3.5 Ranger/Warshaper/MoMF

[Xeticus]

I'm working on a replacement character for my buddies game. I'll be coming in at 9th level aand have access to all WoTC official 3.5 books. I was thinking of taking 5 levels of Ranger with Unearthed Arcana substition letting me get wild shape. 2 levels of Master of Many Forms. That will give me Large, Giant and Humanoid Forms. And 2 levels of Warshaper.

Now Feats. I have to take Alertness to get MoMF. What a waste. As a human I'll have 4 other feats. I was thinking of taking the fey heritage feats from Complete Mage. Fey Heritage, Fey Skin, Fey Presence and Fey Legacy. That'd give me Dr 4/cold iron and a host of spell like abilities. Also I think the fey blood angle would be thematic for such a shapeshifting character. Also as a dodge to get higher HD wildshape forms Fey Legacy and Fey Presence specifically state that your caster level is equal to your character level. I think i can get my Dm to accept that (possibly spurious) line of reasoning. :)

Comments and suggestions are appreciated!

[Chronos]

Also as a dodge to get higher HD wildshape forms Fey Legacy and Fey Presence specifically state that your caster level is equal to your character level.I'm not sure what that's supposed to do with wildshape. Wildshape HD is limited by your level in the class that gives you Wildshape, which is in no way a caster level.

[Xeticus]

Sorry i read thefirst part of the wildshape entryin the PHB that says that it's like polymorph. I went back and took another look at the entry and saw later that it specifically mentioned being based off your druid level. Why don't the shapeshifting PRC's like Master of Many Forms and Warshaper automatically add to your druid level for wildshape? It's not like realistically there is another way to enter the class.

[Talic]

I generally houserule that MoMF adds to druid/ranger level for HD limitations, just not for wildshape duration limits. I generally do this, as the class specifically improves the wildshape, and thus, I treat it as one of the classes that grants it (in fact, each level of the class grants you an extra use of it).

Nature's Warrior adds to both, as the class specifically says it stacks for wildshape.

Warshaper (as it can be gotten via polymorph/Alter Self, or a form with shifting abilities-I love lycanthropes with this), adds to neither, as it makes no reference to wildshape-specific bonuses, only generic bonuses for being in any alternate form.

Still. The best way to do MoMF is Gestalt. Wildshape ranger 5/MoMF 7/Wildshape 5/Nature's warrior 1 (imo)/Hierophant 2 // Shifter Druid 20

It's a fun way to gain massive amounts of wildshape/shifting bonuses, while retaining powerful casting.

If you go with standard druid, go with the variant of the ranger that makes the "n" silent. The Rager, or Raging Ranger.

[Xeticus]

I was reading this thread here http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=639448 In this thread they mention that their is an errata somewhere that states MoMF adds to wildshape HD progression. My problem is I really wanted to level up the warshaper to maybe level 4. The extra reach and fast healing 2 are awesome but losing 4HD OF wildshape progression is brutal. Any suggestions?

[BobVosh]

I usually whomp through 2. I went all 5 on a bear warrior, but for a druid it hurts too much. No spells and no wildshape.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Since MoMF grants additional Wild Shape benefits, it makes sense that they intended its levels to count for the max HD of what forms you can take.

I would go Wild Shape Ranger 5/ Master of Many Forms 7/ War Shaper 4/ MoMF 1/ WSRanger 1/ MoMF 2 in that order. You want the higher HD forms until you get War Troll (MM3), and you want Extraordinary Wild Shape asap. For feats I usually get Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Alertness, Leap Attack, Frozen Wild Shape (FB), Robilar's Gambit (PH2), Multiattack, and Defensive Sweep (PH2).

Your only Ranger spell prepared should be Rhino's Rush (SC), and get a bunch of 1st level Pearls of Power. Make Wis and Con your highest ability scores, Str 13 or 14, Dex 10-14, Int 10-14, Cha doesn't matter. Get a Monk's Belt, Armbands of Might, Gloves of Dex, and an Amulet of Mighty Fists.

Frozen Wild Shape will allow you to take the form of a Cryohydra, at level 12 you can use Robilar's Gambit to get a 12-bite AoO every time you're attacked. If that form wouldn't be convenient, use War Troll instead and wield an appropriately sized two-handed reach weapon, or use Cave Troll with natural attacks. Starting out you'll be able to take the form of a Cave Troll or Hydra, and those should be what you primarily use until 12 and on. Power Attack with Leap Attack and a two-handed weapon and Rhino's Rush is sure to end any fight quickly.

A completely different feat build to use would be Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple, Aberration Blood: Flexible Limbs (LoM), Aberration Wild Shape (LoM), Assume Supernatural Ability (SS): Eye Rays, and whatever else you want after that. Still go Ranger 5/ MoMF 7/ War Shaper, so at level 11 you'll be able to take the form of a Beholder and freely use any of its eye ray abilities. Until then there are several lower HD beholderkin in Lords of Madness, as well as the Gauth in the Monster Manual, which also have the Eye Rays ability which you'd assume in any of those forms. If one of those forms wouldn't be suitable, you could take the form of any beastie with plenty of natural attacks and Improved Grab such as a Dire Lion or a Smilodon (FB), keeping in mind that you'll get an additional +6 on Grapple checks due to your feats. Power Attack would be a useful feat to have since the bonus it grants to damage rolls would also apply to damage dealt when grappling, but the penalty you take to attack rolls for Power Attacking wouldn't apply to your grapple checks to deal damage, since a grapple check is not an attack roll.