I am running a mythic campaign and I have Druid in it. He wants to be able to Wildshape into Magical Beasts and I am happy to let him. I know the rules say no to this. What I want help on is deciding if we should just go with half time in Magical Beast form and found at a higher level. Or should I make it a mythic path option. If I go this route should he have to pick certain critters ahead of time or should it be pick this path and gain another use per day?
In the S&S campaign I am playing a Druid in I am getting it though a custom Prestige Class and by the time I am lvl 17 I will only have two uses per day.
Thank you in advance
You can use Beast Shape as a guideline. At level 8, he can become a Small or Medium magical beast. At level 12, he can become a Large or Tiny magical beast.
However, he won't get any of their special abilities beyond what's listed in the Beast Shape spell. So, no turning into a basilisk and petrifying people.
(If you do want to give him additional special qualities, beyond those listed in the Beast Shape spell, I think you should work with him ahead of time and "whitelist" a certain number of forms. Start with him being able to choose one or two forms, and decide which special qualities of that form he gets.)
Some people will say magic beasts are not part of natural like animals and plants or even elementals. I don't think that is the issue. Druids eventually get the Shapechange spell which allows dragon shapes. Dragons are about as magical and beastly as I can imagine.
The issue for me is power and abilities. Consider some of the magical beasts: remorhaz, chimera, phase spider, winter wolf, etc... They are adding some possibly significant other abilities. You are playing mythic so maybe it isn't as big a deal to you. But if it were me, I would need to work out with the player some method of control to keep things from getting out of hand.
High level option
Prestige class that has you lose out on other options (maybe you never get the plant or elemental forms)
Mythic path
Some other sort of limit on what forms can be taken
Maybe use some of the guidelines from the Advanced Class Guide to make a new prestige class for him that expands his wildshape forms to include magical beasts (per the more powerful Beast Shape spells).
Seems like the best way to balance it; that, or use a homebrew archetype. Either way, it maintains balance by having him give up other class features in return for the new, more powerful, wild shape options.
Alternatively, if you don't want to do all that work (or have the time for it), make it into a homebrew feat chain he can invest in. The first feat will allow him to wildshape into a Small or Medium magical beast as beast shape III, and the second will allow him to wildshape into a Tiny or Larger magical beast as beast shape IV. Maybe call them "Beast Form" and "Greater Beast Form" with wildshape and druid level 8 as a prerequisite (since that's when druid wildshape functions as beast shape III). You might even allow the greater version to allow for Huge animal forms, though I would make the prerequisites pretty stringent (druid level 11 perhaps, since that's when other casters get beast shape IV).
Or you could look up the 3.5 prestige class that eventually let you turn into just about anything. I can't remember what it was called. Something like Many Forms.
This sounds like a good option as an archetype or prestiege class.
And I think making it funciton like the beast shape line of spells is probably an appropriate fashion to make sure it's not too overpowered. The only question is what to take from them and how to modify their normal wildshape ability.
If its a prestige class I am not sure what to have him lose. In my S&S I lose I think three or four spell casting levels. we do this it will have to work within the Beast Shape spell. I will talk to him some more. Unfortunately I like the prestige class, feat, and just making it a class feature. I can never make up my mind.
I know he is wanting a Rust Monster and will be sad to lose the rust ability. But no sleep will be lost.
Thank you all
Some people will say magic beasts are not part of natural like animals and plants or even elementals. I don't think that is the issue. Druids eventually get the Shapechange spell which allows dragon shapes. Dragons are about as magical and beastly as I can imagine.
Yeah, but that is from a spell, and while both are magical, wildshape is about natural things.
Or you could look up the 3.5 prestige class that eventually let you turn into just about anything. I can't remember what it was called. Something like Many Forms.
Master of Many Forms. :)
I was about to play one when we switch over to PF.