Gimme some cool druid tactics!

[Crass]

I've always favored barkskin + bull's strength + wild shape (large) into a dire ape and rend rend rend. This works best indoors, preferably in cramped corridors where party spellcasters have trouble applying big AE spells without hitting their own guys. However, if your party is foolish enough to attempt to tackle a bunch of druids in a natural environment, they deserve what they get (the aforementioned entangle, etc.) For outdoors, you might also consider having multiple evil druids wild shaping into small birds and summoning up call lightnings. They can coordinate their efforts and nail the arcane spellcasters first. If they are flying above the party outdoors, the melee specialists are greatly reduced in effectiveness.

If the party is unlucky enough to try to fight the evil druids in a woodland environment, have the druids throw animal companions at them over the course of the day (preferably dire animals). There need not be any reason for the druids to show themselves until the party's gone through a few fights and gotten banged up a bit. When its time for the druids to begin their assault, have them lead off by throwing a pack of dominated wolves at the party, and then - in wolf form themselves - have them start casting spells from the periphery of the fight or mingled amidst the wolves. It will be tough for the PCs to distinguish between who's a snarling wolf and who's a druid casting a spell.

I was thinking of employing a variation of this in the next campaign our group will start - the shape-changed dire ape, with the Whirling Dervish prestige class from Complete Warrior... with a dire ape animal companion, of course! And don't forget that your companion can share spells, as an added bonus.

Or consider Baleful Polymorph for your spellcasting opponents, Rusting Grasp the equipment of anyone who cares to melee with you, cast Wall spells (especially Wall of Thorns), coupled with Freedom of Movement.

And if you kill an opponent, Reincarnate it... you never know what'll come up afterwards - the 9th level former terror, now wimp/slave/plaything.

 

[wighair]

give 'em a level (or three) of rogue and let their summoned creatures be automatic flanking partners.

And don't forget to trample them into mulch with a controlled/allied evil treant!
Big tramples are top fun - especially in a corridor.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Evil druids who have horrid allies! Evil fey could be fun.

Or throw in a bunch of twisted elves with sorcery, archery et al. Perhaps simply normal elves who're convinced the party is evil. Or 'warhammer' elves that are highly xenophobic.

Vary the terrain from woodland...

Use a 'water feature' for one or two of the combats. Use druids with an aquatic theme. Summoning may be difficult to interupt, but could be easier if done from the bottom of an inland lake while wild shaped into a crocodile? Get them to use water based spells and summons.

Perhaps an airbourne druid or two - allies who drop things on the party. Etc.

It could even be amusing to divide them into 4 factions - 1 for each element.

Barbarian Druids who do the buff/shapechange combi. Then go bareserk. Yay!

 

[Plane Sailing]

Some of the examples in this thread illustrate nicely why I think natural spell is badly broken. With no level adjustment to spells it is too good to be true.

 

[shilsen]

Some of the examples in this thread illustrate nicely why I think natural spell is badly broken. With no level adjustment to spells it is too good to be true.

I house-ruled it IMC so that there is still no level adjustment but spells prepared as Natural Spells can only be cast in wildshape. Worked out fairly well.

 

[Kalendraf]

I house-ruled it IMC so that there is still no level adjustment but spells prepared as Natural Spells can only be cast in wildshape. Worked out fairly well.

Considering that the druid in my campaign spends 99% of every session in wildshape form this would have virtually no impact on his casting.

Personally, I don't really see a problem with letting druids cast in wild shape. They are burning an entire feat to do this, and they don't get many feats at all, especially if they are non-human.

Where I think the problem really lies is in the spell selection and power that druids get. Some examples include:

Entangle - Too good as a 1st level spell. Leads to stupidly easy kills from range of numerous foes. Often superior to a number of other higher level spells like Web, Hold Person, Hypnotic Pattern and so forth. Personally, I think this should be moved to 2nd level and/or have the chances to escape or break free greatly reduced.

Call Lightning - I don't mind the change to allow it functioning underground, etc, but it's just a little too powerful when you consider how much damage it can dishout over time. Even a 5th level druid can call down 5 bolts which is 15d6 (15d10 outdoors) worth of damage from a single spell. Granted it comes over multiple rounds, but in some fights that can be more useful than a single 1-shot spell. I personally think the damage should be reduced (maybe 2d6 indoors, 2d10 outdoors) or the number of bolts reduced (1 per 2 caster levels, 5 max) or both.

Flamestrike - The problem is not with the spell, but with the level that druids get it at. It's normally a 5th level spell for clerics, but druids manage to get this at 4th level. That turns out to be a huge difference.

Looking ahead, when the druid hits 9th (which he actually just did), Call Lightning Storm (5th level spell) is likely going to cause even more similar problems.

The power level issue with these spells has nothing to do with wild shape or the ability to cast in wildshape.

 

[Teneb]

Why hello Kal
The biggest thing I can say as a druid is that wildshape is your friend. Without a mage in our group, I am basically the firepower so that's why my spell selection tends towards the "blow stuff up" side of things. That coupled with my ability to take to flying whenever I need to makes me extremely potent. A druid above level 7 or so should almost never be in their humanoid form IMHO.

And Kal: because I have such a high Wis, I get TWO fifth level spells right off the bat. Be afraid.

 

[Greatwyrm]

Some of the examples in this thread illustrate nicely why I think natural spell is badly broken. With no level adjustment to spells it is too good to be true.

But you still have a somewhat limited spell selection. I think spells with material or divine focus components would still be off limits to you. Can't shake those holly berries if you don't have hands.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

But you still have a somewhat limited spell selection. I think spells with material or divine focus components would still be off limits to you. Can't shake those holly berries if you don't have hands.

According to the feat, "you can also use any material components or focuses you possess, even if such items are melded within your current form."

 

[mikebr99]

Yup... RAW, Druids are close (VERY) to the top of the power ranking. They can be many things, all on the same day... where most other classes have to choose, or have no choice for their daily focus.

But Clerics are like this also...

YMMV


Mike