[3.5, PEACH] The Beastshaper

[RFLS]

The Beastshaper

The Beastshaper is intended as a Druid/Totemist theurge class, specializing in the Druid's Wildshape class feature. It should also be possible to enter with the Wildshape ranger variant. The only thing I'm not happy about is that the Druid's animal companion is rather ignored; I'd appreciate suggestions for how to deal with that.

Prerequisites:
Spells: Ability to cast 1st level divine spells.
Feats: Natural Spell
Special: Totem Chakra Bind
Special: Wildshape class feature.

Hit Die: d8
Class Skills (4+Int modifier per level): Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Wildshape Progression| Spellcasting/Meldshaping

1st|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+0| Wildform Stacking, Chakra Bind: Crown, Feet, Hands, Spiritual Companion | +1/day | +1 level of meldshaping class

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+0| Claws of Incarnum | Large shapes | +1 level of divine spellcasting class and +1 level of meldshaping class

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+1| Incarnum Wildshape| +2/day | +1 level of divine spellcasting class and +1 level of meldshaping class

4th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1| Fast Wildshape, Chakra Bind: Arms, Brow, Shoulders | Tiny shapes |+1 level of divine spellcasting class and +1 level of meldshaping class

5th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1| Magical Wildshape | +3/day | +1 level of divine spellcasting class and +1 level of meldshaping class

6th|
+4|
+5|
+5|
+2| Divine Essentia |Huge shapes | +1 level of meldshaping class

7th|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+2| Wildshaped Meld | +4/day | +1 level of divine spellcasting class and +1 level of meldshaping class

8th|
+6/1|
+6|
+6|
+2| Extraordinary Wildshape | Diminutive shapes | +1 level of divine spellcasting class and +1 level of meldshaping class

9th|
+6/1|
+6|
+6|
+3| Chakra Bind: Throat, Waist | +5/day | +1 level of divine spellcasting class and +1 level of meldshaping class

10th|
+7/2|
+7|
+7|
+3| Astounding Wildshape | Gargantuan shapes | +1 level of divine spellcasting class and +1 level of meldshaping class
[/table]

Spellcasting and Meldshaping: At the indicated levels, the Beastshaper increases her meldshaper and spellcaster levels. She gains additional chakra binds, essentia, shaped melds, and spells per day as if she had gained a level in the classes to which she belonged to before becoming a Beastshaper. She does not, however, gain any other abilities of those classes, such as new tiers of chakra binds.

Spiritual Companion (Ex): If the Beastshaper possesses an animal companion when he enters the class, he must set the animal companion free. If he loses his animal companion in this manner, he suffers no drawbacks. Instead, (and only if he loses an animal companion to this class feature) he bonds with nature itself, granting a +1 permanent bonus to Wisdom. This bonus may only be acquired once.

Wildshape Progression (Su): At every odd level, the Beastshaper gains an additional use of her Wildshape every day. At every even level, she becomes able to Wildshape to the indicated size.

Wildform Stacking (Ex): When a Beastshaper shapes a soulmeld that grants her statistics already granted by her current Wildshape, the two sources stack. For example, if her form grants her acid resist 10 and her soulmeld grants her acid resist 10, she now has acid resist 20. Additionally, if she has natural attacks in her Wildshape and chooses to shape a soulmeld that grants a natural attack she already possesses, her Wildshape's natural attack is instead increased by one step on the weapon damage table.

Chakra Binds: At 1st level, you may bind soulmelds to your crown, feet, and hand chakras. At 4th level, you may bind soulmelds to your arm, brow, and shoulder chakras. At 9th level, you may bind soulmelds to your throat and waist chakras.

Claws of Incarnum (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you may invest 1 point of essentia per 3 character levels into any pair of natural attacks you possess. Each point so invested grants a stacking +1 enhancement bonus to these attacks. This does not stack with any other method you might have to invest essentia into your natural attacks.

Incarnum Wildshape (Su): At 3rd level, a Beastshaper may invest 1 point of essentia into the ability to use his Wildshape once more that day.

Fast Wildshape (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, you take a move action to Wildshape.

