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In Short

There are a few things you should be aware of, however. While this is a World of Darkness supplement it requires the use of Werewolf: the Forsaken. Additionally, the product doesn’t allow for as broad of shape shifter creation as some would like. While humans who skin animals for power, use magic talismans to turn into animals, or change into simple forms naturally are supported, as are were-foxes, some readers may be disappointed that the character options end with those two.

The Physical Thing

The Ideas

The second, Beasts of Shadow, provides a variety of lycanthropes that may be included in any Chronicle. Only one of these is available to players, the Were-Fox, while the others occupy the role of strange mysteries and interesting NPCs. Finally, Shifting Things provides a wealth of bizarre things related to shape shifting. Most of these are niche groups of shape changers, some as exotic as virus induced shape changing and haunted locations where shape changers appear from nowhere.

Under the Cover

Chapter One Skinners and Thieves 40 pages.

This chapter provides a comprehensive system for building shape shifters, though these are very unlike the werewolves and other such creatures many readers will be familiar with. Characters normally fall into one of three groups. Some people find ways to skin animals and then magically transform when they wear the skins. Others drink the animal’s blood or otherwise steal its power. Of these two, most have to do this process frequently in order to maintain their abilities but some have learned how to preserve the power to last for a very long time. The third option is through innate ability.

Building your shape shifter is done through a few simple steps. First, players build a mortal character as normal in World of Darkness. Several new Merits are available to players, but otherwise there is no change. Players then choose a totem animal for their character, as all skin changers focus on one specific type of animal. Morality starts at 6 (due to the demands of living life as an animal or being a skinner), characters gain a point of Supernatural Tolerance to help them resist other powers, and finally players spend 9 points on Aspects which represent the powers they gain through their transformation.

Players will typically begin spending their points by deciding how they transform. Requiring nothing at all to change is the most expensive option (4 points) while a Talisman (0 points) provides changes through the skins of an animal or, in some cases, a permanently enchanted skin or fetish (1 point). Once a player has chosen how they transform they have a lot of options for fleshing out their capabilities. Want a Hybrid Form, such as that of a werewolf? Want an animal form too? How about Fast Healing, Long Life, Gifts, Animal Instincts, and other powers? Players may even get a few extra points by purchasing a Tell or another disadvantage. The options aren’t endless, only encompassing 7 pages of text, but I can easily build any character I want… though my character’s abilities wont come close to that of most supernatural templates.

Example: I want to play an American Indian who has discovered an artifact passed down through his family that allows the user to transform into a bear after going on a quest to steal the essence of a bear. I build my character as normal according the rules for mortal creation found in World of Darkness. After applying the basics of the template (lower Morality, Supernatural Tolerance) I spend my 9 points as follows:

I buy Permanent Talisman for 1 point, reflecting the artifact he found. If he ever loses his talisman or has it destroyed he must spend a permanent point of Willpower to make another, a significant cost. I buy Hybrid Form for 5. This allows me to turn into a bear and to also turn into a large man-bear form (which has Size 6 and grants the greater of my bear or human strength +1). I purchase Sense of Self for 2 points which allows my skinchanger to retain his human identity while in the form of an animal. Finally, I buy Scentless Transformation for 1 which means my character does not have an unusual scent.

Skinchangers have a variety of problems to overcome, the largest being what changing does to them. As an animal they have no moral values and tend to think like an animal. While many greatly enjoy this, all of them remember what they did as an animal and must deal with any actions that would cause a Morality degeneration roll after they change back.

The rest of this chapter introduces a wide variety of extremely flavorful NPCs. The list begins with Scavenger Wolf, a spirit who skins humans in order to change and hide when it needs to. Black Eyed Toads, Coal Blacks, and other shifters are well done and any could make an excellent addition to a mystery in the World of Darkness. The chapter wraps up with The Invisible Man, one of my favorites, which involves a person who has learned to become an ant swarm through an exceptionally painful process.

Chapter Two Beasts of Shadow 30 pages.

This chapter introduces a broad variety of shape changers who have acquired their abilities naturally, typically through the fusion of spirit and flesh. Frequent references to Gifts and other capabilities found in Werewolf: the Forsaken are made. Note that every shape shifter type comes with a fleshed out example NPC and several interesting plot hooks.

The Black Flock involves raven spirits who, in an attempt to evade Father Wolf and certain death, left behind spiritual eggs inside certain humans. Upon hatching these spirits lacked the strength and knowledge to escape their human shell, but were able to impart powers of longevity and shape shifting prowess upon their humans. The educated elite of the World of Darkness, the Thar Akuru (as they call themselves) not only accumulate a wide variety of knowledge through their long lives but also practice omen interpretation to learn secrets hidden even from the supernatural world.

