Shapeshifting hunters, echoes of primal beast and primal fey
Wilderskin Heritage Traits
Average Height: Varies by form
Average Weight: Varies by form
Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +2 Dexterity or Strength
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light vision
Languages: Common and Sylvan
Strange Beast: You are a creature of both the fey realm and the natural world, able to walk as human or beast at your whim. You have the fey origin, the magical beast type, and the shapechanger subtype.
Threefold Soul: You have three different bodies, each an inherent part of your being. These are your wild form (a medium, small or tiny natural beast), your veil form (a medium or small humanoid which does not have the beast type) and your true form (a hybrid between your veil and wild forms, with clearly bestial features but a generally humanoid shape). Each form has a distinct, permanent appearance determined at character creation.
When you are not in your true form, whenever you make any skill check to pass yourself off as an ordinary member of your apparent species, you can roll twice and use either result.
Wildspeak: Regardless of which languages you know, you can automatically converse with beasts and magical beasts that are broadly the same subtype as your wild form (mammal, insect, reptile, etc.). Like any other communication, this is not automatically friendly or useful.
Elusive: You have a +2 heritage bonus to checks made to escape a grab, and to saving throws against effects that immobilise, restrain, or slow you.
Aspects of the Beast: You have both the mask of nature and beast of battle heritage powers.
| Beast of Battle | Wilderskin Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| Roused to battle, you awaken the beast within. | |
| Encounter | |
| Minor Action ✦ Personal | |
| Requirement: You must be in your hybrid form. | |
| Effect: You spend a healing surge but regain no hit points. Instead, you gain a +2 heritage bonus to speed and a +1 heritage bonus to AC and Reflex. This effect lasts until the end of the encounter. | |
| If you change to your veil or wild form while this power is active, the effect ends immediately. | |
| Special: If you are bloodied, you can use this power without spending a healing surge. | |
| Mask of Nature | Wilderskin Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| You slip between forms with a grace that is truly second-nature. | |
| At-Will ✦ Polymorph | |
| Minor Action ✦ Personal | |
| Effect: You assume your veil, wild or true form, until you choose to change forms again. While you are in your wild or veil form, your game statistics change as noted below until you change forms again. | |
| Wild form: Your size changes to match your apparent species, and you gain one appropriate movement benefit from the list below, determined at character creation: | |
| Terrestrial: You gain a +2 bonus to speed. | |
| Aerial: You gain a fly speed equal to your movement speed. Your land speed becomes 1. | |
| Aquatic: You gain a swim speed equal to your movement speed and can breathe underwater. Your land speed becomes 1. | |
| Subterranean: You gain a burrow speed equal to half your movement speed. You cannot burrow through solid stone or other rock-hard substances. | |
| Arboreal: You gain a climb speed equal to your movement speed. | |
| You cannot use any attack powers, although you can sustain such powers. | |
| Your equipment becomes part of the form, and you continue to gain the benefits of equipped items, but you cannot activate their item powers. While your equipment is part of the form, it cannot be removed, and anything in a container that is part of the form is inaccessible. | |
| Veil form: Your size changes to match your apparent species. | |
| Special: You can only use this power once per round. | |
The Parosean migration heralded many changes to the continent of Alm. None was none more dramatic than the Establishing War, which culminated in a permanent rift between the material plane and the shadowfell. It’s well known that this caused the first wild undead in Alm, and the revenants who now count themselves among Tenebrae’s number—but it would appear that these were not the only creatures who came about as a result of King Salem’s fateful actions.
The strange creatures now called wilderskins were first encountered in Tenebrae, some time after the creation of the Shadow Rift. Hitherto unknown in Alm, these folk were not beast-kin as they first appeared, but fey; born of wild animals, yet able to take the forms of humans without a second thought.
Both natural and unnatural, wilderskins were at first viewed with suspicion; however, when it became clear that they meant no more harm than any human, the crown decreed that they should be recognised as Tenebrian citizens if they so identified. In the decades since, they have appeared elsewhere in Alm as well, though their origins remain a mystery even to this day.
Play a wilderskin if you want…
- to be born of beasts, but also an otherworldy spirit.
- to be newly discovering the ways of humanoid creatures.
- to play a shifter or a hengeyoukai, but feel these are mechanically weaker than they deserve.
