The Formshifter. [3.5 Base Class] {Peach}

[The Shadowmind]

My form ever changing, ever moving, I am the wind of change. What am I today but what I always was.
Life is as I, always changing.


Formshifter
Hit Die:D10
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+2|
+2|
0|Full round action Wild shape, Wild Points Focused Shifter, Shifter's speech|

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+0|

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+1|Wild Points +1

4th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|Improved Natural Attacks.

5th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|Standard Action Wild shape.Wild shape(humanoid), Assimilate Weaponry

6th|
+4|
+5|
+5|
+2|Bonus Wild Feat. Wild Points +2

7th|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+2|Wild Shape(Large; Giant), Controlled Senses.

8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+2|Wild Shape(Tiny;Monstrous Humanoid,Magical Beast)

9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+3| Wild Shape(Fey) Wild Points +3

10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+7|
+3|Move action Wild shape.Bonus Wild Feat. Incorporate Magic.

11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+7|
+3|Wild Shape(Huge; Vermin)

12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+4|Wildshape(Plants) Wild Points +4

13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+4|Wild Shape(Aberration), Extraordinary Wild Shape

14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+9|
+4| Bonus Wild Feat.Wild Shape(Ooze, Elemental)

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+9|
+5|Swift Wild Shape.Wild Shape(Gargantuan;Dragon) Wild Points +5

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+5| Bonus Wild Feat.Wild Shape(Diminutive)

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+5|Hybrid Form|

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+11|
+6|Wild Points +6

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+11|
+6|Elemental Focus|

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+12|
+6| Immediate Action Wild Shape.Wild Shape(Outsider)Bonus Wild Feat.
[/table]
Skill Points at 1st Level

(4 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level

4 + Int modifier.
Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide(Dex), Intimidate(Cha), Knowledge (all taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently, Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
A Formshifter is proficient with simple weapons, and all natural attacks they gain.
Formshifters are proficient with light armor.
Class features:

Wild shape (Su). as Druid's wild shape, but with these exceptions, you use Formshifter level instead of Druid level for the HD of forms. At level 1 it takes a full round action to Wild Shape, but the duration is unlimited. The Formshifer's at will wild shape counts as Wild Shape for the purpose of qualifying feats, prestige classes, etc. but you can not use the Formshifer's wild shape for counting as a use of wild shape, such as the need to spend a Wild Shape use for certain [Wild] feats.
The Formshifter starts with the ability to Wild shape into small and medium animals.
At level 5 the Wild shape only requires a Standard action.
At level 10 the Wild Shape only requires a move action.
At level 15 the Wild Shape only requires a Swift action.
At level 20 the Wild Shape can be done as a Immediate action.

Wild Points The Formshifter gets a number of points equal to 1+Wis mod at level 1, and a additional point at level 3 and every three levels. The points renew each day. The points count as Wild Shape for feats that need uses to Wild Shape to be spent.

Focused Shifter(Ex)A Formshifter is treated as 2 level higher for the purpose of the forms it can wild shape into(but not the duration).

Shifter's speech(Ex) as the Master of Many Form's ability.



Improved Natural Attacks(Ex)At level 4, the Formshifter is treated as hasing Improved Natural attack on all natural attacks gained from Wildshape

Wild Bonus FeatAt level 6, and every 4 levels after that a Formshifter can select a bonus feat with the [Wild] tag.



Assimilate Weaponry(Su), At level 5, whenever the Formshifter wild shapes, she can choose any melee weapons she is carrying that would meld into her new form to apply the properties of the weapon of one of the natural attacks of that form. The properties that can be assimilated these way are the special material type, and any enchantments of the weapon. When the Wild Shape end, the weapon appears in the same location before the wild shape or at her feet if the Formshifter chooses.

Controlled Senses(Su). At level 7 a Formshifter gain the sense of any form that she wild shapes into. These are but not limited to blindsense, blindsight, dark vision, low-light vision, scent or tremorsense. You do not gain Mindsight, unless you have telepathy.

Incorporate Magic(Su) At level 10, the Formshifter has complete control on which items meld into her form when she Wild Shapes, and magical item continue to function as if they were not melded into the new form.

Extraordinary Wild Shape(Ex) as the Master of Many Form's ability

Hybrid Form(Su) While in a Wild Shape form, As a standard action the Formshifter may spend 1 Wild Point to gain, extraordinary special qualities, and extraordinary special attacks of a different creature that she could wild shape into, the duration lasts for 1/round level

Elemental Focusat level 19, when Wild Shaped into a elemental form, the formshifter gains all the elemental’s extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities.


The Formshifter is in a way the Master of Many Form's prestige class expanded into a base class, then add a few things here and there to fill gaps, and give a capstone. The hybrid form seems a bit strong, but at that next level shapechange and other 9th level spells come into play. I'm a little unsure of Focused Shifter, and I might need to reduce it to +1 instead of +2. Having wild shape at level 1, then grabbing certain [Wild Feats] might be slightly to strong, but I'm not sure how the nerf getting the feats till a later level.

[Prime32]

Note: Encounters typically last 5 rounds at most. 1/encounter is 1/minute out of combat. And your Wild Shape lasts 10mins/level. This is the same thing as making it at-will, just more confusing.

If you want a limitation you could give them a limited number of forms known, or a limited number of minutes/hours per day total.


Elemental Focus seems oddly specific. And I'd throw in some of the warshaper's abilities.

