Help with a druid PC...

[Rystil Arden]

The druid's wildshape is considerably less powerful than a wizard's simple 4th level spell - polymorph. A brown bear comes off second-best to an annis hag, for example. The wizard can cast all his spells in annis form and his magic items don't meld and become inoperative. The annis is stronger, has a better AC, and has reach and rend. If you can be bothered and have time, put bull's strength, fire shield, stoneskin etc. up. So the power of the wildshaping druid is not something to be scared of, nor is it particularly out of the ordinary for 8th+ level characters. You're simply playing to the wildshaping druid's strength - close combat. IIRC, there are plenty of places and plenty of bad guys in RttToEE which don't play to this strength. You can always replace a bad guy or two for "set-piece" battles. Let the druid get cocky that he can tear apart anything he comes across. Then get up in the air. See how effective the druid is against the erinyes ranger (archer-build) you've put in the Fire Temple, for example. The druid can wildshape into what - an eagle? Even a mid-level wizard with fly and displacement up becomes a reasonable contest.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

The druid's Wildshape ability has one huge advantage over 4th-level Polymorph that you have missed: Wildshape lasts one hour / level, whereas Polymorph only lasts 1 min / level. Combined with Natural Spell, this means that the Druid is effectively playing in the Wildshaped form all day long, without losing any casting ability. This can become even worse when playing with Point Buy, as it gives the player incentive to just leave their physical stats at "Meh" level and pump up the mental stats to kingdom come, since their physical stats will be replaced in the Wildshaped form anyway.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

The druid's Wildshape ability has one huge advantage over 4th-level Polymorph that you have missed: Wildshape lasts one hour / level, whereas Polymorph only lasts 1 min / level. Combined with Natural Spell, this means that the Druid is effectively playing in the Wildshaped form all day long, without losing any casting ability. This can become even worse when playing with Point Buy, as it gives the player incentive to just leave their physical stats at "Meh" level and pump up the mental stats to kingdom come, since their physical stats will be replaced in the Wildshaped form anyway.

Our thougths obviously converged at the same time. See my edited comment.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[Lord Pendragon]

The druid's Wildshape ability has one huge advantage over 4th-level Polymorph that you have missed: Wildshape lasts one hour / level, whereas Polymorph only lasts 1 min / level. Combined with Natural Spell, this means that the Druid is effectively playing in the Wildshaped form all day long, without losing any casting ability. This can become even worse when playing with Point Buy, as it gives the player incentive to just leave their physical stats at "Meh" level and pump up the mental stats to kingdom come, since their physical stats will be replaced in the Wildshaped form anyway.

I don't allow a wildshaped druid to speak at the table, except to explain his character's actions, or unless another PC has cast Speak with Animals.

I find that this cuts down on "I stay wildshaped all day."

 

[Pickaxe]

I don't allow a wildshaped druid to speak at the table, except to explain his character's actions, or unless another PC has cast Speak with Animals.

I find that this cuts down on "I stay wildshaped all day."

Hmm...can a wildshaped druid command his animal companion? If not, I imagine that would affect the decision to stay wildshaped as well. I suppose Speak with Animals can overcome this problem, though.

--Axe

 

[Dimwhit]

Hmm...can a wildshaped druid command his animal companion? If not, I imagine that would affect the decision to stay wildshaped as well. I suppose Speak with Animals can overcome this problem, though.

--Axe

The trick there is to have the animal companion be the same as the Druids favorite form (like a bear, in this case). Then he can communicate just fine.