Skinwalker

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Skinwalkers are evil sorcerers from Navajo folklore with the ability to turn into animals (or possess animals, it's not too clear). The Navajo themselves call them yee naaldlooshii which literally means "by means of it, it goes on all fours".

They are the mortal enemy of /k/ and /x/ and all true /k/ommandos seek to slay them, (Or lay them) as a true test of mastery over nature and the supernatural.

D&D

The 2nd edition Forgotten Realms splatbook Elves of Evermeet includes a Skinwalker kit, which enables you to turn into animals by wearing their hides.

Pathfinder

Pathfinder's Skinwalker

In Pathfinder, skinwalkers are a sort of Half-Werebeast. Descended from true therianthropes, they have weaker shapeshifting abilities, and are not able to take a completely animal form. Basically, they're Pathfinder's OGL-free version of shifters. In the splatbook Blood of the Moon, skinwalkers as a whole were renamed Beastkin, and the word skinwalker now refers to a generic beastkin subrace that is not based on any particular animal.

To further confuse things, in Pathfinder 2e, "beastkin" is now a blanket term for all therianthropes.

The basic Skinwalker is the product of a tryst between a lycanthrope and an intelligent humanoid. The vast majority of Skinwalkers are half-human, although halfling, dwarf, orc or elven (and possibly even gnome) Skinwalkers are said to be possible. Deciding to RP as a non-human Skinwalker does not affect their base stats, the only thing it might effect is your size and thus the things that your size would effect (such as the size of the damage dice you would roll for natural attacks, and since Skinwalkers are natural attack machines, choosing to be a small race is gimping yourself).

The bog-standard Skinwalker is descended from a non-descript werebeastie, but with the variant beastkin bloodlines released in Blood of the Moon you can say who's your daddy. Complete with different modifiers to Ability Scores, skills and unique spell-like abilities. Some are absurd and niche, but some are pretty awesome. New options include:

• Werebat-kin (Bloodmarked): They are like quasi-vampires, valuing their flock hierarchy and having a thirst for blood. Can turn into bats to fly around and do bat things.
• Werebear-kin (Coldborn): The only truly good Skinwalker, the Coldborn is a stoic and powerful defender of the natural order of things.
• Wereboar-kin (Ragebred): They will fuck you up with natural attacks, making them a perfect choice for a barbarian in a race that already makes a stupendous choice for a barbarian.
• Werecrocodile-kin (Scaleheart): Cold and patient swamp-dwellers. Somehow said to be the most common type of Skinwalker, because I know when I see a crocodile the first thing that runs through my mind is "I wanna fuck that!"
• Wereraptor-kin (Aerieborn): Of the predatory bird variety, not the "Clever girl" variety. Wise and perceptive and one of the few "nice" Skinwalkers. They can't fly naturally, at best they can only feather fall, which is lame. Aerieborn are the only subrace that didn't appear in Blood of the Moon, instead being introduced in Ironfang Invasion #1.
• Wererat-kin (Nightskulk): Typically infest urban areas and cities. Physically underwhelming (compared to other Skinwalkers), but they can sicken with a natural attack.
• Wereshark-kin (Seascarred): They tend to think highly of themselves as kings of the sea, with their ferocity they can continue to fight on the brink of death. Most of their ability is tied to the water and aquatic life, but they can survive on land indefinitely.
• Weretiger-kin (Fanglord): Arrogant assholes. They are strong and agile, capable of great cunning and tend to rise to the top of human organizations by means of charisma, intimidation and treachery.
• Werewolf-kin (Witchwolf): Savage and cunning as their sires, they tend to be found near forest and field, often in the service of witches. They get 1/day Magic Fang to add a little more bite to their bite.

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  This image appears on the same page as a textbox that says "Aerieborn lack beaks". Le epic art direction fail.

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