Shapeshifting tree

Would love a shapeshifting tree in the game. Here's a concept on how it could possibly work!


Beast Lore (passive):

While fighting an animal, you take special note of its traits and behavior. In order to shapeshift, you must meet the Beast Lore requirement.

Additionally, grants a ( x ) bonus to health while transformed.

Shapeshift (active, requires Beast Lore 20):

You shapeshift into a desired animal, gaining its traits. While shapeshifted, you lost all armor bonuses to Damage resistance and dodge, and those are replaced with a modified version of the animal's natural resist/dodge modifiers. You gain a bonus/penalty to your STR and/or DEX depending on the animal. You cannot use weapon or spell skills while shapeshifted, you may instead use "creature skills" which replace them. These are automatically placed on your hot bar/deck when shifted, and are replaced with your normal skills when you return to normal. Finally, your natural attack damage while shifted is increased by ( x ) depending on your INT stat. In order to exit this form, you must activate the "Return to normal" skill that appears when shifted alongside the other "creature skills."

The Shapeshifting specialization reduces any penalties gained by shapeshifting into a form and increases your natural attack damage further.

Instinctive Fury (passive, requires Shapeshift 40):

Increases the effectiveness of your "creature skills" by ( x )%.

Tough Hide (passive, requires Instinctive Fury 40):

Increases your shapeshifted form's defenses by ( x )%.

One with Nature (passive, requires Tough Hide 40):

Grants a bonus depending on the category of form you take. This bonus scales with the level of this skill.
- Wolf: Increased damage by ( x ) while nearby allies.
- Boar: Reduces incoming damage by ( x )% while using Charge or Berserk
- Spider: Increases range of Poison and Web skills by ( x )%.
- Corpion: Increases duration and intensity of the Poison skill.
- Bear: Increases aggro generation by ( x )%
- Crocodile: Increases Stealth while standing still by ( x )%.

Natural Regeneration (active, requires Shapeshift 40):

Restores ( x ) health over ( x ) seconds. Shapeshifting specialization increases the healing received and duration.

Lick Wounds (active, requires Natural Regeneration 40):

Heals for ( x ) health. Shapeshifting specialization gives you a chance to remove a debuff.

Beast Arcana (passive, requires Shapeshifting 40):

Allows for the casting of certain spells while shapeshifted. When unlocked, it sets your fizzle chance from 100% to 80%. Each level of this skill reduces that fizzle chance by a further ( x )%. You may only use spells with no reagent cost while in this form, except for Chaos and Death spells, which you still cannot cast regardless while shapeshifted.

Shapeshifting Specialization (passive, requires 80 Beast Arcana, 80 One with Nature, 80 Lick Wounds):

Increases Shapeshifting mastery by ( x )%. What this does is further enhance your forms' effectiveness in combat and further reduces the fizzle rate of spells while shapeshifted.

 

i had a thought about how cool a shapeshifting skill would be in SotA. i used to do an Easter event in UO Napa Valley shard where i would shapeshift into bunny, lay runestone "eggs" with a prize code, and put on an easter egg hunt for prizes.

before posting my wishlist item i did my due diligence and found this wonderfully laid out post on the very topic from @Bayard Knock. giving this a bump because it would be pretty damn cool and thinking through implementation maybe not terribly difficult depending on how the controllers are written.

 

I LOVE THIS IDEA!!

Sounds like the Dryad in Quest for Glory...



Also - similar to Julanar in Quest for Glory 2:



Also the "old man tree" from Conquest of the Longbow (amazing game)




(time 2:14:50)