At 5th level, a druid gains the supernatural ability to assume the form of any Small or Medium animal and change back again to her natural form once per day. The druid’s options for new forms include all creatures of the animal type (see Monster Manual). This ability functions like alternate form, except as noted here.
Changing to an assumed form or back to natural form is a standard action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. The effect lasts for 1 hour per druid level, or until she changes back. The form chosen must be that of an animal the druid has seen or could reasonably know about. The
assumed form’s Hit Dice can’t exceed the character’s druid level. Each time a druid uses use wild shape, she regains 1 hit point per Hit Die.
A druid loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but she can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as her assumed form. For instance, the normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form doesn’t permit speech.
Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the assumed form and becomes nonfunctional. When the druid reverts to her natural form, any objects previously melded into the assumed form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land in the druid’s space.
A druid can use this ability more times per day at 6th, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a Large animal at 8th level, a Tiny animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15th level.
At 12th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a plant creature, with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. A druid can’t use this ability to take the form of a plant that isn’t a creature.
At 16th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) once per day. These elemental forms are in addition to her normal wild shape usage.
In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the druid gains all the elemental’s extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. She also gains the elemental’s feats for as long as she maintains the wild shape, but she retains her own creature type.
At 18th level, a druid becomes able to assume elemental form twice per day, and at 20th level she can do so three times per day. At 20th level, a druid can use this wild shape ability to change into a Huge elemental.
