Help creating a Druid character

[Vahktang]

Augment Summoning.
Get it as soon as possible.
Then just go to town and make more summoned critters on the battle field.
Works very well.
Nobody carries Protection from Evil/good, etc around.
And the listen/spot is a good idea, too.

More later,

Vahktang

 

[Nightfall]

Gnome Druid is also a great choice, though I don't know what alterations to Gnomes there are in the Scarred Lands. With a gnome, you can make CON your dump stat, and if you have at least a 10 CON, you won't have any penalties to speak of.

Not much different but I believe they change favored classes to Druid or Bard. The rest is the same, except for +2 to Craft (tatoo) and weapon familirity with a blowgun.

 

[Nightfall]

That's very true, but my DM seems to have forgotten that fact. I had a halfling rogue (before my halfling druid) that I made cower and act all fidgetty when he was around non-party member common races. My DM never picked up on what I was doing before the character died in "The Snake in the Fold" module. ~shrug~

Well they can do that too. But they don't ALL cower in fear. Most just sulk.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

For Wildshape questions, Might I point you to this thread, which has a nice summary (that I wrote with the help of other posters) at the end of it:
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=132493

Thanks for the link. That is very helpful.

Now, my own question.

Human Druid, Level 8, Str 15, BAB +6/+1
Feats include Multiattack (if this matters)

The druid wild shapes into an Ape.

How is the full attack different from an Ape (claw +7, claw +7, bite +2), which has a Base Attack of +3? Specifically, does the druid-ape now get 4 attacks (from the iterative attack of his druid BAB)? Since multiattack reduces the penalty for iterative attacks to -2 (instead of -5), is the full attack now claw +10, claw +10, bite +5, claw +8?

And why is the bite for a regular ape only +2? I'm getting these numbers from the SRD, so it might just be a typo.....but I have a feeling I'm just missing something on the break-down of the bite attack.

 

[Liolel]

Human Druid, Level 8, Str 15, BAB +6/+1
Feats include Multiattack (if this matters)

The druid wild shapes into an Ape.

How is the full attack different from an Ape (claw +7, claw +7, bite +2).

Your attack would be +10 claw, +10 claw, +7 bite. Multi attack reduce the penalty from secondary attacks (which are all natural weapons beside the first type (claw, bite etc.) listed in an attack routine) from -5 to -2. You also don't get any extra attacks from base attack when using natural weapons only with normal weapons and unarmed attacks that don't use natural weapons (monks fists).

 

[Urbanmech]

Human Druid, Level 8, Str 15, BAB +6/+1 Feats include Multiattack (if this matters)

The druid wild shapes into an Ape.

How is the full attack different from an Ape (claw +7, claw +7, bite +2), which has a Base Attack of +3? Specifically, does the druid-ape now get 4 attacks (from the iterative attack of his druid BAB)? Since multiattack reduces the penalty for iterative attacks to -2 (instead of -5), is the full attack now claw +10, claw +10, bite +5, claw +8?

If you wildshape into an ape you gain the apes natural attack progression with its natural weapons. That would be 2 claws and then a bite. Since your BAB is 3 higher than the apes you would have 2 claws at +10 and a bite at +5, but since you have Multiattack you get to reduce the penalty on the secondary attack to -2 instead of -5. So your druid in Ape form would have natural attacks of 2 claws +10 and bite +8.

Now since apes have human hands and can manipulate objects you can use a weapon. If you used a scimitar in ape form your full attack would be: Scimitar +10/+5, Claw +7, Bite +7. Both the claw and the bite would deal 1/2 strenght damage since the scimitar is your primary weapon.

Hope that helps.

 

[jgsugden]

Now since apes have human hands and can manipulate objects you can use a weapon. If you used a scimitar in ape form your full attack would be: Scimitar +10/+5, Claw +7, Bite +7. Both the claw and the bite would deal 1/2 strenght damage since the scimitar is your primary weapon.

This is not an official answer. Whether an ape form could wield weapons is up to the DM.

This answer is also partially incorrect, at least according to custserv@wizards.com. I asked Custserv:

If an 11th level fighter (BAB 11) is polymorphed into a troglodyte, what attacks may he choose to make? The normal attack routine for a troglodyte (which gains multiattack as a bonus feat) are manufactured weapon (at full BAB), claw (at BAB -2) and bite (at BAB -2). Which of the following are legal?

A.) 3 X manufactured weapon (BAB, BAB - 5, BAB - 10), claw (BAB -2) and bite
(BAB -2)?
b.) 3 X manufactured weapon (BAB, BAB - 5, BAB - 10)?
c.) manufactured weapon (BAB), claw (BAB -2) and bite (BAB -2)?

Robert at Custserv@wizards.com replied:

A fighter could do any of the three choices, except A is not quite correct. This is because while he has multiple hits, he is also attacking with two weapons (a claw counting as a natural light weapon) and will incur the normal penalties for two weapon fighting. Without knowing what feats the fighter has taken, it's difficult to say exactly what the attack bonuses would be. Most likely an 11th level fighter would have taken the two-weapon fighting feat at some point.

That answer was a bit unclear, so you'll need to figure out the details for yourself.

EDIT: By unclear, I mean that it doesn't clarify if the bite is treated as an off hand weapon, or if all natural attacks are treated as off hand weapons, even if they normally deal full strength damage (as some creatures do with a bite when they have a bite/claw/claw routine).

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Thanks you, Liolel, Urbanmech, and jgsugden. I knew I was doing something wrong there (apparently, multiple things) and I think I finally understand it.

And back to johnsemlak's original questions:

Every druid should take Natural Spell for a feat. Seems like a no-brainer. And since my druid has INT as a dump stat, "no-brainer" is par for the course for him. I'd use INT for a dump stat, although my human druid gets that +1 skill point to off-set the -1 from his 9 INT.

I also took Extra Wild Shape (extremely useful) and Faster Healing (not as necessary but nice).

 

[johnsemlak]

What other feats are recommended. I had a hard time coming up with one at 1st level. Since none seem essential for now, I went with Power attack (for now), so I can take cleave later.

Oh, btw, my tentative character is here:
http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1276817#post1276817

 

[Simplicity]

Be human and get Spell Focus (conjuration) and Augment Summoning as
your two feats. Augment Summoning is the most powerful feat in the
game. Combined with spontaneous Summon Nature's Allies, the Druid
is unstoppable.

Imagine two augmented wolves flanking an opponent, and tripping them
whenever they hit. Then both get an attack of opportunity
if the opponent tries to stand up. Because the wolves are augmented,
they'll have +2 to hit from a Str bonus and they'll also have +2 to their trip roll.
With flanking, they get another +2 to hit. If the opponent doesn't stand up,
then they get another +4 to hit from the opponent being prone.

As a weapon, I recommend a simple club. Shillelagh is an amazing spell
for stepping in and beating people up yourself.