port the dragon shaman to pathfinder

[Shadowscale]

I love this class, but I'm not sure how to go about porting it to pathfinder, I would take it single classed while taking the alternate class feature for one of the dragonfire adept powers. (I prefer shamans though due to flavor, abilities, despite not being as good and other things.)

I always play the white dragon totem, I was wondering if someone could help me port it and tell me what if any feats in pathfinder I can use with it? If there are none I guess I'd just try to go off the dragon shaman handbook.

Any chance of help of updating it like the core classes were in the pathfinder book a little more powerful and more accurate to what it was meant to be.

[Psyren]

I would gestalt it with DFA and/or Marshal, likely all three, and that's just to start. The desired balance point should probably be T3, and PF T3s (like Alchemist, Inquisitor, Ninja, Warpriest and Hunter) are considerably more powerful than the Dragon Shaman. Auras and Breaths should be the key focus, with some Invocations for utility, and perhaps an archetype that trades the breathing for "aspects" that boost your martial capability so you can gish.

[Almarck]

I agree with Psyren. I also think borrowing things from Sorcerer's Draconic bloodline would also be a good way to add stuff or determine pacing. And I am willing to help port, though admittedly, I do lack time for it.

I can promise to provide feedback and suggestions on when/if the topic shows up on the homebrew forum.

I'm primarily leaning towards raising the effectiveness of auras rather than evocations though. So, are we going for full BAB or average BAB?

[Zaq]

What "flavor" of the Dragon Shaman do you like, given that there's nothing they actually do better than anyone else? What aspects of it do you like to focus on? I think you'd be better off starting with the DFA and adding auras than you would be starting with the DS and adding invocations, though I guess their Touch of Vitality should be in there somewhere.

[Shadowscale]

I would gestalt it with DFA and/or Marshal, likely all three, and that's just to start. The desired balance point should probably be T3, and PF T3s (like Alchemist, Inquisitor, Ninja, Warpriest and Hunter) are considerably more powerful than the Dragon Shaman. Auras and Breaths should be the key focus, with some Invocations for utility, and perhaps an archetype that trades the breathing for "aspects" that boost your martial capability so you can gish.

If its a little underpowered (as it is in 3.5) I'm alright with that I just like how pathfinder gave classes like fighter face lifts encouraging you to take all 20 levels of them. Unfortunately porting over two over classes just to gestalt it seems it'd make it really complicated and it might lose what its class was meant to be. I wanted to use this in an actual game from level 1 which I'll be playing soon in a full campaign.

What "flavor" of the Dragon Shaman do you like, given that there's nothing they actually do better than anyone else? What aspects of it do you like to focus on? I think you'd be better off starting with the DFA and adding auras than you would be starting with the DS and adding invocations, though I guess their Touch of Vitality should be in there somewhere.
I was going for the whole tribal barbarianism mix of a cleric/barbarian focused on draconic flavor and auras. I think maybe buffing their touch of vitality in a way, making the auras +2 higher from the get go, and moving things like wings a few levels down. I really only want to play the white dragon so then I'd just have to adapt those specific skills, and cone of cold ad icewalking are fine with me, I'm thinking giving them the great wyrm white dragon ability to whip up a violent snowstorm could be a decent capstone. I'm thinking an ability to summon a dragon based off your totem, a familiar of a wymling version somewhere and the ability as a druid eventually to wildshape exclusively into your totem dragon while maintaning your auras with a true dragon's auras.

I agree with Psyren. I also think borrowing things from Sorcerer's Draconic bloodline would also be a good way to add stuff or determine pacing. And I am willing to help port, though admittedly, I do lack time for it.

I can promise to provide feedback and suggestions on when/if the topic shows up on the homebrew forum.

I'm primarily leaning towards raising the effectiveness of auras rather than evocations though. So, are we going for full BAB or average BAB? I like your ideas, I think some of the examples I listed above mixed with some or all of the draconic bloodline sans spells would be interesting. I was thinking still an average BAB being supplemented by increased abilities as you level to make you more effective in combat with breath weapons, auras, and other draconic assistance. Maybe adding something akin to 3.5's rage minus the rage powers in pathfinder would help in melee even with an average BAB and it'd fit the white dragon theme.


So, these are my ideas I have so far, I was wondering what anyone thought and if they could help me format and balance it, as if anything I'd rather be a tab underwhelming rather than over, I want it to feel like a true port.

