How to play a druid?
- Thread starter Corlon
- Start date
yes but they can turn you invisble (fey) or teleport you or heal you and all sort of goodies. as for the xorn i suppose you can try riding it but what will happen when he goes undergroud? you will either be swept off, choked or bludgened by the earth and rocks. better get a ride with a giant eagle.
you keep your animal comp alive just like you would any follower, if the battle is too much for them get them out of there, buff and heal them, barkskin is always good ect.. when multiclasing there's a feat somewhere called nature bond or something which adds 3 levels when calculating the comp level, also a PrC called beast master which does pretty much the same.
Z
you keep your animal comp alive just like you would any follower, if the battle is too much for them get them out of there, buff and heal them, barkskin is always good ect.. when multiclasing there's a feat somewhere called nature bond or something which adds 3 levels when calculating the comp level, also a PrC called beast master which does pretty much the same.
Z
Whimsical
Explorer
For animal companions don't forget the share spells ability. Stand adjacent to your animal companion and cast healing spells upon yourself. You and your animal companion benefit from the one spells. Sharing buffs are good if you can find a way to always be 5' from your animal companion, such as riding him.
Ridley's Cohort
First Post
The Druid is a strong jack of all trades. The only thing it excels at is summoning which is powerful but often difficult to successfully exploit.
The Druid is a superb helper class. Buff the Fighter. Bring in summoned creatures or push forward your Companion to open flanks for the Rogue. Stand in front of the Wizard and soak up some hits.
I have found my low level Druid excels at long combats and combats in which I get to lay down a few buff spells before hand. The Druid, like the Cleric, has a lot of resources potentially available.
Where the class feels uncomfortable is during fast, violent combats. The offensive spellcasting punch is not there at low or mid levels. Your AC and weapons are crappy, so summoning in the middle of combat can be dicey. Wildshaping can help give a little extra melee potential, but can you really afford to spend a precious Action to make your AC even lower?
The good news is these are all solvable problems with good teamwork.
FREX, if you think in terms of Wildshaping and using the Companion to lend the Fighter a hand, AC is less of an issue.
The Druid is a superb helper class. Buff the Fighter. Bring in summoned creatures or push forward your Companion to open flanks for the Rogue. Stand in front of the Wizard and soak up some hits.
I have found my low level Druid excels at long combats and combats in which I get to lay down a few buff spells before hand. The Druid, like the Cleric, has a lot of resources potentially available.
Where the class feels uncomfortable is during fast, violent combats. The offensive spellcasting punch is not there at low or mid levels. Your AC and weapons are crappy, so summoning in the middle of combat can be dicey. Wildshaping can help give a little extra melee potential, but can you really afford to spend a precious Action to make your AC even lower?
The good news is these are all solvable problems with good teamwork.
FREX, if you think in terms of Wildshaping and using the Companion to lend the Fighter a hand, AC is less of an issue.
tomBitonti
Hero
Xorn movement for a summoned Xorn
Well, the idea is to share the Xorn movement. So, if a Xorn picked up something small,
say a dagger, could the Xorn carry that while using Xorn movement? Or would you get
a Terminator T1000 like effect, when the T1000 tried to ooze through the bars in the
mental institiution, but the gun got caught on the bars. And if carrying a small item is
possible, what is the limit of what can be carried along in this fashion? Could the Xorn
carry one's familiar? And, what happens if the Xorn lets go while submerged [in rock]?
Thx!
ceratitis said:
Well, the idea is to share the Xorn movement. So, if a Xorn picked up something small,
say a dagger, could the Xorn carry that while using Xorn movement? Or would you get
a Terminator T1000 like effect, when the T1000 tried to ooze through the bars in the
mental institiution, but the gun got caught on the bars. And if carrying a small item is
possible, what is the limit of what can be carried along in this fashion? Could the Xorn
carry one's familiar? And, what happens if the Xorn lets go while submerged [in rock]?
Thx!
Amazing Triangle
Explorer
Well most have focused on casting and well I have a slightly different build that I posted once.
The idea is to make yourself as big as possible then charge for maximum damage.
