Build Critique

[Trogdorfubar]

So I am in a Play by Post on a private Discord. It is an E8 rather than E6 and we have been playing for about a year and while I have been having fun as a Druid I feel I have been overshadowing the others. As it is an isekai styled game where we got sent to Faerun and the premise is we can use our meta knowledge there, I have a hard time not rolling with my Druid knowledge since I have played them for a decade.

We started as commoners with 8 skills and these skills represent us. If we die we lose a skill and are reconstituted somewhere on the continent.

Through the game we managed to find the spell forge and it has been pumped full of all sorts of magic corrupting anything that we build there. So we have to vent it. I have an idea to climb into the vent (super hero logic) so it will give me super powers.

I talk it over with the group and the DM we go with it because it will "kill" me, magic will be tainted with my touch of golden Ice, but also it nerfs magic globally and world over everyone is now tier 3 or lower. The players in the group however are now Gestalts that is a boost to the rest of the group as they are mostly tier 3, one had a couple of levels in a tier 2 but is fine with the change.

So I am trying to put together something that will get me something close to what I had before my three big elements were Luminous Armor, Wildshape, eventually Venomfire when we were severally out classed. I am throwing Venomfire out at this point it was a mistake and opened the can of worms I found myself in.

I will be keeping my items and among them is a psudo skin of kalator from my first animal companion, so +4 Druid wildshape progression there, and a Pistol I brought with me from our world.

So here is my new build. I want to keep as much flavor of my original build as possible for RP reasons that is why some stats and feats are as odd. Have I overlooked anything that would make this not work or could be a better way of doing similar?

Saurian Shifter Longtooth (+2 con, -2int, -2cha)
starting stats
STR 3
DEX 13
CON 16
INT 17
WIS 16
CHA 12


1 Ranger WS / Duskblade
2 Ranger WS / Duskblade
3 Ranger WS / Duskblade
4 Ranger WS / Duskblade
5 Warshaper / Ranger WS
6 Warshaper / Duskblade
7 Warshaper / Abjurant Champion
8 Warshaper / Abjurant Champion

Feats (Flaw) Touch of Golden Ice
(Flaw) Nymph's Kiss

1 Zen Archery
3 Arcane preparedness
6 Natural Spell

[Menzath]

Before I critique anything about the build I would like to understand some concepts behind the build.
So #1 why 3 str?
#2 duskblade?
#3 is Arcane preparedness supposed to be Arcane preparation? And if so why no metamagic feats?
#4 2 full BaB classes?

[Trogdorfubar]

#1 why 3 str?
Wildshape changes STR to whatever I shift into, I'm already level 6 in universe with that STR score. (Edit. Warshaper also gives me +4 STR when I hit level 7)


#2 duskblade?
It was either Duskblade or Shugenja for a caster as I wanted to have access to the Sanctified spells and those are prepared caster only. So I went with Duskblade as Shugenja being Devine does not qualify for Arcane Preparation.

#3 is Arcane preparedness supposed to be Arcane preparation? And if so why no metamagic feats?
Sorry yes you are correct I had it wrong in my head, the reason for taking turns my spontaneous into prepared to allow me to take Sanctified spells specifically Luminous Armor. As I'm not taking it for the metamagic side that is why.

#4 2 full BaB classes?
It just happened that way I was looking at the other goodies that the classes bring.

[Maat Mons]

I don’t think you can take Warshaper at 5th level. It looks like you don’t meet the prerequisite of being able to change shape until Wild Shape Ranger 5. And I don’t believe you can take the 1st level in a PrC on the same level you obtain the prerequisites.

Under the normal gestalt rules, you can’t take two prestige classes at the same time. So Warshaper // Abjurant Champion isn’t possible unless your DM waives that restriction.

Under normal gestalt rules, “Prestige classes that are essentially class combinations-such as the arcane trickster, mystic theurge, and eldritch knight-should be prohibited.” Since Eldritch Knight is too much of a warrior/mage hybrid PrC to be allowed in gestalt, then surely the same must apply to Abjurant Champion. Unless, of course, your DM chooses to waive that restriction too.

It may be worth noting that Healer is a prepared caster, and so can cast Sanctified spells.

[Trogdorfubar]

Oh yeah I forgot about the no two prestige class. Thanks.

Though I can get into warshaper because my race is Shifter, and has the Shapechanger subtype.

I'm going to check with the DM on the no Two prestige class thing and look at healer thank you.

[Anthrowhale]

I've generally found Hengeyokai better for access to the [shapechanger] subtype.

[Menzath]

For the caster side i feel there are better choices but I understand why it was chosen. I am still concerned about the 3(7) str.
Str of 3 means if you wear a traveler's outfit you can carry about 5ilbs more before hitting medium load. So wearing clothes and not carrying literally anything puts you to a medium load. At 7 str you aren't much better. Until you can wildshape 24/7 with 3 str you would need someone else to assist with almost everything you do in daily life.

[Gruftzwerg]

Str of 3 means if you wear a traveler's outfit you can carry about 5ilbs more before hitting medium load.

enough for a Druid's Satchel:
This small leather bag is fitted with a strap, allowing it to be worn over the shoulder. A druid's satchel appears large enough to hold about 5 pounds of material. In fact, it is similar to a bag of holding and can actually hold 2 cubic feet or 120 pounds of material. Even when filled, the satchel weighs only 5 pounds. When the wearer reaches into it for a specific item, that item is always on top; retrieving an item from a druid's satchel is a free action.

Imho that thing is just to OP..^^

Handy Haversack looks crappy in comprehension.