Skinchangers

Skinchangers is a sourcebook for the Chronicles of Darkness. It presents Skinthieves, people who achieve animal transformation through unusual means.

Summary[]

From the Onyx Path catalog:

"Ahahaha! You, too? I knew I wasn’t alone!

Oh, look at you — you’re magnificent.

Where did you get those wolf pelts?

Mine isn’t nearly as pretty, and I couldn’t find a wolf, but look! Let me show you!"

— Fred Gahagan, Skinthief

This book includes:

A detailed look at the skinthieves who achieve animal transformation on their own, including rules for player creation

The traditions and powers of those skinchangers born from spirit possession

A selection of unique skinchangers and strange origins, as well as collected animal lore to help Storytellers customize their own shifters

Contents[]

Prologue: Face in the Crowd[]

A pack of Uratha encounter "Patches".

Introduction[]

Useful Sources:
- Nonfiction:
  - Brad Steiger's The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-shifting Beings
  - The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf by Linda S. Godfrey
  - Half Human, Half Animal: Tales of Werewolves and Related Creatures by Jamie Hall
- Fiction:
  - Jim Butcher's Fool Moon (Book Two of the Dresden Files)
  - The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson
  - The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
  - The Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
  - C.E. Murphy's Urban Shaman
  - Charles de Lint's Newford Series, especially Medicine Road
- Movies:
  - The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
  - The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)
  - The Island of Lost Souls (1933)
  - Disney's Brother Bear

Lexicon

Chapter One: Skinners and Thieves[]

Presents shapeshifters who, because of a deep and personal connection to a certain creature, are willing to sacrifice at least a portion of their humanity to gain the ability to take animal shape. Not even the wolves are safe - a "werewolf" haunting a local area might not be an Uratha after all. This chapter also contains a complete set of character generation instructions for skinthief player characters and a fleshed-out variable shifter template system.

Totem and Talisman
- Lost Talismans - the Penalty

Merits
- Animal Affinity (* to ***)
- Predator's Bearing (**)
- Socially Small (**)
- Den (***)

Derangements
- Depression and Melancholia
- Suspicion and Paranoia
- Fixation and Obsessive Compulsion

Optional Play: Inexperienced Thieves
- Unreliable shapeshifting
- Weak soul
- Conflicting reflexes
- Difficulty communication

Aspects
- Thieving Aspect (one)
  - Humane Harvest (**)
  - Hunter/Killer (0)
  - Vicious Skintaker (-*)
- Talisman Aspect (one)
  - No Talisman (****)
  - Permanent Talisman (*)
- Skinchanger Aspects (any)
  - Animal Speech (* or **)
  - Bare Necessities (* or ***)
  - Enchanting Affinity (**)
  - Extraordinary Specimen (*)
  - Fast Healing (**)
  - Fast Skinner (*)
  - Hybrid Form (** or *****)
  - Imitate Gift (*+)
  - Increased Essence (**)
  - Injurious Change (-*)
  - Long Life (* or **)
  - Out-of-Body (***)
  - Rejuvenating Change (** or ****)
  - Resilient Form (*+)
  - Restricted Change (-*)
  - Scentless Transformation (*)
  - Sense of Familiarity (**)
  - Sense of Self (**)
  - Skillful Change (*)
  - Static Beast Shape (0)
  - Strong Instincts (*)
  - Spirit Affinity (****+)
  - Sweet-Voiced Fiend (*)
  - Tell (-*)
  - Twisted Tongue (*)
  - Unhealing (-*)

Thieves of Flesh and Spirit:
- Scavenger Wolf
- Toad (Stats)
- Black-Eyed Toad
- Crow (Stats)
- Young Coalblack
- Mary Coalblack
- Elephant (Stats)
- Tusk-Runner
- Buck (Stats)
- Horned Hunter
- Spirit-Skinner
- The Stray (Alan Donning: Dog)
- Chimpanzee (Stats)
- Doctor Ape
- Bear (Stats)
- Barsark
- Ant Swarm (Stats)
- The Invisible Man

Chapter Two: Beasts of Shadow[]

Pulls back the curtain between the human world and the spirit world. Willing or no, humans often serve as tools to those who dwell in the Shadow Realm, and this chapter offers an in-depth view of those interactions, from members of fanatical human cults who are gifted with the ability to shapeshift in order to fulfill their sacred duties to reluctant victims whose bodies are possessed by animal spirits against their will. This chapter may be of most use to those who implement Werewolf: The Forsaken or Mage: The Awakening, though many of the changers within don't require knowledge of the spirit rules to use.

