Shifter fix?

[Epistaxis]

Ups, sorry Spura, forgot to mention that I also used a potion of dex in the above mentioned spec. to improve my ac by 1-2 points.

It bothers me as well that you are unable to but the potions anywhere. But if you could buy them, you would have everyone running around drinking dex potions. It reminds that I need to lookup a cleric the next time I logon to trade some more dex potions

[AlienOverlord]

I've been playing a druid monk with the intention of going bear form after buffing and using str 27 to rip into things...but while 27 str is nice and provides +8 damage, it rarely turns into more than 3-6 when i hit an ogre. For what ever reason, my scimitar does more damage (isn't the bear and the scimitar both slashing?) and my ac is better because i lose many item bonuses in bear form. I'll try again when my druid is level 9 and can cast that wis spell which will keep me from losing spells when i shift. Anyway, even with monk many shifters forms will still suck because of damage reduction on mobs.

[Brennan068]

It bothers me as well that you are unable to but the potions anywhere.

There are more than enough potions that drop. There are only a few hard to find potions (haste... but I've found a source for them .) but barkskin, bullstrength, prayer, aid, bless, catsgrace, magearmour, etc. are all over the place. You just need to pick them up. Restorations are a little rare, but you just need to be fighting tougher beasties than gobo's to get them.

[Spura]

If you use the the mindflayer first to gain damagereduction for a shorth period of time and change into a drider or drow and cast darkness and you will have 50% conceal. Then change into the tiger to deal allot of damage or kobold commando to sneak the monsters. You might even be able to take them down with the mindflayer using the mindblast if the saves are low enough.
Or simple hide in the darkness and change into a manticore and spam away with spikes on other archers. You should offcourse remember to cast ultravision first

Those combos don't really work. Darkness lasts 6 rounds. That equals 10 spikes(1 round to change to manticore and 5 rouds of 2 spikes, that is what I currently get. Also in kobold or tiger shape you will kill 2 creatures at most till darkenss wears off. Mind flayer reduction has short duration as well, + you need 1 round or more to change shapes, depending on lag. That way you will have like 2 or 3 rounds of DR and darkness and you probably won't kill even one
creature.
Combining shapes to get the job done sounds like a great idea, but as most people playing shifter see, it is rarely done due to:
1. Time it takes to shift
2. Limited amount of shifts for some shapes
3. Short duration on some abilities

Unlike PnP shifter who can get feat to shift shapes as a free action. That is a REAL shifter since he can react to spells, which here I can't.

[IcemanXV]

Everybody should understand shifters will be adjusted by the devs. They are very good at making custom creatures, I'm sure they will do well here. The summons will still probably see some adjustments so I wouldn't worry the shifter forms will just turn out like these.

[Epistaxis]

Those combos don't really work. Darkness lasts 6 rounds. That equals 10 spikes(1 round to change to manticore and 5 rouds of 2 spikes, that is what I currently get. Also in kobold or tiger shape you will kill 2 creatures at most till darkenss wears off. Mind flayer reduction has short duration as well, + you need 1 round or more to change shapes, depending on lag. That way you will have like 2 or 3 rounds of DR and darkness and you probably won't kill even one
creature.
Combining shapes to get the job done sounds like a great idea, but as most people playing shifter see, it is rarely done due to:
1. Time it takes to shift
2. Limited amount of shifts for some shapes
3. Short duration on some abilities

Unlike PnP shifter who can get feat to shift shapes as a free action. That is a REAL shifter since he can react to spells, which here I can't.

Thanks for the update. I must admit that I have only used the level 1-6 shifter shapes rarely as the AC is to low or the time needed to go through different combos takes to long, especially with the shifter bug were you loose the merged items when changing directly between shapes. My druid is sadely allot better in combat than any of the lower forms. I was hoping and still hope that the level 7 shifter forms will change it and I could start to use my shifter abilites some more. The above combo was something I was looking forward to try, was not aware that darkness only lasts for 6 rounds

[rkanodia]

Not only does Darkness only last 6 rounds, but you can cast it only a couple of times per shift into Drider/Drow Warrior form.

After you fool around with the level 7 shapes, get used to seeing the Kobold Commando. He's got higher AC and higher AB than the Drow Warrior or the Lizardman Whipmaster. He'll be your go-to shape for when you run out of magic from your cheeser druid amulet and don't have party members to cover your 22 AC wyrmling form.

[AlienOverlord]

Not sure if this is a bug on every server, but another server I played on let you stay invissible when shooting spikes in manticore shape. Someone should check it and tell the devs if that works...and exploit it until they fix it

[Spura]

Everybody should understand shifters will be adjusted by the devs. They are very good at making custom creatures, I'm sure they will do well here. The summons will still probably see some adjustments so I wouldn't worry the shifter forms will just turn out like these.

