DeviousQuail
Hero
General shape-shifting in TTRPGs: I want there to be a differentiation between full and partial shifting. Using DnD as an example a Druid wildshaping and the Polymorph spell are what I consider full shifting. The Beast Barbarian and the Alter Self spell are partial.
I don't care if a game includes one or both options. I find both styles intriguing. I would just make sure that in either case the class provides enough so that a shifter needs little to no weapons/armor/items to be functional.
Shape-shifting in DnD 5e: I'm a big Druid fan and love the utility and uniqueness that wildshaping brings to the table. I like that some Druids have it as a utility feature (land, shepherd, dreams), some have it but is primarily used to power other abilities (spores, stars, wildfire), and one uses it for combat (moon). Poor moon is all alone.
Anyway, as much as I like the Druid style of shape shifting it does come up a bit short. The reason for that is that shifting is only a small part of the class for anyone that isn't moon. And even moon druids have full casting eating up a sizeable chunk of their design. So what I want from a shapeshifter in DnD is a full class.
That class should have the following:
I don't care if a game includes one or both options. I find both styles intriguing. I would just make sure that in either case the class provides enough so that a shifter needs little to no weapons/armor/items to be functional.
Shape-shifting in DnD 5e: I'm a big Druid fan and love the utility and uniqueness that wildshaping brings to the table. I like that some Druids have it as a utility feature (land, shepherd, dreams), some have it but is primarily used to power other abilities (spores, stars, wildfire), and one uses it for combat (moon). Poor moon is all alone.
Anyway, as much as I like the Druid style of shape shifting it does come up a bit short. The reason for that is that shifting is only a small part of the class for anyone that isn't moon. And even moon druids have full casting eating up a sizeable chunk of their design. So what I want from a shapeshifter in DnD is a full class.
That class should have the following:
- Little to no reliance on weapons and armor like I said above. Much like the Monk, the shifter should draw most of its combat prowess from class features.
- Like cantrips for casters, the shifter should always have some shifting abilities at their disposal.
- No absorbing items into yourself when you shift. That's a wildshape/polymorph thing that feels overly magical. Lean into the supernatural style of shifting instead.
- Variety to what you can shift into. Whether the shift is full or partial you don't want to be stuck with just one thing to change into. Whether that's stat blocks or an invocation style list of features I don't care.
- No spells or cantrips. Leave the magic for the druid.
- Archetypes can be used to tackle a number of different styles of shifting. I could see something like: the Amalgam (partial shifter that can have numerous shifts happening at once like in DOS2), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Maiden, Matron, and Crone (swaps major features between a few forms), the Purist (I just want to be a werewolf, okay), and the Blue Mage from FF (learn monster special abilities).
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