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'lo, all! Sometime lurker, first time poster here; let's see if my first post can't be a good one. I'm taking on a task I've seen done before, but I've never seen done to completion; adapting shifters from their 3.5e roots to Pathfinder. I can say it like that, right? Or are the copyright police going to come to my house and eat my brains?
Moving on, the following racial adaptation was made with race-builder guide tossed together by Voodoo Mike (Race Building Guide.) Sorry if I'm not citing or linking things properly; as said earlier, first time posting.
Nothing here is finalized, but given I'm throwing this onto a homebrew / houserule forum, I imagine that's already assumed. Some parts of it are fairly straightforward; it's the Shifting thing that gets a bit complicated, because of how I priced it, and how I broke down the prices. The fluff and lore is iffy (this is only a ... third or something draft), and sorry for any mistakes so far.
So, without further wait; shifters! Incoming huge amounts of text.
Shifters;
A race of the sometimes feral and borderline bestial, Shifters generally live far from the fringes of civilization in smaller tribal communities that are usually led by a single Shaman-like figure. More often than not, they are feared for their apparently lycan-tainted heritage.
Base: +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Cha [0 points]
Shifters are limber and often can provide some un-thought of perspective thanks to their upbringings; unfortunately, they aren’t all too artful about how they say it.
Racial Benefit: +2 to Acrobatics and Climb [2 points]
It ties in with that limberness; shifters are good on their feet and at scaling obstacles.
Racial Benefit: Low Light Vision [1 point]
Whether it’s a carry-over from their heritage or something else, a shifter can see as well in dim lights as a human can during the day.
Racial Benefit: Shifting [8 points]
… This one gets complicated. See below, because there’s a large breakdown on how I priced it.
Racial Drawback: Vulnerable to Silver [ad-hoc -2 points]
Their heritage leaves them rather vulnerable to silver, and lacking a lycan’s exact biology makes them even more susceptible to the material.
LET’S BREAK SHIFTING DOWN.
Quicknote: Assuming that this works out in any way, shape or form, all of this mathy… mathness will stay behind the curtain instead of leaping into the light of day and terrifying players. I’m breaking down shifting because it requires the act of being broken down. So don’t be afraid of the math. It’s a good thing.
Other Note: Unless otherwise noted, assume any ability that scales to a stat only uses the base stat.
How shifting works:
At character creation, a shifter character selects one of the following traits. For a number of rounds per day [equal to their Constitution modifier + 3 + 1 for every shifter feat], they may take on the trait selected as a Swift Action at the beginning of their turn, or may end the benefits as a Swift Action at the end of their turn. Some abilities apply at all times rather than during shifting; these abilities are mentioned separately.
Beasthide: +2 Constitution and +2 AC.
Cliffwalk: +2 Dexterity and Climb Speed of 20 feet.
Dreamsight: +2 Wisdom and Wild Empathy. +2 to Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks, even while not shifting.
Gorebrute: +2 Strength and Horns that deal 2d6 damage +1 for every 4 character levels; however, the horns may only be used on the charge.
Longstide: +2 Dexterity and +10 base land speed.
Longtooth: +2 Strength and a Bite attack that deals 1d6 damage, +1 for every 4 character levels.
Razorclaw: +2 Strength and two claws, each dealing 1d4 damage +1 for every 4 character levels.
Swiftwing: +2 Dexterity and a Fly Speed of 20 feet. They cannot fly while carrying a medium or heavy load, while wearing medium or heavy armor, and while flying they may not use their hands for anything but passive activity (they can hold a sword, but they can’t swing.)
Truedive: +2 Constitution and a Swim Speed of 30 feet, as well as a +8 bonus to Swim Checks. They can hold their breath for 5 times their Constitution Score, even while not shifting.
Wildhunt: +2 Constitution and Scent, as well as Track while shifting. +2 on Survival checks even while not shifting.
