Worst class in NWN/Arelith?

[gilescorey]

Dorkas was ragging on assassin, not ranger.

As if "assassin is bad!" really needed to be said.

[miesny_jez]

Shifter is the absolute pinnacle of uselessness.

Its an utter headache trying to build it right and usually involves dedicating whole build to a single shape - effectively eliminating the class idea of switching shape depending on the situation.

Shapeshifting is clunky in its implementation and it bans You out from almost all possible items making Your character less flexible then a barbarian in combat.

Shifter RP is hard to perform and most of the useful shapes contradict the Druidic guidelines (Undead, Construct, Outsider) effectively raising questions how will You justify the chosen shape from a RP point of view.

The whole class should be effectively rewritten from scratch focusing on melee presence with different ANIMAL shapes specializing in different roles - like a MUCH Better totem druid.

[Wytchee]

Shifter is the absolute pinnacle of uselessness.

Its an utter headache trying to build it right and usually involves dedicating whole build to a single shape - effectively eliminating the class idea of switching shape depending on the situation.

Shapeshifting is clunky in its implementation and it bans You out from almost all possible items making Your character less flexible then a barbarian in combat.

Shifter RP is hard to perform and most of the useful shapes contradict the Druidic guidelines (Undead, Construct, Outsider) effectively raising questions how will You justify the chosen shape from a RP point of view.

The whole class should be effectively rewritten from scratch focusing on melee presence with different ANIMAL shapes specializing in different roles - like a MUCH Better totem druid.

The contradiction is arguable, really. The shifter is not actively animating undead by adopting an undead form, nor is she summoning planar creatures by shifting into a flesh golem or rakshasa. So, whether or not she is actually "upsetting the balance" is debatable.

Druidry is not as black-and-white as most people think it is, with some exceptions. An evil druid might facilitate the spread of a plague to keep a human city's population in check, for instance. I think this would be an interesting discussion to have IC, at any rate. ^^

[Dredi]

Its also perhaps worth pointing out that shifter is meant to be (in a PNP sense) accessable to any character who has an alternative form. - Werewolves or the polymorph spell. So the druid investment - which in some ways may not make RP sense - is due to the being unnaturally locked to druid.

Quite frankly, simply removing the druid requirement from shifter to something else might be the best thing for this class.

Other idea's which might be interesting would be to actively allow shifters to change visual appearance of race, headsets, hair, skin and tattoo colours (Consider "Saved" shapes done in a similar way to saved clothing appearances) as a RP benefit of the otherwise difficult to aquire class.

[Dr_Hazard89]

Other idea's which might be interesting would be to actively allow shifters to change visual appearance of race, headsets, hair, skin and tattoo colours (Consider "Saved" shapes done in a similar way to saved clothing appearances) as a RP benefit of the otherwise difficult to aquire class.

That sounds awesome. I would totally play a shifter if I could have fun in RP with how I look, rather than being stuck with all those lame and useless shapes.

[Lorkas]

At the very least, shifter could make use of the rakshasa-style -polymorph that let you copy the appearance of any PC race.

[Urch]

Worst class in NWN is anything played by me.

[Dredi]

Shifter, I have to admit remains (despite mechanical usefulness) one of my all time favourite classes.

Other options which might increase in its usefulness are to add other shapes and forms for the class, allowing wisdom to add to their horrific dc's (Example DC = 12 + half shifter class level) a flat out rebalance of the current shapes or simply allowing all items to *properly* merge with the new forms (Example, Gloves NEVER merge, 2 different AC sources, like dodge and sheild merge to be the higher of the two and always as deflection. So Items of +3 natural and +2 deflection merge to be +3 deflection)

The lattermost here is especially problematic with the servers emphasis on a large volume of minor bonuses, rather than a small number of large bonuses in item enchantments so without artefacts and spells you would max out +1 to each stat, +2 to each skill and +1 ac from items (weapons not included)

Of course, there has never really been much of a push for an overhaul given the class has been extreamely limited in who is given access, even as far back as I can remember.

[Sab1]

Shifter has always interested me. But I have never been able to figure out how to build one. Sure they don't seem like a solo killing machine and some the forms seem a bit odd and limited use, but the rp opportunites I see for one is endless.

[Ambigue]

I don't care that the shifter is useless.

It lets me play as a variety of horrible monster and have fun RP opportunities. Or it would if I could somehow arrange to play one.

[susitsu]

At the very least, shifter could make use of the rakshasa-style -polymorph that let you copy the appearance of any PC race.

I can actually dig that a lot.

[Rabbid]

Druid

They don't have no Dragonshape anymore.

EDIT: I mean Non-Totem Druids.

[PresidentCthulhu]

Since I'm playing a shifter right now I can second what it was written all over the board that it is indeed painfully hard.

My main gripes with it so far:
1. The item meld mechanics makes me feel leagues weaker and generally more useless than any player I had the pleasure to play with so far.
2. Connects to the point above that gloves not melding into unarmed forms make most of them utterly useless.
3. As said the DC's for most form's abilities are set to so low they are very rarely do anything.

Just to not make it a cry thread I sincerely believe that later on when obtaining more forms in the epic range things are likely improving to make it more hospitable, but until then I would give the prize of being the worst class to this.

[JediMindTrix]

Commoner

[Durvayas]

Gonna have to go with assassin. Shifter you at least can get RP value out of if you invest heavily into the class. Assassins actually get worse at killing people by comparison to rogues the deeper into assassin you go. 90% of the assassin RP I've gotten has not been from the guild, and I'm playing an assassin. On arelith, assassin is far and away the worst, and not a day goes by where I don't regret that it required me to take five levels in the class instead of three to be gimped harder for the sake of interacting in what is objectively a dissapointment of a guild(the mechanics, not the guildhouse itself, though that shopkeeper is a cruel joke).

[Oshido]

Druid

They don't have no Dragonshape anymore.

EDIT: I mean Non-Totem Druids.

Huh? They don't? There has been so many undocumented updates I have no idea what this means or if it's true.

[Cortex]

Dragonshape is still available and works as vanilla.