Please provide information on feedback. Remember that this is pathfinder and the ability modifier bonuses are based on size now, not the creature.
Please also note that the lack of a time limit is balanced by good game mastering. If you have issues with it, please provide reasons and I'll debate with you.
[align=center]Druid Variant: Bestial Wild Shape[/align]
Instead of acquiring an Animal Companion or Domain with Nature Bond; The druid may gain bonuses to Wild Shape.
Lose: Nature Bond Class Feature.
Gain the following.
Bestial Wild Shape
At 1st level you gain the ability to use Wild Shape as Beast Shape 1, in addition your Wild Shape is unlimited. Plant Shape, Elemental Body, and remaining versions of Beast Shape are acquired at their normal levels. Example; Upon reaching level 6 you will acquire the ability to use Beast Shape 2 through your Wild Shape Class Feature in the same fashion as you would use Beast Shape 1.
Vermin Shape
You're also able to take on the shapes of Vermin. Add the following list of Vermin abilities to the appropriate Beast Shape levels.
[u]Beast Shape I[/u]
Malleable, Susceptible to Salt, Water Dependency, Pull (Filament), Luminescence, Flash Burst, Attach, Blood Drain, Poison 1/round for 2 rounds (1d2 Ability Type Damage), cure 1 save.
[u]Beast Shape II[/u]
Lunge, Mandibles, Sudden Strike, Gnaw, Poison 1/round for 4 rounds (1d3 Ability Type Damage), cure 2 consecutive saves.
[u]Beast Shape III[/u]
Poison 1/round for 6 rounds (1d4 Ability Type Damage), cure 3 consecutive saves.
Quickened Shape
At 4th level your Wild Shape ability becomes a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. At 8th level your Wild Shape ability becomes a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Bestial Force
At 6th level your Natural Attacks are considered both magic and silver for purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Becoming Familiar with a Shape (Optional)
To prevent the druid from being able to resolve any issue they could ever encounter by merely changing forms. You may use these rules to limit their power.
To take the shape of a creature you must be familiar with the creatures appearance and behaviours; becoming so requires study of the creature for a total of 24 hours that may not be taken in increments less than 2 hours. Then a knowledge check DC 10 plus the creatures Chalenge Rating is required. Failing the check means you may attempt again after resting. Reduce the research time by half each time you fail the check. You may memorize a total number of shapes equal to half your Druid Level plus your intelligence modifier, minimum one. You may re-memorize these shapes with research.
Example: Leila the Druid has spent three days studying the behaviour and appearance of a squirrel family. She has accumulated at least 24 hours of time studying these animals and is now capable of taking their shape.
If Leila had failed the check she would need to have a full night's rest, and then study for 12 hours. If she again failed the check, it would require another full rest, and 6 hours of study.
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Summary
Bestial Wild Shape Druid Variant
Advantages
* Can use Beast Shape I At Will from 1st level
* Wild Shape is Unlimited.
* Shifting becomes a move and then swift action, at levels 4, and 8.
* Can take on the form of Vermin and gain Vermin Abilities.
* Natural attacks treated as magic and silver for damage reduction at level 6.
Disadvantages
- Lose Nature Bond Class Feature
Super slow board!
The extreme shapeshifting power of this archetypes should come at a greater price than loosing a domain or an animal companion.
At 8th level, you can charge an enemy flying as a hawk, shift as a tiger, pounce him at the end off your charge and grab him. At your next turn, you grab and rake the poor grappled dude, then shift again as a giant mosquitoes to apply blood drain before your turn ends. This kind of combo are very strong, and make our druid both effective and adaptive to any situation. Your shape limitation option help a little bit, but don't resolve the fact that the druid is already a powerfull class, and can now use a quickened version of shapeshifting spell at will at 8th level.
However, a shapeshifting focused druid is a very interesting idea and it should be an option. To balance a little bit your very adaptive druid and the limitless aspect of beast shape, I think diminished spellcasting could be a good idea. It will force him to be more careful with spells per day, since he don't have to limit his shapeshifting.
