These are all examples of Therianthropes, individuals who have gained the ability to shift into an animal hybrid form. For many, this is a curse, a terrible affliction that devastates not only their own lives, but the lives of those around them. Some, however, have mastered this change and wield it's remarkable gifts in whatsoever manner that they choose.

Bursting from the water onto the shore, a wereshark hoists a large fish over his shoulder. A young human girl runs over to him, smiling, as the wereshark shrinks into the form of a grinning man.

A half-elf man is led in cuffs to a cell, pleading to be released, not for his safety, but for theirs. His captors laugh and leave him to the mercy of his cellmates. Come morning, the cell is empty, it's bars bent outward, the iron tang of blood thick in the air.

A slender elf woman bounds through and over the underbrush, finally setting sight on her quarry. With a shudder, her form melts into that of a panther, and she lets out a roar of challenge as she leaps upon her home's defilers.

Some of your Therianthrope features and Beast Traits require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

To multiclass into or out of the Therianthrope class, you must have 13 Dexterity, as well as either 13 Strength or Wisdom.

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

You can make a Therianthrope quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the outlander background. Lastly, pick the Inherited Origin and the Brute Form Subclass.

Starting at 1st level, you choose a Therian Form, from Aquatic, Brute, or Cunning. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, or merges into your new form. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you exit Wereshape.

When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.

You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike, and it's damage is slashing. This die changes as you gain Therianthrope levels, as shown in the Ferocity Die column of the Therianthrope table.

You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.

While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Strength or Wisdom modifier (whichever is higher).

When you take damage from any source, reduce the amount taken by a number equal to half your Therianthrope level (rounded up). Damage from any silvered source cannot be reduced in this manner.

You can Wereshape a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier per long rest. Each use of your Wereshape thereafter inflicts 1 level of exhaustion.

Features and abilities gained from your race or other classes, such as the Barbarian's Rage feature, the Spellcasting feature, or the Tortle's Natural Armor are suppressed for the duration of your Wereshape. This does not include ASI, proficiencies or feats gained through those sources. Transforming breaks your concentration on spells.

When you assume your Animal or Wereshape form, and also when you leave this transformation, you keep your current hit points. Dropping to 0 hit points causes you to immediately assume your normal form.

You can maintain your Wereshape for a number of hours equal to half your Therianthrope Level (rounded up).

Your type is Monstrosity, and you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

You can assume and exit your Wereshape as a bonus action on your turn.

Also at 1st level, you gain access to a transformation called a Wereshape. While using your Wereshape, the following rules apply.

To determine your Wereshape and Animal Form appearance, choose a Beast. Your Wereshape is a mixture of the beast upon a humanoid skeleton, and your Animal form resembles the chosen beast. But the extent of your Wereshape's monstrous appearance is at your discretion. Once you've chosen this beast, your Wereshape and Animal form appearance does not change.

You were born with the ability to take your hybrid form as the result of your ancestry. Perhaps you come from a family of Therianthropes, or this power takes root in only certain individuals of your bloodline. Regardless, your affinity for transformation eases the physical stress of your Wereshape.

You were granted this form as part of a pact with a powerful being, or through communion with the wilds and the beasts that inhabit them. Your form is more fluid as a result.

You acquired your gift from a powerful curse or you were bitten by another Therianthrope and survived the encounter. Your power is strong, but only mostly under your control.

Starting at 1st level, you choose your Therian Origin. You gain one of the following features of your choice.

At 20th level, when you reduce a creature to 0 hitpoints with an attack while in your Wereshape, you can make another attack against a creature within range.

At 14th level, while in your Wereshape, at the start of each of your turns, you regain a number of hit points equal to half your Therianthrope level (rounded down) if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don’t gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points or if you took damage from a silvered source since the end of your last turn.

Starting at 9th level, when you use your Wereshape feature, you can fill your enemies with desperate panic. Choose a number of creatures equal to your Proficiency Bonus within 120 feet that can hear and see you. These targets must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Beginning at 5th level, while in your Wereshape, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Starting at level 3, while in your Wereshape, you can use your action to make a special melee Bite attack against a creature within range. You are proficient with it, and you add your Strength modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is piercing, and its damage die is a d4. This die changes as you gain Therianthrope levels, as shown in the Ferocity Die column of the Therianthrope table. If the attack hits, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) plus your Therianthrope level, and you can't use this attack again until you finish a short or long rest.

