Wild Shape Mastery(3.5)

[sambouchah]

I want to be able to wildshape into anything! So I have been thinking of how to do it.

Approach 1
Wildshape Ranger 5/Master of Many Forms 2/Warshaper 5/MoMF +3/Nature's Warrior 5/MoMF +5/Plus five levels of some other Prc that involves Wildshape(Sentinel of Barrhai/Lion of Tallisid maybe?)

Approach 2
Druid 5/MoMF 10/Warshaper 5/Planar Shepherd 10

I know that both builds can do well in combat and that the one using Druid base will be better because of spells but which would do better at? Or what should I change on both builds? What feats should I use on both builds to make them worth doing?

I'm already testing the druid build in one campaign, and I'll probably try the ranger in the next campaign I'm in.

Thanks for any help you can give, Sam

[Psyren]

Planar Shepherd has the most variety. Select a plane with "Inhabitants: Any" (Realm of Dreams is a good one, and is also fast-time for your bubbles), now you can become nearly all the things.

[bekeleven]

Is there a reason that your builds are 30 levels long? I assume you're playing an epic campaign with no epic spellcasting?

Druid 20/MoMF 10 would get you more wild shape than either build, because build 1 loses 5 HD on Warshaper (and another +2 on Lion of Talisid, or +5 on sentinel, which doesn't advance WS at all). So you're level 30 with a HD cap of 20.

Build 2 would lose you 5 HD on warshaper, which is less bad.

There are 3 types of wild shape builds:

Wild shaping as a planar Shepard - You have full druid casting, full wild shape and broken wild shape abilities + planar bubble. One of the only undisputed improvements over druid. Tier 0.5.
Wild shaping as a druid. You have full druid casting, full wild shape and full animal companion. Strong Tier 1.
Wild Shaping as a MoMF. Your wild shape is cool as hell but not broken, you're now casting spells of lower level than the party bard and a CW samurai can take your animal companion. I'd call it a high tier 3.


Assuming you want to lose at most 5 Wild Shape HD (from Warshaper), tacking on Nature's Warrior will tier you down but be fun (like MoMF), Lion of Talisid will cost you 2 Warshaper levels and otherwise is tier 1, Arcane Hierophant would cost you 1 Wild Shape level with early qualification tricks and be an improvement on the druid (advances all 3 druid powerhouses, with improvements).

So, pick and choose from those options. I try not to piss off DMs and whole tables of fellow players with Planar shepherd, but if your party is an epic Wizard 10/Incantatrix 10/Cloistered Cleric 1/Dweomerkeeper9, a DMM Cloistered Cleric with the usual suspect of prestiges, an Ur-Priest Theurge, and a venerable dragonwraught kobold StP Erudite, then man, have fun with it.

[sambouchah]

Is there a reason that your builds are 30 levels long? I assume you're playing an epic campaign with no epic spellcasting?

Druid 20/MoMF 10 would get you more wild shape than either build, because build 1 loses 5 HD on Warshaper (and another +2 on Lion of Talisid, or +5 on sentinel, which doesn't advance WS at all). So you're level 30 with a HD cap of 20.

Build 2 would lose you 5 HD on warshaper, which is less bad.

There are 3 types of wild shape builds:

Wild shaping as a planar Shepard - You have full druid casting, full wild shape and broken wild shape abilities + planar bubble. One of the only undisputed improvements over druid. Tier 0.5.
Wild shaping as a druid. You have full druid casting, full wild shape and full animal companion. Strong Tier 1.
Wild Shaping as a MoMF. Your wild shape is cool as hell but not broken, you're now casting spells of lower level than the party bard and a CW samurai can take your animal companion. I'd call it a high tier 3.


Assuming you want to lose at most 5 Wild Shape HD (from Warshaper), tacking on Nature's Warrior will tier you down but be fun (like MoMF), Lion of Talisid will cost you 2 Warshaper levels and otherwise is tier 1, Arcane Hierophant would cost you 1 Wild Shape level with early qualification tricks and be an improvement on the druid (advances all 3 druid powerhouses, with improvements).

So, pick and choose from those options. I try not to piss off DMs and whole tables of fellow players with Planar shepherd, but if your party is an epic Wizard 10/Incantatrix 10/Cloistered Cleric 1/Dweomerkeeper9, a DMM Cloistered Cleric with the usual suspect of prestiges, an Ur-Priest Theurge, and a venerable dragonwraught kobold StP Erudite, then man, have fun with it.

I over estimate the lifespan of my characters most of the time and go ahead and plan to 30 whether I get there or not. But this is more about having fun and not outshining the rest of the party. Cause no one in my groups optimize anything but base race and they do that badly... SO BADLY!:smallfrown:

I'm talking Legendary Dark Half Iron Golem/Half Fiend Learnian Minotaur(It's one that a DM okay'd but is it even legal?)

So I don't want to be outcasting our Dread Necromancer, Wizards and Cleric, out fighting the Barbarian and Fighter AND out scouting our party Scout. Just doing one of those things at a time I suppose, and I chose fighting/scouting.

[bekeleven]

I over estimate the lifespan of my characters most of the time and go ahead and plan to 30 whether I get there or not. But this is more about having fun and not outshining the rest of the party. Cause no one in my groups optimize anything but base race and they do that badly... SO BADLY!:smallfrown:

I'm talking Legendary Dark Half Iron Golem/Half Fiend Learnian Minotaur(It's one that a DM okay'd but is it even legal?)

So I don't want to be outcasting our Dread Necromancer, Wizards and Cleric, out fighting the Barbarian and Fighter AND out scouting our party Scout. Just doing one of those things at a time I suppose, and I chose fighting/scouting.In that case, I strongly recommend you read the Master of Many Forms Bible (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19528526/updated_Master_of_Many_Forms_Bible__official_wild_ shape_rules). It's helped me build some awesome characters, as well as served as design guidelines for some of my homebrew.