sHIFTERS & WERES

Animal and Human

Appearance: human form and an animal form
Can speak in human form
In human form, they keep their enhanced senses. (sight, sound, smell etc)
In some forms are very dangerous and more animal than human

shifters

Two Types of Shifters

SHIFTER BASICS

Shifters are born
Do not possess the ability to turn another person into a shifter
A shifter does not have to shift during the full moon but the desire to do so is stronger.
A shifter does need to shift into its animal form at least once a month. The shift does not have to be on the full moon.
Shifters in animal form do retain more empathy and the ability to recognize their friends than a werewolf.
A shifter that is hurt, stressed, or scared will react like an animal. Animals in these circumstances are more feral and are dangerous to their friends.

NATURAL SHIFTERS

Any Real Animal

Characters need to have a picture/drawing of the animal or see the animal to shift into it. There is no limit to how many different animals you can shift into.

Every Shifter has 1 animal. This animal is the character's main animal. The main animal does not need a picture.

LIMITATIONS

Natural shifters cannot shift into fantasy animals or a human.
Larger animals drain a player of their energy faster (especially if the animal is equal to or larger than a human)
Switching into larger animals will cause a player to need to shift back to a smaller form faster and will require the character to rest afterwards.
Players should have the avatar they are going to shift into.
Insects do not require an avatar. Make your avatar invisible and post accordingly. A risk to all insects is getting squished. If this happens, your character won't die but will be forced to instantly shift back to human. Your character will be hurt.
To enter any scene, with the purpose of spying, you must have permission from all players involved in the scene. Dice roll can be used to determine this as well.

FANTASY SHIFTERS

1 Fantasy animal/Creature that is all animal (unicorn,etc)

A picture is not needed. The fantasy creature is their main animal

The Shifter will gain any physical attributes of this creature. This includes the ability to fly or swim etc.

LIMITATIONS

Any primal or cognitive abilities the animal may have, do not transfer over to the shifter

A larger animal does not impact this shifter the same as a natural shifter.

Shifters can choose what alignment they fall into.

werewolves and were creatures

Were Creatures

MOST COMMON: Werewolves

Other Weres:

Weretiger

WereBear

Werepanther and more.

WERE BASICS

Can only shift into 1 animal
Cannot shift into a fantasy Creature.
The Full moon forces a shift. The closer to the full moon the more agitated the Were gets.
Shifting outside the full moon is caused by intense emotion or high stress. This can cause involuntary shifting.
Werewolves get the choice of being born or turned. All other weres are born.

WERE FORMS

WERECREATURES

2 forms human and creatures

WEREWOLVES

3 forms Human, Quad & Warform

HUMAN FORM

A Human. The aggression of the wolf can be apparent. In this form, their senses are enhanced (more than human but not as much as in wolf form)

They are stronger and faster than a average human in this form.

QUAD FORM

FOUR LEGGED WOLF FORM

This form of the werewolf is just like a normal wolf. A werewolf in this form remains feral but retains greater control over their emotions and actions. Shifting into and out of quad form is easier and can be done while calm. These are wolves, not dogs, and should be roleplayed accordingly.

WARFORM

The warform is the monster.

The largest, strongest, and most feral form of a werewolf. There is no human reasoning left. The moon, intense stress, or inexperience (especially in newly turned werewolves) can trigger this transformation. Warform is highly destructive and dangerous to everyone except pack members.

PARTAIL SHIFTS

Werewolves may partially shift, retaining some human features (similar to Teen Wolf). While not as strong as a fully transformed werewolf, they gain increased strength, speed, and agility.

Despite their human appearance, they are still feral. Like Warform, the human mind is gone and the beast is in control. The Beast Flaw affects all werewolves regardless of form.

WERE & SHIFTER FLAWS

SHIFTER FLAWS

PICTURE OR VISUAL

In order to shift, the shifter needs to have a photo/drawing or a visual of the animal they want to shift to. Once they focus on the visual, they can shift into that animal. This should be in the first post during a shift or just before the shift starts.

Shifters have a base animal (the first animal the character ever shifted into) A visual, is not required to shift into their base form.

ANIMAL SIZE

Shifting into larger animals (larger than humans) is exhausting for shifters. Larger animals have a limited amount of time and will cause the shifter to shift back to human (passing out may happen first)

SHARED FLAWS

The inherent flaws that all characters have. These include Silver, Fire, Alignment Flaws and Power level Flaw for more information See the Flaw section in Character Creation.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE

When a Shifter or Were enters a fight-or-flight state, the animal instincts begin to dominate over their human reasoning. In these moments, the beast becomes more prominent and harder to suppress.

EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS

Strong emotions can also trigger involuntary shifting, especially:

Anger
Fear
Panic
Intense stress

The stronger the emotion, the stronger the beast instinct becomes, making control increasingly difficult.

FRENZY STATE
(Combat Override)

Fight or Flight ResponseDuring active combat or extreme distress, the character may enter a frenzy state where:

The beast completely takes over
Human reasoning is suppressed or lost temporarily
The character becomes fully feral and instinct-driven
They may no longer distinguish friend from foe

This state creates significant danger for anyone nearby, regardless of alliance or relationship. If others remain in close proximity, there is a high risk the frenzied character may turn on them as well.

