Type of feat: class (given based on class levels)
Prerequisite: shifter 5
Specifics: At fifth level, a shifter may shift into the the form of a manticore, basilisk, or drider three times per day.
Use: selected
Available forms[]
These polymorphs merge properties from any shield in the off-hand slot and the items in the armor and helmet slots. The drider, epic drider, and epic manticore also merge properties from items in the amulet, belt, boots, cloak, and ring slots. Whether or not the merged properties stack depends on whether or not those properties would stack when placed on the same item. Typically, this means that only regeneration will stack. In addition, the drider and epic drider forms merge properties from any weapon in the main hand slot; these stack with the other properties if they would normally stack when placed on different items.
As with many polymorphs, these shapes can override the character's strength, dexterity, and constitution, as well as provide temporary hit points, a new armor class, and weapons. There are three shapes available through this feat, and they improve to epic versions at shifter level 15.
| Shape | Str | Dex | Con | THP | AC | Attack modifier |
Damage | Specials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basilisk | 16 | - | - | 30 | 20+dex | +3 | bite: 1d8+3 | petrification gaze |
| Drider | 16 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 20 | +4 | spear: 1d8+5 | see below |
| Manticore | 20 | 19 | 15 | 30 | 21 | +5 | claw: 2d4+5 bite: 1d8+5 |
manticore spikes |
| Shape | Str | Dex | Con | THP | AC | Attack modifier |
Damage | Specials |
| Epic basilisk | 17 | 17 | - | 60 | 23 | +3 | bite: 1d8+3 | petrification gaze |
| Epic drider | 19 | 17 | 18 | 60 | 24 | +8 | spear: 1d8+9 | see below |
| Epic manticore | 20 | 19 | - | 60 | 30 | +5 | claw: 2d4+5 bite: 1d8+5 |
DR 5/+20 manticore spikes power attack |
The drider forms are large creatures, having a size modifier of -1, while the other forms are medium (no size modifier).
The armor class comes from the standard base (10), plus the dexterity modifier (when known), a dodge bonus included in the polymorph, a possible deflection bonus, and the size modifier. The dodge bonus is +7 for the manticore, +8 for the drider and epic drider, +10 for the basilisk and epic basilisk, and +12 for the epic manticore. Only the epic drider and epic manticore have intrinsic deflection bonuses; the bonus is +4 for both forms. The armor class will be further modified by the highest bonus from the merged items (caveat for the epic drider and epic manticore forms: only if the highest bonus exceeds +4, and only the amount over +4 is added to the value in the table). The type of the bonus does not matter, as all item bonuses are converted to deflection as part of the polymorph. In addition, other modifiers from non-item sources still apply (these are not converted to deflection by the polymorph).
The listed attack modifier includes the strength modifier, the size modifier, and the enhancement bonus (on the driders' spears). This modifier is added to the other normal modifiers to attack rolls; in the simplest case, these other modifiers consist of just the character's base attack bonus. A character with weapon finesse may replace the strength modifier with the dexterity modifier in the basilisk and manticore forms. Without enhancement, this has no effect on the attacks of the forms other than the non-epic basilisk; whether or not the non-epic basilisk would benefit depends on the character's scores.
The basilisk and manticore forms use natural weapons consisting of two claws (manitcore only) and one bite; the game randomly chooses one of these weapons for each attack. Natural weapons come with some caveats. First, the epic manticore's natural weapons will be able to bypass x/+5 damage reduction thanks to the forms' own damage reduction, even though the natural weapons lack an enhancement bonus. Second, natural weapons interact inconsistently with weapon-specific feats. Notably, improved critical (unarmed strike) and overwhelming critical (unarmed strike) work while using natural weapons. However, weapon focus (unarmed strike), epic weapon focus (unarmed strike) and devastating critical (unarmed strike) do not work.
The petrification gaze and darkness ability of these forms have limited uses per day. These limits are imposed via scripting and not visible to the player. The daily limit for the petrification gaze is 1 + shifter level / 5, while that of the darkness ability is 1 + shifter level / 10.
Drider specials:
- +2 weapon
- on-hit poison (d2 strength damage, DC 16)
- darkness (ability, not the spell)
- freedom
- skill bonus: discipline +2
- SR 14
Epic drider specials:
- +5 weapon
- on-hit poison (d2 strength damage, DC 20)
- bonus feat: cleave
- damage reduction 5/+20
- darkness (ability, not the spell)
- freedom
- magic missile (shifted ability casting the normal spell)
- skill bonuses: discipline +6, hide +8, move silently +8
- SR 18
Notes[]
- Requires Hordes of the Underdark.
- This form of shapeshifting cannot be dispelled.
- At shifter level 10, unlimited uses of this ability are gained via infinite greater wildshape III.
Custom content notes[]
- script:
X2_S2_GWildShp