Shifter

Once believed to be a species of their own, these transforming individuals are linked to the natural world and thus possess a special understanding of all wild beasts, and the various natural and supernatural abilities that these creatures possess. A shifter’s careful study of wild creatures gives them the ability to transform themselves into unique and devastatingly powerful forms.

d10 hit die, 3 + Intellect skill ranks per level

Class skills: Aberrance, Monsters, Medicine, Nature, Sense, Spot, Survival, Intimidate, Disguise, Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth

Good resistances: Power, Grace, Vitality, Intellect, Acumen, Resolve

Proficiencies: Simple weapons, no armor or shields.

**Spellcasting:**

Shifters prepare spells from the aberrant spell list as a cleric does from the divine spell list. They inscribe the aberrant mutations they have prepared into symbols that are traced onto their skin. These tracings follow a shifter as they transform into their Alternate Forms. They receive additional spells per day with a high Resolve score. The DC of their spells is 16 + MB used to cast + Resolve modifier.

A shifter’s forms might not have hands or the ability to speak, which may interfere with casting while transformed.

**Alternate Form:**

At 1st level, a shifter selects one of the following forms. A number of times per long rest equal to half their level plus their Acumen modifier (min 1), they can transform into their alternate form as a move action. They are able to remain in this form for up to a number of rounds equal to 2 plus their level plus their Resolve modifier, after which, they transform back as a free action. A shifter can also choose to end a transformation early as a free action, but the remaining rounds of transformation are lost. At 7th level, a shifter can transform for a number of minutes equal to 2 + their Resolve modifier. At 15th level, a shifter can choose to stay in this form indefinitely, or until they take a short or long rest. They can transform an additional time per day at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter. A shifter’s transformation becomes a swift action at 6th level, and a free action at 12th level.

**Evolutions:**

At 1st level, 2nd level and every 3 levels thereafter, a shifter gains an evolution. This attribute affects the shifter’s abilities while they are transformed. Each time a shifter gains an evolution from these levels, each Alternate Form they currently possess gains an evolution. They do not need to select the same evolution for each of their base forms. However, taking the feat Extra Class Feature (Evolution) only grants an extra evolution to one of the shifter’s forms.

Unless otherwise stated, evolutions can be selected multiple times, up to once plus one per every four levels the shifter has attained.

Absorption - Gain tolerance 10 for one damage type other than holy or unholy.

Armored - Gain +2 Natural Armor.

Arms - Gain two arms with hands.

Better Bite - Requires Bite. Bite deals damage as a one-handed weapon.

Bite - Gain a bite attack: 1d6 SM6 25x2. Requires a head without a bite attack

Bigger Better Bite - Requires Better Bite. Bite deals damage as a two-handed weapon. Treat your Stature as 5 higher for determining the weapon damage of Bite.

Bleed- Requires level 6. One natural weapon deals 1 bleed.

Blindsight - Requires tremorsense and darkness, gain blindsight 30ft.

Bonus Feet - Gain an additional two legs with feet.

Breath Weapon - Requires Improved Energy on a bite attack. Every 1d6 rounds, you can breathe a 30ft cone of 1d6 elemental damage per two levels. This can be halved with a successful resistance with a DC of 16+CB +S. Resistance determined by damage type (Fire - GR, Cold - VR, Electric - FR, Sonic - SR, Corrosive - GR)

Breath Weapon, Improved - Requires Breath Weapon. The damage increases to 1d6 per level, usable once every 1d4 rounds. Using the breath weapon as a full round action increases the damage to 1d8 per level and increases the DC by 2.

Breathless - Requires level 11. The shifter no longer needs to breathe air or water.

Burrow - Gains burrow speed equal to half base speed.

Carapace - Requires level 5. Gain +10 DD. This can be selected twice.

Clamp - Requires level 5. Grants one natural weapon the grab property.

Claws - Gain two claw attacks: 1d4 SM 6 25x2. Requires feet or arms without a natural weapon to apply to.

Climb - Gain a climb speed equal to ground speed.

