Expanded Druids (PHBII)

[PallidPatience]

I just got my hands on a copy of the PHB II, and I was wondering about the Druid expansion. The rest of the optional class abilities seem all right, but I wanted to know how Shapeshifting (as opposed to Wild Shaping) holds up, balance-wise. Has anyone had any major issues, yet? I'm not always very good at eye-balling balance issues, and anything that changes forms falls into that gap where I just can't tell.

 

[RigaMortus2]

It is weaker than the standard wildshaping a druid gets, mostly because there are a lot of feats and PrCs out there which (obviously) don't scale with it, since it was written after the fact.

The other thing is, all the forms are kind of generic. When you use your first predator form, mechanically it doesn't matter if you turn into a wolf or a panther. It is a generic form. Even later levels, when you can change into an elemental form, it's not like the fire elemental form gives you any kind of fire immunity, or the air elemental form allows you to fly. They are all the same, and it is very generic.

Overall I like the concept, even if it is a little on the weak side. It might take me awhile to figure out a decent build. Right now I am thinking of maybe incorporating Magic of Incarnum or a Warlock into the build, as it seems the forms keep their spell-like abilities and such of the base form. So a wolf shooting eldritch blasts might work, or using soulmelds (MoI).

 

[Beckett]

I haven't seen it in play yet, but I think I like the change, for the same reasons I like the polymorph change. Wild shape gives a lot of options, and becomes more powerful as more books come out. A druid in one of my games changes into a sabretooth tiger from Frostburn, pound for pound a tougher animal than those of equal hit dice in the MM. Too much time can be spent looking through books, trying to find just the right animal to wildshape into.

With the Shapeshift druid, all druids are on equal footing; just a nice, flat stat boost and natural weapons. Very simple, very easy, very fast. And each druid can look however they want.

If one does get played in one of my games, I'll probably give them Plant and Elemental traits as appropriate, but I'm happy with the low level versions.

 

[PallidPatience]

It probably wouldn't be that good an idea to allow Wild Shape feats to work with Shapeshifting without at least a bit of tweaking, I'm sure. What about the Warshaper class? There's only cause to take 4 levels of it, now, since Flash/Multimorphing doesn't do any good (since the Druid can Shapeshift at will as a swift action). Morphic Immunities, Weapons, Body, Reach, and Healing are all wonderful for them, though... I suppose not any more so than to a normal Druid, though, except that the druid could have fast healing 2 all day long, and only ever return to his normal form for spellcasting. I suppose, though, that it's not so bad, since the forms the Druid would be able to take would be very limited.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Good points:

* Generic forms mean that you are not subject to powergaming when a new 'animal' appears with l33t powrz.

* No spell casting while shapeshifted means that nothing has to play 'spot the birdy' while flamestrikes rain down around them.

* shifting is a swift action, so you can do it very quickly while doing other stuff too.



Bad points:

* No useful spy forms - rabbit, dog, horse or swimming forms (nothing other than combat forms, in fact)

* elemental forms don't give some of the expected elemental benefits

I've not played it yet, but it looks good.

Cheers