Shifters

The Tavaska, or Shifters to the settlers of the Concord, are one of the oldest peoples of Shahoya, shaped not by empire or exile but by deep communion with the land itself. They are not werecreatures, nor beasts in disguise. They are the living memory of animal kinship, bound by instinct, rite, and spirit. Long before the serpentfolk empires rose, before settlers crossed the Stormbreaker Sea, the Tavaska walked the forests, hills, and wild basins of Shahoya — hunting, dreaming, and listening.

Each Tavaska belongs to a lineage tied to a sacred animal totem. These ancestral connections are not decorative; they guide everything from movement and speech to ritual, governance, and spirituality. Some run with the fury of the Bloodfang. Others dream in silence with the Spiritwatchers. Each carries the mark of something older than names — the echo of beast memory passed through blood and breath.

Though scattered by time and conflict, the Tavaska endure not through dominance, but rhythm. They are not outsiders in the wild. They are the shape the wild takes when it remembers its voice.

Identity and Culture

Tavaska appear as humanoids with subtle animalistic traits — clawed nails, pointed ears, sharp canine teeth, and fur-patterned skin along the arms, face, or spine. Their eyes often reflect the shape of their totem, whether feline, lupine, ursine, or otherwise. Hair is thick and wild, often adorned with beads, feathers, or charms from personal hunts or visions. When they shift, their form enhances — claws extend, limbs tighten, and the breath of their beast stirs beneath the skin.

Culturally, the Tavaska live by observation and rite. They do not divide the world into magic and nature, spirit and self. Everything is connected. Elders, spirit-speakers, and dreamcarvers pass down memory through dance, ink, and blood-mark. They are communal, but not uniform; each tribe follows its own rhythm. Some are territorial and fierce. Others travel in cycles, guided by migration or vision. Their flaw is resistance. Tavaska mistrust structures that override the natural order — cities, borders, doctrines. They listen before they speak, but once stirred, they do not yield.

Legacy in Eldareth

The Tavaska are not remembered in the founding of nations or the carving of thrones. Yet they are woven into every sacred grove, hidden trail, and forgotten cairn across Shahoya. They are memory without stone, law without parchment. Some call them relics. Others call them wild. But when the winds shift and the old songs stir, it is the Tavaska who remember how to answer.

They do not follow the land
They are the part of it that moves

Shifter Traits

Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.

Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.

Size. You are Medium.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Bestial Instincts. Channeling the beast within, you have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, or Survival.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Shifting. As a bonus action, you can assume a more bestial appearance. This transformation lasts for 1 minute, until you die, or until you revert to your normal appearance as a bonus action. When you shift, you gain temporary hit points equal to 2 x your proficiency bonus. You can shift a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Whenever you shift, you gain an additional benefit based on one of the following options (choose when you select this race):

Beasthide:

• You gain 1d6 additional temporary hit points.

• You have a +1 bonus to your Armor Class.

Longtooth:

• As a bonus action on your turns, you can make an unarmed strike with your elongated fangs.

• On a hit, the attack deals 1d6 piercing damage + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Swiftstride:

• Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.

• You can move up to 10 feet as a reaction when a creature ends its turn within 5 feet of you. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Wildhunt:

• You have advantage on Wisdom checks.

• No creature within 30 feet of you can make attack rolls with advantage against you unless you’re incapacitated.

Razorclaw:

• You can use your claws to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action on your turns. On a hit, the attack deals 1d6 slashing damage + your Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Dreamsight:

• You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Insight) checks.

• You can communicate with beasts as if under the effect of speak with animals for the duration of your shift.

Gorebrute:

• When you move at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and hit it with a melee attack, you can deal an additional 1d6 damage, and the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or be knocked prone.

Swiftwing:

• You gain a flying speed of 30 feet.

• You must end your turn on solid ground or fall. You cannot fly while wearing medium or heavy armor or while encumbered.

Truedive:

• You gain a swim speed of 30 feet, and you can breathe underwater.

• You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to swim.

Cliffwalk:

• You gain a climb speed of 30 feet.

• You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to climb.

Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbk offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.