Alternate Form ability

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Currently I'm looking for a particular type of alternate form ability. I'm looking for, if possible, a non-humanoid creature with a humanoid form; silver dragon to human or elf, for instance. The catch is that I'd strongly prefer an animal, magical beast or outsider that at least looks moderately like an animal; nothing like an Ogre Mage, for instance.

Alternately, the opposite will work; a humanoid with an animalistic alternate form. I'd thought about using a lycanthrope, but from memory lycanthropes have pretty terrible LA and RHD; I'd prefer to minimize both if possible. Right now I'm planning to use the divine minion template but that, to me, seems like a brute force solution. I'd like to hear any options people have, provided they don't involve class levels.

[Red Fel]

Have we not considered the Tibbit? Admittedly, its ability isn't called Alternate Form; it's Feline Transformation, but the concept is the same.

A Tibbit is a Monstrous Humanoid (Shapeshifter), so it's not technically humanoid, although its natural form is a small human-like creature, like a Gnome or Halfling. Its alternate form is an ittybittykitty. A perfectly normal kitty, with the Scent ability.

Unlike the Alternate Form (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#alternateForm) ability, armor and weapons don't remain or fall off when the Tibbit changes shape; they are absorbed (similar to a Druid's Wild Shape). Equipment that could otherwise be resized to fit a kitty remains intact, however.

Oh, and Tibbits have no LA.

That about what you were looking for?

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

It's close, though I'm hoping for something with a larger size with combat utility. And I don't see a good way to leverage the Tibbit's Feline Transformation into that. It qualified for Warshaper, but that doesn't hugely help by itself either. Hrm. It's definitely worth keeping in mind, though; applying divine minion to a Tibbit gives me more flexibility with the usages of wild shape.

Edit: Though Tibbit qualifies me for Shapeshifter, which would seem to qualify for MoMF after one level. So maybe there's more value there than I thought.

Edit again: Shame there's not an easy way to hack an animal into the Alternate Form feat from Dragons of Eberron.

Further edit: Awakened Animal + Divine Minion qualifies for MoMF and humanoid wild shape, which is almost perfect except for the +1 LA and 2 RHD minimum.

[Red Fel]

It's close, though I'm hoping for something with a larger size with combat utility. And I don't see a good way to leverage the Tibbit's Feline Transformation into that. It qualified for Warshaper, but that doesn't hugely help by itself either. Hrm. It's definitely worth keeping in mind, though; applying divine minion to a Tibbit gives me more flexibility with the usages of wild shape.

Edit: Though Tibbit qualifies me for Shapeshifter, which would seem to qualify for MoMF after one level. So maybe there's more value there than I thought.

Edit again: Shame there's not an easy way to hack an animal into the Alternate Form feat from Dragons of Eberron.

Further edit: Awakened Animal + Divine Minion qualifies for MoMF and humanoid wild shape, which is almost perfect except for the +1 LA and 2 RHD minimum.

Tibbit Psion with the Telepath ACF is fully-functional, even in feline form, but completely disguised. Add Thrallherd and let your thrall pretend to be the main character, and it's a pretty dangerous combination.

But if you really want to optimize Feline Transformation, the easiest way is to be a CE Soulborn 2. Why? Read the language of Feline Transformation:
A tibbit suffers a -8 penalty to Strength (minimum 3) but gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity.
Now read the Incarnum Defense ability, available at level 2, of a CE Soulborn:
Your eyes become solid orbs of shadowy blackness, with no visible pupil or iris. You gain immunity to any penalty, damage, or drain to your Strength.
Translation: You suffer absolutely no penalty for becoming an ittybittykitty; only pure benefit. With Warshaper 3's Morphic Reach, you can actually gain a 5-foot reach, despite being Tiny. Alternatively, you could take feats like Confound the Big Folk, Pebble Underfoot and Underfoot Combatant, and be terrifyingly effective inside of an enemy's space.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Oh, gotcha. Those are both definitely good ideas; I should have been a bit more specific in that my objection to the Tibbit is mostly due to the cat's Tiny size. You could definitely turn one into a terrifying combatant, but I'd be aiming for MoMF 2 and Large wild shape for thematic reasons. I'm definitely willing to go suboptimal with this one. But starting Tibbit is definitely an option for the fast entry into MoMF.

