The Forest People typically appear as humanoid figures. They are characterized by unusually proportioned and asymmetrical facial features. They usually have three to six eyes, and the number of eyes on a Forest Person's face is highly important to their place in the hierarchy. Their eyes have black sclerae with no visible irises and white pupils in the shape of small four-pointed stars almost like crosshairs. One or two of the eyes is usually much larger than the rest, to the extent that some can be massive or nearly imperceptible. When speaking to a person of another species, the Forest People consider it polite to close their eyes as to match the number on their partner's face. Their mouth is, on average, a touch wider than a human's and has human-like teeth with two pairs of long fangs replacing both the top and bottom cuspids, and their nose is almost always off-center very slightly. They have pointed ears like those of an Eslen, and always have black hair. Scales of orange crystal often frame their face, and grow out of their skull in wild horns, considered adornments that indicate favor from their God.

Their skin-tone is a faint and sickly bluish-green, flecked by hints of faceted crystalline orange that shine brightly, and they have arms that are again proportionally ever-so-slightly longer than those of a human's on average, with four fingers on each hand rather than five. They have sharp black claws for nails. Their tiny crystalline scales are more apparent near their waist, where their body is sharply separated. Where their pelvis would be is instead a visceral and brutal cut, useless intestines spilling out underneath but hidden and contained within a veil of shifting magical shadow that forms their legs. This shadow takes many shapes depending on the Forest Person, with most choosing long digitigrade legs.

The Forest People claim that they are 'half-spirits', those deemed 'unfinished' and thus working to earn their place in a 'true' afterlife, believing Elstren to be a sort of testing ground. Indeed, new Forest People seem to sprout from dark fonts, potentially gateways from another world. In a reflection of their halved nature, they are allowed by their nebulous God to choose which half they would like to retain in physical form--as you would imagine, most pick the upper half.

Their shadow-legs always have unusually long tails that resemble those of the Druwan, with a puff of depthlessly dark fur at the end. Some rare Forest People have two tails, and even rarer are those who have three. Those who have two tails are considered special, while those who have three are seen as cursed and often exiled.

Forest People can discorporate and reincorporate at will, and often attack with invisible weapons. They are usually markedly faster and stronger than humans of comparable size.