shifter druid attacks question

[Myrddin0001]

a razorclaw shifter gets 2 claws as a primary attack on a full attack action, would the two weapon fighting feat chain apply to give more attacks?

[cakellene]

No, TWF doesn't interact with natural attacks.

[Myrddin0001]

ok follow up question, is focusing on the shifter druids claw attacks for combat a weak (less optimized) choice? adding great rend and improved natural attack bump the die damage two steps, does this make it better?

[cakellene]

Couldn't say, only shifter I played was a wild monk that had the shifter trait that boosted my AC.

[Myrddin0001]

thanks! I have another question for you Cakellene, if you have two different shifter traits, razorclaw and longtooth, do the stat bonuses from the two stack while shifted?

[Myrddin0001]

nevermind I just saw they dont stack

[cakellene]

I'll have to look, is Eberron CS the most up-to-date version of race?

[Myrddin0001]

as far as I know

[cakellene]

Might wanna check out the handbook for shifters. Thread number is 225294.

[phlidwsn]

There's some additional info for it in Races of Eberron. Additional traits and racial subs, etc.

[Togo]

ok follow up question, is focusing on the shifter druids claw attacks for combat a weak (less optimized) choice? adding great rend and improved natural attack bump the die damage two steps, does this make it better?

Probably a weak choice.

Claw attacks benefit from high strength, feats, and buff spells. You're also a meleer so high AC and hp. Druid gives you access to buff spells, but the claws don't synergise well with spellcasting otherwise, you get nothing else. Similarly druid gets their own claws once they get wild shape, so don't partiucularly benefit from being a shifter.

Works ok for druid 1-4, the flavour is good and you get a nice wide range of options, but it's not a particularly powerful choice.

[eggynack]

ok follow up question, is focusing on the shifter druids claw attacks for combat a weak (less optimized) choice? adding great rend and improved natural attack bump the die damage two steps, does this make it better?
Not really the best way to go. As Togo notes, you're getting really easy claw access at most levels. What he doesn't note is that even when you're not getting easy claw access, at levels 1-4 (I'd maybe say 5, actually. Natural spell is just that good), you rather suck at beating face anyway. In other words, to some extent, your character's ability to beat face is tied to his native access to claws, so giving him claws is pointless. Instead, pick up something traditionally druidic, like dreamsight (RoE, 26), or if you must get a natural weapon, maybe make it gorebrute, because at least that's not something that most good beatstick forms have. Really though, I'd just rely on standard druidness, relatively unaugmented by build decisions, for my face stabbery.

[bekeleven]

Probably a weak choice.

Claw attacks benefit from high strength, feats, and buff spells. You're also a meleer so high AC and hp. Druid gives you access to buff spells, but the claws don't synergise well with spellcasting otherwise, you get nothing else. Similarly druid gets their own claws once they get wild shape, so don't partiucularly benefit from being a shifter.

Works ok for druid 1-4, the flavour is good and you get a nice wide range of options, but it's not a particularly powerful choice.

A few notes:

1 - Shifter natural weapons can be grown in wild shape. Their damage is dealt irrespective of size. Mileage out of tiny forms, especially if wild shape-focused.

2 - Shifter Druid substitution levels (Races of Eberron) are one of the rare Druid ACFs that makes things more powerful...except for the one that replaces wild shape, don't take that.

3 - Moonspeaker (same source) is one of the most powerful druid prestige classes. Non-shifters need not apply.

[eggynack]

A few notes:

1 - Shifter natural weapons can be grown in wild shape. Their damage is dealt irrespective of size. Mileage out of tiny forms, especially if wild shape-focused.

2 - Shifter Druid substitution levels (Races of Eberron) are one of the rare Druid ACFs that makes things more powerful...except for the one that replaces wild shape, don't take that.

3 - Moonspeaker (same source) is one of the most powerful druid prestige classes. Non-shifters need not apply.
I thought we were talking specifically about razorclaw here. Shifter druids are sweet business. In addition to what you said, shifter stuff pretty much always stacks with druid stuff, like shifter feats and the ability score bumps, and shifter spells aren't half bad. I pretty much love any long term buff that fits in a low level slot, and wild instincts is an actually relevant bonus, especially on a shifter. Ultimately, I would say that shifter druids make for the druid build that differs most from a standard druid without a sacrifice of power. Razorclaw is kinda mediocre on a druid though, even if it's good on other shifter builds, primarily for the reasons I've mentioned.