WERE FLAWS

THE BEAST FLAW

The strength that comes with the Beast/monster of the werewolf is an advantage it is also a flaw. The beast can be triggered during high-stress situations and by the moon. Once the shift happens, the werewolf becomes feral and extremely dangerous, especially in Warform. The human part of the werewolf is no longer present. This can lead to the werewolf, hurting someone they care for or causing high amount of damage.

The Moon

shifting facts

THE MOON

Shifters and Weres feel the call of the Moon once a month. (While shifters do need to shift at least once a month, they do not have to shift on the full moon) The Were creatures must shift on the full moon.

It is important for Weres and Shifters to shift into animal form.

If the character does not shift

Characters will become super aggressive.
Involuntary shifting will occur
Strength, speed, and enhanced abilities will decrease.

Shifters and Weres can seek out help from the Magister's Coven if there comes a time they need to prevent themselves from shifting. (As a reminder, magical items or magic from other realms will not work in Sovereign's Rest)

HOW TO SHIFT?

Shifting requires 2 posts to complete
This applies to both Shifters and Weres
Shifting is physically and mentally exhausting for all characters

Some characters may experience pain during shifting, while others may not—this is determined by player preference and character lore.
Regardless of individual tolerance, all shifting is considered draining and has a physical cost and can hender you in your ability to fight.
Once the 4th shift is completed, the final form is permanent for the next 24 hours with no exceptions.

DAILY SHIFTING LIMIT

Each character may only complete 4 shifts per day, following this cycle:
Human → Animal
Animal → Human (or into a different animal form)
Human → Animal (or back again)
Final shift → Human or Animal
After the 4th shift, the character is locked into that final form for 24 hours.

pack facts

Weres and Shifters may form their own packs within Sovereign’s Rest. Packs can be made entirely of werewolves, shifters or a mix of both. That will be up to the players as they come together.

Why can there be a mix of shifters and weres?

The common gift of being able to transform and their attachment to the moon is a bond they share and will allow them to come together if they want a pack life. Also, in falling through a portal, their whole pack may not have made it through with them so finding others to restore that family is something they may seek to have on the island.

Once a pack is made, the players can choose how they create the bond between their group, with a bite or sharing of a scent. The choice is up to the members of the pack.

Once the bond is made, the group gains a stronger ability to communicate with one another.

PACK REQUIREMENTS

A pack should consist of at least 3 players. Packs may be newly formed or established through roleplay

PACK HEIRARCHY

Each pack is free to establish its own internal hierarchy and leadership structure. However, no single pack rules over all others on the island. Packs are still expected to respect the authority of the leadership within the island.

Rules of the pack can be established for each individual pack. The rules of the regions and the Overlord still must be followed. (ooc rules must be followed as well. Players are responsible for their IC actions and may face consequences from the Overlord or Regent if rules are broken.

PACK PERKS

A pack howl
The ability to communicate with one another fully in animal form (this is a form of mental telepathy that can be used when the pack members are in close proximity of one another. (under 10 meters). The pack members can tap into this ability. They must be in animal form.
A protection from one another in their beast form.

Other races may be accepted as “family” or considered honorary pack members, but they do not gain the instinctive abilities shared among true Weres or Shifters.

ALPHAS

Many players enjoy playing “Alpha” characters, but within Sovereign’s Rest the title has a specific meaning.

An Alpha is not simply a strong or dominant werewolf.

An Alpha is:

The recognized leader of an active pack
Responsible for guiding and protecting that group

Your character may possess dominant traits, leadership qualities, or powerful abilities associated with being an Alpha, but without a pack to lead, your character will not be considered one.

OTHER facts

HOWLS & cOMMUNICATION

Pack Howls

A Were or Shifter may release a howl to call nearby pack members to their location.

Rules for Calling a Pack
Pack members must be within 30 meters of the calling character when the howl post is made.

Only one howl may be used per post.
Characters responding to the howl may move up to:

10 meters per howl, or
Enter the scene after 3 post rounds.

If only one howl is made the other pack members need to get consent from all players involved before finding their missing pack mate.

The person making the howl should post in the in world Rp group and/or Discord rp group.

MARKING A PERSON

THE MARK

A werewolf may use a bite to mark someone as important or "theirs." Unlike a turning bite, a marking bite is symbolic and creates a bond rather than causing transformation.

Rules:

The werewolf must be in human form.
The bite must draw blood.
The mark may be placed on werewolves, shifters, or other races.

A marking bite creates an instinctive connection, allowing the werewolf to recognize the marked individual even while shifted or feral, reducing the chance of mistaking them for prey or a threat. This recognition applies only to the werewolf who made the mark; other pack members gain no benefit.

Scenting may also be used for recognition, but it is less reliable than a marking bite.

TURNING A PERSON

To turn a person into a were they will need to bite the person. Similar to Vampires anyone can be turned. We do not have hybrids on the sim. If a person decides to turn, they must give up all abilities and attributes of the race they are changing from (this includes wings, tails, and Magic.

The player who gets bit, gets the choice: to turn or not to turn. Consenting to the bite does not mean they have consented to be turned.

THE TURNING BITE

A deep, aggressive bite may infect another character and begin the process of turning them into a werewolf.

Characters who are bitten in this way will become ill as the transformation begins to take hold. Players have up to 7 days to decide to make the change.

Members of the Magister's Coven possess the ability to prevent the turning through magical healing if treatment.