Zenos
2008-09-25, 11:07 AM
The Beastkin are human beings with a rare, supernatural gene that allows them to become some kind of animal. They are often mistaken for lycanthropes, but they are not. Their bite does not infect men and women with lycanthropy, they are not vulnerable to silver and they always have
some presence of mind when tranformed, although the first time might be frightening for the unaware. Some believe it to be a curse, other believe it to be a Curse of Awsome, some feel it is a blessing whilst other thinks it is a Blessing of Suck.
Requirements:
-+8 Base attack bonus
-Knowledge: Nature 5
-Feat: Endurance
-Race: Human
-Special: Must have a rare, supernatural recessive gene from both father's side and mother's side. This usually comes from having a shapeshifter ancestor.
Adaptation: You might not like the whole genetics thing, and so change the fluff to include some kind of curse or other magic, you might also want to try non-animal races as the secondary form.
Beastkin
Hit Dice: D8
Skill points per level: 4+INT modifier
Skills: Balance, Climb, Craft, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Survival, Swim.
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Manuevers known|Manuevers readied
1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Animal shape, strenght of the half-breed, animal empathy|1|0
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Extraordinary Toughness, Extraordinary Senses|0|1
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Senses Beyond the Normal, Controlled shape|1|0
4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Animal shape extraordinary abilities, Hunting Technique|0|1
5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Beastkin maturity, extraordinary form, animal shape (swift action)|1|0[/table]
Proficiencies: The Beastkin gains no proficiencies with weapons or armour, except the natural weapons of the animal form.
Animal form(Ex): The character must, upon taking his first level in this class, choose one medium, small or tiny mammalian or reptilian Animal which cannot have Hit Dice higher than your class level. The character may at will transform into this animal and back to human form. In the animal form the character has the same statistics as his human form and gains the use of any natural attacks of the animal form, a +2 bonus to animal empathy checks (see below) the animal's racial skill bonuses, movement modes and the size of the animal, including any size modifiers.
At first level, the Beastkin has little control over his shapechanging. To change form the character must make a DC 15 will save or fail. If the character takes a wound in animal form he must make a will save (DC 15+damage) or transform to human and vica versa. The character must also take a will save DC of 15 if he is stressed, or near fire in animal form, or any other situation where the DM thinks the PC might lose control. If the animal form is predatory the smell of fresh meat or blood imposes another will save. If the animal form is exposed to a fear effect and fails it's save against it (or it doesn't grant a save) the character will immediately tranform into human form. The tranformation takes a full action and will destroy most kinds of clothes, or make them too large for your animal form. The DM determines how much the clothes get in the way of the transformation. Whilst you are in animal shape, your creature type is animal.
At 3rd level in this class the transformation takes only a move action and the character no longer has to make will saves to transform.
At 4th level the character may make use of the animals (Ex) abilities, like poison and improved grab, due to having practiced on how to use it.
At 5th level the tranformation takes only a swift action, and the character may choose between one of these three special abilities:
Powerful build: You're larger than others of the same species. You can count yourself one size larger for the purposes of grappling, tripping and other opposed checks, +1 to your natural armour as well as your carrying capacity. This applies to both human and animal forms.
Slender build: You are unusually lithe compared to others of the same species, you may count yourself as one size smaller for the purposes of squeezing through gaps and tunnels, gain a +1 bonus to to-hit rolls, a +1 size bonus to AC as well as gaining a +4 bonus to hide and move silently checks. This form applies to both human and animal form.
Hybrid form: You an transform into a third form that is a cross of your human and animal form. You can manipulate items with your hands as if you were human, speak all languages you know, cast spells and use your animal forms (Ex) abilities and natural attacks. This form has the creature type Humanoid [shapeshifter].
Many people believe hybrid form Beastkin to be anthromorphic animals or some kind of rare humanoid species.
Animal empathy: This ability works like the druid wild empathy, except you substitute your character level for druid levels, and it only works on your own kind of animal and animals vaguely related to it (say, you're a wolf, you may commmunicate with dogs).
Combat instincts: If the Beastkin has levels in any Martial Adept class, he gains one more manuever known each odd-numbered level, and one more manuever readied for each even-leveled class level. The manuevers will be from any discipline the adept already knows, or from Tiger Claw. Even if the Beastkin does not have Martial adept levels, he may still recieve manuevers known and readied, but will do so as a non-initiator and be able only to take manuevers from Tiger Claw or any discipline he has from Martial Study.
Strength of the half-breed: Your human and animal forms are innately linked, therefore the character gains the animal forms racial physical ability bonuses added to his ability score. A human with a 14 STR who tranforms into an animal with 16 STR gains a STR 17 score.
Extraordinary toughness: The character's animal form's robustness ingles with the human endurance to make the character tougher than both. The character gainst +2 constitution.
Extraordinary senses: The character can, when in animal form use the form's (Ex) senss, like Scent and Tremorsense.
Hunting technique: You have learned a technique to aid you in self-defense and hunting for food. Choose one of these abilities, if your animal form does not have any extraordinary abilities, choose two:
-Savage charge: The character gains the pounce special attack.
-Sudden strike: The character gains +2d6 damage when attacking a surprised target, like the ninja ability of the same name.
-Dogfighting: When you have grappled your target in animal or hybrid form, you may make a rake attack with your bite or claw attack. For every increment of five you win the opposed grapple test you gain a +1 bonus to hit and damage on this attack.
THIS ONE NEEDS MORE SUGGESTIONS.
Senses beyond the normal: The animals senses is assisted by human colour vision and brain activity, granting the character higher awareness of his surroundings, gain +2 wisdom.
