Shifter

Whether riding on the wind as a falcon or hiding in some fetid bog waiting to strike, the shifter is a true master of the wild. Both a devoted defender of druidic circles and a fierce predator, the shifter can take on the forms of nature and even fuse them together with devastating effect and unbridled savagery. By way of the druidic discipline of wild shape, they become living aspects of the wild. At first, they are able to assume only a minor aspect, but with time and practice they can fully transform into ever more powerful forms.
The shifter class offers players a way to experience a shapeshifting character that is more martially inclined than a spellcasting druid. With each new level, the shifter’s powers grow in new and surprising ways, creating a character that thrives in battle, exploration, and stealth.
Shifters are protectors of druidic circles and avengers of nature, yet a shifter’s magic is different from that of their druidic kin. Rather than invoking spells from the natural world or forging alliances with animals, shifters focus their supernatural powers inward to gain control over their own forms. Their ability to change their forms is as varied as the wonders of the wilds themselves but always remains at least partially rooted in the natural world. There are many paths to becoming a shifter; most are trained in that role by druidic circles and have their powers unlocked via rituals of initiation. Yet some stumble upon the gift naturally, as if their blood bore the secrets of shifter transformation.
For those leaning toward the causes of law and good, the path of the shifter is one of contemplation and understanding. They become one with nature through mental and physical mimicry and gain an ever deeper spiritual understanding of the ebb and flow of the natural world. Those leaning toward the chaotic and evil teachings of druidic philosophy find such enlightenment through more violent means. These are typically quicker transformations, both brutal and painful, imparting the dark lessons of nature through its most catastrophic forms. Shifters who lean toward true neutrality are the most diverse when it comes to their command of metamorphic secrets.
The shifter is so attuned to nature and the wild beasts of the world that they can call upon those powers to mystically fortify their being. Fluid in form and function, they can shape themselves to overcome hardships and support those they befriend or serve.

Alignment

Any neutral.

Hit Dice

1d10

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor and medium armor. Shifters are prohibited from wearing metal armor. A shifter can wear wooden armor that has been altered by the Ironwood spell so that it functions as if it were steel. Shifters are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only those crafted from wood.
• Weapons: Club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, scythe, sickle, shortspear, sling, and spear. A shifter is also proficient with the natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) from the shifter claws class feature and of forms they assume with wild shape.
• Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
• Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are features of the shifter class.

Bonus Languages

A shifter’s bonus language options include Sylvan, the language of woodland creatures, and Aklo, the tongue spoken by certain sinister Fey or otherworldly denizens of reaches of the wild rarely explored by humanity. These choices are in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of their race.
A shifter speaks Druidic, a secret language known only to druids and shifters, which they learn upon becoming a 1st-level shifter. Druidic is a free language for a shifter; that is, they know it in addition to their regular allotment of languages, and it doesn’t take up a language slot. Shifters are forbidden to teach this language to non-druids or non-shifters.
For the purposes of teaching and learning the Druidic language, shifters are considered to be druids—the nuances of the language are instrumental in teaching characters of both classes to use and control their abilities. While the rare druidic circle might bar shifters from its order, and while some eccentric shifters may view druids as competitors or even enemies, all shifters are assumed to speak it.

Shifter Aspect (Su)

At 1st level, a shifter gains their first aspect—a category of animal to which their body and soul have become supernaturally attuned. They can shift into their aspect’s minor form (see Aspects) for a number of minutes per day equal to 3 + their shifter level. The duration need not be consecutive but must be spent in 1-minute increments. Shifting into a minor form is a Swift Action, while ending the effect is a Free Action that can be taken only on the shifter’s turn. Until a shifter reaches 9th level and gains the chimeric aspect class feature, they can assume only one minor form at a time. Shifting to a new aspect (or aspects, in the case of chimeric aspects or greater chimeric aspects) ends all minor forms currently manifested. The minor forms of aspects are not polymorph effects, and the shifter does not lose the benefits of a minor form while affected by polymorph effects.
As the shifter gains levels, they gain more aspects; they gain their second aspect at 5th level, a third aspect at 10th level, and a fourth at 15th level.

Shifter Claws (Su)

At will, a shifter in their natural form can extend their claws as a Swift Action to use as a weapon. This magical transformation is fueled as much by the shifter’s faith in the natural world as it is by inborn talent. The claws on each hand can be used as a primary natural attack, dealing 1d4 points of piercing and slashing damage (1d3 if they are Small). If they use one of their claw attacks in concert with a weapon held in the other hand, the claw acts as a secondary natural attack instead.
As the shifter gains levels, the power of their claws increases.
At 3rd level, their claws count as Magic Weapons, ignore DR/Cold Iron and DR/silver. At 7th level, their claw damage increases to 1d6 (1d4 if Small). At 11th level, their claw damage increases to 1d8 (1d6 if Small). At 13th level, their claw damage increases to 1d10 (1d8 if Small). At 17th level, the damage die does not increase, but the critical multiplier becomes ×3. Lastly, at 19th level, the claws ignore DR/Adamantine and DR/—.
While a shifter uses wild shape to assume their aspect‘s major form, their natural attacks gain the same benefits granted by their shifter claws ability. If the form they take has claw attacks, they can use either the base damage of their shifter claws or the damage of the form’s claws, whichever is greater. If the form does not have claw attacks, they can choose up to two natural attacks that would deal less damage than their shifter claw damage and have those attacks instead deal the same damage as their shifter claws.
Alternate Natural Attacks
A shifter can draw on their chosen animal aspect to transform their hands into deadly weapons, as represented by the shifter’s claws class feature, but not every animal has prominent claws. The following list provides alternate natural attacks for the shifter claws class feature. Each time the shifter activates their shifter’s claws ability in their natural form, they can manifest one of the alternate natural attacks listed below for any of their chosen aspects, or those that relate to their archetype. Each alternate natural attack replaces one of the shifter’s claw attacks. The shifter can gain up to two different alternate natural attacks with this method. These alternate natural attacks modify only the damage type of the shifter’s natural attacks and otherwise function exactly as the shifter claws class feature.

