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View Full Version : [3.5] Original uses of Druid spells!



Ferrin
2010-01-14, 10:49 AM
Hello all, I'm creating a Shifter druid with the Hunter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druid) ACF, Beast Spirit ACF(Races of Eberron), and Spontaneous casting (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/spontaneousDivineCasters.htm) ACF.

For this purpose I'd like to know some fun and/or orginal uses of druid spells which people often miss. Some spells in particular I'd like to hear what ideas you have for them are:

Flash-Freeze (Frostburn)
Bones of the Earth (Player's Handbook 2)
Mudslide (Stormwrack)

And please, even if it's not very effective it's about multi-purpose spells or spells that can be used for something unique. If it contains a combination of multiple druid spells, still post it anyway. I'd love to hear what experience people have with the fun druid spells out there! Or at least give me an idea for what things I'd be able to do.

Vizzerdrix
2010-01-14, 10:51 AM
Animate Wood is a handy spell, both in and out of combat.

Mongoose87
2010-01-14, 10:55 AM
Animate Wood is a handy spell, both in and out of combat.

*suppresses lewd remarks*

Vizzerdrix
2010-01-14, 10:57 AM
*suppresses lewd remarks*

Hehe! I've seen it used for that reason, amongst others.

Ferrin
2010-01-14, 11:00 AM
Animate Wood is a handy spell, both in and out of combat.

Do you mean the one from the Spell Compendium? If so I can't really see anything a SNA1 spell can't do better with more variation. Could you explain what you're thinking of doing with a small wooden animated object? :smallbiggrin:

Edit: If you have any uses for it besides... well, that. :smallamused:

Sstoopidtallkid
2010-01-14, 11:01 AM
I've used Plant Growth when the DM forced us to yank a rare plant out of the ground for the berries in order to make a repotting take(and make it grow somewhere other than the bottom of a tomb).

Also, Extend Spell+Creeping Cold.

Control Weather and Control Winds are both very, very nice.

Vizzerdrix
2010-01-14, 11:05 AM
Do you mean the one from the Spell Compendium? If so I can't really see anything a SNA1 spell can't do better with more variation. Could you explain what you're thinking of doing with a small wooden animated object? :smallbiggrin:

Some things, yes:smallwink:

Chairs become mounts, Wooden grapple hooks can wedge themselves in tighter, A flaming torch can run through an enemy camp, luggage can eat people and floating wood can save drowning people. Soar wood can get silly too. Animate a paint brush and have it coat your weapons with poison, get kinky with a wooden chain, play fetch with your favorite stick by throwing a dog, make firewood gather itself and give "bar fight" a whole new meaning.

dob
2010-01-14, 11:06 AM
One of my parties memorably used a Control Weather and Control Winds combo to excavate a temple mostly buried in the desert. That was awesome.

Starscream
2010-01-14, 11:08 AM
Step 1: Create Water
Step 2: Scrying
Step 3: Prophet

In all seriousness, Druids make very good scryers because they are the only class whose focus for the spell is free.

But yeah, I mostly posted this because I like stupid puns.

Ferrin
2010-01-14, 11:11 AM
I've used Plant Growth when the DM forced us to yank a rare plant out of the ground for the berries in order to make a repotting take(and make it grow somewhere other than the bottom of a tomb).

Hmm, you could have done it the same without the 1/3 bonus though. Still, noted.


Also, Extend Spell+Creeping Cold.

Yeah I've thought about Creeping Cold + Extend, but there's no use in extending it by RAW.


Control Weather and Control Winds are both very, very nice.

Especialy if you also have Stormwalk(Stormwrack), wrack a city then move on to the next! Hmm, although Control Weather has limited use in most situations.


Some things, yes:smallwink:

Chairs become mounts, Wooden grapple hooks can wedge themselves in tighter, A flaming torch can run through an enemy camp, luggage can eat people and floating wood can save drowning people. Soar wood can get silly too. Animate a paint brush and have it coat your weapons with poison, get kinky with a wooden chain, play fetch with your favorite stick by throwing a dog, make firewood gather itself and give "bar fight" a whole new meaning.

Problem is that it only lasts as long as you concentrate, up to your level in rounds. Doesn't last long enough to make it worthwhile as a mount. Rest of the uses are awsome though. I mean, a killer brush?

Dimers
2010-01-14, 11:30 AM
Rest of the uses are awsome though. I mean, a killer brush?

