The ancient providence of witches and shamans, the so-called “animal art” allows you to take beast form for short periods of time. Spells for doing this sort of thing usually involve prayers to the animal’s spirits, skins, bones or body parts from the beast in question, body painting or other decorations, and trance states from which you awaken as an animal.

According to most mythologies, humans once were animals themselves, or were closely related to them at the very least. Some great act — an original sin or a god’s blessing — moved the humans down a slightly different track, but most cultures still reserve a bit of respect for their animal cousins. A magician who masters the tricky art of beast-magic can turn back the clock, stepping into the form of her brothers. It’s a difficult art to study. and it certainly leaves its mark on you; for those with the talent and dedication, however, the animal craft becomes a passion.

Shapeshifters tend to be wild-looking people, abrupt and direct about their needs and shameless about fulfilling them. The more experienced the shapechanger becomes, the more animalistic she grows. As the line between human and beast thins, most “normal” people either shy away from the magician or attracted by her, literally, animal magnetism. If you choose to follow the Beast Path, you ought to reflect the changes that the art works upon your character.

Learning this art requires intense study — study of animals, of other people, of bodies, minds and emotions. Before you can shift between forms, you must understand the creatures you want to become. This bond often leads to an odd combination of empathy and remove: On one hand, you can look out at yourself from behind an endless set of eyes and empathize with all kinds of beings. On the other hand though, you eventually understand the pragmatic, unsentimental viewpoint the animals share. To a beast, life just is. Things happen; things pass. It’s not always pleasant, but it happens and then one day you die. Animals don’t worry about the things we humans consider so important; after a while, a master shapeshifter doesn’t, either.

In game terms, this art’s pretty straightforward; a successful roll transforms you into an altered shape. At lower levels, those changes are limited and superficial; as you advance, the alterations grow more distinct until you achieve actual transformation. This costs one Willpower point each time the shift occurs, and demands total concentration.

You may alter one minor physical feature (eye color, skin color, nose shape, hair length, etc.)

You can change one major feature (height, weight, build), or several minor ones.

You might make odd alterations to yourself (grow claws, see in the dark, leap great distances) that normal humans can’t possess.

You may transform into one particular animal shape (cat, hawk, wolf, etc.) and acquire its natural abilities.

Any normal modern animal can be your new shape for a scene. The sizes range from mouse to elephant — no larger, no smaller.