[sblock=Druid of Size]Druid of Size, Druid 20
1: Dodge
2:
3: Powerful Charge
4:
5:
6: Natural Spell
7:
8:
9: Gtr. Powerful Charge
10:
11:
12: Fast Wild Shape
13:
14:
15: Mobility
16:
17:
18: Spring attack
19:
20:
The idea is to charge over and over again. So all you need is a necklace of natural weapons from Savage Species. So you Shift into a Tiger or Lion (on charge you get claw/claw/bite/rake/rake) of your largest size. Then as your first standard action you cast Animal Growth. Then you charge and cast as needed. It was faster with Master of Many Forms but this is the same build with the same damage.[/sblock]
The idea is to make yourself as big as possible then charge for maximum damage.
[sblock=Druid of Size]Druid of Size, Druid 20
1: Dodge
2:
3: Powerful Charge
4:
5:
6: Natural Spell
7:
8:
9: Gtr. Powerful Charge
10:
11:
12: Fast Wild Shape
13:
14:
15: Mobility
16:
17:
18: Spring attack
19:
20:
The idea is to charge over and over again. So all you need is a necklace of natural weapons from Savage Species. So you Shift into a Tiger or Lion (on charge you get claw/claw/bite/rake/rake) of your largest size. Then as your first standard action you cast Animal Growth. Then you charge and cast as needed. It was faster with Master of Many Forms but this is the same build with the same damage.[/sblock]
tomBitonti said:
Maybe it's too late to do this, but the best way to do a wizard/druid combo is by using the precocious apprentice feat from CA to qualify for Arcana Hierophant as Wizard 1/Druid 4.
Yes, as has been pointed out. They're a great source of healing.
Yes again!
One thing to keep in mind though is that directing your summons can be a tricky job. If you can't communicate with them, then asking them to do special tasks is right out.
Pick up the feat from CAdv that treats your animal companion as three levels higher (Natural Bond?). Keeping your animal companion alive shouldn't be too hard if you have the right one.
Meh...they aren't that bad (besides having to re-equip after wildshaping). The HP thing doesn't bother me that much since it just means druids actually need two stats now instead of just one.
There is a good side to keeping the druid's hitpoints... you can turn into tiny creatures and still have your normal hp, but massive bonuses to attack and ac.
It's worth considering, also to cut down on bookeeping, that you can have your summoned creatures not 'actually' attack, but flank AND 'aid another'. They just have to hit an ac of 10, and whoever they are aiding either gets +2 ac against the enemy, or +2 attack against the enemy. For a fighter with power attack that translates to a +4 damage.
For Summon Nature's Ally I, the best monsters for this purpose are the Eagle with a +5 attack, and the Octopus, with a +5 attack. Basically, this means, 80% of the time these creatures will provide a +2 bonus... so... 1.6 per. Alternatively, you can summon 1d4+1 with SNAIII and get basically +5.6 on average. The ac of the target creature has no effect on this bonus.
Oh, keep in mind there will probably be a +2 flanking bonus as well.
As for the animal companion, you can use it to gain flight at either 1st or 4th level, depending on how the GM interprets Natural Bond and the higher level animal companions. A dire bat is a Large creature with 40 flight, good maneuverability. It gains abilities as if your druid level were your druid level -3. Some GMs interpret this and natural bond to let you gain access to higher level animal companions three levels in advance. Regardless, you either gain flight 4 levels or 1 level before anyone else. You can have fun with this and ranged weapons or ranged attack spells, like produce flame. This is also a good way to cast SNA spells. You could argue that the Dire Bat gives you soft cover from enemies beneath you. Casting while mounted requires a laughable DC 10 concentration check. 15 if your mount is 'galloping'. Have you ever seen a dire bat gallop?
If you decide not to use the animal as a mount, I have been informed by a powergaming friend, that the tiger is the ultimate animal companion. You could take a level of beastmaster, and take natural bond, and it would be a *truly formidable* animal companion. I played in a game with this friend and his tiger, and the tiger tended to be more effective in combat than the druid.
Also, keep in mind... your animal companion is EXPENDABLE. The only thing that happens when it dies is you have to spend 24 hours to get a new one. That's it.
