Hello guys, i'm an Orthodox Banjoist! (So don't try to convert me... Banjo is my only god!)
now, being serious, i really need an help to run my wizard!
Actually i was thinking about a Wizard that can change Form, like Changelings in Eberron...
Someone has some advice?
Wizard specialized in the Transmutation school (and maybe specifically the Shapechange subschool).
Get spells like
Alter Self
Animal Aspect
Polymorph
Transformation
Beast Shape
Undead Anatomy
Plant Shape
Form of the Dragon
Giant Form
Monstrous Physique
These spells come in different strengths at different levels, you should visit the Wizard optimization guide:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2m612?Guide-to-the-Class-Guides
To see which polymorph spells are the best choices.
Remember that you cannot cast spells in your transformed state unless that state is humanoid or a dragon.
Make sure you also invest in your physical ability scores, since you retain those when you change into another form.
Polymorphing has become very different from what it was in 3.5e so make sure you read how the spells work.
If it's like Eberron changelings your reason for doing this is disguise, right? Which means some variety of illusionist, maybe Mage of the Veil ( http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/arcane-schools/paizo--- arcane-schools/classic-arcane-schools/illusion/mage-of-the-veil-qadira ) would suit you best.
On the other hand if your reason for shapeshifting is to turn into a bear and eat someone's face, remember to invest some in physical stats and pick a school which assists directly in combat. This could mean Transmutation or it could mean Conjuration/Teleportation, or even Divination/Foresight.
thank you for the advice...so now polymorphing and shapechange really sucks (i was reading rules about...)
is there a race like changelings in eberron? (i see now changelings are girls born by witch-mama...)
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thank you for the advice...so now polymorphing and shapechange really sucks (i was reading rules about...)
is there a race like changelings in eberron? (i see now changelings are girls born by witch-mama...)
I wouldn't say they suck, only that they're not as overpowered as they were in 3.5. You basically get any cool abilities that you want, but at level appropriate points, and you can't entirely dump your physical statistics as you could in the earlier editions.
Appropriate metamagic can make your disguise spells last forever, and bears are still very good at killing things.
I don't know of any official shape shifting race.
thank you for the advice...so now polymorphing and shapechange really sucks (i was reading rules about...)
is there a race like changelings in eberron? (i see now changelings are girls born by witch-mama...)
The closest you get are skinwalkers ( http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/more-races/standard-races-1-10-rp /skinwalkers-10-rp ) though they're more like shifters without a time limit on their transformation.
You could also go the Druid route, they get Wildshape and have access to the Natural Spell feat, which makes them the only class capable of casting spells during their wildshape form. They also get "A Thousand Faces" at level 13. The Urban druid gets this earlier, if I remember correctly.
You could also go the Druid route, they get Wildshape and have access to the Natural Spell feat, which makes them the only class capable of casting spells during their wildshape form. They also get "A Thousand Faces" at level 13. The Urban druid gets this earlier, if I remember correctly.
The downside is that their wildshape is very limited. You can only turn into animals and similar natural things: no magical beasts, no aberrations, no undead, no oozes, no dragons.
A shapechanging Wizard or Sorcerer can still be effective, but you might want to go with Druid. Druid is the only class that can easily shapechange into a variety of things that can still cast spells. It can also be built very similarly to a Wizard by taking a domain with the downside being no bonus feats, arcane bond and a worse spell list but the upsides of more hp, better fort save, better AC, spontaneously casting summon spells.
EDIT: Ninja'd. I think taking your last 7 levels in Pathfinder Savant rather than Druid solves most of the high level inferiority complex about the worse spell list.
Personally I am not familiar with alchemists, but they are supposedly also very good at transforming and buffing themselves.
Alchemists can be very good at transforming themselves and fighting, but they can't cast spells and it may be a deal breaker for the OP to have to mess with extracts instead of spells.
my really needing in change form is for roleplay only... so Skinwalker (and thanks for the advice) don't really mean a good thing for me... they take -2INT +2WIS... for a wizard it's terrible i think..
If you are doing it for disguise purposes rather than combat purposes the spells Disguise Self and Vocal Alteration both give you a +10 bonus to disguise. Wizard and Bard make good choices for this kind of character. Actually taking the disguise skill will make you much much better at this.
yes but (tell me if i'm wrong) i don't think i can disguise like a Rat or like a Minotaur!?
Also, as a shapeshifter focused wizard, you can start with a total Int score of 15 (including racial bonus) and have access to all of your spell levels with just the +1 ability bonus every 4 levels. You can even start with lower if you want to depend on magic items. This will give you plenty of flexibility to beef up your physical stats. You'll have to rely on buffing, utility, and no-save spells, as your DC's will be quite low, but it is a valid option.
Good luck.
At first level you're going to have difficulty disguising yourself as anything wildly different in shape, no matter what class. At higher levels there are more spells or abilities - wizards get Beast Shape I as a 3rd level spell, the Mage of the Veil I mentioned gets an ability to disguise the party at 8th level.
BTW though it's apparently not the type of shape shifting you wanted, there are skinwalkers which get no penalty or even a bonus to INT. Read further down that page if you're interested.
You are gonna need Beast Shape II for a tiny animal like a rat so Alchemist 10, Druid 6 or Wizard 7. Monstrous Physique II for a minotaur (though generally people use this spell to become a 4 armed gargoyle with 6 primary natural attacks) so Alchemist 10 or Wizard 7, Druids are out of luck on minotaurs.
oh thank you AVR... i've not read that! now i keep reading!
which race fit better to be a transmuter?
