Along with druids, rangers are the masters of nature. Like druids, they can call upon the power of nature to cast spells, commune with animals and move freely through natural terrain. Yet, they cannot use that same power, as druids do, to assume the shape of plants and animals. There is a ranger archetype (shapeshifter) that allows a ranger to assume the aspect of beasts, but this is not an actual transformation. The ranger is strong with nature and should have the possibility of learning the druidic secret of shape changing.
Metamorph (Ranger Archetype)
The metamorph eschews the art of spell casting and chooses instead to channel the divine forces of nature to master the art of shape changing.
Feral Shape (Su)
At 4th level, a metamorph gains the ability to turn himself into a Small or Medium animal and back again once per day. His options for new forms include all creatures with the animal type. This ability functions like the beast shape I spell, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 10 minutes per metamorph level, or until he changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. The form chosen must be that of an animal the metamorph is familiar with.
A metamorph loses his ability to speak while in animal form because he is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but he can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as his new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)
A metamorph can use this ability an additional time per day at 6th level and every two levels thereafter, for a total of eight times at 18th level. At 20th level, a metamorph can use feral shape at will. As a metamorph gains in levels, this ability allows the metamorph to take on the form of larger and smaller animals. Each form expends one daily usage of this ability, regardless of the form taken.
At 6th level, a metamorph can use wild shape to change into a Large or Tiny animal. When taking the form of an animal, a metamorph’s feral shape now functions as beast shape II.
At 8th level, a metamorph can use wild shape to change into a Huge or Diminutive animal or a Small or Medium plant creature. When taking the form of animals, a metamorph’s feral shape now functions as beast shape III. When taking the form of a plant creature, the metamorph’s feral shape functions as plant shape I.
At 10th level, a metamorph can use feral shape to change into a Large plant creature. When taking the form of a plant, the metamorph’s feral shape now functions as plant shape II.
At 12th level, a metamorph can use wild shape to change into a Huge plant creature. When taking the form of a plant, the metamorph’s feral shape now functions as plant shape III.
For the purposes of selecting feats, feral shape counts as wild shape class feature
This ability replaces all spellcasting, and the metamorph is not considered to have a caster level.
