Shifter“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” 
Shifters are druids that are capable of turning into animals. They are also skilled at summoning animals to help them and at healing themselves and their allies. As a shifter gains power, he is able to turn into increasingly larger animals, and he also takes on animal-like traits in his natural form. His sense of smell becomes so acute that nothing goes by unnoticed.
The Shifter Hit Die: d8Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
Save Save Save
1 +0 +2 +2 +0 Spells, speak with animals, shapeshift, Druidic
2 +1 +3 +3 +0 Shapeshift (tiny form), low light vision
3 +2 +3 +3 +1 Augment Summoning, track
4 +3 +4 +4 +1 Shapeshift (2 combat abilities)
5 +3 +4 +4 +1 Shapeshift (flying form), scent
6 +4 +5 +5 +2 Shapeshift (large form, diminutive form)
7 +5 +5 +5 +2 Improved natural attack
8 +6/+1 +6 +6 +2 Shapeshift (3 combat abilities)
9 +6/+1 +6 +6 +3 Rejuvenative shifting, improved scent
10 +7/+2 +7 +7 +3 Shapeshift (huge form, fine form)
11 +8/+3 +7 +7 +3 Restorative shifting, improved critical
12 +9/+4 +8 +8 +4 Shapeshift (4 combat abilities)
13 +9/+4 +8 +8 +4 Greater scent
14 +10/+5 +9 +9 +4 Shapeshift (gargantuan form)
15 +11/+6/+1 +9 +9 +5 Healing shifting, greater critical
16 +12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +5 Shapeshift (5 combat abilities)
17 +12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +5 Regeneration
18 +13/+8/+3 +11 +11 +6 Shapeshift (colossal form)
19 +14/+9/+4 +11 +11 +6 Sharp claws
20 +15/+10/+5 +12 +12 +6 Spirit of nature, shapeshift (6 combat abilities)
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, x4 at 1st level): Climb, Concentration, Craft, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Nature), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim.
Class FeaturesYour class features focus on advancing your animalistic powers.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shifters are proficient with simple weapons, and all martial bows, the bolas, kukri, net, and whip, as well as light and medium armor, and shields (but not tower shields).
Spells: A shifter casts divine spells which are drawn from the spell list below. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To cast a spell of a given level, the shifter must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a shifter’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the shifter’s Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a shifter can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is identical to a sorcerer of equal level. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Wisdom score. All spells on his spell list are considered spells known, if he is a high enough level to cast them.
Speak with Animals (Ex): A shifter can talk with animals as though continuously under the effects of a Speak with Animals spell.
Druidic (Ex): A shifter learns Druidic as a bonus language.
Shapeshift (Su): A shifter may take on the form of an animal as a swift action. The shifter’s type changes to Animal (do not recalculate base attack bonus, hit points, skills, or saving throws), and he gains low light vision. He loses any special senses granted by his race (such as darkvision for a dwarf or the ability to automatically detect secret doors as an elf). While shifted, the shifter cannot cast spells or activate command word items.
All of the shifter’s gear melds with his new form. If the new form has hands capable of grasping items, any items held at the time of shifting remain in the shifter’s hands. The shifter loses any armor and shield bonuses to AC from any items melded into his new form, although any enhancement bonus to his armor or shield bonus to AC is still applied to his AC (as an armor or shield bonus). Any continually functioning effects of melded items continue to function, but items which require activation cannot be used while melded. If the new form has hands capable of grasping items, any held items may be used as normal.
The shifter may shift to a new form or back to his normal form as a swift action. When shifting back to his normal form, all of his melded gear reappears on him as normal.
At first, a shifter is limited to small and medium sized animals, although as he gains levels, he is able to turn into animals of different sizes. When assuming a form, the shifter gains an enhancement bonus to his Strength or Dexterity score and a natural armor bonus to his armor class based on the size of his new form. He may also gain a penalty to his Strength or Dexterity score. This penalty cannot reduce his score below 1. He gains either a bite attack (which adds one-and-a-half time his Strength modifier to damage) or two claw attacks (each adding his Strength modifier to damage). He may pick one combat ability and one non-combat ability. As he gains levels, he may pick additional abilities. A tiny or smaller form may use its Dexterity modifier in place of its Strength modifier for Climb, Jump, and Swim checks.
