Druid or Shifter? (Powergaming)

[zyzzyr]

Get Wildining Clasps and wild shape armor (it is expensive, but worth the money).
Wilding Clasps can allow you to use your Belt of Giant Strength (very good way to make a combat form more dangerous), Cloak of Elvenkind, Boots of Striding and Springing or whatever you own.

The wilding clasp, according to its description, only functions on "amulets, vests, or similar items" - i.e. anything that takes the slot of an amulet or vest.

Your cloak, belt, boots, all would be melded in.

Now, as a Shifter you don't care about wilding clasps. A Shifter can pick and choose what equipment gets melded in on an item by item basis, as a class feature.

 

[Dark Dragon]

Is it the same is it is always posted in these Shifter Threads?

It is definately useful, but it takes some of the fun of being a shifter - figuring the best creatures for your purposes on your own

Mustrum Ridcully

Umm, don't know. It's a VERY long list, so, I'd guess it is. But all important abilities are listed and you can mark an encountered creature...

One shouldn't forget: a shifter can only morph into a creature he has encountered. It depends on the DM, after all.

originally posted by Mordreth
I cant find the HD limit rule anywhere, in the players handbook or the MOTW. It appears that the limitation is only in the size, and type, for the druid anyway. Since Wildshape follows the polymorph other.... If this isnt the case, could someone show me otherwise?

Druids have no HD cap for their WS ability, but a size and dire/non-dire cap. WS does not follow Polymorph self anymore, it has its own description in MotW.
One could argue that a druidic shifter has thus also no HD cap (see the shifter description), but I won't allow it as it would break this prc, IMHO.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Druids have no HD cap for their WS ability, but a size and dire/non-dire cap. WS does not follow Polymorph self anymore, it has its own description in MotW.
One could argue that a druidic shifter has thus also no HD cap (see the shifter description), but I won't allow it as it would break this prc, IMHO.

From my read of the shifter t'other day, the shifter's Greater Wildshape and the Druids not-so-great-but-still-pretty-good Wildshape can be swapped back and forth but following the appropriate rules. So a Druid/Shifter could turn some of his std. Wildshapes into Greater Wildshapes to become a non-animal/elemental or could use a G. Wildshape to become a dire/giant animal with no HD cap.

Alternately I was rule-adjusting on the fly out of GM habit.

 

[kristov]

thanks Dark Dragon and others

Thanks alot for sending me that email - that helped alot - and thanks to everyone for the info - im looking forward to this character although im a little on the powergaming side.

BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEESE.


Kristov

 

[kristov]

Shifter

Ok when your a shifter - and you choose to meld equipment or not - does the equipment mold to fit you?

Like if im a Human wearing a leather armour - and i turn into a aboleth - does the leather armor fit me if i choose to keep it non-melded?

THings like that - do i have to have a way of making the equipment fit me somehow?

-Chris

 

[Dark Dragon]

From my read of the shifter t'other day, the shifter's Greater Wildshape and the Druids not-so-great-but-still-pretty-good Wildshape can be swapped back and forth but following the appropriate rules. So a Druid/Shifter could turn some of his std. Wildshapes into Greater Wildshapes to become a non-animal/elemental or could use a G. Wildshape to become a dire/giant animal with no HD cap.

Alternately I was rule-adjusting on the fly out of GM habit.

By the rules, you're right. But it seems that wasn't the author's intention to break the HD cap by building a druidic shifter, IMHO...

An arcane shifter wouldn't be as powerful as a druidic one, because all his GWS forms are linked to his HD. The druid has the advantage of mixing WS and GWS to the maximum of benefits, thus removing the HD cap.

Originially posted by kristov
Ok when your a shifter - and you choose to meld equipment or not - does the equipment mold to fit you?

Hmm, as the description says that non-melded equipment remains functional, I'd say yes, it changes its form to fit the morphed shifter...what a visual: Fire elemental in a leather armor...

Oops, wouldn't that destroy certain objects? Hm, be careful, your DM might use the opportunity to strip your PC from his equipment...

 

[Kraedin]

If the campaign is going into epic levels, you are better off being a straight druid than being a druid/shifter. The vastly superior spellcasting of the druid, plus the epic wildshape feats, will leave the epic druid in much better shape in the long run.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

In epic levels, take penetrate DR, colossal and dragon shape and advance as a druid to improve spell power after the 10th shifter level (unless there's a description of an epic shifter).

No point to making an Epic Shifter progression. All of the Shifter abilities are covered in ten levels, there's no progressing abilities you could scale, and any Epic Bonus Feat you'd want as a Shifter is on the Druid list (IIRC).

 

[Dark Dragon]

No point to making an Epic Shifter progression. All of the Shifter abilities are covered in ten levels, there's no progressing abilities you could scale, and any Epic Bonus Feat you'd want as a Shifter is on the Druid list (IIRC).

Aye. After reaching the 10th shifter level, the PC should gain druid levels. Hmm, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to choose an alternating level progression: druid - shifter - druid -...

I'd be interested in an epic shifter. Perhaps he'd be able to morph into epic creatures similar to to the normal shifter progression and using their special (e.g. SU) abilities as well. Just an idea, of course.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The last time I checked the Epic Wild Shape Feats, you seemed to even get the Supernatural Abilities of the form you choose.
This is very powerful (but its an epic feat), but, to some extend, its "shaftes" the Shifter - he would have to retake all the feats just to get the supernatural abilities of forms he otherwise can already assume.

Currently two types are still missing for shifters: Fey and Shapechanger. The last one is obsolete with the Edition 3.5 (Shapechanger becomes a subtype), and I do not know about the Fey.
I am not sure, but I think at least the Fey is an oversight. (fey aren`t really powerful creatures without their spells, so that can`t be a reason to prohibit these forms - Shapechangers is a bit stupid before Shifter level 10, because some forms might allow the character to break his daily limits of wild shape - but until now, I found no shapechanger with extraordinary shifting abilities, only Supernatural Ones...)

The only thing a Epic Shifter might give is access to supernatural abilities, the two missing forms, and maybe even spellike abilities... Probably not enough room for a real Epic Progression...

Mustrum Ridcully