Since your druid is more bestial that the standard druid, I think you could remove Elemental body and instead add Vermin Shape (as the spell)option in the list of shape the druid can take using wild shape. I personally would allow Vermin Shape I at latter level, since Vermin Shape is generally an higher level spell. The list his short, but I funded it easy to homebrew stronger version of this spell, such this
Vermin Shape III
School transmutation (polymorph);
alchemist 6, druid 5, magus 6, sorcerer/wizard 6, witch 5
DESCRIPTION
This spell functions as vermin shape I, except it also allows you to assume the form of a Diminutive or Huge creature of the vermin type. If the form you assume has any of the following abilities, you gain the listed ability: burrow 60 feet, climb 90 feet, fly 120 feet (excellent maneuverability), swim 90 feet, blindsense 60 feet, darkvision 90 feet, low-light vision, tremorsense 60 feet, pounce, rake, scent, blood drain, constrict, grab, lunge, poison, pull, trample, web, damage reductions, amorphous characteristic and other extraordinary ability possessed by the creature. You don’t gain full immunity to mind-affecting effects, but you do gain a +6 bonus on all saving throws against such effects. If the creature has immunity or resistance to any elements, you gain resistance 20 to those elements. If the creature has vulnerability to an element, you gain that vulnerability.
Diminutive vermin: If you take the form of a diminutive vermin, you gain a +6 size bonus to your Dexterity, a –4 penalty to your Strength, and a +1 natural armor bonus.
Huge vermin: If you take the form of a Huge vermin, you gain a +6 size bonus to your Strength, a –4 penalty to your Dexterity, and a +7 natural armor bonus.
See. I like the fact you tackle the actual issues with this instead of the ones that are not actually issues.
We could remove other class features or nerf some in exchange for the extra power given by the swift shaping.
Though if it's that much of an issue in combat, then I'd rater restrict it to something else, perhaps a move action or even eliminating the quickened shape altogether.
Thus allowing the Druid to operate with the core idea of what this archetype is meant to be.
I will definitely look into the vermin spell stuff though to replace elemental body, which more thematically fits. Though I think it'd be best to keep the elemental body and just use the normal wild shaping. Typically players would keep to their own themes so long as the GM supports it in my opinion. Though I am highly focused on trying to not break things.
I'll post a new version of this later.
Again, you're awesome. Thank you so much. Seriously. You have no idea.
I thought you can't take swift actions during a charge? and once you finish the rake, the full attack is done, meaning no bite with blood drain.
I would clean up the wording a little bit first.
Bestial Wild Shape
At 1st level you gain the ability to use Wild Shape at will. You wild shape lasts an unlimited amount of time. When using wild shape to transform into an animal, treat your effective druid level ability as equal to your Bestial Wild Shape druid level +3.
You definitely need to lose a lot more original druid stuff to justify the increase in shapeshifting power though. We're rapidly approaching a completely new class here, I think. Diminished casting definitely makes sense (perhaps as the new hunter's, having druid spells but only up to level 6 and with accordingly slower progression)
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Interesting!
I did an archetype for The Expanded Shaman from Kobold Press called The Primal Shifter.
The Shaman is essentially a spontaneous-casting. spirit-oriented druid type of class, so the Primal Shifter archetype has a similar feel to what you are going for - you might find some ideas you could adapt.
I would clean up the wording a little bit first.
Bestial Wild Shape
At 1st level you gain the ability to use Wild Shape at will. You wild shape lasts an unlimited amount of time. When using wild shape to transform into an animal, treat your effective druid level ability as equal to your Bestial Wild Shape druid level +3.You definitely need to lose a lot more original druid stuff to justify the increase in shapeshifting power though. We're rapidly approaching a completely new class here, I think. Diminished casting definitely makes sense (perhaps as the new hunter's, having druid spells but only up to level 6 and with accordingly slower progression)
Why would the Wild Shape need to be Druid Level +3? That I do not understand and would in fact make the class more powerful than I have it now.
In addition what powers are you speaking of specifically that make it significantly more power that you'd warrant it requiring a nerf to casting?
Revisions:
Quickened Shape
At 7th level your Wild Shape ability becomes a move action that does provoke attacks of opportunity.
At 8th level your Wild Shape ability becomes a swift action that does provoke attacks of opportunity.
Bestial Wild Shape
At 1st level you gain the ability to use Wild Shape At Will as if you were level 4, except you have no time or use limit.