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BWM
2009-02-24, 10:48 AM
I'm working on a 3.5 druid and I want his spells to be utility-like. So I want the most utilitylike spells for a druid and because I'm used to playing Clericzilla (with sucky abilities) or Batman (as a DM), the druid spell list looks horribly underpowered...

Also, the guy needs a name and I'm out of inspiration. He's a human.

Epinephrine
2009-02-24, 04:17 PM
The druid list is really solid. It has quite a few nasty spells, and gets access to some decent personal buffs. Somewhat obviously, though, it is better off in natural settings.

What books are you using (we stick to PHB and Spell Compendium pretty much)?

Starbuck_II
2009-02-24, 05:14 PM
I'm working on a 3.5 druid and I want his spells to be utility-like. So I want the most utilitylike spells for a druid and because I'm used to playing Clericzilla (with sucky abilities) or Batman (as a DM), the druid spell list looks horribly underpowered...

Also, the guy needs a name and I'm out of inspiration. He's a human.

2nd level spells: Kelpstrand is all kinds of awesome.
Remember, it creates the Kelp, but gets a boost if within 100 feet of water (like the ocean).
Caster level + Wis = Grapple check.

Sorta a lower level Black Tentackles except only effects enemies. 1/3 levels can be shot at an enemy (multiple means target gets multiple grapples to fail).

BWM
2009-02-25, 03:55 AM
What books are you using (we stick to PHB and Spell Compendium pretty much)?

Yes, I realized that after hitting [Submit post] and was too lazy to change it afterwards... Probably anything goes, though not too cheesy...

Adumbration
2009-02-25, 04:39 AM
Well, Blizzard from Frostburn is handy for battlefield control, especially if you buff up your allies first with Snowshoes and Snowsight. Both have Mass versions, so it won't take too many spells.

Fishy
2009-02-25, 04:39 AM
1) Dude, you're a Druid. Pick a spell that looks mildly interesting, and if it doesn't work the way you'd like, change it the next day.
2) Entangle is your friend, but it can destroy you.
3) Grab some random metamagic and Sculpt Spell, and Entangle is less likely to destroy you.
4) Any SNA with Elementals is a good swiss army knife, and you get them all for free.
5) I'm a fan of the Greensinger Initiate feat from Eberron, which adds fun things like Charm Monster and Displacement to the druid list.
6) Mass Snake's Swiftness, from the Spell compendium, is absolutely killer in some circumstances and useless in others. A fun spell, all around.

Swooper
2009-02-25, 04:48 AM
There's lots of decent buff spells for you and your animal companion. Bull's Strength, Bear's Endurance, Cat's Grace, Animal Growth, Greater Magic Fang, Barkskin etc. Summoning spells (SNA) are very good after a few levels, especially with Augment Summoning. I remember a druid in a group I played in using Vine Mine (from SpC) a lot to good effect, especially combined with Entangle.

Temp.
2009-02-25, 04:51 AM
2nd level spells: Kelpstrand is all kinds of awesome.
Remember, it creates the Kelp, but gets a boost if within 100 feet of water (like the ocean).
Caster level + Wis = Grapple check.
I don't like to nitpick, but that would be kinda crummy. Add your Base Attack and any other Grapple modifers you might have beside Strength or Size and you get the spell as it is in the SpC.

As far as the OP's utility spells, Summon Nature's Ally has more uses than combat; get creative -- Dire Badgers burrow, various animals provide high strength scores and flight.

All the Animal-interaction spells can provide basic scouting/knowledge ahead of time. And all the specific-use spells (Diminish Plants, Snowshoes, Warp Wood, Wood Wose, that sort of thing) are pretty straightforward -- they work well for what they do.

I guess I don't know what you're looking for; the Bite of ___ series provides excellent buffs for you and your companion if melee's your thing; Entangles, Walls and other terrain-manipulators provide battlefield control if that's your schtick; heaps of spells provide out-of-combat utility, even if they tend to be rather niche uses; Blasting spells provide damage if you want to go that route; Summon Spells do just about everything -- Aid in combat, get in the baddies' ways, lay down the hurt, deal with out-of-combat problems.

The list tends to be less effective than any specialist's beside summons, nature-based utility spells and self-buffs (the Conjurer will have better Battlefield Control, the Evoker will have better direct damage, the Cleric will heal more effectively), but they have a pretty solid base in all casting fields.

