Help with a character

[whatisitgoodfor]

I've recently started playing in a campaign a friend of mine started up. He's house ruled all spell-casters to be spontaneous casters, feats every two levels (ie. 1,2,4,6...) and attrib points every 3 levels.

My character concept is basically a ranger, or at least my own conceptualization of it. Keeping that in mind, I want to keep him about 1/2 rogue/Druid. His stats (in the order they appear on the character sheet) are 13, 16, 10, 13, 16, 12.

I'm currently level 5 and haven't spent any feat slots since level 1 (which means I have 2 feats left to pick). Any good ideas on what feats to choose, prestige classes to take, items to get, or just really cool things for him to do?

 

[Sodalis]

do you get all feats to choose from or is there a specific set that you can use (ie only core)

weapon focus is always good to have

if you havent made your char yet...
take the rogue class first (for skill points)
be an elf (auto prof in rapier and bow/ immune to sleep...)

as for spontaneous casting... is he making it liek a sorc where you only can cast a limited number of spells (chosen at each lvl up) per lvl? or is it a complete spell list- no preparation- and you have spont casting? (just wondering)

 

[Pielorinho]

Dang! Spontaneous casting druids...drool....

Anyway, consider taking spell focus: evocation and/or spell focus: transmutation. Evocation will get those fire spell saves way up (good especially for flaming sphere and flame strike); transmutation will get those area-effect angry-Mother-Nature spells up (such as entangle and spike growth).

Brew potion is cool; if your DM is generous with letting you create new items (and I suspect he will be), Create WOndrous Item is fun.

Daniel

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

I've played the character up from level 1, so no changing race now. He's a human, I figured the extra weapon profs were entirely useless, seeing as how I would lose all Druid abilities for using them.

I did take level 1 as a rogue, (for RP reasons, not any shameless min/maxing here)

Weapon Focus might be a good idea, but the DM is requiring it for each individual spell, and I try to avoid melee whenever possible. I've been pretty successful at it so far, in four levels of play I have yet to be hit by any attack.

The spontaneous spellcasting is for any spell the character knows. So, for divine spellcasters that's every spell in the book.

He allows all of the feats from the core books NQA, and will allow others if we can give a story reason and convince him its not broken.

Craft Wonderous Item and Brew Potion I've considered, but currently we're running for our lives from the town gaurd, so I won't be getting to use them for a while. However, the DM is pretty lenient about making new magic items (he allowed gnome wizard to make a saddle of jumping for his riding dog without knowing the spell jump).

Since the character is starting to use Produce Flame and Flame Blade a lot, I think you've persuaded me on Spell Focud (Evocation).

 

[Sodalis]

since you are a druid (divine caster) ask your DM if you can use OA for spells. Say that you can commune with the forest so it would be tangible that you can take the earth, wind and water domains from OA.

In the book, the divine spells and arcane spells are not so clear cut. so if you a divine caster (wu jen i think) has fireballs... and other divine schools have heal.. and they all are spont casting...

BTW- how does the spells/ day go? is it the same as sorc? or for your class? cause if i remember correctly, the sorc gets a slower progression, but dam does he have a lot of spells/day... whereas a wiz gets shafted because he gets less spells/day...

but sicne you have a druid.. i gues it doesn't really matter.
why not go for the gold and take a lvl of ranger (to get twf) and be a dual scimitar maniac. With the keen blade and a impr crit- you will rock. (crit range 12-20)

 

[Someguy]

Definatly go with a ranger/druid. Duel weilding a scimatar and A flamine one is just cool !

 

[Pielorinho]

Note that flame blade doesn't have a saving throw, so spell focus won't help; still, spell focus: evocation is a great choice for a druid.

Also, once you start wildshaping, you'll probably get into combat more often (especially if your DM allows you to use the animal's attack routines). What with three attacks/round and the potential to sneak attack with all three, you'll be having fun. Weapon focus: unarmed might be an attractive choice.

Finally, for even more cheese, check out whether your DM will allow you to wield a shillelaghed staff as a double weapon. If so, consider feats that maximize your two-weapon-fighting style: with the ability to sneak attack, you'll find that double-fighting is pretty nice. Once you're a fifth-level druid, you can cast shillelagh and spikes (from Magic of Faerun) on your staff, and that baby will hit twice/round at +2 to attack, for 1d10+5 points of damage. Yowza!

Daniel

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

I've already stated that my version of a Ranger is the Rogue/Druid.

I refuse to debase myself to the point of taking a single level of any class, yet alone that front loaded POS from the PHB.

Also, the DM is highly discouraging Paladins and Rangers. Not quite to the point of the Monty Python giant foot, but not far short of it.

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Some more fleshing out of the character concept: At high levels, I pretty much want to have a male counterpart to the wolf girl from Princess Mononoke (sp?).

So, eventually I will need to pick up the ride feats from the PHB.

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I thought that weapon focus (unarmed) would only count for humanoid unarmed strikes. After all, the MM critters all have WP (bite) WP (claw) or whatever their main attack is.


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In regards to the spells per day, the DM did away with the sorceror, and all of the classes keep their usual number of spells per day, they just get to choose what spell they use from their available ones at casting instead of in the morning.



Oh, BTW that's Level 5 character, Rog2/Drd3, not Drd5.

 

[Sodalis]

weapon focus applies to all weapons. it just gives you a +1 to attack.

mononoke concept
*take rogue2- you get evasion- (three if you really want that extra sneak attack)
*I think you should load your skills onto hide and move silent (max rank each time) and magic items to impr it (cloak of elvenkind) and hav them overloaded with other magics (which will get a lil expensive)
*asap- upgrade your animal companion to a dire wolf...but if you don't want the mononoke thing exactly- i would go for dire bear (maybe even celestial)
*and your alignment would have to be chaotic (as mononoke does not follow any law- just life)- or neutral- she will fight anyone that is threatening the forest

ask your DM if you can make up a special sword for the him- a smaller scimitar that a druid can use:
small martial weapon (can be used one handed)
1d6 damage
crit 18-20 *2(as per scimitar)

BTW- what is his name? just wonderin- I loved that movie- english dubbed lacked luster tho

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

That's interesting, I interpereted her alignment as TN or LN. She is honorable, in that she stopped trying to kill the guy when he got out of her way, but she has no regard for creatures, just the rules of her "mother."

ask your DM if you can make up a special sword for the him- a smaller scimitar that a druid can use:

Those are the exact stats of a Med sized Scimitar, except small size. Following the weapon scaling, the damage would be 1d4, but everything else would stay the same.

Regardless, a Human druid can use the scimitar normally in one hand, why would I want to downgrade it to small?

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I was planning to progress the character like this.
L1: Rog1; Max out Hide, MS, Jump, Climb and Wild Lore (by special dispensation)
L2: Rog1/Drd1; Get wolf Companion, Max Animal Emp.
L3: Rog1/Drd2
L4: Rog2/Drd2; Evasion (yay)
L5: Rog2/Drd3
L6: Rog2/Drd4
L7: Rog3/Drd4; Drop any "useless" skills and re-max concept skills
L8: Rog3/Drd5
L9: Rog3/Drd6; Dismiss Advanced Wolf and find Dire Wolf
L10: Rog3/Drd7
L11-20: Wolf Rider Prestige Class I'm making

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My wolf's name is Flapping Chicken, in the tradition of Robert Jordan. Whenever one of the other player's asks what the character's name is, I blow them off somehow.

I really can't decide what to name him. Since I actually plan to keep this character for a while, I want to give him a good name.