The Metamorph is a Surprisingly Well-Made PrC

[Segev]

The "surprising" part isn't due to low expectations or anything, but due to some interesting synergies that are not explicitly called out in the Metamorph class as you gain the powers. Perhaps they're obvious to others, but I've been toying with it as a possible option for a PC in a few levels for a while, and only yesterday did these "click" for me. I feel the need to share.

Achieving the "class fantasy" is something I consider to be the first and foremost goal of any class. It isn't sufficient by itself, but if it nails that, there is much that can be forgiven. Metamorph achieves what I perceive to be its class fantasy spectacularly well, but the initially-obvious parts just feel like a few random boosts that, while nice, aren't really doing more than some of the more sloppily-designed 3.5 PrCs. (Though I may need to go review those just to be sure I haven't been missing something all these years, after all.)

The Metamorph's class fantasy, as I perceive it, is to be a shapeshifter.

It does some obvious things, like give new options for using your metamorphosis power, eventually giving you major metamorphosis for free as a power known, and even giving you one of two feats that make you able to manifest metamorphosis and its cousins faster (the first one if you have neither, and the second one if you have the first).

It lets you swap around your choices, one at a time at first, then faster, then all at once by 9th level of the class. This is pretty awesome: it gets a lot more utility out of a single manifestation, since you can manifest once and then shift to other forms without having to re-manifest it. This is probably the most obvious "master of shapeshifting" feature, and a great reason to take the class if that's what you're after. It also is the core of the synergy that I only recently realized was so great.

It also does some things that are sort-of obvious, but feel semi-random as boosts. It gives you a few free manifestations of metamorphosis per day, it gives you extended duration on it, it has a somewhat anemic set of extra menu options (one of which is either redundant with a swim speed, or a sign that the metamorphosis line is fundamentally lacking because you can't be a fish that doesn't drown underwater without this PrC), and its capstone is actually pretty nice on its own: metamorphosis that you've manifested on yourself gains the duration Permanent (D). Nice; no need to worry about re-manifesting it periodically.

But wait, here's where things clicked for me: Permanent duration metamorphosis comes after you gain the ability to completely change every option metamorphosis gives you as a move action. Right there, the Metamorph now has the ability to manifest major metamorphosis at his highest augmentation level, and then leave it on forever...and change it as a move action at will. The only reason to manifest it again is if he levels up (and gets more augmentation capacity), if it gets dispelled, or if he really, desperately needs to change multiple options as a Swift action and has the Master of All Forms feat (the second of the two he could get as a bonus feat at level 5).

So right there, it nails the class fantasy with a combination of two abilities: permanent duration and ability to alter it at will. But it gets better: remember, the Metamorph can manifest any of the metamorphosis powers for free 5x/day by level 10! So, not only does he have it up, probably, from when he last manifested it, but if he needs to re-manifest it for any reason, he's got multiple shots of it without having to spend any power points on it! It takes a decided and concerted effort to even make a level 10 Metamorph start to worry about his ability to change shape costing too much.


And, as a side note, the class gives you everything that true metamorphosis does by level 8, except that true metamorphosis gives you one more choice either from Enhancement Menu C or Abilities Menu C. (A major metamorphosis augmented to 17 pp gives either 2 Enhancement C and 1 Abilities C, or 1 Enhancement C and 2 Abilities C choices, while true metamorphosis gives 2 of each.) True metamorphosis gives you the ability to change your Type and to alter your menu choices round by round. Metamorph gives you these same abilities with ANY metamorphosis power.

An Egoist can get to level 10 Metamorph by level 15. Any other psionic character that has fully manifester progression could get there by level 20 (maybe a little lower if they're very careful how they pick out feats or pick early class levels), because they'd need Expanded Knowledge at level 7 to get metamorphosis and couldn't take Improved Metamorphosis until level 9.

[Raven777]

Dreamscarred Press's stuff is almost always top notch and high polish. Especially Psionics. I missed the original Pathfinder train a decade ago and relied exclusively on free online ressources back then, but nowadays if Dreamscarred did a color pocket edition of Ultimate Psionics like Paizo keeps doing most of their 1e stuff, I'd buy it just like I'm currently buying Paizo's own 1e pocket books.

[Psyren]

An Egoist can get to level 10 Metamorph by level 15. Any other psionic character that has fully manifester progression could get there by level 20 (maybe a little lower if they're very careful how they pick out feats or pick early class levels), because they'd need Expanded Knowledge at level 7 to get metamorphosis and couldn't take Improved Metamorphosis until level 9.

FYI, you can get it earlier by getting it Chirugeried into your head. It's not likely in most campaigns but it is possible.