[BRAINSTORMING] Putting together a new monkish class

[mabriss lethe]

"Monkish class" is sort of a misnomer. I want to incorporate a fair amount of Monk mechanics, but not the flavor. It's more of a monk with a wildshape variant. This is the quick and dirty. Once I have more input I'll slap a more formal table together. I'd like some thoughts about how you guys think it should be fleshed out or changed.

The Shapeshifter

Hit die: d8

skills: 2+int or 4 +int (smattering of class skills from druid, monk, ranger)

Weapons and armor: still debating. No or light armor proficiency only. no shields. either very limited weapon selection or all simple. A lot of it depends on the final draft of the class itself. (right now I'm leaning toward no armor and a rogue-ish weapon list). The class is supposed to be pretty darned self sufficient, it's features replacing any real need for weapons and armor.

Included Monk features: 3/4 BAB, all good saves, unarmed damage, some form of AC bonus, abbreviated version of monk's fast movement(maybe +40 feet), resistance to poison/diseases, some variation on Ki strike. tongue of sun and moon replaced by a "speak with animals ability", ability to heal damage in some fashion, either as monk or possibly fast healing as warlock.

Shapeshifting:
replaces stunning fist and related abilities. the real meat of the class. Grants a number of uses equal to shapeshifter level. In order to limit it at early levels so it doesn't completely dwarf wildshape, The shapeshifter is limited to "wildshaping" into specificly chosen forms only. At first level, the character gains a single form to change into, progressing to more varied animal shapes as time goes on. Special abilities can later be added to the shapeshifted forms by burning more shapeshift uses per day. capstone at level 20 with type changing to shapeshifter and shifts to normal forms being at will. (improvements will still cost uses of shapeshift)

Cursed natural attacks: Inspired by the Soletaken in The Malazan Books of the Fallen. At a certain level, the shapeshifter's attacks don't pass on any form of lycanthropy like some stories suggest, but instead infect the target with a cyclical madness that comes once every lunar cycle. (subject to fort save, I suppose.)


Needs some serious fluffing and crunching, but what do you guys think?