At 2nd level, you gain two beast traits of your choice. Your beast trait options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain Therianthrope levels, you gain additional beast traits of your choice, as shown in the Beast Traits column of the Therianthrope table.

Additionally, after using your Feast feature, you may immediately move up to your speed without triggering opportunity attacks.

At 17th level, while in your Wereshape, creatures which are grappled by you that don't have all of their hit points have disadvantage on checks to escape the Grappled condition.

Additionally, while in your Wereshape, you can make one attack as part of the Dash action.

Beginning at 11th level, your Wereshape gains Blindsight out to a range of 30 feet while underwater.

Additionally, you treat grappled creatures as being two sizes smaller than you for the purposes of dragging.

The target can attempt to free themselves using an action on it's turn to attempt a Athletics or Acrobatics check contested by your Savagery DC, ending the grappled condition on itself on a success.

At 6th level, when you successfully use your Feast feature, you can attempt to grapple the target with your powerful jaws. For this attempt, you may choose to treat your Savagery DC as your Strength (Athletics) result.

Starting at level 1, you gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed. Additionally, your Wereshape gains the following benefits.

This Aquatic Therianthrope must have an appearance suited to traversing the watery depths. It should have gills, or lungs capable of allowing underwater breath, as well as crushing jaws fitted with terrible teeth, fangs, or rarely, a beak. Webbed fingers, fins, or webbed feet to allow you to swim, as well as claws.

The various Therianthropes that commonly make up the Aquatic Form include Weresharks, Wereorcas, and Werecrocodiles, although many other variations are known to exist.

Therianthropes of the Aquatic Form largely inhabit the coastal regions of the world, but they are sometimes known to travel inland. Though their strength is a match to any other Therianthrope, the Aquatic Form's favored method of attack is to drag unsuspecting prey down into the deeps to drown them.

Whether your Therianthrope considers themselves to be cursed or not, NPC's may seek to 'cleanse' you in one way or another. Speak with your DM to ensure that your progress in this class will not be destroyed by something like a Remove Curse spell without your pre-approval.

At 17th level, while in your Wereshape, you can use your action to perform a special Rend attack targeting a creature of your choice within range. That creature must make a Dexterity saving throw vs your Savagery DC. On a failed save, the target takes 10d6 + 10 Slashing damage, or half as much on a success.

At 11th level, while in your Wereshape, you have advantage on Saves and Checks against effects that would reduce your movement speed or prevent you from moving, and you ignore non-magical difficult terrain.

You gain a d4 frenzy die. Once per turn during your turn when you make a damage roll, you can add this frenzy die to the damage roll. If you dealt damage during your last turn, your frenzy die becomes a d6, increasing with each subsequent turn you deal damage by one step, from a d6 to a d8, then to a d10 and finally, up to a d12; if you did not deal damage during your last turn, it becomes a d4 once more.

Your hit point maximum increases by 12. Whenever you gain a level thereafter, your hit point maximum increases by an additional 2 hit points

At 6th level, gain one of the following features of your choice.

As a bonus action, you may take the Search action.

Starting at level 1, your movement speed increases by 10 feet. Additionally, while in your Wereshape, you gain the following:

This form's distinctive traits must include fangs or sharp teeth and claws. Your canine's may lengthen into long fangs, or all teeth may sharpen.

These Therianthropes often reside in heavily forested areas where prey abounds, where they make use of the overwhelming speed and ferocity to dispatch foes.

Brute form Therianthropes are made up of the more 'classical' shapechangers, such as Werebears, Wereboars and, of course, Werewolves.

At 17th level, as a bonus action, you point out a weakness in a creature's guard within 30 feet of you. Allies that can see the target and hear you have advantage on their attacks against that creature until the beginning of your next turn.

You've learned to call out openings in an opponent's guard to your pack, and coordinate with them to put your prey down.

Beginning at 11th level, while in your Wereshape, you have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.

Starting at 6th level, you can Hide as a bonus action on your turn.

Beginning at 1st level, you gain one of following features of your choice.

