Formless Druid (3.5e Prestige Class)

Formless Druid

“	We thought we were hunting a wolf but when we came upon the beast we realized we had stood against the menagerie of creation itself and were doomed.	”
—One-eyed Peter,Human,Hunter, Manuscript of the last words of One-eyed Peter

While other druids feel that the standard connection to nature through wild shape others desire more and realize the true power of this ability and learn to become a force of nature rather than simply understand it. By learning the wild shape advents you gain greater control over your forms and can become with nature on a personal level.

Becoming a Formless Druid

This Prestige Class brings wild shape into a complete package allowing for utter control over one's form.

Entry Requirements

Class: 5th Level Druid or Equivalent Wild Shape abilities. Wisdom ability score must be at least 20 or higher.

Table: The Formless Druid

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells per Day/Spells Known
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+ 0	+2	Wild Shape advent (1), Natural Spell Caster, Nature Lord
2nd	+ 2	+ 3	+0	+3	Wild Shape advent (2)	+1 spellcasting class level
3rd	+3	+ 3	+ 1	+3	Wild Shape advent (3),Wild Armor, Alter Form
4th	+4	+4	+ 1	+4	Wild Shape advent (4)	+1 spellcasting class level
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Wild Shape advent (5)
6th	+6	+5	+2	+5	Wild Shape advent (6), Pure Elemental shifter	+1 spellcasting class level
7th	+7	+5	+2	+5	Wild Shape advent (7), Attuned Planar Movement
8th	+8	+6	+2	+6	Wild Shape advent (8), Formless tongue	+1 spellcasting class level
9th	+9	+6	+3	+6	Wild Shape advent (9)
10th	+10	+7	+3	+7	Wild Shape advent (10), Boundless form	+1 spellcasting class level
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Formless Druid, furthermore all class features of the Formless Druid stack concurrently with that of the Druid class only if the previous class was solely the Druid class, or racial levels which do not count as "class levels". For example if you advance into a 1st level Formless Druid and were originally a 5th level Druid, you are now a considered to be a 6th level Druid. Or if you were a Fey, with two racial HD and a Paragon of your species (Paragon Class levels are racial) then those levels are not counted as "non Druid class levels" and you can progress normally as a Formless Druid. When gaining levels as a Formless Druid you add all bonuses received to your Druid class while also receiving the regular bonuses and abilities from your Druid class. However, the player cannot multi-class into other classes like, Sorcerer or Warrior, until the Formless Druid has reached max level. You can however, multi-class before adopting the Formless Druid prestige class but the player's previous Druid level will not stack concurrently with the Formless Druid class. Becoming a Formless Druid slows your spells progression to 1 spellcaster level every other level.

Wildshape: Levels in Formless Druid stack with your Druid level for determining duration, hit dice of forms, and the number of times per day the ability can be used. If your are Druid 5 / Formless Druid 1, that is 6 hit dice, not 7, even though you get the additional Wildshape per day from the 6th level of Druid. If you are Fighter 1 / Druid 5 / Formless Druid 1, then you get 5 hit dice and need to balance taking Formless Druid levels with Druid levels to even out the hit dice you can get as you progress. When you transform, you assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points or due to physical ability score damage, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious. Ability score damage to Cha, Wis, and Int effect the core self.

Nature Lord: A Formless Druid treats anything he can wildshape into as an animal for the purpose of spells, class abilities, and skills. Any relevant DCs for those creatures change by -10 for creatures without an intelligence score, -5 for Constructs with no master, +15 for intelligent creatures, +30 for dragons, and +40 for Aberrations and Outsiders.

Spellcasting: At every other level you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except if you belonged solely to the Druid class before adding this prestige class (not counting racial levels). If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a Formless Druid, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Wild Shape advent (Ex): Starting at 1st level and every level thereafter you may select an advent from the list below. Each advent enhances your wild shape ability and can be used as a normal enhancement of the ability (i.e. when you gain a new size). The character can use his or her normal wild shape ability to take the form or size of any creature type gained below. The size limitation is the same as the character’s limitation on animal size to include new sizes granted by advents. That is, they could take Fee Fi Fo Fum and turn into Giants at Formless Druid level one, but could not be a Cloud Giant until they could achieve the Huge size. The character gains all supernatural abilities and qualities of that advent's creature-type, including spell like abilities.