The shifter may choose a land form, aquatic form, or flying form. The land form has a base land speed indicated in the speed column of the table below. An aquatic form has the aquatic subtype, a swim speed equal to the base land speed, and typically no land speed (the DM may allow certain forms like an octopus to have a land speed equal to half the swim speed). A flying form has a fly speed equal to the base speed + 10 feet and a land speed equal to half the base amount. Small and smaller fliers have good maneuverability. Medium and large fliers have average maneuverability. Huge and larger fliers have poor maneuverability. The shifter may not assume a flying form until 5th level, and he must assume a size at least one smaller than the largest size he can assume.
The shifter is able to turn into dire and legendary versions of animals by assuming a form larger than a normal version of the animal. For example, shifter that is able to turn into a large animal could shapeshift into a normal tiger (a large animal), a wolf (a medium animal), or even a dire wolf (by turning into a large wolf). As the shifter gains levels, he could turn into a huge, gargantuan, and eventually even a colossal wolf. Simply apply the modifiers based on the appropriate size and pick abilities appropriate to the animal form. The shifter is not able to shift into versions of the animal smaller than the base animal. Thus, the shifter could not turn into a small wolf, but he could turn into a small dog.
Size Str Dex Natural Space/ Bite/Claw Speed
AC bonus Reach damage
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Fine -6 +10 +0 ½’/0’ 1/1 10’
Diminutive -4 +8 +0 1’/0’ 1d2/1 20’
Tiny -2 +6 +2 2 ½’/0’ 1d3/1d2 20’
Small -0 +4 +4 5’/5’ 1d4/1d3 30’
Medium +4 +0 +4 5’/5’ 1d6/1d4 40’
Large +8 -2 +8 10’/5’ 1d8/1d6 40’
Huge +12 -4 +12 15’/10’ 2d6/1d8 40’
Gargantuan +16 -4 +16 20’/15’ 3d6/2d6 40’
Colossal +20 -4 +20 30’/20’ 4d6/3d6 40’
Combat Abilities:Ability Sample forms
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Attach Weasel
Constrict Octopus, snake
Ferocity Boar
Full Attack Badger, bear, leopard, lion, tiger, wolverine
Improved Grab Bear, crocodile, leopard, lion, octopus, snake, tiger
Poison Snake
Pounce Leopard, lion, tiger
Powerful Charge Rhinoceros
Rage Badger, wolverine
Rake Leopard, lion, tiger
Reach (tall) Ape
Speed Boost Cheetah, dog, eagle, hawk, horse, hyena, porpoise, shark, squid, wolf
Sprint Cheetah
Trample Elephant
Trip Cheetah, dog, hyena, wolf
Note: You may reduce your base land speed by 10 feet (to a minimum speed of 5 feet) for an extra combat ability.
- Attach – If you hit with a bite attack, you use your powerful jaws to latch onto the opponent’s body and automatically deals bite damage each round you remains attached. You lose its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while attached. During this time, you can be struck with a weapon or grappled. You must be pinned during a grapple to be removed while attached.
- Constrict – On a successful grapple check, you deal damage equal to your bite attack (+ one-and-a-half times your strength modifier).
- Ferocity – You may fight while disabled or dying without penalty.
- Full Attack – You gain two claw attacks as primary natural attacks (each adding your Strength modifier to damage) and a bite attack as a secondary natural attack (adding half your strength modifier to damage).
- Improved Grab – To use this ability, you must hit with your bite attack (or claw attack as a bear or arm or tentacle attack as an octopus or squid). You can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
- Poison – You have a poisonous bite that deals initial and secondary Constitution damage. The amount of damage dealt is based on your level. The DC is 10 + ½ your Hit Dice + your Constitution modifier.
Level Con Damage
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1-2 1d2
3-4 1d3
5-6 1d4
7-8 1d6
9-10 1d8
11-12 1d10
13-14 2d6
15-16 2d8
17-20 3d6
- Pounce – If you charge a foe, you can make a full attack, including any rake attacks you might have.
- Powerful Charge – You have a gore attack instead of a bite attack, and deal double gore damage on a charge.
- Rage – If you take damage in combat, you fly into a berserk rage on your next turn, gaining a +4 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and a -2 penalty to Armor Class. The rage lasts until either the opponent who damage you is dead or until you shift to a new form.
- Rake – You gain two rake attacks that deal the same damage as a claw attack, but only adding half your Strength modifier. These rake attacks may be used as extra attacks while grappling, or as part of a charge attack if you have pounce. In order to take this ability, you must have claw attacks.
- Reach (tall) – You have the reach of a tall creature of your size instead of a long creature.
- Speed Boost – Your base land speed increases by 10 feet or your swim speed by 20 feet. You can take this ability two times.
- Sprint – Once per hour, you can move ten times its normal speed when you make a charge.
