PDA

View Full Version : Looking for Wildshaping Homebrew



YouLostMe
2011-11-18, 03:13 AM
The game I'm running involves people who train to turn into hairy monsters and rip things apart. So, naturally, I'm looking for a class (a base class) that prioritizes turning into a hairy monster and tearing things apart. No need for a bunch of active abilities (I'm planning on using it for NPCs), and any WIPs or ideas you just want to dump on the thread would be cool too.

Mr.Bookworm
2011-11-18, 04:59 AM
The game I'm running involves people who train to turn into hairy monsters and rip things apart. So, naturally, I'm looking for a class (a base class) that prioritizes turning into a hairy monster and tearing things apart. No need for a bunch of active abilities (I'm planning on using it for NPCs), and any WIPs or ideas you just want to dump on the thread would be cool too.

So, uh, why not just use Lycanthropes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lycanthrope.htm), refluffed to fit?

EDIT: I mean, in my experience, no matter how fun homebrewing is, it's almost always easier to just grab something that fits that's already in the game. This obviously doesn't apply for something more specific, but for something that generic...

Shadowbranch1
2011-11-18, 08:52 AM
Yeah I have no clue as to how to make a table, so bear with me here. The class is based off of large felines and their abilities. Most of the abilities are passive.

Name: Chosen of Bast (Or insert better one here)
Weapons and Armor: Light armor and all simple weapons
Skills: 2+ int mod, class skills as per Ranger
Hit Dice: d8
Bab: As fighter
Saves: Good Fort, Good Ref, Poor Will

1st level – Gift of the Tiger (1d4), Cheetah’s Grace (+10’), Nemean Ancestor 1
2nd level – Hybrid Shape
3rd level – Primal Vitality
4th level – Gift of the Tiger (1d6)
5th level – Nemean Ancestor 2
6th level – Primal Instinct +1
7th level – Feline Grace
8th level – Gift of the Tiger (1d8), Scent
9th level – Primal Agility
10th level – Nemean Ancestor 3, Cheetah’s Grace (+10’)
11th level – Jaguar’s Gift (1d4), Ferocity
12th level – Primal Instinct +2
13th level – Primal Vigor
14th level – Improved Feline Grace
15th level – Nemean Ancestor 4, Jaguar’s Gift (1d6)
16th level – Tooth and Claw
17th level – Improved Ferocity
18th level – Primal Instinct +3
19th level – Jaguar’s Gift (1d8)
20th level – Nemean Ancestor 5, Cheetah’s Grace (+10’)

Gift of the Tiger: The character develops retractable claws. At first level these claws cause 1d4 damage + strength bonus. At 4th level the claws strengthen and do 1d6 damage + strength bonus. At 8th level the claws strengthen once more and do 1d8 damage + strength bonus. These weapons are considered natural weapons that the character is proficient with.

Cheetah’s Grace: This ability increases the character’s movement by 10 feet. It has additional increases at 10th and 20th levels.

Nemean Ancestor: This ability grants the character a measure of damage reduction against all forms of melee attack save bludgeoning. The damage reductions starts at DR1/Bludgeoning at 1st level and increases by 1 point for every 5 levels the character has in this class. This damage reduction has no effect whatsoever on spells or spell like abilities.

Hybrid Shape: This ability allows the character to meld the shape of a humanoid and a feline together. When in this form the character gains a +2 bonus to strength, dexterity, and constitution. Transforming is a standard action and the character can use this ability at will. While in this form the character is more beast than person. The character cannot speak (including spells with a verbal component), use any skills that require concentration, or use any skills requiring fine manipulation. While in this form the natural attacks of the character increase one dice size (i.e. d4 becomes d6 and so on).

Primal Vitality: The character gains a permanent +1 bonus to their constitution score.

Primal Instinct: This ability allows the character to gain a sixth sense of impending danger. The character gains a bonus to their perception checks, initiative checks, and reflex saves equal to the bonus listed.

Feline Grace: At 7th level and higher, the character can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Feline Grace can be used only if the character is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless character does not gain the benefit of Feline Grace.

Scent: As per the special ability

Primal Agility: The character gains a permanent +1 bonus to their dexterity score.

Jaguar’s Gift: The character gains a secondary bite attack that does 1d4 damage +1/2 the character’s strength bonus. This damage increases to 1d6 at 15th level, and 1d8 at 18th level.

