Litter of Shifters - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Litter of Shifters

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
SteelMirror
Nov 25, 2008 2:16:54 I've always liked the shifter race, and one of my players mentioned an interesting bit of backstory that got me thinking. What if shifters were born in litters? They are already portrayed as more feral humanoids, and it makes thematic sense that they give birth to many young at a time to make up for high wild infant mortality. Only a few from each litter historically make it to adulthood.

Of course, in modern times that large number of young means that "civilized" shifters reproduce at very high rates compared to other mortal races. In fact, some people believe that the proliferation of shifters in integrating societies (and the widespread racism against the "unclean" shifters) was one of the motivating factors underlying the silver flame purge of their kind. The Silver Flame often appropriated the property of victims of the purge, which amounted to a surprising bounty that most officials of the Church still don't admit or have any intention of ever returning.

RP-wise, this means that more urban shifters tend to have many siblings, whereas more feral characters have memories of their many litter-mates slowly being picked off as they grew up. Litter relationships for any shifters range from extremely close (packmates for life) to wary rivalhood (competed for resources). A shifter character might also pity members of other races with few siblings, because of the lonely childhoods they must have had.

It's a subtle point, but I think it adds to the feel of the race and the setting in general. Just wanted to throw out that little piece of flavor, I don't know if anyone else has said anything like this before!
#2
unfamiliar
Nov 25, 2008 6:52:59 If I think of a litter, I'm usually thinking somewhere along the lines of 6 or more babies, & humanoids just aren't built to have children like that as a general rule. Sure, it's possible, but it's definitely not the norm, so I just don't see shifters being born in litters.

However, I could definitely get on board with the thought a higher baby/birth ratio, with twins or even triplets being much more common than in humans or other humanoids. Either that, or just make the gestational period for shifter pregnancies a lot shorter than it is for humans - many mammals have shorter pregnancies than we do, so it could also fit the feral shifter feel.
#3
SteelMirror
Nov 25, 2008 12:10:43 Well certainly humans aren't built for litters as a general rule, but I admit to having little experience to birthing habits when it comes to other real humanoids :D.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Yes, in humans 5 children would be complex. And there are good reasons why multiple simultaneous pregnancies would be a problem given what we know of evolutionary biology and its effects on a human-like animal. (Incidentally, those problems are almost the same problems you would run into with very short pregnancies) But it is another world, full of magic and truly bizarre phenomena. Is it too difficult to believe that one PC race could have a very different pattern of gestation? Personally it doesn't strain my suspension of disbelief, but your experiences may vary.
#4
missekat
Dec 01, 2008 9:29:24 I think it's agood idea.. the two shifter brother-PC's of my campaign have at least 3 more siblings i know of.. they speak of them as older and younger siblings, but they could just be referring to the sequence of birth in the litter.

I'll lay the idea on them and see what they think, but I'm pretty sure they'll grab it. They are both going for a very feral tribal/clannish feel to the shifter race, and I'm pretty much just letting them develop it ad they see fit.
#5
missekat
Dec 01, 2008 9:34:10 It just occurred to me:

If you wanted to keep the whole "breeding like rabbits and overpopulating the civilised areas"-thing low-toned.. you could just let the shifter females have a natural "lock" on their eggs. A homone controlled reflex that sets them in "heat" if a child dies. (I guess that would make the grieving period of the family pretty "different".. and give the females a "bad" name).

So that the shifter female will automatically ovulate and reproduce untill the family has a set number of live cubs. (5 or six I guess). Of course shifters tend to live fast and die young, so a lot of the females will hit menopause or simply die without reaching that number.
I mean.. a female only has THAT many eggs in her, and if she pruduces a litter of 4 or 5 cubs every time she ovulates, she'll run out faster than a human female.

