Author Topic: The Druid Handbook  (Read 598735 times)

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Agita

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #400 on: May 12, 2011, 01:55:42 PM »
Who cares about the proficiency? Psions aren't proficient with fullplates either, but it doesn't stop them.
Psions are far less likely to have to make attack rolls, though. However, there's an armor enhancement in MIC (not the SRD one) that lets armor meld into your form while still granting armor bonus but, IIRC, not imposing the armor check or movement penalties. I used that on a Dwarf MoMF with like 6 Str wearing a suit of mountain plate without proficiency once. Fun stuff.

EDIT: No, wrong, other way around. Reading the Wild armor enchantment in the SRD, it can be argued that it melds in your form (thus counting as if you weren't wearing it and negating penalties), but you still get the AC bonus.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2011, 02:02:51 PM by Agita »
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Bauglir

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #401 on: May 13, 2011, 03:52:04 PM »
Huh, yeah, I'd completely forgotten about proficiency. I've always thought the Wild enhancement did give the bonus without penalties, but even if it doesn't, you can still technically have it made of special materials that you can make non-metal armors out of, which can help lower that if you need to. Dragonhide Full Plate doesn't have that capability, at least. Then again, there aren't many of those, so I dunno.
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iconoplast

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Re: armor
« Reply #402 on: June 09, 2011, 06:11:58 AM »
The equipment section is empty. Here's a start, a discussion about druids and armor.

Full plates and Monk's Belt and Wild Shape

Druids are not proficient with heavy armors. Taking feat sucks. Still, druids might want full plates. There have been suggestions armor melded with body in wild shape (with wild enchantment) does not incur penalties. Maybe. But for now, here are some definitely legal options.

Draconomicon 117: Dragoncraft Armor.  Masterwork version of Dragonhide.  Also grants Energy Resistance 5 to appropriate energy type.  Also also counts as one category lighter.  More expensive than Mithral, but it counts as medium armor. 

Hairygin

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #403 on: June 18, 2011, 09:42:11 PM »
Quote
Quote
Initiate of NaturePGtF: This feat allows you to rebuke animals and plants. You have the ability to control 2HD per class level, which results in quite a few creatures.

I can't find anything that says "2HD per class level" - neither on p. 81 PGTF (feat "Initiate of Nature") nor on p. 160 PHB (rebuke undead).
Where do you have that from?

Thanks
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studderingdave

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #404 on: July 20, 2011, 12:53:28 AM »
can i get a concise list of books that would be deemed "required" to run a solid druid?

snakeman830

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #405 on: July 20, 2011, 12:59:05 AM »
can i get a concise list of books that would be deemed "required" to run a solid druid?
Player's Handbook
Monster Manual

There you go ^.^
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A Common User

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #406 on: July 20, 2011, 03:39:00 AM »
can i get a concise list of books that would be deemed "required" to run a solid druid?
Player's Handbook
Monster Manual

There you go ^.^

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Shiki

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #407 on: July 20, 2011, 11:08:20 AM »
can i get a concise list of books that would be deemed "required" to run a solid druid?
Player's Handbook
Monster Manual

There you go ^.^

The two most dangerous books in all the d20 system.

Actually, the Dungeon Master's Guide is pretty dangerous aswell.
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studderingdave

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #408 on: July 20, 2011, 11:52:03 AM »
would you call druids tier 1 when playing core 3.5?

PhaedrusXY

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #409 on: July 20, 2011, 11:55:43 AM »
would you call druids tier 1 when playing core 3.5?
Yes. In general, anything that's tier 1 only gets stronger (relative to the non-tier 1 stuff) if you limit the game to core only. Cleric might be the exception, as they gain so much from Divine Metamagic that it isn't funny at all... But they still deserve their tier 1 place even in core only (especially evil and/or neutral clerics who can use Animate Dead).

Druids only get marginally better outside core. All they really need to kick ass is their base class features and core spells plus the Natural Spell feat. So the TLDR answer is: Absolutely!
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studderingdave

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #410 on: July 20, 2011, 11:58:56 AM »
ok cool. i dont have access to many books outside of the core 3 so im glad i can still run a solid druid.


IlPazzo

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #411 on: July 24, 2011, 08:18:54 PM »
Are there ways to get a very high caster level as a druid?
I don't demand something red wizard broken, but I hope something could be around.

A druid would benefit very much from this, as it has lots of great uncapped spells (just think of owl's insight).

Agita

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #412 on: July 24, 2011, 08:55:24 PM »
Are there ways to get a very high caster level as a druid?
I don't demand something red wizard broken, but I hope something could be around.

A druid would benefit very much from this, as it has lots of great uncapped spells (just think of owl's insight).
Druids can enter Hathran (PGtF) and Halruaan Elder (some Faerun book, not sure which), I believe, both of which grant Circle Magic.
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craig_vondragon

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #413 on: August 06, 2011, 06:20:00 PM »
i dont know if this has been answered before but can anyone give me some useful spells for the druid to heal ability drain as i dont seem to see much

Akalsaris

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #414 on: August 09, 2011, 06:22:10 PM »
Hrm, that's a surprising weakness...

Druid
-Sheltered Vitality (SC 4) blocks ability drain
-Summon Nature's Ally IX (PHB 9): Summon a celestial charger, which has Restoration
-Shapechange (PHB 9) can probably get you a form with Restoration as a (Su) ability (or spell-casting if your group rules that way)
-Channel Celestial (BoED Sanctified 4, 7, 9) can likewise probably get you a form with Restoration. Of course, you can't be suffering from ability drain when you cast it...

craig_vondragon

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #415 on: August 10, 2011, 02:32:45 PM »
thanks, i dont, know why i didnt think of the charger, ive been annoying the dm enough by summoning unicorns and stopping his incorporeal undead from using the touch attack with their circle of prots, glad i can give him more unicorn annoyance

ikopol

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #416 on: August 31, 2011, 05:56:59 AM »
I have to thank for this handbook. My group started a new D&D campaign after a long time playing other rpg's. Now we are back and I decided to play a Druid. It helped me a lot reading guides like this, great work.

