Seeking advice: Creatures with multiple forms as GM

Hi,  I am looking for any suggestions or best practices to apply when dealing as a GM with creatures with multiple forms. For example, were-creatures, which have multiple forms (Human, animal, and hybrid) and are presented with separate stat-blocks in the PF1 compendium.  To use the Buffs suggested by Gauss in response to a players' question regarding his Kitsune PC's fox form, I would need to re-create each monster using a PC sheet, so that is one option (though only really covers 2 of the 3 forms).  So how do others handle the case of a single creature needing 2 or 3 stat blocks to represent it? I can play around with multiple tokens each tied to a different NPC sheet, but that starts becoming a confusing number of extra tokens to keep synchronized with hp changes and other effects. 

Hi Mark G.,  Which character sheet are you using?  Where did you see the advice I was giving?

Hi Gauss,  Pathfinder by Roll20 is the sheet, but I don't think the response I am looking for is sheet-specific.  The prior post was in this forum, a player asked how to handle his Kitsune PC's ability to change shape into a fox. You suggested configuring a pair of Buffs to handle the changes. It was the closest-looking to match to what I was looking for, but with the PC configuration of the sheet instead of the NPC configuration , not quite a match. The NPC/Monster configuration of the sheets does not support the use of Buffs The encounter I am setting up right now involves 3 werebears in hybrid form. The PF1 Compendium (PRD and purchased Bestiary) present each variety of were- creature with 2 entries, one for hybrid form and one for human form. A fully-transformed were-creature would use the base animal's stat-block (a third sheet). Three pairs of tokens, one of each p air linked to the hybrid version and the other to the human and manually shuffled if one or another of them changes form, is manageable but more of a challenge than I'd like to deal with. A wererat den with a dozen such pairs would not be manageable, practically.  I *could* simply decide that they would never change form and so only use the one version, but they are shapeshifters and in-game *should* be able to choose to change form as needed. So I am looking to see how others have handled similar situations. 

Ahh yup, alternate sheets for that, or a script (via Pro/Elite account) would be how I'd handle it.

Thanks ! If anyone else has a suggestion, I'd be happy to hear it. 

Hi Mark! I would go with the separate statblocks and default tokens approach for handling the number of changes it sounds like you are dealing with. I would keep them in a sub folder in the journal tab, and during play, I would keep all related tokens on the board, with the inactive ones pulled onto the backdrop and out of sight of the players. When a switcheroo is needed, just pull to inactive token off the board 9don't delete it), and drag the new one to that spot. I say don't delete, because that way, you do not need to re-roll initiative. You will have to adjust HP, of course. A dedicated script might handle the moving and HP totals, but A) it's probably not worth it for the amount you will likely be using this trick, and B) From your user tag, I'm guessing the game likely does not have access to mod scripts.

Hi Keith, and thanks! The "KS Backer" tag is masking my Pro account status. :)  That's pretty much the situation I am in, and considering how to handle it better (if there even *is* a way to do so) is my goal here.  EDIT: Full disclosure, as another option I can use an external tool (not another VTT) that manages all of this and only use Roll20 for display to the players. The downside there is that I can't have it make the necessary rolls on Roll20, so the players would have to take my word for them. 

I don't play Pathfinder, but for lycanthropes I create rollable (multi-sided) tokens, then set up token macros for their various attacks, with the actions restricted to a particular form labeled as such.  It can make for a very long token menu, but it works for me. Abbreviations help, and only you need to understand them :)  The only time I need to worry about changing size is with werebears, whose size changes to "large" when in bear form.

@Rick A. so basically pick one of the multiple forms to be the base and create macros for adjusted attacks, saving throws, etc.? That's probably more workable than maintaining separate tokens for separate stat-blocks, especially when it can be a dozen or so pairs (wererat lair, for example) to worry about. 

Exactly. It sounds like Pathfinder lycanthropes are a bit more complicated than those in D&D 5e , but my method should still work. It takes a bit of set-up, but you only need to do the work once per lycanthrope type. George, Bennie and Wilberforce - three were-rat muggers - each have their own tokens but all share the same character sheet (HP not linked of course) . Mark G. said: @Rick A. so basically pick one of the multiple forms to be the base and create macros for adjusted attacks, saving throws, etc.? That's probably more workable than maintaining separate tokens for separate stat-blocks, especially when it can be a dozen or so pairs (wererat lair, for example) to worry about. 

Hmm ... I already rewrite all attacks and several abilities as macros (because the stats in the statblock often assume always or never use of some abilities, and do not reflect conditional modifiers; my macros include prompts for those), so adding another prompt for "current form" to adjust them would not be too hard.