Paizo continues the process of rebuilding the Shifter class, and we have two updates to the base class plus an update to the Oozemorph shifter archetype.
First up, we have some updates to the Shifter major forms:
Shifter Major Forms: The shifter major forms are supposed to tell me everything I need aside from the size adjustments, but a few things seem to be missing, such as the owl’s fly speed and some of the natural attacks. Does this mean I actually get more unlisted abilities, are they meant to be missing, or something else? What is my speed if there is no listed speed?
You still only get the listed abilities plus size-dependent effects (size bonuses and penalties and any natural armor). If the creature has no listed base land speed, use 30 feet as the base land speed. Here are the missing abilities:
- Bat gains a bite attack (1d8 damage).
- Bear gains two claw attacks (1d6 damage), a bite attack (1d8 damage), grab with its claws, and a 40 feet base speed.
- Bull gains a 40 foot base speed.
- Deinonychus’s bite deals 1d6 damage, its talons deal 1d8 damage, and its foreclaws deal 1d4 damage.
- Frog’s bite attack deals 1d6 damage.
- Monkey gains two claw attacks (1d6 damage) and a bite attack (1d6 damage).
- Mouse gains a bite attack (1d4 damage).
- Owl gains two talon attacks (1d6 damage) instead of claw attacks and a fly speed of 60 feet (average).
- Snake gains a bite attack (2d6 damage).
- Stag gains a gore (1d6 damage) and two hooves (1d4 damage).
- Tiger gains two claws (2d4 damage) and a bite (2d6 damage).
- Wolf gains a bite (1d8 damage).
- Wolverine gains two claws (1d8 damage) and a bite (1d6 damage).
This will be reflected in the next errata.
Second up, we have some new abilities:
Shifter Wild Shape: With the new version of wild shape, the shifter doesn’t get anything at level 6 and 18. Should it gain something at those levels?
Yes. At level 18, the shifter now gains both A Thousands Faces and Timeless Body, as the druid abilities of the same name. At level 20, add the following to the end of final aspect “and the shifter can use her major and minor forms at will.” At level 6, the shifter gains the following new ability:
Shifter’s Fury (Ex): At level 6, a shifter gains the ability to make several ferocious attacks with the same natural weapon. Instead of attacking with all her 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 was a manufactured weapon. When she does so, all her other natural attacks count as secondary attacks and don’t benefit from shifter’s claws. At 11th level, she gains a third iterative attack at a –10 and at 16th level, she gains a fourth iterative attack at –15.
This will be reflected in the next errata.
And last but not least, here’s the oozemorph update:
Oozemorph Shifter: How does the oozemorph’s fluidic body work? Can the oozemorph actually move at all in ooze form? Why does a supernatural ability still have an effect in an antimagic field?
Fluidic Body is essentially two effects in one. The first, which is a permanent part of your character once you become an oozemorph, is that your base form is now an ooze shape. Even if you lose fluidic body for some reason (antimagic field, violating your code of conduct, etc) your base form is still the amorphous oozelike form. The other half of the ability is a supernatural polymorph effect to transform into humanoid (and later bestial) forms.
Despite having an oozelike shape, an oozemorph’s base form is not an ooze, though it does also count as an ooze for the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type. The oozelike form doesn’t gain any abilities of the ooze creature type except as stated by the archetype itself. This form retains the base senses and land speed of the oozemorph’s original race, as well as racial abilities like dwarfs’ greed or gnomes’ obsession that don’t depend on shape, but it loses abilities dependent on form, including form-based speeds like strix’s flight (and most other racial speeds beyond land speed), racial natural attacks like catfolks’ claws, and other abilities like tieflings’ prehensile tail. However, if the oozemorph possesses a racial ability denied her in her oozelike form and transforms into a member of her own race with fluidic body, she gains the full benefits of that racial ability for that duration, even if it isn’t usually granted when using alter self (or the appropriate spell for a non-humanoid oozemorph). An oozemorph’s compression, damage reduction, and morphic weaponry function in its oozelike form and any form it takes via fluidic body, though not in forms it takes via other polymorph effects.
These clarifications will be reflected in the next errata.
Ultimate Wilderness isn’t PFS legal yet, but keep these FAQs in mind if and when the Shifter class is added to the additional resources page.