The Black Flock
Nam Uha - Raven-Spirit, child of Uha
Uha - Raven
Elliot Nash - Thar Akuru
Clever Foxes
Inari - The Eternal Fox
Inari Seha - Fox-Spirits that serve Inari
Inari Kihar - Fox-spirits that abandoned Inari
Shuichi Kurama - Siten uzu
Yoko - Fox-spirit
Spirits of Vengeance: The Kanaima
Ka'an Balam - Incarna, Jaguar God
Carlos Rivera - Mortal, died
Ghost Hunter - Umamu Suhi
Leopard Men
The Bouda
Serpent Guardians
Afhal Usum - Serpent-spirits

Chapter Three: Shifting Things[]

Gives insight into the world of unique skinchangers: weird items, supernatural diseases, horrific curses and creepy scientific experiments gone bad. Also here are tips for customizing the unique profiles offered, to aid Storytellers in creating their own unique skinchanging creatures.

The Artifact - "Patches"
The Chimera - "Humera and Animera"
The Cursed - "Circe's Brood"
The Seventh Son - "Lobison"
The Spawned - "The Devil's Daughter"
The Summoned - "Graemalkin"
The Territorial - "The Devil of Deacon Hill"
The Zoonotics - "Phrynosapien"

Appendix: Animal Lore[]

Presents a distillation of information about animals in both reality and folklore, a quick-start reference for more skinchanger ideas from around the world.

Mammals
- Bears
- Canids
  - African Wild Dogs
  - Domestic Dogs
  - Coyotes
  - Foxes
  - Raccoon Dogs
  - Wolves
- Felids
  - Jaguars
  - Leopards
  - Lions
  - Tigers
- Herbivores
- Hyenas
- Rodents and Other Small Mammals
  - Bats
  - Rabbits and Hares
  - Rats and Mice
- Whales and Dolphins
  - Dolphins
  - Orcas
Birds
- Corvids
- Raptors
- Cranes
- Herons
Reptiles
- Crocodilians
- Lizards
- Snakes
Fish
- Sharks
- Other Fish
Invertebrates
- Arachnids
- Scorpions
- Spiders
- Centipedes
Insects
- Ants
- Cockroaches
- Crickets and Grasshoppers
- Mantids

Background Information[]

The Black Flock can create a 'Spirit Egg', similar to the Corax from Werewolf: The Apocalypse. The Bouda also go by the First Tongue name of, "Im Iri," which means 'the Rainmakers'. A reference to the Ajaba from Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

Memorable Quotes[]

Characters[]

Fred Gahagan - Skinthief (Backcover)
Mako - Uratha, Pack Alpha, died
Nuke - Uratha
Biz - Uratha
Cold-Steel - Pack Totem
Cavanaugh - example skintheif
Softly-Croaking Toad - Spirit
Emil Coalblack
Karina Coalblack
Sharon Coalblack
Emanuel Coalblack
Osmund Coalblack
Josh - Mortal
Stacy - Mortal
Sergeant Cody - Mortal, died
Dr. Anderson - Mortal, died
Dr. Cullins - Mortal
Joe Turner - Mortal
Dr. Leakey - Mortal
Old Man Brooks - Mortal
Missus Brooks - Mortal, Witch
Winberry - Mortal, Officer
Jenkins - Mortal, Cursed
Martin Lopez - Mortal
Lia Lopez - Mortal, died
Melvin Warrick - Mortal
Alice Warrick - Mortal, died
Lia - The Devil's Daughter
Marcus - Mortal
Jennifer - Mortal
Lynda - Mortal
Sara - Mortal
Toby - Mortal
Jake - Mortal
Zachariah Deacon - Mortal, past
Margaret Deacon - Mortal, past, died

Terminology[]

First Tongue: Afhal Usum (Serpent Sages), Hal Usum (Guardian Serpents), Im iri (Rainmakers, Bouda), Inari Kihar (Foxes that abandoned Inari), Inari Seha (Obedient foxes of Inari), Kitsune Ka (Fox Kitsune), Kitsune Sedu (Spirit Kitsune), Kitsune Unu (Human Kitsune), Nam Uha (Raven-Spirit), Nemur Sakar (Terror Cats), Siten uzu (Kitsune trapped in the bodies of mortals), Thar Akuru (The Black Flock), Uha (Raven), Umamu Suhi (Beasts of Vengeance, Kanaima), duguthim (Possessed or Merged); Lexicon Terms: Animera, Artifact, Aspect, Chimera, Demonkin, Humera, Lobison, Seventh Son, Skinchangers, Skintheif, Spawned, Territorial, Zoonotics

References[]

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CofD: Shadows of the UK	Chronicles of Darkness books	CofD: Tales from the 13th Precinct