Shifter Guide

## Role

\*\*\*\*Damage: lots of natural weapons

\*\*Debuff: some spells

\*Support: not much

\*\*\*Utility: plenty of weird tools

\*\*\*Tank: you should have decent hp and defensive abilities

## Ability Scores

\*\*\*\*Power: Smash with your claws

\*\*Finesse: nice but not top priority, ofc weapon finesse losers will want it

\*\*\*Grace: good with no armor

\*\*\*\*Vitality: stay alive

\*\*\*Stature: boost those natural weapons

\*Intellect: not your job

\*\*\*Acumen: some abilities use it, and useful for skills

\*\*\*Resolve: spellcasting and some abilities

\*\*Ego:not the most useful, but resistances

\*Charm: you’re weird, nobody wants to talk to you. Oh, that also applies to your shifter character

## Basics

\*\*\*D8 HD: decent enough, but not the tankiest

\*\*\*3 + I Skill Points: fairly good, you’ll have plenty of skills if you don’t dump int too hard

\*\*\*Class Skills: a wide selection that are all useful

\*\*\*Good Resistances: 6 fairly common resistances all around

\*Proficiencies: nothing

\*\*\*CB: You’ll need it

\*\*MB: the bare minimum

## Features

\*\*Spellcasting: a decent number of spells, but you normally can’t cast in alternate forms. Incentivizing resolve isn’t too bad though

\*\*\*Alternate Form: Turn into something else. Base bonuses aren’t amazing

\*\*\*Aquatic: Very strong base abilities, needs several evolutions to be viable out of water

\*\*\*Avian: A fly speed is nice for a utility form

\*\*\*Biped: A weaker form, but able to cast off the bat

\*\*\*\*Quadruped: Best general combat option for first

\*\*\*Serpentine: decent abilities for a utility build

\*\*\*\*Evolutions: Great way to pick up additional combat skills

\*\*Absorption: its ok i guess, nothing crazy

\*\*Armored: underwhelming

\*\*\*Arms: This can come in *handy*! :D

\*\*\*Better Bite:Ok damage, but the grapple property will be great

\*\*\*\*Bite: Awesome, more attacks

\*\*Bigger Better Bite: More damage, this can benefit from a lot of things

\*\*\*\*Bleed: This can  build up a lot

\*\*\*Blindsight: awesome

\*\*Bonus Feet: need it for more legs or natural attacks

\*\*Breath Weapon:small damage waste of time

\*\*Breathless:can come in handy, but situational

\*\*\*Burrow: this can be very useful

\*\*\*\*\*Clamp: Hugely powerful, can make you a melee menace

\*\*\*\*Claws:awesome to get more attacks 2 for the price of1

\*\*Climb: can be nice

\*\*\*\*Combat Feet: pun be damned, more natural attacks are cool

\*\*\*\*Damned Door: great utility

\*\*\*Deconstruct: its strong, but i wouldn’t want to waste 3 evolutions on it

\*\*\*Darkness: good to have if you don't already

\*\*DR: cool. Just very small

\*\*\*Elongated: can be great when utilized well

\*\*Energy: ok damage boost

\*\*\*Extra Head: decent bonus, with more room for teeth and horns

\*\*\*\*Fly: Awesome to have, though there is a base form with this...

