Overgrown Secrets: Shape Shifter

Known by the ever-descriptive title of "Shapeshifters", the shapeshifters filled the role of the "Devil We Know" in overgrown secrets, providing a stable but hostile community nearby that gave the PC's purpose to exist in the first place. So what is this new monster, and what role did they play in the setting?

Building a Shapeshifter

Shapeshifters look, act, and behave much like humans. They have several mystic abilities, and they are supernaturally stronger and fitter

Shape shifters have +4 ST, +2 DX, and +2 HT. They are supernaturally tougher, stronger, and more graceful than humans. While their afflictions and shape-changing are useful, they often rely on their physicality to defeat their enemies.

Traits: Unaging, Elastic Skin, Afflictions

Afflictions:

• Devour Soul: Touch the subject and absorb their soul. Affliction (Heart Attack +300%, Melee C -40%, Malediction 1 +100%) [46]
• Suppress Soul: Touch the subject and incapacitate their soul. Souls are precious, after all, you don't want to kill more livestock than you can eat. Affliction (Unconciousness +200%, Melee C -40%, Malediction 1 +100%, Alternative Attack to Devour Soul) [36/5 = 8]
• Erase Memory: Erase the memory of the subject. Only erases a period immediately previous to the affliction, up to one month in length. Affliction (Disadvantage: Amnesia +10%, permanent +300%,  Melee C -40%, Malediction 1 +100%, Only on helpless subjects -20%, Takes extra time 2 -20%, Alternative Attack to Devour Soul) [43/5 = 9]

Shapeshifters need the acting and disguise skills in order to impersonate someone.

Shapeshifters normally only need to devour a soul once every two or three years. Without a soul in their diet, they will starve over the course of half a year, their body and powers weakening.

Shapeshifters are born looking like normal humans, and without powers. When they hit puberty their powers manifest, along with an overwhelming hunger, and they generally end up consuming 40+ people over the course of a few days. Shapeshifters generally don't raise their own children, because they don't want to be exposed to transitioning teenagers who could kill them.

Shapeshifters in the Campaign

Shapeshifters in overgrown secrets were the rulers of several nearby villages, and the default historical enemies of the player's reference society. While they didn't show up in the game much, they were a constant concern for the players. They also served as an excuse to give the players defenses against the crypt spirit's possession ability. 

The shapeshifters ruled several villages, taking villagers as "food" only occasionally, so as to not waste their food source. We never actually had to use stats for shapeshifters, but I had them statted out as experienced warriors in prime health. Despite having touch attacks, conflicts would have been decided with weaponry. In a physical fight, the shapeshifters would have an advantage. The PC's tribe lived in the forest and had superior stealth and forestry skills, which made up the difference.

 Like the crypt spirits, the shapeshifters were very much powered down by the setting. In small villages, everyone knows everyone else, so anonymity was much less useful. Their PC's lived primarily in the jungle, where a different sort of subterfuge was favored. 

The shapeshifters seem to occupy the same niche as vampires, and we accidentally slipped up and called them that occasionally.  Some of the core ideas are similar: an immortal predator that looks human, and is physically impressive, but has a supernatural ability to blend in and manipulate. They probably need some beefing up if you want to use them in a Monster Hunters game, but the power set would be fun to work with, and possibly might make your players scratch their heads.

I may use shapeshifters again. The base idea is that of the cuckoo, a bird that lays its eggs in another species nest for the other birds to raise. Plus we added a bit of over-the-top supernatural horror.  I hope others enjoy this idea as much as I have, and find it useful, or at least inspiring for their own monsters. Happy Monster Hunting!