Dusting off my old build projects, I had been working on a number of shifter alternatives (ie, non-monk shifters, non-wisdom shifters, etc). I managed to refine this one well enough to consider it worth posting for comment

This build is designed to favor the Epic Kobold Commando shifter shape. By using Bard as the third class in the build, I can get stealth skills, discipline, taunt, and UMD as well as useful buffs including bard song/curse song (which can both be sung while shifted).

Playable 1-40 in PvE, but there will be some rough points. Not a PvP build. Will be best compared to other builds in low-magic or mid-magic environments, like most shifters.

Human, Neutral, non-Lawful

Str 14
Dex 8
Con 16
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 14

1 Bar (1): Weapon Prof (Martial), Lingering Song*
2 Bar (2):
3 Bar (3): Curse Song
4 Bar (4): +1 con
5 Dru (1):
6 Dru (2): Weapon Focus (Short Sword)%
7 Dru (3):
8 Dru (4): +1 con
9 Dru (5): Alertness
10 Shi (1):
11 Shi (2):
12 Shi (3): +1 con, Blind-Fighting
13 Shi (4):
14 Shi (5):
15 Shi (6): Knockdown
16 Shi (7): +1 con
17 Bar (5):
18 Bar (6): Improved Knockdown*
19 Bar (7):
20 Bar (8): +1 con
21 Shi (8): Epic Prowess
22 Shi (9):
23 Shi (10):
24 Shi (11): +1 con, Armor Skin
25 Shi (12):
26 Shi (13): Undead Shape+
27 Bar (9): Epic Weapon Focus (Shortsword)%
28 Shi (14): +1 con
29 Shi (15):
30 Shi (16): Epic Damage Reduction 1, Great Wisdom 1+
31 Shi (17):
32 Bar (10): +1 cha
33 Bar (11): Epic Damage Reduction 2
34 Bar (12):
35 Bar (13):
36 Bar (14): +1 cha, Epic Damage Reduction 3
37 Bar (15):
38 Shi (18):
39 Shi (19): Epic Skill Focus (Taunt)*, Great Wisdom 2+
40 Bar (16): +1 con

* - Optional Feat
+ - Shifter Epic Bonus Feat
% - Shortsword/martial prof chosen to specialize in Kobold Form. Can change to other weapons for other forms (or no weapon to free feats).

Skills - Discipline, Tumble, Taunt, Perform 27, Hide, Move Silently, Use Magic Device. There are still leftovers.

Ending Stats:
Con 24
Wis 12
Cha 16

Unbuffed Human Shape -
AC 19 naked, 27 with nonmagic chainmail + shield
F 28 R 21 W 23
568 max hp
DR 9/-

AB +30 with nonmagic shortsword, +32 in natural settings
3 attacks

Of course the point of this build is the buffed shifted shapes.

As best I can tell, the Kobold Commando form, fully self-buffed including bard song and druid buffs, looks like this (using combat logs for AB not char sheet):

Epic Kobold Commando
AC 54
F 30 R 33 W 26
638 max hp
DR 9/-
AB +48, +50 in natural settings (still 3 attacks)
+15 physical damage, +2d4 acid damage
+5d6 sneak attacks

The FAQ:
Q: Shifter without monk? And without dragon? Are you insane? Isn't this begging for gimpyness?
A: I think the stats more or less speak for themselves... this character is able to provide pretty significant party support via their bard abilities, is a top-flight stealth character, and is an above-average melee combatant in kobold form... and that's ignoring situations where some of the other shapes come in handy.

Q: Why take so many shifter levels if you are focusing mainly on one form?
A: You don't get the epic kobold form until shifter level 17 anyway, and two more levels yield you a shifter epic bonus feat.

The two shifter bonus feats at shifter 16 and 19 go to great wisdom to allow you to cast your druid spells, which while minor are still useful (particularly bark skin). This makes the most of those feats, since the only other option you'll have at that point is epic energy resistance.

