Shapeshift (spell):

I don't know why ANYONE would ever use this once you get shapeshift skill. The spell costs WAY more mana, has WAY more lag, both in casting and reverting from, and can only be done outside of combat, whereas the skill has very low mana cost, pretty short lag in using, and virtually no lag reverting from, and it can be done mid-combat. There have been several times when I knew I had a really good group and had already spent some time gathering a large pile of offensive wands, that I just skipped right over practicing shapeshift spell and just used horns of the bull and offensive wands (or a marble statue piece) right up to level 28.

Benefit for skipping shapeshift spell:

Conserve 1 or 2 practice sessions (depending on int)
No chance of level skill gains going into shapeshift spell where they'll be a complete waste 14 levels later.


Defensive partial shifts:

I almost never practice any of these. I can usually just gather enough -ac gear that low level mobs can't even touch me until I start getting into mid-teens, and then I have access to forms which supercede partial shifts. I realize that they can still be used to increase survivability SLIGHTLY when not in form, but I'd much rather save the practices to help me get an extra training session later, and play cautiously to eliminate, as much as possible, dangers while unshifted.

Benefits for skipping defensive partial shifts:

Conserve several practice sessions
No chance of level skill gains going into stuff I'll likely never use once I get forms.


Claws of the Lion:

I know that Zulg said he fixed this spell so that it would work better a couple years ago, but even after that fix, I still see no real use for it. Even when playing a felar shifter that starts out with 100% hth, I still never hit with it. I can be sitting there, swinging at elves south of darsylon, and rarely hitting them with claws, then wield a weapon (ANY weapon that I have basic proficiency with), and suddenly start hitting with regularity. Zulg said that hitroll counts for a lot with this, but wielding a normal weapon, I clearly don't have to worry about that nearly as much.

Personally, based on what I've seen this spell do WHEN it actually works, I think this could be a really cool spell, even later on in life, if it actually hit reliably. There are times when I'm with a group, under water, and I don't have aquatic or amphibious forms, but I still want to help out the group somehow. As it stands, I usually just faerie fire and use horns of the bull, and fumble if applicable. If I'm lucky, I might get my hands on a staff of striking, and I might have some offensive wands left over from lowbie levels. I think this is a situation where claws of the lion might be preferable to horns of the bull, if it could be dependable. If we're talking about making things more useful, we might even consider letting it cause bleeding, or even let it allow the shifter to use the RAKE command with rake damage scaled appropriately for the spell (i.e. I'm NOT talking about making it equal to rake from a lion or grizzly, obviously).


Tail of the Lizard:

The usefulness of this spell is overshadowed by a combination of flight and control translucence. I suppose there might still be some small benefit of having it up while unshifted if someone runs in wielding a spear/staff, polearm, or whip/flail and starts combat with a legsweep or lash, but again, I'd much rather just be paying attention and shift or leave before combat can start.