Are shifters too powerful?

[Corsair]

If you really really want to be a claw fighter, be a shifter psiwarrior with claws of the beast. Simply rationalize it as you tapping into your natural reserves and forcing the transformation upon yourself. If you pick your powers carefully, you can completely ignore the fact that it is a psionic class. Just stick to psychometabolic powers. Possible suggestions:

1st level:
Claws of the Beast
Thicken Skin
Metaphysical Claw

2nd level:
Animal Affinity
Darkvision
Lion's Charge (gotta be able to pounce with your claws)


At 3rd level and higher, the best powers of choice start going into the more obviously magical/psionic realm, but you can always multiclass in something else. A Psiwar4/BarbarianX/WeretouchedMasterX would probably work out fine for you. Claws of the beast has an hour/level duration for a measely 1 PP (more for better claws obviously). Also see if you can convince your DM to allow a psionic equivalent of "practiced spellcaster".

 

[Diirk]

I'm guessing the designers expected characters to be more focused on thier class abilities and not design a character around thier racial abilities.

If that were true, they wouldn't have made the Weretouched Master PrC. Unfortunately even if you take that and invest all your feats into shifter feats... its still not very good. By the time you can get your 2x 2d6 claws (and associated +2 str, and +2 dex or con), maybe with rend, possibly DR 4/silver... DR will give your claws serious issues tho.

The raging barbarian at this point gets +6 str/con +3 will save while raging with -2 AC and no spells (oh, such a loss for the barbarian !). He also gets 3 (probably two handed) attacks a round, compared to the shifter who never gets iterative attacks with natural weapons. And he'll have DR 3/- ? I forget.

Honestly I think you're much better off if you just specialize in a weapon and use shifting for the occasional stat boost/secondary attack.

 

[Crimson_Manticore]

Phychic Warrior Shifter

Are you allowed to use Psionics? Aside from creating a new feat as described in previous posts, going the Psychic Warrior route is the best solution that I can think of. Then you can use your “Claws of the Beast” power when your shifting runs out. This will give you your two natural weapon claws at 1d4/1d4, and if you have taken feats that apply to your natural weapons (weapon focus), then they should apply to both your shifter claws and your psionic claws. Plus, the Psychic Warrior can also learn several other powers that will mesh nicely with whichever set of claws you are using (Claws of Energy and Claws of the Vampire). Additionally, you can spend extra power points to boost your psionic claw damage, all the way up to 5d6 per claw at 19th level. And on top of it all, the Claws of the Beast power is a swift action and has a duration of 1 hour/level!

The more that I look at it, the more I think that the Psychic Warrior is the way to go. Heck, if being a shifter isn’t vital for your concept, you could drop that all together and chose another race, or you could chose a different shifter such as longtooth, and/or you could stick with the razorclaw and occasionally supplement your claw attacks with a bite attack per the Bite of the Wolf power - which also scales in damage with your level by the way, all the way up to 5d8 at 20th level.

So I guess the point is that there are other (better?) ways to get your claw attacks besides just getting more shifts per day, if you are willing to look at it from a different angle. And if shifting itself is more central to your concept than the claws, well, you can use the psionic claws and just call it a type of shifting. In the end you can describe/imagine it any way you want.

Edit: Curse you Corsair!

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

On a related note, a warforged psywar whose bite of the wolf/claws of the beast looked like transforming would be painfully cool.

 

[UltimaGabe]

The only problem is, I can only use my longsword twice per day. The rest of the time I could use a shortsword, but the character concept is designed to use, and gains the most benefit from, a longsword.

Ah. That, right there, is your problem.

You've chosen to specialize in the 2x/day Longsword. Sure, it's a neat thing- but you could ery easily choose to specialize in something else (like, say, a Greatsword usable at will- and I'm talking an actual Greatsword, not a metaphorical Greatsword). You seem to want to play a Shifter that uses mainly his claws, and that's fine- but that's why you're having trouble. If you just used a Greatsword, you wouldn't be having any of these problems- you could become quite effective with it without too much work- but you've chosen to specialize in something that you know you're only gonna be able to use twice a day. I understand it's cool, but if you're choosing to specialize in it, you're gonna have to accept the fact that you're going to have to work quite a bit to make it evenly as powerful as some other build.

 

[Corsair]

Edit: Curse you Corsair!

<3

 

[Andor]

Just a point, a warshapers class abilities only apply when you are shape shifted, so really it's a pretty nebish class for a shifter. It is, however, completely broken for changelings.

If you don't want to got Psywarrior I'd go with a barbarian 6. Take Shifter Savagery. Then switch over to weretouched master. You will need a backup weapon, I think you can probably play that for cool points. "Okay, now you've made me really mad.""If you're so mad now why are you dropping your sword? What are you doing? Hey AGGHHH!! GET HIM OFF ME! MY FACE...."

By 10th level you can shift 4 times a day for many rounds. That should be adequate. For weretouched master go Tiger or Bear.

 

[moritheil]

I think you missed the point.

The OP is saying something much more like, "Hey, I've got a character idea kind of focused around using a longsword. Unfortunately, it seems like I can only draw my longsword once per battle and at most 3 times per day."

I think CM is saying, "With that build, sucks to be you."

 

[Ahrimon]

I think CM is saying, "With that build, sucks to be you."

hehe, well that's why I'm here. Trying to tap into the enworld knowledge to see if anyone else can help me find more ways to shift per day.

Honestly I hadn't thought of psionics. I'm going to have to break out the book and see what I can do with it. Question though. If my character had improved natural attack and manifested claws of the beast would the damage go up? If that's the case then I could use the warshaper claw ability as well and gain an extra step up. That would be two free damage increases without having to pay the PP for it.

Hmm. Lots to think about. Lemme see what I can whip up.

Thanks.

Ahrimon

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Out of the Blue..

I had not really looked at this limitation of the Shifters, and now have a shifter in my game.

Had a thought, how unbalanced would the following be:

Feat: Call of the Ancestors [Shifter] {or some other cool name }
You have learned to focus on bringing out the ancestral abilities within you.
Benefit: Your shifts per day is equal to your WILL save. You do not gain bonus shifts for having additional feats.
Normal: You gain shifts per day.... {per RAW.. damn, sometimes I hate posting from work }


I hope this makes as much sence as it did to me this morning....