Feats for the Druid & Ranger - Please Critique

[Angel Tarragon]

Blessed Wild Shape [Wild]
The character can assume a more heavenly form of creature.
Prerequisite: Class ability to wild shape, good alignment
Benefit: When using her ability to wild shape, the character may choose to shape into the normal animal or the same animal with the celestial template.

Corrupted Wild Shape [Wild]
The character can assume a more devilish form of creature.
Prerequisite: Class ability to wild shape, evil alignment
Benefit: When using her ability to wild shape, the character may choose to shape into the normal animal or the same animal with the fiendish template.

Increased Companion Capacity [General]
Prerequisite: Class ability to acquire an animal companion
Benefit: The druid or ranger multiplies her caster level by three to calculate the total hit dice of befriended animals she can have. This increase in capacity does not apply to the maximum Hit Dice for any one creature under the influence of the druid or ranger; this is still limited to twice the character’s caster level. Druids and rangers with this feat generally have more companions than a normal druid or ranger but her companions are no more powerful.
Normal: A druid or ranger multiplies her caster level by two to determine the total number of hit dice of befriended animals she can have at any one time.
Special: The character can gain this feat multiple times. Each time she takes this feat she multiplies her caster level by one more point. Three becomes four, four becomes five and five becomes six. The character may not multiply her caster level by any integer higher than six.

 

[Jdvn1]

I'd use the celestial and fiendish templates instead of the halfs -- the halfs are a much higher LA, IIRC.

Neat feats, though. I'd definitely take these.

 

[Tric]

I'd use the celestial and fiendish templates instead of the halfs -- the halfs are a much higher LA, IIRC.

Neat feats, though. I'd definitely take these.

Word.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Anybody else have anything they'd like to say?

 

[Jdvn1]

I think "neat feats" covers it.

 

[Kirin'Tor]

I agree with Jdvn1, use the Celestial\Fiendish templates - not only are they lower CR increase, they are also designed for animals (where as half's are more geared toward humanoids)

Maybe Use Celestial\Fiendish as the first step in the tree, and the the's Half's as the second.

 

[Jdvn1]

Maybe Use Celestial\Fiendish as the first step in the tree, and the the's Half's as the second.

Another step? Great idea! I don't know why this didn't occur to me.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

The Next Step

Empyreal Wild Shape [Wild]
The character can assume an even more heavenly form of creature.
Prerequisite: Blessed Wild Shape
Benefit: When using her ability to wild shape, the character may choose to shape into the normal animal or the same animal with the celestial or half-celestial template.

Infernal Wild Shape [Wild]
The character can assume an even more devilish form of creature.
Prerequisite: Corrupted Wild Shape
Benefit: When using her ability to wild shape, the character may choose to shape into the normal animal or the same animal with the fiendish or half-fiendish template.

 

[Ferret]

Genius! This feats are cool, but is the Increased Companion Capacity aimed at the 3.0 edition version.

 

[Capellan]

Genius! This feats are cool, but is the Increased Companion Capacity aimed at the 3.0 edition version.

Definitely looks that way. For 3.5, I'd suggest something like:

Improved Animal Companion [General]
Prerequisite: Animal companion class ability
Benefit: You gain a bonus to your effective druid level for the purposes of determining your animal companion's abilities. This bonus is equal to +1 for every effective druid level you already possess for the purposes of determining your animal companion's abilities, up to a maximum bonus of +3.
Special: You may take this ability multiple times. Each time you take it, your maximum bonus increases by +3.

+3 effective level per feat (which basically bumps you up one row on the chart) may be too much - you'd have to playtest it to see.

 

[Drowbane]

Definitely looks that way. For 3.5, I'd suggest something like:

Improved Animal Companion [General]
Prerequisite: Animal companion class ability
Benefit: You gain a bonus to your effective druid level for the purposes of determining your animal companion's abilities. This bonus is equal to +1 for every effective druid level you already possess for the purposes of determining your animal companion's abilities, up to a maximum bonus of +3.
Special: You may take this ability multiple times. Each time you take it, your maximum bonus increases by +3.

+3 effective level per feat (which basically bumps you up one row on the chart) may be too much - you'd have to playtest it to see.

Is this an old thread?

Natural Bond from CAdv is basicly what you've described... being able to take it multiple times would be INSANE.

As is, a Druid 5 / Beastmaster 1 with Natural Bond can manage a nasty 8 HD Animal...

 

[Thia Halmades]

I'm with Drowbane, you don't want people stacking this feat. Once should be plenty.

On being able to gain the Celestial/Half-Celestial templates: Dag. Nice.

 

[the Jester]

Very cool feats. I really like them.

I would suggest putting in a prereq for the Empyreal and Infernal Wild Shape feats along the lines of Knowledge (nature) or Handle Animal (13 ranks)- I think 10th level is about the right time to get that level of coolness.

 

[Capellan]

Natural Bond from CAdv is basicly what you've described

*shrug* Haven't seen it, and - since it isn't open content - it doesn't matter

I knocked up the translation in about 90 seconds and left in the "you can take this multiple times" from the prior version. On review, I'd allow still this multiple times, but only to a maximum effect of character level +3 (thus if you wanted a ranger or multi-class druid with viable animal companions, you could do it, but a single classed druid wouldn't get too out of hand).

 

[Cabral]

Nice feats. If you're going to put a skill prereq on them, I would use Knowledge (planes)

How about a third step?

Ascendant Wild Shape [Wild]
Your bond with the powers that be allow you to assume the form of a powerful servant of good.
Prerequisites: Ability to wildshape into an elemental, Blessed Wild Shape, Empyreal Wild Shape, Good Alignment
Benefit: You may expend one use your Wild Shape (Elemental) ability to change into an Outsider with the Good suptype. The size of the outsider is restricted to any size elemental you could normally wild shape into. You do not gain the spell like abilities of the Outsider. This otherwise functions as Wild Shape (Elemental).

Fallen Wild Shape [Wild]
Your bond with the powers that be allow you to assume the form of a powerful servant of evil.
Prerequisites: Ability to wildshape into an elemental, Corrupted Wild Shape, Infernal Wild Shape, Good Alignment
Benefit: You may expend one use your Wild Shape (Elemental) ability to change into an Outsider with the Good suptype. The size of the outsider is restricted to any size elemental you could normally wild shape into. You do not gain the spell like abilities of the Outsider. This otherwise functions as Wild Shape (Elemental).

(I was going to make a comment about the subtype of the outsider on the Chaos/Law axis not being able to be opposed to the druid's alignment, but druids have to retain one element of neutrality. So the only good druid is a NG druid. And the only evil druid is a NE druid.)

 

[Dagredhel]

In order to maintain balance (pun intentional--- we're talking Druids here,) I'd suggest that the Wildshape feats be modified to allow only creatures of one size less than the maximum available to the Druid utilizing the ability.