Master of Many Forms - Shapechanger Subtype?

[Dragon-Rider]

I'll be joining a new campaign in the near future and I thought that creating a Wild Shape character would be a lot of fun. While looking at the various feats and Prestige Classes that focus on that, the Master of Many Forms (Complete Adventurer pages 58-60) caught my eye.

At tenth level, the Master of Many forms gains an ability called Evershifting Form that amoung a couple of other things, gives the character the Shapechanger Subtype. From SRD:

Shapechanger Subtype: A shapechanger has the supernatural ability to assume one or more alternate forms. Many magical effects allow some kind of shape shifting, and not every creature that can change shapes has the shapechanger subtype.
Traits: A shapechanger possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
—Proficient with its natural weapons, with simple weapons, and with any weapons mentioned in the creature’s description.
—Proficient with any armor mentioned in the creature’s description, as well as all lighter forms. If no form of armor is mentioned, the shapechanger is not proficient with armor. A shapechanger is proficient with shields if it is proficient with any type of armor.

If I understand how types and subtypes work correctly, then if my character survived long enough to obtain Evershifting Form, he would go from being Humanoid (Human) to being Humanoid (Human, Shapechanger). I'm pretty sure that spells that only effect humanoids would still effect the character because my character's humanoid type never changed, he just became another subtype.

My character would not gain proficiency with all Simple Weapons because it is otherwise noted in my character's description from his Druid levels that he can only use specific weapons. Even if his Druid levels did not otherwise state that, I would be drastically less effective in combat if I tried to fight with Simple Weapons. Why would I want to use a crossbow or a morningstar when I can Wild Shape into a dragon or a giant or some other powerful creature and use their much more devastating attacks?

The name Evershifting Form implies that my character would be able to change forms whenever he wanted to, as often as he wanted to, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. The subtype just says that my character has a supernatural ability to assume one or more alternate forms. Well, my character has had a suprenatural ability (Wild Shape) to assume one or more alternate forms since level 5, and I certainly did not need 10 levels in Master of Many Forms in order to get that supernatural ability. I've got to be missing something here. What exactly would the Shapechanger subtype do for my character?

Thanks in advance,
~Dragon-Rider

 

[Krafen]

Having the Shapechanger subtype isn't going to make much difference for you. You might run into magic items that are more effective against shapechangers or only work for shapechangers, but other than that, not much effect.

The ability is called Evershifting Form because the class is the updated version of Shifter from Masters of the Wild. When the Shifter gained that ability, they did, indeed, gain the ability to use Wild Shape at will.