Shapeshift Ranger in World's Largest Dungeon

[tealjohn]

Hey guys, I'm about to start WLD running 1 to (hopefully) 20, using the shapeshift ranger acf chain.

I'm looking for some PrCs that synergies well with shapeshifting. I've already got warshaper in a place of prominence on my list. I was also thinking about splashing scout & doing the whole swift hunter thing, but I'm not sure if that's my best route.

I've kinda got my heart set on shapeshift instead of wild shape; I know wild shape gets me master of many forms and stuff, but I don't really care too much about that.

Thanks in advance guys.

[sir_argenon]

im not familiar with a "shapeshifting" ranger.  i know the wildshape one from UA.  and i know the shifter race ranger alt-features...

with that said, master of many forms is awesome! why would you not want that?

[Eviltedzies]

Wildshape Ranger 5/Master of Many Forms 10/Warshaper 5

Wonderful Wildshaping capabilities. Solid BAB, Good Fort/Reflex, And very feat independant. Personally I enjoy using this build combined with the Mage Slayer feats and throw in Oaken Resiliance at level twelve just to screw with people.

[Ithamar]

Fist of the Forest for sure, since you'll need the AC.  And unless your DM rules that Wilding Clasps work with your gear for shapeshifting, you should probably just pick up Vow of Poverty, because otherwise all of your shiny stuff will be worthless.

Scout for Swifthunter is a decent concept, though some ToB never hurts.

[X-Codes]

Another option is Scout 4/Shapeshift Ranger 16.  Mystic Ranger would be even better if you could add that in as well, along with Sword of the Arcane Order.  I think you still have your Animal Companion, so you can get a few bonus spells on top of all that with the Shooting Star 4 sub-level.

[tealjohn]

im not familiar with a "shapeshifting" ranger.  i know the wildshape one from UA.  and i know the shifter race ranger alt-features...

with that said, master of many forms is awesome! why would you not want that?

in PHB II there's a variant druid class feature that trades wildshape & animal companion for shapeshifting into stat blocks as swift action with unlimited duration & unlimited times per day at lvl 1. As a wildshape ranger I meet the requirements to take she druid shapeshifting thing. And shapeshifting doesn't count as wild shape for master of many forms.

[tealjohn]

Another option is Scout 4/Shapeshift Ranger 16.  Mystic Ranger would be even better if you could add that in as well, along with Sword of the Arcane Order.  I think you still have your Animal Companion, so you can get a few bonus spells on top of all that with the Shooting Star 4 sub-level.

I want to avoid casting, I'm trading out my spells for barbarian fast movement. And I lost my animal companion when I grabbed shapeshifting.

[X-Codes]

Oh, I was thinking Wildshape Ranger.

No, in that case you really want to go Mystic Ranger & Swift Hunter.  Nothing advances Shapeshifting.  There might be a few PrCs that will give you abilities for certain forms, but for the most part it's crap.  Trading out spells for Fast Movement is a TERRIBLE idea.  What is that, the CWar non-magic variant?

[sir_argenon]

it seems like youre using the druid variant shapeshifter, on a ranger instead? is that what youre doing?

just for the record, actual wildshape is far better than that druid shapeshift thing. 

[tealjohn]

Oh, I was thinking Wildshape Ranger.

No, in that case you really want to go Mystic Ranger & Swift Hunter.  Nothing advances Shapeshifting.  There might be a few PrCs that will give you abilities for certain forms, but for the most part it's crap.  Trading out spells for Fast Movement is a TERRIBLE idea.  What is that, the CWar non-magic variant?

yea, the CW variant. I'd be forever until I got useful spells with taking warshaper & scout, and I'd never use them anyway. I'm also trading the fast movement I got along with wildshape for pounce with CC's barbarian's lion spirit totem.

[Gavinfoxx]

im not familiar with a "shapeshifting" ranger.  i know the wildshape one from UA.  and i know the shifter race ranger alt-features...

with that said, master of many forms is awesome! why would you not want that?

in PHB II there's a variant druid class feature that trades wildshape & animal companion for shapeshifting into stat blocks as swift action with unlimited duration & unlimited times per day at lvl 1. As a wildshape ranger I meet the requirements to take she druid shapeshifting thing. And shapeshifting doesn't count as wild shape for master of many forms.

