Feral Aspect: Base Shapeshifting Class (and no, it doesn't Wildshape)

[Wensleydale]

Feral

Alignment: Any non-lawful

Hit Die: D8

Skill Points at 1st Level: 2 + Int modifier x4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str).

[class=Feral]
[bab=cleric]
[fort=good]
[special][1]Aspect, Speak with Aspect, Sense Animals, Animal Contact[/1][5]Animal Rage[/5][/special]
[special=Aspect Abilities][1]Natural Weapon[/1][2]Ability Boost +2[/2][4]Movement Mode[/4][5]Natural Armour[/5][6]Size Change 1 Step[/6][7]2 Natural Weapons[/7][9]Subtype Change[/9][10]2 Animals, Magical Beast Aspect[/10][11]2 Ability Boosts +4, Special Attack[/11][12]3 Natural Weapons[/12][13]2 Special Attacks[/13][14]Type Change, Special Quality[/14][15]3 Ability Boosts (Max. Animal's Score), Three Special Attacks[/15][16]All Natural Weapons, Size Change Full[/16][17]2 Special Qualities[/17][18]3 Special Qualities[/18][19]All Special Attacks, 4 Special Qualities[/19][20]20[/20][/special]

[special=Aspect-Taking][1]2[/1][2]2[/2][3]3[/3][4]3[/4][5]4[/5][6]4[/6][7]5[/7][8]5[/8][9]6[/9][10]6[/10][11]7[/11][12]7[/12][13]8[/13][14]8[/14][15]9[/15][16]9[/16][17]10[/17][18]10[/18][19]At Will[/19][20]At Will[/20][/special]
[special=Animal Rage][1][/1][2][/2][3][/3][4][/4][5]1[/5][6]1[/6][7]1[/7][8]2[/8][9]2[/9][10]2[/10][11]3[/11][12]3[/12][13]3[/13][14]4[/14][15]4[/15][16]4[/16][17]5[/17][18]5[/18][19]5[/19][20]5[/20][/special][/class]

Class Features: All the following are class features of the Feral:

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A Feral gains proficiency with the club, handaxe, longbow, shortbow, longspear, shortspear, and javelin. He gains no armour proficiencies, and proficiency with light shields.

Aspect (Su): As a full-round action, a Feral can take on the aspects of various animals and vermin, granting him more power in combat. The aspects he can take on are determined by class progression, and he can take on the aspects allowed of any animal or vermin with HD equal or less than his Feral level. As he becomes more powerful, he can take on the aspects of more than one (two at 10th level, three at 20th.) Also at 10th level, he gains the ability to take on the qualities of magical beasts. However, for the purpose of the maximum HD of a magical beast Aspect he can use and the maximum amount of abilities he can take on from that aspect, he is treated as four levels lower.
The Feral must be familiar with the chosen animal (for instance, a Feral who had never seen an eagle could not take on its traits) for the Aspect to work. A Feral cannot take on an Aspect whilst wearing armour. A Feral cannot take the same aspect from two different animals, vermin, or magical beasts, that is to say, even if he can take on two movement speeds and has access to two creatures, he can't take on a burrow speed from a badger and a fly speed from a bee. The aspects are given below. Aspect-drawing lasts 10 minutes + feral level + constitution modifier.

Natural Attack: At 1st level, the Feral gains the ability to take on one natural attack from a creature, using its base value (for instance 1D2 bite for a badger) without strength modifiers or attack bonuses. The Feral's AB and strength modifier apply instead. At 7th and 12th level, he gains the ability to take on an extra natural attack, and at 16th he can take on all the natural attacks of any one creature.

Ability Boost: At 2nd level, the Feral gains the ability to use a creature's power to fuel his own. He can gain a +2 bonus (+1 ability modifier) to any ability score that the creature chosen also has at least 12 ranks in. At 11th level, the Feral can use a 2nd ability boost, and the amount gainable goes up to +4 (+2 bonus), and at 15th he gains a third and the maximum amount gainable becomes as much as the creature has. He can use the extra bonuses to further increase an ability score (as long as it doesn't go above the creature's score) or boost a second score. At 20th level, he can gain all the ability scores of the creature.

