Beastmen are people with both human and animal ancestry. They can resemble nearly any kind of animal, including invertebrates.
Historically, most beastmen tribes were created by Lunar Exalted who wanted to create new societies outside Realm control, or raise armies with unusual abilities most humans lack. Only the first few generations of these tribes are Moon-Born God-Blooded, with their descendants being entirely mortal. Other beastmen tribes are descended from Wyld mutants whose mutations happen to resemble animal body parts, and one notable tribe was actually bred by the Solar Exalt C'Tula in the First Age.
Beastmen of all kinds resemble anthropomorphic animals, human-animal mixtures, or humans with fur. Because of their appearance, their association with both Lunars and the Wyld, and their tendency to worship their Lunar forebearers, Beastmen are widely despised as sub-human and are excluded from many human societies. Their position is not helped by the large number of Fair Folk, Hobgoblins, and crazed Wyld mutants who look just like Beastmen. However, the hybridization is only a matter of the body, and doesn't even prevent them from breeding with baseline humans. Beastmen psychology is human, unless they have been warped by the Wyld. Crucially, they have the exact same hun-po souls as other humans, and can be Exalted. Ophilis Ses, a Solar of the Night Caste, is a snakeman.
Known Beastmen groups[]
- Baboonmen
- C'Tula's children (squidmen)
- Deep Sages, the octopus-men of Luthe
- Falconmen
- Gorillamen
- Grondir boarmen
- Haltan elkmen
- Haltan hawkmen, who have arms in addition to wings
- Haltan snakemen
- Hyenamen
- Jackalmen
- Jaguarmen
- Lionmen
- Ma-Ha-Suchi's goatmen
- Ma-Ha-Suchi's wolfmen
- Ma-Ha-Suchi's wolf-goat-men, who combine both animals with the human form
- Metagalpan hawkmen
- Neekhoe scorpionmen
- Orangutanmen
- Orcamen
- Owlmen
- Rajtali elkmen
- Serpents Who Walk As Men
- Shadow Swimmers, the sharkmen of Luthe
- Snakemen of Ssaaneth
- Skunkmen
- Wolfmen who don't serve Ma-Ha Suchi
- Zukuluka boarmen