I've been looking at this Prestige Class for a while now due to the rather interesting fluff and abilities it gives. However, from what I've overheard it's actually less useful for a Druid than it is for other classes that could qualify for it. What's the best option, from an optimization stand-point? Here is the class itself, and as you can see, Rangers, Wizards and Sorcerers can also qualify for it.
When reading about this class, it seemed pretty cool for sea/storm-themed spellcasters. The only real problem is the Storm Shape ability. It relies upon unarmed strike damage and Strength, which most spellcasters will not have. I was confused as to which class this prestige class was made for. It seems like a Cleric or Druid. It doesn't seem like there is a best option for optimization. In fact, I wanted this prestige class for my Air Wizard, but it just seems all wrong if you aren't somewhat Strength focused. My GM thought it fit my character concept really well, so we hombrewed the doodie out of it to better fit the Wizard. That might be what you have to do as well, assuming that you can. =\
Time for a little Thread Necromancy!
Come on people, surely some of you have looked into this!
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Well, you could go 3 levels caster, 3 levels monk, then hit storm kindler. Take the Monastic Legacy feat, and you'll be getting half your other levels counting as monk for unarmed damage. Monk robe will add 5 more, so by the time your 3/3/5 your base is 2d6.
I'm not sure if whirlwind counts at a size increase or not. If so, then we can scale up more. Anything else?
I'm at something of a loss with it to though. I like the flavor, but mechanically the whirlwind seems to be its signature thing. And while moving around the battlefield sucking people up sounds cool, you're level 8 at minimum and should have better things to do. It doesn't even help prevent you from being hit - just makes you a very big target.
So, I might be over a decade late but since this thread was made I think a couple choices have come out that match up really nicely with Storm Kindler/Master of Storms.
First would be an Oracle with the Ascetic mystery, since it gives you both the levels in Spellcasting needed to become a Storm Kindler and the unarmed strike damage of a Monk with the same level as your Oracle level (1d10 if you go 10 Monk/10 Storm Kindler), to increase the damage of your Storm Shape without any multiclassing required, and as a bonus you can pick the Elemental Imbalance curse both to get some lighting themed spells for extra flavour and to gain Levitate as a bonus spell at the 5th level which allows you to take ranks in Fly earlier and qualify to become a Storm Kindler as soon as possible.
And secondly you could use the variant rules for multiclassing from Pathfinder Unchained to multiclass as a Monk and be able to inflict 2d8+5d6 damage to anything caught in your storm shape by the 18th level regardless of which class you pick, but you would be giving up half your feats for it
Or you could ignore the stormshape and build around the other weather related abilities.