Shifty is a diminutive forest gnome with olive skin that seems perpetually smeared with mud. Their hair is a messy nest of dark brown tangles where several small, emerald-green snakes occasionally hide. They wear dark green studded leather that has been modified with various pouches and loops to allow their 'family' of snakes to crawl across their body with ease. Their eyes are a striking, slitted amber, giving them a slightly reptilian look.

Shifty is quiet and prefers the company of cold-blooded reptiles to the warmth of people. They have a dry, biting sense of humor and a tendency to stare without blinking for long periods. They are deeply suspicious of authority but fiercely protective of the small and downtrodden.

Born in the subterranean warrens of a gnome city, Shifty never quite fit the mold of a cheerful tinkerer. They were orphaned young and forced to survive in the damp, lightless sewers of a nearby human metropolis. It was there, among the filth and the shadows, that they discovered a massive nest of serpents. Instead of fear, Shifty felt a kinship. They began to communicate with the snakes, learning their rhythmic patterns and silent ways of hunting. The snakes became Shifty's only family, providing warmth in the winter and protection from the city's many predators. Eventually, the city's guard grew tired of the 'snake-rat' stealing their rations and chased Shifty into the surrounding forests. The wilderness suited Shifty even better. They refined their skills as a hunter and tracker, always accompanied by the writhing mass of vipers that they call their kin. They took the name Shifty because they never stay in one place too long and because their body is always shifting with the movement of their scales and companions.