take on a simple nickname based on their appearance or personality.