Trying to make a shifter

[Adamarh]

Hi,

I'm trying to make an NPC adaptative shifter but i'm wondering how should i build it, at first i thought going full STR but with Shifter edge it seems to do the same amount of damage if i go DEX.
What i want to know is :

- Wich path (STR/DEX) do you think is the best for a combat oriented shifter?

- If we go the Str path then is there a way to use STR on thrown weapon's attacks?

- Does shifter edge work with the spike of the spike form?

- What feat do you recommend ? (except shifter edge, Power Attack/Pirhanna Strike, weapon focus, increase natural attack).

- How can the NPC stay most of the day in some small/tiny animal ? (other option than Kitsune -> Fox form ?)

- Way to increase duration of Unfettered Wild Shape ?

[Azothath]

Str is usually easier as the mechanics and feats align. You are doing natural attacks for the most part which means melee attacks.

Thrown weapons gain Str bonus as a bonus to damage but the ranges and rate of fire are not great, shurikens are the efficient choice but crystal chakrams are decent, spears are cheap and the syringe spear. Rock Throwing and Rock Catching are cheap with good range and damage.
Sure Dex adds to your 'to hit' but likely this is a throw then melee guy, so focus on your main attack style = melee.
Serious ranged attackers use a bow. Then Point-blank, Precise, etc as it is feat intensive.
I'd turn to CM maneuvers and Dirty Trick.

As a melee guy, Brawler might be worth a dip for Martial Flexibility.

[I grok do u]

1)DEX build is better AC and more useful if you are spending much more time as a smaller size. However, you still can't dump STR because shifter's edge still requires STR to damage.

2)The wondrous item Belt of Mighty Hurling is the most straightforward way to get STR to attack on thrown weapons.

3)Shifter's edge will work for throwing the spikes from taking spiked form the second time.

4)The Weapon shift line of feats can be useful as an alternative to AoMF.

Planar wild shape can be an interesting feat if you have any CHA bonus.

5) Not aware of anyway practicable.

6) Shaping Focus is the closest thing to give your effective druid level a boost, but it requires an actual multiclassing in druid.

[Mysterious Stranger]

The damage from shifters edge is lower in the beginning but eventually exceeds the STR based damage at higher levels. But the thing to consider is that it takes two feats that the STR based character does not need to take. If you are playing a human it takes all your 1st level feats, if you are not human it does not come online until 3rd level.

The STR based character can spend those feats on other things. At 1st level the STR based character could have power attack and weapon focus. At that point he will be doing significantly more damage than the DEX based shifter. Eventually the DEX based character can pick up power attack or piranha strike and get more damage, but the STR based character will still have two extra feats. This means he can get more abilities earlier than the DEX based character.

[Adamarh]

Ok i will mainly go STR then and just invest a little in Dex for ac.

While looking at feat i found Raking Claws but i dont know how it work.
It said "your opponent takes 1d6 points of bleed damage at the start of his turn each round, in addition to the damage dealt by the attack" so if my claw dealt like 15 damage (2d6+5) then the bleed would be 1d6 +15 each round ? Do i need to roll 1d6 each round or only once?

[Adamarh]

And does is there any way to have more time under wild shape? cause i found the druid's vestment but it only give me +1 hours :/

[Mysterious Stranger]

What the feat probably means is that when you are hit with the attack you take the normal damage form the attack and an additional 1d6 bleed damage. After the first round you take 1d6 bleed damage until someone succeeds at a DC 15 heal check or you receive magical healing. That is the way bleed damage usually works.

The feat is so poorly written that it is anyone’s guess as to how it is supposed to work. Talk to your GM about how he will handle it, if he even allows it. Personally, I would be tempted to simply ban the feat to avoid arguments on how it works.

[Azothath]

Adamarh wrote:

...

Raking Claws but i dont know how it work.
...

Look at your animal form, Primary attacks are Bite(BPS), Claw(BS), Gore(P), Slam(B){does no good}, Sting(P), Talon(S). So those work with the feat.

Say you attack 3 times and hit with all three; bite +12(1d6), claw +12(1d4), claw+12(1d4) with Str 18. Each gains +(1d6)[bleed]damage. So (1d6+4)+1d6[bleed], (1d4+4)+1d6[bleed], and (1d4+4)+1d6[bleed]. At the start of your attacked target's turn he takes (1d6)[bleed]dmg unless he has magically healed(Fast Healing, Regeneration, Cure Light Wound, etc) or received/done a Heal check at 15+(which takes a standard action). There's no time limit on this bleed damage (usually it's 6 rounds).
Say you attack with a slam twice and then a secondary attack. All of those just do the regular damage as Raking Claws does not come into play with B or secondary attacks.
Classically you roll the 1d6 when you do the damage. On your target's turn the GM or the target rolls the 1d6 for their bleed damage.
Even if you do 5*(1d6) of bleed on a turn, the target still only takes (1d6) continuing bleed on their turn. Hitting them successively does not up the continuing bleed damage or DC to stop it.

[I grok do u]

Raking Claws feat basically allows a shifter to gain the Bleed (EX) universal monster ability.

From conditions:
Bleed: A creature that is taking bleed damage takes the listed amount of damage at the beginning of its turn. Bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or through the application of any spell that cures hit point damage (even if the bleed is ability damage). Some bleed effects cause ability damage or even ability drain. Bleed effects do not stack with each other unless they deal different kinds of damage. When two or more bleed effects deal the same kind of damage, take the worse effect. In this case, ability drain is worse than ability damage.

So as long as you hit with any of your primary natural attacks that deals P or S damage, the target will take the 1d6 damage (and only 1d6) on its turn until healed by magic or it makes the DC 15 Heal check. GM can decide who gets to roll.