[Red Fel]

Oh, gotcha. Those are both definitely good ideas; I should have been a bit more specific in that my objection to the Tibbit is mostly due to the cat's Tiny size. You could definitely turn one into a terrifying combatant, but I'd be aiming for MoMF 2 and Large wild shape for thematic reasons. I'm definitely willing to go suboptimal with this one. But starting Tibbit is definitely an option for the fast entry into MoMF.

I get'cha. Then what about a Hengeyokai? OA had them at LA +1, with the Shapechanger type, but Dragon Magazine updated them to be LA +0 Humanoid (Shapechanger). So there goes your LA. They get an ability that's actually called Alternate Form, and can use it a number of times per day equal to character level +1. They get to pick an animal form (which is Small or smaller), and it comes with a hybrid form (their regular humanoid form plus an ability modifier and a useful trick).

Basically, this gets you the Shapechanger subtype and medium size, for no LA. How's that?

[Thurbane]

You can make virtually ANY monster able to assume humanoid form, if you're willing to give it 6 levels of Dragonfire Adept, and take the Humanoid Shape invocation.

If there's some cheese that allows them to grab Lesser Invocations before 6th, that might be an option as well. In fact, if anyone knows of such cheese, please let me know, would be extremely useful for my own game! :smallwink:

[Ettina]

A werecreature would work, too. There are werewolves, werebears, etc.

[Heliomance]

How does Tibbit get you into MoMF? MoMF explicitly needs Wild Shape.

[Red Fel]

A werecreature would work, too. There are werewolves, werebears, etc.

The OP specifically disliked lycanthrope (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lycanthrope.htm) for its LA and RHD. Otherwise, yeah, it'd be a great base.


How does Tibbit get you into MoMF? MoMF explicitly needs Wild Shape.

Neither Tibbit, nor Hengeyokai, nor Lycanthrope, nor most shapechangers, get you into MoMF. As you point out, you need Wild Shape for that. However, shapechanger is a possible prereq for Warshaper.

But yes, if you want MoMF, you need Wild Shape, full stop. Alternate Form won't cut it.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

How does Tibbit get you into MoMF? MoMF explicitly needs Wild Shape.

Tibbit doesn't get you into MoMF, but it fills the "alternate natural form" requirement for Shapeshifter, which gets Wild Shape as a class feature at level 1. So a Tibbit X/Shapeshifter 1 qualifies for MoMF as long as you have the two feats. Shapeshifter is moderately dubious as it's unupdated 3.0 material to the best of my knowledge, but it works for my purposes.

[Doc_Maynot]

Tibbit doesn't get you into MoMF, but it fills the "alternate natural form" requirement for Shapeshifter, which gets Wild Shape as a class feature at level 1. So a Tibbit X/Shapeshifter 1 qualifies for MoMF as long as you have the two feats. Shapeshifter is moderately dubious as it's unupdated 3.0 material to the best of my knowledge, but it works for my purposes.

OA was updated however. The Dragon Magazine article elaborated and advertised the OA Update Packet which can be found here (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20040125a) under 3rd Edition Updates

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

OA was updated however. The Dragon Magazine article elaborated and advertised the OA Update Packet which can be found here (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20040125a) under 3rd Edition Updates


Shapeshifter was not updated in the OA packet.

[Doc_Maynot]

It was so in the Dragon article at least. The April 2004 issue, page 35-36. Searching Oriental Adventures Update should pull up results and an excerpt from that article.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

It was so in the Dragon article at least. The April 2004 issue, page 35-36. Searching Oriental Adventures Update should pull up results and an excerpt from that article.

It's not updated in the packet. It IS updated in Dragon 318, changing wild shape to be consistent with the 3.5 Druid and altering the capstone to give the Shapechanger subtype rather than the Shapechanger type.