Creating a level 14 "wildshaper"


Advice


Hi all :)
I'm looking for some advices to create a level 14 character (to join the end of curse of the crimson throne game).
My concept today is a melee character wildshaping into a warcat wearing heavy armor with spikes.
As secondary objectives, i'd like to have a warcat animal companion (or big cat) also with a heavy armor.
I'm initially thinking about making a half orc druid worshiping Gorum. The favored class bonus is great, and goes very well with the warcat theme :)
As the character would be level 14, it enables quite a lot of options and gear, and as i drafted the character, i'm wondering what kind of build i could go for :
- Druid, or "Lion Druid". The advantage would be having access to full casting, and the capacity to shift to other creatures, and also some nice summon ally. Also, the druid spell list have very very good long duration buffs that would benefit the build : featherstep, barkskin, greater magic fang, airwalk etc ...
- Warpriest feral champion could be an option. But i'd loose full casting, an animal companion and the great druid buffs. Sure, the cleric spell list is far from being useless, but lacks those long duration buffs the druid have (namely greater magic fang)
- Shifter class seems very very bad compared to a plain druid. i mean you get D10 hp and full bab, a few small bonuses but loose full casting.
- the feral hunter archetype could be an option, but in the end, you loose your pet, have lower spell casting, just for a few bonuses ... i dont see it as worth it.

The feats i was aiming for where basicaly :
Power attack, Natural spell, mutated shape, planar shape, energized shape, heavy armor. Would leave one more maybe for improved initiative (do i need initiative with such a character ?) What other feats would you go for ?

Also, i'm usually not really hot for multi-classing, but i'd consider it for such a build ...
So can you guys help me out with some ideas ? what class/archetype would you choose ? What feat selection ? what gear would you take ? What spells to absolutetly use ?

Thanks for any advice :)


A lion shaman druid is a perfectly reasonable way to go about what you're planning. A lunar mystery warsighted oracle could also work (don't underestimate the cleric buffs, including long term ones like magic vestment), but the druid's the easiest way.

You don't need initiative so much as all that; you might be better to wait for buffs than to charge straight in if there's anyone else in the party providing those. You can get lunge from the lion shaman archetype and perhaps quicken spell as your last feat. You may find you'd prefer an quickened 2nd-3rd level spell over a 6th-7th level druid spell. The druid spell list has a lot less on it than others at high levels.

Since your equipment will meld into you when you're wild shaped into a warcat passive bonuses rule. Your 185 000 gp WBL should include a cloak of resistance +5, a decent belt and a +6 Wis headband, and a fair chunk on armor for you and your companion. Other gear gets to fit in the gaps left by that.


I really like the Lunar Oracle idea ... could go with Aasimar Angelkin, and grab celestial companion feat :)
By the way, is it the PC who has to take the feat, or the animal companion ?
The warsighted is good, but loosing the revelations is mean :(
Spell selection, is going to be more difficult ... and i'll have to find something to enable "ignore difficult terrain" not to be limited too much for pounce on both the PC and the animal companion.

Now as they get access to beast shape IV, i could go with a large magical beast form ... but i'm droping out of my character concept : i want something "bestial" and looking at large magical beasts, it would probably be an androsphinx to get 3 attacks +2 rake, pounce and grab ...

Would there be other large magical creatures that could be suitable ?

Regarding gear selection, you recomand headband +6 (36K) and cloak of resistance +5 (25K)
That would not leave me with much for the rest ...
I was thinking about taking an amulet of mighty fists with ghost touch and heartseeking ... would you have better ideas than that ?

Thanks for your answer by the way :)


If you are going for a melee build I would suggest a level 4 (or 6 if you have delayed wild shape) Druid and then the rest a melee class such as a fighter. This allows you to have wild shape's full beast shape progression and gain the benefits of being a fighter.

Here is an example progression for a level 14 build:
Human
20 point buy: 26str (+2race, +2lvl +6enh), 14dex, 16con (15+1lvl), 10int, 12wis, 7cha
Druid 4 (Mooncaller and Cave Domain for vision benefits)
Fighter 8 (Savage Warrior)
Level progression: Fighter 1, Druid 2-5, Fighter 6+

Feats:
@1 Power Attack, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple
@3 Dragon Style (lets you charge through allies and ignore difficult terrain)
@5 Shaping Focus (eventually allows level 8 wild shape)
@6(2F) Weapon Focus Unarmed Strike
@7 Greater Grapple
@8(4F) Weapon Specialization Unarmed Strike
@9 Martial Versatility Weapon Focus (gives WF to natural attacks)
@10(6F) Martial Versatility Weapon Specialization (gives WS to natural attacks)
@11 Narrow Frame (optional and check with GM if he will allow it)
@12(8F) Lunge
@13 ??
@14 (10F) ??

This feat list allows you to gain Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization on all natural attacks for the price of 4 feats (5 if you count IUS but I like IUS for the Dragon Style and Imp Grapple bonuses).
For level 13 and 14 feats you could go further into grapple feats or Gr. weapon focus/Martial Versatility Gr. Weapon Focus, or get blindfighting to replace heartseeker (see below).

With Improved Grapple and Weapon Training applying to your grappling CMB/CMD your grab attacks are very effective (up to your size, either large or huge of course).

For equipment, the basics: +6 Belt of Strength (36k), +2 Wild Shaping Stoneplate (no speed reduction thanks to fighter levels; 26.95k), +4 Amulet of Mighty Fists (64k), +5 Cloak of Resistance (25k), Ring of Eloquence (3.5k), Eyes of the Eagle (2.5k), Gauntlets of the Skilled Maneuver (4k, +2 grapple), +2 Ring of Protection (8k), Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone (5k). 10k remaining to spend on whatever.

