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I am about to qualify for a skinwalker character boon, and wanted to raise a question that has been of concern to me.
In the base version of the skinwalker, not any of the newer more codified types, it says "a skinwalker gains a +2 racial bonus to either Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution." It also says you choose between the three available types of bonus (claws, darkvision, natural armor.) In my initial reading of that, I took that to mean that you could choose BOTH which type of stat bonus AND which type of other bonus you would choose each time you transformed. Accordingly, I was thinking strongly of a ranger-type character, with a focus on ranged attacks but, if the party composition or situation demanded, the ability to buff strength instead of dex, grow some claws, and make a reasonable melee striker.
Then I read all the various types of skinwalker kin that were released, and saw they had a very defined set of options and had to reconsider.
Rereading it, I still feel like it's not clearly worded; the ability to pick which stat to raise each time would feel like an awesome piece of utility to me, though I would understand the argument that it represents poor balancing. But oh, I would love that flexibility.
Is there any definitive ruling on this? I went looking, but didn't find such. Maybe I'm just the only one reading the rule this way in the first place.
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Change Shape (Su) A skinwalker can change shape to a bestial form as a standard action. In bestial form, a skinwalker gains a +2 racial bonus to his choice of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. While in this form, a skinwalker also takes on an animalistic feature that provides a special effect. Each time a skinwalker assumes bestial form, he can choose to gain two claw attacks that each deal 1d4 points of damage, 60 foot darkvision, or a +1 natural armor bonus. These benefits last until the skinwalker returns to his humanoid form as a swift action. A skinwalker must first return to his humanoid form before changing to bestial form again to change benefits. The skinwalker presented here is currently in bestial form, and has claw attacks and a +2 racial bonus to Strength.
This one is from the Bestiary 5, which was the source I owned as I was reading over the chronicle sheet boon text.
I guess the crux of my question is in the repetition of the reference to choice in reference to stat bonus at the beginning of the text, and again later when listing the three choices for additional effects, and how he has to return to humanoid form before selecting a different one.
ETA: Link: Bestiary 5 Skinwalker Ranger
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Yeah, I think you're beginning to see my confusion.
Based on the source I actually own, I read it as Kigvan does: you choose your bonus stat each time you shift. But I've looked at Blood of the Moon and those skinwalkers function totally differently.
The chronicle sheet itself says:
Beast-Blooded (Tier2): You may play a skinwalker character (Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Moon 7, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 5 233, or Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Races 248), beginning at level 1 as normal. Other than access to this additional race, all character creation rules are the same as those outlined in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide. This Chornicle sheet must be the first Chronicle sheet for the given character, and you must bring a copy of one of the rulebooks listed above to all session in whih this character appears as if access to this race selection were granted by the Additional Resources list.
Given that it says I may use any of the three rulebooks, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't use the version I want: the one in the rulebook I own, which I interpret as having the power to shift to different forms and thus use his bonus differently at his whim. (For the record, I intend to have him be reluctant to display his skinwalker status around most non-Pathfinders, for fear of prejudicial association with lycanthropes, whether such prejudice ever actually materializes or not.)
I am encouraged that no one has immediately told me why I'm wrong!
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Okay so initially I was torn because of these two notions:
Evidence for different forms-
Language similar to the various Druid Shamans that allow you to polymorph into your chosen creature type and gain one of a handful of items each time you shift.
Evidence for single form-
The existence of Blood of the Moon.
But now I'm leaning towards different forms:
These benefits last until the skinwalker returns to his humanoid form as a swift action. A skinwalker must first return to his humanoid form before changing to bestial form again to change benefits.
If your benefits were always set the same, you wouldn't be able to change them.
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These benefits last until the skinwalker returns to his humanoid form as a swift action. A skinwalker must first return to his humanoid form before changing to bestial form again to change benefits.If your benefits were always set the same, you wouldn't be able to change them.
That's a really good point. "These" implies plural benefits, which implies both the racial stat bonus and the additional power.
What I think is the intent is that you can be either one of the many archetypes in Blood of the Moon OR the base skinwalker whose ability I quoted out of Bestiary 5. I figure the base version probably has a somewhat more ambiguous bestial source for his physical alterations than one with a specified form into which they change every time.
Much appreciate the input!