It's worth considering, also to cut down on bookeeping, that you can have your summoned creatures not 'actually' attack, but flank AND 'aid another'. They just have to hit an ac of 10, and whoever they are aiding either gets +2 ac against the enemy, or +2 attack against the enemy. For a fighter with power attack that translates to a +4 damage.
For Summon Nature's Ally I, the best monsters for this purpose are the Eagle with a +5 attack, and the Octopus, with a +5 attack. Basically, this means, 80% of the time these creatures will provide a +2 bonus... so... 1.6 per. Alternatively, you can summon 1d4+1 with SNAIII and get basically +5.6 on average. The ac of the target creature has no effect on this bonus.
Oh, keep in mind there will probably be a +2 flanking bonus as well.
As for the animal companion, you can use it to gain flight at either 1st or 4th level, depending on how the GM interprets Natural Bond and the higher level animal companions. A dire bat is a Large creature with 40 flight, good maneuverability. It gains abilities as if your druid level were your druid level -3. Some GMs interpret this and natural bond to let you gain access to higher level animal companions three levels in advance. Regardless, you either gain flight 4 levels or 1 level before anyone else. You can have fun with this and ranged weapons or ranged attack spells, like produce flame. This is also a good way to cast SNA spells. You could argue that the Dire Bat gives you soft cover from enemies beneath you. Casting while mounted requires a laughable DC 10 concentration check. 15 if your mount is 'galloping'. Have you ever seen a dire bat gallop?
If you decide not to use the animal as a mount, I have been informed by a powergaming friend, that the tiger is the ultimate animal companion. You could take a level of beastmaster, and take natural bond, and it would be a *truly formidable* animal companion. I played in a game with this friend and his tiger, and the tiger tended to be more effective in combat than the druid.
Also, keep in mind... your animal companion is EXPENDABLE. The only thing that happens when it dies is you have to spend 24 hours to get a new one. That's it.
tomBitonti
Hero
Expendable Animal Companion
Ya, but then the other party members start taking bets on whether or not your
animal companion will survive to the next session.
Also, a house rule, but in the campaign I'm playing in the Druid's council has problems
with burning through animal companions with little regard for their safety.
interwyrm said:
Ya, but then the other party members start taking bets on whether or not your
animal companion will survive to the next session.
Also, a house rule, but in the campaign I'm playing in the Druid's council has problems
with burning through animal companions with little regard for their safety.
lostdreamer
First Post
Playing a druid? I recommend it entirely. As mentioned, one of the real strengths of druids is their versatility. Even Bards are not as good at doing pretty much anything and everything.
On the RP side of things, druids only have to be part neutral, which means they can be pretty much anything shy of lawful stupid/Genocidal loon. So quiet well-mannered halflings, brooding fur cloaked savages who swear that might is right and well dressed foppish elves who would tell you it is the nature of men to build homes and communities. All of these and more are in the remit. Pacifists who will tell you all life (including that of the evil necromancer) is precious and homicidal nutcases to whom the 'cycle of life' means 'make everything black, flat and smouldering'.
Right. What to do with a druid?
1) Whatever takes your fancy. Forget Amex, the druid can do more or less anything in the hands of an imaginative player.
2) Use your spells liberally. Between cleric HP & saves, wildshape and 4/level skill points, druids are not impotent when they run out of spells. Make your life easy and cast away.
3) Remember that wildshape and summon spells are not just for combat. Wildshapes also excel at movement and stealth, and there are very few problems that the right summoned monster can’t help with. Got a trapped chest? Summon a monkey, give him a spare battle axe and let him loose. In incredible pain? Unicorn please. Enormous chasm in your way? Dire bat.
4) Use your animal companion at low levels. Dogs in barding can go toe-to-toe with an L2 fighter and stand a decent chance of winning. Add in barkskin and bulls strength (these affect your animal companion as well if it is nearby when you cast them) just to be sure. Large animals like horses are a pain to move around in a dungeon so only pick them if you tend to be in the wilderness.
5) Remember your limitations, because nobody likes a cheat. This means handle animal checks with your animal companion; no speaking or casting in wild shape without the feats & remembering your entire equipment list shapeshifts with you and becomes useless in wildshape. You don’t get Ex qualities in wildshape either, and this includes scent & lowlight.
