Changeling Totemist/Warshaper Tripper - Need Build/Optimization Advice

[Shovah]

This is the first build I've ever fleshed out, so apologies if there are any glaring errors.
I haven't filled in the skills yet (nothing particularly notable other than low requirements for a PRC at the end of the build), or the gear (the build isn't finalised, so there's a lot still up for change).

The basic mechanical idea behind the build is to have claws and reach, AoO's, tripping, teleporting around the battlefield, and reasonable ability to go up against anything including (relatively unoptimised) spellcasters.

Build Spoilered Below:

Changeling Warshaper Tripper
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Totemist 1|
+1|
+5|
+5|
+0|Skills|Combat Reflexes|Wild Empathy, Illiteracy

2nd|Totemist 2|
+1|
+6|
+6|
+0|Skills||Totem Chakra Bind (+1 Capacity)

3rd|Wolf Totem Barbarian 1|
+2|
+8|
+6|
+0|Skills|Dimensional Agility|Fast Movement (+10ft), Rage (Whirling Frenzy)

4th|Wolf Totem Barbarian 2|
+3|
+9|
+6|
+0|Skills|Improved Trip (Bonus)|

5th|Totemist 3|
+4|
+9|
+6|
+1|Skills||Totem Protection

6th|Warshaper 1|
+4|
+11|
+6|
+1|Skills|Mage Slayer|Morphic Immunities (stun+crit), Morphic Weapons

7th|Warshaper 2|
+5|
+14|
+7|
+2|Skills||Morphic Body (+4 Strength, +4 Constitution)

8th|Warshaper 3|
+6|
+14|
+7|
+2|Skills||Morphic Reach

9th|Warshaper 4|
+7|
+15|
+7|
+2|Skills|Extend Reach|Morphic Healing

10th|Totemist 4|
+8|
+16|
+8|
+2|Skills||

11th|Totemist 5|
+8|
+16|
+8|
+2|Skills||Chakra Binds (Crown, Feet, Hands)

12th|Totemist 6|
+9|
+17|
+9|
+2|Skills|Improved Natural Attack|Totem Chakra Bind (+1 Meldshaper Level)

13th|Totemist 7|
+10|
+17|
+9|
+2|Skills||

14th|Totemist 8|
+11|
+18|
+10|
+2|Skills||Rebind Totem Soulmeld (1/day)

15th|Totemist 9|
+11|
+18|
+10|
+3|Skills|Double Chakra Bind (Totem)|Chakra Binds (arms, brow, shoulders)

16th|Fighter 1|
+12|
+20|
+10|
+3|Skills|Improved Initiative (Bonus)|

17th|Totemist 10|
+13|
+21|
+11|
+3|Skills||

18th|Totemist 11|
+14|
+21|
+11|
+3|Skills|Weapon Focus (Claw)|Totem Chakra Bind (Double Bind)

19th|Occult Slayer 1|
+15|
+21|
+11|
+5|Skills||Magical Defence +1, Weapon Bond

20th|Occult Slayer 2|
+16|
+21|
+11|
+6|Skills||Vicious Strike, Mind Over Magic 1/day[/table]
The tripping comes fairly easily. Improved trip from wolf-totem barbarian, plenty of strength, and a bunch of potions of enlarge person (or buffs from a party, either or). Not an optimised trip-check by any means, but should be fairly reliable against humanoid opponents (I hope?). The AoO's (from combat reflexes) and the reach should help with getting trips off when they're useful. Against things that are tough to trip.. there's still teleporting around and trying to keep them at bay.
Speaking of teleporting, it's accomplished through the Blink Shirt soulmeld bound to the characters totem chakra. That, along with the Dimensional Agility feat to negate the no-actions-after-teleport allow the character a fair bit of in-combat mobility.
The claws themselves can come just from Warshaper itself, or from various Soulmelds. Despite Girallon Arms typically being the preferred choice, I'd like to stick with Sphinx Claws when available.