Point Breakdown:
So what I’ve done is taken every category of shifter, figured out how many points the Shifting ability is worth, and halved it (because it can only be used so many rounds during the day). Abilities that apply even while the shifter isn’t shifting won’t be halved.
Beasthide: +2 to a category that already has a bonus [8 points], +2 AC [8 points]. Total: 16 points. Result: 8 points.
Cliffwalk: +2 to a Racial Stat Bonus [10 points], 30 foot Climb [4 points]. Total: 12 points. Result: 8 points.
Dreamsight: +2 to a Racial Stat Bonus [10 points] Wild Empathy [adhoc 4 points], +2 to two skills [2 points]. Total: 14 Shifter, 2 Constant. Result: 9 points.
Gorebrute: +2 to a category that has a bonus [8 points], Natural Attack of 2d6 [adhoc 6 for limited use]. Total: 14 points. Result: 7 points.
Longstride: +2 to a stat that already has a bonus [10 points], +10 movement speed [adhoc 4 points]. Total: 14 points. Result: 7 points.
Longtooth: +2 to a category that has a bonus [8 points], 1d6 attack [4 points]. Total: 12 points. Result: 6 points.
Longtooth: +2 to a category that has a bonus [8 points], 2d4 attack [4 points]. Total: 12 points. Result: 6 points.
Swiftwing: +2 to a Racial Stat Bonus [10 points], 30 foot fly [4 points]. Total: 14 points. Result: 7 points.
Truedive: +2 to a category that has a bonus [8 points], Swim Speed of 30 Feet and Racial +8 to swim [adhoc; 4 points], Hold Breath [1 point]. Total: 12 Shifter, 1 Constant. Result: 7 points.
Wildhunt: +2 to a category that has a bonus [8 points], Scent [adhoc 4], Feat-like ability (Track)[4], +2 to one skill at all times [1]. Total: 16 + 1 constant. Result: 9 points.
(Damn, that was tedious to type. ONWARD.)
So to get the total race-points for Shifters, I took the point value of all of those and averaged them.
8, 8, 9, 7, 7, 6, 6, 7, 7, 9.
Average is 7.4. Instead of going with the traditional d20 convention and rounding down, I rounded up, because I’m uncertain about this whole thing to begin with and better safe than sorry. A total of 8 points.
The grand total of race-points is 9, at least by the above calculations (one 8-pointer, one 2-pointer, one 1-pointer, and one -2 pointer; 8+2+1-2.) According to the race guideline’s guidelines, a CR0 race should be around 10, so I’m close to on the dot. Again, given the uncertainty of this whole thing, better safe than sorry.
The other issue is feats. I don't know how you all feel about double-posts (even if they're related), so I'll just go ahead and post them in this post.
Feats:
Beasthide Elite:
Prerequisite: Beasthide Shifter.
Benefit: Natural Armor bonus while shifting increases by +2.
Cliffwalk Elite:
Prerequisite: Cliffwalk Shifter.
Benefit: +10 Climb Speed while shifting.
Dreamsight Elite:
Prerequisite: Dreamsight Shifter
Benefit: While shifting, spend a Full Round Action to gain +5 to Perception, and the ability to see invisible creatures as per the spell See Invisibility.
Gorebrute Elite:
Prerequisite: Gorebrute Shifter.
Benefit: Any time a Gorebrute Shifter deals damage with their horns on a charge, they may make a free Trip attempt against the effected enemy, with a +2 bonus for charging.
Longstride Elite:
Prerequisite: Longstride Shifter.
Benefit: +10 bonus to Base Movement while shifting.
Longtooth Elite:
Prerequisite: Longtooth Shifter.
Benefit: Targets which take damage from your Bite attack also take one point of Constitution Damage.
Razorclaw Elite:
Prerequisite: Razorclaw Shifter.
Benefit: When Charging, you may attack with both claws at the end of the charge. Both attacks use your highest Base Attack Bonus, and you receive the normal benefits and penalties for Charging.
Swiftwing Elite:
Prerequisite: Swiftwing Shifter.