6) If you don’t have a ranger in the party, give the Track feat some thought. You want a lot of the skills that work with it anyhow, so you may as well be able to follow your foes to hell and back (and with all the bonus stuff you get to your survival, scry etc, that is doable).
Things not to do with a druid:
1) Memorise curing magics. Your spell list is more that cure light, lesser restore and rem poison. Use scrolls, potions and wands for that job. Same goes for buff spells if you find yourself casting heavily.
2) Pretend you are a paladin. Yes, your fort and will saves may well be the highest in the party, but your AC won’t be and hit points only last so long.
3) Fight at range as your selection of ranged weapons is pitiful and you have no use for dex, so all you can do is throw spells at the problem. (See the ‘there is no problem that can not be solved with summoning’ entry)
4) Sit back and watch. Wildshape is pretty good at get-out-of-jail-free, so don’t be afraid of getting involved.
5) Take the mickey. This comes under the ‘nobody like a cheat’ entry. Nobody likes rules lawyers and abusive power/metagamers either. Taking your rings and necklace off before shifting and then asking your mates to put them back on your smelly flea-ridden animal form is flangey at best. The Vow of Poverty from Exalted Deeds should also be given serious consideration incase it makes your DM cry like a girl.
On the RP side of things, druids only have to be part neutral, which means they can be pretty much anything shy of lawful stupid/Genocidal loon. So quiet well-mannered halflings, brooding fur cloaked savages who swear that might is right and well dressed foppish elves who would tell you it is the nature of men to build homes and communities. All of these and more are in the remit. Pacifists who will tell you all life (including that of the evil necromancer) is precious and homicidal nutcases to whom the 'cycle of life' means 'make everything black, flat and smouldering'.
Right. What to do with a druid?
1) Whatever takes your fancy. Forget Amex, the druid can do more or less anything in the hands of an imaginative player.
2) Use your spells liberally. Between cleric HP & saves, wildshape and 4/level skill points, druids are not impotent when they run out of spells. Make your life easy and cast away.
3) Remember that wildshape and summon spells are not just for combat. Wildshapes also excel at movement and stealth, and there are very few problems that the right summoned monster can’t help with. Got a trapped chest? Summon a monkey, give him a spare battle axe and let him loose. In incredible pain? Unicorn please. Enormous chasm in your way? Dire bat.
4) Use your animal companion at low levels. Dogs in barding can go toe-to-toe with an L2 fighter and stand a decent chance of winning. Add in barkskin and bulls strength (these affect your animal companion as well if it is nearby when you cast them) just to be sure. Large animals like horses are a pain to move around in a dungeon so only pick them if you tend to be in the wilderness.
5) Remember your limitations, because nobody likes a cheat. This means handle animal checks with your animal companion; no speaking or casting in wild shape without the feats & remembering your entire equipment list shapeshifts with you and becomes useless in wildshape. You don’t get Ex qualities in wildshape either, and this includes scent & lowlight.
6) If you don’t have a ranger in the party, give the Track feat some thought. You want a lot of the skills that work with it anyhow, so you may as well be able to follow your foes to hell and back (and with all the bonus stuff you get to your survival, scry etc, that is doable).
Things not to do with a druid:
1) Memorise curing magics. Your spell list is more that cure light, lesser restore and rem poison. Use scrolls, potions and wands for that job. Same goes for buff spells if you find yourself casting heavily.
2) Pretend you are a paladin. Yes, your fort and will saves may well be the highest in the party, but your AC won’t be and hit points only last so long.
3) Fight at range as your selection of ranged weapons is pitiful and you have no use for dex, so all you can do is throw spells at the problem. (See the ‘there is no problem that can not be solved with summoning’ entry)
4) Sit back and watch. Wildshape is pretty good at get-out-of-jail-free, so don’t be afraid of getting involved.
5) Take the mickey. This comes under the ‘nobody like a cheat’ entry. Nobody likes rules lawyers and abusive power/metagamers either. Taking your rings and necklace off before shifting and then asking your mates to put them back on your smelly flea-ridden animal form is flangey at best. The Vow of Poverty from Exalted Deeds should also be given serious consideration incase it makes your DM cry like a girl.
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