shaping focus advice

[Brawlen89]

can anyone give me some tips to use shaping focus to make an optimal melee druid? like what classes should i multi class into and at what level? and maybe even a build or gear or something just looking for general advice on this

[EsperMagic]

if you are really set on multiclassing then i would say monk

[Lord_Malkov]

My odds on favorite is ranger/druid

Take 4 levels of druid with the world walker archtype
Then the rest ranger
Take the shapeshifting hunter feat

This means that your levels in both stack for favored enemies, favored terrains, and of course your companion and wild shapes per day and wild empathy
And it all fits for flavor

But the better build is probably to go druid/barb and pick up shaping focus using one of the shaman archtypes (probably saurian unless your gm lets you go outside raw to be a huge version of something else)

Rage and wildshape stack and it means you can avoid the near-required beast totem because you already have pounce

[Lord_Malkov]

So an 11th level build is usually what I shoot for
4 saurian shaman druid
7 brutal pugilist barb

Assume an 18 str to start at level 1

Feats
Imp unarmed strike
Imp grapple
Power attack
Greater grapple
Shaping focus
Rapid grappler

Rage powers:
Reckless abandon... for the other 2 pick something you like
Both stat bumps into strength.
So at level 11 you should have a +4 strength belt as your main item and at least a +1 AoMF
Wildshape into an allosaurus +6 strength -4 dex
Rage for +4 str +4 con -2ac
Bab = +10

So... pounce on targets at distance with your 5 natural attacks
(Bab+10, str34=+12, power attack -3, size -2, aomf +1, charge +2, reckless +3)
So +23 to hit X 5
Damage will be base die plus 19

Hit with the bite to grab
Grapple CMB
Bab+10, str +12, pwr att -3, size +2, feats +4, reckless +3, grab +4, savage grappler +2
So Grapple Cmb = +34

On subsequent rounds just grapple to pin and then twice to damage getting your rake attacks along the way as your dex-less opponents tries to beat your 40+ cmd. And with brutal pugilist you can still make aoos with your 15 ft reach

[Taenia]

I am curious how this build works in play.

Wouldn't you eat a ton of attacks the round while they are grappled? You have a -2 ac from rage, -3 from reckless abandon, -2 from size, -2 from dex. At best you might have a 10 dex at that point, wild armor and maybe barkskin for a AC of 26 or 27 - 9 for a 17 or so at 11th lvl. Monsters will just full attack and do some serious damage.