The Clever Foxes are a line of Kitsune spirits originating in South and East Asia who, through a bargain with Father Wolf, agreed to reign in their trickster ways and to only play tricks on those who have harmed them (even in a slight, mundane way). Three major types of Kitsune are presented. The Human Kitsune are fox spirits who spend most of their time in human form and wield powerful illusion magic. Fox Kitsune are, well, foxes and tend to have more limited powers of trickery due to their weaker form. Spirit Kitsune tend to take over bodies and cause chaos that way, though they can manifest as a large human-fox hybrid when necessary.

Players will be much more interested in the Siten Uzu, however. These fox spirits are fleeing foes in the dream world, and make bargains with humans in their dreams to live in the human body to escape their foes. In return they offer unique powers and use their wit to aid the human in her day to day life. These characters are initially built like normal Mortals but gain an Essence pools and Aspect points which are spent to acquire various fox spirit abilities, such as Illusion, Fox Transformation, and Step Sideways. On the whole it’s a simple, fun option for players who want to play a Kitsune but don’t need a variety of different rules for it. I’d like to see more of this, actually, as it’s a flavorful option that doesn’t require learning new rules.

The Kanaima are South American jaguar spirits who have become spirits of vengeance over the centuries. Not only will the spirits respond to proper prayers and offerings to help a person seek revenge, but they’ll animate dead bodies to seek out revenge on their killers in order to fuel the spirit’s hunger for revenge.

The Leopard Men are leopard spirits who have fed on the pain and suffering of human victims to such a degree that they have changed, becoming something far darker. The spirits, located primarily in West Africa, take the strongest mortal bodies and use them to rule over the local populace. Tribes and other groups are typically sent on missions to wreak terror on nearby settlements to allow the spirit to gorge on the ambient emotion. When manifesting these creatures are giant murder machines, and are exceptionally difficult to take down.

The Bouda are my favorite of all the entries in Chapter 2. These hyena spirits harassed and killed members of a tribe for decades before their ban was discovered – the spirits must grant a boon to anyone who gives them a gift. The people gave over a group of sacrifices and, in return, bound the hyenas to protect them from then onward. This has resulted in a strange relationship where the hyenas rule and protect the people in return for host bodies being given over to their care. The entire story is particularly well done.

The Serpent Guardians are really two different closely related spirits, the Sages who are extremely wise spirits and the Guardians who protect the Sages and the knowledge they possess. Long worshipped by mortals, the Sages exist to learn all there is to know in the cosmos and sometimes bond with mortals in order to discover something new. The Guardians guard them, of course, but they tend to do so in a very direct and clear manner. Guardians possessing human bodies often don’t even use the human’s form, moving around as naga creatures that ruthlessly defend their charges. While I find the Serpent Guardians to be a simple concept, the description is particularly flavorful. I would love to include them in a future game as the go to NPC for all occult questions.

Once again, keep in mind that only the Kitsune are available to players. The others are designed to be NPCs and mysteries.

Chapter Three Shifting Things 32 pages.

This chapter provides a collection of unique shape shifters, each one of which takes up 3 to 4 pages. These are all very well done. Not only are they very mood appropriate, evoking feelings of horror and wonder, they all mesh very well with an investigation oriented campaign. I’ve even incorporated some of this material into other games already, it’s that good.

Patches seems to be a coat of skinned faces that allow the wearer to turn into any of the faces taken. Humera and Animera are the classic human/animal hybrids built by a scientist on a remote isle using a sinister process. Circe’s Brood are humans who, for whatever reason, turn into animals and have to suffer through the process. Lobison are human/wolf hybrids that claw their way out of their mother’s womb and live violent, feral lives. The Devil’s Daughter, is a women who may turn into a serpent creature and excels at social manipulation. Graemalkin are familiars mystically summoned and bound who use their shape changing prowess to serve their master. The Devil of Deacon Hill presents a mist covered hill in a rural area that, on certain nights, sees visits by strange people and creatures. Finally, Phrynosapien are people who have been infected with a strange virus that rewrites their DNA and turns them into something… else.

Appendix Animal Lore 10 pages.

The appendix presents a discussion of a variety of different animals and different legends and myths surrounding them. The goal is to inspire the reader and provide a host of facts about animals that will help the participants add more flavor to their games. It does a good job of this, and if I were running a game with a variety of different skinchangers I would regularly refer to it when inventing new NPCs.

My Take

I like the book quite a bit and may use it in the future, especially in conjunction with Second Sight. This also allows for a “simple” Werewolf campaign for those who want to play classic werewolves unattached to the mythos surrounding the Forsaken. The writing is solid and, as I’ve said, I’ve already incorporated ideas from this book into other games. My players have enjoyed it and so have I.

Whether you want to run a game of Isle of Dr. Moreau, enjoy good writing and strange creatures, or create your favorite shape shifter then give Skinchangers a try.

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