Polymorph-based Builds?

[jlaflair]

Quick question: anyone have any successful builds which invest heavily into polymorph? I don't know why, but the abilities just interest me. :)

Starting the game over since my current Lone Wolf run is messed up. Polymorph seems fun to me for RP reasons, but I don't want to choose RP and end up with mechanical issues.

I know there's the Metamorph class in character generation, but in my experience, the prebuilt classes can often benefit from some tweaks.

Thanks!

[DarkFenix]

Polymorph isn't really something you base builds on, the skills are too unfocused to go for any one role. You've got mobility, stealth, hard CC, soft CC, terrain changers, and a bunch of other effects.

On the other hand, no matter which character archetype you do go for, points in polymorph are always worth it.

[wds_ncs]

It's a great school and its +1 to attribute per level is great on most anybody, but you're best off adding it to another build. Melee is great--it gives extra mobility, buff and debuff options while letting you boost STR/WIT, so you're not giving up much damage potential by dipping. Chicken Claw, Tentacle Lash, Spread Your Wings, and Heart of Steel are good level 1/2 skills to aim for.

[Farsha]

It's really good secondary school for almost any build.
It can boost your main stat really nicely if you invest into it.
It's very versatile since you can choose what to buff with each lvl of poly.

If you want to use it for dmg best way is to go strength as poly dmg skills (tentackle, horns) scale with strenght. tentackle hits like truck and has disarm. Strenght means warfare build of some sort.
But most skills in the school are utility and can be used on any build.

[Dani]

I had a pure polymorph throughout Fort Joy who was just a swiss army knife cahracter. Was mobile, tough, and good at smashing things with a weapon. Polymorphing's stat bonuses can allow for incredible basic attack damage or extreme durability.

Metamorphs are also highly survivable due to being able to turn invisible and 'armor up'. They're just all around good characters. But, they aren't extremely specialized which can be a problem in situations when you need the specialization.

The medusa gase morph is exceptional when enemies are vulnerable to it. It's a petrification aura that can shut enemies down for several turns when they are vulnerable.

All around, I loved polymorph as a stand alone build. It's simple in that it has few attacks, but it also has plenty going for it for a survival spec.

. . I still don't understand why they're a finness class though, according to metamorph. I guess the spear allows for more crit power? Everything seems to scale to strength.

[Jaxom]

My Red Prince has Poly warfare and 2 handed - Pumped pure str. He hits like a truck and has great mobility!

[foxstriker9]

Originally posted by Dani:

. . I still don't understand why they're a finness class though, according to metamorph. I guess the spear allows for more crit power? Everything seems to scale to strength.

This is because spear weapons are FIN-based. If you really love spears then great; otherwise, you'll find a lot more STR-based weapon options: 1H + Shield, Dual Wield 1H, and lots of 2H weapons.

I believe only a few Polymorph skills scale with FIN; otherwise, it's STR. If you had to choose based on this factor alone, go with STR-gear.

Most Warfare skills scale with whatever your melee weapon's primary stat is. Works for either STR or FIN (and INT for stave weapons).

Spears have very little synergy with damage skills from the primary FIN-trees, Scoundrel and Hunstman. Seems like an opportunity miss here, as we all know from other games the Spear Thrower + Shield (Commander/Paragon) archetype that might utilize Huntsman and Deadly Savage (Druid/Feralan) archetype that might utilize Scoundrel. Could definitely see some more chances for cross-skill tree support here to help better define the identity of a spear wielding polymorpher, as well as allow for a more interesting set of build combinations.

Overall, in tandem with heavier armor, STR tends to win out here. I have yet to hear of anyone outside of a mod situation opt for a serious spear wielder. Also cannot recall seeing any spear weapons that I thought were particularly amazing.

Maybe in a future patch or add-on they might make this better. Polymorph is cool though! I'm glad they added it to the game at least, even if spears were not polished as one might expect. I have a few ideas for adjustments, but maybe an interesting talent (and a couple spear-inspired skills) could be the simplest option without completely reworking the battle system. Alternatively, they could loosen the dagger restriction on more (all) Scoundrel skills to give spear wielders some love.

That said, the beauty of going deep into Polymorph is you'll have plenty of attribute points to spend. If you're not interested in building a bruiser of sorts, you'll still have a flexible character you can choose to make your own whether it's a caster or other archetype.