Author Topic: The Druid Handbook  (Read 598812 times)

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IlPazzo

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #420 on: September 01, 2011, 08:20:49 AM »
Drop extra wild shape, and if you wanna keep the flavor get fast wild shape (CD). 4 uses of wild shape /day is already enough since the average campaign has 3 battles and one good chance to use wild shape for utility forms /day, plus some extra from time to time. And you don't need to wild shape in any battle, spells can be enough. Also if you need to wild shape, being able to do that as a movement action instead of a standard one helps, even more when you are babysitting as you don't want to leave the other characters alone for a round. Normal wild shape means that in a round you can wild shape and move. Fast wild shape means you can wild shape and cast a spell, or move, or attack if already at range, or other stuff.

Get a studded leather armor instead. Minimal effort for a slighty better armor.

The croc is a good grappler, but not at level 11. If you don't need it normal sized get a giant crocodile instead. Or even better an allosaurus if you don't want to stick to crocodiles. This is assuming you want a grappler.

I never equipped a druid with 60k gp, so I don't know lots about that.
However, since the druid is not object-intensive as other classes, remember you can buy equipment for your animal companion too. If you keep your normal crocodile, make sure to train him to be a warbeast so you can make him wear a barding (plus some other bonuses), unfortunately training stronger animals may be harder (mostly for background reasons. It's reasonable that you trained the animal you got 7 levels ago, not as much for an animal you got the last level).
Otherwise you can always make him wear other items. Just make sure to buy items that will fit your next animal companion in case it dies or you choose to change it. A collar can be worn by most animals, and wondrous items usually resize automatically.

BackHandOfFate

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #421 on: October 03, 2011, 09:04:13 AM »
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet because I do not have the time to read all 20ish pages of this thread, but...

Has anyone read Serpent Kingdoms page 85?  

No?  Because when you flip to that page and look up a nice little snake called the "Sewerm".  Why you ask?

IT'S A SMALL SIZED SNAKE WITH 17 STRENGTH AND A +16 racial bonus to grapple.  Auto attaches on a successful bite attack.  Deals auto bite damage each round you are grappled.  Has a Poison that numbs your victim, making him unaware of injury unless he actually spots it(AND making Venomfire exceedingly effective..  "Oh whats that you say I have a huge gaping acidic hole in the back of my head and a snake wrapping around my neck, crushing my windpipe?  LOL ur such a kidder.")  The best part of the poison is that it's a contact poison, secreted from the snakes skin and also delivered from its bite attack.  +8 racial bonus to HIDE, Jump and SWIM (ability to take 10 with swim checks).

This snake has a medium and large sized HD progression.  Small(2HD), Medium(3-4HD), LARGE(5-6HD).  Now, I've read the rules on wildshaping, and it's not clear to me if an 8th level druid can assume the form of an animal in a size that is larger than normal if it meets the requisite HD for the size AND the ability to wildshape into that size.  But, if this is in fact the case, we may be looking at the best Large sized grappler in the game.  If not, this is still definitely the best grappling form at levels 5-7.  This snake effectively grapples as a creature FOUR SIZE CATEGORIES LARGER.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2011, 07:33:53 PM by BackHandOfFate »

ShriekingDrake

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #422 on: October 07, 2011, 10:11:38 PM »
What do you suppose the highest we could get a druid's wisdom without infinite loops and without cohorts/party members doing some of the lifting?

Shiki

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #423 on: October 07, 2011, 10:23:47 PM »
^Off the top of my head, only assuming Druid 20:

18 Base
+6 Anthropomorphic Bat
+3 Venerable
+5 Levels
+5 Wish/Tome
+6 Periapt
+1 Faustian Pact
+10 Owl's Insight
=54 Total

What else? ???
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KellKheraptis

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #424 on: October 08, 2011, 01:40:42 AM »
^Off the top of my head, only assuming Druid 20:

18 Base
+6 Anthropomorphic Bat
+3 Venerable
+5 Levels
+5 Wish/Tome
+6 Periapt
+1 Faustian Pact
+10 Owl's Insight
=54 Total

What else? ???

Neutral evil with that feat adding +2 to evil creatures (whatever it was) and ability enhancer adding another +2, netting +12 Enhancement (Necrotic Empowerment) and +14 Owl's Insight, for a total of 66?
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The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #425 on: October 08, 2011, 03:12:00 AM »
^Off the top of my head, only assuming Druid 20:

18 Base
+6 Anthropomorphic Bat
+3 Venerable
+5 Levels
+5 Wish/Tome
+6 Periapt
+1 Faustian Pact
+10 Owl's Insight
=54 Total

What else? ???

Neutral evil with that feat adding +2 to evil creatures (whatever it was) and ability enhancer adding another +2, netting +12 Enhancement (Necrotic Empowerment) and +14 Owl's Insight, for a total of 66?

If you go undead, you get an additional +2 on each spell effect from dragon compendium's fell energy spell.  ("Any numerical bonus granted by a spell modified with this feat increases by +2 for all undead creatures it affects.  This increase does not apply to factors such as range, save DC, healing, or other numerical factors relating to a spell. Only effects described as bonuses gain this benefit. )

Not sure if it overcomes the 'creatures can only get a +5 inherent bonus), but it definitely saves you money on wishes.
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ShriekingDrake

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #426 on: October 09, 2011, 02:43:33 PM »
So far, that's not too amazing, given what can be done to some other stats.  I suppose, given the power of Clerics and Druids, that this may be a good thing. Nonetheless, I do wonder if there are ways to boost it higher. It seems as if the Saint/VoP route is slightly less effective than an evil route, at least according to what's been posted so far.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2011, 06:32:56 PM by ShriekingDrake »

Shiki

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #427 on: October 09, 2011, 03:07:04 PM »
Perhaps you could get yourself PAO'd x2 (x3?) just so you get a better base Wis score? W/e.
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ShriekingDrake

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #428 on: October 28, 2011, 03:27:53 PM »
How would that work with PaO?

Damien_Wilacoth

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Re: The Druid Handbook
« Reply #429 on: October 28, 2011, 03:59:26 PM »
It doesn't.  You can use that trick to get higher Str, Dex, Con, and Int scores, but both Wis and Cha improvements are off limits with PAO shenanigans.