need help with a balanced build druid

[Nifft]

Without a special entry it's arguable that the feat can't even be taken twice for different natural weapons, which is silly. This is one thing I think we can both agree upon.

Yes, we can agree that the lack of a "Special" line makes it a very ambiguous Feat, and that this needs to be cleared up.

In the mean time, I think it's safe to say that you should take the Feat at least once per natural attack, since it *will* stack with the improved damage die granted by Enlarge Person (have a friendly Wizard handy to cast this on you).

-- N

 

[queldonus]

problem solved

i've talked with my dm and he had another idea, one that beats the crap out of improved natural attack. he will let me take the feat "Hands as Weapons" from arcanna unearthed. for those of you not familiar with it, it lets you or anyone else with the craft magical arms and armor feat enchant your hands or other natural weapon as if they were a manufactured weapon. i can get my bite and my claws enchanted if i take it twice, which i fully intend to do.
i can make this work exactally how i want, plus it's just damn cool.
he will let me go back and add higher abilities as my own skills grow, or as i get access to a higher level caster, so i can start enchanting right away. I'm thinking i should aply a different special effect, like fire or electrical or whatever on each hand and on my bite. any suggestions as to what?

i've seen some good ideas here, and since this is my first druid i'll appreciate any advice yall want to give.

 

[Benben]

Suggestions?

Nothing exceeds like excess.

Feats: Hands Like Weapons. Improved Natural Attack (Claw), Improved Natural Attack (Bite), Multiattack

Weapon Enchantments: Energy effects so something is bound to go through damage reduction. An alignment enchantment if your character isn't True Neutral. And Wounding will be nice with your large amount of attacks.

 

[Nail]

queldonus, your ECL is still off.

2 (HD) + 3 (LA) = 5 (ECL)

Anyway......

I would think the energy choice would be obvious: Sonic. Few monsters have Sonic energy resistance, and having your teeth make a sonic roar every time you attack would be......


......yep. Silly.

 

[queldonus]

the ecl is 3, the level adjustment is +1
2HD +1 = 3
sorry about all the confusion

i'll have to take hands as weapons twice, just like improved natural attack.
improved natural attack would move my claws base damage from a d3 to a d4. i can get a lot more out of another feat, and elemental modifiers should add plenty of damage themselves.

my main problem is that i'm not getting any bonus feats. that means i get 5 more by level 18. two are already needed for hands as weapons.


i'm considering taking a level of ranger for my first class level. it's the favored class for me so i won't have a multiclass xp penealty
this gives me:
A) tracking as a bonus feat. i can track by scent alone since i have the scent special ability. since druids get no bonus feats this will save me having to use one of mine
B) weapon proficiencies i wouldn't normally get. mainly i want to be able to use a bow or crossbow. i know i won't get the ranger's special bow abilities without additional levels, but all i really need is proficiency. i want to be mostly druid.
C)a few skills are in class for the ranger that aren't in class for the druid. most notably is search.
D)a +1 attack bonus. druids don't get +1 till level 2 of druid
E)a favored enemy. i could use some suggestions for this too.


so it boils down to this: what feats are most important for well rounded druid, is it worth the multiclass for just one level of ranger, if so is there a favored enemy that's important to get, and as always, any other druid suggestions

 

[Scion]

As you wont get much use out of the druids wildshaping ability you might just want to go mostly ranger. I would say even one or two levels of monk and then the rest ranger (find out how your dm will work the monks abilities in with your race abilities, or failing that find out how he rules the monks belt). This will get you the ac you need, and the spells you want.

I guess I'm just not sure why you want to go druid. Ranger has mostly the same flavor for what you seem to be going for, and the monk part adds a little more to the same concept. All in all it looks like fun though

 

[Spatula]

If it could only be taken once, why more than one value after the 1d10?

Seriously: go back, read the words you cut-n-pasted in to your previous post, and give a reason why you really think they needed to write the damage progression twice.

They didn't. There's two seperate progressions there, one that deals in d6s at the upper levels and one that deals in d8s. If the 1d10 progression stopped at 2d8, you wouldn't be able to determine the new damage for a natural attack that already does Xd8 (X > 1). Like the aforementioned Dragon Turtle.

IMPROVED NATURAL ATTACK
Prerequisite: Natural weapon, base attack bonus +4.
Benefit: Choose one of the creature's natural attack forms. The damage for this natural weapon increases by one step, as if the creature's size had increased by one category: 1d2, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, 6d6, 8d6, 12d6. A weapon or attack that deals 1d10 points of damage increases as follows: 1d10, 2d8, 3d8, 4d8, 6d8, 8d8, 12d8.