Benefit: Flight Speed while shifting is +10 feet, and maneuverability is increased to Good.
Truedive Elite:
Prerequisite: Truedrive Shifter.
Benefit: Swim Speed is increased by +10 feet while shifting. In addition, you do not suffer the penalties for attacking under water.
Wildhunt Elite:
Prerequisite: Wildhunt Shifter.
Benefit: While shifting, you gain a Blind Sense of 30 feet.
Extra Shifter Trait:
Prerequisite: Shifter, 2 other Shifter Feats.
Benefit: Select another Shifter Trait [Longstride, Wildhunt, and so forth]. You gain all the abilities associated with that trait, except for the ability score modifier.
Reactive Shifting:
Prerequisite: Shifter, Improved Initiative
Benefit: Shifting occurs as an Immediate Action instead of a Swift Action.
Shifter Ferocity:
Prerequisite: Shifter, Wisdom 13.
Benefit: While shifting, you can act as normal when reduced to less than 1 hit point. You still die upon reaching your normal Constitution threshold.
Shifter Instincts:
Prerequisite: Shifter.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to Perception checks and a +2 bonus to Initiative while shifting.
Shifter Savagery:
Prerequisite: Gorebrute, Longtooth or Razorclaw Shifter, Rage Class Ability, BAB 6+.
Benefit: While shifting and raging at the same time, the threat range of your natural weapons doubles and the base damage improves by two steps.
Progression I: d2, d3, d4, d6, d8, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, 6d6, 8d6, 12d6
Progression II: 1d10, 2d8, 3d8, 4d8, 6d8, 8d8, 12d8
Note: The threat range granted by this feat does not stack with any other feat that improves your threat range. The extra damage granted by this feat does not stack with any other feat that improved your damage.
Shifter Stamina:
Prerequisite: Shifter.
Benefit: While shifting, you are immune to non-lethal damage, fatigue, and exhaustion. However, when your shifting ends, you are effected by any fatigue or exhaustion you have ignored.
Great Bite:
Prerequisite: Longtooth Shifter, BAB 6+.
Benefit: Improve Bite critical multiplier to x3.
Great Rend:
Prerequisite: Razorclaw Shifter, BAB 4+.
Benefit: Deal an additional 1d4 + .5 strength when both claw attacks hit.
Healing Factor:
Prerequisite: Shifter, Constitution 13.
Benefit: Gain Fast Healing 2 while shifting.
Shifter Defense:
Prerequisite: Shifter, two other shifter feats.
Benefit: Gain DR3/Silver.
Greater Shifter Defense:
Prerequisite: Shifter, Shifter Defense, three other Shifter Feats.
Benefit: DR is increased to DR6/silver.
Silver Resistance:
Prerequisite: Shifter, Shifter Defense.
Benefit: The shifter's DR becomes DR/--, although they are still vulnerable to silver as per their racial creation.
Shifter Multitattack:
Prerequisite: Longtooth or Razorclaw Shifter, BAB 6+.
Benefit: Reduce secondary attack penalty with natural weapon to -2.
Extend Shift:
Prerequisite: Shifter, Wisdom 13.
Benefit: Every time you take this feat, you gain another round per day of shifting.
Improved Natural Attack:
Prerequisite: Longtooth, Razorclaw or Gorebrute Shifter.
Benefit: Raise your natural weapon while shifting up one damage die. A shifter can gain this feat multiple times, but it does not stack with Shifter Savagery.
Shifter Agility:
Prerequisite: Cliffwalk, Longstride or Swiftwing Shifter.
Benefit: AC and Reflex gain a +1 bonus while shifting.
For the most part, these have just been taken in their original form and re-typed out. Some of them have been modified (like Shifter Defense), usually for reasons like "well, it only takes one Silver weapon to screw this bonus over". Again, this is all up for needs serious tinkering.
Well, Paizo forums; view the adaptation and tear it to shreds! Or love it. I'm fine either way, criticism is fun. If this ends up doing well I might try to toss together a Dragonbor--I mean, Dragonmarked adaptation as well.
