Shapeshifter lore

Shapeshifter Lore

Shapeshifting is an immensely rare gift that does not follow a direct family line. It is often triggered by a traumatic experience that causes the shapeshifter to be someone/something else. Sometimes, it’s a mere desire to experience the world in a different way. Much more rarely, it is triggered through religious means.

There is usually no more than a handful of animal/human shifters in a single century, most of which end up never meeting or becoming aware of one another. Most of them also have certain limits of what creatures they can shift to.

Strengths

They can change their human physical appearance at will, looking like any human they want to, or mixing together all sorts of aspects.

They are able to become animals, typically any animal of the normal variety.  It is easiest to shift into animals of similar size to humans, and more exhausting to become something much larger or much smaller.  Skilled animal shifters can mimic mythical animals and blend animal parts together, though blending animal parts tends to look very grotesque without great skill. Often, close-fitting clothes shift along with animal shapeshifters - the tight fibers of clothing blend into the shifter’s rearranging skin.

All shifters have an amazing knack for deception.  It’s nearly impossible to tell when a shifter is telling the truth or lying.  Machines and psychics alike can’t get a straight read from them. While shapeshifters aren't completely immune to psychic influence, psychics who can control minds have a very hard time of being able to tell if the mind control is actually taking hold.

Weaknesses

If they get hurt in one form, that injury stays with them when they shift to another form. They are also subject to human diseases, being primarily human. 

They aren't any stronger or faster than they can shift to be, and they can't shift to be anything supernatural. 

Animal shifters can lose themselves in an animal form, overwhelmed by the animal’s instinct or a desire to escape their human misfortunes.

Human shifters sometimes forget who they were exactly to begin with, especially if they start shifting before leaving puberty.

Other

A shapeshifter’s blood is said to strengthen the powers of other supernaturals for a temporary period of time, and could be used as a powerful component of rituals, potions and spells.