A 'Tank' Suggestion.

[Eldritch_Lord]

Your statement is predicated upon the assumption that the OP will handle this poorly.

You said to "play a druid and show them how it's done" and the OP said his DM probably wouldn't appreciate another druid in the group; the part about telling the other druids that they suck was exaggeration for effect, but either way "showing them how it's done" doesn't exactly sound like the OP's just going to sit down with the other druids and give some nice helpful pointers on spell and feat selection. Even if he's not going out of his way to point out that they're doing it wrong, the other players will most likely notice that the OP's druid is tanking effectively and that theirs aren't effective at all, and outdoing a bunch of newbies with their own class is less desirable than playing something else and helping them learn to improve their characters.

 

[Dandu]

You said to "play a druid and show them how it's done" and the OP said his DM probably wouldn't appreciate another druid in the group

If the DM really doesn't appreciate it, then don't do it. Duh.

the part about telling the other druids that they suck was exaggeration for effect, but either way "showing them how it's done" doesn't exactly sound like the OP's just going to sit down with the other druids and give some nice helpful pointers on spell and feat selection.

Why do you assume the worst in the OP?

Even if he's not going out of his way to point out that they're doing it wrong, the other players will most likely notice that the OP's druid is tanking effectively and that theirs aren't effective at all, and outdoing a bunch of newbies with their own class is less desirable than playing something else and helping them learn to improve their characters.

Why do you assume the worst of the other gamers?

What happened to you, man? What made you lose your faith in humanity and the inherent goodness of the human race? Can you not cast your mind back to the days of yonder, where life was filled with mystery and wonder? Cast off the jaded shackles of your world weary cynicism, and feel the love.

 

[SuperJebba]

He probably works in retail.

 

[ashockney]

I'd say go Rog 1/Ftr 4. You can get some nice armor, nice hit points, and hold your own in any fight. You'd have some bonus DPR from the sneak attack, if you started rogue, you'd have some hella skills to compliment the party, which otherwise would be a fast "strike and move" kinda thing. I'd go for good not great stats 16/16/14 for STR/DEX/CON. You can build with Chainmail, and shoot for Elven Chain (Mithral Plate of Speed) which would empower you to hang on the skills side with your homeys while not losing a step on tanking (AC/HP) and DPR. You'll probably want to focus and specialize in something your sneak attack can support (one handed) and enhance your AC sword and board style, at least with a heavy shield, perhaps a situational use of tower shields based upon the circumstances. If you don't keep going up the "specialize" weapon route, you could choose to dual spec into a nice ranged weapon, which would also be a nice compliment to your companions.

 

[Dandu]

You'll probably want to focus and specialize in something your sneak attack can support (one handed)

You can sneak attack with any weapon.

 

[Nomnath]

For tanky, I like to go hexblade3/paladin2. In full plate with a tower shield you'd have 10+8(plate)+4towershield=22AC which you can bring up to 26 (amm of nat armor, ring of prot, +1 to shield and plate) for only ~6k that you can improve over time. At the same time you'd get double cha to all your saves (both unnamed bonus) so with a decent starting cha (16) you'd get +6 to saves and you got mettle. Don't know where to go from here, usually if I know that it's gonna be long term, i trade hexblade 3 for fighter 1, then at lvl 6 grab pious templar for the will save and mettle. Then i go to fighter 7 for amour of god variant and fill out a bunch of full BAB +2 will at lvl 1 prcs.

 

[Eldritch_Lord]

Why do you assume the worst in the OP?

Why do you assume the worst of the other gamers?

What happened to you, man? What made you lose your faith in humanity and the inherent goodness of the human race? Can you not cast your mind back to the days of yonder, where life was filled with mystery and wonder? Cast off the jaded shackles of your world weary cynicism, and feel the love.

I'm not assuming anything about the OP or his group, I just know that every time on here or other forums I've seen someone take the "play CoDzilla and show them up" advice, it turns out badly, with a player or DM starting a thread after the fact with "So the party cleric/druid is outdoing our melee characters...."

C'mon, Dandu, you of all people should know how easy it is for a druid to pick Natural Spell or wild shape into a bear just because it sounds cool and end up accidentally overshadowing everyone else in the party. Why encourage someone to deliberately show up a party of newbies with a druid? If nothing else, the OP showing up with a CoDzilla would probably lead to the other three druids changing their builds and playstyles and then the rangers and rogues in the party will be outshined by four Codzillas.

 

[Dandu]

C'mon, Dandu, you of all people should know how easy it is for a druid to pick Natural Spell or wild shape into a bear just because it sounds cool and end up accidentally overshadowing everyone else in the party.

It is easy for someone who does not understand the game to accidentally pick Natural Spell and show up other players as a Druid. An experienced player can make sure his druid performs effectively without overshadowing other party members.

I have played with numerous druid players over the years and the ones who knew what they were doing and were not jerks could do it.

Why encourage someone to deliberately show up a party of newbies with a druid?

Null. Question predicated upon false assumption.

If nothing else, the OP showing up with a CoDzilla would probably lead to the other three druids changing their builds and playstyles and then the rangers and rogues in the party will be outshined by four Codzillas.

Druids are capable of overshadowing other classes. Whether they do so or not is up to the players. That a well played Druid will render a ranger useless is not an immutable law of nature.

I am curious. Would you be opposed as well to the OP instructing the other druid players on how to play a druid? Because then there would be a situation where three well played Druids are in the party.

 

[Eldritch_Lord]

I am curious. Would you be opposed as well to the OP instructing the other druid players on how to play a druid? Because then there would be a situation where three well played Druids are in the party.

I wouldn't wish that on any DM I knew who wasn't prepared to handle it, but it would be better than showing up three newbies and then having the newbies do the same to the rogues and rangers, because the latter has the original druid spring a surprise on the DM and party instead of cooperating with them.

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding your original suggestion, but it sounded more like those "If your DM banned X, play a CoDzilla and wreck his game to show him what broken really looks like" suggestions and less like "Show your party how to build their characters well." If the latter is in fact what you meant, I retract my objection.

 

[Dandu]

I accept your apology.