Author Topic: Dragon Wildshape, what am I missing? (apart from Shadow Dragons)  (Read 2210 times)

Offline LordBlades

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I've seen the Dragon Wildshape feat higly recommended in many places, but it doesn't seem that awesome to me.

Ok, Juvenile and Young Adult Shadow dragons are quite nice with +16 and +19 natural armor bonuses at medium size, but for most other medium dragons it's between 8 and 12 usually.

So I'm trying to see what else is there about dragon wild shape that would make it superior to let's say Desmodu Guard Bat or Legendary Eagle (flying form which provide similar AC without tanking your dex, so a lot better touch and especially initiative). As a dragon you'd get:

-high fly speed and alternate movement modes. You can get most alternate movement modes via spells/wildshape and swim/burrow are quite circumstantial in most campaigns; as for fly speed, I don't see a situation where 100 ft (eagle) would be too little but 150-200 (dragon)would suffice come up too often.

-breath weapon. Damage and DCs are way too low for level 12+.

-60 ft. blindsense. You've got Listening Lorecall as a 2nd level spell, and bat+enhance wildshape gets 120 ft blindsight

-Immunity to sleep and paralysis. Useful and not that easy to get otherwise.

-Other lesser Su and Ex stuff of the dragon. Unless there's something I missed, I don't see any of them making that big of a difference.

Any thoughts?

Offline ksbsnowowl

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Re: Dragon Wildshape, what am I missing? (apart from Shadow Dragons)
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2012, 11:29:27 AM »
I played a druid with this feat back in '04 or thereabouts.  I found the Silver Dragon to be a good utility form.  Immunity to both cold and acid.  Throw on an Energy Immunity (fire) spell, and you were immune to three types of energy damage.

Its alternate form ability also effectively gave me four wildshape forms for the price of one daily use.
Quote
Alternate Form (Su)
A silver dragon can assume any animal or humanoid form of Medium size or smaller as a standard action three times per day. The dragon can remain in its animal or humanoid form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.

It could be argued that using wildshape (a Supernatural ability) is a purely mental action.  If you are already paralyzed, use your mental action to wildshape into a dragon and become unparalyzed.

Really the advantage is that the Dragon Wildshape feat is a big tool box of utility.
Fighting something with crazy-high Spell Resistance?  All those (Su) abilities are not subject to spell resistance.
Fighting a cold subtype creature?  You have unlimited fire attacks, and vice versa.
Just got subjected to a disease?  Become a styx dragon; now you are immune.
Turn into a Rust dragon and destroy all the enemy mooks' weapons, and get rid of the BBEG's armor.
You are fighting incorporeal creatures, and your druid has no Force effects.  Turn into a radiant dragon or an amethyst dragon and deal with the thing.
Chaos dragons have immunity to compulsion.  That's handy when infiltrating the Mind Flayer hive, etc.

I will grant you that the shadow dragon IS the best form, but there are other good utility abilities available through the feat.
Deep Dragons are another good form.  Up to +14 natural armor, and a DC 19 breath weapon that deals 8d8 damage (of a type that has no resistance).  And always-on True Seeing.  And immunity to charm effects.  And resistance 10 to fire and cold.
Song Dragons can get up to +16 NA, a DC 21 breath weapon for 10d6 electricity damage, also have True Seeing and Tongues, and are immune to electricity and poison (though a druid would be immune to poison by this point anyway).
« Last Edit: October 27, 2012, 11:42:44 AM by ksbsnowowl »