True Druid for your critique

[anon]

True Druid
as 3.5ePHB Druid except as follows

May not take, or have taken, any levels of Druid
True Neutral Only
No Animal Companion
No healing from Wildshaping
No Timeless Body

L1: Nature Sense (Ex), Wild Empathy (Ex)
L2: Woodland Stride (Ex), Trackless Step (Ex)
L3: Wildshape (1/day, small)
L4: Resist Nature's Lure (Ex), Wildshape (2/day)
L5: Wildshape duration unlimited
L6: Wildshape (3/day, medium)
L7: DR 1/cold iron, Natural Spell feat
L8: Wildshape (4/day, large)
L9: Wildshape (tiny), Venom Immunity (Ex)
L10: Wildshape (6/day)
L11: DR 2/cold iron, Wildshape as move action
L12: Wildshape (plant), A Thousand Faces (Su)
L13: Wildshape as free action (limit once per round)
L14: Wildshape (huge)
L15: DR 4/cold iron, Wildshape (unlimited times/day)
L16: Wildshape (elemental 1/day)
L17: DR 6/cold iron, Wildshape is (Su) ability
L18: Wildshape (elemental 2/day)
L19: DR 10/cold iron
L20: Wildshape (elemental 4/day)

Spell Progression as Druid
Access to all standard Druid spells, as well as Elemental sphere spells (Fire, Water, Air, Earth). If granted at a different levels the True Druid gains it at lowest possible level. (affecting: Wall of Fire Dr5/Fi4, Earthquake Dr8/Ea7, Wall of Stone Dr6/Ea5, Wind Wall Dr3/Ai2)

Net gains: More and better Wildshape, Natural Spell feat, DR, slightly better spell access
Net losses: Animal companion, healing through Wildshape, alignment restriction

Too strong? Not strong enough?

 

[Wombat]

Ummm, looks about the same to my eye.

But why is this a "True Druid"? How are the ones in the PHB not "True"?

 

[rkanodia]

You've forgotten, no TRUE druid likes sugar in his tea!

 

[anon]

True

The "True" part was flavor really. I didn't post any of the background/theory because I was mostly interested in whether it was balanced against the 3.5 druid class/other classes. I could have named it Alt Druid just as well I suppose.

Any other thoughts?
An easy room so far.

 

[clark411]

My only comment is that, as a player, DR 1 / cold iron would make me go "Whoop-tee-doo." Flavorwise, it's nifty that there's some attachment or relationship between this new druid and the fey (assuming that's what the cold iron DR is inspired by).

I'd rather go DR 2, DR 4, DR 6, DR 8, DR 10 rather than the jump between 6 and 10.

Also, I think the DR and better spells makes for a little more balancing. If only just calling for Druids to be "specialized" in one element and forbidden from casting an opposing one, Earth Druids not casting Air spells.. Water Druids avoiding Fire spells etc.

 

[anon]

Updated Chart

clark,

You are correct. The cold iron DR is taken directly from the Fey. I was initially trying to design a half-fey race, but it morphed into an alt.druid.

The issue with DR is that I wanted it to be useful, but at the same time it is a powerful ability and I didn't want to overdo it. Also, I had to make sure that I didn't step on the Barbarian's toes--never a good idea with a Barbarian. Using the Barbarian as a model I started with DR1 at level 7. The Barbarian's DR is the best there is, but cold iron as a weapon choice would be relatively unusual as well, and so DR #/cold iron would be very effective as well.

But, I do think you have a point. By 7th level and above most things are probably hitting for enough damage, or using spells, so that DR1 is relatively meaningless. I redid the chart a bit. It still starts with DR1, but it scales a bit more smoothly and aggressively.


L1: Nature Sense (Ex), Wild Empathy (Ex)
L2: Woodland Stride (Ex), Trackless Step (Ex)
L3: Wildshape (1/day, small)
L4: Resist Nature's Lure (Ex), Wildshape (2/day)
L5: Wildshape duration unlimited
L6: Wildshape (3/day, medium)
L7: DR 1/cold iron, Natural Spell feat
L8: Wildshape (4/day, large)
L9: DR 2/cold iron, Wildshape (tiny)
L10: Wildshape (6/day), Venom Immunity (Ex)
L11: DR 3/cold iron, Wildshape as move action
L12: Wildshape (plant), A Thousand Faces (Su)
L13: DR 4/cold iron, Wildshape as free action (limit once per round)
L14: Wildshape (huge)
L15: DR 6/cold iron, Wildshape (unlimited times/day)
L16: Wildshape (elemental 1/day)
L17: DR 8/cold iron, Wildshape is (Su) ability
L18: Wildshape (elemental 2/day)
L19: DR 10/cold iron
L20: Wildshape (elemental 4/day)

The real question: are the extra abilities of this class attractive enough for you to give up an animal companion and wildshape healing?

 

[Nifft]

Damage reduction and unlimited wild shape? Yeah. Very powerful.

Honestly, though, this class seems more chaotic than neutral -- chaotic creatures tend to have DR/Cold Iron (Fey, Demons), and the fluidity of unlimited shapeshifting is chaotic too.

Your version also gives a lot of abilities early. I could see plenty of PCs taking 2-3 levels of this class just to get Woodland Stride, Trackless Step and Wildshape 1/day. (Barbarians in particular.)

In summation: I think it's overpowered, but not horribly so.

-- N

 

[Golem2176]

Would someone please tell me why it is som much more important to wildshape into a plant than a dire animal.

A qoute from the DnD 3.5 PHB:
"Wild Shape (Su): At 5th level, a druid gains the ability to turn himself into any small or medium animal and back again once per day."

This makes sense to me.

A qoute from the DnD 3.5 PHB:
"At 12th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to turn into a plant creature, such as a shambling mound, with the same size restrictions as for animal forms."

How did we go from Dire wild shaping to Plant wild shaping. Someone please tell me, I'm going out of my mind. I've played many druids in my time, but never have I ever felt the need to turn into a plant or plant creature.

 

[Nifft]

Easy -- Wild Shape no longer discriminates between normal and Dire animals, just Small, Medium, Large, Tiny and other sizes.

So, at 5th level, you can Wild Shape into a Dire Rat (size Small).

See? Druids are cooler in 3.5e! Yay!

-- N, easily delighted

 

[Golem2176]

So why would a character want to wildshape into a rat, if he can wildshape into a dire rat?