Q: But why not make it bard 18/shifter 17/druid 5?
A: A viable build also, but you'll have to figure out a new stat progression if you want your druid spells. This variant would have more bard spells/day (and get to cast level 6 bard spells without +cha equipment), and a somewhat better bardsong. If that's your cup of tea, go for it.

Q: What about the other shapes?
A: I didn't test them extensively, but I would expect them to be useful situationally - just that most of them are probably nowhere nearly as good as the kobold shape in this build. You have enough shifter levels to make the wyrmling breaths worthwhile, and the epic gargoyle plus EDR 3 will be a very tough DR tank.

The other epic humanoid shapes are also pretty good, but the kobold really shines in this particular build - layer a curse song and a taunt on your opponent, and you can IKD them very reliably to get the sneak attacks. He also gets a good bonus to his stealth skills and the HIPS feat, as well.

Q: Why take undead shape?
A: Because you haven't really got anything better to do with that bonus feat, and the undead shape immunities can come in very handy in many situations. Your EDR will make the Risen Lord an even better tank than normal, and immunity to death magic and critical hits is a Good Thing. And you can leverage your curse song's save penalty with the vampire's domination gaze and level drain bite.

Q: Are you sure this build is playable?
A: Some environments might be too hard for it, since neither bards nor non-epic shifters are exactly powerhouse classes. However you do get your best shape at level 31, and have undead shape at 26 to help out as well, so it's not hopeless. As a guesstimate, I think any environment where this build would make an attractive final character, will also be reasonably playable for it.
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Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.
Quote: Posted 05/12/06 02:19:07 (GMT) -- Xylophone
Human, Neutral, non-Lawful

Str 14
Dex 8
Con 16
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 14

...

30 Shi (16): Epic Damage Reduction 1, Great Wisdom 1+
31 Shi (17):
32 Bar (10): +1 cha
33 Bar (11): Epic Damage Reduction 2
34 Bar (12):
35 Bar (13):
36 Bar (14): +1 cha, Epic Damage Reduction 3
37 Bar (15):
38 Shi (18):
39 Shi (19): Epic Skill Focus (Taunt)*, Great Wisdom 2+
40 Bar (16): +1 con

Instead of taking two great wisdom feats, why not drop your initial constitution to 15, bump your intial wisdom to 12 and take one great constitution feat. That would free up feat you could use for a metamagic like extend spell or something else, and you could use your druid spells as soon as you get them.

I won't comment on the overall effectiveness of the build as I never really got into shifters.
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Two wrongs don't make a right but three lefts do. Originally I did it that way, but the great wisdom feats are shifter epic bonus feats.

The only shifter epic bonus feats this character can take are Great Wisdom, Undead Shape (which you take at levl 26) and Epic Energy Resistance.

So starting with a 12 wisdom just frees you to take epic energy resist... you don't get any metamagic out of it
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Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience. Ah... your way is better then.
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Two wrongs don't make a right but three lefts do. A Bard Shifter?! Bugger all! *walks to trash and throws away the Bard Shifter I've been working on*

You couldn't have decided to come back two weeks later?

Just kidding, nice build, just like all of yours, Xylophone. I owe you a lot, considering I've probably learned more about effective play strategy from your build write ups than from any other source, for what it's worth.
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There's always time to procrastinate.
Quote: Posted 05/12/06 11:02:05 (GMT) -- koolthursday

A Bard Shifter?! Bugger all! *walks to trash and throws away the Bard Shifter I've been working on*

You couldn't have decided to come back two weeks later?

There's no reason not to post yours hehe, I'm sure it's going to have its own strengths and weaknesses. Go for it!

Quote: Just kidding, nice build, just like all of yours, Xylophone. I owe you a lot, considering I've probably learned more about effective play strategy from your build write ups than from any other source, for what it's worth.

Thanks, a part of the reason I do writeups are to explain the rationale behind the choices I make, since every build choice is a tradeoff in some manner. But the other part is to explain the game tactics and mechanisms that make those choices work out, if for no other reason than to ensure that I don't come off looking like a total moron when I post a character like this one
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Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.