Ok. I hope I’ve been making a decent impact with these posts. My theme, such that it is for this post, is geographical in nature. These two races are inextricably connected to the lands where they originate, and I thought that important to their identities as I adapt them to Dark Sun.
The Challenges
Shifters are a strange thing. Lycanthropy has been strangely left out of Dark Sun. I have been turning over what that means, and, if you follow me on Twitter (@icu_seamus), you’ve probably seen me asking about this. I didn’t get much help, and, to be honest, that’s exactly what I needed. I went back to the Campaign Guide, and I think I found my springboard. Knowing that the animal kingdom of Athas had seen some significant shifts, I altered the animals that Shifters emulate. I think it works.
Wilden gave me another issue. I’ve seen forum posts and blogs that suggest a defender of nature concept, but for me that doesn’t offer much in the way of a twist on the story. Again, I went to the Campaign Guide, and something struck me in the same place where I found my in-road for Shifters.
Enjoy my take on these two races as we explore the Crescent Forest.
Shifters
The Crescent Forest is home to many Druids. Druids often learn how to change their shape in accordance with the natural world. In the past, some druids bred with animals, creating a new race: the Shifter. Two breeds have been seen, although they are certainly not the only ones. These are the Daggermaw and Webwound Shifter (NOTE: These Shifters are re-skins of existing breeds. The Daggermaw parallels the Longtooth Shifter, and the Webwound is the equivalent of the Razorclaw Shifter.)
Daggermaw Shifters
On Athas, alligator-like beasts are prevalent in many woodland areas where wolves would otherwise thrive. Daggermaw Shifters are kindred to these creatures. They appear as bald humanoids with leathery skin and yellow eyes. When they manifest their shift, their skin becomes scaly, and their teeth elongate to the size of small carving knives. In fact, some halfling tribes have been seen wielding daggers taken from the mouths of Daggermaw Shifters.
Webwound Shifters
As certain Druids learned to change into swarms of creatures, spiders began producing strange offspring. Hatched from silken eggs, these Webwound Shifters came into the world. Their skin is pale white, and their hair is black and quill-like. Their eyes are solid black or ruby colored. Some have been known to show a reddish hourglass shape on their bodies. When they shift, a second set of eyes appears just above their prominent set, and mandibles extend from their mouths, from just inside the cheek.
Backgrounds
Daggermaw Aggressiveness
Daggermaw Shifters tend to lay heavy claim to things they believe are theirs. When adventuring, this idea extends to their possessions, companions, and those under their guardianship. This means that, among other things, they know their surroundings better when in natural environments. They also are capable of sudden bursts of speed when hunting or otherwise inspired to violence. It takes a great deal of fine motor control to achieve this, and aggressive Daggermaws usually excel in that aspect.
Associated Skills: Acrobatics, Nature
Webwound Hunter
Like spiders, Webwound Shifters often possess better senses than those around them. Hunters from this race exhibit this potential. Along with this, a hunting Webwound Shifter also has the almost uncanny ability to get out of sight when the situation calls for it, allowing them to find an advantageous position.
Associated Skills: Perception, Stealth
Wilden
In the Crescent Forest, there is an area known as Witchgrove, where the forest teems with a living force. The border between Athas and The Land Within the Wind is especially thin here, and woodland spirits have crossed over to something their minds simply cannot comprehend: a world where nature itself is falling to absolute waste. The Wilden, a name given to the creatures that refuse to be tamed, are fighting desperately to save the world from itself. They see magic as grotesque, and do everything they can to end its use. They know, all too well, that as long as there is any kind of magic, the potential exists that for every Preserver, there can be a Defiler. No mages are safe from this scrutiny, and while they may not attack Preservers directly, they may see a Preserving arcanist as something to be used to bait out Defilers.
These Wilden appear as dead or dying tree-like creatures. The power of nature is less potent on Athas, and it shows on the Wilden. This changes when they’re targeted by magic. Preserving magic causes leaves to sprout, a greenish sheen to cover their skin, etc. Defiling magic, however, pains them, even if the negative effects of this magic don’t cause them any damage. Leaves, if any, fall off, and they appear more burdened than they might have been before.
Backgrounds
Adapted to the Desert
Trees that find themselves in the desert don’t always die. Occasionally, they thrive. Wilden can adjust similarly, and more than a few have found ways to continue to exist in spite of harsh conditions. Mobility adds to the ability to find the things needed for successful desert living. Negotiating with caravans has given you the rest of what you might need, along with the ability to divine people’s motivations from the subtle shifts in their behavior.
Associated Skills: Endurance, Insight
Defiled (Re-Skin of “Born of Ruin” from the PHB3)
You have looked Defiling magic in the face and survived. You know what these magics have done to the world. Perhaps you bear the scar of a confrontation, looking similar to burn marks. Whatever happened, you will not suffer the Defilers of Athas any mercy. You are Nature’s wrath embodied.
Associated Skills: Arcana, Nature
Conclusion
This is the last post like this for a while, simply because there aren’t a lot of other races that I can see doing write-ups for that would make any sense. The goal here is to stretch suspension of disbelief without breaking it, and, though I’ve come close a few times, I think I’ve held it together alright. I love all the input I’m getting, and would appreciate more.
Next, I’ll be learning about Racial Paragon Paths and Feats that these races could use, if filtered through Dark Sun. That’ll be a little more work, I think.
Comment freely, and watch your threatened squares.
Previous Installments
IMAGE NOTES: The Lizard Man was designed by Austin Davidson, viewable here. The Tarantula, the character used for the Webwound Shifter, is the property of Marvel Comics. Wormwood Dryad (the Wilden), is property of Wizards of the Coast.