• Large and in Charge: Able to change into Large forms.

• Time for Tiny: Able to change into Tiny forms. (Requires Large and in Charge, or stacked Druid Level 8's special ability to Wildshape into Large forms)

• Bigger is Better: Able to change into Huge forms. (Requires Time for Tiny, or stacked Druid Level 11's special ability to Wildshape into Tiny forms)

• Giant in the Jar: Able to change into Diminutive and Gargantuan size forms. (Requires Bigger is Better, or stacked Druid Level 15's special ability to Wildshape into Huge forms)

• Dust on the Mountain: Able to change into Fine and Colossal size forms. (Requires Giant in the Jar)

• Fee Fi Fo Fum: Able to change into Giant type.

• Tree Huger: Able to change into plant type.

• Rising Dragon: Able to change into any dragon. (Can not use Dust on the mountain, or Giant in a jar; the size will go off the total Druid level, so Druid 5 / Formless Druid 3 / Sorcerer 1 would be 5 HD, while Druid 5 / Formless Druid 3 / Allurin Paragon 1 [racial level] would be 8 HD)

• Creepy Crawlies: Able to change into vermin and ooze type.(If you take the form of swarms all parts must be in same 5ft square to change form again.)

• Hair Raising: Able to change into Outsider type (that are not Fiendish or Celestial). (Requires Creepy Crawlies)

• Fairy Tales Live: Able to change into Fey and Magical Beast types.

• As Above: Able to change into Celestial type. (Requires Fairy Tales Live)

• Every-man and Not: Able to change into any Humanoid and Monsterous-Humanoid types.

• It's alive: Able to change wild shape into constructs. (Requires Everyman and Not)

• Bump in the Night: Able to change change into Aberration and Undead types. (May not change into construct based undead)

• So Below: Able to change into Fiendish type. (Requires Bump in the Night)

• Master of Transmutation: From the mastery of the wild shape comes the ability for a Formless Druid to manipulate nearly every aspect of her body. You can apply the physical changes of any other advent to a creature or yourself as long as you have knowledge of the specific creature. The Formless Druid may manipulate their Wild Shape, targeted creature, or original form to have any physical attribute they desire (Example: A Grizzly Bear having a long spiked tail or leathery wings). These adapted physical attributes cannot be from a creature that exceeds the Formless Druid's HD. If one of these advents is applied to a willing creature, the physical attributes cannot be from a creature that exceeds that willing creature's HD. Any physical manipulation to a Formless Druid's original or Wild Shaped form can be done as a Standard Action, and costs a Wild Shape. If applied to a willing creature the physical alteration can be negated at anytime before 8 hours with a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC: 10 + HD of willing creature). (Requires at least 3 other Advents before being able to choose this Advent, none of which can be the Nature's Cycle Advent which it is assumed will be at taken every level)

• Grand Master of Transmutation: From the mastery of the wild shape comes the ability for a Formless Druid to manipulate the supernatural abilities of your forms, and those of your willing companions. You can apply any other advent to a creature and give them a specific supernatural ability from any other creature, or apply them to yourself as long as you have knowledge of the specific creature. Your Wild Shape form or targeted creature can only have a max of 5 supernatural abilities from other creatures (not including any supernatural abilities a creature or your Wild Shape might already have). These adapted supernatural abilities or physical attributes cannot be from a creature that exceeds the Formless Druids's HD. If one of these advents is applied to a willing creature, the supernatural abilities cannot be from a creature that exceeds that willing creature's HD. The manipulation of the Formless Druid's Wild Shape, original form, or targeted creature to gain more supernatural abilities costs 1 Wild Shape per ability gained and takes a Standard Action. If applied to a willing creature the supernatural alteration can be negated at anytime before 8 hours with a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC: 10 + HD of willing creature). Any adopted supernatural ability remains adopted for only 8 hours. (Requires Master of Transmutation)

• Nature's Cycle: You can use your Wild Shape one more time per day. When you pick this advent you may choose one additional advent as well. (May be taken multiple times - Cannot pick Nature's Cycle for the additional advent)

• Nature vs. Nurture: Able to change into creatures equal to your maximum HD + your Wisdom Mod. Gain 1 additional Wild Shape. (Requires Formless Druid level 5 and Wisdom 24)

Natural Spell Caster (Ex): You can complete the verbal and somatic components of spells while in a wild shape. You substitute various noises and gestures for the normal verbal and somatic components of a spell. You can also use any material components or focuses you possess, even if such items are melded within your current form. This feat does not permit the use of magic items while you are in a form that could not ordinarily use them, and you do not gain the ability to speak while in a wild shape, unless the creature has the ability to speak.