Physical Qualities
Wilderskins are born as beasts, and remain so for many years before they begin to realise they are different from others of their kind. As fey, they age more like elves than like natural animals, soon making them stand out from their siblings. Their shapeshifting powers emerge instinctively as their intelligence develops, with most discovering their true form as an accident, a moment of heightened stress, or through play.
The “true” form of a wilderskin is broadly a humanoid shape, but with the clear and obvious features of their particular animal form. The prominence of animal features varies with the individual; one might look indistinguishable from a gnoll or an abilen, while another looks simply like a human with fox ears and a tail. This variance seems to be the result of their shapeshifting powers being influenced by both their self-image, and the creatures with whom they interact.
They typically acquire their humanoid form last, only after they come into contact with other species. To a casual observer they appear no different to others of that species, though they often have features which hint at their animal form—for example, a feline wilderskin may have very large eyes or a cleft lip.
A wilderskin’s beast heritage can be almost anything, from a tiny rat or bird through cats, turtles, bats, bears and more. Wolves are surely the most common, however, and believed to be the first of them all. Tenebrian hunters know well to spare juvenile beasts, and many an old wolfskin now recalls the human who released them with great fondness.
Playing a Wilderskin
Their unusual origin makes wilderskins diverse and unpredictable, even compared to most creatures. They emerge seemingly at random, and cannot produce wilderskin offspring even with others of their kind; even they themselves do not know how or why they come to be. Thus, they broadly lack the opportunity other folk have to establish distinct nations and cultures of their own.
Instead, wilderskins are left to choose their community. Some live their entire lives with their animal families, watching over generations as their leaders and guardians. Many choose to walk with humanoids, craving intellectual and emotional connections that simple animals cannot offer. Some seek fellowship with other wilderskins, perhaps wishing to answer the mystery of their own existence, while others feel no such pull.
If there is one trait most wilderskins do share, it is curiosity. Born in isolation, they quickly become aware that the world outside is unimaginably vast. Whether they choose the wilds or the hearth, they can rarely resist the urge to at least explore and observe other humanoid creatures. The path of the adventurer is a gift to those who embrace this wanderlust, providing ample opportunity to travel and learn.
Whatever life they choose, revealing their true form is an important decision for any wilderskin—whether they wear it proudly and openly, or keep it a closely-guarded secret. While they are rarely treated with prejudice outside of Aurion, many still feel there is power or safety in keeping their veil intact, and reveal their true selves only to their most trusted companions.
Wilderskins are perceived as… wild, observant, mischievous, curious, naive, intuitive, energetic, unpredictable, animalistic, skittish.
Names: Such names as beasts take do not generally translate to spoken language, though a wilderskin may approximate some nickname—such as “sharp eyes” or “soft fur”—if they feel it necessary. Those who live among humanoids are wont to take a name from their local dialect, particularly if they wish to live as their veil.
Whomwolves?
There are many obvious similarities between wilderskins and were-creatures. Both are animal shapeshifters, both first appeared in Tenebrae after the Shadow Rift’s creation, and both appear to be an acquired condition rather than a true species. Many have proposed that these conditions are related, perhaps even the same condition mutate to different hosts.
However, they are also distinct in a number of ways. While lycanthropy is an infectious condition that transfers between humanoids, wilderskins appear to be a randomly-occurring phenomenon only affecting beasts. Also, while the origins of lycanthropy are uncertain, wilderskins are known to be a product of the feywild.
In game terms, it may seem strange that this means you could create a wilderskin character who also has one of the were-creature themes. (Also true for beast-kin creatures like gnolls). In this case, consider using the were-creatures to represent not lycanthropy, but instead an exceptional individual with a more versatile beast form, particularly once it aligns with their hybrid form at paragon tier.
Wilderskin Backgrounds
Nothing found.
Wilderskin Feats
Agile Magic
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, any arcane class
Benefit: When you use a close or melee arcane attack power while your beast of battle power is active, you can shift 1 square as a free action before or after the attack.
Bait the Beast
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, mask of nature power
Benefit: When you roll initiative, you can use your mask of nature power as a free action.
Battle Hide
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, paragon tier
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you gain resist 3 to all damage. This increases to resist all 6 at 21st level.
Beckon the Beast
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, avenger, beast of battle power, oath of enmity power
Benefit: When your oath of enmity target hits you with an attack, you can use your beast of battle power as a free action.
Bestial Covenant
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power, invoker
Benefit: When you hit with an encounter or daily attack power while your beast of battle power is active, you can shift a number of squares equal to your Wisdom modifier instead benefiting from your covenant manifestation.