I've got some comments.

- Initiate of Nature: I don't get it. Like earlier said in the thread it's only 1 HD per Class Level of controlled animals or plants. Because of the way turning/rebuking works, you can only control a creature with half your hd. So reaching Level 20 you can control 2 creatures (animal/plant type) with each 10 hd. But why should you do so? You've got Charm animal, you've got handle animal, you've got dominate animal. You want shamblind mounds? Cast Shambler! (To command Shamblind Mounds using Iniatiate of nature you have to be at least Druid 16 because they've got 8 hd. Shambler is a 9nth grade spell, so you get it as Druid 17.) I don't think it's useless, but I don't think it's extremely powerful, too.

- Multiattack. Some DM's won't allow it? RAW you can't take it, because you don't fulfill the requirements. I think there was something in the FAQ about learning feats while you fulfill the requirements only through magic items. Considered this, you would have to be in wild shape, assuming an animal form with secondary natural attacks when you level up. So you better be listening to the DM, so you are always wild shaped when he gives XP :lmao.

- Assume Supernatural Ability. I don't understand, what's about this feat. You have to assign it to a supernatural ability when you take the feat. (I am not sure, if you have also to assign the kind of creature whose supernatural ability you want to assume.) You can take more feats to assume more supernatural abilities. What are good choices for supernatural abilities? Animals don't even have supernatural abilities. Where is the hidden power, why it's broken?

- Produce Flame: The handbook relates to the rules for touch spells - holding the charge. This doesn't work, because produce flame is not a touch spell. But I think you could first do your melee touch attacks using produce flame and after these all natural attacks (except the one you used as a hand for produce flame) as secondary attacks. I am thinking it would be better using regular unarmed attacks (gaining extra damage from strength) and then using the natural attacks instead of casting produce flame in wild shape! Applying the rules for touch spells to produce flame would be house-ruling.

- Bite of the Werething: I really don't think it is intended to be used with wild shape, but instead wild shape. When I asked my group (we decide about rules together) about learning Bite of the Werething to use it with wild shape, they laughed about it.

- Companion Spellbond (PHB2). The feats section is missing it, I think it is a must-have if you want your animal companion to be useful in melee while you stay in melee yourself. Espescially if you've got a cat with the pounce ability it will be moving over the battlefield, away from the druid.

Agita

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #417 on: August 31, 2011, 09:24:24 AM »
I'm not experienced enough with Druids to answer all of these, but here's the easy ones.

- Multiattack. Some DM's won't allow it? RAW you can't take it, because you don't fulfill the requirements. I think there was something in the FAQ about learning feats while you fulfill the requirements only through magic items. Considered this, you would have to be in wild shape, assuming an animal form with secondary natural attacks when you level up. So you better be listening to the DM, so you are always wild shaped when he gives XP :lmao.
Starting at level eight at the very latest, you can be wildshaped literally 24/7, as you'll have three uses of Wild Shape per day, each of which lasts for 8 hours. Stay in forms with at least three natural attacks until you have the feat - after that, if you want to shift into a form with fewer natural attacks, you'll lose its benefit, but regain it when you shift to a form that qualifies.

- Assume Supernatural Ability. I don't understand, what's about this feat. You have to assign it to a supernatural ability when you take the feat. (I am not sure, if you have also to assign the kind of creature whose supernatural ability you want to assume.) You can take more feats to assume more supernatural abilities. What are good choices for supernatural abilities? Animals don't even have supernatural abilities. Where is the hidden power, why it's broken?
Elementals have supernatural abilities, as do some plants, which a Druid becomes able to Wild Shape into eventually. Alternatively, if you take a PrC or feat that allows you to assume forms other than animals... yeah.

- Bite of the Werething: I really don't think it is intended to be used with wild shape, but instead wild shape. When I asked my group (we decide about rules together) about learning Bite of the Werething to use it with wild shape, they laughed about it.
Why wouldn't they? The spells give a flat enhancement bonus to different stats, which is completely separate from Wild Shape changing your stats altogether.

- Companion Spellbond (PHB2). The feats section is missing it, I think it is a must-have if you want your animal companion to be useful in melee while you stay in melee yourself. Espescially if you've got a cat with the pounce ability it will be moving over the battlefield, away from the druid.
This I agree with. You can definitely arrange to work without it, but it's a very convenient ability, and it's not like a Druid is going to be strapped for feats.
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TenaciousJ

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #418 on: August 31, 2011, 03:06:14 PM »

- Bite of the Werething: I really don't think it is intended to be used with wild shape, but instead wild shape. When I asked my group (we decide about rules together) about learning Bite of the Werething to use it with wild shape, they laughed about it.


The rules do not exclude using those spells with wild shape.  Sure you get a goofy looking animal, but they are compatible.

studderingdave

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #419 on: August 31, 2011, 11:45:13 PM »
i am finishing off an 11th level druid for a new campaign where i am more or less babysitting a bunch of newer gamers. i have 60,000GP to spend on items and i am looking for suggestions on what to take. a wisdom buffer seems obvious but what else? im a pretty frail HtH figher with only leather armor, my animal companion is a croc. my feats are standard (natural spells, extra wild shape, initiate of nature, extend spell, 1 open)

thoughts?