Shifter
(Masters of the Wild: A Guidebook to Barbarians, Druids, and Rangers variant, p. 68)
The shifter has no form that she calls her own.
Requirements
Hit die
d8
Skill points
4 + Int
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shifters gain no weapon or armor proficiencies.
Greater Wild Shape (Sp): Beginning at 1st level, the shifter can take the form of another creature. Greater wild shape works like wild shape, with the following exceptions. As she rises in level, the shifter gains the ability to assume the forms of creatures with types other than animal (see Table 5—15 for details), though she cannot choose a form that normally has more Hit Dice than she herself does. She can designate at the time of the change which pieces of her equipment meld into her new form and which do not. Nonmelded equipment alters its size to match that of her new form, but retains its functionality. The shifter cannot, however, use any equipment unless she has either an appropriate appendage or a magical means of compensating for the lack of one. Any piece of equipment that is separated from her reverts to its original form.
At 1st level, the shifter is limited to humanoid forms of Small and Medium-size. Thereafter, she can use greater wild shape two more times per day for every two shifter levels she gains, and her range of available creature sizes and types increases as shown on Table 5—15. When she gains the ability to adopt an undead shape at 5th level, she may become incorporeal if she chooses the form of a creature with that subtype.
If the shifter already has the wild shape ability from another class, she may convert her uses per day of wild shape to uses per day of greater wild shape on a one-for-one basis. She may also mix and match the benefits of the two abilities as desired to gain the maximum advantage for any daily use. Thus, a Drd8/shifter1 has up to four uses per day of greater wild shape, and she could use the ability to become a Large humanoid (because an 8th-level druid can become a Large creature and a 1st-level shifter can adopt the form of a humanoid). In the same manner, a Drd8/Shifter2 could become a Large monstrous humanoid if she wished.
Supernatural Ease: At 6th level, the character's greater wild shape ability becomes supernatural rather than spell-like. It still requires a standard action and can be suppressed in an antimagic field, but its use no longer provokes attacks of opportunity and never requires a Concentration check.
Evershifting Form: At 10th level, the shifter has reached the pinnacle of her shapechanging abilities. From this point on, she can use greater wild shape once per round, as a move-equivalent action, as many times per day as she wishes. Her type changes to shapechanger for determining what effects and items can affect her, and she gains darkvision (60 feet), which remains in effect regardless of her form.
In addition, the shifter no longer suffers ability penalties for aging and is not subject to magical aging, though any aging penalties she may already have suffered remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the shifter still dies of old age when her time is up.
Advancement
Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Greater wild shape 1 /day (Small or Medium-size, humanoid shape) |
2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Greater wild shape (animal shape, monstrous humanoid shape) |
3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Greater wild shape 3/day (Large or Tiny, beast shape, plant shape) |
4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Greater wild shape (giant shape, vermin shape) |
5th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Greater wild shape 5/day (Diminutive, magical beast shape) |
6th | +4 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Greater wild shape (aberration shape, ooze shape), supernatural ease |
7th | +5 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Greater wild shape 7/day (Huge, dragon shape) |
8th | +6 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Greater wild shape (undead shape, construct shape) |
9th | +6 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Greater wild shape 9/day (Fine, elemental shape, outsider shape) |
10th | +7 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Greater wild shape (Gargantuan), evershifting form |
Class skills
Skill name | Key ability | Trained only | Armor check penalty |
---|---|---|---|
Animal Empathy | Cha | ||
Climb | STR | ||
Concentration | CON | ||
Craft | INT | ||
Diplomacy | CHA | ||
Disguise | CHA | ||
Handle Animal | CHA | ||
Hide | DEX | ||
Knowledge (nature) | INT | ||
Listen | WIS | ||
Spot | WIS | ||
Swim | STR | ||
Wilderness Lore | Wis |