I'm building a Nimble Guardian to which this question specifically pertains, but it also touches on a much broader question of how some of these polymorph effects work.
Nimble Guardian grants Beast Form II at 7th level and Beast Form III at 9th level, but stipulates that you can only use those abilities to take the form of a cat. Well, to the best of my knowledge there are no Huge cats, so...
Once you qualify for Beast Form III, can you choose a 'lesser' sized option, like a Large Dire Tiger? If you do, do you gain the full benefits of III, such as the +6 to Strength and the additional abilities like Rake? Do you only gain the abilities but not the Huge size or the attributes that go with it?
I'm very confused about how it all works together when you've got limited options - II doesn't allow me to take Rake even though the Dire Tiger has it, and III allows me to have Rake but doesn't appear to allow me to choose a Dire Tiger. How do these effects stack, or do they, and why would Nimble Guardian specifically grant you an ability and then specifically add a stipulation that prevents you from using it?
For reference:
Guardian Feline: At 7th level, a nimble guardian can transform himself into a feline creature by spending 2 ki points. The effect lasts for 1 hour or until the nimble guardian changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The chosen form must be some form of feline (cheetah, lion, etc.). This ability is otherwise identical to beast shape II. At 9th level, this ability functions as beast shape III.
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This spell functions as beast shape II, except that it also allows you to assume the form of a Diminutive or Huge creature of the animal type.
"Also allows you to assume the form" means "In addition to the previous forms" so you can use Beast Shape III to turn into a large creature.
If the form you assume has any of the following abilities, you gain the listed ability
This is not dependent on the size of what you turn into.
Huge animal: If the form you take is that of a Huge animal, you gain a +6 size bonus to your Strength, a -4 penalty to your Dexterity, and a +6 natural armor bonus.
This only applies if the form is a large animal.
If you use Beast Shape III to turn into a Large creature, you get the special abilities appropriate to the higher-level spell, but not the ability or natural armour adjustments appropriate to the Huge size.
So you can use Beast Shape III to turn into a Dire Tiger with rake, gaining +4 to Strength instead of +6.
Thanks for clearing that up. Make sense when explained that way.
Is there any such thing as a Huge-sized cat?