"A brush with death"! :smallbiggrin:

Ferrin
2010-01-14, 11:34 AM
"A brush with death"! :smallbiggrin:

Loses most of it's meaning if it kills someone though. :smallbiggrin:

But no off-topic! So... A use for Flash-Freeze, freeze the water while someone is partly in. Seeing as it doesn't give a save the water is just frozen arround them. Getting stuck in 1-ft of ice would kind of suck, I'd imagine.

arguskos
2010-01-14, 11:49 AM
Yeah I've thought about Creeping Cold + Extend, but there's no use in extending it by RAW.
Actually, yeah there is. It uses the text "the target takes 1d6 cumulative cold damage per round". Extending it sets it to 6 rounds, and so the damage scales up each round, to a max of 6d6 on round 6. Even if your DM rules it stays at 3d6 for the following rounds, it certainly DOES Extend and does deal more damage. It's a good trick. :smallwink:

@Sstoopidtallkid: So, how about them Gelatinous Cubes? :smalltongue:

deuxhero
2010-01-14, 12:01 PM
3 Goodberrys=early create food.

Pharaoh's Fist
2010-01-14, 12:06 PM
Miasma of Entropy, Druid 4 SpC.

Cast that on some ladies and see what happens to their robes.

LibraryOgre
2010-01-14, 12:18 PM
I've used Plant Growth when the DM forced us to yank a rare plant out of the ground for the berries in order to make a repotting take(and make it grow somewhere other than the bottom of a tomb).


I used Plant Growth to overthrow a local government through economic manipulation.

Lysander
2010-01-14, 12:40 PM
Awaken is in some ways the most versatile spell on the Druid list. Make any tree or animal permanently intelligent! The ramifications of that, and potential uses, are pretty much endless.

For a piddling 250xp you can have a talking horse as a mount! Never make another handle animal check again, auto-succeed any ride checks where you can instead just tell the horse what you'd like it to do. Awaken a bird to serve as a scout, mailman, or messenger. Build a kickass treehouse, then awaken the tree for a mobile fortress. Awaken a powerful creature like a tiger, elephant, or blue whale to gain a mighty ally. Cast animal growth on them when attacked. Awaken a bat to use its blindsense to detect invisible creatures. Awaken a mouse to serve as a spy. Awaken a poisonous snake to serve as an assassin. Awaken a dog to serve as a tracker. Awaken an ape to gain a super strong and agile animal with working hands and thumbs.

Did you know that an Awakened creature knows one bonus language for each positive Int modifier you have? Awaken an animal to serve as a translator for others.

The Deej
2010-01-14, 12:45 PM
Extended creeping cold? Think about if you could find a way to Persist it.

the last round would be 14400d6 damage, and the total damage comes to 103687200d6, if my math is right.

Come to think of it, that might be what makes the tarrasque go back to sleep for years at a time.

as for other uses of druid spells:

Standing Wave could have interesting uses for transporting things across lakes. Or moving a small fort to the middle of one.

Wait a minute, if one used Move Earth to make trenches and create water/Decanter of Endless Water to fill them, Standing Wave could be used for mass transit. People/cargo are moved up to one mile/caster level over the course of 10min/caster level. And if the druid is at least CL13, that's a lot of stuff that can be moved pretty easily.

Zeta Kai
2010-01-14, 12:47 PM
...play fetch with your favorite stick by throwing a dog...

I LOL at thee, good sir. I LOL'd most heartily.

Jergmo
2010-01-14, 12:52 PM
You can't have both the Hunter and Shifter ACF's. Both require that you sacrifice wild shape.

The Glyphstone
2010-01-14, 12:55 PM
Extended creeping cold? Think about if you could find a way to Persist it.


Best technical RAW-legal method is Ocular Spell. Requires Arcane Thesis on Creeping Cold, but then you can hit one target with a Ocular Persisted Creeping Cold out of an 8th level spell slot. Cold Immunity or bust.

Ferrin
2010-01-14, 01:13 PM
You can't have both the Hunter and Shifter ACF's. Both require that you sacrifice wild shape.

I only use the 1st and 4th Shifter Druid ACF's, which trades the Animal Companion for a Beast Spirit and Resist Nature's Lure for Reckless Nature. The 5th level Druid Shifter ACF, Wild Shifting, requires you to ditch Wild Shape. But I didn't take the 5th level ACF and instead took just the 1st and 4th ones, allowing me to trade my armor and shield proficiency + Wild Shape for the Hunter ACF.