- Trample– You gain the trample ability, dealing damage equal to your bite or gore attack. A successful Reflex save halves the damage. The DC is Strength-based.
- Trip – If you hit with a bite attack, you can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip you.
- Extra non-combat Ability – You gain an extra non-combat ability.
Non-combat Abilities:Ability Sample forms
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Blindsense Bat
Blindsense (underwater) Porpoise, whale
Blindsight (underwater) Shark
Hold Breath Crocodile, porpoise, whale
Ink Cloud & Jet Octopus, squid
Scent Wolf
Skill Boost Balance (cat, donkey, lion, lizard, rat, tiger), Climb (ape, cat, lizard, rat, wolverine),
Escape Artist (badger), Hide (cat, hyena, lion, octopus, rat, tiger, toad), Jump (cat, dog),
Listen (owl), Move Silently (cat, lion, owl, rat, tiger), Spot (eagle, hawk), Survival (dog,
wolf), Swim (bear, rat)
Usable hands Ape, monkey
- Blindsense – You notice and locate any creature within 30 feet of you. The creatures still have concealment.
- Blindsense (underwater) – While underwater, you can notice and locate any creature within 30 feet of you. The creatures still have concealment. You can locate creatures underwater by scent in a 180-foot radius and can detect the scent of blood in the water for up to a mile.
- Blindsight (underwater) – you can “see” up to 120 feet underwater by emitting a high frequency sound. This ability is negated by the Silence spell.
- Hold Breath – you can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to 6 × your Constitution score before you risk drowning.
- Ink Could – While underwater, once per minute, you may emit a cloud of ink as a free action. The cloud occupies as much space as a creature two sizes larger than you and obscures all vision. As a full round action, you may jet backward at a speed of up to four times your swim speed. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
- Scent – You gain the scent ability.
- Skill Boost – Choose one skill from the following list: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival, or Swim. You gain a +4 racial bonus to checks with that skill. This bonus increases by +4 at 5th level and every five levels thereafter. If the bonus is taken on Climb, you may take 10 on your Climb checks, even when distracted. This ability may be taken more than once. Each time it is taken, the bonus applies to another skill.
- Usable Hands – You are able to grasp and use objects in your hands.
Examples: A first level shifter turns into a wolf and gains the modifiers of a medium-sized animal. He picks trip for his combat ability and scent for his non-combat ability.
At sixth level, he is able to turn into a large animal, and chooses to be a dire wolf. He gains the modifiers of a large animal. He picks trip and speed boost for his two combat abilities and a skill boost to survival (he already has scent as a class feature at level 5, so taking it again would be redundant).
At sixth level, he later decides to turn into a tiger. Again, he gains the modifiers of a large animal and picks pounce and rake as his combat abilities and a skill boost to balance. Later, he decides he wants to focus on grappling in stead of charging, and changes into a tiger again, but this time picks improved grab and full attack as his combat abilities.
Low Light Vision (Ex): At 2nd level the shifter gains the visual acuity of an animal, granting her low light vision. If she already has low light vision as a racial feature, she is instead able to see three times the distance in dimly lit areas instead of double the normal distance.
Augment Summoning (Ex): At 3rd level, the shifter giants Augment Summoning as a bonus feat, even if she does not meet the prerequisites.
Track (Ex): At 3rd level, the shifter giants Track as a bonus feat.
Scent (Ex): At 5th level, the shifter gains the scent ability. He retains this ability even if he shapeshifts into another form.
Improved Natural Attack (Ex): At level 7th level the shifter gains the effect of the Improved Natural Attack feat on all of her natural attacks.
Rejuvenative Shifting (Su): At 9th level, when the shifter heals when shapeshifting into an animal form while below half his maximum hit points. He heals an amount of hit points equal to his Constitution bonus (minimum of 1) multiplied by his class level. This healing cannot heal him above half his maximum hit points. This is a free action that can be used once per round (when the above criteria are met).
Improved Scent (Ex): At 9th level, the range on the shifter’s scent doubles. He is able to pinpoint the location of creatures within ten feet of him. This ability is retained when shapeshifted as an animal.
Restorative Shifting (Su): At 11th level, once per hour, the shifter may gain the benefits of a Restoration spell when shapeshifting into an animal as a free action. This does not use any of his spell slots.
Improved Critical (Ex): At 11th level, the shifter gains the benefits of the Improved Critical feat with any natural attack he makes.