Two things I noticed right away.
1) Their weakness to silver, you need exact mechanics on that one, otherwise it is useless.
Good point. I just assumed it'd be taken as "they take 1.5x the damage", but I'll clarify; if a fighter, using a silver longsword, was doing 1d8+4 [the 4 is arbitrary for this example) and rolled, say ... 5. 5+4 is 9. Half that is 4.5, round down as per convention, so a total of 13 damage instead of 9. I don't know if I complicated that, so here's it in simple terms:
Shifters take 50% more damage from non-elemental damage delivered to them by silver weapons. [So you would get extra damage for strength, power attack, and so forth, but not another 50% for Flaming.] I'll edit the beginning post to show as much.
2) I would move the silver resistance feat to having Greater Shifter Defense as a prereq, otherwise it is too soon (in my opinion)
Here I'd disagree some. The soonest you'd get Silver Resistance under that reading, it'd be...
1st level; 1st feat required for Shifter Defense.3rd level; 2nd feat required for Shifter Defense.
5th level; Shifter Defense.
7th level; feat required to fulfill pre-requisite for Greater Defense.
9th level; Greater Defense.
11th level; Silver Resistance.
Under the current bit, the earliest is still only level 7, instead of 11. I don't know, maybe that is still early to have that high a DR. Alternatively, I imagine making the feats work as they did originally - DR2 and DR4, respectively - and keeping the current prerequisites the way they are could work...
EDIT: Apparently, I can't edit the beginning post to show the silver thing. I guess this post will have to show the ruling instead!
So this is part bump, part update, part "hey, mods, I botched something up hard".
First off, bumptastic. I don't know why, given part two and three of this post (it's practically bumping itself!)
Second off, on further inspection, I've come up with three other ways the current Resistance feat-line could work.
WAY ONE:
Resistance [Earliest level selected; 5]
Prerequisite: Shifter, two other shifter feats.
Benefit: DR3/Silver
Greater Resistance [Earliest level selected; 7]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Resistance, two other shifter feats.
Benefit: DR6/Silver
Silver Resistance [Earlier level selected; 11]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Resistance, three other shifter feats.
Benefit: The DR gained from Greater Resistance becomes DR6/-.
Special: The shifter remains vulnerable to silver as per the racial weakness; the Damage Reduction still applies after the damage is calculated.
WAY TWO:
Resistance [Earliest level selected; 5]
Prerequisite: Shifter, two other shifter feats.
Benefit: DR2/Silver
Greater Resistance [Earliest level selected; 9]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Resistance, three other shifter feats.
Benefit: DR4/Silver
Silver Resistance [Earliest level selected; 7]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Resistance.
Benefit: The DR gained from Resistance becomes DR2/-.
Special: The shifter remains vulnerable to silver as per the racial weakness; the Damage Reduction still applies after the damage is calculated.
This bonus applies to Greater Resistance, should the shifter select it as a feat.
Lastly, WAY THREEE:
Resistance [Earliest level selected; 5]
Prerequisite: Shifter, two other shifter feats.
Benefit: DR2/Silver
Special: Resistance may be taken more than once, and the bonuses stack. It may not be taken for two feats in a row [IE; you may not pick it for both your level 5 and level 7 feat, but you could for your level 5 and level 9 feat.]
Silver Resistance [Earliest level selected; 7]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Resistance.
Benefit: The DR gained from Resistance becomes DR2/-.
Special: The shifter remains vulnerable to silver as per the racial weakness; the Damage Reduction still applies after the damage is calculated.
This bonus applies to all the DR gained from stacking Resistance.
And on this final, last note; this is technically a conversion. I noticed just earlier today that there is a sub-forum for conversions. ... I figure this topic might fit better there than here, if it can be moved. Sorry! Right now, there's some egg on my face.
Dotting for future world/ campaign building.
Dotting for worldbuilding as well.