But.. I've ran in to a lot of problems, probably because I've split my focus so much.
The builds damage is pretty poor. Generally not a huge concern for a tripper, but that brings up the second problem; it doesn't trip particularly well either in the grand scheme of things.
Thirdly, I feel like the build takes far too long to get rolling. The first couple of levels are fine (Totemist + Barbarian, go hit things), but after that? I can get the whole teleporting-around with some reach and tripping potential, but I just feel like there's a huge tract in the middle of the build where not much is gained.
The build is also somewhat feat-starved (I would've loved to put in some more AoO-based feats, such as Deft Opportunist, but couldn't see the space.
Finally, that Will-save. Do I need to elaborate there?


So I've come to you, playground. I'd like any and all advice on how to get the Changeling-Warshaper-Claw-Reach-Combat Teleporting-AoO-Mage Fighting-Trip Machine (try saying that five times quickly) of my dreams. Anything up to and including a full rebuild would be fine, if you could point me in the right direction. New feats, classes, soulmelds, leveling-order, whatever. I just want to make this style of build work to it's full potential (whatever that may be), preferably playable at all levels.

Think I'm just completely over-reaching (no pun intended) trying to fit so many things in to one build? If so, what would you drop from the build to really make it purr?

[vartan]

Do you read AGC? Your idea is somewhat like Nazi Jill's character Rugaru.

[Tvtyrant]

I would swap the first three levels around; Whirling Wolf Totem Barbarian for level 1 gets you rage and two attacks a round with a manufactured weapon, which can carry you until your natural weapons kick in at level 3. By contrast level 1 Totemist is not good for combat.

So level 1-3 you use a great axe, level 4 you get improved trip and start applying claws. Go into Totem Rager in higher levels instead of more Totemist, so that you get more synergy between Barbarian and Totemist.

[Shovah]

Do you read AGC? Your idea is somewhat like Nazi Jill's character Rugaru.

Quite a while ago I did, yes. That (and a few threads I read with similar Changeling Warshaper builds) are what provided my original inspiration. After seeing the Blink Shirt totemist soulmeld, I knew I had to squeeze that in somehow.



I would swap the first three levels around; Whirling Wolf Totem Barbarian for level 1 gets you rage and two attacks a round with a manufactured weapon, which can carry you until your natural weapons kick in at level 3. By contrast level 1 Totemist is not good for combat.

So level 1-3 you use a great axe, level 4 you get improved trip and start applying claws. Go into Totem Rager in higher levels instead of more Totemist, so that you get more synergy between Barbarian and Totemist.

All very good points. I'm not entirely sure about Totem Rager (although I had considered it) because it's an extra feat I have to tack on, as well as fairly limited rages per day (4/day once I max out Totem Rager. Decent, but not exceptional, I think?) but lacking play experience I can't really say how big of a deal it would be. Could anyone else chime in on that?

Wolf Totem Barbarian 2/Totemist 2/x 1/Warshaper 4/Totem Rager 9/Occult Slayer 2 would be a possible alternate build, but I feel like I might still be fairly feat starved?
How do you think that'd stack up to what I have at the moment? To me it definitely feels a lot stronger.

Something else I was considering was something like Wolf Totem Barbarian 2/Totemist 2/Fighter 1/Warshaper 4/Occult Slayer 5 which leaves me 6 levels to play around with - it seems like something along the lines of Warblade (or another martial adept) could fit in very nicely to provide some extra in-combat options? Occult Slayer 5 would help a lot with the low will save problem.
All that build would really need to get my core combination going would be one feat spent on Bonus Essentia - that'd leave me with 4 essentia to dump in to my Blink Shirt (which has +1 capacity due to being bound to the totem chakra) which should be plenty. My only concern there is that without using Sphinx Claws (which needs 9 levels of meld-shaping goodness and the Bonus Chakra Bind feat) my basic Warshaper claw attacks would be hitting with 1D4 rather than 2D6 (1D4 being the default for medium creatures, and Sphinx Claws+Warshaper size bonus for already having natural weapons being 2D6 each). Would a few levels in Warblade be enough to make up the damage difference? Would those levels kick in too late to be considered playable at all levels?