Are Druids regarded as the most powerful class in 3.5?

[Mr. Patient]

They are certainly the biggest drain on time in a game.
...
If he summons multiples, he could have up to 6 creatures to run and then he gets to attack with his shifted form AND his pet.

This, to me, is the main problem with the class as currently written. If the druid has time to summon (not always the case, but pretty frequently), he completely dominates the combat, because he has so many damned actions. He's a bear, his companion's a bear, he summons a bunch of bears, they all get claw/claw/bites, and they have improved grab. By the time it's the rogue's turn to Tumble into position to get a single attack, he's fallen asleep. And if the druid has Augment Summoning, and has time for animal growth, then those summoned bears are going to outshine most of the party anyway.

The druid in my campaign has voluntarily taken the spontaneous rejuvenation alternate class feature from PH2 to help alleviate the problem. It still may not be enough.

 

[Henry]

Well, the rules don't say they do any more

Wildshape is based of Alternate Form, not Polymorph, and Alternate Form doesn't change your type.

-Hyp.

THAT's where I remember seeing it! Thanks!

I knew they screwed me twice over that latest errata -- first, when the CON change doesn't change hit points, and second when you can't use God's Greatest Spell, Nature's Avatar, on yourself anymore...

 

[Henry]

This, to me, is the main problem with the class as currently written. If the druid has time to summon (not always the case, but pretty frequently), he completely dominates the combat, because he has so many damned actions. He's a bear, his companion's a bear, he summons a bunch of bears, they all get claw/claw/bites, and they have improved grab. By the time it's the rogue's turn to Tumble into position to get a single attack, he's fallen asleep. And if the druid has Augment Summoning, and has time for animal growth, then those summoned bears are going to outshine most of the party anyway.

The druid in my campaign has voluntarily taken the spontaneous rejuvenation alternate class feature from PH2 to help alleviate the problem. It still may not be enough.

HOWEVER, note that many of the most recent summoning spells require concentration to use; between this and the changes to Psion-Shapers in Complete Psionic, WotC is slowly revising Summonings to be a one-creature-only affair...

 

[Nifft]

HOWEVER, note that many of the most recent summoning spells require concentration to use; between this and the changes to Psion-Shapers in Complete Psionic, WotC is slowly revising Summonings to be a one-creature-only affair...

[TANGENT]
My rules revamp idea for Summonings would be to have one Summoning spell, rather than one creature in effect at a time. Otherwise plague of quasits won't be very effective at all....

Also, I like the idea of allowing a higher-level spell to summon 2 (level-1) or four (level-2) critters. Gives those spells a lot more flexibility... and if you have to pay a FULL 1 ROUND casting time, you better get some flexibility!
[/TANGENT]

Cheers, -- N

PS: What they did to the Shaper was just wrong, mang.

 

[Mr. Patient]

HOWEVER, note that many of the most recent summoning spells require concentration to use; between this and the changes to Psion-Shapers in Complete Psionic, WotC is slowly revising Summonings to be a one-creature-only affair...

I noticed that recently when I was going to have an enemy cleric use summon bearded devil. After I read the spell more closely, I realized that it wasn't going to be a worthwhile trade to have the cleric just concentrating the whole time. The pendulum may have swung too far in the other direction. But "one creature only" would certainly help.

 

[Darklone]

The bolded spells are hardly capable of "raining down destruction".

Druid in wildshape with extra fire damage due to Produce Flame is nothing to frown at at lower levels... Neither is chain lightning. It's no one-shot kill, but during longer encounters the druid deals a huge load of damage without wasting many resources.

 

[Stalker0]

Having played a very-high to epic-level druid, wildshape ain't what it's cracked up to be. Very few animals have an armor class naturally above a 20, and if your DM doesn't allow that "wild" enhancement to armor or miscellaneous items, turning into wildshape means depending on NOTHING but the animal's and your natural stats. It's great that you have a 30 STR... until a high-level fighter or melee-monster gets within 5 to 15 feet of you...

Why would a druid ever let a powerful melee guy near them if they are worried about the damage? The trick with a druid is with natural spell they have supreme flexibility. If they want to stay at range, they can call lightning or something. And in wildshape, there speed is usually high enough to avoid most melee combats.

Or when fighting a better spellcaster (wizard), they rush in and grapple with their superior strength and size. Nor do they have the vulnerability to grappling that other casters do.

 

[Henry]

Why would a druid ever let a powerful melee guy near them if they are worried about the damage? The trick with a druid is with natural spell they have supreme flexibility. If they want to stay at range, they can call lightning or something. And in wildshape, there speed is usually high enough to avoid most melee combats.

Or when fighting a better spellcaster (wizard), they rush in and grapple with their superior strength and size. Nor do they have the vulnerability to grappling that other casters do.

Agreed, and it's the first tactic I always pulled -- fly away, my little halfling druid, fly away... However, without his periapt of WIS +6 in wildshape, he was a lot less effective.

And everytime I tried the wildshaped "rush in and grab the caster" trick, the caster's hordes of fighter or barbarian bodyguards would clean my clock. Admittedly, when I discovered the joy of shapechanged pit fiend forms, I had a lot easier time of it.

 

[Darklone]

Don't forget the monk1/druids or the UA variants.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I don't think my druid has engaged in (wildshaped) hand to hand combat since she was level 7 - too darned risky! Besides, a 60 year old grandmother shouldn't be having to do things like that

Her preference is to use wildshape to stay out of the way and summon proxies to fight on her behalf!