Mature Beastkin: The character has become an adult Beastkin and gains the shapeshifter subtype. He/she also gains a +4 bonus to charisma-based checks involving the opposite gender of his/her human and animal forms.
some presence of mind when tranformed, although the first time might be frightening for the unaware. Some believe it to be a curse, other believe it to be a Curse of Awsome, some feel it is a blessing whilst other thinks it is a Blessing of Suck.
Requirements:
-+8 Base attack bonus
-Knowledge: Nature 5
-Feat: Endurance
-Race: Human
-Special: Must have a rare, supernatural recessive gene from both father's side and mother's side. This usually comes from having a shapeshifter ancestor.
Adaptation: You might not like the whole genetics thing, and so change the fluff to include some kind of curse or other magic, you might also want to try non-animal races as the secondary form.
Beastkin
Hit Dice: D8
Skill points per level: 4+INT modifier
Skills: Balance, Climb, Craft, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Survival, Swim.
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Manuevers known|Manuevers readied
1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Animal shape, strenght of the half-breed, animal empathy|1|0
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Extraordinary Toughness, Extraordinary Senses|0|1
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Senses Beyond the Normal, Controlled shape|1|0
4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Animal shape extraordinary abilities, Hunting Technique|0|1
5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Beastkin maturity, extraordinary form, animal shape (swift action)|1|0[/table]
Proficiencies: The Beastkin gains no proficiencies with weapons or armour, except the natural weapons of the animal form.
Animal form(Ex): The character must, upon taking his first level in this class, choose one medium, small or tiny mammalian or reptilian Animal which cannot have Hit Dice higher than your class level. The character may at will transform into this animal and back to human form. In the animal form the character has the same statistics as his human form and gains the use of any natural attacks of the animal form, a +2 bonus to animal empathy checks (see below) the animal's racial skill bonuses, movement modes and the size of the animal, including any size modifiers.
At first level, the Beastkin has little control over his shapechanging. To change form the character must make a DC 15 will save or fail. If the character takes a wound in animal form he must make a will save (DC 15+damage) or transform to human and vica versa. The character must also take a will save DC of 15 if he is stressed, or near fire in animal form, or any other situation where the DM thinks the PC might lose control. If the animal form is predatory the smell of fresh meat or blood imposes another will save. If the animal form is exposed to a fear effect and fails it's save against it (or it doesn't grant a save) the character will immediately tranform into human form. The tranformation takes a full action and will destroy most kinds of clothes, or make them too large for your animal form. The DM determines how much the clothes get in the way of the transformation. Whilst you are in animal shape, your creature type is animal.
At 3rd level in this class the transformation takes only a move action and the character no longer has to make will saves to transform.
At 4th level the character may make use of the animals (Ex) abilities, like poison and improved grab, due to having practiced on how to use it.
At 5th level the tranformation takes only a swift action, and the character may choose between one of these three special abilities:
Powerful build: You're larger than others of the same species. You can count yourself one size larger for the purposes of grappling, tripping and other opposed checks, +1 to your natural armour as well as your carrying capacity. This applies to both human and animal forms.
Slender build: You are unusually lithe compared to others of the same species, you may count yourself as one size smaller for the purposes of squeezing through gaps and tunnels, gain a +1 bonus to to-hit rolls, a +1 size bonus to AC as well as gaining a +4 bonus to hide and move silently checks. This form applies to both human and animal form.
Hybrid form: You an transform into a third form that is a cross of your human and animal form. You can manipulate items with your hands as if you were human, speak all languages you know, cast spells and use your animal forms (Ex) abilities and natural attacks. This form has the creature type Humanoid [shapeshifter].
Many people believe hybrid form Beastkin to be anthromorphic animals or some kind of rare humanoid species.
Animal empathy: This ability works like the druid wild empathy, except you substitute your character level for druid levels, and it only works on your own kind of animal and animals vaguely related to it (say, you're a wolf, you may commmunicate with dogs).
Combat instincts: If the Beastkin has levels in any Martial Adept class, he gains one more manuever known each odd-numbered level, and one more manuever readied for each even-leveled class level. The manuevers will be from any discipline the adept already knows, or from Tiger Claw. Even if the Beastkin does not have Martial adept levels, he may still recieve manuevers known and readied, but will do so as a non-initiator and be able only to take manuevers from Tiger Claw or any discipline he has from Martial Study.
Strength of the half-breed: Your human and animal forms are innately linked, therefore the character gains the animal forms racial physical ability bonuses added to his ability score. A human with a 14 STR who tranforms into an animal with 16 STR gains a STR 17 score.
Extraordinary toughness: The character's animal form's robustness ingles with the human endurance to make the character tougher than both. The character gainst +2 constitution.
Extraordinary senses: The character can, when in animal form use the form's (Ex) senss, like Scent and Tremorsense.
Hunting technique: You have learned a technique to aid you in self-defense and hunting for food. Choose one of these abilities, if your animal form does not have any extraordinary abilities, choose two:
-Savage charge: The character gains the pounce special attack.
-Sudden strike: The character gains +2d6 damage when attacking a surprised target, like the ninja ability of the same name.
-Dogfighting: When you have grappled your target in animal or hybrid form, you may make a rake attack with your bite or claw attack. For every increment of five you win the opposed grapple test you gain a +1 bonus to hit and damage on this attack.
THIS ONE NEEDS MORE SUGGESTIONS.
Senses beyond the normal: The animals senses is assisted by human colour vision and brain activity, granting the character higher awareness of his surroundings, gain +2 wisdom.
Mature Beastkin: The character has become an adult Beastkin and gains the shapeshifter subtype. He/she also gains a +4 bonus to charisma-based checks involving the opposite gender of his/her human and animal forms.