Dargon Shaman...broken?

[mhacdebhandia]

It's fast-healing 1. They aren't waiting around. It takes 6 seconds to heal a hitpoint.
For level 1 characters, your party barbarian is full up in a minute-and-a-half!

Except . . . not. Fast healing only gets you to 50% of your maximum hit points. Read the thread!

 

[Drowbane]

nvm

 

[satori01]

I have a hard time pegging what the class is intended to do? The class seems melee orientated but, lacks heavy armor or martial weapons.
Str and Cha would seem to be the primary stats of the class, but it does not have any Cha based skills w/o chosing the appropriate Dragon type, and then it is only Bluff.

Despite venerating Dragons, the class does not have spot or listen on its skill list, and thus can not be a good scout, even if one where to chose to venerate a Dragon type that grants Hide and Move Silently.

The Auras are cool, but seem an after thought, as you get them all by 9th level. Frankly I like the Monte Cook design philosophy for classes where there is a big list of possible abillities, more than you can ever take, and have to make choices.

I wish rather than making what Color Dragon to emulate trivial, WOTC had put in some effort and did something similiar to the Totem Warrior in Arcana Evolved and have your choice of Dragon signifigantly impact your class abillities. A follower of the crafty Green Dragon is going to be quite different than that of the Vain and powerful Red Dragon.

The game is called Dungeons and Dragons afterall, failure of effort and imagination on WOTC part.

Seems the best way to go is grab a level of Fighter for the Bonus Feat and Heavy Armor and Melee weapons and +1 BAB.

 

[Particle_Man]

I have a hard time pegging what the class is intended to do?

I think it is meant to be a cleric-substitute, but radically reconceived.

 

[satori01]

It is too limited to be a cleric substitute. A cleric is so much more than just the walking medic. For higher level games the spells Augury, and Commune can give so much guidance. A high Charisma Cleric can also play the "face man" of the party.

2x Class Level x Cha modifer is nice, but can a 20 Level Dragon Shaman with a +6 Cha Modifier really compare to 3 Heal Spells?
Moreover are Dragons about Healing? So why is a class that venerates them dedicated to medic type stuff?

 

[MerricB]

It fills the same niche as the Bard or Marshal - a support character. Just by being there, it makes all the other classes work better. The cleric doesn't need to expend all their spells on healing. The fighters have bonuses on damage or defence. It can help the wizard take down groups of creatures.

Cheers!

 

[Felon]

I have a hard time pegging what the class is intended to do? The class seems melee orientated but, lacks heavy armor or martial weapons.

It's a combat support class. This is why some people (incorrectly) say it's a bit on the weak side, because they only measure its personal damage output.

Mind you, support classes are almost by definition a fifth wheel, intended for larger groups. With more players, you see exponential returns on the buffs it provides.

 

[Aaron L]

I'm waiting for the Dungeon Shaman to make a comparison.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

It's a combat support class. This is why some people (incorrectly) say it's a bit on the weak side, because they only measure its personal damage output.

Mind you, support classes are almost by definition a fifth wheel, intended for larger groups. With more players, you see exponential returns on the buffs it provides.

In my opinion, this is the right analysis. The Dragon Shaman is in the same boat as the bard. They work really well when they focus on making others better ... not so well when trying to do it all themselves. There is a reason the PHB says that the bard is almost always the best fifth addition to a party. I would suppose the same would be true for the Dragon Shaman.

The problem with most parties is that they are filled with players who want to play the "glory" role. Big swordsman ... Powerful caster ... Jack of All Trades ... Divine Agent. The Dragon Shaman isn't any of these. But the Dragon Shaman is about making all of these better. People who want to play the self-centered glory role don't see the power of a bard or Dragon Shaman. Theses type of classes are best left for people who get satisfaction from making other people better. That's a rare gamer in my book.

The Dragon Shaman class is a cool class, but not for everyone.

 

[Joshua Randall]

I'm waiting for the Dungeon Shaman to make a comparison.

Teh winnah!