Combat Feet - Gain two hoof attacks: 1d6 SM 8 25x2. Requires feet or arms without a natural weapon to apply to.

Damned Door - Requires lvl 11. Can cast *Dimension Door* as a move action a number of times per long rest equal to their Acumen modifier..

Deconstruct - Requires level 5. Gain a 30% chance to negate criticals or precision damage. This evolution stacks with itself to a maximum of 90% chance to negate criticals and precision damage.

Darkness - Gain darkvision 60ft.

DR - Gain DR 2/-.

Elongated - Increase the reach of a single natural weapon by an amount equal to its base unmodified range (5 ft for shifters of Stature -4 to 25).

Energy - Requires level 5. One natural attack gains 1d6 elemental or poison damage. The elemental type is selected when selecting this evolution and cannot be changed later.

Energy, Improved - Requires lvl 8 and Energy. The elemental damage from Energy on one natural weapon increases to 1d10 per four levels.

Exoskeleton - Requires DD20. Gain DR10/bludgeoning

Extra Head - Requires lvl 8. Gain a head. The shifter cannot be flanked if they have two or more heads, and is able to gain natural weapons on this head such as Bite or Gore.

Fly - Requires Wings. The shifter gains a fly speed of twice their base speed, with poor maneuverability.

Fly, Improved - The shifter’s fly speed becomes four times their ground speed, with average maneuverability.

Gills - Gain the ability to breathe water.

Gore - Gain horns or antlers, and a gore attack: 1d8 SM 8 25x2.

Hands - Requires Arms. Gain humanoid hands at the end of the arms

Immunity - Requires tolerance 20, gain immunity to one type of elemental damage.

Improved Attribute - Gain +2 to one ability score.

Improved Natural Weapon - Increases your effective Stature for one weapon by 8.

Infravision - Gain Infravision

Live as One of Them - Requires Normalcy. Time spent using Normalcy does not count against your rounds Transformed.

Lungs - Gain the ability to breathe air.

Magic Natural Weapon - One natural weapon gains a magical +1/+1 enhancement.

Magic Natural Weapon, Greater  - Requires Improved Magic Natural Weapon. The shifter may exchange their +1 weapon enhancement from Improved Magic weapon for a +2 enhancement.

Magic Natural Weapon, Improved - Requires lvl 5 and Magic Natural Weapon. The shifter selects one +1 magic weapon property. They can grant this property to the natural weapon that was previously enhanced with the Magic Natural Weapon evolution.

Magic Resistor - Requires lvl 5. Gain 2 + 1/4 level on resistances against magical effects.

Mechanical - Requires Breathless. The shifter no longer requires sleep or rests, immune to *sleep,* *fatigue,* and *exhaustion*.

Modify Size  - The shifter gains +2P -2F -1G +3S    OR    -2P +2F +1G -3S.

Mucus - Creatures that strike the shifter must succeed a DC 16 +½ lvl +V PR or become *entangled*. Either creature must reposition the other in order to move.

Normalcy - As a free action, the shifter’s form can transform to appear as a normal animal of the same base type, but the shifter loses the use of all non-base evolutions. Changing back to the alternate form is a free action. One minute of time spent in this Normalcy form only consumes one round of the original transformation’s duration.

Poison Expertise - Gain a bonus to resistances against toxins and poison effects equal to your ranks in Aberrance.

Pounce - Requires lvl 11. Gain the pounce special ability.

Rake - Requires Pounce. Gain two Rake attacks 1d10 SM10 24x2. Requires feet or arms without a natural weapon to apply to.

Rotten - Requires Absorption (poison), lvl 5. Creatures which damage you with natural weapons take 1d6 poison damage per 4 levels

Spell Immunity - Requires level 11 and Magic Resistor, gain SI equal to 16 + ½ lvl + R mod.

Skilled - Gain a +2 bonus to one skill. This bonus increases by 1 for every 4 levels the shifter has attained.

Slam - Gain a slam attack: 1d8 SM 8 25x2.