--

@arguskos: Ah, missed that part, only remember it stating the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounds of damage. So RAW it can actualy work, thanks. :smallamused:

@The Deej: That's pretty awesome with Standing Wave for a regular druid, to bad having it in your spell list as a spontaneous caster would kind of suck. :smallannoyed:

On the matter of Standing Wave, if you could separate part of the land itself, would it classify as an object? Could you transport an entire country or seashore village using that spell? Seeing as it would be classified as colossal. (that is, if you could make it classify as an object.)

Also, the spell Call of Stone(Player's Handbook 2) doesn't give an initial saving throw and doesn't go away until it's either dispelled or the duration ends. Extending it would effectively double the chance you have of someone turning to stone.

Raging Gene Ray
2010-01-14, 01:41 PM
Awaken is in some ways the most versatile spell on the Druid list. Make any tree or animal permanently intelligent! The ramifications of that, and potential uses, are pretty much endless.

You can also maximize (or sudden maximize if you haven't gotten past 5th level spells yet) it and guarantee that you have an animal with 18 INT.

And since Awakened trees have 3d6 rolled for all their mental stats, you can guarantee 18's in all of them.

Lysander
2010-01-14, 02:13 PM
You can also maximize (or sudden maximize if you haven't gotten past 5th level spells yet) it and guarantee that you have an animal with 18 INT.

And since Awakened trees have 3d6 rolled for all their mental stats, you can guarantee 18's in all of them.

Why not empower it too while you're at it for an animal or tree with 27 Int.

Kantolin
2010-01-14, 02:41 PM
There is a lot of awesomeness suggested in this post, but this:


luggage can eat people

Takes the cake.

Keshay
2010-01-14, 03:05 PM
You can also maximize (or sudden maximize if you haven't gotten past 5th level spells yet) it and guarantee that you have an animal with 18 INT.

And since Awakened trees have 3d6 rolled for all their mental stats, you can guarantee 18's in all of them.

I never understood why animals got hosed on the Charisma portion of the Awaken deal. One woudl think that something that already had some bit of charisma woudl end up more charismatic (on average) than something that used to be just a hunk of wood...

But no, we get ineloquent eagles and Ficuses that can bring tears to the eyes of the masses through their masterful oratory. (the Charisma buff is called Eagles' Splendor for the sake of Pete!)

Vizzerdrix
2010-01-14, 03:42 PM
I am most happy I could amuse and entertain with my shenanigans.:smile:

Now a question: Would a knowstone/ Runestaff work for a spontaneous casting druid/cleric?

jiriku
2010-01-14, 03:58 PM
A druid in my current play group has used warp wood to rescue a captive about to be burned at the stake, and stone shape to trap a small swarm of death scarabs by rolling up the flagstone they were on and sealing them inside. The party frequently uses stone shape and soften earth and stone to bypass locked doors and enlarge openings in order to haul off large valuable statuary or architecture. I've known them to use warp wood to cause a large ship to spring a massive leak below the waterline and eventually sink.

Ferrin
2010-01-14, 04:19 PM
I am most happy I could amuse and entertain with my shenanigans.:smile:

Now a question: Would a knowstone/ Runestaff work for a spontaneous casting druid/cleric?

Yes, you've given me quite a few awesome ideas. Thanks a lot, must be a fun group you're playing with. :smallwink:

Runestaves require arcane spell slots, so no. Don't know what book Knowstones are from though, so I can't comment on that.


A druid in my current play group has used warp wood to rescue a captive about to be burned at the stake, and stone shape to trap a small swarm of death scarabs by rolling up the flagstone they were on and sealing them inside. The party frequently uses stone shape and soften earth and stone to bypass locked doors and enlarge openings in order to haul off large valuable statuary or architecture. I've known them to use warp wood to cause a large ship to spring a massive leak below the waterline and eventually sink.

Warp Wood can also be used to get rid of all the bows and crossbows of your enemy. Oh, and did you know a lot of supporting pillars are made of wood, not stone? I mean, that bridge there would be pretty weak if it wasn't for those firm wooden pillars.

Stone Shape is awesome, the Oread(Fiend Folio) can be summoned with SNA6, and can use it as a SLA in addition to quite a few other stone-based spells. Just saying, though the things you use it for... Nice, you can also use it to create steps on a cliff for easy climbing, create a small sheltered area, and any number of other usefull things.