Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="atra2" data-source="post: 2052567" data-attributes="member: 10914">To see the power of the druid, as with any other caster class, you have to look at all 9 levels of spells, identify the best spell or spells at each level, and then presume the player is an excellent wargamer (not powergamer, wargamer) and casts those spells over and over.3.5 Druid has Shapechange as a 9th level spell, just like a Wizard, but the druid has two good saving throws (fort and will), d8 HP, and better BAB.That's for starters. There are other PHB examples, but it really gets grody when you include Complete Divine/Defenders of the Faith (3.5 vs. 3.0).Then the Druid & Companion both benefit from Animal Growth, etc.You don't need 4 rounds of prep. Even 1 round can do.Round 1: Wildshape, move into flank; companion takes flank (cause you flanked in a way to "pickle" the foe) and attacks once. Foe not impressed, concentrates onparty tank.Round 2: If party tank whiffed, Animal Growth. If not, you and companion just melee, trusting YOUR PARTY to buff all three of you (including party tank).Round 3+ continue battle.In other situations, if you have enough bonus tricks and a reasonable DM, you mighttrain your Bear companion to grapple a target of your choice on round 1, then youfollow up with a spell.Another option vs. foes whose AC may not be that great is to use your highest levelsummon over and over, to give your Companion some buddies.From other threads I think I agree with this overview of D&D combat:levels 1 to (8 to 10 or so) = Tanks rule, but need healing and buffs to excel.levels 11+ = Casters rule, using Battlefield Control (Evard's, Acid Fog, some otheruber high level spells like Bigby's or Blade Barrier) to subdivide foes into bite-sizechunks for tanks to eat up, without any buffs on the tanks. And if the tanks gethurt, the Cleric/Druid yawns and casts Heal.This is in a typical combat-centered campaign. In a balanced campaign, one that isfar more than a Theatre performance of rules-eschewing elitists, yet not the realmof number-crunching Mensa members, versatility, even in skills, is king, and a playerwho is good at RPing can overcome most lacks of mechanical support, such as apure Fighter giving a great war rally speech, and the Bard with Craft Alchemy maxedwith Skill Focus is important for how many flasks of alchemist's fire he can produce perweek.But, if all you do is party vs. small # of foes combat, the DM biases for types of foeswill show through, players will adapt, and Druids may or may not be a very powerfulclass.(The DM will see a lot of PC clerics if all he puts on the board is undead, for example.Even with Turning Undead being broken (24 HD skeleton is CR 6. What 6th level clericcan turn that?) Clerics can still Searing Light, Spontaneous Cure, GMW a mace forthe fighter, etc.)So keep your players in mind, and think about what, for example, they would doif an Entangle hit them right after they entered a Spike Stones area, just forstarters at low level.I can see an Orc Shaman actually being a Druid, and setting up just such anoccurrence for his Orc Archers to take advantage of.Everything in D&D is situational. Even the "tanks rule level 1-10, casters 11+" issituational, because eventually D&D also devolves at 11+ into:"Who won initiative?"Maybe the Evil party's Monk won, and races over to grapple the PC Wizard. ThePC Cleric goes next, but doesn't have a good way to remove the Monk, who hasgood saves and can resist Holy Smite, Evade Flame Strike, etc. so the Cleric buffsthe party (Prayer) then the Evil Fighter Spirited Charges and strikes the party Roguefor 50+ damage, and the Rogue fails the fort save, dc 15, and dies.That's a very real situation for a 14th level party or so where enemy melee vastlychanges the battle purely by winning init.4 12th level enemy PCs = CR 14, which is fine for a party of 4 14th level PCs to face.The presence of the Evil Monk could mean the Evil party is down a caster, so theremaining 3 PCs can take care of business, but there's still problems to consider,as the PC Cleric uses high AC to stall the Mounted Evil Guy while the PC Fighterexecutes a Full Power Attack sequence against the grappling Monk, and probablyslays the Monk in 2 rounds.How well that Fighter rolls and what the other Good and Evil PCs do will affect things,but it's clear that the non-casters on the Evil side got an advantage despite beinglower level, and not having an opening Evard's or other Nuke to start the battle.Look over that Druid list, and see if, by replacing the party Cleric with a Druid, youcan make things better for the good guys. I bet you can. Not that Clerics areuseless, but that Druids are quite versatile.</blockquote>

Verification