Dragon Shaman (and other "aura" / buff classes)

[kaomera]

Bard, Marshal, Dragon Shaman; I'm not quite sure how to handle these classes. I'm most familiar with the Bard, but I've got a Dragon Shaman in my current game (I've never actually seen the Marshal in play). I'm not personally much of a fan of the Bard. I just find the whole "musical magic" aspect a bit goofy. That's just a personal preference, as a DM I don't disallow Bards by any means, and I've seen several played very well, creating much fun for everyone involved in the game. Unfortunately I've also had problems with a few players who chose to play as Bards and Dragon Shaman. There seems (in these instances) to be two main things that have gone wrong:

1) All of these classes are "Jack-of-All-Trades". While they have their advantages, they aren't really liable to be the best among the PCs in any area. In fact, in my experience they aren't even usually #2. I do tend to run larger games, with 6 to 8 PCs. I think that in a 4-man party they could fill a hole, but they still aren't going to be as good as having a specialist for that role. Most of the well-played Bards I've seen have taken advantage of this, being there to cover holes when another character is elsewhere or else serve as backup, with aid another, etc. The players I've had problems with have often seemed like they expected to be able to compete with the specialists in their own niches... Sometimes it seems like they actually expected to be a "Master-of-All-Trades"... I have found that this causes disappointed players, and disappointed players aren't usually really that much fun to have at the table.

2) A lot of players really don't seem to appreciate buffs as much as they (IMHO) should. This extends to other spellcasters, as well, I've had players who will gripe when the Fighter gets an Enlarge Person / Bull's Strength / Haste, because that's a "waste of a spell" that could have been a Magic Missile / Scorching Ray / Fireball... Usually, as long as at least a few players do appreciate getting these kinds of boosts, there isn't any real problem. And a Cleric or Wizard can change which spells they have prepped if no-one actually wants buffs. But the one unique thing a Bard (or Marshal or Dragon Shaman) really brings to the table is their buffs. When no-one actually cares that you're in the back playing your lute (or what Aura(s) you have running...) it's easy for a player to start looking for other areas to excel at, which can lead us back into problem #1...

Does that make sense? Am I missing anything here? Is my lack of interest in / experience with these classes causing me problems here? Any suggestions on how to make things more fun for the player of a Dragon Shaman (in particular)?

 

[Victim]

2) A lot of players really don't seem to appreciate buffs as much as they (IMHO) should. This extends to other spellcasters, as well, I've had players who will gripe when the Fighter gets an Enlarge Person / Bull's Strength / Haste, because that's a "waste of a spell" that could have been a Magic Missile / Scorching Ray / Fireball... Usually, as long as at least a few players do appreciate getting these kinds of boosts, there isn't any real problem. And a Cleric or Wizard can change which spells they have prepped if no-one actually wants buffs. But the one unique thing a Bard (or Marshal or Dragon Shaman) really brings to the table is their buffs. When no-one actually cares that you're in the back playing your lute (or what Aura(s) you have running...) it's easy for a player to start looking for other areas to excel at, which can lead us back into problem #1...

Does that make sense? Am I missing anything here? Is my lack of interest in / experience with these classes causing me problems here? Any suggestions on how to make things more fun for the player of a Dragon Shaman (in particular)?

Haha, that's pretty funny. In many cases, our group has been considering spells that weren't buffs to a waste of slot. Even on a one round basis, Haste is going to compare favorably to Fireball in many situations (few targets, or high saves/energy resistance) - especially in a large party. And then it lasts for several more rounds. A group buff can be huge in a large party. I think the power of buffing spells stands on its own in both practice and theory. If you added up all the bonus damage and extra hits generated (or extra power attack), my bard would probably do the most damage in the party.

Granted, Bard, Dragon Shaman and the Marshall have a problem. They aren't really all that great at buffing in most cases. It's the jack of all trades thing again; it's hard to compete with a pure caster specializing in buffs. The Dragon Shaman's auras in particular are pretty weak after low levels, since they can only do thing at a time, the bonus scales very slowly, and they have nothing that adds to attack. Maybe Dragon Magic helps a bit in that regard, I know it had some support for draconic aura classes.

