Marine shapeshifter that assumes the form and abilities of creatures it kills

Baldanders, also called shifters, are marine creatures similar to dopplegangers, yet with several significant differences. In its original form, a baldander looks like a middle-aged man with the feet of a goat and a long serpentine tail ending in a fin. However, it is seldom encountered in this form. A baldander is able to take the exact form of any creature it kills, along with most of its abilities, including spells. In fact, a baldander seems to live only to acquire new forms. A baldander usually carries a trident and a large book. The book is used to record every shape it has acquired along with any magical spells that were known by the creatures it has killed. Strangely enough, a baldander can only acquire one form from a given species, although it can still acquire new spells by killing additional Magic-users of the same species. A Baldander cannot acquire Clerical spells from their victims however.