Improving Dragon Shamans

[Mike_Lemmer]

I want to create a dragon shaman for Fax's new game, but both Fax & I agree the dragon shaman is underpowered. I've created a list of improvements I think should bring dragon shamen to a level on par with the other classes, focusing on the auras, melee combat, spell resistance, and his breath weapon:

Melee Combat:

Dragon Shamen can use martial weapons.
Natural armor uses the Dragonfire Adept progression (+2 to +5) instead of the existing one.

Auras:

The aura bonuses are doubled for most effects. (Save, DC, and initiative increases are kept the same.)
You can change your aura as an immediate action (instead of a swift action) X times per day, where X is your aura bonus. (So the dragon shaman can save the party from a nasty attack or respond to a surprise charge.)
(New Aura) Spellward Aura: Provides SR CL+2+2xAura Bonus.
The DR aura is X/--, not X/magic.
At high levels, can have 2 auras up at once. (The Double Aura lets him have 3 auras up at once.
Dragon Breath:

Gain Breath weapon (1d6) at 2nd level.
Resistance aura also provides complete immunity to your breath weapon.
SR:

Dragon shaman gains a constant SR which increases from 5+CL to 15+CL.
If the Spellward Aura's up, he uses the higher SR and receives a +2 bonus to it.
Miscellaneous:

Gains Draconic Wings earlier, but only at 30' (average) Fly speed until he reaches the proper level for the full version.
Gains bonus Draconic feats, similar to a Fighter's bonus feats, but they can only be spent on feats that have a dragonblood/draconic/etc. or breath weapon prerequisite.
Gains more Draconic Adaptions as he levels. (Mine has a gold dragon totem, so I'm thinking Alternate Form & Sunburst.)


Well, that was a bit longer than I thought, but I think that makes the dragon shaman a more viable party member. Thoughts?

[AmberVael]

Holy crap, stuff for a Dragon Shaman that could actually be worthwhile.
I've loved the class... but not the power level.

Now, I'm assuming you're not going to use ALL of this. That would make it... perhaps too good. Or maybe not, I'm not looking at the full picture, granted, but that is a lot of additions.


1) Maybe the DR aura could scale with the aura bonus? I mean, instead of having x/- all the way through, it could advance?
x/- would definitely work, and is honestly probably a better choice, but just a thought.

2) What do you mean by "Resistance aura also provides complete immunity to your breath weapon." ? There are lots of ways to interpret it...

3) Between all the SR things... I seriously think he should either get an aura OR have SR himself. Personally, I'd go with the aura.

4) How MANY feats? I'd say 5 at max.

5) I'd go light on the adaptations. Don't add anything too powerful. Alternate form may be pushing it. I'd look at the unearthed arcana bloodlines and think of it more like that.

[Mike_Lemmer]

1) Maybe the DR aura could scale with the aura bonus? I mean, instead of having x/- all the way through, it could advance?
x/- would definitely work, and is honestly probably a better choice, but just a thought.

It could advance, but that would require more clarification and would ultimately only make a difference in that buffer around 3rd-7th levels between "no one has magic weapons" and "everyone has magic weapons".


2) What do you mean by "Resistance aura also provides complete immunity to your breath weapon." ? There are lots of ways to interpret it...

As an imitation of the Dragonfire Adept's Endure Exposure invocation. Basically, it lets you breathe through allies without harming them. It doesn't provide immunity against a dragon using the same type of breath weapon as you.


3) Between all the SR things... I seriously think he should either get an aura OR have SR himself. Personally, I'd go with the aura.

Perhaps, although I'd rather have a continuously-active SR on the shaman in case he needs to keep a different aura up.


4) How MANY feats? I'd say 5 at max.

I'd say 3.


5) I'd go light on the adaptations. Don't add anything too powerful. Alternate form may be pushing it. I'd look at the unearthed arcana bloodlines and think of it more like that.

Perhaps, except the Bloodlines really don't have many interesting skills. Alternate form is a 2nd-level wizard spell; a hideously broken one, true, but I treat it mainly as a good disguise ability. Take out the ability score changes and its very good, especially since the shaman would already have Flying & Water Breathing (thus making most of the Alter Self movement cheese useless).

Gee, if you thought that was broken, how about my idea to make Sunburst the final adaptation? It'd be a very late level, of course...

[AjaxTorbin]

i played a shaman in a game once. but i didn't like the flavor of the class, and of course the under poweredness of it.
i worked with the DM and we came up with several things.
first, i like things simple, i didn't want to totaly change or remake the class.
but the first thing i did was change the 'dragon' part of it to 'elemental'.
air elemental for this case.
so from there it was easy to decidr to change the saves, Reflex And Will saves are good, and fort is lessened. next the energy type of the breath weapon was changed the a Air elemantal's, a line of lightning.
next, for an ability, we didn't exactly think the standard ones were good enough, so we combined feather fall with a very toned down wind walk.(you get the misty form, and the ability to 'fly' ten feet, thats it)
then we had jump, tumble and balance as the air element chosen skills.
and the last was the aura, we doubled the effect of all aura effects for teh shaman, so they work as normal for svery one else, but the shaman, she gets x2 the effect.
all in all this was a good fix, and she worked well in the party as a back up fighter and pary buffer.

[AjaxTorbin]

i played a shaman in a game once. but i didn't like the flavor of the class, and of course the under poweredness of it.
i worked with the DM and we came up with several things.
first, i like things simple, i didn't want to totaly change or remake the class.
but the first thing i did was change the 'dragon' part of it to 'elemental'.
air elemental for this case.
so from there it was easy to decidr to change the saves, Reflex And Will saves are good, and fort is lessened. next the energy type of the breath weapon was changed the a Air elemantal's, a line of lightning.
next, for an ability, we didn't exactly think the standard ones were good enough, so we combined feather fall with a very toned down wind walk.(you get the misty form, and the ability to 'fly' ten feet, thats it)
then we had jump, tumble and balance as the air element chosen skills.
and the last was the aura, we doubled the effect of all aura effects for teh shaman, so they work as normal for svery one else, but the shaman, she gets x2 the effect.
all in all this was a good fix, and she worked well in the party as a back up fighter and pary buffer.