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Rowanomicon
2007-09-14, 08:26 PM
The basic idea is to take the Druid class and split it into two classes: one focused on casting and another focused on the wild shape ability. This one will focus on wild shape.
Here's a link to the other one:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56824

it Die
d8.

Class Skills
The Shaper’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at 1st Level
(4 + Int modifier) ×4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level
4 + Int modifier.

The Shaper
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+0|Nature sense, wild empathy

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+1|
+0|Woodland stride

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+1|Trackless step

4th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|Resist nature’s lure

5th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|Wild shape (1/day)

6th|
+4|
+5|
+5|
+2|Wild shape (2/day)

7th|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+2|Wild shape (3/day)

8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+2|Wild shape (Large)

9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+3|Venom immunity

10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+7|
+3|Wild shape (4/day)

11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+7|
+3|Wild shape (Tiny)

12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+4|Wild shape (plant)

13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+4|A thousand faces

14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+9|
+4|Wild shape (5/day)

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+9|
+5|Timeless body, wild shape (Huge)

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+5|Wild shape (elemental 1/day)

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

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+11|
+6|Wild shape (6/day, elemental 2/day)

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

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+12|
+6|Wild shape (elemental 3/day, Huge elemental)[/table]

Class Features
Nature Sense (Ex)
A Shaper gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.

Wild Empathy (Ex)
A Shaper can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The Shaper rolls 1d20 and adds her Shaper level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.

The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.

To use wild empathy, the Shaper and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.

A Shaper can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a -4 penalty on the check.

Woodland Stride (Ex)
Starting at 2nd level, a Shaper may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.

Trackless Step (Ex)
Starting at 3rd level, a Shaper leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex)
Starting at 4th level, a Shaper gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.

Wild Shape (Su)
At 5th level, a Shaper gains the ability to turn herself into any Small or Medium animal and back again once per day. Her options for new forms include all creatures with the animal type. This ability functions like the alternate form special ability, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per Shaper level, or until she changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. Each time you use wild shape, you regain lost hit points as if you had rested for a night.

Any gear worn or carried by the Shaper melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the Shaper reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the Shaper's feet.

The form chosen must be that of an animal the Shaper is familiar with.

A Shaper loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but she can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as her new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)

A Shaper can use this ability more times per day at 6th, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level, as noted on Table: The Shaper. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a Large animal at 8th level, a Tiny animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15th level.

The new form’s Hit Dice can’t exceed the character’s Shaper level.

At 12th level, a Shaper becomes able to use wild shape to change into a plant creature with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. (A Shaper can’t use this ability to take the form of a plant that isn’t a creature.)

At 16th level, a Shaper becomes able to use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) once per day. These elemental forms are in addition to her normal wild shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the Shaper gains all the elemental’s extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. She also gains the elemental’s feats for as long as she maintains the wild shape, but she retains her own creature type.

At 18th level, a Shaper becomes able to assume elemental form twice per day, and at 20th level she can do so three times per day. At 20th level, a Shaper may use this wild shape ability to change into a Huge elemental.

Venom Immunity (Ex)
At 9th level, a Shaper gains immunity to all poisons.

A Thousand Faces (Su)
At 13th level, a Shaper gains the ability to change her appearance at will, as if using the disguise self spell, but only while in her normal form. This affects the Shaper’s body but not her possessions. It is not an illusory effect, but a minor physical alteration of the Shaper’s appearance, within the limits described for the spell.

Timeless Body (Ex)
After attaining 15th level, a Shaper no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place.

Bonuses still accrue, and the Shaper still dies of old age when her time is up.

Let me know if I forgot to replace the word Druid with Shaper anywhere.

What do you think balance wise?

List of some ideas (feedback please):
-Increase HD to d10
-Increase Skill Points to 6+Int/level
-Increase Class Skill list (ideas for which skills to add?)
-Increase BAB to full
-Increase number of Wild Shapes per day
-Come up with some homebrewed ideas (accepting ideas)
-If all else fails: Bonus Feats

Cricism and suggestions would be much appreciated.

vivi
2007-09-15, 10:31 AM
I've been trying to make a class that is like that for month. besides increased hit dice how is it you make up for its lack of casting? and I love it! (but is it balanced?).

Rowanomicon
2007-09-15, 01:48 PM
Well right now it's somewhat under powered.
I'll be fixing that soon, but as I'm in the middle of making a character right now so that gets priority.
I'll probably update this tomorrow with a broader class skill list and some other things. I guess this will be somewhere between skill monkey and tank. I want it versatile enough that each player can choose just where between those two party roles they'd like to land.

vivi
2007-09-15, 05:51 PM
the class doesn't get anything good 'til 5th level! there are serious balance issues (I would give it wild shape 1/day first level and increase the amounts by 1/day)

Rowanomicon
2007-09-15, 07:28 PM
Yeah, I actually started going that earlier today, but quit half way through.
Thus far it's little more than a Druid stripped of it's spell casting.
As I said before this will get more attention starting tomorrow.