Hey all,so I have never tried this before, but I kind of wanted an archetype mimicing the idea of master of many forms from older D&D ideas. I have seen a few other archetypes on here doing something similar, but I didn't want to give up spell casting for the capability, so I looked to limit the more extraordinary wildshapes in another way. Looking to potentially use this in an upcoming campaign in about a year or so.
Wild Heart
A Wild Heart is an ancient path of druids who saw their role as emissaries between their tribes and the beings of the greater world. While most druids divide their focus between their bonds to external aspects of nature and to mimicking that varied nature in themselves, a Wild Heart druid is drawn solely to showing nature’s power and majesty through their own bodies. These druids often feel more comfortable interacting with non-humanoids even more so than other druids and so they were often the representative from their tribe or grove to other intelligent races.
Archetype advances as Druid with 4 exceptions.
1. Class Skills – Wild Hearts prefer where possible to take the form of the beings that they interact with which often precludes riding and often will need to interact with other intelligent races as they make pacts and treaties. They therefore lose Ride as a class skill and gain Diplomacy.
2. Wild Empathy – in addition to the typical use, a Wild Heart, through a greater understanding of the beings with whom they are interacting may add half of their level to interactions with intelligent beings, whose form they have already taken. This is specific by species and so taking the form of a silver dragon for instance will not help a Wild Heart to understand brass dragons or any other similar form, but turning in to a medium silver dragon will grant the bonus when interacting with an ancient silver dragon.
3. Nature’s Bond – as the Druid expresses their bond to nature through their Wild shape feature they do not gain any other benefits. They do not gain a companion or a domain and this archetype is considered mutually exclusive with any other archetype that affects Nature’s Bond.
4. Wild shape – Except where noted a Wild Heart’s use of Wild shape functions as any other druid, including the restriction on being familiar with the creature they are changing into. When Wild shape is used to take the form of an intelligent being (Monstrous Humanoids, Magical Beasts, Giants, and Dragons) at least 2 uses of Wild shape are utilized instead of 1. An additional use of Wild shape is utilized for each step a druid’s alignment differs from the typical representative of the race on the druid’s non-neutral alignment axis. (i.e. a lawful neutral druid would only use up 2 uses of Wild Shape to turn into a gold dragon as they are typically lawful good or a blue dragon as they are typically lawful evil, but would have to use 4 uses to turn into a brass dragon as they are typically chaotic good or a red dragon at they are typically chaotic evil. 2 uses for being a dragon and 2 uses for the 2 steps from lawful to chaotic.)
a. Level 2 - A Wild Heart druid is considered to gain the Wild shape ability at level 2. They cannot at this time take any specific forms and can only use their hours of Wild shape as the spell Monkeyfish, with the exception that armor will not prevent its use. Medium and even heavy armor that the druid may wear without violating their prohibition will bind itself to the druid’s form for the duration of the Wild shape, nearly like an exoskeleton. This means that the druid may not remove their armor for the duration of this use of Wild shape, but does not offer any other benefit or restriction. Medium and Heavy loads apart from armor still prevent effective use of the climb and swim speeds granted. Loads may be put down at any time throughout the duration of this Wild shape to utilize its effects. While this ability does not yet allow the transformation to other shapes, it does qualify a character for any feats that have Wild shape as a prerequisite though not any additional prerequisites such as level. This additional use of Wild shape is also added to the druids total with the expected additional use added every 2 levels. (a total of 9 uses at 18th level)
b. Level 4 – The Druid is now able to use Wild shape to take the forms of Small / Medium animals, as well as Small / Medium vermin. Wild shape may now function as Beast Shape I and Vermin Shape I.
c. Level 6 – The druid now adds Tiny / Large animals, Tiny / Large Vermin, and Small elementals. Wild Shape may now function as Beast Shape II, Vermin Shape II, and Elemental Body I.
d. Level 8 – The druid now adds Diminutive / Huge animals, Small / Medium magical Beasts, Medium elementals, Small plant creatures to their list of Wild Shape forms. Wild shape may now functions as Beast Shape III, Elemental Body II, Plant Shape I,
e. Level 10 – The druid now adds Tiny / Large Magical Beasts, Large Elementals, Large Plant Creatures, and Small / Medium Monstrous Humanoids to their Wild shape forms. Wild shape may now functions as Beast Shape IV, Elemental Body III, Plant Shape II, and Monstrous Physique I.
f. Level 12 – The druid now adds Huge Elementals, Huge Plant Creatures, Tiny / Large Monstrous Humanoids, and Medium Dragons to their Wild shape forms. Wild shape now can function as Elemental Body IV, Plant Shape III, Monstrous Physique I, and Form of the Dragon I
g. Level 14 – The Druid now adds Diminutive / Huge Monstrous Humanoids, Large Dragons, and Large Giants to the Wild shape forms. Wild shape now adds Monstrous Physique III, Form of the Dragon II, and Giant Form I.
h. Level 16 – The Druid now adds Huge Dragons and Huge Giants to the Wild shape forms. Wild shape now functions as Monstrous Physique IV, Form of the Dragon III, and Giant Form II.
i. Level 18 – The druid is now capable of utilizing their A Thousand Faces ability when Wild shaping. This allows them to impersonate a specific being whose species form they can assume through the use of Wild shape (i.e. a specific dog’s form could be taken, but not that of a specific great wyrm golden dragon as they are colossal, which prevents Wildshape from being able to be utilized to transform into them).
Thoughts, balance issues, any means for improving?