\*\*Fly, Improved: not really needed

\*\*Gills: can come in handy

\*\*\*\*Gore: more attacks is great

\*\*\*\*Greater Magic Weapon: More good choices

\*\*\*\*Improved Magic Weapon:Lots of great choices to make here

\*\*Immunity: 3 evolutions is pricey, unless you know  you’ll need it

\*\*\*\*Improved Attribute: No wrong choices here

\*\*Improved Energy: Decent damage boost

\*\*\*Improved Natural Weapons: Great damage boost if you’re near the next step

\*\*Lungs: Lets you take your fish form out of the water

\*\*\*Magic Weapon: not bad, kinda lame

\*\*Magic Resistor: lots of effects are magic, it's just boring

\*\*\*Mechanical: spoopy

\*\*\*\*Modify Size:awesome for whatever your playstyle is

\*\*\*\*Mucus:can turn fights into a disaster, in the best way

\*\*Normalcy: useful in some situations

\*\*Poison Rationality: common effects, this is 2+½ lvl if you’re smart

\*\*\*\*\*Pounce: Incredible ability. Use every single one of those attacks

\*\*\*\*Rake: More attacks is great, even if only when pouncing

\*\*Rotten: good for damage off your turn

\*\*\*\*Spell Immunity: Can be very strong, shut down casters

\*\*\*Skilled: good if you want a skill form

\*\*\*\*Slam: morea tracks are awesome

\*\*\*Slippery: nice to avoid exploits

\*\*Sly: feinting and intimidate will come in handy

\*\*\*Smelly: can come in handy

\*\*Speedy: can be nice

\*\*\*\*Spell Form: very strong ability with the right spell, look at Pouncer, Levitate, Ethereal Fists, Enforced Entropy, Adrenaline Burst

\*\*Stinger: nice damage bonus

\*\*Swim:ok i guess

\*\*\*Tail: more attacks is cool

\*\*\*Tentacle:even more attacks

\*\*\*\*Toxic: this can get real nasty

\*\*\*\*Toughened: great for survivability

\*\*\*Tremorsense: cool and useful

\*\*\*\*\*Trip: awesome way to take down targets

\*\*\*Unheard: very spooky and possible useful

\*\*\*\*Viscous: disgusting and horrible and very good for a grapple build

\*\*\*Vocal:good if you want to cast spells

\*Wings: just a prereq

\*\*Mutations Specialist: nice bonuses

\*\*Carry Over: ok for getting some abilities without transforming

\*\*\*Second Form: probably a good idea to make this one a utility form, or alternate combat style.

\*\*\*\*\*Learned Behavior: Great potential, lots of cheesy abilities to steal from monsters

\*\*Third Form: Your first formit still your best, grab some other neat tricks for niche situations

\*\*\*Merge Form: Essentially slapping on some extra evolutions, kinda horrendous to picture

\*\*\*\*True Evolution: they can gain a crazy amount of wack stuff

## Species

\*\*\*\*Human: good for any playstyle, Extra Feature (evolution) is a great way to start

\*\*\*\*Dwarf: strong defensive abilities

\*\*\*Elf: Not bad, wood elf maybe, especially with their bonuses to F and G, grab war trained

\*\*\*Half-Elf: decent abilities, nothing particularly strong

\*\*\*\*Half-Orc:good brawlers all around

\*\*Halfling: Usable, but a sneaky playstyle might be necessary

\*\*Gnome: sturdier than halflings,but nice SLAs and tricks

\*\*Goblin: resolve penalty hurts, all around not the best

##### Easy Build:

Species: Half-Orc, +2 P

Ability Scores: P > V > S > R > G > A > F > E > I > C

Feats: Tough, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Formless Caster, Dodge, Runner, Extra Class Feature (Evolution), Improved Grapple, Weapon Tricks, Skill Focus (Stealth)

Traits: Mr. Tough Guy, Reactive, Stocky, Thick-skull, Retribution Initiate, Rugged

Spellcasting: Use for utilities, rarely useful in combat situations

Base Form: 1st Quadruped, 2nd Avian, 3rd Aquatic

Evolutions: 1st: Claws, Hooves, Bite, Better Bite, Modify Size, Improved Attribute, DR, Toughened.

2nd: Skilled (Stealth), Unheard, Improved Fly, Darkness, Scent, Burrow, Damned Door

3rd: Lungs, Bonus Feet, Tentacle, Tail, Slam, Combat Feet

Carry Over: DR, Burrow, Slam

Merge Form: Quadruped and Aquatic

Equipment: None :)

Playstyle: find useful tricks and things normal martial characters cant do in combat. Try to work down weaker targets, since you aren’t as tanky as most martials. Use utility form outside of combat for weird situations