Animal Companions at higher Level

[pbd]

I'm not sure why the Cleric (with better weapon & armour choices) hasn't been forced to the frontline before the Druid...

Anyway. Might I suggest using some of your very good summoning spells to fill the frontline duties?

And don't think that the animal has to be as powerful as a frontline fighter... just realize that the Druid, with all his class abilities (the companion, etc.) IS more powerful then the Fighter.


Mike

The druid was designed to be a melee fighter, loosely based on a charcter in a book. Basically, he fights in animal form (tiger) and buffs to make himself as tough as possible.

 

[mikebr99]

The druid was designed to be a melee fighter, loosely based on a charcter in a book. Basically, he fights in animal form (tiger) and buffs to make himself as tough as possible.

I wasn't trying to suggest that your character was not doing the right thing or anything... the Druid, being argueably the most powerful class, is well suited for frontline duty... at lease some time. But the Druid's melee power is also a function of the power from the animal companion.


IE. If you meet an ememy Druid, and defeat him in combat... you don't get more experience if he has his companion with him... his CR is assuming he does have the animal with him.


Mike

 

[pbd]

I wasn't trying to suggest that your character was not doing the right thing or anything... the Druid, being argueably the most powerful class, is well suited for frontline duty... at lease some time. But the Druid's melee power is also a function of the power from the animal companion.


IE. If you meet an ememy Druid, and defeat him in combat... you don't get more experience if he has his companion with him... his CR is assuming he does have the animal with him.


Mike

Not a problem and good point. I think part of the problem is the DM sometimes handles monsters strangely.

He routinely targets spellcasters (how his monsters can pick the cleric in plate out vs a fighter is strange..) to the exclusion of the fighter wailing on him. Or he will target one character with evrything, even if it falls half way through the attacks. He rationalizes this by saying the attackers are evil and want to take someone with them, even if they are going to die; but it seems a little strange sometimes. He does try and play encounters smart and we have NPCs and monsters flee quite often if they are getting smoked. But half the time we end a fight with about 2 dead (the wizard and my druid's animal companion or the druid himself) and everyone else barely hurt, if at all. This can get annoying, luckily he has houserules raising and such to not always drain lose a level and you get a save to keep your point on con. The DM has created a tough world...

 

[Klaus]

The druid was designed to be a melee fighter, loosely based on a charcter in a book. Basically, he fights in animal form (tiger) and buffs to make himself as tough as possible.

Then take the Nature Warrior PrC from Complete Warrior asap.

 

[pbd]

Then take the Nature Warrior PrC from Complete Warrior asap.

As I said earlier, we are playing just core.

 

[Klaus]

Then the archetype you choose to play will be less-than-effective (like a Fighter choosing to specialize in wielding two daggers). If your going just Core, then Wildshaping into the fray (specially as a tiger, when you could be choosing 11HD animals -- Elephants, Polar Bears, Dire Tigers and Dire Bears are very good) is not your best option. A core druid should be summoning several creatures (elementals are nice) and calling lightning or producing flame upon his foes. If melee is the way to go, get a dragonhide full plate to bump your AC, summon a flame blade (touch attacks rule!).

 

[kenobi65]

What have you spent your AC's feats on? There are several "monster" feats in the MM that might help combat viability:

- Improved Natural Attack (make that d6 into a d8)
- Improved Natural Armor (only a +1 bonus, not that swell)

And, of course, Improved Toughness.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Next time your companion go into combat with a big baddie (and any dragon immediately qualifies), slap Bull's Strength, Barkskin, Animal Growth and Greater Magic Fang on it before sending it off to pounce upon a foe.

And enter combat on Round Five? By then half the party will already be dead. Spending more than a single round buffing is, IMO, never a good idea.

Try to talk your DM into allowing your druid to reincarnate your tiger as a Dire Tiger.

No DM in his right mind would allow this, until the Dire Tiger becomes legitimately available as an animal companion (at druid level 16.)

My best advice to you pbd is to do what you're doing. Magic items. Have the tiger retreat if he's being pummeled. Also, you might consider sending him after minions, instead of the Big Bad. He should be more than a match for some minions, even if he can't handle the six attacks of the dragon.

On the plus side, there's no penalty to having an animal companion die. You can pick up a new tiger in a few hours in the forest.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Rapid Spell is your friend.

Yes and no.

The problem is that most druids don't prepare SNA spells; they cast them spontaneously.

A Rapid spontaneous SNA is a spontaneous full round spell with a metamagic feat applied - increasing its casting time by a full round action - which then gets reduced by Rapid Spell.

Now, when Rapid Spell is applied to a spell with a casting time of 'one round plus one full round action', is the end result a casting time of one round, or a full round action, or a standard action?

-Hyp.

 

[DevoutlyApathetic]

Yes and no.

The problem is that most druids don't prepare SNA spells; they cast them spontaneously.

A Rapid spontaneous SNA is a spontaneous full round spell with a metamagic feat applied - increasing its casting time by a full round action - which then gets reduced by Rapid Spell.

Now, when Rapid Spell is applied to a spell with a casting time of 'one round plus one full round action', is the end result a casting time of one round, or a full round action, or a standard action?

-Hyp.

Doesn't the sentance under special "This feat can be applied to a spell cast spontaneously as long as its original casting time was longer than 1 full round" kinda make that bit moot?