You do know that variant was meant to, like, dramatically lower the power of the Druid class (something that needed to be done)? Whereas the weaker ranger class could actually use the boost from the basic wild shape ranger?

[tealjohn]

im not familiar with a "shapeshifting" ranger.  i know the wildshape one from UA.  and i know the shifter race ranger alt-features...

with that said, master of many forms is awesome! why would you not want that?

in PHB II there's a variant druid class feature that trades wildshape & animal companion for shapeshifting into stat blocks as swift action with unlimited duration & unlimited times per day at lvl 1. As a wildshape ranger I meet the requirements to take she druid shapeshifting thing. And shapeshifting doesn't count as wild shape for master of many forms.

You do know that variant was meant to, like, dramatically lower the power of the Druid class (something that needed to be done)? Whereas the weaker ranger class could actually use the boost from the basic wild shape ranger?

I don't care about wild shape. I don't. Period. Its not mechanically what I'm looking for.

[Ithamar]

I hear ya, teal.  Sometimes shapeshift is just a better fit for your character.

Did you see my earlier suggestion about Fist of the Forest and Wilding Clasps?

[CrimsonDeath]

Fist of the Forest for sure, since you'll need the AC.  And unless your DM rules that Wilding Clasps work with your gear for shapeshifting, you should probably just pick up Vow of Poverty, because otherwise all of your shiny stuff will be worthless.

Scout for Swifthunter is a decent concept, though some ToB never hurts.

I haven't run WLD, so correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I hear it's treasure-poor and there's nowhere to sell loot/buy gear.  Unless the DM is customizing loot, I doubt there'll be any clasps.  (For this reason, I've heard VoP is very nice in WLD.  Kinda makes me want to run through it with a full Exalted party.)

[Ithamar]

I've only encountered WLD on Myth-Weavers once or twice, and I had thought there were actually "magic shops" built right into the dungeon.  Though maybe that was just a DM contrivance.

[tealjohn]

I hear ya, teal.  Sometimes shapeshift is just a better fit for your character.

Did you see my earlier suggestion about Fist of the Forest and Wilding Clasps?

I did, and I'm looking at fist, but I'm also under the impression that wilding clasps would be a hard thing to find. On that note, I think I'll be taking VoP.

[Ikeren]

I've only encountered WLD on Myth-Weavers once or twice, and I had thought there were actually "magic shops" built right into the dungeon.  Though maybe that was just a DM contrivance.

DM convenience. As written (I've read through a lot of it) it's almost completely devoid of magic shops. (There arguably is sort of one, but you have to try hard to get access to it).

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Artificers get a badass amount of free craft reserve at the beginning, though

[McPoyo]

Wildshape to Shapeshift Ranger 4/Warshaper 4/Fist of the Forest 1/Primeval [Fleshraker] 10/Anything 1 [Crusader or Warblade would be my choice]
Feats: Need Great Fortitude, Improved Unarmed Strike, and Power Attack prior to 9. Need Endurance (Get for free via ranger), Self-sufficient, and Improved Toughness before 10. Need either a bonus feat, or a Flaw to do. If you don't dump spells, you can use wands still, and there's enough good 1st level ranger spells to possibly be worth it unless SpC is disallowed for those "OHWHATTHEHELL" emergency moments. Not including Entangle, which likely won't help in WLD due to the plant requirement.

I'm actually playing this one in a PBP at the moment, using a warforged base, and turning into Dinobot.

Oh, and the animal you use for Primeval is largely irrelevant. You can also throw VoP on this and still be pretty handy, you just don't have flight.

[CrimsonDeath]

Artificers get a badass amount of free craft reserve at the beginning, though

Where are they going to use it if there's no place to buy crafting ingredients?  It doesn't help that the crafting rules just say how much the ingredients are worth without telling you anything about what they are...