People often make the mistake of getting beast-kin and were-people mixed up. If done to the face of a beast-kin or were-person they are quick to point out the error. Often with their fists. Both racial groups originated on two different planets. The beast-kin being from a way more advanced planet than the were-races. Beast-kin society is very well mixed with all the different races living together although some races like certain temperatures better than others. Were-peoples are more attuned to nature itself and when not in regular contact with civilized society often fall back to their base instincts very fast. They don't mix at all when they are still at the tribal stage.

Only three were-races have been known to be able to be integrated. The rest mostly attacks on sight, although like any other race exceptions always appear and the Guild has adventurers of nearly every were-race amongst its numbers. A common misconception is that were-races can turn other races into were-form with its bite this is not exactly true. People can only be turned if both parties involved do it voluntarily.

The main difference between the two racial groups is. The beast-kin look like a humanoid form of the animal they are named after. The were-race shape-shift between animal form and a human or half-ling looking form at will.

I will give a list here of the beast-kin and were-races that have survived until now.

Beast kin:

Wolf-kin:

Appearance is that of roughly the same average height of a human. They have a full-on wolf-head and legs that look like a wolf's back legs. Fully covered in fur ranging in color from full white to black. Patterns and colors often vary per region. Groups that settle in colder regions over generations tend to the whiter colors. While in the warmer regions they tend to the blacker colors.

Are found all over the place but favor medium-sized groups of other wolf-kin, often forming a mini-community with a communal compound inside the town or city where they live. It’s very rare to find a non-adventurer wolf-kin by itself. Those that do take up adventuring often bond with the party they are in and are very loyal friends to have.

Outsiders who don't know the difference often confuse them with werewolves. This is the only beast-kin and were-race combo that doesn't mind being mixed up. Wolf-kin being jealous about the ability to turn into a full-on wolf form. While the werewolves on the other hand feel like wolf-kin are the perfect balance between wolf and man.

Cat-kin:

One of the more solitary of the beast-kin races. They love to explore and a lot of them joining the adventurer guild or end up as hunters. They are slightly smaller than the average human, with colors varying a lot from grey to black to red. A lot having patches of different colors. They have a catlike head with eyes that glow slightly in the dark and they have excellent dark vision. They have human-like hands but have strong nails that they can extend at will to use as claws. They hate it when someone compares them to one of the were-races feeling like it's an insult.

Bear-kin:

Big giant folk often towering over people varying between 6 and 10 feet in height. Big bulky torso with big bellies, bear-like heads, and short but powerful arms and legs. Slow to act and hard to anger, some think that bear-kin are very dumb. In reality, they are smart and wise knowing that with their big form they can do a lot of damage as they can get as the biggest can sometimes be 600 pounds or more. There is only one sure-fire way to anger a bear-kin and that is harming children in general.

They feel like the protectors of any society they join, be it a town or an adventuring party. They get along great with were-bears, with both races having the same temperament they have a mutual understanding and respect.

These first three are the only ones where animals overlap between the beast-kin and were-races.

Fox-kin:

Half-ling-sized humanoids with fox-heads and lower legs of a fox. Very fast, and like to play pranks. As other races quickly find them annoying, most live in big trade caravans that move from city to city. Can often be found in adventuring parties as having a quick dexterous member of a party is often needed.

Elephant-kin

Big lumbering beasts. 10 feet tall at the minimum. One of the more rarely seen beast-kin these days as the calamities haven’t been great to them. Being a long-lived race that reproduces very slowly they try and stay out of conflicts. Most have retreated to a few hidden mountain-fortress monasteries. There they use their long lives and a great memory to be the caretakers of history. Can live to over 200 years of age but can't have children past the age of 100 at which point they become an elder. The elder elephant-kin often go on pilgrimages around the world acting like traveling historians and gathering information that then gets relayed back to the monasteries.

There are a few other races that sometimes are confused as being beast-kin-like lizard-men or minotaurs. But these five above are the only known beast-kin that are left from their planet

Were-Races

The three civilized ones

Werewolves: Can shape-shift between human form and wolf form. Size of the wolf-form depending on their status in their society. With Alphas and their beta’s being much larger than the other wolves. The only noticeable characteristic in human form is wolf-like eyes. Are very territorial. Coming into a werewolves clan's territory without being invited is asking for trouble. Even civilized clans often keep mostly to themselves and like the wolfkin often live in big communal housing with their pack. In towns that have both races they sometimes form one big communal pack together.

Were-cats:

There are three different were-cat races, Often seen as one race by outsiders. Were-panthers, were-lions, and were-tigers. Apart from the animal, they can change into there is not that much difference between them. Humanoid forms often have cat ears and sometimes cat-like noses and whiskers. In the wild and when civilized don't are often found only in ones or two’s. Only coming together to mate and then go their own way again. Mothers fiercely protect their kittens but as soon as they are adults are expected to move out and make their own way.

Were-Bears:

Hulking big men and woman that prefer their humanoid forms. Powerfully built are usually found to gravitate to the more physical professions, like lumberjacks or blacksmiths. Unless pressed they usually only turn into their bear-form to sleep. Like their cousins, as they like to call the bear-kin they are fierce protectors of those weaker than them. Female bear-kin often running things like orphanages or soup kitchens for the poor. And woe betides the person who comes between a mother bear and one of their charges.

Now the uncivilized ones:

Were-rats:

Fast reproducing race of beings that even in their more humanoid form keep a lot of the ratlike features, and as such are often mistakenly thought of as a rat beast-kin race until they see them shape-shift. The normal rat-kin are 4 feet tall at most in humanoid form and about the same length in rat-form.

Prefer their rat form over the humanoid form, with usually only their leaders staying in humanoid form for longer periods of time. They sneakily grow their communities on the outskirts of societies hiding in woods or in bigger cities sewers, until they grow too large to sustain themselves and go on a rampage eating and killing everything in their path. In those times their leaders who take most of the food often grow bigger and stronger with a few notorious ones towering over 10 feet tall.

They like to hide out in ships going to new continents. Only a handful of were-rats are needed to grow into societies of hundreds in only a few short years. As such they are very hard to fully exterminate and very dangerous if left unchecked.

Were-sharks:

Race of amphibious beings that on land look like humans but if they smile you can still see rows and rows of shark teeth. In humanoid form they can breathe both in air and in water, having gills on the side of the necks. Were-form looks like gigantic sharks. Can live a very long time and the longer they live the larger their were-form becomes. Usually, solitary beings coming together only to mate. They often lead villages of shahuagin who think of them as gods and act as kings and emperors under the sea. Their numbers suffered greatly during the 2000 year war, and it was thought that they were the force behind the war in the first place. The last shahuagin emperor that was killed was a huge 50-foot shark in its were-form.