Count me in the "Don't fold the Druid into the Cleric" crowd.
What I would like to see is to make the Druid a class that has the potential to fill any of the roles (but must be decided upon character creation), or to separate the classes into its own Power Source for all the roles.
Option 1:
The 4e Druid has three distinct abilities:
Shapeshifting.
Animal Control.
Spellcasting.
When you create the class, you pick a Primary/Secondary power. Your major gives you access to certain talent trees, and lets you take others earlier. So you can take Talent tree X at level Y, rather than at level Z if it was your minor.
Thus you could have combos like:
Beast: Shapeshifting major/Animal Companion Minor
Wendigo: Shapeshifting Major/Spellcasting Minor
Animal Lord: Animal Companion Major/Shapeshifting Minor
Animal Savant: Animal Companion Major/Spellcasting Minor
Shaman: Spellcasting Major/Shapeshifting Minor
Nature Avenger: Spellcasting Major/Animal Companion minor.
The problem with this is that the Druid has a major/minor role. He's a defender with a striker capacity, or a controller with a defender capacity, etc. In 3e, the Druid can juggle any role, and here it's just cutting that in half and he's still strong and kind've mixed.
Option 2:
Power Source Nature.
Defender - Beast. His powers center around assuming the shape of animals, and his talent trees are purely physical. Perhaps those talent trees or feats later let him assume extraordinary abilities, supernatural abilities, etc.
Striker - Animal Lord. He swoops into battle with his flanking companion and lays into his opponent with an natural savagery and grace.
Leader - Shaman. Spiritually potent, the Shaman can bring down hexes, poison and disease upon his foes (possibly a Hex gives an opponent a negative bonus or condition while giving a positive bonus/condition to an ally). He heals his companions, and calls upon the spirits to give them strength (or other benefits).
Controller - Druid. His powers draw directly from nature; the fire of the volcano, the chill of Winter, and the unbridled life of Spring all flow directly through the Druid's veins. He uses the raw power of nature to burn or clutch his foes, bringing quicksand, thorny vines and volcanic ash down on his foes.
Alternatively you could switch those around:
Shaman becomes the Defender; Beefed up by Spirits, given an animal totem. (Shapeshifting talent tree.
Ranger is the striker. Animal companion tree.
Leader: ?
Druid: Same as above.
The problem: You'd have to wait for another book to get this. Also, I'm sort've running out of flavor for the Animal Lord, how to make him a balanced striker. And who gets the use of poisons? I stuck it with Shaman; it seems more like a Striker ability, but makes more SENSE for the Beast to be able to use poison attacks.
What I would like to see is to make the Druid a class that has the potential to fill any of the roles (but must be decided upon character creation), or to separate the classes into its own Power Source for all the roles.
Option 1:
The 4e Druid has three distinct abilities:
Shapeshifting.
Animal Control.
Spellcasting.
When you create the class, you pick a Primary/Secondary power. Your major gives you access to certain talent trees, and lets you take others earlier. So you can take Talent tree X at level Y, rather than at level Z if it was your minor.
Thus you could have combos like:
Beast: Shapeshifting major/Animal Companion Minor
Wendigo: Shapeshifting Major/Spellcasting Minor
Animal Lord: Animal Companion Major/Shapeshifting Minor
Animal Savant: Animal Companion Major/Spellcasting Minor
Shaman: Spellcasting Major/Shapeshifting Minor
Nature Avenger: Spellcasting Major/Animal Companion minor.
The problem with this is that the Druid has a major/minor role. He's a defender with a striker capacity, or a controller with a defender capacity, etc. In 3e, the Druid can juggle any role, and here it's just cutting that in half and he's still strong and kind've mixed.
Option 2:
Power Source Nature.
Defender - Beast. His powers center around assuming the shape of animals, and his talent trees are purely physical. Perhaps those talent trees or feats later let him assume extraordinary abilities, supernatural abilities, etc.
Striker - Animal Lord. He swoops into battle with his flanking companion and lays into his opponent with an natural savagery and grace.
Leader - Shaman. Spiritually potent, the Shaman can bring down hexes, poison and disease upon his foes (possibly a Hex gives an opponent a negative bonus or condition while giving a positive bonus/condition to an ally). He heals his companions, and calls upon the spirits to give them strength (or other benefits).
Controller - Druid. His powers draw directly from nature; the fire of the volcano, the chill of Winter, and the unbridled life of Spring all flow directly through the Druid's veins. He uses the raw power of nature to burn or clutch his foes, bringing quicksand, thorny vines and volcanic ash down on his foes.
Alternatively you could switch those around:
Shaman becomes the Defender; Beefed up by Spirits, given an animal totem. (Shapeshifting talent tree.
Ranger is the striker. Animal companion tree.
Leader: ?
Druid: Same as above.
The problem: You'd have to wait for another book to get this. Also, I'm sort've running out of flavor for the Animal Lord, how to make him a balanced striker. And who gets the use of poisons? I stuck it with Shaman; it seems more like a Striker ability, but makes more SENSE for the Beast to be able to use poison attacks.
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