Slippery - The shifter adds their Finesse mod to TED against exploits which require a touch attack.

Sly - Gain a bonus to Charm and Ego based skills equal to 2+⅓ your level.

Smelly - Gain scent ability.

Speedy - Gain +20 to a single move speed.

Spell Form - One spell known is cast upon the shifter automatically when they change into their alternate form. This spell is chosen when the shifter selects this evolution and cannot be changed later. This evolution can only be selected once per alternate form, and cannot be traded away as part of Learned Behavior. The spell’s level cannot exceed half of the shifter’s Acumen modifier.

Stinger - Requires level 5 and Tail. The shifter’s tail attack becomes: 1d8 SM 8 24x3and deals piercing damage.

Swim - Gain a swim speed equal to the shifter’s base speed.

Tail - Gain a tail attack: 1d4 SM 8 25x2.

Tentacle - Gain a tentacle-like limb with a slam attack: 1d4 SM6 25x2.

Toxic - Requires level 11 and Stinger. The shifter’s stinger attack deals an additional 1d3 Vitality drain per 6 levels. VR halves, with DC: 16 +½ lvl + V.

Toughened - The shifter gains 2 temporary HP per level when they transform into this alternate form. This effect only applies to the shifter’s first transformation after a short rest, and the temporary HP lasts until the end of the transformation.

Tremorsense - Gain tremorsense 60ft.

Trip - Select one natural weapon. On a successful hit with this weapon, the shifter may attempt to trip as a free action once per round.

Unheard - Requires Skilled (Stealth). The shifter gains the effects of *Silence* (self only) upon transforming.

Viscous - Requires lvl 5, Mucus. Add V to TED for escaping from grapple.

Vocal - Gain the ability to speak while transformed.

Wings - Gain vestigial wings. These wings cannot be used to fly, but reduce fall damage as if the shifter had fallen from only half the actual height.

**Mutations Specialist:**

At 2nd level, a shifter gains a bonus equal to 1 + half their level to Aberrance and Monsters checks.

**Carry-Over:**

At 3rd level**,** once per short rest when not transformed, a shifter can choose to benefit from one evolution they possess. This effect can be used as a move action and lasts up to one minute per level. This does not expend a use of the shifter’s transformation.

**Second Form:**

At 6th level, a shifter selects a second Alternate Form. They select two evolutions which they qualify for and add them onto this Alternate Form. When transforming, a shifter can select either of their alternate forms to gain the benefits of.

**Learned Behavior:**

At 9th level, when encountering a creature with a natural (that is, non-class based) special ability, a shifter can attempt to copy it. They can study a creature within 60ft as a standard action, expending a spell slot of their choice. Then, the shifter attempts a spell focus check, with a bonus equal to the level of the spell slot expended. The DC of this check is 16 + ½ the creature’s HD + it’s Ego modifier. If this check succeeds, for the duration of their transformation, the shifter can lose one of their evolutions and temporarily replace it with the special ability of the targeted creature. This new ability’s effects are recalculated using the shifter’s level and stats in place of the target creature’s HD and stats. Creatures with HD greater than the shifter’s level can only grant SLAs (with a spell level up to half the shifter’s level) and abilities that can be recreated as evolutions, such as scent or tremorsense. This ability can be used once per transformation. Its usage becomes a move action at 15th level and a swift action at 19th level.

**Third Form:**

At 12th level a shifter selects a third alternate form. They select three evolutions which they qualify for and add it to this Alternate form.

**Merge Form:**

At 18th level**,** when a shifter transforms, they can choose to gain the base evolutions from two of their alternate forms, but can only gain the additional evolutions from one of these forms. They temporarily gain one evolution they qualify for upon transformation once per long rest

**True Evolution:**

At 20th level, a shifter does not need to forget an evolution to use Learned Behavior. Additionally, they can attempt to use Learned Behavior a number of times per transformation equal to their Acumen modifier (min 2), but can only benefit from one ability through Learned Behavior at a time. When a shifter transforms, they gain one extra evolution they qualify for for the duration of the transformation.