Shapeshift Dudu help :v

[Val666]

Helloo everyone c:

Well, yesterday my friend asked if there's any good build using Shapeshift variant Druid (from phs II) and I went like...giving wildshape and animal companion :v?? the thing he will be playing with new people (new for him and new for the game) so he wanted to play something druidish but not the full druid. So I was wondering if you guys know some tricks or tips about this variant. They have few options to choose between books. Allowed content: Core (including ph's II), Complete Warrior, Mage, Arcane, Divine, Adventurer, Scoundrel, Book of exalted Deeds, Frostburn, Arms & Equipment and some things from Unearthed Arcana. Starting lvl 2, 32 point-buy. Oh one more thing, it is a low wealth campaing :smallbiggrin:

Thanks everyone ;v!

[eggynack]

There's not much to recommend, honestly. There just isn't all that much material in the way of shapeshift druids, and there might actually be none. Best plan might be focusing on casting and summoning, and focusing on choices along those lines. Shapeshift is pretty awful, after all, and stuff that works with wild shape, like wilding clasps or natural spell, doesn't really work with it.

[jiriku]

Shapeshift lacks the general-purpose utility of wildshape, so it's best used for specific niche functions. Out of combat, the predator form and aerial form make excellent scouts in natural areas where you'll easily be mistaken for part of the local wildlife. In combat, it's often convenient to use those forms for movement. Thus, you cast a spell, shift into predator form to take advantage of the 50 ft speed and +8 AC vs opportunity attacks (+4 natural, +4 Mobility). Then on your next turn, once you're in position you shift back into your regular form and cast a spell. Aerial form offers similar mobility benefits when flight allows you to easily move over obstacles like walls, cloud effects, etc. The later forms are decent for general-purpose melee combat against weak foes. In combat, you'll use them mostly to conserve your spells or to provide the base combat form onto which you'll add additional attack modes and bonuses with buff spells.

The biggest strength of Shapeshift is its swift action activation and unlimited uses per day. This lets you use it casually, shifting back and forth between your normal and shapeshifted form from round to round.

Because shapeshifting absorbs all your gear, you'll build and play your druid differently. You aren't interested in protective items like a cloak of resistance or an amulet of natural armor. Instead, you're interested in spells like greater resistance and barkskin, which will protect you even while you are shifted. Extend Spell becomes a very useful feat for you to ensure that your buffs are up for longer. Spending your WBL on gear that makes more efficient use of your spell slots is a good idea. Items like lesser rod of extend, pearl of power, and prayer bead of karma are very helpful. In general, a shapeshift druid uses more actions and more spell resources on defense than a regular druid does, so if your friend is accustomed to playing optimized druids he should adopt a more defensive mindset than he's accustomed to.

[Hiro Quester]

Because shapeshifting absorbs all your gear, you'll build and play your druid differently.

Since BoED is open, you might also consider a vow of poverty. It adds interesting role playing, liberates you from depending on gear that won't shape shift with you, and for a shifter in a less-than-optimized game, can be a very useful option. Plus many free exalted feats, several of which are very good options for you.

There have been a few threads here the last few days on Vow of Poverty (full disclosure: some of which I'm responsible for). Druid, including the shifter druid variant, is often cited as being one the few situations in which VoP is a reasonable option.

[Urpriest]

Shapeshift lacks the general-purpose utility of wildshape, so it's best used for specific niche functions. Out of combat, the predator form and aerial form make excellent scouts in natural areas where you'll easily be mistaken for part of the local wildlife. In combat, it's often convenient to use those forms for movement. Thus, you cast a spell, shift into predator form to take advantage of the 50 ft speed and +8 AC vs opportunity attacks (+4 natural, +4 Mobility). Then on your next turn, once you're in position you shift back into your regular form and cast a spell. Aerial form offers similar mobility benefits when flight allows you to easily move over obstacles like walls, cloud effects, etc.

Huh. I had realized that Shapeshift was on some level the inspiration for 4e's Wild Shape, but I hadn't thought the tactics they were useful for would be so similar. This is quite interesting.

[eggynack]

Plus many free exalted feats, several of which are very good options for you.

This a lot less so. Ditching the companion and wild shape also ditches the two best exalted feat for a druid, leaving the top of the scale at, I dunno, probably nymph's kiss or words of creation. It takes longer to recoup effective feat value, is what I'm saying, though admittedly the value of normal feats is reduced by the loss of those things as well.

[Ruethgar]

I only ever like to do shapeshift druid as a dip for a beastly melee character. Take the Tippy Deadly Hunter Druid variant to give up spells and then a little dip into Barbarian(City Brawler, Spirit Lion, Dashing Step).

Also druid-like but not full druid is the wildshape ranger.

[Surpriser]

Yes, shapeshift is a decrease in power. But since your friend is going to play with new players, this is a very good thing. You don't want Druidzilla in a party of newbies and even with shapeshift, you don't want an optimized build.

Find out, what the other players are going to play (and the general power level, taking into account that most of them probably won't be able to optimize anything) and build the druid accordingly.
Honestly, I expect that saying "Shapeshift Druid, pick the rest for whatever is flavourful" will still turn out to be quite powerful compared to the others.

