Beast Forms

Beast Forms are a unique feature of the skill system in Project: Gorgon. Beast Forms are transformations which can be discovered from consuming potions, failing to defeat specific bosses, participating in events, or leveling skills. While technically curses, many consider Beast Forms to be viable, powerful alternatives to living life in a humanoid form.

Skill Characterization

Cow

Cows are viewed as a traditional tank archetype. Abilities such as Tough Hoof and Chew Cud help Cows improve their survivability in longer fights. Cows also have the sprint ability Moo of Determination, and the the ability to produce their own milk.
Bottle of Milk
is a valuable item used in crafting skills such as Cooking and Cheesemaking. Cows with a Vegetarian badge can produce milk faster than cows with a varied diet, however skill level and the version of Collect Milk used also impact collection times.
Adventurers can also milk cows, however consent must be given.

Deer

Deer is considered to be a good foundation for an off-tank. While cows receive overt tank abilities, survivability in deer primarily comes from Deer Treasure Effects on equipment. Deer have the ability to jump faster and higher than other land-based Beast Forms using Bounding Escape. They also have AoE taunts, while cows only have single target taunts.
Deer can use the ability Summon Deer to summon a wild deer to help them in battle.
Some deer are actually Druids, using the Deer Form toggle ability.

Spider

Spider form is useful for DPS/Assassin type builds. Spiders deal predominantly Crushing and Poison damage to quickly defeat enemies. Many spiders rely on Incubate, an ability that injects eggs inside enemies, dealing massive damage and spawning a pet spider. Spiders spawned through this ability will aid their parent in battle.
Spiders have the ability to use Insidious Illusion to temporarily talk with Animal Hating NPCs. This ability has a 20 minute cooldown and consumes a

Moonstone
each time it is used.
Spiderweb
can be produced by Level 60 Spiders using Webspin. This ability can give spiders an advantage in Textile Creation and Tailoring, which is helpful if they want to craft the spider-form Spider Casing equipment.

Pig

Pigs are often equipped for supporting roles. While they can hold their own individually, they shine in groups as healers or buff builders using a combination of Mudbath, Frenzy, and Porcine Alertness.
The speed-boosting sidebar ability Terror Dash is often used by pigs escaping dangerous situations, or traveling across large regions of Alharth.
A variety of mushrooms can be found by pigs using the Truffle Sniff abilities.

Rabbit

Normally, rabbits are stealthy creatures. Using Play Dead, a rabbit can force enemies to ignore it for a few seconds. Traveling through dangerous areas, rabbits may alternate between the speed-increasing Hare Dash and the speed-reducing Long Ear, which slows a rabbit down in exchange for reducing the detection range of nearby foes.
Rabbits are the only Beast Form capable of using Ice Magic. A special headgear item is required to activate this synergy.

Giant Bat

Giant Bats have access to a variety of tools, including knock-back, recovery, heavy damage, and concussion abilities. These options made Giant Bat compatible with many skills.
Giant Bats can use Echolocation, which allows them to see in the dark. This ability is especially useful in area like the deeper parts of the Labyrinth in Ilmari.
Giant Bats also have the ability to fly, and to infect others in PVP with a disease which will eventually turn them into a bat.

Lycanthropy

Lycanthropy is unusual among the Beast Forms, as it is a permanent alteration. There will never be a method to remove Lycanthropy from a character, so be sure to understand the risks and rewards before accepting the blessing of Norala.
Individuals infected with Lycanthropy can switch between humanoid and wolf form without too much effort, however they will be locked into wolf form during the Full Moon.
While in wolf form, Lycanthropes have access to powerful slashing, crushing, and trauma attacks.
Howl Mode allows packs of wolf-form lycanthropes to build up impressive combat-improving buffs.

Spirit Fox

Spirit Fox are tricksters, using abilities including Dimensional Snare to immobilize targets and Blur Step to boost their melee evasion during combat. In combat, Spirit Fox deal mostly Crushing and Darkness damage.
Spirit Fox can use Illusive Guise to disguise themselves in a humanoid projection for a short time. This allows them to interact with Animal Hating NPCs.

Druid Forms

Druids can magically project themselves as Deer, as well as a variety of birds including Raven and Mallard. However, these are NOT Beast Forms.

Beast Form Mechanics

Animals are unable to use Angling, Armor Patching, Sigil Scripting, or harvest wood found on the ground. Animals are unable to milk cows, but cow players can milk themselves.

Familiar's Recall

Icon	Level	Name	Description	Special	Effects	Stats	Source
	0	Familiar's Recall	Sends you back to your master. You must be a long-term animal with a bonded master, and you must be wearing a Familiar Recall Collar.	Can Be On Sidebar		Power Cost: 50 Range: 5 Cooldown: 1800	???

Using a Recall Collar, a character using one of the Beast Forms may directly teleport to their master using the Familiar's Recall ability. This ability can be used from anywhere, as long as the player has been in animal form for the past 3 hours of in-game real time.

This ability is learned from their master:

Cinnamon the rabbit in Animal Town is currently the only NPC offering a bond, but he implies that other NPCs will offer this service in the future.