polymorph build help

[nmitchell890]

I'm building a character for a Pathfinder home game starting next month. I know what the other players are bringing to the table; a Defiler (Int SAD Magus build with two levels of White Hair Witch that stacks all sorts of debuffs), a Bard dedicated to buffing and an Occultist Arcanist. The campaign will start at level 5 and is planned to finish as level 15 but last time we planned to finish at level 15 we played through to level 20 and have returned to those characters multiple times for one-shots so it could go further.

I usually play front line characters such as the Bloodrager, I enjoy mixing it up in melee. I want to play a character with more spellcasting than I normally have access to but I still want mix it up in melee. Building around polymorph spells seems to accomplish what I'm after and there's something appealing about turning into other creatures in combat, especially dragons. I'm not against playing a switch hitter type character, allowing the summoned creatures to tank for the team and wading into melee to mop up or just because I feel like it at the time. Any and all suggestions will be considered and appreciated :)

[Lotheb]

Have you considered the druid? Since you're starting at level 5 you'd already have wild shape for hour/level beastshape, and eventually plant shape and elemental body, and could take natural spell. You'd also have good natural weapon buff spells, Spontaneous summoning, and access to healing magic. Downsides: you get the beast shape line, the fey form line, form of the exotic dragon line (limited), and the vermin shape line, but you dont get polymorph or PAO or ooze form or giant form or monstrous physique. You do get shapechange if you ever make it to that high a level, but for most of the game you have a lot fewer types of creatures you can turn into than a polymorph focused wizard.

[nmitchell890]

Have you considered the druid? Since you're starting at level 5 you'd already have wild shape for hour/level beastshape, and eventually plant shape and elemental body, and could take natural spell. You'd also have good natural weapon buff spells, Spontaneous summoning, and access to healing magic. Downsides: you get the beast shape line, the fey form line, form of the exotic dragon line (limited), and the vermin shape line, but you dont get polymorph or PAO or ooze form or giant form or monstrous physique. You do get shapechange if you ever make it to that high a level, but for most of the game you have a lot fewer types of creatures you can turn into than a polymorph focused wizard.

I have considered the Druid and I'm not necessarily against the idea. I want to know what all my options are and how they stack up to one another.

[Jack_Simth]

Druid gets it RIGHT NOW, and comes with the d8 hit die and medium BAB - makes a good choice for that reason.

An Oracle is also a possibility - the Feral curse (3pp) gives you wildshape (starting at 5th). The Old Gods Mystery (3pp) grants has an option for Sor/Wiz spells (and thus, the polymorph line). The Dragon mystery has an option for a Form of the Dragon revelation; The Lunar mystery's Form of the Beast revelation eventually grants magical beasts. The Shadow mystery's Dark Secrets revelation lets you get shadow spells - including the Shadow Transmutation line.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Consider saving up for a psychoactive skin of proteus for at-will shapeshifting, without expending resources.

[Jack_Simth]

Consider saving up for a psychoactive skin of proteus for at-will shapeshifting, without expending resources.

Note that this is a lot less useful in Pathfinder. A ML-7 Metamorphosis (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/m/metamorphosis) is... very limited in utility.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Note that this is a lot less useful in Pathfinder. A ML-7 Metamorphosis (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/m/metamorphosis) is... very limited in utility.Why, exactly, do DSP think that a psychoactive skin that does that is worth well over 80k?

[Jack_Simth]

Why, exactly, do DSP think that a psychoactive skin that does that is worth well over 80k?
At a guess? They don't. I suspect that the person converting the item over wasn't thinking about the changes also being made on the Metamorphosis power (whether that's because of forgetfulness [The person had access and/or it was mentioned, they just didn't think about it], parallelism [Person A was converting items, person B was converting powers, and they weren't really checking each other's notes], or timing [they converted the items before they did Metamorphosis, then did not go back through the items]... I wouldn't venture to guess).

[Florian]

Any and all suggestions will be considered and appreciated :)

A bit tough, as polymorph really felt the necessary nerf-hammer in PF.

Plain vanilla Melee Druid with Ash, Storm or Weather Domain is still a solid choice (Heavy synergy with elemental form is better then the companion), overall, I think that a well build Magus centered on using Form spells and natural attacks is the better frontliner in the long run.

[Psyren]

I personally like Metamorph Alchemist as a dedicated shapeshifter melee class. It takes a little while to have it up all day (4th level) and you give up your other casting, but in return you get undispellable shapeshifting, as well as strong utility from the mutagen and discoveries.