Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Barky Apr 26, 2015 7:49:59	I am planning to throw a homegrown shapeshifting monster at my players. I don't want to post all details, but here's what's relevant for my question:   Intended to be a tough challenge for Lvl 5 PCs Size = L It is basically an instinctual beast, smarter than the average animal. It would be a top predator but is not intelligent/self-aware/etc. It does observe other predators and learns their abilities. This means it can only turn into forms that it would have seen in its own territory. It will pick the best form for the situation it is in. I've laid out what it will do if confronted by one melee opponent, two opponents, three or more, if confronted with ranged attacks, if it needs to escape, if it needs to pursue, etc. Can only change into other size L creatures.  I intentionally want to confuse my players So here's where I would like opinions: I'm trying to figure out whether this ability to shape change should be a standard action, a bonus action, an every-other-round bonus or standard action, a reaction, or what.   If it's a standard action, that would be the equivalent of giving its opponents a free swing every time it changes.  If it's a bonus action, that means it could change every round, which is what I want, but I'm not sure it's fair. Also it feels wrong that a size L shapeshifter could change form every six seconds. Changing every other round as bonus action seems better, but because most combats only last a few rounds, that's only 1-2 "shifts", which seems uninteresting. Note that I haven't run any combats in 5E at that level yet, so maybe combat takes longer as level goes up? Doing it as a reaction would seem to make this ability a defensive ability which may be cool, too), but I want this to be an offensive ability. Thoughts?
#2 transcendantviewer Apr 26, 2015 8:09:27	It seems to me like you're just building a "Flashy bag of hit points". If you're going to build a shapeshifter - regardless its size - it's going to be stealthy ambush predator that's only focused on tearing apart prey in the quickest, cleanest means possible. Personally, I'd put its Intelligence at 3 so it's got rudimentary intelligence, but is far from as smart as most sentient creatures. It'll understand certain phrases and gestures and be capable of actually differentiating between situations, at least to an extent. As for its shifting speed, I don't know what I'd recommend, but I don't think every other turn is quite right. Maybe making it an action would be good, you just need to make this some sort of ambushing miniboss, or something more important than just an encounter. Making it a Reaction would work, but that's a really rapid change, it would need to take some sort of drawback for doing that. Stressing muscles and bones can leave lasting effects. Perhaps slashing damage of a certain amount if it forces such a rapid change? Stressing cells and muscles causes minute tears in their tissues, after all. Perhaps it learns and grows more intelligent as it tracks a species and eventually becomes smart enough to disguise itself as a Centaur and begins traversing through towns and whatnot? This thing could become something akin to the alien abomination from The Thing. All in all, I highly recommend making this a medium-sized creature that can shapeshift into any small, medium, or large sized creature it has seen. Then giving it a stealthy, ambush style fighting perogative. This will guarantee that it would fit its tital as an apex predator. After all; you can't be the best without doing your homework. Lions stalk, wolves hunt at night, crocodiles lunge forward from the water. It's a natural thing.
#3 Regin_Vargtass Apr 27, 2015 1:22:59	If you want to confuse the players, have the beast attack (keeping to one form), them withdraw into hiding. Next ambush will be in an unexpected way, in a new form. Run a war of attrition - whittling away the party's resources. The beast may have a reset of its HP on shapechanging, so it would be goog tactics for it. They will expect a collection of beasts, possibly urged on by a beastmaster boss of some kind. Only reveal the shapeshifting after a few ambushes.    Also, you can taunt the players by having the beast run away with some treasured possession.
(Reply to #3) transcendantviewer	Regin_Vargtass wrote: