All-around Druid

[Pyrefox]

Ok, my character is a female human. She's a 11th level Druid, and focuses on doing druid stuff.

Q: What do I mean by that?
A: She won't abandon any of her main class features. She has some feats to improve her Animal Companion (Natural Bond, from Complete Adventurer), her spells (Spontaneous Healer, from Complete Divine; and Winter's Blast, from Complete Mage), and her Wild Shape ability (Extra Wild Shape, from Complete Divine; Fast Wild Shape, also from Complete Divine; and Swift Wild Shape, from Complete Champion). I'll be getting that feat that allows me to cast spells while wildshaped on my 12th level.

Her base stats are: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 16.

As you can see, I use my Animal Companion as my melee part, my spells for combat and the Wild Shape usually as a tool for all around actions. I focus on buffing and healing my party (as we don't have any other healers). When I can, I go for some offensive spells, and if it means spending more than I should, I stick to my Reserve Feat, usually dealing 5d4 or 6d4 cold damage.

Now, our characters have been seriously lacking in magical equipment, and we finally got our hands on some awesome magical loot. The DM says someone prepared those items specially for each one of us, so, the items I'm looking for have no restrictions, except as follows:

1) They must help my Druid, being specifically created/obtained for her use.
2) The DM stated their maximum price is 16k gp for a few (one or two may go slightly higher, such as 17-19k, but the others will need to compensate), and the others should stay around 7-9k. No problem if the item is good and costs less than that.
3) The slots were decided by the DM: 2 Circlets/Helms/Hats/Etc, 1 Cloak, 1 Bracer/Bracelet/Armband/Etc, 1 Boot, 3 Rings/Amulets/Earrings/Brooch/Etc. That's a total of 9 items.
4) I already have a pair of Boots of the Winterlands and a Ring of Constitution (+2).


I wanted to know if anyone could please help me come up with nice options for these items. Sources may be any D&D 3.5 WotC material (PHBs, DMGs, Completes, Tomes, MMs, etc...)

Here's what I already looked up, so we don't pick the same things:

.Cloak of Comfort (11k - Complete Mage)
.Ring of the Beast (8k - Complete Champion)
.Amulet of Retributive Healing (4k - Magic Items Compendium) [doubled price for 6/day]
.Armband of Maximized Healing (14,4k - Magic Items Compendium) [doubled price for 6/day]
.Circlet of Persuasion (4,5k - Dungeon Master Guide) [yeah, my party lacks someone charismatic... I'm kinda the jack-of-all-trades]
.Earrings of Wisdom (16k - Dungeon Master Guide) [changed from periapt to earrings, DM was ok with it]


If you have any ideas, let's hear them! 

[PhaedrusXY]

If you've never seen it, go dig through this thread. A Belt of Battle is a fantastic item anyone would be happy to have. See if you can get it refitted to one of your available slots.

[Gavinfoxx]

Hello fellow fox!

You Really Really REALLY need to read the Druid Handbook, VERY MUCH.

You've made several suboptimal choices, but that doesn't really matter cause the chassis is so nice.  Just read the handbook!

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=1354.0

It doesn't have much as far as equipment goes... but it's good enough.  Just make sure that everything you get is wilding clasped.  I would also look for the magical woods, as well.  Do know that level 11 Druids automatically get magic armor, as a class feature (Wood Shape + Ironwood).

As far as equipment, I'd go with some Ironwood Breastplates, + Wilding Clasp, a Cloak of Resistance + Wilding Clasp (maybe add that nice teleporting cloak from drow of the underdark), make sure to go for periapt of wisdom.  Go for a belt, belt of battle or belt of healing plus wilding clasp.  Be sure to use the rules in the DMG for combining multiple items into one.

[Pyrefox]

Oh, reading through the Druid Handbook, I remembered something I forgot to write up there:

We're using a little house rule for my druid, something like the Cloistered Cleric. I have 6+Intelligence modifier skill points per level, instead of 4, and my BAB is the same of a Wizard, instead of the same of a Rogue.

[SneeR]

Without even the additional detriment of Light Armor Only? Wow, I'd play that Druid variant any day of the week...
You should have a long talk with your DM about making broken classes better.

As far as advice goes, Entangle is good even at your level. Spike stones is a great spell, too.
While you are going suboptimally, I have to admit that I am proud to see a little stick-to-it-iveness about the purity of class features... wait, you're using a crazy-good ACF...
Good going all the same!

[PhaedrusXY]

Without even the additional detriment of Light Armor Only? Wow, I'd play that Druid variant any day of the week...
You should have a long talk with your DM about making broken classes better.

To be fair the druid already gets 4 skill points per level, not 2 like the cleric. So it's not as big of a boost. Also, people almost always PrC out of cleric ASAP, while they stick with druid till the end (and would there for pay more for that BAB loss). Druids also lack easy access to DMM and Divine Power. So I'm not so convinced. I probably wouldn't take it on most druids I've played.

[Pyrefox]

I don't use Medium armor anyway, I dislike the skill penalties.
I wasn't listing everything my house rule for skill points do. I also gave up ever getting Wild shape (plants, huge and elemental), and I'm not leaving the Druid class, so that will be a loss.

I also noticed the Natural Bond feat won't work. The Druid Handbook made me realize I was breaking the rules by accident, since I can't raise my Animal Companion further when my character level equals my druid level. I'll change it for the Natural Spell right now. That opens my 12th level feat for suggestions, but I'll read the Druid Handbook some more...

[InnaBinder]

You probably want Extend Spell and/or Rapid Spell next, I'd think.

[rot42]

that nice teleporting cloak from drow of the underdark

Shadow Cloak, Drow of the Underdark page 101. It is well worth the price, and you can add a resistance bonus for (bonus squared x 1,000) if the crafting rules in the Magic Item Compendium are in play (they are more forgiving than the standard DMG rules in terms of letting you add common bonuses to more flavorful items). Endure Elements is one of those spells that would be fantastic in real life but has less effect on gameplay (sort of like a Monk). It is on your spell list, so I would recommend just burning through a wand when you need it.

If it fits with the fluff, you could get a Collar of Healing (Magic Item Compendium 89) and some buff items for your Animal Companion.

The Magic Item Compendium also introduces magic items that come in sets - each item has its own thematic effect, and you get a minor synergy bonus for wearing the items together. The Raiment of the Stormwalker (MIC 205) and Trappings of the Beast (start with Ring of the Beast, Complete Champion 140 edit: psychic OP is psychic, good on you for preemptively taking my advice) are both worth a look. Both sets have stuff that is out of reach currently, but could be worth building towards.

[Pyrefox]

Certainly, 'the Beast' set seems nice. I even added the Ring already. I'll take a look at this Cloak, but the one I picked already comes with the resistance bonus (+3).

The Collar of Healing was one of the options I had considered, but the DM said the items should be worn by my character. Not a problem at all... I could sell my boots and collect some more so I could get it. 50 Hp restored in a single shot is awesome!

Teleporting cloak is worth a look. There were some Greater Teleport boots, or something like that in the MIC too...

[Gavinfoxx]

You were level TWELVE and didn't have Natural Spell?

O,o

....
Okayyyy.... Um, lets see.  You know the various ways to allow you to communicate with the party, such that you will never ever ever need to be out of Wild Shape form ever again?

[Lycanthromancer]

Swap Dex and Con. All your physical scores are replaced when you wild shape, but your hp don't change, so Dex is utterly dumpable and Con is still important for hp.

[Mixster]

Okayyyy.... Um, lets see.  You know the various ways to allow you to communicate with the party, such that you will never ever ever need to be out of Wild Shape form ever again?

The most fun of those is clearly getting a raven familiar (through a feat or a wizard dip) and have it talk common. Now your character concept is a bear, summoning elephants, with a dinosaur friend, who talks through an empathic link to a Raven.

There is some discussion as to how Natural Bond works, some say that if you pick one of the advanced animal companions (such as the bears or the fleshraker dinosaur), you get to use your entire levels for calculating how awesome it is. Some say that those people are bending the rules to make the druid even more overpowered.

Without even the additional detriment of Light Armor Only? Wow, I'd play that Druid variant any day of the week...
You should have a long talk with your DM about making broken classes better.

To be fair the druid already gets 4 skill points per level, not 2 like the cleric. So it's not as big of a boost. Also, people almost always PrC out of cleric ASAP, while they stick with druid till the end (and would there for pay more for that BAB loss). Druids also lack easy access to DMM and Divine Power. So I'm not so convinced. I probably wouldn't take it on most druids I've played.

My thoughts exactly, especially since this guy already has 16 int and is a human for 8 points/level, this variant only increase it to 10/level.

I'd guess you want more Con, so you can get more HP, get an item that provides you with more is my suggestion.

For your 12th level feat I suggest Frozen Wild Shape, then you can turn into a 12th headed cryo-hydra for fun and profit.

Swap Dex and Con. All your physical scores are replaced when you wild shape, but your hp don't change, so Dex is utterly dumpable and Con is still important for hp.
[/quote
I think the dex is a pre-req for his fast wild shapes.

[Lycanthromancer]

Swap Dex and Con. All your physical scores are replaced when you wild shape, but your hp don't change, so Dex is utterly dumpable and Con is still important for hp.

I think the dex is a pre-req for his fast wild shapes.

So stay in a high Dex form outside of combat? He'll want a high Init anyway.

Also, what about LA 1 divine minion? Choose a high-Dex form and you'll have a leg up on your enemies and wild shape into that form all day long. That'll give him +11 druid levels for the purposes of wild shape, too.

[Gavinfoxx]

I'd say the easiest way of communicating is a Pearl of Speech from MIC...

[Mixster]

Also, what about LA 1 divine minion? Choose a high-Dex form and you'll have a leg up on your enemies and wild shape into that form all day long. That'll give him +11 druid levels for the purposes of wild shape, too.

The things you can do with Divine Minion is truly limitless, how I love that template. That just proves how good wild shape is. Btw I think Horus and Thoth are the highest dex LA +1 forms, since they have hawk, Thoth is simply better since he also has a combat form from the get-go though.

However, there could be produced an argument as to why Divine Minion Wild Shape and Druid Wild Shape wouldn't stack. If it works, the fast wild shape feats are also redundant, since a divine minion wild shapes as a free action.

[Pyrefox]

The Dex for Swift Wild Shape would be just 13. However, I have Dex 15 because I started my career as a "wizard-druid". Before I had Wild Shape, I focused on not getting killed... that's why I have Dex 15 and the Spontaneous Healer feat. Since the feat worked well, I kept it and got the Natural Bond (because I misunderstood it). As I reached third level, I got something I really don't remember, but I think it was some Skill Focus, since I had to deal with a large part of the skills the group needed.

When I got Wild Shape, and as soon as I had all requisites, I traded the Skill Focus for Extra Wild Shape and got the Fast Wild Shape. Then I got the Swift Wild Shape. As I never used the Wild Shape mainly for combat, I didn't miss the Natural Spell so much, and the Dex 15 wasn't so bad as I was casting spells in human form most of the time. Also, there was a heavy requirement for stealthy jobs (we were on a part of the campaign where we had to do a lot of investigation). Of course, sometimes I was like "omg, if I could cast a spell now...", but I decided to take it later. Now that I'll have to remove the Natural Bond (as it won't work with my wolf), I'll get the Natural Spell imediately. The Collar of Healing is my top priority in what I want to buy next. Oh, and I do have a wolf. Yes, a wolf (a fox would be so useless..)

Are there any feats/items that help my Animal Companion?? I have nothing to boost him anymore ):

I'm still reading the Druid Handbook. I'll take a look at the spell tricks now. Cya!

[Gavinfoxx]

Let me put it this way... if I wanted to focus on Wild Shape, here is the sort of build that I would do:
1 Open
Hu Open
3 Open
6 Natural Spell
9 Exalted Wild Shape
12 Dragon Wild Shape
15 Frozen Wild Shape
18 Open (Multiattack?)

And past level 8, I would never be in Human form if I could help it.