If I were to give up wildshape, what would it be worth?

[Warsmurf]

Hi all! I've been absent from the forums for some time, so I am sorry if this question has been recently elsewhere (my google-fu was too weak to discover any relating threads).

I am about to start in a game where the rules are gestalt and a few house rules, I have a concept for a Druid/Fighter who is a warrior of wind, So storm druid fits right in, however wildshape... Not so much.

I was thinking about how I could heal using the power of the wind and was wondering if I gave up wildshape and all of its later forms, would it be reasonable to gain the ability to channel positive energy like a cleric?

Would this be balanced as a one to one trade? (Pretty sure my DM will say yes, but I want to do my opinion gathering first!) Or is it gaining or losing too much in the trade?

Any and all other suggestions relating to what trading all of wildshape would be worth are much appreciated!

[Warsmurf]

New thought my friend in the same campaign had, since its about wind and storms, would gaining channeling energy and removing the metal armor restriction be too much to gain from removing wildshape?

[Tim4488]

That doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. I wouldn't let you get Channel Energy until 4th level though, when you would normally first gain Wild Shape. Depending on how careful you want to be, Channeling at Effective Cleric Level = Druid Level -3 might work. (Of course, if you're playing gestalt, you probably aren't TOO much of sticklers for balance). I might also only let you channel energy to heal, but eh, that may or may not be necessary.

Trading Wild Shape for bonus feats might work too, but if your other half is Fighter, that's probably overkill.

You could trade Wild Shape to have a Domain AND an Animal Companion, though honestly that's probably underpowered. Maybe if you got the bonus domain spell slot too, that could be okay.

I would probably say removing the metal armor restriction would be too much, though perhaps a feat that required Druid levels and Heavy Armor Proficiency (something you'd meet easily as a Fighter/Druid) and removed the restriction would be okay.

[Paraxis]

Don't worry about the armor thing dragonhide full plate is not that expensive.

I would be O.K with changing out wild shape for channel energy I might even give you a little added bonus of moving those effected 5 feet or picking them up from prone for the healing. Maybe a bull rush attempt on the undead effected.

[Aioran]

Wildshape for channel energy?! Even with the polymorph nerf in PF it is far more powerful than channel. You can get a perfect 100ft fly speed, that is not equivalent to 6d6 aoe heal 3+cha times/day. Especially if you can take a feat to get that anyway (granted, the feat is not as good as the class feature but only marginally).

I baulk at the idea that someone would think trading wildshape for channel is op or even a gain of power. /knee-jerk horror

@Warsmurf have you looked at this thread? It list some 3.5 ways of altering wildshape. (Aspect of the Dragon keeps elemental wildshape, despite what the descriptor in the thread says).