• Bat: Bite (B, P, S), wing (B).
• Bear: Bite (B, P, S).
• Bull: Gore (P), hoof (B), slam (B).
• Boar: Gore (P), hoof (B).
• Crocodile: Bite (B, P, S), tail slap (B).
• Dinosaur, Deinonychus: Bite (B, P, S), talon (S).
• Dolphin/Orca: Bite (B, P, S), slam (B).
• Dragon (Dragonblood Shifter Archetype): Bite (B, P, S), tail slap (B), wing (B).
• Dragonfly: Bite (B, P, S), wing (B).
• Electric Eel: Bite (B, P, S), tail slap (B).
• Falcon: Bite (B, P, S), talon (S).
• Fey (Feyform Shifter Archetype): Bite (B, P, S), sting (P).
• Frog: Bite (B, P, S).
• Lizard: Bite (B, P, S), tail slap (B).
• Mantis: Bite (B, P, S).
• Monkey: Bite (B, P, S).
• Mouse: Bite (B, P, S).
• Octopus: Bite (B, P, S), tentacle (B).
• Owl: Bite (B, P, S), talons (S).
• Scorpion: Pincers (B), sting (P).
• Snake: Bite (B, P, S), tail slap (B).
• Spider: Bite (B, P, S).
• Stag: Gore (P), hoof (B).
• Swarm (Swarm Shifter Archetype): Bite (B, P, S), pincers (B), sting (P).
• Tiger: Bite (B, P, S).
• Wolf: Bite (B, P, S).
• Wolverine: Bite (B, P, S).

Wild Empathy (Ex)

A shifter can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions as a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The shifter rolls 1d20 and adds their shifter level and Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the shifter and the animal must be within 30 feet of one another and under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
The shifter can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but they take a –4 penalty on the check.

Defensive Instinct (Ex)

At 2nd level, when unarmored, not using a shield, unencumbered, and conscious, the shifter adds their Wisdom bonus (if any) to their AC and CMD. If they are wearing nonmetal armor or using a nonmetal shield, they instead add half their Wisdom bonus to their AC (minimum 0). In addition, the shifter gains a +1 bonus to their AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every 4 shifter levels thereafter (up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level).
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks and when the shifter is Flat-Footed. They lose these bonuses when they are immobilized or Helpless. These bonuses do not stack with the monk AC bonus class feature.

Track (Ex)

At 2nd level, a shifter adds half their level as a bonus on Survival checks to follow tracks.

Woodland Stride (Ex)

At 3rd level, a shifter can move through any sort of undergrowth (such as briars, natural thorns, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at their normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Briars, thorns, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion still affect the shifter.

Wild Shape (Su)

At 4th level, a shifter gains the ability to turn themselves into the major form of one of their 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 their 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; they gain these instead of the form abilities from Beast Shape II, but they still gain Beast Shape II abilities that are size dependent.
A shifter loses their ability to speak while in animal form because they are limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal of that form can make, but they can communicate with other animals of the same general grouping as their form. They can also communicate in nonverbal ways with allies.
A shifter can use wild shape for a number of hours each day equal to their shifter level + their Wisdom modifier. It need not be consecutive but must be spent in 1 hour increments. For abilities that function based on ‘uses of wild shape,’ each hour of wild shape counts as a use.
Shifters can take feats and other abilities that require wild shape; for the purpose of qualifying for prerequisites, their effective Druid level is equal to their shifter level.

Trackless Step (Ex)

At 5th level, a shifter leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. They can choose to leave a trail if they so desire.

Shifter’s Fury (Ex)

At 6th level, a shifter gains the ability to make several ferocious attacks with the same Natural Weapon. Instead of attacking with all their natural weapons, the shifter can choose a single Natural Weapon and make a Full Attack with that Natural Weapon, gaining a second iterative attack at a –5 as if it were a Manufactured Weapon. When they do so, all their other natural attacks count as secondary attacks and don’t benefit from shifter’s claws.
At 11th level, they gain a third iterative attack at a –10 and at 16th level, they gain a fourth iterative attack at –15.

Chimeric Aspect (Su)

At 9th level, when a shifter uses their shifter aspect ability to take on a minor form, they can choose two aspects and assume the minor form of each aspect.

Greater Chimeric Aspect (Su)

At 14th level, when a shifter uses their shifter aspect ability to take on a minor form, they can choose up to three aspects and assume the minor form of each aspect.

A Thousand Faces (Ex)

At 18th level, a shifter gains the ability to change their appearance at will, as if using the Alter Self spell, but only while in their normal form.

Timeless Body (Ex)

After attaining 18th level, a shifter no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties they may have already incurred, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the shifter still dies of old age when their time is up.

Final Aspect (Su)

At 20th level, a shifter gains access to a fifth aspect, when they use shifter aspect they can assume the minor forms of all their aspects, and the shifter can use their major and minor forms at will.

Shifter Variants

Several variations exist that alter or replace aspects of the Shifter class.