[Psyren]

If its a little underpowered (as it is in 3.5) I'm alright with that I just like how pathfinder gave classes like fighter face lifts encouraging you to take all 20 levels of them. Unfortunately porting over two over classes just to gestalt it seems it'd make it really complicated and it might lose what its class was meant to be. I wanted to use this in an actual game from level 1 which I'll be playing soon in a full campaign.

I don't think it's complicated at all - breath, auras, SLAs, that's all you need. And it's thematic, because true dragons have all three of those things too. You just get a little more variety with the first two than any one dragon does.

[Urpriest]

If you just want to be a barbarian-type who venerates dragons and gets draconic abilities, why not be a Bloodrager?

[BWR]

It literally took me five seconds to Google "dragon shaman pathfinder (http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2naoe?A-Pathfinder-Dragon-Shaman-A-Conversion-by)"

And another (http://kolidascope.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Shaman_%28Pathfinder%29).

[Blackhawk748]

And another (http://kolidascope.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Shaman_%28Pathfinder%29).

I like this one, Full BaB is my lazy fix to the Dragon Shaman.

[Thurbane]

Better skill list, more skill points/level, faster scaling aura bonus, and possibly throw in heavy armor and full BAB.

[Almarck]

I don't think a rage ability would be good. It's too similar to barbarian then.

Perhaps emphasis on the shaman aspect?

[Feint's End]

Some good suggestions here. Here my 50 cent:

-Full bab.
-proficiency with martial weapons
-flight at level 5 (AFB right now so not sure if there is a weaker Form for dragon shaman ... might want to have that one at 5 then and the full flight at 8 or so)
-4+int skill points
-better skill list
-buffing up the auras to a +2 base sounds like a neat idea (scaling up to +7)
-I honestly suggest giving them a free invocations for free and potentially some bonusfeats

[Mr Adventurer]

Here's my just-made-up fix:

D12 HD
All good saves
Full BAB
6 skill points

Replace breath weapon with Dragonfire Adept breath weapon.

Remove armour proficiency but give them the full progression of the Dragonscale Husk ACF from Dragon Magic for heavy armour classes (and clear up the wording, allowing the Husk AC to stack with other AC bonuses - maybe just outright make it an armour bonus), and allow it to apply while using:

Add the powers of the Shapeshift Druid alternative class feature (Wildshape variant from PHB2), except called "Dragon Aspect" and themed toward being dragon-y instead of animalistic. This feature will be much better for this class than for the Druid because the DS doesn't need to cast spells.

...man, I'd play that.

[Almarck]

Here's my just-made-up fix:

D12 HD
All good saves
Full BAB
6 skill points

Replace breath weapon with Dragonfire Adept breath weapon.

Remove armour proficiency but give them the full progression of the Dragonscale Husk ACF from Dragon Magic for heavy armour classes (and clear up the wording, allowing the Husk AC to stack with other AC bonuses - maybe just outright make it an armour bonus), and allow it to apply while using:

Add the powers of the Shapeshift Druid alternative class feature (Wildshape variant from PHB2), except called "Dragon Aspect" and themed toward being dragon-y instead of animalistic. This feature will be much better for this class than for the Druid because the DS doesn't need to cast spells.

...man, I'd play that.

That's almost "too dragon".

I honestly feel that we're all emphasizing the Barbarian or tribal aspect a little too much

Also, they'd need something to prevent them from gettinng heavy armor with no drawbacks if we're going for scale armor only.

[Mr Adventurer]

That's almost "too dragon".

So it's perfect, is what you're saying :D.


I honestly feel that we're all emphasizing the Barbarian or tribal aspect a little too much

OP said that's what they wanted.


Also, they'd need something to prevent them from gettinng heavy armor with no drawbacks if we're going for scale armor only.

I don't understand this.

[Shadowscale]

It literally took me five seconds to Google "dragon shaman pathfinder (http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2naoe?A-Pathfinder-Dragon-Shaman-A-Conversion-by)"

And another (http://kolidascope.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Shaman_%28Pathfinder%29).

This looks like its exactly what I am looking for, thank you. Not sure what sort of tier this would be though, hopefully 4 or higher.
The second one that is.

[Almarck]

Modtly I am thinking that some things specifically rage shouldnt be in on the class.

But that's probably just me. What I do think should be available is frightful presence.