Movement Mode: At 4th level, the Feral can take on a movement mode of a chosen creature. He could use this to grant a boost to his normal movement speed, or gain a totally new movement mode. The movement mode's speed can be chosen all the way up to maximum for the creature chosen; that is to say, a Feral using the base land speed of a 40ft moving creature could choose his new speed as any value up to and including 40ft.

Natural Armour: At 5th level, the Feral can take on the natural armour of a creature, granting him its total natural armour bonus.

Size Change: At 6th level, the Feral can move one step up or down the size scale towards his chosen creature (for instance, a medium feral using the Aspect of a badger could become small.) This improves at 16th level, at which point the Feral can take on the actual size of the creature.

Subtype Change: At 9th level the Feral can take on the subtype of an Aspect. This grants him all the abilities of that subtype, and allows him to appear as that subtype when he is subject to scrying spells etc. He may also be able to use some spells and magic items that he couldn't before, but this works in reverse, too, blocking him from using magic items and spells that he used to be able to. At level 14 this improves, when he takes on the Type and Subtype.

Special Attack: At 11th level, the Feral can gain one of the (Ex) special attacks of the creature, usable as many times per day as the creature can use it (plus any bonus from feats etc, see Feral Feats below.) DCs are equal to 10 + half his feral level + relevant ability modifier. At 13th and 15th, he gains an extra special attack. At 19th he can gain all of the abilities, and one of the creature's Supernatural abilities (but not spell-likes.)

Special Quality: At 14th level, the Feral can take on one of the (Ex) special qualities of the chosen creature. At 17th, 18th, and 19th he can gain an extra quality. Also at 19th, he gains the ability to add one Supernatural quality.

Animal Rage (Ex): Beginning at 5th level, the Feral can work himself up into an animal rage, calling on the Dakra Ue, the Pool of Souls, for all the emotions of anger and hate he can find. He is imbued with power, gaining +2 to Strength and the Pounce ability (see Monster Manual 3.5 glossary) but takes -2 to AC. The rage lasts for 1 round + con modifier + feral level, and the Feral cannot voluntarily end it. It only finishes once all enemies are dead or it runs out. The rage is usable once per encounter, and the Feral is fatigued once it ends.

Animal Contact (Su): A Feral can communicate basic emotions with animals even whilst not using Aspects. This allows him to influence the attitude of an animal, vermin, and once he gains the ability to take on their traits (10th level) magical beasts with an intelligence of 3 or lower. This ability functions just like using a diplomacy check made to try and influence a person (see Chapter 4 of the Players' Handbook), with the Feral rolling a D20 and adds Feral level and Cha modifier to determine the check result. To use this ability the Feral and the target animal must be within 30ft of one another and able to sense the other somehow, whether through sight, blindsense, or scent.

Sense Animals (Su): A Feral can detect certain manifestations of the Dakra Ue that come naturally. He can detect the direction and intensity (rough idea of HD) of animals and vermin within 60ft, and can pinpoint those within 30ft to within an inch. If he takes a standard action to concentrate, he can detect the  general condition (diseased, dying, stable, poisoned, healthy) and location in the area.

Speak with Aspect (Ex): Whilst using the aspect of a creature, a Feral can communicate with others of its kind as if using a Speak With Animals spell targeting only that type of animal.

[Fatum]

Not bad though I think the HD should be adjusted to a d8 as they already get a hefty amount of abilities with the class and the ability to take on the Constitution of an aspect could easy start to create an imbalance of the character.

[Wensleydale]

Nice lack of full stops there. ;)

Maybe so - thinking of it though, they could probably get that much HP anyway...

[Epic Meepo]

Besides, animals and vermin have d8's as racial HD. So a d8 for HD would fit the animal and vermin theme that the class has prior to getting magical beast aspects on high levels.

[Wensleydale]

Changed. Any other thoughts?