D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 Druid (again)

[Dark Dragon]

The part that I don't like (from the Elemental Wildshape description) is: "In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the druid gains all the elemental's extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. "

That sentence makes it sound like they are removing Extraordinary abilities from animals again... which is just plain dumb.

Unless they have added some kind of new category for things like Rend, Constrict, Attach and the like, I have my first house rule for the revised edition.

I second that. Shifter PrC will get weak if the extraordinary abilities are to be removed from WS.

WS will be house ruled in the group if Polymorph dumps it as it was the case in 3.0 PHB...

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

Yes, but in Urban Arcana you don't get an Animal Companion until 2nd level. So presumably the chart effects would be moved down one level for Druids (and up 3 for Rangers).

Would you mind listing those chart effects for the first level at which you have the companion? The DM for the game I'm playing in is using pretty much all the 3.5 he can find out and is comfortable with even before it officially comes out. We are playing one more time this month, and while there's no guarantee that the Urban Arcana animal companion rules will be used straight up for the druid rules, if it at least seems reasonable, he might be willing to go with that for now. I'll still be a level 1 druid until 3.5 comes out, so knowing just that first line would be awesome.

Thanks

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Nice. If the Druid now can assume the Form of Plants, Tendriculos and Treant are now on his form list... If they now would still gain Extraordinary abilities.. and if they didn`t change the type of that creautres... that are many ifs...

 

[nharwell]

Would you mind listing those chart effects for the first level at which you have the companion? The DM for the game I'm playing in is using pretty much all the 3.5 he can find out and is comfortable with even before it officially comes out. We are playing one more time this month, and while there's no guarantee that the Urban Arcana animal companion rules will be used straight up for the druid rules, if it at least seems reasonable, he might be willing to go with that for now. I'll still be a level 1 druid until 3.5 comes out, so knowing just that first line would be awesome.

Thanks

Summary of Urban Arcana rules for the Wildlord:

You get your animal companion at 2nd level; it has "link" and "share spells." Link gives you a bonus to Handle Animal rolls with your companion.

At 3rd level (and every 3 levels thereafter), your companion gets +2 Hit Dice, +2 natural armor, and +1 Strength. It also gains some other abilites (Evasion, bonuses vs. enchantments, Multi-attack, and Improved Evasion).

 

[Dimwhit]

You get your animal companion at 2nd level; it has "link" and "share spells." Link gives you a bonus to Handle Animal rolls with your companion.

At 3rd level (and every 3 levels thereafter), your companion gets +2 Hit Dice, +2 natural armor, and +1 Strength. It also gains some other abilites (Evasion, bonuses vs. enchantments, Multi-attack, and Improved Evasion).

This is cool and all, but for some Druids, it won't do any good. My Druid, when he does get an animal companion, doesn't keep him long. He likes to befriend them in certain areas and hang out for a while. Maybe learn about the local area, adventure a bit, then release them back and go off and get another. It wasn't a power things, just a roleplay thing. I guess he won't get hurt by the new rules (other than the new 24-hour prayer ritual to get a new one), he just won't benefit much.

 

[Ferret]

I don't like the plant wild shape, as it takes the wind out a few prc's.

 

[bertman4]

It was too nice. It meant that druids had very little reason to take Knowledge (nature), which was downright strange, and perfect knowledge of anything is an awfully big signing bonus for taking the opening level (or levels) of a class.

I'm assuming Skill Focus has been changed to +3 and that it stacks with bonuses from class abilites such as Nature Sense and other double-3Efeats. As for the perfect identification, perhaps that is now a low level spell?

Bertman

 

[bertman4]

5th level for a medium-sized druid (dire weasel and badger).

That's because the monster classifications are changing slightly. IIRC they are doing away with beasts and changing them (mostly, I think) into animals. Any animal-like creature that has a supernatural ability is a magical beast.

Bertman

 

[sinmissing]

From Revision Spotlight:

"The new form's Hit Dice can't exceed the character's druid level. For instance, a druid can't take the form of a dire bear (a Large creature that always has at least 12 HD) until 12th level, even though she can begin taking Large forms at 8th level."

So, you won't be seeing dire bears any sooner than 3.0

 

[Suldulin]

I really, really, really dislike them tying wildshape back into polymorph, it's taking a step back.

I also dislike that nature sense seems to no longer be able to tell if water is safe to drink(unless that's been added to the survival skill?)

otherwise is great