Gnome druid build

[youspoonybard]

I second Eccles. I have the 3.0 list (which includes MotW and some Faerun stuff, I don't have any of the realms books), which a wizards.com boards poster was kind enough to compile. Stick with Natural Spell. Basically, you miss out on Fire Seeds. There are some others, but fire seeds is the big one.

I also second the dex/cha thing. I find that having high Cha is good, especially in 3.5, when you need leadership to keep your Animal Companion as a cohort. I also like high Int, as there are plenty of good class skills, but I see you've got that covered (even worse in 3.5! Sure, you don't need animal empathy anymore, but how could you pass on Spot and Listen, and Ride is fun too!).

Remember, you only have to survive for 2 more levels before it's all good, and 5 more levels until it's better than that.

 

[Dimwhit]

I wish my low-strength Druid had taken Power Attack. Now that I'm wildshaping into a Brown Bear and the attack bonus is so high, it could really come in handy.

 

[Pielorinho]

Natural Spell doesn't require Eschew Materials, but you can't use material components unless you can use them with your new form. Not all that bad when you wildshape into a monkey, but qute the hassle if you whildshape into a banana slug. Certainly worth considering.

Solution: don't wildshape into a banana slug, dummy!

(Helpful advice: see if your DM will allow the 3.5 version of Natural Spell, which allows you to use any divine focus or material component that's melded into your wildshaped form for spells cast while wildshaped).

Are you looking for feats to take now? Augment summoning is plenty fun. Spell focus: transmutation or conjuration has a lot of payoff for a druid. Weapon focus (unarmed) won't hurt you when you start wildshaping, although it won't do much good now.

Scribe scroll is good, but it's boring. You gotta decide whether you want to deal with the boredom factor. Craft wonderous item, on the other hand, is all kinds of fun.

Daniel

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

Solution: don't wildshape into a banana slug, dummy!

How about a DIRE banana slug??

 

[Pielorinho]

How about a DIRE banana slug?? [/B]

C'mon: dire banana slugs are vermin, not animals, as you surely know if you've spent any time at all in the Pacific Northwest.

Daniel

 

[Tabarnak Smokeblower]

I wish my low-strength Druid had taken Power Attack. Now that I'm wildshaping into a Brown Bear and the attack bonus is so high, it could really come in handy.

Does you low-strength Druid have at least 13 str?

TS

 

[avatarolt]

With the 3.5 druid's spontaneous casting, the question has been raised as to whether or not Augment Summoning is worth it...+4 str, +4 con, +2 HD to your summoned creatures...unfortunately, the prereq is Spell Focus (Conjuration) and I really don't see how *that* feat is worth much.

But considering how much AS might help...something to think about.

(p.s., I'd take create infusion any day over scribe scroll -- you can eat infusions while wildshaped...scrolls can be hard for dire bears to hold)

 

[Dimwhit]

Does you low-strength Druid have at least 13 str?

Good point! Although, could a 10 STR Druid take power attack and only use it in wildshaped form, when his STR would be high enough? Outside of a house rule, of course.

 

[Silver Griffon]

Eschew Materials is a bit of a waste of time for druids.

If you plough through the spellbook, you'll discover that very few of the druidic spells actually require material components...

Very true. But, most of them require your divine focus. I got around this by tying a spare piece of mistletoe to a loop of twine and giving it to another party member with instructions to put it around my neck when I took animal form.

As far as feats, my gnome druid took the feat from Dragon magazine that allowed him to use his racial speak with animals ability to speak with any animal instead of just burrowing mammals. Not having to prepare speak with animals made him a bit more versatile. I also would take the Animal Affinity feat that gives +2 Handle Animal and Ride or Skill Focus:Ride. After all, a gnome can often ride his animal companion. Mine rode a wolf. Very handy.

 

[youspoonybard]

Good point! Although, could a 10 STR Druid take power attack and only use it in wildshaped form, when his STR would be high enough? Outside of a house rule, of course.

Yes, but he'd have to have access to that str 13 form first.