Bestial Leap
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, add two squares to the distance of any long jump you make and one square to the distance of any high jump you make.
Blessed Shapeshifter
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, paladin, beast of battle power
Benefit: When you use your beast of battle power, you gain a bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier to damage rolls with divine powers and basic attacks until the end of your next turn.
Brother Beast
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, ranger, beast of battle power, Beast Mastery class feature
Benefit: Whenever you use your beast of battle power, your beast companion also gains the benefit of the power’s effect.
Feral Charge
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you gain a +3 heritage bonus to damage rolls with charge attacks. This increases to +6 at 11th level, and +9 at 21st level.
Feral Divinity
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, any divine class, Channel Divinity class feature
Benefit: When you use a Channel Divinity power while you are bloodied, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
Feral Skin
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, training with hide armour
Benefit: You gain a +1 heritage bonus to AC when wearing hide armour, and reduce the check penalty incurred by hide armour by 1.
Feral Vanguard
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, defender, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you gain a +2 heritage bonus to damage rolls against creatures marked by you. This increases to +4 at 11th level and to +6 at 21st level.
Feral Vigour
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you have regeneration 2 as long as you are bloodied. This increases to regeneration 4 at 11th level, and regeneration 6 at 21st level.
Feral Wrath
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, warden
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you can shift 1 square before or after using Nature’s Wrath.
Forked Tongue
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, any arcane class, beast of battle power
Benefit: Each time you hit with an arcane attack power while your beast of battle power is active, one enemy adjacent to the target takes 2 damage. This damage increases to 4 at 11th level and to 6 at 21st level.
Gripping Claws
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you gain a climb speed equal to your speed.
Hardy Beast
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: When you use your beast of battle power, you gain 5 temporary hit points. This increases to 10 temporary hit points at 11th level, and 20 temporary hit points at 21st level.
Hounding Harrier
Prerequisite: Gnoll, Leader
Benefit: Whenever an ally misses all targets with a basic attack granted by you, you can make a basic attack against one missed target as a free action.
Instinctive Dodge
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, whenever an enemy misses you with an attack, you can shift 1 square as an immediate reaction.
Instinctive Swipe
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, whenever you miss with a melee attack that does not have a miss effect, the missed target takes your damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Mindful Beast
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power, at least one power point
Benefit: You can spend a power point to activate your beast of battle power without spending a healing surge.
Predator’s Certainty
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power, any primal class
Benefit: Each time you use your beast of battle power, you may reroll one attack roll with which you miss before the power’s effect ends.
Predator’s Guard
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, defender, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, any creature marked by you takes a further -1 penalty to attack rolls for making an attack that does not include you as a target, in addition to the mark penalty you normally impose.
Predator’s Senses
Prerequisite: Wilderskin
Benefit: You also gain a +3 feat bonus to initiative checks. Also, when you make a skill check to hunt or follow tracks, you may roll twice and use either result.
Predatory Insight
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you gain a +2 heritage bonus to damage rolls against any target granting combat advantage to you. This increases to +4 at 11th level and +6 at 21st level.
Psychic Predator
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power, any psionic class
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is in effect, whenever you hit with an attack on your turn, you regain hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Savage Hunt
Prerequisite: Gnoll or Wilderskin
Benefit: If a bloodied enemy is threatened by you and at least one ally, you gain combat advantage against that enemy.
Shapeshifter’s Escape
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: When you use your beast of battle power, you can also end one daze or weaken effect currently on you.
If you have reached at least one milestone today, you can choose instead to end any single save-ends effect currently on you.
- 2 years ago Add Initial publication
- 2 years ago Add Added milestone bonus
Swift Beast
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you ignore the effects of difficult terrain.
Swift Spirit
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, shaman, beast of battle power, call spirit companion power
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, any ally who starts their turn in a square adjacent to your spirit companion gains a +1 power bonus to speed until the start of their next turn.
Urban Beast
Prerequisite: Wilderskin
Benefit: When you roll a Streetwise check, you can roll twice and choose which result to use. When you roll an Athletics check while your beast of battle power is active, you can roll twice and choose which result to use.
Will of the Wild
Prerequisite: Wilderskin, beast of battle power, any psionic class
Benefit: While your beast of battle power is active, you also gain a +1 heritage bonus to Will and a +5 heritage bonus to Insight checks.