Greater Scent (Ex): At 13th level, the range of the shifter’s scent triples from the base range, and he can pinpoint any creature within 30 feet of himself. In addition, his scent is capable of piercing olfactory illusions. He automatically detects any illusion that creates, disguises, or hides a scent.
Healing Shifting (Su): At 15th level, once per hour, the shifter may gain the benefits of a Heal spell when shapeshifting into an animal as a free action. This does not use any of his spell slots.
Greater Critical (Ex): At 15th level, critical hits from a shifter’s natural attacks deal three times the normal damage instead of double damage.
Regeneration (Ex): At 17th level, the shifter gains regeneration 5. Fire and acid deal lethal damage to him. Lost limbs do not regrow, but will instantly reattach when held to the stump. The shifter does not regenerate if his head is severed.
Sharp Claws (Ex): At 19th level, the shifter may sever a random limb from an opponent the same size or smaller than him if he successfully deals damage with a critical hit. The attack must be a natural attack that deals slashing damage. Unless unusual circumstances dictate otherwise, each limb has an equal chance of being affected. Treat the head as a limb for purposes of this ability.
Spirit of Nature (Su): At 20th level, if the shifter is reduced to less than zero hit points and incapacitated, but not dead (this would be prevented by the ferocity ability when shapeshifted), the shifter’s spirit lingers in the area. The shifter’s spirit appears as he did at the time he was incapacitated, but is translucent and incorporeal. He has a fly speed equal to his base land speed, but must remain within Medium Range (100 feet + 10 feet / level) of his body. During this time, he is free to cast spells as normal, although his spells only have a 50% chance of affecting corporeal targets.
The spirit has a number of hit points equal to the shifter’s maximum hit points and an Armor Class equal to his touch AC. It may also be turned as an undead creature. If the sprit is killed or otherwise destroyed, the shifter dies and stops regenerating. If the sprit is turned, banished, or somehow forced outside of Medium Range from the shifter’s body, the spirit returns to the shifter’s body and this effect ends. If the shifter’s body is killed, this effect also ends.
If at any point he is raised to zero or more hit points, his spirit immediately returns to his body, and this affect ends.
Shifter Spell List Level 0:Create Water
Cure Minor Wounds
Detect Magic
Detect Poison
Guidance
Know Direction
Purify Food and Drink
Read Magic
Resistance
Virtue
Level 1:Calm Animals
Charm Animal
Cure Light Wounds
Detect Animals or Plants
Hide from Animals
Jump
Longstrider
Magic Fang
Speak with Animals
Summon Nature’s Ally I
*Vigor, Lesser
SCLevel 2:Align Fang
SCAnimal Messenger
Animal Trance
Bear’s Endurance
Bull’s Strength
Cat’s Grace
Delay Poison
Hold Animal
Owl’s Wisdom
Reduce Animal
Restoration, Lesser
Spider Climb
Summon Nature’s Ally II
*Summon Swarm
Level 3:Align Fang, Mass
SC Contagion
Cure Moderate Wounds
Dominate Animal
Lion’s Charge
SCMagic Fang, Greater
Neutralize Poison
Poison
Quillfire
SCRemove Disease
Summon Nature’s Ally III
*Vigor
SCVigor, Mass Lesser
SCLevel 4:Cure Serious Wounds
Death Ward
Dispel Magic
Freedom of Movement
Giant Vermin
Magic Fang, Superior
SCReincarnate
Repel Vermin
Starvation
SCSummon Nature’s Ally IV
*Level 5:Animal Growth
Atonement
Awaken
*Baleful Polymorph
Commune with Nature
Contagion, Mass
SCCure Critical Wounds
Hallow
Insect Plague
Panacea
SCQuill Blast
SC Summon Nature’s Ally V
*Unhallow
Vigor, Greater
SCLevel 6:Antilife Shell
Bear’s Endurance, Mass
Bull’s Strength, Mass
Cat’s Grace, Mass
Cure Light Wounds, Mass
Dispel Magic, Greater
Find the Path
Owl’s Wisdom, Mass
Summon Nature’s Ally VI
*Level 7:Aura of Vitality
SC Creeping Doom
Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass
Heal
Summon Nature’s Ally VII
*True Seeing
Level 8:Animal Shapes
Cure Serious Wounds, Mass
Finger of Death
Phantom Wolf
SCRegenerate
Summon Nature’s Ally VIII
*Word of Recall
Level 9:Antipathy
Cure Critical Wounds, Mass
Death ward, Mass
SCForesight
Nature’s Avatar
SCPhantom Bear
SCShapechange
Summon Nature’s Ally IX
*Sympathy
*Animals and magical beasts only