Magical Wildshape (Ex): At 5th level, a Beastshaper may Wildshape into the form of any magical beast he would otherwise qualify for.

Divine Essentia (Su): At 6th level, the Beastshaper may choose to sacrifice spell slots in exchange for essentia. As a swift action, the Beastshaper can give up any number of spells for bonus essentia equal to the total of the sacrificed spells' levels. For instance, she may choose to sacrifice 3 first level spells and a 3rd level spell for 6 bonus essentia. As part of this action, she may allocate all of the essentia she gains. The essentia lasts for 1 round.

Wildshaped Meld (Su): At 7th level, a Beastshaper may spend one of his daily uses of Wildshape to rebind any one chakra. This involves unbinding the currently bound meld and binding a new meld to that chakra. As part of this action, he may unshape the unbound meld and reshape a new one in its place. Rebinding a chakra in this manner is a swift action.

Extraordinary Wildshape (Ex): At 8th level, the Beastshaper may invest essentia into the ability to use one extraordinary ability from any form she takes. Any essentia invested in this ability can not be reinvested for the rest of the day. The extraordinary ability to be used is selected when the Beastshaper enters that form, and cannot be changed without spending a use of Wildshape. The Beastshaper may only have one Extraordinary ability active at a time. The cost in essentia for this ability is 2, and takes a swift action to activate. If the Beastshaper invests temporary essentia into this ability, the use of the Extraordinary ability disappears when the temporary essentia is lost.

Astounding Wildshape (Ex): At 10th level, the Beastshaper's Wildshaping abilities reach their pinnacle. There is no limit on the duration of her Wildshape, and shifting to a new form is a swift action instead of a move action.

[Cranthis]

Animal companion, very simply, the levels stack, and at 5th or 7th level, slap on the ability to share a single soulmeld within a certain amount of feet.

Also, Clarified Wildshape needs to be... clarified.

[Eldan]

Like the idea, and it should turn out quite powerful.

If I may make an ability suggestion: there are a lot of soulmelds for the Totemist that give natural attacks. In the spirit of Wildform stacking, perhaps increase the damage die when using a soulmeld that gives a kind of natural attack you already have?

E.g. you gain claw attacks from a soulmeld while in a form that has a 1d6 claw attack, it increases to 1d8?

[vasharanpaladin]

Uh... meldshapers don't get additional essentia based on ability scores? :smalleek:

I think you might mean "number of soulmelds shaped," which is the number given by the class table or your Constitution score -10, whichever is lower?

[RFLS]

Like the idea, and it should turn out quite powerful.

If I may make an ability suggestion: there are a lot of soulmelds for the Totemist that give natural attacks. In the spirit of Wildform stacking, perhaps increase the damage die when using a soulmeld that gives a kind of natural attack you already have?

E.g. you gain claw attacks from a soulmeld while in a form that has a 1d6 claw attack, it increases to 1d8?

Noted and added, good idea.


Uh... meldshapers don't get additional essentia based on ability scores? :smalleek:

I think you might mean "number of soulmelds shaped," which is the number given by the class table or your Constitution score -10, whichever is lower?

....wow, I feel dumb now.

[RFLS]

Okay, after basically forever and a day, I figured out what to do with the animal companions most people entering this class will have. I also stripped out the ability to use Con or Wis for casting and meldshaping, because that was...a little ridiculous, tbh.

PEACH some more?

[RFLS]

Aaand some more changes, after some very useful input:


Removed access to the Heart chakra after it was pointed out that dual-progression classes never really get access to Heart or Soul. Increased the spacing on the other binds.
Changed the duration of Divine Essentia to 1 round (from 1 minute). Strict nerf. However, this comboes with the next item.
Extraordinary Wildshape now, instead of granting all (Ex) features, allows you to invest essentia into the ability to use one. It explicitly lets you invest temporary essentia, so, at the level you pick this up at, you can start using first level spells to get the (Ex) features you need when you need them. Overall nerf to two features that resulted in a fun toy for the PrC.

[Amnoriath]

I really like this, but azure wildshape ought to be mandatory. While natural spell is always an obvious choice for the Druid but it really doesn't fit as a prerequisite. You also left the heart bind in the chart.