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I have a player with a 6th level shifter with the octopus aspect(a class I wasn't familiar with until now). He used Wild Shape for the first time last session to become a giant octopus, giving him 8 tentacle attacks a round (with grab). I went with it at the time because it was late, but is this right?
Wild Shape:
At 4th level, a shifter gains the ability to turn herself into the major form of one of her aspects and back again. This ability functions as beast shape II, except as noted here. The shifter can turn into the major form of only one of her aspects at a time. Using wild shape to change to a major form or back is a standard action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Often a particular aspect’s major form grants abilities beyond the normal effect of beast shape II. Each major form details the abilities the shifter gains with that major form and at what level; she gains these instead of the form abilities from beast shape II, but she still gains beast shape II abilities that are size dependent.
Beast Shape II:
This spell functions as beast shape I, except that it also allows you to assume the form of a Tiny or Large creature of the animal type. If the form you assume has any of the following abilities, you gain the listed ability: climb 60 feet, fly 60 feet (good maneuverability), swim 60 feet, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent, grab, pounce, and trip.
Large animal: If the form you take is that of a Large animal, you gain a +4 size bonus to your Strength, a -2 penalty to your Dexterity, and a +4 natural armor bonus.
I can see where he's going from one to the other, but it seems to me, the wording about major form of the aspect takes precedent over the spell description. According to that, he would be limited to a regular octopus. Can someone please double-check my reasoning on this? Thank you in advance.
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There are archetypes that give you the real version of wildshape on the shifter, but the baseline shifter gets a poor version of wildshape. Octopus major form is the octopus, not the giant octopus, it's small and gains only the attacks mentioned in major form description.
That said, if he's an adaptive shifter, which he should be, then he gets real wildshape and can turn into a giant octopus. He could also do this as a style shifter, and maybe one or two others.
Since he clearly wants to be a giant octopus, recommend he change to an adaptive shifter if he isn't one already.
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A Shifter is not allowed to become a giant octopus. A shifter's Wild Shape works fundamentally different from a Druid's, or the Beast Shape spell. Shifter's don't pick a creature, they only gain the ability to "the ability to turn [them]self into the major form of one of [their] aspects". A Shifter doesn't look at a creature's stat block and transfer all abilities listed in the spell description, they get exactly what the aspect description states, plus the size related things. Nothing more, nothing less. Important here is that while the polymorph rules say "you gain any of the natural attacks of the base creature", for a Shifter, there is no base creature.
Here's what a Shifter using Wild Shape with the octopus aspect gets:
Small size*, +2 Dex, +1 natural armor, the aquatic subtype, a swim speed of 30 feet, low-light vision, a bite attack (1d3), a tentacles attack (no damage) with the grab ability, and Multiattack as a bonus feat. That's it. They follow the polymorph rules regarding loss of "all extraordinary and supernatural abilities that depend on your original form (...), as well as any natural attacks and movement types possessed by your original form", and the melding of equipment.
So, the character whould have only two natural weapons (one of which deals no damage), can't move on land, and can't breathe air.
*) Presumably - the ascpect description should include that, but the aspects form Wilderness Origin aren't well edited. Small size comes with the usual bonuses and penalties.
As ErichAD said, if the player wants to turn into a Giant Octopus, they ened either Adaptive Shifter or Style Shifter.
I see now that he IS an Adaptive Shifter. I'm running an AP for a group of experienced PFS players and, like I said, I'm unfamiliar with Shifters. I had told them I was ok with anything PFS Legal when we started, so....There goes the AP. Oh, well. Thank you, everyone.
Throw a few more enemies on the field, and spread them out a little bit. You'll be fine.
Use/summon Fire Elementals. Throw some Warpriests and/or Divine Tracker Rangers with the Liberation Blessing at Mr Shifter. Things with Armor Spikes and/or Bladed Scarves. There are literally a billion ways to make it unpleasant for the octopus to try hug you. Use your imagination.