Shifter PrC (MotW) & Epic Feats

[Hand of Vecna]

I was going through Master of the Wild, looking for ideas for a new character (in case my Barbarian/Sorcerer/Acolyte of the Skin I'm playing in the high/Epic campaign should die horribly & messily), and hit upon something -- the Shifter PrC seems to get several Epic feats as part of it's class progression.

Now, granted, the Shifter gets no spellcasting progression at all (unless there's been an errata I'm unaware of), but they essentially get the following 8 Epic Feats as they progress -- Beast Wild Shape (attained at 3rd level), Diminutive Wild Shape (gained at 5th level), Dragon Wild Shape (gained at 7th level, though the Shapeshifter does not gain the Dragon's supernatural abilities), Fine Wild Shape (gained at 9th level), Gargantuan Wild Shape (gained at 10th level), Magical Beast Wild Shape (gained at 5th level, though supernatural abilities are not gained), Plant Wild Shape (gained at 3rd level), and Vermin Wild Shape (gained at 4th level).

There's still Colossal Wild Shape and Improved Elemental Wild Shape, which are not gained as part of the PrC, and as mentioned the Shapeshifter PrC does not provide the Supernatural abilities of creatures changed into (which the Dragon Wild Shape and Magical Beast Wild Shape Epic Feats do grant).

On the other hand, the Shifter can change into Aberrations, Constructs, Oozes, Outsiders and Undead (and Incorporeal Undead), and at 10th level the Shifter can use his Greater Wild Shape ability at will once per round as a supernatural move-equivalent action. They're still limited to natural abiltites (which most people I know of take that to mean all Extraordinary abilities, like a Troll's Regenerations -- or an Aboleth's Mucus Cloud, a Carrion Crawler's Paralysis, all of a Chuul's abilities, a Cloaker's moans, a Dragon's Frightful Presence, Immunities, SR, and Keen Senses, an Ettercap's Poison & Web, a Ghoul's Paralysis, the Krenshar's "Inside-Out Face" trick, a Mind Flayer's Improved Grab & Extract, and... well, you get the point.)

Prerequisites for the class are fairly easy to get, to -- the feats of Alertness & Endurance, ability to cast 3rd-level spells (arcane or divine), and an alternate form, either through knowledge/possession of the Polymorph Self spells, or possessing some natural alternate form, Alter Self, Polymorph Self, Shapechange, or Wild Shape ability. A 5th-level Druid, or most any Lycanthrope or Demon or Devil, can qualify for this PrC.

Is there some errata I'm unaware of? The only thing I can find on the WotC site is the Web Enhancement with the Druid's Grove.

 

[Crothian]

Re: Shapeshifter PrC & Epic Feats

Is there some errata I'm unaware of? The only thing I can find on the WotC site is the Web Enhancement with the Druid's Grove.

No, it's a perfectly fine class, no problems with it what so ever.

 

[Stalker0]

Re: Re: Shapeshifter PrC & Epic Feats

No, it's a perfectly fine class, no problems with it what so ever.

Well....I wouldn't say that but its not the power level of a druid taking those epic feats

 

[Crothian]

Well, I saw it go from 12 druid/1 Shapshifter to 14 druid/10 shapeshifter and we had no problems with it at all. Now, I will say that the guy playing it did not go out of his way to min max the forms to only go with the "superior forms". It's a great class that was a lot of fun.

 

[nharwell]

If anything, the shifter is actually one of the weaker (but still playable) PrCs...

 

[thundershot]

What would make it powerful is the fact that some of the abilities given by the Shifter PrC give the character virtual feats to get other Epic feats. Granted, this could be made up for because they'd have to take a few of them over in order to get supernatural abilities, but still... not too shabby.


Chris

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I'm still playing with the Shifter from MotW and the Shapeshifter from OA, since there are small differences-- Shifter grants access to more forms and has tighter entrance requirements, while Shapeshifter is easier to get into and offers +1 Spellcaster level on even levels.

Shapeshifter also gives Thousand Faces.

 

[Hand of Vecna]

Doh, I was sure the MotW PrC was called "Shapeshifter," rather than "Shifter." Ah, well.

Looking back over it, they actually do gain the Improved Elemental Wild Shape Epic Feat -- at 9th level, when they gain the ability to take the form of any Outsider, they can also gain the form of any Elemental creature.

Just realized Shifter can heal extremely quickly, to -- their Greater Wild Shape ability works just like a Druid's Wild Shape (with the exceptions of the greater range of creture types and sizes), which would include the healing as if having rested for a day when taking on a different form (but not when changing back)...

 

[Caliber]

I believe the FAQ says that a Shifter can only gain the healing ability 10 times a day. Although it shouldn't be too hard to use something like a Troll's Regeneration (which might or might not be an ability they get ... never having had to deal with a shapeshifting character I am not quite up to speed on what abilities are good and which aren't)

 

[Jeremy]

I don't know why he picked 9, but the Sage added that the healing effect of shifting can only affect a shifter 9 times per day. Maybe that's the number of shifts per day he would normally be able to heal per day if his shifts weren't unlimited.