Polymorph Spells / Wildshape and a Lack of appropriate sized creatures

[Caderyn]

I have been reading up on wildshape for a new PFS druid, aim is to be a focused wildshaper with a domain and possibly some summons for if I need a flanking buddy.

My biggest issue at the moment is there is a dearth of Huge Animal forms (mostly Cats and Rocs as I was looking at Lion and eagle shamans), would it be legal to use the smaller or larger form (in the case of rocs) and just roll back the weapon damage dice (or up it in the case of the smaller form), or am I just limited to the large sized creatures (meaning that Rocs arent even a legal wildshape choice and thus why do they appear on the druid form list?)

[Gauss]

You are limited to what is in the book for PFS.

Home GMs may houserule larger or smaller critters but in PFS you cannot do so.

- Gauss

[Caderyn]

I figured that was likely to be the case, still should be an interesting character even as a Large creature

[Gauss]

If you really want to make a Melee druid then there is always the Druid/Fighter build. Druid up to level 6 or 8 (depending on what you want). Then at level 9 take fighter levels. Take the feat that gives you up to +4 levels of wild shape ability.

It does seriously mess with your spellcasting ability of course but it turns you into a focused melee wildshaper. If you plan on never using level 10 or 12 wild shape abilities you can switch over at level 5 instead.

- Gauss

[Caderyn]

Need at least 8 druid cause im running the Sun(Light) domain for the SU auto counter to deeper darkness at level 8.

I would like this guy to be my first single classed PC which is why I chose druid originally plus summoning a Gargantuan Dire Lion would be amusing

[Gauss]

How exactly did you plan on summoning a Gargantuan Dire Lion? Assuming you are going with Lion Shaman you can only apply the Giant template once raising it's size to huge. Of course, you can then apply Animal Growth which will raise it to Gargantuan but that isn't summoning one.

Just so you know, some people consider Druid builds to go one of two ways: the spell route OR the wild shaping melee route. They don't really do both well.

- Gauss