Augment Summoning ... how worthwhile ?

[Elrik_DarkFury]

If my players felt that wild shape can/must be (ab)used like that then..
No problem!

Just watch their faces when they will have to deal with 4 druids wildshaped in a forest using the same tactic.Their chances to survive would be zero.

I don't want to discuss whether a fighter can recognize a crazy squirel casting or not.
You must let some of the realism in order to keep things balanced.

You can think spells a bit flashier than normal,or think that the visual effect more or less originates from the caster.
(that is to solve your difficulty imagining a way to detect squirrels casting).

That way your squirel can hide and blast easily (but after that pretty much everyone has seen him) and then run into woods,hide and repeat the process,

but certainly, you wont be able to cast spells almost in front of my face without being detected(like you should-in order to keep the balance).


____________________
The Wizard

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Ah... I guess I was thinking about wizards. Yeah, for druids it isn't a good deal. Maybe some of the non-core books have a few more spells, though.

Doesn't matter. +2 Str & +2 Con for summon critters is a fair bonus for a feat. I would happily take it two or three times as a Druid. For Druids the Spell Focus is just gravy.

 

[Zappo]

Doesn't matter. +2 Str & +2 Con for summon critters is a fair bonus for a feat. I would happily take it two or three times as a Druid. For Druids the Spell Focus is just gravy.

Plus four. Anyway, for Druids the Spell Focus is largely wasted... so you basically get a +4 Str & +4 Con for critters, but at the cost of two feats instead of one. I think that's still worth it, though.

 

[DM_Matt]

Some Conjuration Attaack Spells thaty Druids Get:

Bombardment (MGoF) -- Druid 8, d8/level(!), long range, 15-radius, no energy type, failed saves = buirial, full-round action to free themselves.

Cometfall (CD) -- Clr6/Druid6, complex damage rules but basically d6/level outdoors, only 10 foot area, makes trip attacks as a large creature with str 25 against all who are hit, no SR.

Poison Vines (CD) -- Druid 7, Wallish thing, Dex poison

Quill Blast (CD) -- Druid 5, 20 foot burst centered on you, enemies take a number of qulkls based on their size (1 tiny-, 1d4 small, 2d6 medium, 3d6 large, 4d6 huge+), each of which does 1d6 damage and gives a cumulative -1 on attacks, saves, and checks. Each quill needs a DC20 heal check and a standard action to remove, or without the successful heal check it deals 1d6 on the way out. Ref half the quills

Slime Wave (CD) Clr7/Druid 7, Ref negates, otherwise 1.round per level of 15 radius of green slime doing 1d6 con damge per round.

Storm of Elemental Fury (CD) Druid8, kind of like storm of veangeance


Unfortunately none of those in CA are Druidic. Most of these spells are really powerful, altouhgh none of them are low level. Bombardment is one of the best blasts out there, altohug hits radius is smallish, and Quill Blast and Slime Wave are just about the most devastating spells to use when being ganged up on in melee.