Fiendflesh Shifter (Shifter Archetype)
(art by Andrea Boloch on Artstation)
By default, the shifter class is a warrior of nature, one that protects the natural world and invites the wisdom of nature into themselves.
Naturally, then, fiendflesh shifters, who invite fiendish power into themselves to transform into fearsome battle forms, are a perversion of the discipline.
Indeed, most other shifters, and indeed entire druidic orders view such dark practitioners as their natural enemies, refusing to ally with them and destroying them whenever possible, which of course isolates such fiendish warriors those they might have called peers, forcing them into the arms of the cults of evil gods and archfiends if they weren’t already within the ranks of such.
Of course, this all assumes that these shifters chose a pact with the Lower Planes. But what if the shifter was afflicted with such fiendish power by accident or malevolent intent, making them just as much victims? They might be just as much outcasts as before, but it becomes more tragic as they had no hand in their transformation. In this way, they might tap into the classic trope of “non-evil person with evil powers”, much like the Abomination class from Darkest Dungeon, which definitely shares many of the same cultural bones as this archetype.
In any case, these shapeshifting warriors gain a little bit of the powers of darkness to enhance their arsenal.
As originally written, these warriors must be evil, though exactly how evil they are is up to the player.
Additionally, their claws are infused with fiendish energy, making them lethal against celestial foes.
While other shifters rely on supernatural instinct to protect themselves, fiendflesh shifters instead use the fiendish quintessence infusing their bodies protect them, hardening them against attack, particularly against fire and electricity.
They also do not take animal aspects, instead transforming into a monstrous half-fiendish form. This from has superior night vision, sharp and deadly horns, and a resistance to harm that is pierced by goodly blessings. As they grow stronger, this form further grows in power as well, hardening their other resistances, growing wings, and later even granting total immunity to fire and electricity.
These shifter can even blend in the essences of specific fiend types to further bolster themselves, which come in both lesser and greater forms. With the power of daemons, they grow resistant to acid and disease, later gaining full immunity and more hearty health. Demons, meanwhile, grant greater electricity resistance, and enhance the overall offensive power of their form. Finally, devils provide greater fire resistance, followed by greater agility and the ability to truly see in darkness.
Interested in a shifter that has less variation and more focus on a single mighty combat form with flight? This archetype certainly can offer that, especially if you like dark, edgy powers. The damage reduction is very good unless you’re actively fighting a lot of holy foes, while the ability to bypass damage reduction is less good unless you are indeed fighting a lot of celestials. Honestly the biggest boon is the built in energy resistances that get multiplied by your transformation, but you can build them in a lot of ways for such a seemingly one-note archetype. Their different fiendish chimeric aspects can help them go on the defensive or offensive when they need to as well.
The core flavor for this class, and the reason why it has an alignment default of evil, is that the character chose to take this dark path, one that made them a mighty warrior at the cost of the trust of many mortals. While that has plenty of roleplaying merit, if you want to assume differently, the story can change quite a bit. They could even still be evil, but struggling with it, perhaps being ashamed of or repulsed by their powers. There’s plenty of angst and pathos to be explored there.
Additionally, there is homebrew potential in creating alternate options for this archetype based on the other types of fiends as well.
In his pursuit of power, Galuk sought to take the might of fiends into himself, but he soon became rejected by all, his plans thwarted by heroes again and again. Left for dead and seemingly condemned to a life on the fringes, he is surprised one day by the kindness of an elderly woman. Will he be inspired to change his ways, or take advantage of her generosity? Only time can tell.
The white-furred native triaxians of Olagu are no stranger to fiends, and many a mage or warrior has accepted their power to become stronger in the harsh frozen realm. However, there are others who seek a different path, one which invites celestials into their hearts to counter the monsters in the dark.
Ostovites, horrible abyssal insects that create nests of animate bones to ride in, are but one symptom of a planar leakage to that foul plane. Another is the sudden rash of births that lead to children with the ability to transform into fiendish forms. Locating the dimensional anomaly, however, is only the beginning.