Remember that these characters shouldn't just be applying buffs. A bit of strategic multiclassing can really help these support characters. The Dragon Shaman has a good HD and natural armor bonus; it can hang out in the thick of things to support allies and chip away with its breath weapon. But add a level of barbarian and the character has the proficiencies to use good weapons, an improved attack bonus, and rage (which helps his breath weapon attack too!). The auras largely take care of themselves, leaving the shaman free to apply greatsword. Also, the dragon worshiping barbarians in Eberron have created a link in my mind between the two classes. Similarly, Bards are free to attack once they boot up their song, so they can take advantage of the effects themselves. A bard can actually hit fairly decently with their bard songs and other self buffs - although they tend to be a bit squishy. IIRC, Marshals are also free to attack and such while providing their auras.

 

[boolean]

So, your two problems could be summed up as:
1. Players who expect a Bard (etc.) to be as good as a specialist in each of many roles in a party.
2. Players who don't appreciate how much buffs (and classes that specialize in buffing) contribute.

Is this a problem with the classes, or a problem with your players?

 

[atomn]

One thing that makes the Dragon Shaman a little more nifty to me are the breath weapon feats from Draconomicon. They can help the breath weapon be used more often and there are lots that help change the shape, duration, etc. of it. Those extra options may appeal to you too!

 

[Andor]

The dragon shaman in particular is tactically great with the Draconomicons meta-breath feats. They can shape the battlefield with Lingering Breath etc.

It's odd that in a large group such as yours these classes aren't appreciated, they are more effective the more allies they have. Some of my friends declared the Marshal broken in an 8 player group.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

One problem I've experienced is that the 'non spell' buffing abilities often get drowned out when there is an abundance of wands, scrolls, potions. When the clerics and druids aren't being stretched in terms of spell resources, this gets worse. The bard combat buffs at low levels are nice, but if there are endless potions of bulls strength, it doesn't seem that special.

 

[lukelightning]

Haste isn't a waste of a spell; in many cases it is a lot better than fireball. Even my selfish (neutral evilish) wizard happily casts this on the party; he doesn't see this as using his abilities to help others, rather he's casting a spell to strengthen his minions.

 

[DJCupboard]

Haste isn't a waste of a spell; in many cases it is a lot better than fireball. Even my selfish (neutral evilish) wizard happily casts this on the party; he doesn't see this as using his abilities to help others, rather he's casting a spell to strengthen his minions.

BAAH! Stronger minions just means the posibility of a stronger mutiny. Why strengthen them when you can just buy more?

On a more serious note, I've found that buff classes are just underwhelming as a play option, even if they are balanced. I personally don't find much fun in playing the "let me help you" guy. That said, one of my best characters was a half-elf bard. Once I got rid of the mindset of playing him like his barbarian/druid father, he really started to shine. And the idea of the Dragon Shaman with Draconomicon feats sounds real appealing.

DJC

 

[Stalker0]

The other advantage of the marshal and DS is that their buffs don't "cost" them anything, they are free actions and don't spend any resources. I think the key is to not focus on the auras, focus on other aspects of the character. That's harder to do with the marshal, but the DS does have a lot of nifty abilities, including the breath weapon everyone's talking about. I saw focus on those aspects, and let the auras tend to themselves.

OR, you can work to show the party how good buffs can be.

For example:

DS: Hey, I just noticed you got weapon spec.
Fighter: Yeah, its awesome!
DS: Man, if only you could take it again right?
Fighter: Yeah, that would be nice.
DS: Okay, here you go, +2 to damage!!

My favorite buff of the DS is the initiatitve bonus. Initiative is so hard to raise, I think the party might appreciate that one on its own.

 

[Wik]

Dragon Shaman!? Weak!?

We have one in our group, and he's been the sole reason why the group is able to keep going. Keeping the group at half health really expands upon the group's ability to stay in the game, since we tend to lack a cleric (player shows up less than 50% of the time). Now that the group has a paladin, the Dragon Shaman isn't as useful, healing-wise, but the ability to bestow DR on the whole group is pretty damn useful.

Once he gets the breath weapon (that's automatic damage every few rounds) he gets even better. I know that the shaman in our group is LOVING the class, and the rest of the group is very grateful for the healing and buff auras that he provides. He may not wind up being as good as the cleric in the buff deparment, but the fact that he can fight alongside the fighters, or (more often) provide flanking opportunities for the rogue, makes him a hero in the group's eyes.