This form tends to look more humanoid than the others, which allows it to wear armor. Though some Therianthropes may choose to wear armor more custom fitted to their Wereshape. Regardless, the appearance of a Cunning form Therianthrope must include sharpened teeth, fangs, or a beak, as well as claws or talons. It may also have webbed hands or feet, and gills or lungs capable of allowing the form to breath underwater, if this Wereshape has a swim speed.

Focusing on their natural agility and wit, these Therianthropes are found closer to civilization, and are made up by Wererats, Wereoctopus and Werefoxes.

The Cunning form Therianthrope is the most unusual of the various werebeasts in the world. They retain more of their normal instincts, and tend to wear armor and utilize weapons for their hunts.

Additionally, while in your Wereshape, if you hit a creature with the special attack granted by your Harrier feature, you can instead choose to reduce that creature's movement speed to 0 until the start of your next turn, so long as the targeted creature is no more than one size larger than you.

Finally, at 17th level, while in your Wereshape, your flying speed increases by 20 feet.

Also at 11th level, while in your Wereshape, you can use the Attack action to make a Special melee attack targeting the creature's eyes, if it has them. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw vs your Savagery DC. On a failure, you subject the target to the Blinded condition until the start of the target's next turn. You may use this special attack a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier per long rest.

At 11th level, while in your Wereshape, when you hit with a melee attack against a creature, you don’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn.

While constructing this nest, you may choose to create it with a trigger mechanism, which upon using your Action to interact with, will destroy the nest immediately. This may be a perfectly positioned twig or small stone, known only to you, that once removed causes the collapse of the structure.

Additionally, you can spend an hour while in your Wereshape gathering twigs, branches and small stones to form a nest. At your DM's discretion, other materials can also be used to construct this nest. It can fit a number of Medium sized or smaller creatures equal to your level. It provides full cover, and shelter from the elements. It has an AC equal to your Savagery DC, a number of hitpoints equal to five times your level and is immune to Psychic and Poison damage.

Starting at 6th level, you gain proficiency in the Survival skill. If you already have proficiency in the survival skill, add double your proficiency bonus to checks made using that skill.

If you are falling when you enter your Wereshape, you can soar to any location that is an amount of feet away from you equal to the total number of feet you have fallen.

Additionally, you can use your Wereshape feature as a reaction when you fall more than 10 feet.

Starting at level 1, while in your Wereshape, you gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed.

The distinctive features of this form's Wereshape must include wings, claws or talons, and a beak or sharped teeth. Wings may grow out of your arms, or simply sprout from your back. Claws may simply be lengthened nails, talons may erupt from your feet, like a raptor's. Your mouth could form into a beak, or simply fill with sharpened teeth

Avian Form Therianthropes flit in and out of combat, preferring to strike then flee to a safe distance, but must be wary of dangers that can remove their ability to fly. Among their ranks are the Werebat, Wereraven, and Wereowl.

Most elusive and rare are the Therianthropes of the Avian Form. They take to the sky freely, and stake their territory in isolated mountains, or any other place difficult to reach without the gift of flight.

You may choose to be size medium when you assume your Wereshape.

At your DM's discretion, you can communicate with animals of approximately the same kind as your chosen form (including dire varieties): bats with bats, cats with felines, hawks and owls and ravens with birds, lizards and snakes with reptiles, monkeys with other simians, rats with rodents, toads with amphibians, and weasels with ermines and minks. Such communication is limited by the Intelligence of the conversing creatures.

While in your Wereshape, if you are in a lightly obscured area, you are treated as being heavily obscured.

You gain proficiency in the stealth skill. If you already have proficiency in Stealth, choose another skill available to the Therianthrope class to gain proficiency in.

When you use your Wereshape feature to assume your Animal Form, you can choose to be Large size.

At 5th level, you can choose two effects instead of one, and at 11th level, you can choose to gain all the effects listed.

You can concentrate your transformation onto a single body part as a bonus action to gain one of the following effects. These effects last until you are incapacitated, until you end them as a bonus action, or until you use your Wereshape feature. You cannot use Partial Shift while in your Wereshape.

If a creature makes a melee attack against you and misses, you may use your reaction to immediately move up to half of your speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

When your Cursed Origin feature forces you to make a saving throw to maintain control, you add your Wisdom modifier twice.