Wild Armor (Ex): Any armor or shield the druid has equipped when using Wild Shape is treated as if it had the wild enchantment. (The wearer of a suit of armor or a shield with this ability preserves his armor bonus (and any enhancement bonus) while in a wild shape. Armor and shields with this ability usually appear to be made covered in leaf patterns. While the wearer is in a wild shape, the armor cannot be seen. When wild shaping into a form that normally would have a weapon (as described by the source book or determined by the DM) the Druid may use the weapons and are drawn when the form is taken. You must choose between this or Alter Form at the start of a new day.

Alter Form (Su): A Formless Druid of at least 3rd level may use one Wildshape to apply templates to themselves, or a creature, or give up a number of hours on their wildshape equal to the CR adjustment to apply templates to any form they can take. If applying a template to a non-willing creature they must make a Fortitude saving throw against the Formless Druid's base spellcasting DC to negate this alteration. You must choose between this or Wild Armor at the start of a new day.

Attuned Planar Movement (Su): A Formless Druid of at least 7th level may use one Wildshape as a Standard Action to move between planes (as if casting Greater Plane Shift) on herself and up to six willing targets regardless of the Formless Druid's current form. Furthermore, if this ability is used on an unwilling creature(s) they may make a Reflex saving throw (DC: 10 + Wis Mod + 1/2 Character Level) or be brought to another plane. Making a successful Reflex save against this ability negates this effect for them. Once per day, a Formless Druid can spend an hour attuning to a specific plane. While attuned to that specific plane the Formless Druid may use this ability as a Free Action to Greater Plane Shift to that attuned plane but cannot bring unwilling creatures. The Formless Druid can pick a new plane to attune to each day or maintain attunement to the previously chosen plane.

Formless tongue (Ex): While Wildshaped you can speak as you normally could but speech is limited to basic words with short sentences. While Wildshaped you may speak to any like creature such as if you were in a wolf form you could speak to any wolf or canine that meets the normal criteria for speaking.

Pure Elemental shifter (Ex): You may now Wildshape into any elemental. The size limitation is the same as the character’s limitation on animal size including new sizes granted by advents and this ability can be used outside of the Druid's Wildshape ability. You may use a normal Wildshape use to change into an elemental.

Boundless form (Ex): The Druid gains the Shapeshifter template for their natural form along with any other template they already have. In addition, you may now change your form while currently Wildshaped up to your wisdom modifier in addition to the amount of Wildshapes the character already has available to them. The effect does not cost a use of Wildshape but is dismissed when the character returns to their normal form. The size limitation is the same as the character’s limitation on animal size to included new sizes granted by advents. Duration of Wildshape does not reset.

Epic Formless Druid

“	Well, I am a long way from home, but we are all animals there.	”
—Lapis Hellebore, Half-Fiend, Druid, Lady of House Chaos

Becoming an Epic Formless Druid

This Prestige Class brings wild shape into a complete package allowing for utter control over one's form.

Entry Requirements

Class: 5th Level Druid or Equivalent Wild Shape abilities. Wisdom ability score must be at least 20 or higher. 10th level Formless Druid. Overall Character Level (not ECL) of at least 20.

