Alchemist | Antipaladin | Arcanist | Barbarian | Barbarian (Unchained) | Bard | Bloodrager | Brawler | Cavalier | Cleric | Druid | Fighter | Gunslinger | Hunter | Inquisitor | Investigator | Kineticist | Magus | Medium | Mesmerist | Monk | Monk (Unchained) | Ninja | Occultist | Oracle | Paladin | Psychic | Ranger | Rogue | Rogue (Unchained) | Samurai | Shaman | Shifter | Skald | Slayer | Sorcerer | Spiritualist | Summoner | Summoner (Unchained) | Swashbuckler | Vigilante | Warpriest | Witch | Wizard
Companion | Drake | Eidolon | Eidolon (Unchained) | Familiar | Phantom
Adept | Aristocrat | Commoner | Expert | Warrior

Shifter Class Details | Aspects | Archetypes

Aspects

Description Source: Ultimate Wilderness
A shifter draws her primary strength from an association with a specific type of animal. As a result, when a shifter uses her shifter aspect or wild shape class features, she can assume only the forms of her chosen aspects. Until reaching 5th level, a shifter has only a single aspect, but as she increases in level, she gains more control over her metamorphosis, allowing her to take on multiple aspects and even merge aspects.

All shifter aspects have a minor form and a major form. The minor form grants a shifter a few of the animal’s physical traits, while the major aspect is the form she takes on when she uses wild shape to fully transform into an animal. The list of abilities gained with the major aspect include those gained from the wild shape class feature, but the benefits gained from any resulting changes to size are not listed here (see beast shape II).

The following options represent only the most common choices used by shifters. Other aspects based on different animals certainly exist, and might grant similar powers or entirely new abilities based on the animal’s themes and nature. You can use the following aspects as guides for developing aspects of your own design, but if you wish to do so, you must secure your GM’s permission.

Description Source: Wilderness Origins
Shifters with a vermin aspect, such as dragonfly or spider, assume these major aspects with vermin shape II rather than beast shape II.

Alternate Natural Attacks

A shifter can draw on her chosen animal aspect to transform her hands into deadly weapons, as represented by the shifter’s claws class feature, but not every animal has prominent claws. The following list provides alternate natural attacks for the shifter claws class feature. Each time the shifter activates her shifter’s claws ability in her natural form, she can manifest one of the alternate natural attacks listed below for any of her chosen aspects, or those that relate to her archetype. Each alternate natural attack replaces one of the shifter’s claw attacks. The shifter can gain up to two different alternate natural attacks with this method. These alternate natural attacks modify only the damage type of the shifter’s natural attacks and otherwise function exactly as the shifter claws class feature.

Snake

Source Ultimate Wilderness pg. 30
The snake is a sneaky and lethal foe who strikes unexpectedly with deadly effect, while avoiding opportune strikes made in return.

Minor Form: You gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls when making attacks of opportunity and a +2 dodge bonus to your AC against attacks of opportunity. These bonuses increase to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Major Form (beast shape II): Your shape changes to that of an emperor cobra (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 252). While in this form, you gain a base speed of 30 feet, a climb speed of 30 feet, a swim speed of 30 feet, lowlight vision, scent (30 feet), a bite attack (2d6 damage), and the Combat Reflexes feat. If you already have Combat Reflexes or your Dexterity score is not high enough to gain more attacks of opportunity from Combat Reflexes, you can instead make one additional attack of opportunity each round. At 8th level, you gain a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Stealth checks. At 15th level, when you make an attack of opportunity with your bite attack, that attack also applies the following poison.

Poison (Ex): Bite—injury; save Fort DC = 10 + half your shifter level + your Constitution modifier; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves.

Alternate Natural Attacks: Bite (B, P, S), tail slap (B)