This is certainly a lively discussion! As a fellow loremonger, I'll toss my own thoughts into the pile.
Druids have the ability to shift. And -- as an aside -- while the game restricts us to either tauren or night elves when it comes to druids, they are
not the only races to be able to pursue this path.
When a druid shifts, it's into a specific type or subspecies of animals. From my knowledge, they can't partially shift and nor can they selectively choose which parts of their bodies that change: it's all or nothing. This is why we generally accept that druids are unable to speak in the vast majority of their forms (despite evidence of a
single quest to the contrary); the forms that they assume are unable to reproduce the sounds that our characters normally use in communication.
The forms that they shift into correspond in with specific animals or creatures. These are called totemic forms; they are directly linked with patrons that represent each of the subtypes. The vast majority of night elf druids who pursued their training prior to the events surround Mount Hyjal are totemic druids. The druids that we know of -- and their patrons -- are:
- Druid of the Antler: Malorne
- Druid of the Claw: Ursoc, Ursol
- Druid of the Grove: Ivus, the Forest Lord
- Druid of the Talon: Aviana
There is also the Druid of the Fang, who are a corrupted group found in the Wailing Caverns. Not much is known about them (including their patron(s)), but there are rumors of their return in Cataclysm.
Totemic druids are capable of shifting into a specific type of animal or creature, but they are not limited in the subtype. So, for example, Druids of the Claw -- those embrace the ability to turn into a bear -- can turn into a variety of types of bears, such as polar bears, brown bears, and black bears. This is
somewhat displayable in-game thanks to Patch 3.2, which allowed for customizable Feral forms. Unfortunately, I do not think that this currently works on Conquest of the Horde. It's my guess that the druid selects the form that appeals to him most or maybe that the training dictates what type of form is selected.
Now, the newer generation of druids -- of which people currently play in retail on World of Warcraft -- do not embrace a single totem. Instead, they are considered Druids of the Wild, which mean that they have a very different approach to being a druid. They tend to be well-rounded individuals who pursue knowledge in a variety of different forms which gives them greater flexibility but doesn't grant them the greater power that would result from specialization.
That said, on to the crux of this argument: can a druid shapeshift into a smaller form? I'm of the opinion that, no, they cannot. They have
some limited control over the form that they select, but I do not believe that it can be varied in size. Remember: in the comics, the only Druid of the Talon that was displayed had a form that was so large that it easily carried a man on its back for a great distance. Furthermore, shapeshifting represents a crucial part of their training and, for elder druids, this is something that they would not want to play around with. It's serious business. So they wouldn't just willy-nilly go and snag a potion because, hey, wouldn't it be neat to be tiny? Gee, wouldn't that be so
cute.
Just two additional things:
- While we're continuing discussing the lore behind the class, I do want to point out that it is extremely improbable that the staff will change its mind. We have made our decisions; we will not be changing it.
- I'd also like to remind people of our first -- and most important -- rule on Conquest of the Horde. Be polite. It's been mentioned before, but be reasonable, consider how your statements might be misunderstood, and be conscionable.