Since my proposal for a druid variant seems overpowered and too far from the standard druid, let's see what it could look like as a separate class:
Since my proposal for a druid variant seems overpowered and too far from the standard druid, let's see what it could look like as a separate class:
Did you forget to include the class description, or am I missing something?
He'll get it it, and Wyvern, or Winter >.>
I did say "Just my opinion though, good luck with your class"
By the way, what I ment by saying Transmutation Wizard, WAS NOT a guy who changes for a few seconds/minutes.
I literally meant it looks like you're turning him into a Super Transmutation Wizard that can take on any form, any damn time he pleases for quite some darn time.
But anyway.
Heyt Wyvern/Winter, rate my Druid Variant?
lol
You're right, the class description is missing, mainly because I wanted to see what has been done before. Another attempt has been made to convert Master of Many Forms to Pathfinder. Here is yet another. Please note that I'm not ripping their ideas, just writing down what I'd like to see (I feel like I have to add this disclaimer now, along with "this is my opinion" etc). However, rather than taking the "wild shape" road, let's see what we can do with spells (after all, in Pathfinder, wild shape is closely linked to spells).
So, the class: Self-Shaper
This class is for creatures unsatisfied by their own shape, who search for means of altering it through spells. These Self-Shapers use their own energy to fuel those spells, but they can’t use them on others.
HD: d8
Skills: 4 points per level
BAB progression: Medium
Saves: good Fortitude, bad Reflex and Will
Abilities:
- Spellcasting: mixed. The Self-Shaper can cast spells from the Arcane and Divine lists, but only to target himself (even if the spell should target several persons or a zone, it only affects himself). The spells can be of any type (buffing, healing, polymorphing, etc), but a Self-Shaper will generally focus on polymorph spells. At level 11, he can affect another single creature with his spells (if the spell has only one target, he chooses between himself and the other creature). He doesn’t gain cantrips or orisons. His spell progression is as follows:
- level 1: 2
- level 2: 3 1
- level 3: 3 2
- level 4: 3 3 1
- level 5: 3 3 2
- level 6: 3 3 3 1
- level 7: 3 3 3 2
- level 8: 3 3 3 3 1
- etc.
The energies from these spells come from himself, and the relevant attribute is Constitution (for the ability to cast spells of a given level, and for bonus spells from a high enough score). Like a sorcerer, he doesn’t have to memorize his spells, has to spend an hour renewing his spell slots through meditation, and has a number of spells known per level. This number is the number of spells he can cast (for instance, at level 4 with a Con score of 15, he knows 5 spells of level 1, 4 spells of level 2, and 1 spell of level 3). At each new level, he can opt to lose a spell he knows to learn another.
- At level 5, any transmutation spell he casts on himself has its duration doubled. At level 10, this duration is tripled instead. At level 15, this duration is multiplied by 4. At level 20, any transmutation spell he casts on himself can last 24 hours.
- At level 5, when he casts a spell on himself, he doesn’t incur an attack of opportunity. At level 10, when he casts a spell on himself, the casting time is decreased by one step (full-round becomes standard action, standard becomes move, move become swift). At level 15, the casting time is decreased twice. At level 20, any spell he casts on himself can be cast as a free or immediate action.
- The Self-Shaper can use his own life force to fuel spells when he doesn’t have enough remaining spell slots. By losing a number of hit points, he can free a slot to be used immediately. The HP lost is 5 per spell level.
- The Self-Shaper can infuse his new forms with magic. By using a higher spell slot when casting a polymorph spell on himself, he can add a stackable bonus to his attack and damage rolls, as well as his AC and saves. This bonus is 1 per 4 class levels he has attained. This bonus is magical, and can bypass DR like a magic weapon can.
- For another increase in spell level, they can harden their skin when in another shape, gaining, for every 5 class levels attained, DR 1/magic, Fortification 5%, and a +1 size increment in damage from their natural/unarmed attacks (at level 20, that gives DR 4/magic, Fortification 20%, and four sizes increments for their damage dice).
- The Self-Shaper learns new feats at the rate of 1 per three levels attained. He can select Monster feats, but those become active only when he’s in a shape other than his own. He can learn Natural Spell to be able to cast spells while polymorphed. At level 1, they get Eschew Materials like a Sorcerer.
Linking the spells to Constitution (and the HP cost of buying spell slots, of which they have a very limited number) seems a good way to represent the “inner energy” a shape-changer uses. So, your thoughts?
Do they gain bonus feats every third level, or is that feat progression in place of the normal PFRPG every odd-numbered level feat progression?
Do they gain bonus feats every third level, or is that feat progression in place of the normal PFRPG every odd-numbered level feat progression?
I'm not throwing away the general rules of character advancement. The listed progression only concerns the bonus feats for class levels gained. Listing the two together would give: one at first level (general rule), two at third, one at fifth, one at sixth, one at seventh, two at ninth, etc.
The total (level 20) would be (for a non-human): 16.
A druid gets 10.
A fighter gets 21.
I could limit this to one every four levels, for a total of 15. Not that much difference.
Addendum:
- For another increase in spell level, a Self-Shaper can increase their physical attributes by 1 point for every 4 class levels attained (at level 20, that gives Str+5, Dex+5, and Con+5). He gains the HP related to his increased Constitution score, but loses them when his curent shape ends (unless he changes into another shape using this option). The increased Constitution doesn't count towards his spellcasting abilities. These don't stack with the bonuses gained from the polymorph spell (only the higher bonus applies).
Those options can be mixed. For instance, a level 5 Self-Shaper could cast Alter Self as a 3th-level spell with one of the following options:
- +1 to attack and damage rolls, as well as his AC and saves
- DR 1/magic, Fortification 5%, and a +1 size increment in damage
- Str+1, Dex+1, and Con+1
A level 9 Self-Shaper could cast Beast Shape I as a 5th-level spell with two of the following options:
- +2 to attack and damage rolls, as well as his AC and saves
- DR 1/magic, Fortification 5%, and a +1 size increment in damage
- Str+2, Dex+2, and Con+2
A level 13 Self-Shaper could cast Elemental Body I as a 7th-level spell, gaining all the following:
- +3 to attack and damage rolls, as well as his AC and saves
- DR 2/magic, Fortification 10%, and a +2 size increment in damage
- Str+3, Dex+3, and Con+3
Any thoughts on this? On the class?