[The Shadowmind]

Trying to figure a way for the Formshifter to get a good use out of Wild Feats while not hurting the Wild Shape uses. Perhaps maybe 1/day every 5 levels, plus Con Mod number of uses,with a way refresh uses with a 10 minute rest.

The elemental focus is just Druid's elemental wild shape but doesn't gain feats while not restricted to the 4 main elemental.

The Improved Natural Attacks was based on morphic weapons but all attacks. I'd give the Morphic Immunities but Oak Resilience[wild]gives so much for.
Perhaps give it the Shapeshifter abilities from PHII would work as an early constant abilities in case somehow you run out of wild shapes.

[Vlos]

Well initial thoughts...

What is your desired purpose or thoughts on the class?
Fighting, Scouting, Travel, Other?

If it's the first two, Fighting, scouting, Wildshaping could be limited to short durations with more uses.

Travel or Other would likely require longer durations, and even at 10 min/lvl would not be enough for travel, though may cover Other.

So thinking either 1rnd/lvl with 2 uses/lvl or go 2rnds/lvl with 1 use/lvl. So at level 20 in case #1 you would have 20 rnds (more than enough for most combats) with 40 uses (where you can swap uses for Wildshape feats). In case #2 you have a longer duration 40rnds per use but only 20 uses. Still a lot of uses per day, but not as much Wildshape feat swapping.

With case #1 you could introduce a new Wildshape feat which extends the duration, thus you could achieve Travel or Other by expending WildShape uses on this new feat (or chain of Feats - first one increases it to the active use to mins then to 10mins, then longer, with each new Feat, so 3 feat chain).

[The Shadowmind]

Okay edited the class again.

This time Wild shape starts with a Full round action instead of the Standard of a Druid, but when the Druid gets Wild Shape then the action is the same. And gave it faster wildshaping as it progressed.

With at will wild shape, certain Wild feats are a little to strong to have near constantly, but the classes needed a way to use them, so that is where the Wild Points came into play.

The objected of the class is a Tier 3(possibly low Tier 2) class that with sufficient rules knowledge is able to be competent in nearly any situation through the use of changing forms.

[Vlos]

I sort of like the concept of Wild Points, but I am always weary of introducing new concepts. Mainly because it's hard to mix them with other classes.

So while I have Wild Points if a character then took a class which grants additional times a character can Wildshape; how do Wild Points mix with new times a character can Wildshape.

What if a third mechanic worked on the number of times a character could wildshape. By the RAW it would not count Wild Points.

Again I like it, but just cautious for adding new mechanics. Why not just grant additional Wildshapes? Starting the character out with a number to "turns" equal to what you start them out with as wild points?

Another thing I just noticed (besides that there seems to be two homebrew classes with the same name) is that yours, unlike Zaydos, is missing ability to apply Template forms. This would be a great ability if some how it could be worked in (I would suggest later in the build as it is very powerful).


I also like how you start out with turning taking a full round and slowly increase it.

Another question, Why is WILL the favored Save? For this type of class it would seem more logical that either Reflex or Fort would make a more logical better Save, since it is a "physical" class as compared to a "caster" or "mental" class. I could see an argument that it takes mental fortitude to keep one sane through all these changes, but at the same time that could also apply to FORT for physical changes (even more so).

Very much improved though.

What I would like to see is how it works with some PrC or how some builds would work out?

[Vlos]

Template forms.

Rather than go that route, create unique route.

Again this would be a high level ability lvl 18 or so, but ability to wildshape while in wildshape and retain aspects of current wildshape.

For example I wildshape into a Ancient Gold Dragon (which would have specific stats), then I while shape into a Fire Giant retaining the Wings of the Gold Dragon, giving me a flight speed of the Ancient Gold Dragon. This would be different than applying the Half-Dragon Template.

Maybe I still have the Head of a Gold Dragon, does it grant me the breath weapon? not sure?

You may have to come up with a table to define some basic things that come from basic body parts, for example does, what can one swap out to get a different creature's STR? torso, arms or both required? or even legs? modes of movement, breath weapons(mouth/head), vision (head), attacks? etc.

[The Shadowmind]

For gaining extra uses of Wild shape from another source, maybe allow from them to converted into Wild Point upon gaining or stay as Wild shape uses by choice.
Since the Wild Point are the effective wild shape tracker, I need to find a wording that let's these count as Wild shape for all uses.

I'm not putting the wild shape into number per day, or daily uses, because the class is completely dependent on wild shape, and not being able to use your class features is bad.

For interacting with other prestige classes, Master of Many Forms doesn't work well, because the class is that prestige classes turned into a base class. Nature's Warrior could just let you progress the wildshapes, but delays the other class features like faster wildshape, bonus feats, etc. For Warshaper, it is only a little stronger than a Hengeyokai or Changeling entry, and that isn't that strong to begin with.


For custom monster's Hybrid Form somewhat does that. Be a dragon, with a troll's regeneration. Be a hydra with a Arcane Ooze's spell immunity, and the acid coating. Hybrid Form has been changed again, based on the Wild Point mechanic. Be a Manticore with a Will O Wisps, invisibley and fly speed.

If I decide to add templates it would likely just be the Alignment ones(Celestial,Fiendish, the Law and Chaos ones from that Planes book).

The will save was because I copied the table for an earlier homebrew, but then never decided to change it. The saves are subject to change. The MoMF has Fort and Ref as good, so might change it to that.