Table: The Epic Abyssal One

Hit Die: d8

Level	Special	Spellcasting
21st	Wild Shape advent (11), Greater Attuned Planar Movement
22nd	Wild Shape advent (12)	+1 spellcasting class level
23rd	Wild Shape advent (13), Attuned to the Wild
24th	Wild Shape advent (14)	+1 spellcasting class level
25th	Wild Shape advent (15)
26th	Wild Shape advent (16)	+1 spellcasting class level
27th	Wild Shape advent (17)
28th	Wild Shape advent (18)	+1 spellcasting class level
29th	Wild Shape advent (19)
30th	Wild Shape advent (20)	+1 spellcasting class level
4 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Epic Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Epic Formless Druid, furthermore all class features of the Epic Formless Druid stack concurrently with that of the Druid class only if the previous class was solely the Druid/Formless Druid class, or racial levels which do not count as "class levels". For example if you advance into a 1st level Epic Formless Druid and were originally a 20th level Druid with all ten levels of Formless Druid, you are now a considered to be 21st level Druid. Or if you were a Fey, with two racial HD and a Paragon of your species (Paragon Class levels are racial) then those levels are not counted as "non Druid class levels" and you can progress normally as a Epic Formless Druid i.e. be a 17th level Druid with three racial levels, and take the first Epic level of Formless Druid. When max levels as a Formless Druid are achieved and a character multi-classed before level 21 (like a Druid 5/Formless Druid 10/Monk 5) you can start the progression of Epic Formless Druid without stacking any more druid levels for Wildshapes. That is your CR limit will be 15 unless you also continue to take druid levels. A pure Druid / Formless Druid still adds all bonuses received to Epic Druid class while also receiving the regular bonuses and abilities from Epic Druid class. Becoming a Formless Druid slows your spells progression to 1 spellcaster level every other level.

Greater Attuned Planar Movement:The Epic Formless Druid may spend an hour meditating in the planar environment to gain any resistances that the plane would normally give to creatures already occupying that plane, such as, resistance to cold, radiant, or necrotic type damage for the duration of the travel there.

Attuned to the Wild (Ex): A Epic Formless Druid of at least 22nd level gains the ability to move and attack normally even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, web, or an anti-magic field and does not lose their Wildshape. While in an anti-magic field, your form is stuck and going to zero HP in this stuck form is true damage (you do not revert). Furthermore, in all the above conditions, your attacks suffer a penalty of -15 (reduced by 1 for every level of pure Druid, so a 10 Druid / 12 Formless Druid would be at -5) while influenced by such a magical-anti-magic effect. A Formless Druid with this ability gains a +1/2/Formless Druid level (rounded down) on any grapple check made to resist a grapple attempt, as well as on grapple checks or Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin. This ability also allows the subject to move and attack normally in any type of rough terrain or underwater, even with slashing weapons, bludgeoning weapons, or piercing weapons, provided that the weapon is wielded in the hand rather than hurled.

Campaign Information

Playing a Formless Druid

Religion: Formless Druids revere nature, but see more than just the material plane as natural and are not usually inclined to worship a deity who limits the possibilities of the wild places

Combat: Formless Druids excel at front line fighting and being sneaks, it all depends on what part of nature they revere. Their Wildshape abilities make them dynamic parts of any team and the physical capabilities of those forms can make them durable if they are needed to be front line fighters.

Advancement: Formless Druids gain new power and abilities by expanding their view of nature and studying more creature to transform into. The more time they spend learning new forms, the more powerful and versatile they become. They must study each new form before they may turn into it regardless of the types that they add via advents.

Formless Druids in the World

Formless Druids tend to keep to seek travel to new and wild places. Due to their curiosity and openness to all the planes have to offer, they tend to be a bit eclectic and wild themselves, or even insane (undead as natural... they dig it).

Daily Life: Formless Druids spend the majority of their time seeking out new wild places and planes. The city holds little interest for them.

Organizations: Formless Druids are not in many Circles or Groves. Their strange openness to things other Druids would not call "natural" tends to get them kicked out of those places. Not that the Formless Druids care, they want all the new places they can find.

“	And who needs stodgy old timers to teach me what nature already has to show? Right?	”
—Miggins Tuft, Formless Druid

NPC Reactions: Formless Druids can be loved and awed to highly misunderstood and hated depending on the forms they master. Most are seen as normal druids until they Wildshape into something startling and impossible.

Formless Druid Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) can research Formless Druids to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge

DC	Result
15	A Formless Druid is a Druid who specialized in Wildshaping, sacrificing magical prowess for more size control.
20	A Formless Druid can turn into things that other Druids would never consider natural.
25	A Formless Druid can become more like their forms without changing, giving themselves or others the aspects of the creatures they can wildshape into.
30	A Formless Druid can defy anti-magic and take nearly any form when fully realized.

Formless Druids in the Game

Formless Druids can be found in the wild places, broken away from established groves or circles, by choice or by circumstance. They tend to not care for coin unless it gets them to the next interesting place, and are any gender and any intelligent race. Most are Chaotic Neutral by nature, continuing to wander and wonder at the possibilities of the planes.

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