copied from the Detail Discussion thread, since I was a goober and posted the question there instead of in a new thread:
Anti-Sean said:And now for the opening of the can of worms: Has a ruling been made on the Warshaper prestige class from Complete Warrior? There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth re: Changeling's early qualification for the PrC, and their ability to take advantage of its benefits most/all of the time. Normally, the class benefits are offset by qualifying as either a monster with a huge LA, or a class/class combo that only allows you to partake of its benefits for a limited amount of time. There are also some concerns about shifters accessing the PrC, but those seem to be somewhat more muted.
I don't have a dog in this hunt; I loves me some changelings, like the PrC, and would probably allow the combo in a game of my own, but I won't lose too much sleep if it's watered down or disallowed entirely.
Rystil Arden said:As to Changelings, I would say that they should not qualify for the benefits by the spirit of the class, though by the exact wording they do
stonegod said:"By the spirit" of the class, I think they would qualify---the class teaches them to use their subtype beyond what they could before. I think the main balance is level: Druids cannot enter it until 7th, Wizards at 8th or 9th (depending if they take a dip in fighter for the BAB), or most of the monsters until ECL 7/8. So, adding an ECL prereq. for changelings (so a changeling fighter could become a warshapper at 7th or 8th level) would assist in the balancing (i.e., you don't want the 5th level changeling to be a warshaper).
Rystil Arden said:The spirit of the class is that it used by those who shift shapes to access combat forms. Changelings do not--in fact, they don't gain any abilities from the form shift, so it is used for deception, not combat.
Anti-Sean said:You're right - most changelings use their abilities for deception. But given a race with so many unique identities possible for each changeling, I could easily see one/a few changeling(s) of a more martial bent than most honing their abilities in this new and exciting direction. I see the potential problems as being mechanical. They wind up with more than the equivalent of two +4 stat bonus items (which, IIRC, are unnamed bonuses) and fast healing that can be used outside of combat encounters to almost entirely remove the need for clerical attention.
Food for thought!
Rystil Arden said:The Changeling's abilities do not allow them to assume martial capacities of their forms though (for instance, changing to an Orc does not even grant them a bonus to Strength), which is what leads me to believe that the flavour clashes.
This is a big deal. Fast Healing permanently is a serious problem, which is why the 'Healock' clerical Warlock that is often proposed would be so game-breaking. And yeah, the two +4s are unnamed, but they are less of an issue.fast healing that can be used outside of combat encounters to almost entirely remove the need for clerical attention.