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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ClaytonCross" data-source="post: 7484987" data-attributes="member: 6880599">So if it has to be a Druid... (I still think a nature archer hunting down enemies of nature should be a Ranger subclass, but ok)1. Armor is an issue for druids because they CAN'T were metal armor (like a Range who have medium armor proficiency already might, lol), The only thing they get from Medium Armor proficiency is Hide which is 12+ max 2 dex...AC14, With Leather they get 11+max 5 dex for 16... so Medium armor is not a good answer for you if your GM is giving out standard magic items per rolling tables or is not willing to homebrew. At best this is a player forcing extra work on their GM at worse its a Player getting Medium armor proficiency but never actually getting anything from it resulting in taking Hide thinking its an improvement to end up with lower AC... They are using a bow so there is no help from a wooden shield. I only see two ways to fix this. First, you steel monks unarmored defense, which means taking something special from another class and I would try and avoid that, but since wisdom is the Druid caster stat it works allowing for up to AC20 while fitting with "you frequently travel to places (the underdark, the planes) where the connection to magic is weakened. So you train with weapons and armor in order to be effective even when your connection to the primal forces has been cut off" in that your training with monks. The biggest issue with this is that what your really doing is removing the one level multi-class dip of monk so this is just munchkin building through the creation of subclass instead of the multi-class toll. Your GM might hate the one level dip but its a cost for something and that lose effects the build and play. I think it needs to be there and actually the one level dip in monk fits your character story better and is something you could have fun playing out as you travel from place to place taking a dip in mink, fighter, rogue, and/or barbarian highlighting this really as background option "Corruption Hunter" that Druids, Rangers, Oath of Ancient Paladins, and maybe monks could take those being prerequisites for the back ground. Stealing is bad M'kay.Second, you take something that exists and modify it. An approach more like    A. +proficiency to AC (Warforged Integrated Protection which has little adapaptability into something new so would liley be a direct steal of a special feature you can get by being a warforged, so be one or not.)   B. reaction abilities that give disadvantage on an attack against you (Monks Patient defenses, The old one Patron Warlock's entropic ward, Bloodhunter's blood maledict. These you can change a little but they are mostly stealing, uninteresting, and two are Magical in nature which is against your "effective even when your connection to the primal forces has been cut off". If your looking of monk features mulit-class monk and pay your 1-3 level toll.)   C. damage reduction abilities (bards cutting words and barbarian rage, again mostly stealing)   D. Combining A & B we get a +proficiency to AC on reaction ability. Defensive Duelist feat which looks good because your dex based being ranged, then you realize it only works against melee and your best melee defense is staying at range. Sure if they get to you its a nice AC on reaction but in practice I think your will find the mobility feat lets you hit or miss with a dagger and run away at +10 ft of movement without an opportunity attack even against enemies with sentinel feat or a rip of of it since it does not rely on the disengage action. Also the +10 speed from mobility is persistent so unless your fighting monks, teleporting opponents, or barbarians with the same feat your not going to have to worry about melee fighters much which will be the majority of your enemies. Ranged is a different story but then spell saves don't care what your AC is and that's maybe half of the 30% of ranged your will run into. Then again, we are talking about feats you can already take so why?   E. Spells. So this to me is where things get interesting because spells aren't so much a class feature. They are something that is in the world that players learn to use like any other armor or weapon. Sure Armor of Agythys is only on the warlock spell list but alternate spell lists for subclasses in D&D are common. The issue you have is that the "in order to be effective even when your connection to the primal forces has been cut off" prohibits all of them as an answer. You could reskin one like shield as a class feature that burns a spell slot like smite does but then your still using spell slots aka "primal forces" In conclusion, If your going to be a ranged archer druid... I think your best defense is staying at range and making character choices in feats like mobility, races like warforged or wood elf with +5 speed, and multi-classing into other melee classes that they might want as your story dictates. If you REALLY feel they need more defense for that one in a while melee fight Shield of Faith would be the most appropriate one to add but then you have to say but...if I have no connection to magic I am no longer a Druid or a Ranger ... I am a fighter or a monk and I don't have spell slots.2. If your not using smite or spell abilities and your fighting at ranged with a bow, extra attack seems vital as you can't use hunter's mark or anyother magical in enhancement but to that point the only classes that can really pull off and archer without magic enhancements are <a href="https://www.sageadvice.eu/2014/09/17/monk-weapons/" target="_blank">Monks running closer throwing three 1d10 Daggers (one off hand) 20ft the running away each turn </a> and Fighters with extra attack eventually getting them 4 attacks in a turn with +2 to hit ranged weapons (If you take Crossbow Expert you can reload and fire without restriction and at point blank, 4 times 1d10 +dex). If you steal these from them your hurting them, but at the same time you could make monk your your nature based fighter with not metal armor add some druid spells to the subclass and it would be fine. Like I said stealing spells is pretty fair game for sub-classes. The final conclusion is for what your asking doing and why it has not been done is that a non-magic melee druid... is a Circle of the Moon turning into an Earth elemental or Mammoth and smashing faces in. If your willing to multi-class 1 level of monk for unarmored Defense, you can be an <a href="https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/01/14/druid-monk-unarmored-defense-in-shapeshift-form/" target="_blank">AC17 Water Elemental, AC18 Fire Elemental or an AC20 Air Elemental</a> and REALLY own those who would corrupt nature. I don't mention these to say "don't do your thing, do this!".. no.. do your thing. Just, really consider that the Druid has a lot going for it and your picking the ONE THING druids aren't good at of non-magical ranged combat and trying to give it to them... which is a bit of a hard sell, particularly when their are two classes designed around that your basically going to have to steel from (Three if you count the ranger even though it uses magic to enhance its archery) ... instead of making a nature based subclass on for one of them. It's do able and if you just have to make druids good at the one thing they are bad at...go ahead but I see more problems than solutions with taking a full caster and making it work in a non-magical environment. Its kind of taking the longest path to your destination and its going to be more problems than solutions the whole way. I so much easier to make a "Druidic corruption hunter" monk, ranger, or even fighter its staggering. I think this is why there is a Valor bard, the War cleric, and Bladesinger wizard. Most people will treat Circle of the Moon as the Melee druid/thank and they have magic ranged, its literately only non-magical range for them to be good at everything. Long winded, Sorry, its who I am. I don't expect any of this has actually changed our mind or improved your direction. I was trying to help with your build and this post is me writing my thought as I worked through it. Usually I find at least an ok answer but here all I could see was problems and that lead me to why. Perhaps you will find a hole I did not, that leads you to success. Truly, Best of luck to you.</blockquote>

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