Shapeshifters Species

Biological Variation

Biological Variation

Typical Physical Characteristics
When in their human form, most shapeshifters can come in a variety of different skin tones, typically range from a pale that looks white in the right light to a medium tan to a dark, deep brown. Skin tones can varies based on geographic distribution, with paler-skinned individuals hailing from much colder areas than their darker-skinned counterparts. Humans in the same area tend to be a similar skin colour, which allowing shapeshifters to easily blend in with humans. Some members of the sapient species display albinism, a congenital skin colour condition leading to white skin regardless of location.

Like humans, the hair of shapeshifters can vary in thickness, length, texture, and colour. Hair textures can vary from wispy to coarse, and from curly to wavy to straight. Hair colours can range from white-blonde to pure black, with a spectrum of blonds, browns, dark browns, blacks and dull reds hair in between. Baldness, particularly age-related baldness, is slightly more prevalent in shapeshifters than in humans, and has no disparity between the sexes. Baldness does not carry over to a shapeshifter's animal form, although not enough research has been done to explain why. With the age, the hair of shapeshifters tends to turn white or grey.

With Shapeshifters can share many of the same eye colours with their human relatives. Brown eyes remains the most common eye colour, winning out over amber, blue, green, or grey eyes. These eye colours exist on a spectrum of light to dark. For example, one individual could have eyes that are an pale icy blue colour, whilst another individual has eyes of a deep sea blue colour. However, shapeshifters also can have an eye colour unique to their species, which is yellow. Yellow eyes also exist on a spectrum of light to dark, from a bright gold to a rich amber. Rarely, shapeshifters are born with two differently coloured eyes - for example, one brown and one blue - or eyes with a differently coloured ring around the pupils. This eye colour condition is known as heterochromia. Notably, the eyes are the only feature that change very little when a shapeshifter shifts, always remaining the same eye colour as in their humanoid form.

While hair colours and skin colours may or may not transferred to other shapeshifter animal form, but eye colours always does. Light or leucistic coloration is uncommon and typically transferred to other shapeshifter animal form, with most shapeshifters born outside the normal range from the isolationist tribes (clans) of the Frozen North are referred to as 'Pales’. Their colouration is seen as a sign of the Allkin’s disfavor, and "Pales" are often mildly ostracized or treated with suspicion/derision as a result. 

There is evidence that some populations of shapeshifters have evolved differently due to external factors, in particular geographical locations and climates. Shapeshifters that live at a high altitude - especially avian shapeshifters - tend to have a larger lung capacity than those that live at sea level to make up for the thinner air. Those that live in hot countries tend to be taller and more slender, whilst those that live in colder climates tend to be lean towards shorter and stockier, with more thicker body hair.

While in their animal form, most shapeshifters are complete indistinguishable from a natural animal. The only indication of their true nature is their eye colour, which can be a dead giveaway for some shapeshifters and inconsequential in other shapeshifters. However, shapeshifters are always capable of recognizing other shapeshifters no matter what form they're in; they can identify each other based on a combination of many senses, and it helps prevent them from accidentally preying on their own kind. 

Perhaps as a consequence of their potent innate ability to change their human form into their animal form, shapeshifters rarely express natural abilities. Shapeshifter mages are very rare, and members of this sapient species rarely exhibit other unique abilities. 

are small and wiry;