Long ago you said, after playing Drasdan, that you liked simple, reliable, autopilot-ish builds and that's why air/offense appealed to you.
I also like simple, reliable builds so I can focus on role rather than tactics. FWIW, I remembered your words after I decided to phase out bards as my favorite class, and I chose double utility and...
It's funny to think that, you didn't like to fight Kowelu but you were (indirectly) the one who shaped the build of that character.

Try felar util/util shifter, you might enjoy it.
Outlander, perhaps. Outties need all the help they can get.

As for a role... Mage roles are commonly written as "I was this and that but then I discovered spontaneous talent and it changed my life/created conflict in my family/guild/homestead and I didn't want to stop trying out my magic despite the elders forbidding me/nobody wanting to teach me more, so I went away to adventure and do as I please".

It's commonly used in fiction too:
[www.youtube.com]

Also, take a mundane profession that your char had before he discovered shapeshifting ability, and spin your mannerisms around that profession.

Then go burn some villages.