10th lvl Druid in the Underdark

[Spatzimaus]

Heh, if capture is imminant - coat yourself in contact poison as discreetly as possible, then surrender and just -wait- for those captors to try and tie you up.

Why wait for capture? Spread some on your fists and punch the bad guys. An Evil Druid would make a great assassin, just go shake the King's hand. Better yet, Wild Shape into a cat, coat yourself with contact poison and get him to pet you. Poison immunity is REALLY fun some times.

Unfortunately, though, your animal companions won't be immune to your poisons unless you pick the right kinds, so be careful petting the doggy.

 

[kristov]

Casting spells in Wildshape

Can 3.5 Druids cast spells while in Wildshape form or did they add a feat to the PHB for that?

I know they had a feat in Masters of the Wild for it....

Kris

 

[youspoonybard]

Need the feat, still.

 

[DM_Matt]

Need the feat, still.

But now its Core (In the PH)

 

[Argent Silvermage]

But now its Core (In the PH)

Yes it is in the core book. but it is still a feat you have to take.

 

[Delemental]

The feat you're speaking of is Natural Spell. It's been improved in 3.5 - where the original version did not address material components (meaning you either had to get Eschew Materials or only cast spells without materials), the new version says that you can use any material components and foci you have.

Natural Spell also doesn't affect the level of spells, unlike most metamagic feats.

But you're probably looking for immediate benefits, not things to buy later. In 3.5 you no longer have to wait until 12th level to turn into dire animals; you're just limited to dire animals of a size you can wild shape into and whose HD don't exceed your level. So you could turn into up to a 10 HD dire animal now.

Are you memorizing healing spells? If so, then stop - unless your group is without a cleric (hard to imagine in a party of 7). Leave the healing to classes that get spontaneous cure spells. Now, 3.5 druids will be able to spontaneously cast the Summon Nature's Ally spells, so there's a bit more flexibility for you. Even relatively weak summoned monsters can provide a flanking bonus.

Druids get a fair assortment of buff spells that will work on your companions (barkskin, and the 'animal buff' spells in 3.5). You'll also like the new Call Lightning - it's actually useful in tactical combats (less damage, but it shoots off every round instead of once every ten minutes).

 

[Piratecat]

Remember, you don't suck. You're just differentially useful.

 

[Nareau]

your wildshape gives you the animal type so animal growth, nature's favor and the other animalboost spells work on you too

Actually, while Animal Growth can technically target you, magical effects that change your size don't stack. So if you wildshape into a dire ape, then Animal Growth yourself, you're not going to be getting any bigger. You will get the other benefits (bonus to saves, DR, etc.)

On the other hand, 3.5 allows reach weapons to double a creature's natural reach. So you can pick up a Large Longspear, wildshape into a dire ape, and have a reach of 20'.

I'm thinking that a dire lion is going to be your best combat form. Or maybe a deinonychus.

Check out this thread for some other druid ideas (not all of which will work, but some of which are worth considering).
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=55915

Spider

 

[DM_Matt]

Actually, while Animal Growth can technically target you, magical effects that change your size don't stack. So if you wildshape into a dire ape, then Animal Growth yourself, you're not going to be getting any bigger. You will get the other benefits (bonus to saves, DR, etc.)

Are you sure that applies to wild shape? I was under the impression that it only applied to things where the actual effect was to increase your size, but not necessarily when you happen to take an entirely different shape that is a different size.

 

[Nifft]

10th level Druid in the Underdark: SUMMON EARTH ELEMENTALS! See if you can get your DM to allow you to have an Elemental Companion (Earth, of course) that's exactly as powerful as whatever animal you would normally have. (Animal <-> Elemental equivalence can be estimated by looking at what the Summon Nature's Ally spells can give you at various levels.) If you can't, you can still use Earth Elementals to good effect: they can flank foes who are up against a wall, after all!

You still control the environment, even if it's not a standard environment:

Stone Spells: Stone Shape, Spike Stones, Transmute Rock <-> Mud, and soon Wall of Stone to control the most basic physical environment

Hallow: Put a Quaal's Feather Token: Tree here, so there's an Oak tree within the Hallow'd zone, then you can easily make your escape using another QFT: Tree and the Tree Stride (or Transport Via Plants) spell. Having a Hallow'd base camp is useful for a variety of reasons, which should be obvious. I'd put a Protection from Scrying in the Hallow if possible.

Information Getting / Preventing: Control Plants (deliberately includes fungi), Obscuring Mist + Blindsight, Pass Without Trace, Scrying, and most of all..

Commune With Nature -- even more valuable when the map is 3d.

Rusting Grasp -- Hi, Mr. Iron Golem! Bye, Mr. Iron Golem!

Giant Vermin -- the Underdark has some, ah, interesting vermin.

Druids are cool.

-- Nifft