Arcane_Snowman
2009-02-25, 05:02 AM
My personal favorite spell combination: Eye of the Hurricane + Control Winds, too bad that wind speeds have a cap.

Aquillion
2009-02-25, 08:47 AM
Important Druid spells...

Entangle: A first-level save or suck. Which hits an area. And makes it slow to move through that area even if they save. And keeps making anyone in the area save again every turn. One of the best first-level spells period.

Longstrider: +10 movement for 1/hour per level. Basically, at higher levels you get +10 movement all day just for being a Druid. Other classes would have this as a major class feature; you get it basically for free.

Summon Nature’s Ally I-IX: You cast these spells spontaneously, so you want to know them inside and out. Aside from their combat usefulness, disposable creatures have lots of utility, and some of them have useful abilities. Xorns and Earth elementals can use Earth Glide to pass through the earth, say, and grab things for you. Air and Water elementals can make vortices / whirlwinds in their respective environments. Unicorns can heal. Janni and Pixies have several useful spells, like the Pixie's Permanent Image 1 / day; Janni can also go ethereal for 1 hour a day, useful for scouting. Djinni can cast Major Creation (and create things out of vegetable matter permanently) and Wind Walk (making it unnecessary for you to ever prepare it), plus they can Plane Shift (and take others with them) at will. And lots of different things summoned by these spells have useful ways of finding or following fleeing / hidden / invisible enemies, like Scent or Tremorsense.

Keep in mind that all of the above can be cast spontaneously -- a druid can access Major Creation, Permanent Image, Plane Shift, Wind Walk, or lots of healing simply by knowing the right creature to summon, without having to prepare anything.

Gust of Wind: Many different uses. Repels or knocks over small or flying creatures, blows away various effects, and so on.

Lesser Restoration: Because ability damage sucks.

Wind Wall: Archers? What archers?

Poison: Yeah, yeah, not utility. But I'm pointing it out to note that it uses a unique calculation for its save DC, which increases based on your caster level. That makes it worth using on anything with low con (or anything whose con save / max HP you want to reduce.)

Protection From Energy: Lasts a while, and can protect against a lot of different things.

Stone Shape: Many, many uses.

Freedom of Movement: Self-explanatory. Anything that makes you immune to a whole range of dangerous effects is worth having.

(Greater) Dispel Magic: Self-explanatory.

Giant Vermin: A 'summon' that scales up with your CL. Very useful. Also lasts much longer than your SNA I-IX, adding some utility (such as guarding an area while you retreat.)

Scrying: It's scrying. You want it.

Animal Growth: Very powerful buff.

Baleful Polymorph: Save-or-die.

Death Ward: Absolute protection from two lines of effects that you really want to be protected from.

Transport via Plants: Not as good as Teleport, but still very useful in the right situations.

Antilife Shell: Yeah, sure it completely blocks one type of creature from approaching you, but how many creatures fall into this 'living' category, anyway? I mean, it only makes you and anyone else who can fit into the sphere totally immune to the melee attacks of animals, aberrations, dragons, fey, giants, humanoids, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, oozes, plants, and vermin, and just for 10 minutes / level...

Find the Path: Very, very useful divination. Want to find the Big Bad's largest treasure room? No problem. Want to find your way into the innermost sanctum of a hidden temple that has been lost for thousands of years? No problem!

Liveoak: A huge buddy who lasts 1/day per level. Always bring one with you when you're going on extended multi-day adventures outside or in areas where there's enough room for it to fit; as long as you cast it the day before, it's basically a free pet. Also, it does double damage to objects and can animate other trees in turn.

Spellstaff: A free extra spellslot for whatever of your spells you want... which lasts until discharged. Basically just another free perk of being a druid. By the strict wording of the spell, you don't have to be holding the staff or even have it anywhere near you to cast the spell you put in it; you just need it as a focus when you cast Spellstaff itself.

Greater Scrying: Like scrying, only awesomer.

Heal: The gold standard in healing.

True Seeing: Negates or immediately resolves a very wide number of problems.

Word of Recall: Being able to teleport around is nice, even if it's just to a place you've been in the past.

Shapechange: It's shapechange.