Essentials: Druid Preview Is Up!

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yay for a lack of ANY ways to customize your character, lol. I mean I get the "less options" theory of Essentials, but this is ridiculous. I also kind of hate the new dumb tactics theory. Who needs to say FLANK anymore?

OTOH at least this guy has some daily powers. Looks like this is a third variation on the theme, one at-will and daily powers only with a fixed encounter power ala martials. I share DS's skepticism about balance WRT to action economy too. 2 full sets of actions is going to make for some sick damage output.

 

[Walking Dad]

Considering that Rangers got companions in 3E, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Scout with an animal companion next Monday.

I like this druid, though. I never really understood the point of wild shape in 3E (until I read a charop post about druids), and this jives with what I think of when I think of D&D druids.

I never really understood the animal companion in 3E. Shapeshifting was part of the druid since his first D&D incarnation, not having an animal around.

Is it somewhere confirmed that you can interchange 'standard' and 'Essential' powers of the same class and level?

 

[FireLance]

Yay for a lack of ANY ways to customize your character, lol. I mean I get the "less options" theory of Essentials, but this is ridiculous.

I think there is something zen (or possibly quantum) about complaining about the lack of options in what is essentially an additional option.

Incidentally, I'm fairly sure that you can still customize your (presumably druid) character through:

• Race
• Ability score distribution
• Choice of class skills
• Choice of at-will power(s)
• Choice of daily power(s)
• Choice of utility power(s)
• Choice of feat(s)
• Personality
• Goals

I also kind of hate the new dumb tactics theory. Who needs to say FLANK anymore?

1. People who don't adventure with spring druids.

2. People who want to attack something that isn't adjacent to a spring druid's wolf companion.

Frankly, it's not as if flanking requires a great deal of tactical acumen on the part of the player.

If you ask me, the real advantage of the wolf companion's ability is that it will make it easier to run mini-less 4E games.

 

[On Puget Sound]

This is an excerpt; there may in fact be more than the one encounter power to choose from in the actual book.

 

[Minifig]

Pardon me while I pick my jaw up off the floor here for a moment.

.


This is EXACTLY what I wanted the druid to be originally. If the druid had been this when we were rolling our classes in my D&D 4e game right now, I'd had have been a Wilden Druid.

This is an AWESOME preview.

 

[Mirtek]

I noticed that the Druid's Companion gets two of the Druid's stats (WIS and CON) to damage to compensate for a lack of magic items. I can already hear the Beastmaster Ranger crying into his ale.

Which seems to me too high. He already get's a +3/5 build in for lacking an enhancement bonus, why does he also need a striker damage feature?

Let's assume starting with 18/16 and eight increases:

Druid:
26 Wis = +8
24 Con = +7
Fix = +5
Total= 2[W]+20


Normal character:
26 Ability = +8
Enhancement = +6
Focus = +3
Armslot = +6
Total = 2[W]+23

So it's still +3, right? No, it's +3 after the other guy spend a feat slot and used one of his uncommon item slots.

They should scrap the fixed bonus and simply make the power of the druids magic items strengthen his magical animal companion. Thus it would be 2[W]+15 at level 30 and if the druid wants it to be higher he has to get Iron Armbands of Power like anyone else who wants more damage.

 

[Jhaelen]

I suppose if you're using this class in a world that doesn't have wolves and bears (Athas, for example) you just re-fluff the critter as something similar that fills that niche?

I'm not even sure if Athas has seasons... Spring and Summer? I think it's highly unlikely Athasian Druids would use seasons to describe the different druidic traditions.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Good implementation of the animal companion. It just deals damage like a skirmisher or a brute...

Of course the animal and the druid usually share a set of actions. WotC is not so dumb and allows two attacks per round at-will for a leader. They did not ditch all design principles in essentials, just loosen their streight jacked a bit.

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

I'm not even sure if Athas has seasons... Spring and Summer? I think it's highly unlikely Athasian Druids would use seasons to describe the different druidic traditions.

According to the DSCG, Athas has the 3 seasons of High Sun, Sun Descending, and Sun Ascending, "based on the subtle motions of the sun and the weather that comes to the Tyr Region".

Similar to how clerics in Dark Sun 2e worked, one could use the elements to differentiate druidic traditions, though. (E.g. spring = earth, summer = fire, autumn = air, winter = water.)

 

[Davachido]

Good implementation of the animal companion. It just deals damage like a skirmisher or a brute...

Of course the animal and the druid usually share a set of actions. WotC is not so dumb and allows two attacks per round at-will for a leader. They did not ditch all design principles in essentials, just loosen their streight jacked a bit.

I really hope they do share a set of actions, or our beastmaster ranger and summoner wizard in our campaign will be shedding tears of envy. Unless the update how summoned creatures/animal companions work to have they're own set of actions.