[Val666]

Weeeeell....Party is: Cleric (new player, he wants to be healbot)
Barbarian (nearly-new player, wants to be...barbaric)
Rogue (regular player, wants to be monkey and douchebag)
Me (regular player, want to be hunter and douchebag too(joke))
Sorcerer (experienced player; He won't optimize)

Decided to take 2 levels of warshaper when possible (probably level 7) So..any suggestions?

[Val666]

I was wondering, there is this reserve feat of necromancy that makes target sickened with a touch attack. I've read that you can deliver touch attacks with natural attacks. Does this apply to all my attacks, all the time while I have tje spell readied? Also, vow of poverty seems cool but only at lower levels <_< any suggestion on feats?

[Urpriest]

I was wondering, there is this reserve feat of necromancy that makes target sickened with a touch attack. I've read that you can deliver touch attacks with natural attacks. Does this apply to all my attacks, all the time while I have tje spell readied? Also, vow of poverty seems cool but only at lower levels <_< any suggestion on feats?

You can only deliver that sort of thing as a standard action, unfortunately.

Featwise, do you want to focus more on being a physical combatant, or a caster with extra mobility options?

[Dolour]

no1 tipp: be a straight druid.
hes goina learn to love his box of toys. ;)

/edit:
Yes, shapeshift is a decrease in power. But since your friend is going to play with new players, this is a very good thing. You don't want Druidzilla in a party of newbies and even with shapeshift, you don't want an optimized build.
well, if hes totally new to this, chances are pretty low that hes goina turn into a gamebreaker really...
just roll with the "druidic" feats, companion spellbond, natural spell, ashbound- or augmented sommoning, etc to ensure nothing "too fancy" will happen.

[Urpriest]

no1 tipp: be a straight druid.
hes goina learn to love his box of toys. ;)

/edit:
well, if hes totally new to this, chances are pretty low that hes goina turn into a gamebreaker really...
just roll with the "druidic" feats, companion spellbond, natural spell, ashbound- or augmented sommoning, etc to ensure nothing "too fancy" will happen.

First, it sounds like he's not new, but the rest of the group is.

Second, Druids are pretty much impossible for new players, because very few new players bother to read the monster rules. The set of feats you describe requires understanding HD advancement, template application, the various different shapeshifting rules...these are topics some DMs don't understand (to my eternal ire :smallfurious:). They're not really appropriate new player material.

[eggynack]

The set of feats you describe requires understanding HD advancement, template application, the various different shapeshifting rules.
I think you're thinking of a different set of feats, cause those feats don't do that. In particular, likely natural bond instead of companion spellbond, greenbound instead of ashbound or augment summoning, and I guess natural spell requires shapeshifting understanding, but no more than exists for a normal druid.

[Urpriest]

I think you're thinking of a different set of feats, cause those feats don't do that. In particular, likely natural bond instead of companion spellbond, greenbound instead of ashbound or augment summoning, and I guess natural spell requires shapeshifting understanding, but no more than exists for a normal druid.

Eh, was mostly comparing to Shapeshift Druid. Those feats encourage the Druid to use precisely those features they won't understand. Also misread Ashbound for Greenbound. :smalltongue:

[Hiro Quester]

I was wondering, there is this reserve feat of necromancy that makes target sickened with a touch attack. I've read that you can deliver touch attacks with natural attacks. Does this apply to all my attacks, all the time while I have tje spell readied? Also, vow of poverty seems cool but only at lower levels <_< any suggestion on feats?

You can't do this with that necromancy attack, as Urpriest pointed out.

However, produce flame can be held for 1 attack per level, stacked on top of one of your natural attacks per round. That is, either you make the right claw natural attack as one of your attacks for the round and add the flame damage of that claw hits, or you make a touch (or ranged touch) attack as a standard action, for just the flame damage. Adding 1d6 flame damage to one attack per round is not nothing.

Vow of Poverty can be very good at higher levels too. Includes +8 to your primary stat (+6, +4, +2 to others). +8 is impossible to get otherwise without tomes. Permanent 24/7 freedom of movement at 14th level and 24/7 true seeing at 18th. Those are things other players invest huge amounts of gold (or persisted spells) to acquire.

Shifter can't cast in your animal forms. But can shift as a swift action. So you are often going to be shifting and attacking in the same round. You can't reapply gear for that kind of fast switching. Having VoP's bonuses to attack, AC, casting stats, etc. in every form, without having to worry about invalidating your gear in animal forms, is a huge benefit.

And especially if yours is a low-wealth campaign, this will be a good option. the downside to VoP is that wealth by level could outpace the benefits in gear a PC would be able to buy. But if you have less than the standard WBL, this won't be an issue.

As Eggynack pointed out, some of the best exalted feats apply to wildshape and AC. (You might be able to persuade your DM to let Exalted Wildshape also apply the celestial template to your animal forms, though.)

But there are a few worth having: touch of golden ice, sanctify natural attack, exalted spell resistance, defender of the Homeland (immune to fear), etc. In addition to gear-independence and a few nifty enhancements, a bonus exalted feat every 2 levels is gravy.