How to cast spells while in the form of an animal if you're not a druid?

[Kraken]

Werebat-kin skinwalkers (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/more-races/standard-races-1-10-rp/skinwalkers-10-rp#TOC-Werebat-Kin-Bloodmarked-) can take a feat that allow them to turn into a bat at will (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/bat-shape), right at first level, even, if they devote the charisma to it. By my reading you'd get go to diminutive size for +4 AC, as the text of the feat turning you into a bat would seem to override beast shape 2's tiny size limitation. The race already gets you +2 int, and turning into a bat would give you +12 stealth, +4 dex, +5 AC (4 size, 1 natural armor), and 40' flight with good maneuverability. By my reading you wouldn't get a skinwalker's normal change shape abilities on top of these bonuses, but that's no big deal, frankly. No big deal, that is, unless you're a wizard who needs to use verbal, somatic, and material components. While I'm interested in being a batman wizard for a particular scenario, I am curious to see what other possibilities people see for any sort of character that lives mostly in bat form. Edit: of course, hellcat stealth (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/hellcat-stealth) has some gorgeous possibilities here, too.

Edit: Pathfinder only, by the way

[atemu1234]

Not sure if RAW or not, but there were a couple feats I once used on a Werewolf Sorcerer.

1) Eschew Material Components
2) There's a feat from either Manual of the Planes or Planar Handbook that was meant to allow Buommans to cast spells by chanting. But it applied, I think, to all forms of sounds you could make.

Theoretically, I think, you could use these two to make a spellcasting anything, provided you aren't dependent upon really expensive material components.

[Kraken]

PF only. Otherwise I'd just use that feat from Savage Species (name escapes me).

[avr]

If that was a spell you could get the Shift Caster exploit to cast in beast shape (requires arcanist or exploiter wizard). It might still fly, ask your DM.

Otherwise you're looking at both silent and still spell and maybe Eschew Materials for most spells. With the right traits that's doable for one spell at least. Reduce Person if cast after changing shape would change you down another size category, since it's not technically a polymorph effect and since your type is still Humanoid. It could be fun to be Fine.

Some use-activated magic items might be usuable in any form.

[Fouredged Sword]

Surrogate Spellcasting + eschew materials. You can cast any spell without a focus or expensive material components in any form you posses so long as it has limbs or a tail or psudopod of some sort and some way to make noise.

[Ettina]

When I played a tibbit spellcaster, we homebrewed that she could take Natural Spell even though she wasn't a druid.

[Mr Adventurer]

Nonverbal Spell feat from Planar Handbook.

Eschew Materials.

Still Spell, or choose spells without S components.

Does the bat have a bite attack? If so, you might be able to substitute EWP (mouthpick weapon) and Somatic Weaponry.

[Milo v3]

Looks like there's nothing in pathfinder, a quick search of Ultimate Magic and Player Companions didn't find anything.

[Talieth]

A one level oracle dip could get you the "deaf" curse : You cast all of your spells as if they were modified by the Silent Spell feat.

that would take care of verbal component when in animal form ...

[Kraken]

Somatic is arguably the trickier one. It isn't really defined anywhere what exactly is necessary for the gestures to be made. On the whole it looks like there's nothing that makes this viable (yet). Still plenty of other interesting options for a bat character, though.

[Mr Adventurer]

Ha ha, the PF bat does have a bite attack! (The 3.5 one does not.)

Exotic Weapon Proficiency (mouthpick weapon) and Somatic Weaponry might work!

[andreww]

A 1 level dip into deaf oracle makes all of your spells silent, it isn't limited to divine spells. Then just add in still spell to get around the somatic component issue. For key spells you can take the metamagic reducing traits or preferred spell to add it spontaneously. You will also need to pick up eschew materials.

In PF you are probably better off just being a druid.