Warshaper build

[Drowassaas]

Hello there. This is my first post. I have read alot of post here. And i have an idea of a build here it is. (My dm alows all books flaws and la buy off bloodline's burned[like la buy off)
Changling(half eath elemental) 4barbarian/4warshaper/4souleater
Questions comments concerns
Feats not picked yet

[Brova]

Changeling Warshaper is a pretty sweet choice. Shifter is marginally better stats, but the Changeling's shapeshifting is pretty easily enough to cover that.

I don't think your build is ideal for this. Barbarian 1/Fighter 2/Totemist 2 is better than Barbarian 4. Take the lion totem from Complete Champion for pounce. Bind your choice of sphinx claws or girallon arms to your totem chakra and pump it full of essentia (including the Bonus Essentia feat). That gives you the ability to charge in for pretty respectable damage, with a couple of nice attacks.

I also don't see Soul Eater as a great choice for finishing the build. For one thing, I don't believe you qualify as Changelings are still humanoid. You might be better off taking a couple of levels in a Tome of Battle class (such as Warblade) for additional options. Alternatively, some feat investment can make Totem Rager a reasonable choice.

Feats wise you'll want a fairly standard set. Power Attack is always good. Bonus Essentia is close to required if you go the Totemist route. You might try feats like Combat Reflexes and Improved Trip for synergy with the reach Warshaper gives you. Ultimately, the build is fairly feat agnostic. If you opt to take Soul Eater levels, that will take a couple of feats. Totem Rager will similarly require some investment. If you opt to go the Warblade route, you'll have enough free feats for Shock Trooper.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Just check a few rules with your DM first. Specifically:

Changeling's minor shapeshift ability emulates Disguise Self, which only makes you resemble another creature, it does not actually change you into another creature. "All of the following are class features of the warshaper prestige class. The class features function only when the warshaper is in a form other than her own." Just be sure that using minor shapeshift is enough for you to be considered 'in a form other than your own' for purposes of activating the warshaper's class features.

Soul Eater's energy drain is a supernatural ability, which always requires you to use a standard action to activate it unless otherwise noted (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#supernaturalAbilities). So you don't drain levels on every touch or natural weapon attack, you spend a standard action to make a melee touch attack to drain a level, which cannot be combined with a full attack action. This is consistent with every monster that deals negative levels (Vampire, Wight, Spectre, etc.), each of which are only capable of using their energy drain attack once per round. Double check with your DM to see if you would get to energy drain on every natural weapon attack, or if it can only be used once per round.

Half Earth Elemental has a +3 LA according to the 3.5 Update Booklet (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a), so to buy off the level adjustment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm) you would need to spend 11,000 xp at ECL 12 (your 9th character level), and then spend 16,000 xp at ECL 17 (your 15th character level), and then spend 18,000 xp at ECL 19 (your 18th character level). It will be a very long time before you can fully buy off that level adjustment, and even longer to catch back up to the rest of the party.

[Brova]

Half Earth Elemental has a +3 LA according to the 3.5 Update Booklet (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a), so to buy off the level adjustment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm) you would need to spend 11,000 xp at ECL 12 (your 9th character level), and then spend 16,000 xp at ECL 17 (your 15th character level), and then spend 18,000 xp at ECL 19 (your 18th character level). It will be a very long time before you can fully buy off that level adjustment, and even longer to catch back up to the rest of the party.

On another note, I missed that bit. I assume it changes your type to elemental, qualifying you for Soul Eater?

[Troacctid]

On another note, I missed that bit. I assume it changes your type to elemental, qualifying you for Soul Eater?

Outsider, but yes.

I'm still skeptical that it's worth the +3 LA. That's a lot of LA. If you just need a type change, you're better off with Feral (Savage Species), which is +1 LA and, among other things, makes you a monstrous humanoid.

[Drowassaas]

Thanky you i will take all this in to consideration.
The la buy off im using is in the unearthed arcana

[SinsI]

Ask your DM on how he rules about Warshaper's Morphic Weapons - how many can you create, how many can you improve? That's one of the crucial things.
Consider taking Able Learner feat at 1st level and getting a couple levels (or more) in Chameleon - that floating feat is VERY useful, and spellcasting is not bad either.

[dysprosium]

If all books are on the table does that extend to Dragon Magazine?

Issue 326 has an article about savage progressions for half elemental templates that you may find helpful.