No Druid in PHB?

[Malhost Zormaeril]

The problem is that 3e designers made Druids ALL those things at the same time: shapeshifter, healer, fey-touched, animal lord, elemental spellcaster...

There is so much potential within the Druid array of sub-concepts that it well deserves to be a whole class with lots of paths and options, not so many fewer than clerics or wizards!

If it's too hard job, then leave it for a later PHB...

I argue that there is so much potential, that Druids should be split into several classes: One for skin-changers (like Beorn from The Hobbit, Defender role); one for weather-witches (Controller, with Entangle, Control Weather, Call Lightning, and the great out-of-doors battlefield control powers); one for Animal/Elemental summoning (A mix between Striker and Defender), and one for Wise Advisor and Alchemy/Herbalism buffing (Leader, like Panoramix from Astérix, who is too cool a concept not to use).

Of course, in my opinion there should be a number of "Generic Priest Archetype" classes which should kill both the Cleric and the Druid and divvy up their stuff among themselves, but that's a discussion for another thread, isn't it?

 

[alaric]

Just a reminder:

Nobody has said which 8 classes are in or out of the PH1. We've talked about classes in seminars and on the boards, and we've mentioned way more than eight classes in them. All the classes in the 3.5 PH will appear at some point in the game's lifespan, but the only ones you can call "confirmed" in the PH1 are fighter, rogue, cleric, and wizard.

Druids were mentioned in the roles youtube video, which is usually the source people use for 7 of the "confirmed" classes. They are probably on the bubble just like most the other classes being talked about.

 

[Counterspin]

I would say that mechanically Druids are shapechange. And given that, as people have mentioned, that's already been fixed, I'd be surprised if they weren't in the PHB.

 

[Prodigal_Sun]

I expect druids will show up in a later book, probably the PHB2. They'll introduce the Nature power source and have at least a couple other classes for it. My guess is there will be a melee class that steals the druids shapeshifting shtick, and another built around animal summoning and companions.

I hope you're right. Why? Because I love the druid and I wan't it to be well designed and balanced, not rushed just so it could fit in PHB1. I also like the sound of this nature power source and the distinction between druid(controler) and shapeshifter(defender).

I also think 3.5e PHB2 nailed it with the alternative druid features, I love it!

 

[vongarr]

I would be sad to see them absent from the PHB1.

BUT...

Just like the Wizard, the Druid is waaay too powerful and is a bit of a game breaker. It's worse than a wizard in many ways. So in flavor, I would be sad. As a DM and dealing with PC power, I would not be.

Out of the list the OP posted, I'd be just as sad seeing the Barbarian and Bard go though. Maybe the Cleric and Barbarian can kill the Druid and take his stuff for PHB1?

I do enjoy the "killing and taking their stuff" analogy.

 

[Imp]

- it sure would be nice if the cleric class was a lot more flexible in its workings, its relationships to its deities, its granted powers. As it is they are all healers, diviners, and boost-thumpers with domains. If that were implemented, the cleric could subsume the druid, possibly.

In 3.5 I use every single divine class and variant class I can get my hands on to simulate different religious traditions.

- if the druid were a separate class, they ought to have to specialize in one of their variety of powers – I'm fine with a shapeshifting druid if he can't also control the skies, etc. etc. More like a fighter, this way.

 

[Li Shenron]

Just like the Wizard, the Druid is waaay too powerful and is a bit of a game breaker. It's worse than a wizard in many ways. So in flavor, I would be sad. As a DM and dealing with PC power, I would not be.

Apart the fact that druids being too powerful are your opinion and not necessarily a universal truth. I might actually happen to agree with you, that they are in fact together with clerics slightly stronger, but then the designers apparently didn't think so when they made it even stronger in the 3.5 revision.

But anyway, removing a class (which is much more than the mechanic under it) from the game because it's too strong or because it's too weak (because in the revision someone boosted everyone else and forgot the Sorcerer...) it's not just wrong, it's more than wrong If we all agreed that the druid needs to be toned down, or the sorcerer needs to be boosted up, it's dead easy to do so. There are lots of druids abilities, they'd just need to tweak some of them down or not give all of them by default to all druids. Eliminating a class because it isn't perfectly balanced is throwing the towel for no benefit.

 

[Andor]

The Druid has been a core class ever since AD&D was first published. I'm not one for keeping sacred cows around just because, but geez, you might as well remove the long sword.

As for folding the Druid into the Cleric class. BLECH! The last thing we need is an even more powerful and flexible cleric. I thnk 2ed had the right approach with it's specialty priests. Trying to make a single class serve the will of all the gods at the same time is doomed to failure and muchkinism.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

consider the flavor for the elf in d&d4e... just what class fills that role? If they are like wood elves are all elves like rangers now? I really think in order for elves to be successful in 4e they need a core druid. ranger only takes it part way. elves no longer have a wizard flavor. It seems like they have a strong druid flavor if you read about them.

I wont be upset if druids are not in phb1 but they SHOULD be in the srd.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

Not having druids in the srd, would be as horrid as not having fighters or wizards. they fill to much of the fantasy niche that has been spoken of by Taliesin the bard and the legends of in Europe that most fantasy is based off of. It would be a shame if developers could not use the published druid as apart of their adventures or settings.