I wouldn't bother with Ghost Touch or Heartseeking, they are too situational, you need attack/damage bonuses.

Overall you have nearly full BAB, a lot of grappling ability, the ability to charge across difficult terrain and through allies, good damage ability, and a solid AC.

There are a lot of other directions you can build a melee wildshaper, but I personally toss out the spells (stop at level 4 druid) if I am going melee. It isn't worth keeping them imo.


Roughly the same idea, but I like the ranger for this, with potential Shapeshifting Hunter. Natural Weapons Style may not be the best though ?
It would help with the animal companion, as long as you pick one that works (or archetype your ranger).
Not ideal for the heavy armor though, unless you just get rid of style feats somehow.
Most martials could kinda work, ultimately.

You also might want to consider Druid 6, if Wild Speech feels worth it to you. Probably depends on how your table works.


Wild Speech is not necessary at all, that is what the Ring of Eloquence is for.


Zoin wrote:
Would there be other large magical creatures that could be suitable?

Sure! Sticking with the cat theme, there are several great alternatives to the androsphinx if you decide to go the magical beast route:

Chimera - a classic mythological critter with scent, a 50-ft. flight speed, and at least one third of a feline anatomy. Sadly no pounce, but it does get five lovely natural attacks and a decent energy damage breath weapon of your choice, so it could definitely be a contender.

Kamadan - this giant snake-wreathed leopard is less well-known than the chimera, but certainly no less powerful. Lack of flight hurts your mobility, but it makes up for it with pounce and four natural attacks, including one with reach. Plus instead of just damaging your enemies, its amazing breath weapon can put them right to sleep, taking them out of the fight entirely. And c'mon, it's a giant leopard covered in snakes!

Mythic Griffon - a great step up from the normal griffon, if you can take it this form soundly beats out androsphinx as a master of the skies. All you lose is a bit of claw damage and one of your two chances to grab, and in return you get scent, an extra attack, and a 100-ft. flight speed for great maneuverability and long-distance pouncing. What's not to love?

Gauss wrote:
There are a lot of other directions you can build a melee wildshaper, but I personally toss out the spells (stop at level 4 druid) if I am going melee. It isn't worth keeping them imo.

Along this line, you could always go with the beastkin berserker barbarian archetype. All the standard barbarian perks, including full BAB, d12 hit dice, and your favorite rage powers - but you also get to turn into a warcat whenever you rage. Not only that, you can take lesser fiend totem and lesser abyssal blood to grow horns on the cat's head and extra claws on your hind legs, letting you pounce with six primary natural weapons. You even get to pick a few more of your favorite forms to keep on hand for fighting in unusual environments - in the air, in the water, or in tight quarters - switching between them much more easily than with wild shape.

As for your animal companion, you could get that through the druid variant multiclass, or better yet with Nature Soul/Animal Ally/Boon Companion and a dip in mammoth rider for a giant cat companion that's as ferocious as you are. And then you can take advantage of some of the lovely tricks for barbarians with animal companions, like Greater Ferocious Beast so it shares your rage and rage powers, and maybe even Amplified Rage and a hand of glory/ring of tactical precision so you each get an extra +5 Str and Con while adjacent.


Avoron wrote:
Along this line, you could always go with the beastkin berserker barbarian archetype. All the standard barbarian perks, including full BAB, d12 hit dice, and your favorite rage powers - but you also get to turn into a warcat whenever you rage. Not only that, you can take lesser fiend totem and lesser abyssal blood to grow horns on the cat's head and extra claws on your hind legs, letting you pounce with six primary natural weapons. You even get to pick a few more of your favorite forms to keep on hand for fighting in unusual environments - in the air, in the water, or in tight quarters - switching between them much more easily than with wild shape.

There is a flaw in the Beastkin Berserker, the lack of armor.

Wild Armor won't work with it (not without a house rule that is) since it is not Wildshape. Additionally, you don't have time to put on armor made for your beast shape form (such as armor made for a tiger). Not even Bracers of Armor work (they are shut down while polymorphed as per the rules).

So, you will have to use Mage Armor, if you have someone to cast it on you. That will cap you at +4 Armor bonus instead of the +11 armor bonus or so you should have by level 14 with +2 Wild Stoneplate.

Regarding Animal Companions, at level 14 I wouldn't bother. It is a 12 HD, +9 BAB sidekick at that point (assuming full progression). Not a really strong option unless you sink a lot of gold into buffing it up, which then sinks your own stats.


Gauss wrote:

There is a flaw in the Beastkin Berserker, the lack of armor.

Wild Armor won't work with it (not without a house rule that is) since it is not Wildshape. Additionally, you don't have time to put on armor made for your beast shape form (such as armor made for a tiger). Not even Bracers of Armor work (they are shut down while polymorphed as per the rules).
So, you will have to use Mage Armor, if you have someone to cast it on you. That will cap you at +4 Armor bonus instead of the +11 armor bonus or so you should have by level 14 with +2 Wild Stoneplate.

You don't need armor. You're a barbarian, and beastkin berserker stacks with invulnerable rager. Rather than pouring countless resources into fighting the uphill battle to keep your AC on par with enemy attack rolls, just let your AC plummet, invest in some boots of the earth to heal up between battles, and maybe get a friendly caster to toss ablative barrier on you in the morning. Then just sit back and watch as monsters waste their time trying to chip away at your DR 12/- and massive pile of hit points, knowing that every blow they send your way is one less hit on your squishier party members. And hey, if you've got a free rage power maybe grab Come and Get Me so your enemies are made painfully aware of just how poor their choices have been.

If it's the aesthetic of armor you're going for, just ask your GM if you can flavor your damage reduction as supernatural armor that grows with your changing form - I really doubt they'll mind.

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