While a creature is transformed into another form, treat it as that form’s race for racial traits.
The transformation suppresses the creature’s original ancestry-based racial traits and replaces them with the transformed form’s racial package. This includes racial ability bonuses, vision (such as low-light or darkvision), scent and its range, movement speeds, and biological traits such as reproductive capability. Apply the active form’s package instead of combining it with the original ancestry’s racial package.
The creature retains its base ability scores and nonracial bonuses unless the transformation effect states otherwise. Apply ability-score bonuses according to the bonus type and stacking rules; in particular, Size bonuses and racial form bonuses are separate types.
When the transformation ends, the creature’s original ancestry-based racial traits return.
A natural shifter changes form through its own supernatural ability rather than through a spell or Polymorph effect. Each ability defines its available forms, action, and duration. Natural-shifter forms use the item and action rules below.
For form-specific traits and limitations, see the Hengeyokai race page.
In a natural-shifter form, a creature cannot speak or manipulate objects with hands. It cannot drink potions or activate magic items that require verbal or somatic components. Only items with the Shifter enchantment remain with the creature; all other worn or carried items are dropped when the form is assumed.
Beast Shape I-VI are Polymorph spells. Wild Shape is a separate class feature. Under ordinary Polymorph effects and Wild Shape, worn and carried items meld into the transformed body and are inaccessible until the transformation ends. Their magical properties are suppressed until the effect ends; the items are not dropped.
Before a Polymorph effect resolves, check whether the new form can fit in the available space. If the creature cannot fit and there is no confinement it can break, the spell fails. Otherwise, it makes a Strength check (1d20 + the new form's Strength modifier, including its Size adjustments) against the break DC of the confinement. On a failure, the spell fails. On a success, the creature breaks through the confinement; if the new form still cannot fit, the spell fails. The GM sets a break DC when the confinement has no established DC.
Size-changing spells such as Enlarge Animal, Reduce Animal, Enlarge Person, and Reduce Person may specify that worn and carried equipment scales with the creature. That spell-specific rule overrides the ordinary Polymorph equipment rule above.
Baleful Polymorph and curses that physically change a creature into another form use the natural-shifter item rule: the transformed creature cannot speak or use manual dexterity, and drops all worn or carried items except those with the Shifter enchantment.