Looking for class advice for campaign...15th starting!

Eman Resu

First Post
1st off I dont want to scare everybody away from giving advice but its 15 th level and gestalt! Ive been out of country for a few months, so cant wait to get gaming again.

I remember reading the top teir classes and Druid was in some opinions the strongest class??? I just looked over a few of their spell list and Im underwhelmed. I know they can wild shape but how are they broken?
I ask because one of the players was talking briefly about a Lions Talman prestige class? (I forgot name this was a few weeks ago)

party so far is

9th (15th) level wiz, 10th Swiftblade, 11th Scout
15th Monk / 15th Druid (lyon talsiman prst clas)
 

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gorfnab

First Post
I remember reading the top teir classes and Druid was in some opinions the strongest class??? I just looked over a few of their spell list and Im underwhelmed. I know they can wild shape but how are they broken?
I ask because one of the players was talking briefly about a Lions Talman prestige class? (I forgot name this was a few weeks ago)
Here is the write-up from Why Tier 1s are in Tier 1 on why Druids are a Tier 1 class.
The druid is a true powerhouse of a class due to the sheer versatility and power of its three main class features: wild shaping, spells, and animal companions. Able to function as a tank (or 2 tanks with wild shape and animal companion), summoner, battlefield controller, damage-dealer, scout (both with wildshape and with divinations), and healer, the druid is extremely flexible. -Akalsaris

Cons: - Most prestige classes are traps for the druid, as very few advance the things a druid cares about. Nature's Warrior, Master of Many Forms, and Blighter are all far weaker than straight druid. Planar Shephard is the only PrC that possibly surpasses straight druid, while Moonspeaker and Contemplative both give some things and take away some things.

- Very feat-tight. A druid gets 0 bonus feats and must take Natural Spell at 6th (don't argue this one), so every feat it takes must do a hell of a lot for the build, especially on a non-human. A summoner's feats are practically locked into Spell Focus (Conj), Ashbound/Greenbound, Augment Summoning, Natural Spell, Rapid Spell, and Elemental Summoning, for example.

- Spells are alignment-limited and the druid must have a neutral component to her alignment, which can limit the spell list sometimes, especially for summoning. Neutral (True Neutral) is easily the safest alignment in this regard, completely sidestepping the restrictions.

- Very few worthwhile alternative class features, unlike the wizard or cleric. The Shapeshift Druid is alright, but trades 2 good class features for one mediocre class feature. -Akalsaris

Pros: - The chassis: Druids have medium-high hitpoints, medium BAB, medium skills/level, medium-low armor and weapon proficiencies, and high fort/will saves. All decent, but not particularly strong, though the saves are quite nice.

- Spells: the most powerful tool in a druid's arsenal. First level starts off strong with Entangle, a very long-range battlefield control spell, and only gets better from there on. With a fast spell progression and wisdom based casting, the druid also has dozens of supplements' worth of spells to cherry-pick from, as she can cast any spell on her list with preparation. The ability to spontaneously cast Nature's Ally spells is another strong ability for summoning-focused druids, and can be helpful even to other kinds. Druid spells are typically either utility, battlefield control, or damaging, with a large sprinkling of divinations, healing, and buff spells. The Spell Compendium is notable for nerfing a lot of former druid staples, but introducing a ton of other excellent spells, especially self-buffs.

- Wild Shape: The next most powerful tool a druid has, at its best, wild shape allows a druid to cherry-pick through a dozen sourcebooks for animal forms that are the best answer to any given situation. Even if only limited to the Monster Manual, wild shape gives tremendous flexibility and allows druids of 8th level or higher to completely ignore Str and Dex in character creation, freeing up points for other stats. It also makes the druid's weak armor and weapon proficiencies a non-issue.

- Animal Companion: The linchpin to the druid's power, the animal companion is like having .5 more party members. At low levels it can function as a support tank, and at higher levels it can either be used to provide the party's less awesome members with flight, or it can become a tank in of itself. Dinosaurs especially are good at almost all levels. With 1 or 2 buffs such as a shared Bite of the Wereboar or an Animal Growth spell, the animal companion can easily match the party's fighter in tanking and damage output.

- Other class features: To top it off, the other druid abilities are pretty solid as well. Nature Sense is effectively a +2/+2 skills feat, while Wild Empathy is like a free, albeit limited, Diplomacy score. Venom Immunity is useful for evil druids who want to use poisons, while Timeless Body means that a druid starting at high levels can begin with +3 to all mental stats without the physical drawbacks. -Akalsaris
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More cons for druids: doesn't (easily) get access to time stop and wish. At this tier it's a consideration. If you're playing gamebreaking characters, not having access to a couple of gamebreaking techniques is significant especially when a lowly sorcerer CAN get those tricks. -Rebel7284

Here is the Druid Handbook.

Druids can tank better than any fighter by using Wildshape. They get 9th level spells from a varied list, especially when you include other sourcebooks. They also have the extremely handy animal companion.

The Lion of Talisid (Book of Exalted Deeds) is an okay prestige class. It advances wildshape, spellcasting, and animal companion. It's not that more powerful than just going straight Druid.

The prestige class Planar Shepard (Faiths of Eberron) is arguably the most powerful/broken druid prestige class out there and the one DMs should really think twice about allowing in games.
 
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Eman Resu

First Post
15Monk/15Druid with VoP, this player thinks the handicapp of Vop may lead him to enjoy what he considers to "too high of level to play" he, and admitedly myself, tend to retire pc's from 9 -12th level +/-.

What is your take on the above skeletal build? Any body do this before in some way shape or form? I think VoP works very well with this Gestalt build . The players language of "handicap" I think he knows what hes doing and is more interested in showing up the wiz's and Psions of groupand less interested in limiting his own pc's strength.
 

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