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I can't really comment on how common, or uncommon, shapeshifters are in the Third Age, but I was under the impression that Beorn was a semi-unique being. While his powers passed along through his bloodline (that much was established in the appedix to the Lord of the Rings), I don't remember any other references to skinchangers.

Even I'm not completly against having a skinchanger PC, but I think that such an ability should be earned the hardest way. One interesting option (I think) would be to take a page off from some medieval fairy tales and having the PC learning this ability from the creature themselves. A being like the Lord of the Eagles teaching the PC how to assume the right guise. Obviously this will be a major adventure for the PC himself.
Anothe roption might be the figure of the swan maiden, a being who shapeshift by using a garment of some type.

Mytholder wrote:Luthien definitely flies while wearing the vampire bat's skin, so it's not just illusion.

If I remember right, in the final version of the story of Beren and Luthien, the hide/skin of Thuringwethil is changed to a magical cloak. The cloak is what allows Luthien to take the form of a huge Vampire Bat.

I can imagine that the few Men with the capacity to become shamen, mages or sorcerers could potentially learn magics making them capable of assuming the forms of beasts. Such magics might involve cloaks or other garments make from the skins of said creatures, based on existing legends of skin-changers.

Dunkelbrink wrote:I had the same request from a player... Probably because most players come from a high fantasy background and not being too familiar with the TOR setting.

Considering that you could have that if you rolled well in the old MERP, you do not need to come from a high fantasy setting to have this idea

I have no issue with other skin-changers existing in late Third Age Middle Earth. Like Ents and Hobbits I expect they are rare enough to have become mostly the subject of old tales. If there are any in Wilderland they are most likely to be found among the Beornings.

As for how the skin change is accomplished, Tolkien doesn't say in Beorn's case. In Lithien's case it is a magical garment. In folklore there is often a magical garment or literal change of skin, Selkies leaving their seal skins hidden on the beach, etc. it is also quite possible that it is a change of shape rather than skin.

To gain the ability I would make it a Virtue or Reward for characters with very high Wisdom/Valour. I do not think it is something that beginning characters should be able to do.

It is also possible that one of the "lesser rings" or other magical artifact might grant a skin changing or shape shifting ability to any character fortunate enough to possess it. In such case I might take a leaf from Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea in which a wizard remains so long in the form of a hawk that he almost forgets he was a man.

Tolkien also mentions werewolves or etymologically "man-wolves", these may have been shapeshifters or may have been some sort of man-wolf hybrid shape.