Druid: exchange wild shape for turning?

[The Shaman]

I'm not wild (pun intended) about druids anymore.

Druid was once my favorite class, but now I find them a bit trite and too rigidly defined by their class abilities.

I'm contemplating exchanging wild shape for turning spirits instead - spirits would be undead, elementals, and other creatures with the [spirit] classification. Since I'm considering a world with few monsters but many spirits, this is a pretty good ability.

BTW, I'm using PHB core classes only, with a few modifications like this one.

Your thoughts?

 

[palleomortis]

I think you gotta do what you gotta do. What ever floats your boat works man. Right now, my dm and I are playing a campaign where half the stuff is out of the mind of the dm. If you have read eragon, you'll have a better idea of what we're doing. We are using power words, were almost every one is magical. Just aboute every variable has been messed with. It makes thing more fun for me, becuase instead of knowing what I shouldn't know at first level, I come across information that is totally differant. That and with a power word, you cand do so much more. good luck.

 

[Brain]

I'm contemplating exchanging wild shape for turning spirits instead - spirits would be undead, elementals, and other creatures with the [spirit] classification. Since I'm considering a world with few monsters but many spirits, this is a pretty good ability.

BTW, I'm using PHB core classes only, with a few modifications like this one.

Your thoughts?

Seems reasonable to me. Sounds similar to what the Spirit Shaman has (from complete divine). I know you only want PHB core classes, but you may want to look at that class for reference if you haven't already.

 

[Sekket]

If you want to do that, either add in the spirit shaman, or make a cleric (of some nature appropriate diety) who takes feats to let him do that.

Turn WildShape, the only truly unique thing the Druid has, into something else unique if you must.

 

[Nyaricus]

hey, if you want a celtic-inspired druid (unlike that trashy one in the PHB) check out my comments (adn class) on this thread:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=144703

you will have to scroll down a bit though

 

[Sadrik]

I have always been a fan of giving the druid alter self, polymorph and shape change and nix all of the wildshape abilities. Yeah I know those are all not as "powerful" as wildshape but...

Turn undead is exceedingly powerful, undead are a joke in my game they fought fifty zombies and destroyed them all with a wave of a hand (well it was several turn attempts). If you want stuff like this to happen a lot, it will work. From the sound of how you are setting up your monsters it *will* happen a lot and in my oppinion you shouldnt have an ability like that if all of your monsters are spirits (or even a big chunk of them).

 

[Belmont20xx]

While the idea of wildshape for turning seems fine, it doesn't seem to me to fit with the druid's flavor and abilities to be able to turn spirits, elementals especially. My reccomendation would be to allow them to turn constructs, undead, and aberrations. These are all unnatural creatures and would be more deserving of a druid's wrath.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Have you checked out Mongooses Quint Druid?

 

[Nyaricus]

Have you checked out Mongooses Quint Druid?

ummm, heres the thing, nothing in Q Druid helps with what is being said here. the only "variantions" of the PHB druid are some crappy skill-swapping bits and something about using a quarterstaff. I know this because i downloaded the book, read it, and promptly deleted it. not worth buying, in my estimation. besides, the PHB druid isnt even a "true" druid. if you check out my above comments, theres another thread-link which i give a basic outline of how the celtic-inspired (not shapechanging dudes with the "druid" title) druid really was, and his duties, etc. some good mineing info, for those who care.

but . . .as for The Shamans original question, i think that the spirit shaman class from Complete Divine might be able to solve your problems with the druid. he has alot of abilities revolving around spirits, adn is nature-oriented too. if that still doesnt satisfy you (if you decide to break your self-instigated taboo about using only PHB classes) just take the druid class, and get rid of wildshape, animal companion, and the thousand faces bit (the thousand faces abilitiy, along with the barbarians trap sense ability are tied for me in things that irk me the most about the PHB classes) and swap in some powers from the spirit shaman. i am sure if you ask for, i, or someone else could go into greater deatil to help design a class for you. i think somethign a little non-standar might be able to help you here alot.

anyways, good luck with all of this .