For any type of Wizard Elf and Samsaran are generally considered the strongest, Sylph is good if you don't want to be a humanoid for some reason. Human, Half-Elf and Half-Orc are all good choices too, basically anything that has a bonus in intelligence.
yes but it seems i don't really need more than 15INT (see Lacdanna advice)
so i was thinking to boost something else...
Is he wrong?
yes but it seems i don't really need more than 15INT (see Lacdanna advice)
so i was thinking to boost something else...
Is he wrong?
Even if you only need a 15 int, if you can get away with BUYING a 13 int, that gives you more points to spend elsewhere. Esp. as a transformation specialist, you'll need strength and constitution to let you get close enough to eat faces.
Are you planning on starting out with a strength higher than 15? If this is the case, then a strength boost is better for you than an int boost (on a purely numbers basis). But you usually want something that will boost your highest stat, which even for a transformer wizard is often intelligence.
Nobody is wrong, we all play our characters differently and build them accordingly.
I tend to play casters who have to cover all the "traditional" caster stuff like utility, condition removal and battlefield control. So they tend to max out their casting stat and use magic as offense. If you are not trying to do 4 things at once it may be beneficial to use shapechanging and melee as offense. If you go that route 15 int is fine, just remember to build your wizard to be effective. With a 15 int you want to have a decent str, dex, con and use natural attacking forms because your enemies are more likely to make saves. Focus on spells that don't allow saves (usually because you are casting buffs or summons) and what makes your particular character effective.
now thinking... maybe hobgoblin fit better with DEX,CON bonus without a malus?
with hobgoblin i can get this (if someone has suggestions... i'm really in trouble with Math, like "always" XD)
STR - 16
DEX - 12+2Racial= 14
CON - 14+2Racial= 16
INT - 15
WIS - 10
CHA - 7
Skinwalkers come in multiple types, some of which (see the bat ones)have Int bonuses.
For a 20 point buy melee Transmuter I would build it more like
Race: Oread with Granite Skin and Crystalline Form.
Str 19 (13 points, +2 race)
Dex 14 (5 points)
Con 14 (5 points)
Int 13 (3 points)
Wis 10 (-2 points, +2 race)
Cha 5 (-4 points, -2 race)
And just realize that a +2 intelligence belt is mandatory.
EDIT: lol, I wish you could put all your stat boosters in one slot. Belt should be read as headband.
thank you!!
it seems working... i'm actually at 4th level PC... so better 20STR or 14INT?
You need to keep your intelligence ahead of the spell curve. So you need a 14 by 7th level, a 15 by 9th level and so on. You can put it in either and both will help you, but you have to buy a headband of intelligence by 9th level and upgrade it to +4 by 17th if you put that first point in strength. If you only raise intelligence you can wait until level 11 and never bother to upgrade to +4.
i've almost 2000GPs .. so i can maybe wait and Craftmyself or Make Craft another wizard (in party there's one) an headband?
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Alternatively you could use magic items that let you change shape, such as the Robe of Blending.
The problem with wizard shapeshifting spells is the short duration. But there are magic items such as this one that let you transform for longer periods of time.
yes but it seems i don't really need more than 15INT (see Lacdanna advice)
so i was thinking to boost something else...
Is he wrong?
You wound me, sir. You wound me.
Other than that, what everyone else said. Picking a race with a bonus to Int isn't required. The difference in a point buy for a 13 starting score and 15 starting score is 4 points. If getting racials to other ability scores saves you more than 4 points, it is more beneficial to do that. Since you probably want around an 18 STR to start, the difference between a starting score of 16 and 18 is 7 points. So you'd save 3 points that could be spent elsewhere.
Gregory Connolly makes a great point about thinking ahead. You will need the following:
lvl 1 and 2 = Int 11
lvl 3 and 4 = Int 12
lvl 5 and 6 = Int 13
lvl 7 and 8 = Int 14
lvl 9 and 10 = Int 15
lvl 11 and 12 = Int 16
lvl 13 and 14 = Int 17
lvl 15 and 16 = Int 18
lvl 17, 18, 19 and 20 = Int 19
Bolded levels are where you get ability score increases; note you get them at a slower rate than you need them, so plan ahead. Honestly, if you can count on getting a +2 headband before level 7, a +4 headband before level 11, and a +6 headband before level 15, you wouldn't need above a 13 INT at the start and would never have to put an ability score increase into INT. However, any ability score damage to INT could cause you to not be able to cast your highest level spells, so beware.
What's really important is realizing that this wizard won't play like most others people are familiar with. He has to be indirect with his spells or use no-save ones: Summons, buffs, transformations, some of the walls, etc. Anything with a save must be treated with hesitation. Spells with effects that occur even upon a save may still have some use if the save effect is strong enough.
Thank you Lacdannan, i think Gregory got it! :)
one more question: do small races lack in something when polymorphing?
You could btw go for Kitsuen. They can only shapeshift a little bit but with one feat they are very very strong. And they have no penalty to int!
Others have mentions the were-bat kin skinwalkers. In addition to being able to morph into their bestial combat form and a bonus to int, they can take a feat to turn into a bat. That with disguise self and later other polymorph and illusion spells could go along way to making you a sneaky shape changing spy.