Ferocity: The character gains the multiattack feat as a bonus feat

Primal Vigor: The character gains a permanent +1 bonus to their strength score.

Improved Felines Grace: This works like Felines Grace, except that while the character still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless character does not gain the benefit of Improved Felines Grace.

Tooth and Claw: A character that strikes with all three natural weapons in a single round causes horrific wounds that continue to bleed causing damage equal to half the characters strength bonus every round.

Improved Ferocity: When making a full round attack with all three natural weapons the character can ignore the -2 penalty to their secondary natural weapon. Furthermore the character adds their full strength bonus to their bite attack.

Grod_The_Giant
2011-11-18, 10:32 AM
Check the Beastman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213031)- a ~tier 3 wildshaping barbarian type, built around a slightly variant version Wild Shape (doesn't last as long, can't be used sequentially, but you can change animal shape as much as you want during it). I have a player running one in a game, and it seems to be pretty balanced.

There's also a variant using Shapeshift on the same page, if wild shape is too complicated to run for an NPC.

Yitzi
2011-11-18, 12:28 PM
Maybe give them fighter chassis except with good reflex as well, and give them wildshape as druids, except that ability scores follow their own minus their own racial bonus plus the racial bonus for the new form (so an 18 STR human who turned into a dire bear would have STR 39).

Kenneth
2011-11-18, 03:31 PM
considering that wild shape by itself is 'tier' 3 what exactly 'tier' level are you aiming at?

YouLostMe
2011-11-18, 03:41 PM
So, uh, why not just use Lycanthropes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lycanthrope.htm), refluffed to fit?

EDIT: I mean, in my experience, no matter how fun homebrewing is, it's almost always easier to just grab something that fits that's already in the game. This obviously doesn't apply for something more specific, but for something that generic...

Because lycanthropes require 3 monster entries, they're not customizable to level, and I'd have to do bookkeeping if I wanted Attribute, Feat, or Item adjustments (which I do).

Believe me, in all my god-gifted laziness, I tried flipping through the MM, but making a scenario in the detail I want would be MORE work. The effort is appreciated, however.

@Shadowbranch: Thank you, sir. That works quite well. I'll probably tack some things on to bring it up in danger-level, but that's pretty much exactly what I need.

@Grod: One of the problems I have is that I want to make things easy for me, so what I really want is 1-2 lines of bonuses allowed for the NPCs, and 4-5 for important NPCs. I actually (NOT to be creepy at all), have dumpster-dived your homebrew, and printed that class off, but it requires more effort than I want to put into a faceless NPC (since I'd need a wolf, bear, and human's statblock or somesuch). Any recommendations as to a remedy?

@Yitzi: Same problem as with Grod, except more exacerbated. Wildshape is already tough, and I really don't want to go through the effort of finding the appropriate racial modifiers for each animal I want my people to turn into and playing with the numbers.

Grod_The_Giant
2011-11-18, 03:49 PM
@Grod: One of the problems I have is that I want to make things easy for me, so what I really want is 1-2 lines of bonuses allowed for the NPCs, and 4-5 for important NPCs. I actually (NOT to be creepy at all), have dumpster-dived your homebrew, and printed that class off, but it requires more effort than I want to put into a faceless NPC (since I'd need a wolf, bear, and human's statblock or somesuch). Any recommendations as to a remedy?

Not creeped out at all- more complimented, really.

The shapeshift version should be a lot easier to run. If that's still too complex, I'd say you should just stat up generic warriors in hide armor, and have them turn into wolves/bears/dire animals/etc as the situation demands, substituting the MM stats for those of the warriors. No need for a real class, if all you want is faceless NPCs that are easy to run. Just match the animal CRs to the encounter you want and go.

Pyromancer999
2011-11-18, 11:06 PM
Um, there's always the Liminal. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213097)

YouLostMe
2011-11-19, 03:34 PM
Not creeped out at all- more complimented, really.

The shapeshift version should be a lot easier to run. If that's still too complex, I'd say you should just stat up generic warriors in hide armor, and have them turn into wolves/bears/dire animals/etc as the situation demands, substituting the MM stats for those of the warriors. No need for a real class, if all you want is faceless NPCs that are easy to run. Just match the animal CRs to the encounter you want and go.

HERP DERP! I have had the class in my archives for a month, and have yet to even see that.

@Pyro: Wow, that's really quite a nice class. Thank you for the suggestion sir. I think this would make an excellent class for badasses.