Druid help (Help me, a poor n00b to the Druid)

[isoChron]

Most important : Natural Spell from MotW ... never go without it.
But remember: most spells need a divine focus ! The focus gets unfunctional if you wildshape ! So drop the focus, wildshape and pick up the focus again. Cheap but nothing for stress situations.
Next best: wilding clasp. Attach divine focus to clasp and it remains functional even in wildshape.
The best is to take at least 1 level of SHIFTER from MotW: The shifter can freely choose which items remain functional. Important if you own a periapt of wisdom, the divine focus, ring of deflection .....
You will get no spell progression as shifter, you must burn a feat (endurance, boooh) but you get some nice extras due to Greater Wildshape. If you choose to wildshape often, take shifter and all you need is high CON. Perhaps high WIS for Spells.

The new wildshape rules from Master of the Wild have (as mentioned by others) no connection to polymorph anymore.
You can use all extraordinary abilities of the new form, you can stay wildshaped as long as you like (even for weeks!) and there is no HD-limit anymore, just the size limits your available forms and the type of course.

Fast wildshape is a cute little feat which makes wildshaping a MEA instead of a SA. This is important for first rounds of combat sometimes.

Enlarge spell is good, too. Just think of long range wilderness encounters, improved spell range for CLOSE spells may save your butt, too.

Silent spell is always useful. Even with natural spell you still must use a verbal component ! It just sounds ... different: "Eeeeeek eeeeeeeeeek" cries the Eagle and "ZOOOOOOOM goes the Flame Strike.

There are few important skills for your druid:
Wilderness Lore for track and flavor and all other wilderness things,
Knowledge Nature is seldom used but very important for Hierophant (must have PrC) and later at epic levels for dragon wildshape and company .
Intuit Direction can save a spell,
spot is a must have for scouting.
Ah ! And the good old Concentration should be high enough to cast on the defense ! This is also important for wildshaping face to face with your enemy.

Funny how similar the proposals are ... simple to play a druid, isn't it ?

Bye ...

 

[Suldulin]

Re: Re: Re: clarification.

I'm sorry but when was this decided? All I have read says otherwise.

that's how it's been, even in 2e you limits were just that you couldn't assume the same type of animal once but day but you could choose from any type, in 3e even that limit was removed

 

[isoChron]

It would take a whole lot of space to retype the NEW WILDSHAPE RULE from MotW (p.11) that supersedes the broken one from the PHB.
I just say : Get a print of Masters of the Wild. Best of the splatbooks out there. This wildshape makes sense. Not such a .... as a Constrictor can't constrict .... Bah.
It's more like Shapechange, which also grants the EX-abilities. Only drawback is: Once you've choosen a wildshape form for a use of wildshape this is fixed as long as you don't use another wildshape or return to your normal form.

Did i mention the shifter ?

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Re: Re: Re: Re: clarification.

that's how it's been, even in 2e you limits were just that you couldn't assume the same type of animal once but day but you could choose from any type, in 3e even that limit was removed

To quote the 3rd edition players hand book. Page 35.
"Wild Shape: at 5th level, a druid gains the spell like ability to Polymorph Self into a small or medium-sized animal (but not a dire animal) and back again once per day. (see the Polymorph self spell, page 237), unlike the standard use of the spell, however, the druid may adopt only one form.
To quote Masters of the wild. page 12.
"Beginning at 5th level, the druid gains the ability to use wild shape. During her career, a variety if choices present themselves as she masters larger and smaller forms, and eventualy she can assume the form of a dire animal or an elemental. The aray of options can be downright bewildering."

No where does it state that the druid can assume any animal form but it is fairly specific that you have to choose a form for that size group. that is why they emphiseze the word and discuss the options for those choices.

I don't want this to seem like flaming. But I want it to be done right. The only wildshape that lets you do any form in that catigory is Greater Wild Shape and you have to be a Shapeshifter Prc to do that.
and in 2nd edition you had to choose the animal type as well. and on top of that you could not use the for 2 times in a 24 hour period.

 

[Pielorinho]

It would take a whole lot of space to retype the NEW WILDSHAPE RULE from MotW (p.11) that supersedes the broken one from the PHB.

No need to retype it; you can get it right here, on Wizard's Web site.

A relevant clause:

At 5th level, a druid gains the spell-like ability to turn herself into a Small or Medium-size animal (but not a dire animal or a legendary animal) and back again once per day. The druid may adopt only one animal form per use of this ability.

"Per use" means "per occasion," not "per time allowed per day." So you can be a different animal every day as soon as you reach 5th level.

Argent, your DM is screwing you over .

Daniel

 

[Pielorinho]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: clarification.

No where does it state that the druid can assume any animal form but it is fairly specific that you have to choose a form for that size group. that is why they emphiseze the word and discuss the options for those choices.

Not at all. Tome & Blood discusses optimum choices of weapons for fighters, but that doesn't mean each fighter only gets to choose one weapon. The excellent discussion of tactical uses of wildshaping is there to maximize the use a druid gets out of her shapes.

You're playing this according to nonstandard rules -- no two ways about it. But maybe we should start a new thread in the rules forum on this?

Daniel

 

[wallshot]

if U plan on wildshaping all frequently, Shifter is the way to go, as others have mentioned before. in this case, a wilding clasp is almost required, as is natural spell. i think someone else mentioned this before, but U do loose spell progression, but at 10th level U get the ability to change shape as often as U want to any size from tiny to Colossal, and any type, from abbarition to Undead...

If U like the idea of the animal companions, then maybe tamer of beasts would be a good route...basically they attract more HD in animal companions, gain the ability to attract beasts and even Magical Beasts, and increase the intellegence of the animals they have bonded with. think of having a leraean cryo/pyro hydra for an animal companion....

 

[Argent Silvermage]

I put a post on the D&D rules board to see what the correct use of wild shape is.

 

[Spatula]

Re: Re: Druid help (Help me, a poor n00b to the Druid)

I'm amazed that this statement/question and the frequent mentions of Masters of the Wild didn't net you the suggestion of aiming for Shifter, or whatever the name is for the PrC that specializes in shapeshifting. It's acutaly the only PrC in the book that would work for Wizards and Sorcerers, as you just have to be able to assume other forms via magic (ie: Polymorph or Wildshape). You'll, eventualy, be able to acutaly use those Su type abilities and assume nearly any size and shape creature, including Dragons! Not to mention using your Wildshape to assume the exact likeness of others, something that not even Polymorph can do!

I also think that having Natural Caster is a pre-req. of the class, so that'd work out.

The only feat requirements for Shifter are Alertness and Endurance. Natural Caster would exclude non-druids from the class, since you need to be able to Wildshape in order to take that feat.

 

[hammymchamham]

Again, thanks for all the help

I borrowed a friends Masters of the Wild to browse over. I am defently getting Create Infusion at 3rd and natural spell at 6th. Looking at the PrCs... there wasn't any that impressed me. Yeah, the sifter is pretty cool, but I like my +1 to Spellcasting. And since the party cleric decided to take levels of Psion, it might be a good idea (at least from my perspective) someone that can use a few cure wands.