I've heard tales of Skinshifters - strangers that look like yer brother or wife, but don't act right. Oddly silent, ya know? And if you follow them out into the tundra, you might never come back.

Among the tribes of the Forsworn, some Reachmen risk their sanity in the fight against the Nords.

Through a mysterious ritual, supplicants ply for Namira's favor. Those who are successful can gain terrific powers of shapeshifting that allow them to infiltrate Nordic cities.

However, many lose touch with their own identity in the process. They dissociate from their former lives and begin to wander aimlessly into villages and cities, impersonating the people they find there, trying to recall what it means to be human. 

Some say that in their empty gaze, a ferocious hunger gleams...betraying the bestial form that hides within.

This mod adds deranged Skinshifters that wander into Skyrim's cities disguised as a resident NPC.
If left alone, they'll eventually leave. If you don't follow them, you'll be fine.
But if you see another NPC following the Skinshifter, you might want to intervene...after all, curiosity killed the cat. 


Detailed content


FAQ
Does this mod kill NPCs?
Yes. If they aren't marked protected or essential (including by quests), and you fail to protect them, it is possible they will die.

Don't NPC deaths cause problems?
Hopefully not. If an NPC is needed by a quest, they should be marked essential or protected; if not, it's because the person who made the quest intended for it to be possible to fail the quest if the NPC dies; or otherwise it was an error by the person who made that quest. If you want to give the Protected flag to more NPCs, there are many mods for that.

Is this lore friendly?
Yes. This is an original creature, but I've worked to make it consistent with established lore.

Is this a wendigo/skinwalker/[insert pop culture monster with varying mythological influence]?
No. It's an original creature intended to fit into the Elder Scrolls seamlessly. While it obviously draws inspiration from various pop culture and mythological sources, it makes no attempt to faithfully depict any of them, and in fact I've put in some effort to avoid this creature mapping directly onto any single one of those myths.

Can the player obtain this transformation?
No. It is a possible future feature, but not anytime soon.


Technical
Install: The usual. Use a mod manager, or extract the files into your Data folder and enable the plugin. 

Uninstall: Revert to a previous save or use a save cleaner. The mod isn't messy, but as with most mods there is some data stored in your save.

Compatibility: No incompatibilities currently known. Possible conflicts with other mods using ActorVariable Variable01 on townspeople.

ESL flagged? Yes, the ESP is ESL-flagged to not use a plugin slot.


Credits
plugin and scripts: VictorF and opusGlass
mesh and textures: opusGlass