Where to put the ability to gain shapeshifting shapes powerwise?

[GrayDeath]

As the title suggests.

In a group where I Co-DM, a player wants his Character to be able to "gain new forms" via hunting and eating said beings.

The Character does not have Wild Shape, but is a Half Doppelgangerish thing (the other DM allowed the Eberron Changeling to be a bit better in Shifting per se).

We are thinking about making it cost 2 feats, one for forms between small and alrge, and a second one for forms between Tiny and Colossal, and limit it to nonmagical beings.

We specifically do not want the player to ahve to take a class to achieve this.

Sound OP/UP?

To judge: The Group is overall middle of the road OP qwise, and the game is NOT on Eberron.

Thanks in advance for suggestions/Feedback.

[Albions_Angel]

There are lots of options you can "borrow" for this. From druid wildshaping (arguably the most powerful form of shapeshifting at the levels at which it matters) through to the druid shapeshifting variant (arguably the weakest). Both of those are class features, but there are spells and such that also allow shapeshifting (polymorph, for example).

All of those can be made into feats. No problem. The trick is progressing them properly.

What class is this character? What books are available? What is your definition of Mid OP? What level of homebrew exists?

Personally, I can see a few problems you might want to consider. The player wants to learn new forms by hunting. In principle, no issue there. But its very easy to exploit. Party kills a dragon in a narrowly won fight? Welp, now your player can transform into a huge creature with spellcasting, flight, a billion attacks and a pile of gold. But then, druids can transform into cryohydras so...

Depending on the power level, I would be prepared to take the two examples I made earlier, and with one feat, give one of those to the player. If they are a spellcaster, but not a druid, I would be prepared to say that this feat does not work with natural spell.

If you want something on the stronger side, allow them to take "Feat: Wildshape" when their HD reaches or exceeds 5 (so at level 6 without retraining). That would be similar to when a druid gets it, and it would progress as a druid's wildshape does. You COULD further restrict it to "2 new forms every time you would gain a new level of wildshape, + things you have hunted before, or similar creatures" (if they want to be a hawk, but only hunted a crow, let them have it). No additional feats required.

This would also open up room for "quests" to hunt specific beasts to gain additional wildshape feats (though not natural spell). Hunt a special, powered up wyvern and gain the ability to transform into drakes (draconic wildshape I think is the feat?), or hunt a beholder to gain aberrant wildshape, or a Cryohydra for frozen wildshape, etc.

Option 2 is less powerful, more niche, and comes online at level 1. The feat would be "Feat: Shapeshift". It copies the variant shapeshifter druid class ability. This ability replaces a druids wildshape with the ability to assume a "beast" form from level 1. Rather than giving animal stats, it enhances str, dex, con and natural armour, while granting natural attacks. At certain level marks (5, 10, 15 and 20 I think) it gives a new form (level 1 is a generic damage form, 5 is a flying form, 10 is a bruiser, etc). Specifically, these are not animals you shift into, but animal-like forms. I think you are SUPPOSED to pick one shape and stick to it for each of the forms (so one player might decide their first form looks like a wolf, another player decides its a panther, but both give the same stats), but your player could "hunt" for different forms. They would have no effect on the stat line or attacks, but might have minor roleplay utility (a panther looks out of place in a snowy tundra, while a wolf does not). The shapeshifter druid was able to benefit from a number of other options, including the warshaper PRC, which actually made the shapeshifter kinda ok.

Frankly, they should look at that PRC anyway if they have the shapeshifter subtype or minor shapechange. The ability to add reach to your natural/unarmed attacks is nice, fast healing as well, and either super fast shifting or shifting multiple times within wildshape.

These are the 2 extremes. Option 1 will likely upgrade the offensive and scouting potential of the party whatever its composition. Doubly so if the player is a caster and you allow natural spell. Option 2 will allow a caster to temporarily become a middle of the road beat stick, tailing off into obscurity as the level goes up, and will generally flat upgrade a martial character into the mid levels until action economy and magic items start to dominate play.