Need help with a mundane

[Kreuz]

Hi!

Zone if you are reading this I am sorry, please don't make a rock fall on top of Vician...

So, I am currently playing a Level 6 Changeling (called Vician). Everybody in the party is a spellcaster... except for Vician. We have... an illusionist gnome aiming to become a Shadowcraft Mage, I think; a Cleric and a ranged Ranger/Sorcerer. We had a Werewolf, but he got eaten.

Vician is a:
 
Rogue 4 (Changeling Rogue Substitution Levels, Disruptive Attack ACF)
Ranger 1 (Arcane Hunter, Trap Expert, Spiritual Connection)
Warshaper 1

His stats are:

STR: 10
DEX: 19
CON: 14
INT: 14
WIS: 8
CHA: 10

As for the feats, Vician has:

Flaw1: Fearless (Immune to fear, so no Craven)
L1: Weapon Finesse
L3: Iron Will
L6: Cumbrous Will

So, nothing really special. Vician was originally going to be a full skillmonkey, but our frontliners either disappear or get eaten, so the DM allowed Vician to become a Warshaper.

So far Vician has been doing well, but I am preoccupied about the later levels... I wanted some suggestions for Vician no to fall behind his peers. I don't intend to make a Beholder Mage out of Vician either, I'd actually prefer letting him remain as mundane as possible while still being relevant in the party. I try to keep him practical with the item selection, his latest toy is a Rod of Ropes.

I know having 10 in STR means no bonus in melee, hopefully Warshaper will help with that. What I don't know is what to do with the feats later, and what to do after Warshaper 4 (If going that far into the PrC is recommended)

That's it. Any comment is much appreciated.

[Braininthejar]

You will fall behind, but you can stay relevant.

If the gnome can give you greater invisibility, use warshaper powers to get as many attacks as possible. They will quickly add up. (I tested this when my DM's campaign landed me a were-lion rogue cohort - as long as my wizard set him up properly, he would blend pretty much anything I needed killed)

But I assume you were already planning in that direction?

[Kreuz]

Yes, Eldritch Abomination mode has been discussed... Tentacles, mainly.

The objective is to remain an asset and not become a burden.

[muktidata]

You need the requisite Barbarian dip. I'm sure you know why. I'd take it before grabbing Warshaper 3. Barbarian 1 will be your most notable level. You'll ask yourself, "Wow! How did I do melee before this?!" Take the Crafty Hunter or whatever ACF from the SRD if you don't want to role play the rage ability.

The case for Barbarian 2 is pretty strong as it yields Improved Trip which is pretty good with Morphic Reach, a reach weapon, or if you can convince the Gnome to make you a Hydra. I would build yourself to function unassisted, but also research what the casters could be doing to make you stronger (like my Polymorph example). Oftentimes one key spell can really make your character shine.

After your one-two level foray into Barbarian, switch to Tome of Battle - likely a mix of Warblade with a Crusader dip for Thicket of Blades. This will keep your skills full, your HP high, your BAB maxed, and pump out new tricks every level.

A trip to the Otyugh Hole from Complete Scoundrel will save you a feat (Iron Will). If you switch to Strength, Weapon Finesse can also be retrained. Power Attack is the obvious replacement choice here. Mage Slayer might also be fun as a Morphic Reaching, Guisarme-wielding, Tripping, Mage Slaying, Thicket of Blades boasting melee character is a thing that can give unprepared medium-sized NPC's a rough time of it.

Put ranks into UMD and use Wands of Wraithstrike in a wand chamber on your weapon and drink CL1 potions of Enlarge Person (50g, 1 minute of Largeness).

I dunno. There's definitely more out there, but this should give you some ideas (that you probably know already or that someone already posted - I didn't read responses).

I like Vician! In my DnD experience, he is a realistic character: someone who has changed their goals and style as the party dynamics and role playing changed. Best of luck to him! I think he looks plenty relevant. Who doesn't feel threatened by a character that can freely disguise themself to look like your mom, then pounce on you when you're bending over to tie your shoe?!

[Kreuz]

I was expecting not needing it, but I agree, Barbarian 1 or 2 would be a very useful addition to Vician. It could also mean getting Two-Weapon Fighting, if it ever becomes necessary.

I'll talk with the GM about retraining in general. Iron Will will most likely involve actually finding a Otyugh Hole in RP, instead of just paying for it, but I'm fine with that.

As for retraining Weapon Finesse... I am not really sure if I like the idea. at least currently, Vician has no difficulty hitting the enemy with his Dex to melee, and I eventually intended to pump his Dex since he is in light armor. Vician is currently using a rapier, and in this case maybe combining WF and PA could work... a rapier denies x1.5 STR to damage, but it says nothing about Two-handed PA. However, it might end up being a lost cause.

Crusader for WRT and Thicket of Blades is a good idea, I'll need Combat Reflexes for it to be fully efective. I was thinking about Swordsage, to get Shadow Jaunt/Stride. I like Warblade a lot, but I haven't given it much thought. Getting IHS would be mandatory in that case.

Relying in UMD requires some effort... I haven't taken any ranks in it.

I'll definitively include the Barbarian level(s) in the build, and consider the other recommendations.

[Kreuz]

So, beyond Barbarian and maybe a ToB dip, is there anything else I could use?

[Solo]

Chameleon.