Possibly thinking of adding beast / plant speech as an ability when Wildshaped into that form, but not sure what to trade out for that.
I'm sensing that you are a fan of the writing style in Gary's 1st edition rule books.
Never read any first or second edition, so nope. This is just how I think.
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Well, editing would help if you want feedback.
When writing an archetype, you get to assume that everything works as normal except for the stated changes. That saves text.
Class Skills – A Wild Heart gains Diplomacy as a class skill instead of Ride.
Shapeshifter's Empathy – In addition to the usual ability to communicate with animals, a Wild Heart gains a greater understanding intelligent beings by taking their forms. The Wild Heart adds half of their level to interactions with intelligent beings of a species whose form they have already taken. This ability modifies Wild Empathy.
Bondless – the Wild Heart does not receive the Nature Bond ability.
Wild Shape A Wild Heart druid gains the Wild shape ability at level 2, and gains an additional use of wild shape every 2 levels (maximum 9 at level 18).
In addition, a Wild Heart can use Wild Shape to take the form of a wider variety of creatures. A Wild Heart must spend 2 uses of Wild Shape to take the form of an intelligent being. The Wild Heart druid adds the following options to their Wild Shape at the indicated levels:
Level 4 – Vermin Shape I.
Level 6 – Vermin Shape II
Level 8 – Beast Shape III (including magical beasts)
Level 10 – Beast Shape IV (including magical beasts) and Monstrous Physique I
Level 12 – Monstrous Physique I and Form of the Dragon I
Level 14 – Monstrous Physique III, Form of the Dragon II, and Giant Form I.
Level 16 – Monstrous Physique IV, Form of the Dragon III, and Giant Form II
In addition, at Level 18 a Wild Heart can use Wild Shape to impersonate a specific individual rather than turning into a generic representative of a species.
This modifies Wild Shape.
The power curve is definitely off here. You're losing the most at early levels, when an animal companion or extra spell a day and a minor ability is a pretty big deal. But you're gaining tons in the late game when you have extra uses of Wild Shape to burn and stop getting access to new wild shape forms.
Well, editing would help if you want feedback.
When writing an archetype, you get to assume that everything works as normal except for the stated changes. That saves text.
...Class Skills – A Wild Heart gains Diplomacy as a class skill instead of Ride.
Shapeshifter's Empathy – In addition to the usual ability to communicate with animals, a Wild Heart gains a greater understanding intelligent beings by taking their forms. The Wild Heart adds half of their level to interactions with intelligent beings of a species whose form they have already taken. This ability modifies Wild Empathy.
Bondless – the Wild Heart does not receive the Nature Bond ability.
Wild Shape A Wild Heart druid gains the Wild shape ability at level 2, and gains an additional use of wild shape every 2 levels (maximum 9 at level 18).
In addition, a Wild Heart can use Wild Shape to take the form of a wider variety of creatures. A Wild Heart must spend 2 uses of Wild Shape to take the form of an intelligent being.
Thanks for the tips. Like I said, first time doing this.
1. so should I be dropping a second skill for diplomacy, or doesn't alter too much?2. Yeah I meant social skills only, and will do on limiting it to the current form.
3. Fair on the description, but I don't think that I would allow an attack as an option. I thought of it more as a means of reaching other beings to interact with.
4. The alignment restriction is clunky, but wanted to simultaneously demonstrate the wider gap that has to be breached and use up more of the wildshapes as a limitation.
5. What would you adjust to staunch the power curb at the end? The limitation at the beginning was intentional.
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1. Nah, in the big picture I don't think it affects balance. Just pointing it out.
3. Sure, you don't have to include natural attacks. Just specify that the druid can gain a swim speed or climb speed. Maybe add low-light vision or scent as well?
4. When you say "the wider gap that has to be breached," you mean that in order to change forms the druid has to take on the mindset of the new form?
A simpler way to do make the alignment gap relevant would be to either apply a penalty for each step of difference between the druid's alignment and their target or to apply a penalty for forms with an alignment component opposite yours. However, there are two problems with this, one thematic and one mechanical.
Thematically, the suggested alignments for creatures may be very loose suggestions. Your rules would mean that a LN half-elf would have a harder time adopting the mindset of an elf (typically CG) than a dwarf (typically LG). That's odd. It's a bit less of a problem if you make monsters more firmly-aligned than humanoids, but there are also many components of mindset that are not well represented by alignment, including value for nature, knowledge, or the material world.
Mechanically, it tempts players to game the system either by playing TN or, if you use the "steps" option, by finding the alignment that's closest to most of the "best" forms (people do this with the alignment-based Sacred Summons ability already). It's hard to balance costs when those costs might be dramatically different depending on a character's alignment and how that matches current Bestiary offerings.
5. Well, you'll either need to limit spellcasting or add a limitation to the extra wild shape forms that stays significant at higher levels. Maybe even both, to make it balanced - if they get full access to the normal forms plus extra worthwhile options it's going to be a power boost even if the new options are heavily limited.
Limiting duration might work, but you'd have to curb it pretty steeply to make an impact - like to a minute a level - and it would still have a bigger effect at low levels.
Personally I'd probably limit spellcasting while in one of the new forms. Reduce the druid's caster level by 2 and prevent them from using casting their most powerful level of spells (though they could prepare lower-level spells in those slots). Getting access to less power in those forms would more or less balance out the better abilities conveyed by the forms themselves, and thematically you could justify it as the new forms being a little more distant from the natural source of the druid's power.
I'm also not a super fan of designing a class to be painful to play for the first 4-6 levels. Quadratic wizards is a bug, not a feature.