Werewolf Druid building advice

[Theroc]

Okay, this time the help I need is a bit more specific, so hopefully it'll garner more advice, though Danny's advice was good.

I've decided to play a Druid for my Werewolf character in the upcoming game, but want advice as to how to set them up.

Level 1 start, basic starting wealth +50 if a human, +25 if anything else

Currently, the stats I can play with are: Roll Lookup

I was thinking of setting them up as
Str: 14
Dex:17
Con: 15
Int: 14
Wis: 17
Cha: 14

But wasn't exactly certain. I was thinking of going human, and choosing a wolf as his animal companion and stick to a very wolf-ish theme, since he *IS* a werewolf. (Natural werewolf who hasn't tapped into it yet.)

But I wasn't sure what to do for feats and spells to look into mostly, as I've never played a druid before at all. A note: While I do plan to help with the support role, I'd love it if I could spec this character out to be able to 'go wild' and engage in melee as well(not as the main meat shield or damage dealer though), like one would expect from a lycan.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Got a link to the prior thread? That will help avoid duplicating advice.

At any rate, my first instinct is to play a Human as the base race. You get the bonus Feat, of course, but it also plays into the great mass of lycanthrope legend and myth- you almost never hear about elves or other non-human races of fantasy being were-anything except in gaming.

Without knowing what is available in your campaign, Elf or Orc/Half-Orc would be my next choices. The former's connection to nature, magic, and the heightened senses would be interesting. The Orc/Half-Orc option keeps the animistic side of things intact.

The first feats that spring to mind are Improved Natural Attack and XPH: Bladed Gauntlet. That way, you're extra wolfy.

Taking the Feral template keeps the werewolf connection even stronger when not in altered form, and would give you a natural weapon even in non-shapechanged form...and would be covered by the same INA: Claws.

 

[Theroc]

Got a link to the prior thread? That will help avoid duplicating advice.

At any rate, my first instinct is to play a Human as the base race. You get the bonus Feat, of course, but it also plays into the great mass of lycanthrope legend and myth- you almost never hear about elves or other non-human races of fantasy being were-anything except in gaming.

Without knowing what is available in your campaign, Elf or Orc/Half-Orc would be my next choices. The former's connection to nature, magic, and the heightened senses would be interesting. The Orc/Half-Orc option keeps the animistic side of things intact.

The first feats that spring to mind are Improved Natural Attack and XPH: Bladed Gauntlet. That way, you're extra wolfy.

Taking the Feral template keeps the werewolf connection even stronger when not in altered form, and would give you a natural weapon even in non-shapechanged form...and would be covered by the same INA: Claws.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-3rd-edition-rules/259794-advice-werewolf-pc.html

There's the link.

Starting level is 1, so templates and such aren't really doable.

I completely forgot to mention sources. The DM only has access to the PHB itself, but will review other material if asked and given the specifics.

As for the race, Human or Half-Orc was my first instinct too, but I'd rather not lose 2 cha and 2 int for 2 str and darkvision, which were the main tradeoffs IMO. Elven Low Light Vision is redundant, I think, as Werewolves get that naturally.

Anyways, INA was definitely a given for me, and another thing I was considering was getting to Improved Trip. Hitting with my bite attack (depending on the source)in hybrid or wolven forms would allow a free trip attack, and then if the trip hit, I'd be allowed another bite. Along with my animal companion for a flanking buddy(if the parties rogue or ranger are elsewhere), should be really nasty for any humanoids I come across.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I would swap the con and dex scores. Nice rolls.

I'd recommend being an afflicted lycanthrope if possible (instead of natural) and buying ranks in the skill to control your form, rather than lose another precious CL to level adjustment.


The ECL of a werewolf (or any ECL) makes it a bad fit for a druid to begin with. You mentioned a wolf theme. Have you seen the Totem Druid variant? It's in dragon mag, but also crystalkeep's database, page 35 here: http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Classes-Base.pdf

If you could try to swing some sort of "deal" with your DM to tie in your lycanthrope shape changing ability to your totem shape, then be a wolf totem druid. By a deal, I mean something reasonable like stacking your wolf HD (or maybe even your full werewolf ECL) towards your effective druid level for totem shaping into a wolf / dire wolf, and the related benefits at certain levels. Since you'd be basically getting nothing from your totem shape (can already switch to wolf form whenever you like anyway), that seems fair to me. I'd think you could even merge the two abilities, and thus get all the totem shape benefits like being able to speak even in hybrid form. Certainly, it would help make an argument for allowing natural spell to benefit you while shape changed due to lycanthropy.

