Converting 4E Classes to AD&D: The Druid

The Druid is my favourite class in 4E. You might be thinking "Dude, there already are
Druids in AD&D!" but the 4E Druid is fairly different to the Druids of old. In AD&D,
shape-changing as a Druid is definitely something you can do, but it's not your
defining attribute or anything. 4E Druids, on the other hand, are all based around their
ability to transform into their totem animal. In most games I've played with my 4E
Druid, I've been shapeshifting every round. Having different powers in human and
beast forms makes for a really exciting tactical challenge. The question is always:
"What form do I want to be in now? What form will I want to be in next turn?"

So my rebuilt version of the Druid is now called the Shapechanger, and is quite
distinct from the original Druid class.

Shapechanger
The shapechanger is a character who has a natural affinity for the wilds and for the
creatures that dwell there. Depending on your campaign milieu, they may be gifted
the power of shapechanging by magic or they may be a separate race from humanity.
Regardless, the shapechanger has been able to transform into some sort of beast from
a young age. As such, shapechangers have a much more primal and less intellectual
connection to nature as compared to Druids.

Shapechangers use 8-sided hit dice but may not wear any armour, and may not wield
any weapons except daggers, staves and slings. They do not gain any bonuses to
attack rolls, save in beast form (see below). To qualify for the Shapechanger class, the
character must have at least 14 Wisdom and at least 11 Constitution.

Druidic Magic: The shapechanger can cast spells from the Druid spell list, though in
a more limited quantity (see table below). Spells may only be cast while in human
form.

Wild Shape: Shapechangers can transform themselves into other creatures. This may
be performed multiple times per day, but it takes 2 rounds to complete the
transformation. The shapechanger may only ever change between animal and human
forms, never between two different animal forms. While shapechanging, the character
is utterly helpless as their bones and organ rearrange, and they may be attacked as
though they were unconscious.

The shapechanger begins play with one randomly chosen form into which they may
wild shape, and they gain another such form at 2nd, 4th and 6th levels. The forms are
as follows:

1 Crow 6 Horse (trample 1d6)

2 Bear* (claws strike for 1d6/1d6) 7 Shark* (jaws 1d8)
3 Wolf* (bite 1d6; tracking ability) 8 Mole (dig through dirt)
4 Centipede* (bite for 1d2, save vs. 9 Tiger* (claws 1d6/1d6; camouflage in
poison or take 1d4 extra damage) forest settings)
5 Mosquito (carry pathogens) 10 Elephant (trample 1d8)
11 Porcupine (1d4 spine damage when 12 Kangaroo (jump 6ft)
attacked)
Forms marked with a * gain bonuses to their attack rolls based on hit dice as if they
were monsters, though this caps out at 6th level. The shapechanger retains the same
hit dice and hit points regardless of form.
Form Devouring: At 7th level, the shapechanger gains the ability to acquire forms
through a ritual. This ritual requires the heart of a creature killed within the last 24
hours (creatures without hearts cannot be subject to the ritual). It also requires 2 hours
of concentration on the part of the shapechanger, and the ritual focus of a silver totem
worth at least 200gp. At the climax of the ritual, the shapechanger devours the heart
and gains the ability to transform into the creature that has been devoured. Note that
this form will have the exact appearance of the devoured one, so the shapechanger
may potentially impersonate one whom they have killed. It is up to the Dungeon
Master to determine the ethical consequences of form devouring. It is recommended
that devouring animals should be considered a neutral act, but devouring sentient
beings would be an evil act.

The Shapechanger's other statistics are as follows:

XP Level Hit Dice Available Druid spells per day

forms
0-2,500 1 1d8 1 1 x L1
2,501-5,000 2 2d8 2 2 x L1
5,001-10,000 3 3d8 2 2 x L1,1 x L2
10,001-22,500 4 4d8 3 2 x L1, 1 x L2
22,501-40,000 5 5d8 3 3 x L1, 1 x L2
40,001-80,000 6 6d8 4 3x L1, 2 x L2
80,001- 7 7d8 4 + acquired 3x L1, 2x L2, 1x L3
140,000
140,001- 8 8d8 4 + acquired 4x L1, 3x L2, 2x L3
200,000
200,001- 9 9d8 4 + acquired 4x L1, 4x L2, 3x L3
300,000
300,001- 10 10d8 4 + acquired 4x L1, 4x L2, 3x L3, 1x L4
400,000
100,000 XP and +1hp for each level beyond the 10th.
I'm not sure if this class is overpowered compared to the AD&D Druid or any other
class, but I guess it doesn't matter too much. What I wanted to capture was the
meaningful decision of which form to be in. Where 4E presents that decision on a
turn-by-turn basis, this version presents it encounter-by-encounter. Will you want to
be in your beast form in order to fight enemies or scout ahead? Or should you be in
your human form so you can cast your spells? Transforming takes a long time and
leaves you vulnerable, so you'll be most effective if you can be in the right form
before you get into combat or some other time-critical situation.