Base special abilities solely on level

[Zorinar]

Now that spells are based on skill level and character level, I got to thinking about classes with special abilities, like druids' shapechange, or clerical Turn dead abilities and so on. Special abilities recharge too slowly for them to be based on skill level at all, there is hardly any way to get them very powerful unless one spends many many years in real life working on them. It takes so long to get them back AND you only have a few available.

I would think that basing special abilities on character level 100% would be appropriate.

[Rhangalas]

I agree that character level should be factored in if the abilities are innate/racial or are granted by a feat.

Powers and abilities granted by deities should be based solely on favor with skill level calculated into the equation somewhere. A character receiving superior turning/controlling abilities over another character simply because they are a higher level just doesn't sit right with me, especially if the latter character holds more favor with their deity than the former character. I would even go so far as to say that spells granted via deity portfolios/domains should have favor associated with it somewhere.

[Zorinar]

Well, lets look at the Druid.

Druids strengths lie in their abilities.
1) They get animal companions
2) They have natural abilities like immunity to poison and such as they get levels.
3) AND they get shapeshift.

How is shapeshift even remotely useful to a druid based on skill level? They get a few uses of it per day and the regen rate is pretty slow for natural abilities. There is no way for them to grind this ability because you get so few charges. Basically, every caster class can easily pass by a druid with the polymorph spell. A level 50 druid would not be able to get over journeyman most likely with the current system. It just doesn't make sense. Shapeshift is one of their defining class abilities and they are so constricted in its power that it is nearly useless for them.

Basically, the only solution is to base these natural abilities off level. A level 50 druid should be able to shift into elder elementals, yet in FK they probably can get to ape. Druids really need help in FK, but a good start would be to give them a decent shape shift power I think.

[Selveem]

Zorro makes a REALLY good point on Shapeshift uses per day and skill level. I think think it still IS a skill in which case, it must REALLY suck to try to skill up in it. Ideally, abilities WOULD be based on ECL completely.