Nachti wrote:Its under discussion. But
- Gate lasts only 2 round/level, which I dont want to exceed - powerwise.
- You can always memorize 4-6 shapechange spells. Instead of using just one spell to clear an area for 30 minutes.
A level 30 character does not have that many reasons to spend 30 minutes clearing an area. Most likely they have already acquired good enough or the best possible equipment and it is not like they can gain more levels. (For example: my shapeshifting arcanist needs no equipment.)
So let us start by looking at the 4th level spell called Polymorph Self. If that spell lasts 1 round per caster level, at caster level of 8, it will last 8 rounds. That is 48 seconds, and whether you are Wizard or Sorcerer, you are looking at 3-4 casts of it at most. Then let us not forget that our arcanist is unlikely to have more than a single attack per round. Thus we are looking at a total of 8 attacks done per cast. Are these new shapes so powerful that they can deal 40-120 points of damage in a regular hit? I have to ask this simply because 'CR8' mobs tend to have their hit points in the 40-120 range.
Now let us have a look at that level 18 character that has just learned Shapechange. With the duration set at 1 round per caster level, we can expect it to last for 1 minute and 48 seconds. This means that we are still facing the exact same problem as before.
So here is the question in a nutshell: Are these new shapes so powerful that you can wipe out groups of monsters with just a single cast - or - are these new shapes just a slight mechanical improvement over old shapes? I think the slight mechanical improvement is the more likely alternative here, thus a 'shapeshifter' will struggle to kill '1-3' mosters per slot spent on either Polymorph Self or Shapechange and that fact alone makes both Polymorph Self and Shapechange redundant spell choices. At level 8, they would be better off making use of Animate Dead. At level 18, they could just use Gate and perhaps go for the Thaumathurge/Dreadmaster PRC for that permanent 'cohort' - in addition to the swarm spells and what not else.
And once again, just because the current duration of Polymorph Self and Shapechange is 1 minute per caster level, it does not mean you get the full duration based on your caster level. You can be dispelled and you will need to rebuff or you could simply be using a spell combination that forces you to end the Polymorph Self or Shapechange prematurely. I'll go in slightly greater detail in a moment.
Nachti wrote:Shapechange right now is a joke. Giants have no AC, Horned Devil no damage and all have no AB.
Giants have no AC, but you can combine that flaw with things like Elemental Shield and enough DR to only take a slight amount of damage per hit. You have spells that provide 10, 20, or 30 points of DR, and it is enough to ensure that you will only take 1-10 damage per hit. Therefore, whoever hits you, gets automatically hit back for much more thanks to
Elemental Shield.
As for the Horned Devil having no damage, well, Horned Devil comes with Poison Immunity. Therefore, you can first cast
Cloudkill, then Shapechange into a Horned Devil, and just chill in the middle of the AoE effect while the constitution damage cripples your opponents.
Elemental Shield lasts for 1 round per 1 caster level.
Cloudkill lasts for 1 round per 2 caster levels.
Using either spell combination will end up eating those ninth level spell slots on Shapechange or even Polymorph Self, and hence there is no need to lower the spell duration. It is already short if you want to get the most out of 'shapeshifting' spells.
But, should you team up, then the longer duration is actually handy because you are not forced to rely on above spell combinations to win the day. But... If the spell durations are shortened to 1 round per caster level, why would anyone even bother casting Polymorph Self or Shapechange in the first place? The chances are that your team has already beaten down the lonely monster or two before you finish casting the spell, and that it will run out before you run into the next set of lonely monsters.
Oh, as for low AB, you could blame your low BAB for it.