Shifter analysis and issues

[Veldrane]

Couple of considerations about a PrC that I played and I love.. ..I'd like to hear your opinion too..

• The Shifter doesn't gain power constantly as nearly all other classes do. Eventually she reaches a point where she found a new shape that can substitute the one he used for a given task, and that can happen at 2nd level and not again before, say, 7th level. I mean, At 2nd level you become a Troll; under normal circumstances, you'll use Troll form for combat (that means Nat Armor, Regeneration, High Str, and can use equip and cast spells too) for at least 3 levels, meaning a Fighter will be outshined at first, then you'll be equal, then he'll surpass you in combat skill, at which point you'll be nearer to another step where you'll change the creature, and the cycle begins again.. IMO that can be a bit hard for the rest of the party to accept, since they see a frontman, or scout, outshined for a period by a jack of all trades..
• On the other hand, giving up spellcasting progression means a Shifter is just that, even when the PrC is finished and you return to your Druid levels (or other classes), you're no longer a Spellcaster, since your spells are worth nearly nothing at that level. The worst part of the Shifter class is probably Lvls 16-20, when you cannot improve your shifting ability further, other classes' abilities hardly can cooperate with your shifting ability, and the only reason to level up are probably the additional HP and HD, in order to have access to other forms. Meanwhile, all the casters in your group, but the Cleric, suddendly (Lvl 17) become better at what you do than you are, if your DM hasn't HRuled Shapechange.
• Your power as a Shifter is fully in your DM's hands.. ..you cannot become anything if he doesn't want you to (if he doesn't let you fight or study the creature). This means both that your DM pretty like choose the forms you have access to, and that he can ban a form simply not letting your group fight one..

Have anyone found that broken, underpowered, or simply unbalanced (like I have)?
In general, YO 'bout the PrC?
Thnx in advance for all the Xp you'll kindly share..

 

[Crothian]

I was ina game where we went from foirst to 20th, and the Druid ended as a Druid 12/Shifter8. Absolutely no problems. it worked out great.

 

[Stalker0]

For much of the shifter's career its not really about gaining new forms to new things, its about adapting those old forms for new tricks.

While everyone sees the troll and starts to drool, there are a whole lot of other very cool forms that can be useful, like the stirge

The really unbalancing thing about the shifter imho is that it can still have access to its magic items. While with polymorphing your stuff gets absorbed, this isn't a problem for shifters, and they aren't giving up that much when they morph.


Also, in my mind, its the shifter that limits the dm's power, not the other way around.

Now the dm doesn't just think, okay what would be a good and challenging encounter for the party, he also has to think, "wow, I like this beast. Oh crap, if the shifter got that, it would be unbalanced. Oh well"

While the shifter doesn't have the spellcasting power as the others do, its forms allow it to adapt to any situation, and it can often shine in those situations as well.