General Prestige Class : Shaper of Form
by Monte Cook, Dragon #326
Bards sometimes tell tales, late at night, of primal beings from the very heart of existence that magically kidnap those who delve into the secrets of certain types of spellcasting. These spirits of form test their captives like alchemists test the purity of a sample of gold. If the spirits find the tested individual wanting, they return her to where she originated with the memories of the experience wiped from her mind. If the spellcaster passes these mysterious tests, however, the cryptic spirits of form tutor the spellcaster in a rare and special form of magic only they know how to teach - form shaping.
The shapers of form are rare but proud of their abilities. Unable to pass along the art of shaping magic (only the spirits of form can do that), they rarely work in guilds or with other organized groups of spellcasters. Instead, they find appropriate uses for their special talents as befits their needs and personality, whether as craftsmen, adventurers, performers, thieves, or anything else.
Any character with a spellcasting class can become a shaper of form. However, the specific type of magical knowledge required determines the spirits of forms decision more than the individual's raw power. Regardless of where their magical power originates - whether from dusty tomes or the blessing of nature-shaper: of form are universally competent at using spells or abilities that alter things or themselves. Thus, most are usually quite good at a strange variety of skills - disabling devices by changing a gear or lever's shape slightly, escaping bonds by temporarily dislocating a joint, or even healing others by expertly staunching the flow of blood. Most shapers of form know how to alter their surroundings without the aid of magic.
Transmuters make up the majority of shapers of form, although clerics, druids, sorcerers, and unspecialized wizards are common in their ranks.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Shaper of Form, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Craft (alchemy) 5 ranks, Craft (any other craft skill) 8 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks
- Feats: Great Fortitude, Spell Focus (transmutation).
- Spells: Ability to cast six spells from the school of transmutation.
- Special: Spirits of form, mysterious beings from beyond the normal ken of mortals, must have contacted the character. A character who wishes to join this class does well to study both magical and mundane means of altering the world around her in order to attract the attention of these beings.
Class Skills
The shaper of form's class skills are Appraise, Concentration, Craft, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Heal, Knowledge (arcana), Profession, and Spellcraft.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are features of the shaper of form class:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shapers of form gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Spells: When a shaper of form gains her 1st level, and every odd level after that (plus 10th level), the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on). This essentially means that she adds the new level of shaper of form to the level of whatever other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly. For example, if an 8th-level cleric gains a level in shaper of form, she gains new spells as if she had risen to 9th level in cleric but uses the other shaper of form aspects of level progression such as attack bonus and save bonus. If she next gains a level of cleric, making her a 9th-level cleric/1st-level shaper of form, she gains spells as if she had risen to become a 10+-level cleric.
If a character had more than one spellcasting class before she became a shaper of form, she must decide to which class she adds the spellcasting ability granted by levels of shaper of form.
Like Begets Like (Su): Once per day per three class levels, the shaper of form can change one non-magic object of her size or smaller into a similar object of the same size. Similar items have the same or nearly the same shape and weight within 50% of each other. Similar items must also share a material in their construction that constitutes at least half of their form. For example, the shaper of form can transform a scimitar into a longsword, since both are swords that weigh the same. He cannot change a dagger into a short sword, for example, because a short sword weighs twice as much as a dagger. The shaper of form could also change a set of leather armor into a set of studded leather but not a chain shirt (because the chain shirt is made of steel and not leather).
Sometimes, overall improvements can be made, but the value of the item cannot increase by more than double its original worth. This change is permanent and cannot be dispelled or otherwise removed by any means short of a wish or miracle.
This effect requires a full-round action to use, and the shaper of form must touch the item in question in order to affect it. The shaper of form can attempt to change an item in another creature's possession, but the item gets a Fortitude save (DC 10 + shaper of form level) to resist the effect.
At 5th level, the shaper of form can use this ability on magic items. The magical qualities do not change. If used on a +1 flaming longsword to make it into a warhammer, it becomes a +1 flaming warhammer. The value of the finished item cannot exceed the value of the original, and the change lasts for only 24 hours.
