Playtest: The Druid (merged)

[Plane Sailing]

One other thing - Primal Predators could lose out if they're not careful

Hit: 1d10 + Wisdom modifier damage. If at least one of the attacks hits, you can shift 2 squares.
Primal Predator: The number of squares you can shift equals your Dexterity modifier.

If a primal predator has a Dex of 13 or less this power is actually worse for him!

Cheers

 

[The Human Target]

On the whole, I think it looks very promising. Particularly in the implementation of WildShape (BTW, 3e PHB2 had a shifter variant of the druid who could shift every round into generic shapes, and it worked pretty well overall. I think this implementation owes a little to that)

I'm really pleased to see such a wide choice of at-wills. If only the PHB had 8 at-wills per class we would have seen less complaints and/or problems about cookie-cutter PCs.

I'm a bit disappointed in some of the details. I don't like to see all those beast attacks targeting reflex. If a wolf attacks you it attacks vs AC. If a druid wildshaped into a beast attacks you I think that should attack AC too. If worried about the impact of not having a 'proficiency bonus', then I would have much preferred the beast attacks to have a +2 bonus figured in to them. Neater and more appropriate to my mind.

I'm a bit disappointed to see the power creep inherent in things like Flame Seed which really ups the ante for at-will minion killing (it has the autokill benefit of cloud of daggers, but over an 8 (or 9) times bigger area). Wind Prison also looks a bit suspect - hit the low reflex minion with it and when he moves all the giants (or high reflex quicklings) get knocked prone regardless of their defences.

Back to the utilities, two things I really like: Skittering Sneak for tiny animal infiltration, and the Obscuring Mist sustain: minor with the opportunity to grow the area effect. I think that is great, and ought to be back-filled into some of the PHB powers (like cloudkill, which really needs a boost).

Cheers

Wind Prison would kill a minion, and thus the secondary knock prone effect would never take place.

But if for some reason there was a low level non-minion in the middle of group of Giants, you could pull it off.

But then, Giants tend to have cruddy Reflexes anyway so you could just hit one and be done with it.

I don't think Flame Seed is much better than Cloud of Daggers either, but it might be. Its area only gets greater if you use it on a large or larger creature, and then it only kills minions better if they're all adjacent to that creature. Plus it has less damage potential for using as an attack on non-minions. SO maybe its a wee bit better, but not much.

 

[Caliber]

Also note that Fire Seed requires you to hit; Cloud of Daggers does not. I thought Druid seemed strong at first glance, but I think its actually pretty good having looked over it a few times.

 

[Graethynne]

Interesting note ... the playtest now requires sign-in, but it still only goes up to level two. Looks like WotC is coming back from Turkey Hangover.

 

[Pseudopsyche]

But encounter = scene and there is nothing in the power that limit the length otherwise.

Player's Handbook, page 58: "If you use a power outside combat, it lasts for 5 minutes unless otherwise noted." By default, Skittering Sneak lasts for at most 5 minutes per day.

 

[Cadfan]

If a primal predator has a Dex of 13 or less this power is actually worse for him!

This isn't the only power that works that way, nor the only class. There seems to be a default assumption that your secondary stat will be at least a +2.

If you build your characters with the basic array (16/14/13/12/11/10), this default assumption is always true.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Cool stuff, the at wills seem really quite good IMO.
My players eladrin Wiz would change to this if they did level 7! We are especially up to the idea of an elf primal predator, speed 8 and once per day 12! (assuming Wis/Dex 16 +2 each and the 2nd level Util Fleet Pursuit)

 

[Graethynne]

Level 3 attack powers are up.

that is all.

 

[Starbuck_II]

One other thing - Primal Predators could lose out if they're not careful



If a primal predator has a Dex of 13 or less this power is actually worse for him!

Cheers

What happens if you have a negative dex mod? Do you go shift backwards

 

[Negflar2099]

Am I the only one who saw the Preview of the druid and immediately thought of making a warforged/druid who transforms into mechanical beasts and is basically a transformer?

Yeah, it was probably was just me.