*COUGH**COUGH* OMG I almost choked on my cocoa.

[Spura]

Not only does Darkness only last 6 rounds, but you can cast it only a couple of times per shift into Drider/Drow Warrior form.

You can cast darkness shifter level/5 times per shift. In effort to max AB I probably will reach lvl 10 at lvl 22.

Here is what I consider good fixes:
1. Give TC the monk.
Now there hasn't been ONE good reason from devs why monk should not be in TC. Even with roleplaying you could say some monks just like the tranquility of forest and have strong bond of nature. But even if you don't like that excuse, devs still haven't made any good case against it and as far as I can tell they don't care about faction image since they gave RK druid monks which is completely illogical.

2. Make TC specific PrC arcane archer
They are elves anyway so forest setting goes well with them. Also note that Shifter does not make a natural choice for TC PrC. People forget that shifter lacks the bond with nature druids have. Shifters are just people who are a lot into shifting and they can be clerics or mages in PnP(wishes NWN was like that as well).

3. Buff shapes AC or make proper AC item meldin and in that case make unarmed shapes meld weapons. The last thing is because monsters carry a lot of immunities around here and while doing 5 damage per hit is OK with 5 or 6 attacks per round, it is not ok with 3 attacks, that is without monk. If you want construct shape usable they need this or monk.

[rkanodia]

Spura, the reason I don't like the idea of giving TC the monk class is that it's a solution that will make every Shifter the same, because not having a monk level will be suicide. Furthermore, it really only helps the melee shapes, while the caster shapes are still going to have low DCs and low damage. I definitely would prefer to see the shapes get buffed, and I think that if the devs do that, keeping monks out of TC will be vital, because then a monk/shifter would be truly overpowered.

[Spura]

Spura, the reason I don't like the idea of giving TC the monk class is that it's a solution that will make every Shifter the same,

And now they aren't the same? Besides we will have people like you, who vehemently oppose others trying to enjoy the class the way they want, to play different shifters.

because not having a monk level will be suicide.

And now it isn't suicide? Tell me, will givin shifter monks make DMs make tougher monsters? No, therefore the non monk shifters will be of the same power compared to monsters. QED.

Furthermore, it really only helps the melee shapes, while the caster shapes are still going to have low DCs and low damage.

Well if you haven't noticed shifters melee a lot. And about casters...let me pop that bubble for you. There are no caster shapes. Raksasha is way better in melee than with those 3 spells. Also ice storm and magic missile have no DC. All the spells get their DC and damage from CASTER LEVELS which is druid or cleric or whatever is the highest caster you have. So you can buff raksasha by taking more druid levels. And that is the only caster type shape. EPic drider, magic missile. WOW an epic character that can cast magic missile. IT'S A CASTER I TELL YOU!!! Also the shapes with special abilities don't need to be buffed. If you want strong breath take 30 levels of shifter and red wyrmling will have 11d10 breath damage along with infinite uses is nice support damage. Anyway you don't make any sense any more, you just keep pushing for less melee use of shifter when very clearly he is ill suited for that task and the only nomelee skill I use before epic is wyrmling breath in combo with improved expertise.
So let me get my facts straight. You have this fixed ideas of playing pure shifter and you want the pure shifter to be the most powerful shifter build. So you keep yelling how you don't want everyone to have the same shifter even though the situation clerarly is that way now. You are just afraid OTHERS will use the class to its limits and that would make your pure build inferior. So you are trying to make everone play the gimped version you are emotionally so attached to. Figures. God forbid someone would try to compete with other classes with your private harper scout.

[IcemanXV]

Spura, I think you're just bitter.

If you don't like the jobs the devs are doing (as obvious by your disbelief in their ability to help the shifter class) then I think you should be shown the door. Offering alternatives and help, advice and info is the way to go, not sarcastically jabbing the devs and complaining.

I'm actually quite sick of it. Please check your negativity at the door.

[rkanodia]

Spura, I think you're using circular logic. Yes, the Rakshasa is currently a bad caster... which is why I think it's a good idea to improve the DCs and damage of his spells. Yup, tie those bad boys to Shifter level instead of Druid level. Add a DC boost for high Wisdom. Change Dispel to Greater Dispel.

I personally see allowing monks, but not changing the shapes at all, as being far more limiting than disallowing monks, because a NWN-default shifter without Monk levels is incredibly weak (which is why this thread even exists in the first place). Therefore, the choices are: go druid/shifter/monk and be decent, or go druid/shifter and suck. I think that making all of the shapes viable without any other classes is the better choice for letting people 'play the shifter the way they want to', because then everybody is free to choose - or NOT choose - a third class as they see fit.

[Spura]

(as obvious by your disbelief in their ability to help the shifter class)

I wouldn't trust devs with half of pint of lukewarm beer. IcemanXV do you actually play the class or are you here just to make smartass comments? Don't lie now.