Leper / Shapeshifter Advice Request


Advice


So our party will be starting Strange Aeons in a couple more months here, and one of the characters I'm looking at is a Leper type character who wears full rags and, upon peeling off the cowl, could have any number of faces underneath.

I want a thousand-faces kind of character, possibly a passable shape-shifting combatant who can use surprise natural weapons and monstrous abilities, despite lacking his own identity.

Druid is an obvious way to go, but the lead-in for the ability I want (wild shape) is a LONG way into the character progression. The shape-shifter ranger is actually terrible, with no abilities that allow actually... shape-shifting. Which is weird.

I looked at the Metamorph, but Monstrous Physique seems *terribly* balanced for a character to build around. If I could get the higher stats on a medium sized character (gargoyle? bugbear?) it might be a more attractive option, but I'm just not sure.

There doesn't seem to be a pure shape-shifter archetype for Druid, or anything that gets better, earlier access to wild-shape, so how do you get there? Is there any way to mimic a lycanthrope? What about anthropomorphic animals (as per the spell)?


Oh, and what about humanoids? Strix (fly), monkey goblins (climb), or other humanoids with power from the monstrous physique list?


And what about the near-human outsiders? Sylphs, Aasimar, Suli, etc?

This character could go one of two ways: either as a shapeshifting infiltrator using the various racial guises to scout and question, and the way of the surprise combat machine, helping to assault/tank for the party despite supposedly not carrying a weapon, and being literally "untouchable".


An urban druid gets a thousand faces at 6th level which covers humanoids (the near-humans have members which have the humanoid type, so you should be able to mimic them & lycanthropes are listed under humanoids at least). It's alter self at will so flying isn't available. You might use spells to add more shapeshifting-like abilities, e.g. bone fists, animal aspect. For the first few levels you'd need the disguise skill, maybe a hat of disguise once you can afford it.

Alternately there's the vigilante. They're disguise experts, and the cabalist and warlock archetypes get access to spell lists which include shapeshifting, especially the warlock.

A magus isn't the worlds best shapeshifter but they get some such spells, they're competent fighters and they can shapeshift then try to rip someone's face off in the same round,


How about the leprosy angle?

Is there a way to be a carrier without suffering the drain from the disease? Would that even be a thing where the local cleric can usually nullify a disease with the wave of his hand?


Depends how common 5th+ level clerics are. If there's one in most villages then no that's not a thing. I think the default PF rules assume something like this with spellcasting services up to 3rd level available in villages. If your GM is thinking more Medieval or Renaissance-era, or even anything before modern times, then it probably is a thing.

Assuming that lepers exist then a ratfolk druid at least could cast Delay Disease each day. Disguise could also cover it (faking a disease) and that's probably what I'd do.


No no, this would be for Strange Aeons, so, Ustalaaaaav.

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