Just a thought.
#6
johnny-gaijin
Dec 01, 2008 17:35:18 for flavor i had my shifter character 'Cord Leftclaw' refer to his family as his 'pack'

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 SteelMirror Nov 25, 2008 2:16:54	I've always liked the shifter race, and one of my players mentioned an interesting bit of backstory that got me thinking. What if shifters were born in litters? They are already portrayed as more feral humanoids, and it makes thematic sense that they give birth to many young at a time to make up for high wild infant mortality. Only a few from each litter historically make it to adulthood. Of course, in modern times that large number of young means that "civilized" shifters reproduce at very high rates compared to other mortal races. In fact, some people believe that the proliferation of shifters in integrating societies (and the widespread racism against the "unclean" shifters) was one of the motivating factors underlying the silver flame purge of their kind. The Silver Flame often appropriated the property of victims of the purge, which amounted to a surprising bounty that most officials of the Church still don't admit or have any intention of ever returning. RP-wise, this means that more urban shifters tend to have many siblings, whereas more feral characters have memories of their many litter-mates slowly being picked off as they grew up. Litter relationships for any shifters range from extremely close (packmates for life) to wary rivalhood (competed for resources). A shifter character might also pity members of other races with few siblings, because of the lonely childhoods they must have had. It's a subtle point, but I think it adds to the feel of the race and the setting in general. Just wanted to throw out that little piece of flavor, I don't know if anyone else has said anything like this before!
#2 unfamiliar Nov 25, 2008 6:52:59	If I think of a litter, I'm usually thinking somewhere along the lines of 6 or more babies, & humanoids just aren't built to have children like that as a general rule. Sure, it's possible, but it's definitely not the norm, so I just don't see shifters being born in litters. However, I could definitely get on board with the thought a higher baby/birth ratio, with twins or even triplets being much more common than in humans or other humanoids. Either that, or just make the gestational period for shifter pregnancies a lot shorter than it is for humans - many mammals have shorter pregnancies than we do, so it could also fit the feral shifter feel.
#3 SteelMirror Nov 25, 2008 12:10:43	Well certainly humans aren't built for litters as a general rule, but I admit to having little experience to birthing habits when it comes to other real humanoids :D. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Yes, in humans 5 children would be complex. And there are good reasons why multiple simultaneous pregnancies would be a problem given what we know of evolutionary biology and its effects on a human-like animal. (Incidentally, those problems are almost the same problems you would run into with very short pregnancies) But it is another world, full of magic and truly bizarre phenomena. Is it too difficult to believe that one PC race could have a very different pattern of gestation? Personally it doesn't strain my suspension of disbelief, but your experiences may vary.
#4 missekat Dec 01, 2008 9:29:24	I think it's agood idea.. the two shifter brother-PC's of my campaign have at least 3 more siblings i know of.. they speak of them as older and younger siblings, but they could just be referring to the sequence of birth in the litter. I'll lay the idea on them and see what they think, but I'm pretty sure they'll grab it. They are both going for a very feral tribal/clannish feel to the shifter race, and I'm pretty much just letting them develop it ad they see fit.
#5 missekat Dec 01, 2008 9:34:10	It just occurred to me: If you wanted to keep the whole "breeding like rabbits and overpopulating the civilised areas"-thing low-toned.. you could just let the shifter females have a natural "lock" on their eggs. A homone controlled reflex that sets them in "heat" if a child dies. (I guess that would make the grieving period of the family pretty "different".. and give the females a "bad" name). So that the shifter female will automatically ovulate and reproduce untill the family has a set number of live cubs. (5 or six I guess). Of course shifters tend to live fast and die young, so a lot of the females will hit menopause or simply die without reaching that number. I mean.. a female only has THAT many eggs in her, and if she pruduces a litter of 4 or 5 cubs every time she ovulates, she'll run out faster than a human female. Just a thought.
#6 johnny-gaijin Dec 01, 2008 17:35:18	for flavor i had my shifter character 'Cord Leftclaw' refer to his family as his 'pack'