VOP + Master of Many Forms Build Advice Needed

[Dusto]

Hey all - We are starting up a new campaign and I've never played a character with VOP or Master of Many Forms, but that's what the group and I landed on for my next character. Really hoping to get some build advice within the following restrictions and hope you guys can help make this easy and fun! Thanks in advance!

Must be human
30pt build and Neutral Good Alignment
3.5 printed material only - No UA or Dragon Magazine
No flaws
Must start with Vow of Poverty
My role will be utility/backup melee - So I am thinking of building towards shaping into War Troll mostly with other forms as needed.

We are starting at level 1 and it sounds like we will progress slowly, but I wouldn't be surprised if we randomly jumped up a level or two here and there.

[Kaleph]

Start here: www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?472737-Updated-Master-of-Many-Forms-Bible-official-wild-shape-rules-(recovered)

If UA is allowed (actually it's official wizards 3.5 material) take the druidic avenger variant. Power attack may be a good choice. As 3rd level spell, primal instinct and vigor lesser mass. In general, 24 hours buffs are ok.

You won't get that much use of exalted feats, unfortunately. I have no particular advice here to give.

Quick note: with a master of many forms you are not a backup melee.

[Dusto]

Thanks for the link!

No UA allowed, our DM will not budge on it.

As for backup melee, we will have a Paladin/Crusader and another martial class, I plan on rolling in as Cave Troll as soon as possible.

[Kaleph]

No UA allowed, our DM will not budge on it

Try to get rid of the animal companion, anyhow, and replace it with an ACF if possible. I think you may get something similar to a familiar, which is probably more useful as a scout/messenger.

If you need one, take wild cohort instead.

[Thurbane]

If you want to lose the Animal companion, but retain Wild Shape, and UA is disallowed, I think that pretty much only leaves you with Urban Companion from the Cityscape web enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) (which is may be what Kaleph was referencing). With a lack of caster levels (if you're concentrating on MoMF), your familiar isn't going to be that great. Still, it'll have 3/4 of your HP, so it won't be overly squishy.

The other options I can find are Aquatic COmpanion and Phynxkin Companion, but they are both just different flavours of Animal Companion anyway.

You might get some additional ideas on MoMF here: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXX (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?525401)

[Twurps]

I'm currently playing a wildshaping ranger/MoMF's with VOP.

I like the Urban companion mentioned earlier. Also: it gives alertness for free which is a prereq. for MoMF's (usefulness depending on how your DM rules on the whole 'losing a prereq makes your PrC not work' discussion. You definately don't want to lose your MoMF features if your familiar dies)

For feats:
-Frozen wild shape gets mentioned a lot (for cryohydra). Too cheesy for my taste but obviously powerfull
-Dragon wild shape is nice (for dragons obviously). MoMF's gets this as wel, but with this feat you get the tasty SU abilities.
-Extra wild shape: Maybe retrain this once you have enough uses from MoMF levels, but early on: being stuck in 1 or 2 shapes really blows.

Exalted feats (in order of usefullness, somewhat. Just get all of these, you'll have more to spare):
-exalted wild shape, mostly for blink dog, but nice overall.
-Nimbus of light (very usefull at low levels: humans don't have darkvision, and (magic) gear doesn't go well with both VOP and wildshape.)
-nymphs kiss
-exalted companion, if you don't trade your companion away that is, you should.
-sanctify natural attack
-A few vows (the ones that make you give up stuff you wouldn't do anyway. for me: chastity and abstinence)
-touch of golden ice. ONLY if you can work out how this works with your DM. If it triggers on any hit, might be nice. If not: not so much.

Forms:
you mentioned war-troll, which I'd have to second. For earlier on however, my absolute favorite: Desmodu Hunting bat (MMII) Available at lvl 5, and a great adventuring form. Flight is always nice, and its +7 dex modifier really helps with traps(reflex) and other surprises (initiative) as well as AC.

Things NOT to take:
some things I find mentioned a lot with druid based wild shape, but work just a bit different with MoMF's:
-Aberration wild shape: useless, MoMF gets this at 6 anyway.
-Natural spell: might still be usefull, but you won't have a lot of spells. Also: MoMF can speak while wildshaped so verbal components shouldn't be an issue. (somatic components still might, ask your DM. Mine rules a Troll can use somatic components just fine)
-Fast wild shape (MoMF gets this at 3rd)

Dips:
I'm going for a 1lvl dip in 'Fist of the forest' (CC), because CON to AC is very nice on a war troll. A word of warning though: quite restrictive Fluff (that just happens to suit our campaign), and 4 prereq feats, of which I get a few for free, so YMMV.

Finally: If the lovely (ex) abilities just don't cut if for you:
Take 1 level of PSION, use it's bonus feat for practiced manifester, you now have manifester lvl5 and qualify for: metamorphic transfer (EPH). This lets you pick a (su) ability at will, each time you wildshape.

[Goaty14]

Hey all - We are starting up a new campaign and I've never played a character with VOP or Master of Many Forms, but that's what the group and I landed on for my next character. Really hoping to get some build advice within the following restrictions and hope you guys can help make this easy and fun! Thanks in advance!

Must be human
30pt build and Neutral Good Alignment
3.5 printed material only - No UA or Dragon Magazine
No flaws
Must start with Vow of Poverty
My role will be utility/backup melee - So I am thinking of building towards shaping into War Troll mostly with other forms as needed.

We are starting at level 1 and it sounds like we will progress slowly, but I wouldn't be surprised if we randomly jumped up a level or two here and there.

Are you sure you can start at level 1 as MoMF? Because it requires Wild Shape class feature, which only comes at Drd 5 or ranger wildshape, neither of which come at level 1, if your DM is homebrewing to work around this, that's fine, but just a heads up.

Since it sounds like you won't be leveling up much (which is sad D: ) you should choose bonus feats wisely by the time you hit 2nd level, so I'll give you a quick rundown of what feats you might consider: in the format
-(feat name),(Prerequisites),(Description)
-Intuitive Strike, BaB+1, Add wis mod to BaB
-Nymph's Kiss,--,+2 on Cha checks +1 on spell saving throws and +1 skill point per level (Nice synergy with human)
-Touch of Golden Ice, Con 13, Contact DC 14 Inital: 1d6 Dex Secondary 2d6 Dex (Golden Ice can only affect evil creatures and you deal Cha mod dmg as well, The attack is also a touch attack)



Don't invest in armor just as a tip, because VoP gives you a +4 to AC that doesn't stack with normal AC, although shield bonus is arguable with the DM, I wouldn't recommend, because it is both a weak argument and wont affect you in wildshape (While the +4 AC does affect you, because it is inherent and not something that melds.

[Esprit15]

Intuitive Strike will be useful as a Druid, but just a reminder that it isn't a bonus to BAB, just attack bonus.

I assume they're going into druid first, then MoMF, given that they have to start out as NG.