Shifter Questions

[Midterm]

I am planning to make a shifter, but I have a few questions:

1. When changing forms, does you racial subtype change to your form, or do you still retain your subrace? Or is it both? i.e. If I shift into Drow form as a Gith, am I considered a Drow, Gith, or both?

2. When using spells from outsider/undead forms, can they:

a) Use metamagic feats? Auto metamagic?
b) What caster level are they casted at? What factors come into play? Is it the same for ALL casters? (Yes i know Rak is both druid/shifter... I'm asking specifically for OTHER forms, i.e. Specter's vamp touch)
c) Does any of the caster spells EVER run out? i.e. can I raise someone indefinitely using Risen Lord form?
d) What abilities/spells can be used with Imp Expertise? Does using any of those abilities/spells ever bring you out of IE?
e) Could I make raise dead scrolls using Risen Lord's raise dead? Ice storms scrolls using Rak?

3. What subraces lose abilities when shifting? I've heard that some races don't shift well due to their built-in skin. What are some examples of this? What about racial tokens? i.e. Gith = +4 dodge AC

[Kromix]

everyone and their mom has a shifter... they are OP they need more nerfin'

please un-nerf mages

[Lokey]

1) Probably worst of both worlds...depending on how much lazy devving we do

2a) Auto quick, silent, still yes. Other meta-magic, don't think so unless I missed a few (I think they all have special handling).

2b) No SR checks. Mostly use shifter level = caster level or at least more shifter = better result.

2c) Darkness, self harm are timer and uses/day respectively.

2d) Specifically checked after I abused it. Same as normal casting for the most part.

2e) I forget.

3) Lazy devs There's at least one way to handle it, but annoying to do. Something like Gith token sticks, stuff on hidden items do not (i.e. fire gen say).

[Daral0085]

Yeah, anything from a token stacks (so svirf/druegar conceal, gith AC, TC job tokens, earth gen DR, etc), most things from skin don't. I'm not sure how racial SR gets applied, but it stays when shifted. I'm not sure about other properties like aasamir elemental immunities, but typically that stuff gets lost when shifting.

I'm 90% sure you can't make scrolls from shifter form spells. I think I tried making RDs once and it was disallowed. Essentially, you need to cast the spell, you cannot "cast" it from equipment (e.g. black shield cats, equipment based spell slots is probably fine), other scrolls/pots, or shifter form special abilities.

Most abilities (such as risen lord RD) do not have casting limits. You can spam that RD indefinitely. However, it level drains someone when you raise them with it, so unless you have a handy cleric/UMDer to cast GR, that person will be missing something like 4 levels. Not horribly crippling in a pinch, but it's just enough to make the RD ability pretty annoying to use in PVM.

[Shadowalker]

just a little to add to what they listed.

when you shift you lose base race ability adjustment.. ie say your making a half orge shifter, when you shift into say a dex form like harpy, your listed Str will drop by 2, the plus two you got from halforc.. but the additional +4 str you get from being half orge remains. Anything that puts a temp effect on your toon, such as casted or item activated buffs, including job tokens and racial tokens will remain once you shift. But you can not activate any of them or renew once you have shifted.

Auto quicken, still and silent will affect any shifter ability thats based on a druid spell. Anything that is beyond that, like drider web bolt, spell breach or I beleive risen rez, will not be affected.

You can not maximize or empower any of the abilities.

Spell focus will affect shifter abilites based on druid spells. ie S.F. Div will increase the spot bonus of your Rakasha TS casting ability.

[Midterm]

Thanks. I guess that crushed my idea for an auto-quickened vamp touch specter. Good thing u told me, otherwise I would have wasted alot of time.

[MusclesNuclear]

So, you cant cast maxed or empowered ice storms as a rak?

[Rufio]

So, you cant cast maxed or empowered ice storms as a rak?

no. I learned that the hard way. 1 feat down the toilet.

[MusclesNuclear]

so rak is useless then thx.

[Rufio]

so rak is useless then thx.

infinite auto-quickened ice storms cast at your character level is useless?

[Shadowalker]

its severly limited as in the storms, TS, and spell breach are all you have to offer, cause its not very effective in mele combat. But it makes a nice support toon or anti hipser.

[Kromix]

how about they un nerf the poor mages and allow them to run around naked in the cities and forests, they are so oppressed

[Ryddwillow]

Build a pure druid and do leather crafting, Think I am joking, think not, I have 3 lvl 30 plus lvls of pure druid and would not rise them up unless to obtain more gear. Build a fighter /cleric instead, or go to another Faction. Make a pure Palloy or a COT, or make a RDD/dragon they are better then TC's pretty much the same ab as a druid dragon but as a rdd / dragon you would get a fear aura. Got to RK and make any normal toon you want like a dwarf druid dragon too, (lol) or MA and make a lvl 4 fighter/6wiz/30 pm and your summons can kick the crap out of the dragon. Sl you would make a fighter/cleric to kick the arse of the Dragon. Or a pure Barb or Pure fighter, or pretty much anything else. Many toons come to my mind and have played that can kick a dragon or shifter. But you should PLAY the toon to understand to get the feel of it. Like most of US. Learn to play the toon to understand it and it will work like a gem.

[Ryddwillow]

Ask Lokey above since he has alot of time spent on druids and shifters, he has secrets on these classes.