Tweaking Druids

[Iron_Chef]

It seems bizarre to me that druids live in the woods but can't track, hide or move silently, that they hunt for food but can't use a bow, and that they supposedly disdain metal but can't use scimitars. Metal comes from the earth, so what's the big deal with demanding metal weapon restrictions?

MY TWEAKED DRUID:
Add longbow and shortbow to weapon list.
Remove scimitar from weapon list.
Add Hide, Move Silently to skill list.
Add Track to class features at level 1.

OPTION UNDER CONSIDERATION:
Allow each druid to identify with one particular element/energy or natural creature/damage type (acid, air, animal, cold, death, disease, earth, electricity, fire, plant, poison) at start and be able to spontaneously cast spells with these descriptors in addition to summon nature's ally. Druids just seem weak to me compared to clerics, and not being able to spontaneously heal is a major weakness.

 

[Saeviomagy]

It seems bizarre to me that druids live in the woods but can't track, hide or move silently, that they hunt for food but can't use a bow, and that they supposedly disdain metal but can't use scimitars. Metal comes from the earth, so what's the big deal with demanding metal weapon restrictions? Shouldn't someone in touch with nature and have wild empathy be able to sense motive as humans are animals, too?

MY TWEAKED DRUID:
Add longbow and shortbow to weapon list.
Remove scimitar from weapon list.
Add Hide, Move Silently, Sense Motive to skill list.
Add Track to class features at level 1.

You realise that a druid could potentially take longbow or shortbow already, merely using a feat? Adding bows (ie - a high quality ranged weapon far superior to any others on the druid list) doesn't balance out removing scimitar (a mediocre melee weapon when other melee weapons already on the druid list are almost as good).

You realise that a druid can simply take track as a feat (he likely already has a very good survival skill).

The whole "humans are animals too" arguement simply does not apply in D&D. In D&D humans are humanoids, animals are animals. Otherwise the druid spell list (for instance) becomes far, far more powerful (human growth anyone?).

Sense motive doesn't really apply to animals - animals don't lie, and their emotions are liable to be very very obvious.

OPTION UNDER CONSIDERATION:
Allow each druid to identify with one particular element/energy or natural creature/damage type (acid, air, animal, cold, death, disease, earth, electricity, fire, plant, poison) at start and be able to spontaneously cast spells with these descriptors in addition to summon nature's ally. Druids just seem weak to me compared to clerics, and not being able to spontaneously heal is a major weakness.

Druids are at least as powerful as clerics, providing you make full use of their abilities. If you ignore wild shape and animal companions, then you'll end up with a sub-par character.

 

[Iron_Chef]

It doesn't make sense to me that they are supposed to be very wilderness oriented/survivalist characters but they can't fend for themselves in their native environment. They shouldn't have to use feats to gain access to things they logically should already have. I'm not talking game balance so much as common sense. They shouldn't have to multiclass as ranger to get these things.

I do agree on tossing out sense motive based on your argument, however.

 

[Li Shenron]

I probably have a different mental image of Druids, because I don't think them of good hunters. I always think of them at exceptional erbalists, and actually quite often against hunting animals. For this reason, I think it's fair that they are not all proficient by default with bows, that they don't get Hide and Move Silently as class skills and Track as bonus feats. But it is even more fair that they CAN now learn to use bows if they wish so. In general, I think a typical Druid is no more used to fight than a typical Cleric, and the current proficiencies are already good.

I would, instead of giving Hide and Move Silently as class skills, give them a +4 bonus when using Hide / MS in wilderness environment.

In any case, you can allow a PC to trade some class features with others as you see fit, as it is done (clumsily) in the Mongoose's Quintessential series.
That is, a specific Druid variant could get your benefits in exchange of something else: for example, a hunter druid could have a penalty to Wild Empathy (he fights rather than interacting with beasts) and maybe give up entirely the Animal Companion in exchange for the skills as class skills, the bonus prof. and Track.

The spontaneous casting should be controlled closely by the DM, for ex. not more than 1 spell per spell level (and all of the same subtype), and given INSTEAD of the Summon Nature's Ally spontaneous casting.