Wild shift varient rules

[arathalion]

not sure if this belongs here, sorry.

instead of losing your physical attributes and gaining the standard of the creature you shift into, you lose your racial ajustments and gain that of the creature you are polymorphing into.

example elf druid

str 13, dex 18, con 10 wild shifts into a wolf

instead of just replaceing these stats with

str 13 dex 15 con 15

instead you remove the ratial bonuses (+2 dex -2 con for elf)
str 13, dex 16, con 12
and add the wolfs bonuses (+2 str, +4 dex, +4 con)
str 15, dex +20, con +16.

this should not be aplyed to the polymorph spell as the polymorph spell states that the character has to get used to the new form.

oh, and before just stating that it is 2 powerful, remember that you lose all items when polymorphing.

i came up with this when i first read into the shifter, and noticed that this was not stated anywhere. perhaps you might only want it to apply to greater wild shape. it is a direct responce to humaniod form. because shapechanging into a humanoid (say elf to human) you would lose your stats and gain the standard human ones (10, 10, 10)

would people like to give their opinions pls?

[Xae'an]

The Player's Handbook 2 has a similar variant rule regarding wildshape, although it does not include remving racial bonuses.

I consider removing racial bonuses a good idea, as a character isn't a member of his natural race while wildshaped and because it doesn't favor druidic members of physically powerful races. But it still favors physically powerful members of their respective races.

Wether this changes the game for better or worse depends on your campaign style and the role druids play in your setting - druids could be either wise elders or warriors of wilderness. Both roles fit a druid fine, so if you choose the latter option, your rule variant works just fine.

[arathalion]

players handbook 2?
do you meen 3.5 phb?

i know they ammended the ex su sp stuff in masters of the wild, and i think they wrote that into the 3.5 phb, but i havent seen anything on keeping your base stats.

[Xae'an]

No, I mean Player's Handbook 2.

The Players Handbook has only the standard rules, no variants. Player's Handbook 2 has 4 new base classes (knight, dusk blade, dragon shaman and beguiler) and variant rules for the existing classes and some new feats etc.

Masters of the Wild on the other hand is an older book about druids, barbarians and rangers. It's a 3.0 book but still useful for 3.5 D&D.

[arathalion]

interesting. im going to have to find myself a copy of this.