Shifter – Cleric (17) Monk (2) Fighter (1)
Overview:
I don’t know about you but finding the Shifter race a home that makes sense has been a lot harder then some of the other races have been over the years. The Bearbarian was a good fit, but not great. But I really love the Howler Clonkey.
The way I have been leveling the build over on my live streams has been very DC caster/staff melee lite with sick CC leaning on the Falconry and Shifter Racial trees. I gather groups of mobs and Howl effectly giving me a mass hold, followed up with Coordinated Strike blinding the mass of trash allowing No Mercy to boost my damage, repeat Howl as needed and allow strikethrough to win.
Howl of Terror in the Shifter tree is the real deal at least while leveling. Wildhunt Howl helps boost saves slightly giving the Clr’s low reflex save a needed boost when shooting around traps, Wildhunt is a tasty bonus to spell points and +2 to wisdom in the core boosts To hit/Damage and spell Dcs.
Falconry tree is full of goodies that likely doesn’t need a full run down, but main stat to hit/damage as well as insight bonus to dmg, tacticals and a high non-blue bar powered insta-kill effect is very solid.
Nombo’s:
Howl of Terror does not make helpless so No Mercy needs a hand to boost your damage.
Wildhunt Rage turns off your stance so Ocean Stance will need to be turned back on or you forget and get a pratical negitive 2 to your wisdom and -3 to dodge. After a few times of forgetting to restart the stance I just stopped raging.
Upfront:
I almost have my racial completionist feat and the racial action point tome meaning diving deep in the racial tree is cheep for me. You may have to give up some points elsewhere but Howl of Terror is value and what makes this build sing. If necessary to make cuts for more AP, start with the points in the Kensei, shave some from Quick Strike and then dip in to Holy Striker. Keeping that wisdom high is key to your crowd control.
Leveling Progression:
A level of Monk, followed by 11 levels of Cleric, a second Monk level, then Cleric until you really really want that fighter level for Greater 2 Handed Fighting. For me that was level 20. You might want to move it up. I know I wanted to fairly often but I was able to stay strong and left it for that taking 20 power boost. Moving it up pushes Implosion that much further away. If you are going from 18 to 20 have that extra 30% strikethrough and ability modifier damage scaling might be more valuable then a spell you will not cast until level 20. I normally spend a little while at 19 just to see how the level plays for the stream.
Stats:
We are a wisdom build clearly that is the most important, then we want enough strength for the 2HF feat line (15 and a +2 tome) then Con for them HPs. You are a melee lite after all. Here is the standard chart for stats as I saw them.
28pt 32pt 34pt 36pt Tome Level Up ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- -------- Strength 15 15 15 15 +2 4: WIS Dexterity 8 8 8 8 +2 8: WIS Constitution 12 14 14 15 +2 12: WIS Intelligence 8 10 12 12 +2 16: WIS Wisdom 18 18 18 18 +2 20: WIS Charisma 8 8 8 8 +2 24: WIS 28: WIS
Skills:
Heal, Concentration, Spellcraft, Spot in that order of importance. No UMD for me this life but I can see killing Spot for UMD if it is important to you to use teleport and fireshield scrolls. But I like the reminder where the traps are to hit the save boost button.
Feats:
1 : Power Attack (We already want to be strong for 2hf) 1 Shifter : Wildhunt Shifter 1 Monk : Two Handed Fighting 3 : Completionist (Improved Turning or Quicken if Completionist is off the table) 6 : Quicken Spell (Faster Howl is good) 9 : Improved Two Handed Fighting 12 : Adept of Forms or Spell Focus: Enchantment (SF:E might be better for post 20 play to allow twists for more DC value) 13 Monk : Swords to Plowshares 15 : Improved Critical: Bludgeoning 18 : Heighten Spell 20 Fighter: Greater Two Handed Fighting 3 Cleric : Law Domain 2 Deity : Follower of: Aureon (Favored weapon Staff) 7 Deity : Aureon's Instruction (clickly is +4 wisdom and boosts to turning)
Enchantments:
Shifter (18AP) • Extra Shifting, Wisdom, Extra Shifting, Wisdom 1. None 2. Natural Armor III, Howl: Wildhunt Howl, Magic Fang 3. Augment Summoning, Stronger Howl :Wildhunt 4. Howl of Terror III
Note: Do what you have to before level 11 to get to Howl of Terror – More rages and Con while raging are fine options until you can get those stat boosts.
Falconry (41 AP) • White Falcon, Wisdom, Well Rounded, Wisdom, Well Rounded II, Master Falconer 1. Rugged III, Out in Nature I 2. Killer Instinct I, Watch the Center III, Diving Strike I, Sprint Boost I 3. Killer Instinct II, Strike for the Eyes: Strike I, Conditioning, Eyes of the Eagle 4. Deadly Instinct III, No Mercy III, Coordinated Strike, Expose Weakness 5. Dangerous, Death from Above: Strike I, Thrill of the Hunt: Strike III, Mark the Prey: Strike
Warpriest (26 AP) • Smite Foe: Melee, Resilience of Battle, Sanctuary, Blur 1. Toughness III, Righteous Weapons 2. Wall of Steel III, Righteous Weapons, Melee/Ranged Power Boost III 3. Righteous Weapons, Wisdom 4. Holy Striker: Doublestrike III, Wisdom
Henshin Mystic (8 AP) • Riddle of Fire 1. Henshin Staff Training, Way of the: Patient Tortoise Quick Strike III
Kensei (2 AP) • Kensei Focus: Clubs/Staff 1. Haste Boost (As you can spare)
Is this build “end game viable” I don’t know. A viewer I tend to trust for these things said not really. But I think getting your CC DCs into range is not just doable but likely quite easy. My evening of playing in the post lvl 20 world was turn on an epic destiny and setting the twists then heading to do a couple of The Lords of Dust/Evening Star quests R1 for a little xp to try and get to 21. Then lets go do Legendary Reaper 6 Feywilds. Being level 21/22 in LR6 Feywilds was not as helpful for build testing as it could have been but fun never the less.
I want to stress that my lvl 1-20 play was very pleasing. The nombos are not as in your face as some of the other shifter builds I have been trying and felt like a good platform for the hard to place shifter race. At least for me anyway.
Samius Gurobo 