WotC_Dave: Druid!

[Bishmon]

Mostly because otherwise it's a cleric. Sure, he lives in the woods, can't wear metal armor, and has to kill his supervisor in order to advance in level, so he feels a little different. But mechanically, he's not terribly differentiable from a cleric.

Brad

But a spellcasting druid could be much different than a cleric, especially now that they're putting such an emphasis on the 'controller' role. Entangle could become a staple ability of the class, starting out small, only entangling a creature or two, and building up to a high-level entangle that ensnares a half-dozen enemies and does damage to them as the thorny vines constrict around them. And then there's the fog spells a druid could cast to neutralize an enemy's ranged attackers. Or a spell that creates thorny underbrush on the battlefield, hampering his enemies ability to move around. The walls of branches and trees he could create to cut the battlefield in half.

I think it'd be pretty easy to create a flavorful, evocative, spellcasting druid that plays very different than a cleric. In fact, the druid would be closer to a wizard, but it wouldn't be too tough to come up with an interesting mechanic or two that would distinguish the druid from the wizard.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I think it'd be pretty easy to create a flavorful, evocative, spellcasting druid that plays very different than a cleric. In fact, the druid would be closer to a wizard, but it wouldn't be too tough to come up with an interesting mechanic or two that would distinguish the druid from the wizard.

Indeed.

Heroic Tier: "I entangle them with thorns!"
Paragon Tier: "I move trees with my magic!"
Epic Tier: "I have created a volcano's caldera beneath your feet, BYE BYE, GUYS!"

So sexy.

 

[LostInTheMists]

I was hoping that you could have a Druid that covers 3 basic paths, based of talent selection. A weather-based Druid, a plant-based druid, and a wildshaping druid. Call the weather based a Druid a Fury (or Fury Talent tree), plant could be the Green path or Green talent tree (or something else appropriate) and then the shapeshifting druid.

Wouldn't the shapeshifting druid be more likely to be on the Furry Talent tree?

*peers*

Oh. You said FURY. My bad.

 

[frankthedm]

• He doesn’t do much with the classical Greek elements (air/fire/earth/wat er), but he’s got a lot of weather-related magic. Again, that’s the direction we were taking the class in latter-day 3.5 products.

Damn it. :\ I had hoped that would have been kept for some nice tension between Druids, allies of the elemental Primordials, and the Gods servants, Clerics and Paladins.

 

[Sir Brennen]

80 powers/30 levels = an average of 2 2/3 powers per level. Assuming that, as they've said, some levels don't have corresponding powers ("You can only slice the cake so thin"), say every third level, that's still 80 powers/20 levels for 4 powers per level (and probably still a higher number at the low/Heroic levels and a smaller number at the high/Epic levels).

Also note it's eighty "at this point". Could be more.

 

[r337ard]

Also note it's eighty "at this point". Could be more.

Could also be less, with some abilities scrapped or folded into others. I would imagine if the Druid is to wear multiple hats he will need to have a wider variety of abilities than most other classes.

 

[TerraDave]

Damn it. :\ I had hoped that would have been kept for some nice tension between Druids, allies of the elemental Primordials, and the Gods servants, Clerics and Paladins.

This had similar implications for the homebrew I have been thinking about doing (so there is just one primal/elemental god, who is technically dead...). Oh well. EDIT: This is what happens when you plan your campaing without the actual rules.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Personally, I hope some mechanic for animal companions makes it back in the druid. That was one of the things when opening the 3.0 PHB that made me go *cool* was the druid having a companion at 1st level. They need to revise the mechanics, obviously, so it isn't as if the player suddenly has 2 PCs (maybe a mechanic where the druid can split his normal actions between the main character and companion), but I'd still like an option for a beastmaster-type druid (with or without wild shape).

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

But a spellcasting druid could be much different than a cleric, especially now that they're putting such an emphasis on the 'controller' role.

Could? Yes.

But* I was referring to the druid moving from 2e to 3e. I.e. *why* they placed such a heavy emphasis on Wild Shape, because it was a pre-existing ability that gave the class a completely separate identity.

* - To be fair, I wasn't terribly clear, though I thought the "...and kill his supervisor to advance in level" would be enough. Sorry about that.

Brad

 

[Leatherhead]

Yes, there is a draft druid. From his blog.


• Call his role “hybrid.” But don’t assume that he can cover all roles. Just a couple of ‘em.

I am extremely wary of this. Wasn't preventing characters who were supposed to fill a role, but couldn't actually do enough of what they were used for, the reason that 4th edition gave classes defined roles in the first place? This kind of balancing act could easily break and overpower or underpower the class.