diff --git a/amaranth/lib/data.py b/amaranth/lib/data.py
index 44831d6..f469ac8 100644
--- a/amaranth/lib/data.py
+++ b/amaranth/lib/data.py
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ class View(ValueCastable):
         try:
             cast_layout = Layout.cast(layout)
         except TypeError as e:
-            raise TypeError("View layout must be a Layout instance, not {!r}"
+            raise TypeError("View layout must be a layout, not {!r}"
                             .format(layout)) from e
         if target is not None:
             if (name is not None or reset is not None or reset_less is not None or
@@ -398,28 +398,51 @@ class View(ValueCastable):
 
 
 class _AggregateMeta(ShapeCastable, type):
-    def __new__(metacls, name, bases, namespace, *, _layout_cls=None, **kwargs):
-        cls = type.__new__(metacls, name, bases, namespace, **kwargs)
-        if _layout_cls is not None:
-            cls.__layout_cls = _layout_cls
-        if "__annotations__" in namespace:
+    def __new__(metacls, name, bases, namespace):
+        if "__annotations__" not in namespace:
+            # This is a base class without its own layout. It is not shape-castable, and cannot
+            # be instantiated. It can be used to share behavior.
+            return type.__new__(metacls, name, bases, namespace)
+        elif all(not hasattr(base, "_AggregateMeta__layout") for base in bases):
+            # This is a leaf class with its own layout. It is shape-castable and can
+            # be instantiated. It can also be subclassed, and used to share layout and behavior.
+            reset = dict()
+            for name in namespace["__annotations__"]:
+                if name in namespace:
+                    reset[name] = namespace.pop(name)
+            cls = type.__new__(metacls, name, bases, namespace)
             cls.__layout = cls.__layout_cls(namespace["__annotations__"])
-        return cls
+            cls.__reset  = reset
+            return cls
+        else:
+            # This is a class that has a base class with a layout and annotations. Such a class
+            # is not well-formed.
+            raise TypeError("Aggregate class '{}' must either inherits or specify a layout, "
+                            "not both"
+                            .format(name))
 
     def as_shape(cls):
+        if not hasattr(cls, "_AggregateMeta__layout"):
+            raise TypeError("Aggregate class '{}.{}' does not have a defined shape"
+                            .format(cls.__module__, cls.__qualname__))
         return cls.__layout
 
 
 class _Aggregate(View, metaclass=_AggregateMeta):
     def __init__(self, target=None, *, name=None, reset=None, reset_less=None,
             attrs=None, decoder=None, src_loc_at=0):
+        if target is None and hasattr(self.__class__, "_AggregateMeta__reset"):
+            if reset is None:
+                reset = self.__class__._AggregateMeta__reset
+            else:
+                reset = {**self.__class__._AggregateMeta__reset, **reset}
         super().__init__(self.__class__, target, name=name, reset=reset, reset_less=reset_less,
             attrs=attrs, decoder=decoder, src_loc_at=src_loc_at + 1)
 
 
-class Struct(_Aggregate, _layout_cls=StructLayout):
-    pass
+class Struct(_Aggregate):
+    _AggregateMeta__layout_cls = StructLayout
 
 
-class Union(_Aggregate, _layout_cls=UnionLayout):
-    pass
+class Union(_Aggregate):
+    _AggregateMeta__layout_cls = UnionLayout
diff --git a/tests/test_lib_data.py b/tests/test_lib_data.py
index 1d5a3cb..633dd58 100644
--- a/tests/test_lib_data.py
+++ b/tests/test_lib_data.py
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ class ViewTestCase(FHDLTestCase):
 
     def test_layout_wrong(self):
         with self.assertRaisesRegex(TypeError,
-                r"^View layout must be a Layout instance, not <.+?>$"):
+                r"^View layout must be a layout, not <.+?>$"):
             View(object(), Signal(1))
 
     def test_target_wrong_type(self):
@@ -575,6 +575,70 @@ class StructTestCase(FHDLTestCase):
         self.assertEqual(s.attrs, {"debug": 1})
         self.assertEqual(s.decoder, decoder)
 
+    def test_construct_reset(self):
+        class S(Struct):
+            p: 4
+            q: 2 = 1
+
+        with self.assertRaises(AttributeError):
+            S.q
+
+        v1 = S()
+        self.assertEqual(v1.as_value().reset, 0b010000)
+        v2 = S(reset=dict(p=0b0011))
+        self.assertEqual(v2.as_value().reset, 0b010011)
+        v3 = S(reset=dict(p=0b0011, q=0b00))
+        self.assertEqual(v3.as_value().reset, 0b000011)
+
+    def test_shape_undefined_wrong(self):
+        class S(Struct):
+            pass
+
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(TypeError,
+                r"^Aggregate class '.+?\.S' does not have a defined shape$"):
+            Shape.cast(S)
+
+    def test_base_class_1(self):
+        class Sb(Struct):
+            def add(self):
+                return self.a + self.b
+
+        class Sb1(Sb):
+            a: 1
+            b: 1
+
+        class Sb2(Sb):
+            a: 2
+            b: 2
+
+        self.assertEqual(Sb1().add().shape(), unsigned(2))
+        self.assertEqual(Sb2().add().shape(), unsigned(3))
+
+    def test_base_class_2(self):
+        class Sb(Struct):
+            a: 2
+            b: 2
+
+        class Sb1(Sb):
+            def do(self):
+                return Cat(self.a, self.b)
+
+        class Sb2(Sb):
+            def do(self):
+                return self.a + self.b
+
+        self.assertEqual(Sb1().do().shape(), unsigned(4))
+        self.assertEqual(Sb2().do().shape(), unsigned(3))
+
+    def test_layout_redefined_wrong(self):
+        class Sb(Struct):
+            a: 1
+
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(TypeError,
+                r"^Aggregate class 'Sd' must either inherits or specify a layout, not both$"):
+            class Sd(Sb):
+                b: 1
+
 
 class UnionTestCase(FHDLTestCase):
     def test_construct(self):