shifter advice and questions and a little cleric question too!

[shamrock_uk]

Evening all, I'm having some difficulty getting what i feel to be the most out of my level 35 druid/shifter. I got wasted by that party at the beginning of level 2 on Undermoutain and nearly got beaten to death by that Greater BoneWalker thingy at the level 2 exit, despite trying the iron golem form for some damage reduction and even the red dragon form out of desperation. Had about 1HP left when he crumpled apart to the floor.

I imagine that the strengths of this class arise from the ability to use a form to suit the situation, so these are my thoughts on that. Any observations about these, suggestions for alternatives and general advice is very much welcome!

Damage Reduction = Iron Golem
Magic Immunity = Rakshasha
Magic Resistance whilst still being good offensive = Drow
All round 'hard guy' = the undead guy with the schythe (i forget the name)

1)Do these all look like good choices?

2)The Iron Golem I find to be quite poor in an offensive sense, is there a form that offers similar damage reduction but more offensive power?

3)Is the demon flesh golem any good in comparison?

4)Are the dragon forms *really* worth it, or are they just there for show because i've found them rather disappointing in melee. Do the different colours only change breath weapons and not melee prowess?

5)What would be your 'favourite' form of choice for a dungeon romp and why? (Eg. the one you would spend most time in)

6)Is there any way to get properly detailed stats in each form? Eg. with BG2 I could tell exactly what the resistances were in percentages, view my THAC0 etc in explicit detail. The only indication I seem to get here is in my character sheet when you just see "damage reduction increased" "magical resistance increase" etc etc - but no numbers. Is there something I'm missing here?...

7)From a roleplaying point of view in a less experienced party, I'm missing the spells like 'mass heal' as i have only 10 druid levels. I like playing the supporting role, but at the same time, a few more HP wouldn't be amiss. Should I therefore put my last five levels in fighter for combat, or have another 5 druid and get some proper healing spells. Or what about five cleric levels? Is that pointless, or by the fifth cleric level do you get your hands on some 'heal' or similar spells...

8)Also, for 'realism' purposes I've tried to limit my kit - carrying only a sword, armour and a girdle of strength. I can imagine easily unstrapping the belt before shifting into a larger form, but things like rings and amulets would be quite unfeasible (i'm having visions of Eustace and his bracelet when he's in dragon form from C. S. Lewis' book, Voyage of the Dawntreader). Is this a valid thing to be concerned about, or do people generally just say that "the magic takes care of little details like that"?

Thanks very much in advance! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 06-12-2004, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[Harkoliar]

http://nwn.bioware.com/forums/viewto...1&topic=297093 <--- says all.
do note that surviving undermountain requires you to use more or less uber items. that is why i prefer shifting to human forms or somthing similar that let you retains these bonuses. being a dragon does not let you recieve those bonuses and i think they are more for show than anythign else.

[ 06-13-2004, 06:42 AM: Message edited by: Harkoliar ]

[shamrock_uk]

Ah! Very helpful link, thank you!

[shamrock_uk]

Following a few links from that thread, I can also recommend:

http://db.gamefaqs.com/computer/dosw...td_shifter.txt