When your Cursed Origin feature forces you to make a saving throw to maintain control, and you fail that saving throw, you instead move and attack the nearest hostile creature. If there is no creature within range after your movement, you also take the Dash action towards them.

While in your Wereshape, if an ally within 10 feet of you takes the Dash action, you can use your reaction to move up to your speed in the direction they were moving, so long as you end your movement within ten feet of the triggering ally.

You gain advantage on Initiative checks while in your Wereshape.

On the night of a full moon, while in your Wereshape, you can gain the effects of the 'haste' spell by using an action, without components or requiring concentration. You may choose to do this once per long rest.

During the night, you can use your Wereshape feature one additional time before suffering exhaustion.

Additionally, while in your Wereshape, you add double your proficiency bonus to Intimidation checks.

You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill. If you already have proficiency in Intimidation, choose another skill available to the Therianthrope class to gain proficiency in.

Additionally, you can not suffer disadvantage on checks to track creatures while in your Wereshape.

You can see up to 1 mile away with no difficulty, able to discern even fine details as though looking at something no more than 100 feet away from you.

While in your Wereshape, you have advantage on all Strength Saving Throws and Dexterity Saving Throws.

You can take each Beast Trait only once, unless the Beast Traits's description says otherwise. If a Beast Trait has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the Beast Trait at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.

Shifting Form A rare mutation or other unusual circumstance has allowed you to alter your Wereshape. When you acquire this beast trait, choose another Beast to base your Wereshape and Animal Forms on. When you use your Wereshape feature to assume your Wereshape or Animal Form, you can choose to assume one of your original appearances, or one of the appearances given to you by this feature. You can select this Beast Trait multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose a different Beast.

Planar Form You have tapped into Planar energies and gained the ability to mutate your Wereshape and Animal Form as a result. Choose one of the following creature types. When you use your Wereshape feature, you can choose to be this type instead of Monstrosity or Beast. Your Wereshape or Animal Form appearance may change to suit this new Type. Abberation, Celestial, Elemental, Fey or Fiend. You can select this Beast Trait multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose a different creature type.

Cursed Bite Prerequisite: Level 5, Cursed Origin You may use your Feast feature twice between short or long rest. Additionally, if you reduce a creature to 0 hitpoints using your Feast feature, but do not kill it outright, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw vs your Savagery DC. On a failure, they are inflicted with Therianthropy. The DM may determine when they assume their Wereshape, and whether or not they will be hostile to creatures in this form. If that creature takes a level in this class, their Wereshape appearance, Therian origin, and Therian Form will be identical to yours.

Instinctive Shift Prerequisite: Level 7, Inherited Origin If you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you assume your Wereshape before doing anything else on that turn.

Horrifying Visage Prerequisite: Level 15, Cursed Origin Your Grim Visage feature affects any number of targets of your choice that can see you. Additionally, you can use your Grim Visage feature twice before a rest.

Feral Charge While in your Wereshape, if you move at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hit them with a melee attack on the same turn, that creature must make a Strength Saving throw vs your Savagery DC or be knocked prone.

Bounding Assault Prerequisite: Feral Charge While in your Wereshape, you can use an action to triple your jump distance until the end of your turn. Additionally, if you use your action in this way and jump as part of your movement before the turn in which you used this action is over, you may make one attack as part of your movement.

Diminuitive Form Prerequisite: Gifted Origin When you use your Wereshape feature to assume your Animal Form, you can choose to be Tiny size. If you assume a Tiny size through the use of this feature, damage you deal to other creatures is reduced to 1.

Sturdy Construction Prerequisite: Level 7, Avian Form Your nest's maximum hit points are doubled, and you may spend ten consecutive minutes repairing damage done to it.

Hamstring Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with your unarmed strike, you can reduce that creature’s speed by 10 feet until the end of your next turn.

Lurking Threat Prerequisite: Ambush Hunter When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible until you move or take an action or a reaction.

Studied Prerequisite: Inherited Origin You can use an action to determine if a creature is a shapeshifter, provided you have spent at least one minute interacting with it.

Depths Fighter Prerequisite: A swim speed When you transform into your Wereshape, you may choose to wear your equipment in the Wereshape. You gain proficiency with Tridents, Nets and light armor.