PHBII: big problem - druids lack healing at low levels!
- Thread starter Silverblade The Ench
- Start date
CubeKnight
First Post
And they say Fighters didn't matter after level 11. What about those Epic Bottles? Who could wash an Iron Flask if not a level 12 Fighter?Hey! My 3E druid always let the fighter wash the bottles!
You can use the Heal skill to:
1) Give somebody their Second Wind in combat.
2) Stabilize a dying character in combat.
Why does a druid need magical healing powers beyond that?
The issue here is not need, but want. The OP wants the Druid to have healing abilities because that fits the fluff in his head of a Druid.
Thasmodious
First Post
This is an assumption you've made throughout this thread, but I don't think you've ever made a compelling case for why this is a core part of the fluff/flavor of the druid. "They always had that ability before" is not a compelling case. They've been really overpowered before, having way too many abilities. Of their whole schtick, why would being a major healing class be central to the concept? The fluff of the druid has never been band-aid, but bad ass protector and master of nature. Limited healing fits with the whole drawing from the earth vibe, but nothing screams - combat healing is a must! They can be capable out of combat healers and I think this fits well with their vibe.
I'm not saying that for your game, you shouldn't have druids heal or anything like that, just that I don't see a compelling case for why druids should have strong combat heals as a core power. They were not strong healers before. They could memorize all healing if they wanted, but it was a big trade-off for being able to do all the other druid things, useful for a party without a cleric, certainly, but it was a big sacrifice on the druid's part. Spontaneous casting was a big deal in 3e, it's what really made the cleric the superior healer.
For your own game, look at Rechan's feats and powers on page 3. Two good healing feats and two utility powers to bring some healing to the druid without breaking roles or such. (Rechan, I tried to give you xp, but I got nothing when I clicked the button, same for anyone else I tried)
Well, that's too bad and all, I suppose.
Frankly, the my fluff idea of a Druid healing is grounded largely in nature-based solutions - mystic herbalism and whatnot. Those sorts of healing solutions typically longer than 6 seconds to produce an effect on the body - even in high-fantasy.
6-second healing solutions seem to be rooted in bolstering Morale or funneling Energy into someone. That doesn't fit the style of druid fluff I have in my head at all. Spirit-wielding Shamans? Sure. Herb-wielding druids? Not so much.
- Marty Lund
malraux
First Post
I would also say that the big issue here isn't as much the limiting of healing to leaders, but the ease of OOC healing by all party members. If characters couldn't spend healing surges out of battle, then I would agree that druids should be able to let characters do so. But that sort of healing is inherent to all classes now.
Henry
Autoexreginated
Druids...heal, it's a long standing part of D&D. Removing that isn't useful.
Sigh.
I won't disagree with you on the overpowered dr00ds needing stomped (CODzilla is too nice a term for it, IMHO, lol). But ya see what I mean?
I feel similarly about Cleric/Wizard archetypes in 4E, but I've learned to live with it.
The question I would pose is: If you turned druids into Leader-types, what would you get rid of -- the controller or the striker aspect?It's all in how they druid got broken up for 4E, because Plane Sailing was right: The 3E druid was so good they had to break him up into three classes.
Were I doing it, I could see breaking him into a Leader/Striker, maybe, and left the controlling to the Shaman. (Basically, keep the shapechanging, and remove some of the more powerful shapechange powers, but move the controlling powers to the Shaman, and vice versa -- using his guardian spirit as the impetus of the controlling powers.)I feel similarly about Cleric/Wizard archetypes in 4E, but I've learned to live with it.
Personally, I'd get rid of the striker.
But I like my druid turning into a bear and ripping off some dude's head.
Essentially, isn't this the problem? 3E druid was so broad and did so many things that people starts to think that all those abilities were intrinsic to being a druid. When they split the druid up into class A, B and C for 4e, they can only call one of those classes "druid". No matter which class you give the druid name to, there'll always be people who thinks the other two classes contains abilities that should be intrinsic to a class called the "druid".
Heck, if you really look at it, the entire primal power source consists of 3/4 druid and 1/4 barbarian. Yeah, that's right, the 3e druid was so broad that they could almost make a power source entirely from that class.