At 8th level, the shaper of form can use this ability on any object up to three sizes larger than herself.
Modify Self (Ex): At 1st level and every three levels thereafter (at 4th, 7th, and 10th level), the shaper of form can gain one effect from the following list, achieved through applying shaping magic to her own body. The effect is permanent. The shaper of form can choose the same ability more than once - the effects of each ability stack with themselves. For example, a shaper of form who takes the resilience ability three times has a permanent +3 natural armor bonus to her Armor Class. These effects cannot be removed by any means short of a wish or miracle, and each use of one of those spells removes only a single effect of this ability (thus, multiple wishes must be used to eliminate multiple benefits).
Prowess: The shaper of form gains a +1 inherent bonus to a physical ability score (Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity).
Quickness: The shaper of form adds +10 feet to her base land speed.
Renaissance: The shaper of form changes race, gender, or general physical appearance. She cannot change type and no ability score adjustments occur as a result of the change. So if the character is weak and becomes an orc, she becomes a weak orc. The shaper of form cannot choose to become a member of a race with a level adjustment.
Resilience: The shaper of form gains +1 natural armor bonus.
Toughness: The shaper of form gains +10 hit points.
Fortify Item (Su): Also at 2nd level, a shaper of form can increase the hardness of a single object her size or smaller by 1 with a touch. She can do this once per day. The change is permanent, and an object can receive the benefit of this ability only once. This effect cannot be removed by any means short of a wish or miracle.
Polymorph (Sp): At 2nd level, the shaper of form can cast polymorph once per day as a spell-like ability. At 3rd level, the shaper of form can cast polymorph twice per day.
Resist Shaping (Ex): At 4th level, the shaper of form gains a +2 inherent bonus on saves against transmutation magic.
As Above, So Below (Su): Once per day at 6th level the shaper of form can temporarily alter any non-living object of her size or smaller, changing it into another object of her size or smaller that the shaper can touch once per day. For example, if the shaper sees an orc charging at her with a greatsword, she can transform a rock at her feet into a greatsword. The finished item can have a value no greater than 1,000 gp per level of the shaper of form. Magic qualities can be duplicated as well, as long as the shaper of form can identify them with a successful Spellcraft check. Thus, if the shaper of form can see someone else with boots of striding and springing, she can transform her boots (or anything else she can touch) into boots of striding and springing. The change lasts for 1 round per class level of the shaper of form. This effect cannot be removed before its duration expires by any means short of a wish or miracle.
This effect requires a full-round action to use, and the shaper of form must touch the item to be changed in order to affect it.
Polymorph Any Object (Sp): At 9th level, the shaper of form can cast polymorph any object once per day as a spell-like ability.
Disable (Sp): At 10th level, the shaper of form gains the ability to ruin an item once every other day. This ability allows the shaper of form to create a Mordenkainen's disjunction effect to completely remove all magical abilities from a single item or to disintegrate (as the spell) any nonmagical, nonliving object. Neither use of this ability allows a saving throw, although artifacts can only be affected as described under Mordenkainen's disjunction.
| Shaper of Form | Hit Die: d6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per Day |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | t-2 | Like begets like, modify self | +1 level of existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Fortify item, polymorph (1/day) | - |
| 3rd | +1 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Polymorph (2/day) | +1 level of existing class |
| 4th | +2 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Modify self, resist shaping | - |
| 5th | +2 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Like begets like (magic) | +1 level of existing class |
| 6th | +3 | +5 | +2 | +5 | As above, so below | - |
| 7th | +3 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Modify self | +1 level of existing class |
| 8th | +4 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Like begets like (larger) | - |
| 9th | +4 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Polymorph any object | +1 level of existing class |
| 10th | +5 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Disable, modify self | +1 level of existing class |
Source: Dragon #329
Dragon Compendium Vol. 1