In case it's not clear what exactly you're giving up in being a wolf totem druid: access to any wildshape forms or animal companions that aren't wolves. Including elementals and plants. I really can't even describe how massive a loss that is. But if your DM is cool and works some kind of arrangement out with you, a werewolf wolf totem druid could be really cool.

 

[Theroc]

Hrm... while the Totem Druid would fit my theme greatly, like you said, it's a HUGE hit, and adding the 2 HD a Werewolf gets really doesn't sound like a major boon when it comes to losing all other wildshapes...

Also, Stream, the Dex/Con was the main thing I was debating, since I wasn't sure whether I'd be better off trying to avoid getting hit, or trying to be able to take more hits. As for being afflicted over Natural, since I'm using Wizards Savage Progressions for the Lycanthropy, I can stop at +2 LA if I want to. I just figured the 10/silver DR would be nice for a slightly squisher melee combatant... though I'm not sure how well this character will hold up in melee anyway.

And I did say a very wolf-oriented theme, but I'd rather avoid kicking my effectiveness too hard in the pants. I think the ECL and such from Lycanthropy is a pretty decent hit in and of itself, but I was thinking of possibly looking into the Warshaper PrC in the future, or the Geomancer(depending where the campaign takes us)... In any case, I'm hoping to focus mostly on brief support before entering the fray, only backing off to provide more support if it's necessary.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Starting level is 1, so templates and such aren't really doable.

Well, Feral is notorious as being one of the most underpriced templates out there- only +1. Given all the werewolfery adjustments you'll be making, I don't see it being much of a hit.

the Dex/Con was the main thing I was debating, since I wasn't sure whether I'd be better off trying to avoid getting hit, or trying to be able to take more hits.

Personally- and I admit that I'm probably in the minority here- I almost always prioritize Dex over Con unless I'm building a heavily armored tank for whom Dex is not optimal.

Con is undeniably nice for the HP, but HP are an ablative resource, meaning that with each successful hit, the benefit they grant is diminished. As you get hit, they disappear. However, you shouldn't overlook the value of making Fort saves and so forth.

Dex, OTOH, does multiple duty. It gives you bonuses to your initiative (hitting first is an advantage that helps drops foes quickly) and your ranged attack rolls (hitting at range is an advantage that helps drop foes quickly), and it adds to your AC. Unlike HP, AC is predominantly a non-ablative- unless someone directly affects your armor or tangles you or whatever, your AC remains unchanged throughout a given encounter. IOW, No matter how many times you're hit, your AC does not diminish. You're always getting its full benefit.

 

[Theroc]

Well, Danny... how can I apply a template which has a Level Adjustment if the starting level of 1?

Is that template acquired?

Also, I don't have access to Savage Species, and Crystalkeep does not have it, so I don't know what all it does(though, I must say I am curious, since I keep hearing about it). Otherwise I'd look into it. The reason Werewolf was approved was I will be using the werewolf class template from Wizard's Savage Progressions, so at level 1 I'm just a druid, level 2 or so is where the werewolf stuff may be coming into play.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, Danny... how can I apply a template which has a Level Adjustment if the starting level of 1?

Is that template acquired?

Not at all being snarky, but all that is up to you and your DM to decide- whether it could be acquired, what it would require to be Feral at 1st level.

The reason I bring it up at all is that I really have no idea as to how you can be a Werewolf at level 1 either (barring HRs)- I don't have "Wizard's Savage Progressions."

Generally speaking, Feral kind of makes you into a quasi-"Dire" creature (not quite the real thing- there is also a Dire template, after all). You're bigger, nastier, more aggressive- and your PC gains or improves natural weapons. And so forth.

 

[Theroc]

The reason I bring it up at all is that I really have no idea as to how you can be a Werewolf at level 1 either (barring HRs)- I don't have "Wizard's Savage Progressions."

I linked you to Savage Progressions: Ghost and Werewolf Template Classes
that webpage in my first thread, to SHOW you what I was referring to. I'm assuming how it will work is, my character was born with this in his blood, and it's only recently(during the course of adventuring) manifesting itself. For the feral template, I'm leery of using any template which I can't actually get the full entry on, just because I need to be able to present it to my DM and all.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

OK, I've seen it now.

You do realize that these template classes work just like regular PC classes (and are a modification of the Savage Species monster levels, similar to the AU/AE racial levels) or PrCls, right?

Savage Progressions: Gaining a Template Midcampaign

IOW, at 1st level, you could be a Werewolf OR a Druid, but not a Werewolf Druid.

And, with that in mind, you could easily consider the Feral template to be a single level template class.