Wildshaper (3.5e Class)

Wildshaper
Stewards of nature, wildshapers release their inner animal to protect the natural world from those who would harm it.

Making a Wildshaper
Abilities: Because of wildshape, a wildshaper can technically forgo buffing their Strength and Dexterity, though it is helpful when they are not in their transformed state. Constitution holds over during wildshape, making it important (if not the most important). Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are useful if they intend to use any mental ability scores.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any neutral.

Starting Gold: 5d4&times;10 gp (125 gp).

Starting Age: As fighter.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Wildshaper.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Wildshapers are proficient with the following weapons: bola, club, dagger, dart, greatclub, javelin, longspear, net, quarterstaff, shortspear, sickle, sling, and spear. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with wild shape.

Wildshapers are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. (A wildshaper may also wear wooden armor that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. See the ironwood spell description). Wildshaper are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones.

A wildshaper who wears prohibited armor or wields a prohibited shield is unable to use minor shape or wild shape for 24 hours thereafter.

This choice is in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.

A wildshaper also knows Druidic, a secret language known only to wildshapers, which she learns upon becoming a 1st-level wildshaper. Druidic is a free language for a wildshaper; that is, she knows it in addition to her regular allotment of languages and it doesn’t take up a language slot. wildshapers are forbidden to teach this language to non-wildshapers.

Druidic has its own alphabet.

 : A wildshaper gains an animal companion as a druid of her class level.

 : A wildshaper can alter their appearances in minor ways. They gain the effect of disguise self, except the changes are real and not an illusion. In addition they may take a -2 penalty and a +2 enhancement bonus to any two physical ability scores (Str, Dex, or Con) which lasts for the duration of the minor shape. They may use this ability a number of times equal to their Wisdom modifier/day (minimum 1).

When they obtain wild shape at 4th, this ability becomes at will.

 : A wildshaper gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.

 : A wildshaper can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The wildshaper rolls 1d20 and adds her wildshaper level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.

The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.

To use wild empathy, the wildshaper and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.

A wildshaper can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a -4 penalty on the check.

 : A 2nd level wildshaper is constantly under the effects of endure elements.

 : If a wildshaper rests in a natural area (that is, not in an urban environment) she recovered twice as much hp and ability damage for resting as normal.

 : Starting at 2nd level, a wildshaper may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.

 : At 3rd level, a wildshaper gains immunity to all disease.

 : Starting at 3rd level, a wildshaper leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

 : Starting at 4th level, a wildshaper gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.



 : A wildshaper gains the wild shape ability of a druid. This functions just like the wildshaper class feature, though you start out being able to wild shape 2/day, and increasing by one every even level until 18th.

The wildshaper gains the ability to take the shape of a Large animal at 8th level, a Tiny animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15th level.

At 12th level, a wildshaper becomes able to use wild shape to change into a plant creature with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. (A wildshaper can’t use this ability to take the form of a plant that isn’t a creature.)

At 16th level, a wildshaper becomes able to use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) with her wild shape attempts. These elemental forms are in addition to her normal wild shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the wildshaper gains all the elemental’s extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. She also gains the elemental’s feats for as long as she maintains the wild shape, but she retains her own creature type. At 20th level they may change into a Huge elemental.

At 20th level, the amount of times a wildshaper can wild shape becomes unlimited.

 : At 5th level as a swift action, the wildshaper can shift their body and increase the durability of their forms. They gain a number of temporary hp equal to their HD which last for 1 round. Temporary hp overlaps, it does not stack.

 : At 6th level, if a wildshaper has spent at least 1 hour in natural terrain, they are treated as have eaten a full meal for the day.

  and  : A 7th level wildshaper may speak in any form, even as animals. In addition they gain speak with animals as a spell-like ability at will.

 : At 9th level, a wildshaper gains immunity to all poisons.

 : At 10th level, the wildshaper gains commune with nature as a spell-like ability 1/day. They may use a lesser form of it which duplicates augury instead. They may use the lesser version 3 + Wis modifier times per day.

 : At 11th level a wildshaper's body is in constant flux, granting them light fortification in all of their forms.

At 14th level, this becomes moderate fortification, and at 17th level this becomes heavy fortification.



 : At 15th level, a wildshaper gains immunity to death effects and energy drain. Their bodies are infused with positive energy even in death, and therefore they cannot be raised as an undead.

 : A 19th level wildshaper may plant a special seed somewhere in a 24 hour ritual that costs 10,000 gp. This seed will grow into a tree within 1 week. The tree is unusually durable (hardness 10, 20 hp/level) and you are always aware when the tree is taking damage or in danger. As long as the tree stands, if you die you will be subject to a reincarnate spell. A seed falls off the tree, and from it you are reborn. You may respawn indefinitely like this, though if the tree is destroyed you must do the ritual and spend 10,000 gp again.

Her type changes to Fey (though she may choose to count as a member of her original race) and she gains DR 10/cold iron in all of her forms. She is biologically immortal, and will not die of old age. Animals always start out friendly towards the wildshaper (though this may change as they interact).

Ex-Wildshapers
A wildshaper who ceases to revere nature, changes to a prohibited alignment, or teaches the Druidic language to a non-wildshaper loses all spells and wildshaper abilities (including her animal companion, but not including weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She cannot thereafter gain levels as a wildshaper until she atones (see the atonement spell description).

Epic Wildshaper


Epic Wildshaper Bonus Feat List: PENDING.

Human Wildshaper Starting Package
Weapons: Quarterstaff.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 7 + Int modifier.

Feat: Power Attack.

Bonus Feats: Improved Initiative.

Gear: Heavy Wooden Shield, Hide.

Gold: 103 gp.

Playing a Wildshaper
Religion: Wildshapers revere nature deities, but many choose simply to respect nature itself than any specific god.

Other Classes: Other classes assume the wildshaper is just a druid who forgot to cast spells. Well, I suppose that's mostly right.

Combat: You are a tank! Between temporary hp and recovering hp through wild shape, and the power of animal forms you make an excellent tank. Flank with your animal companion and tear them apart!

Advancement: Classes which give or advance wildshape work well, as well as the WarshaperCW prestige class.

Wildshapers in the World
"I change shapes just to hide in this place, but I'm still just an animal."

Daily Life: Wildshapers are often hippies who enjoy a tree as much or more than a person. They may come off as strange or crazy since they spend so much time around plants and animals.

Organizations: Druid organizations, where they exist, also accept wildshapers.

NPC Reactions: Most don't know what to think of these shapechanging beings. They are terrifying, but at least most stay in their forests eating berries or whatever it is those hippies do.

Wildshaper Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Nature can research Wildshapers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Wildshapers in the Game
Adaptation: Use this to replace druids in your campaign if you see fit. Spellcasting druids can be clerics with druid spellcasting instead.

Sample Encounter: The cure to the poison the king suffers from can be found by finding the mysterious Lady of the Green, who haunts the Black Forest. Can you obtain her trust and save the king?