Dragonborn Shifter

[Corwin of Amber]

If I want to make a Shifter Bard with the Savage Bard Variant can I take the Dragonborn template and still keep my shifting ability?

The idea of this character is a draconic herald (using Dragonfire Inspiration) that can tap into his bestial draconic side gaining claws and fangs (Razorclaw and Longtooth).

In short, am I stuck taking a silverbrow human or can I make this draco-lycanthrope work?

 

[Corwin of Amber]

So, 2 days and 60 views later no one has any input, perhaps someone knows a way to achieve something similar to this concept using different races/templates?

 

[Empirate]

Regarding your original question, here's a piece from Races of the Dragon:

The Mechanics of Rebirth
[...]
Other Racial Traits: You lose all other racial traits of your original
race, including bonus feats, skill bonuses, attack bonuses,
save bonuses, spell-like abilities, and so forth. Two specific
instances warrant clarification.

So your shifter would lose shifting, as I read it. The way to go about your concept would be either Dragon Disciple levels (to pick up those natural attacks), or spells/items/feats that grant natural attack, which you can reflavor as draconic.

 

[Corwin of Amber]

That's what it seemed like to me, but I had hoped there was something special about Su abilities; something related to the fact that those abilities are not acquired when polymorphing or wildshaping.

 

[Empirate]

Doesn't look like it to me... although it could be argued that you don't lose the benefit of your Shifter feats, if you have any. On the one hand, you technically don't qualify for them anymore, but on the other, you don't ususally lose feats or their benefits by becoming Dragonborn, so you might be able to find some middle ground with your DM.

 

[Corwin of Amber]

I was hoping to avoid homebrewing/DM-cajoling, but it seems that's my best bet. Thank you for the advice.