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wayfare
2010-09-30, 01:57 PM
Is there a druid PrC or feat that allows you to wild-shape into Magical Beasts? Can't use totemist for this campaign :(

Any help is appreciated!

Achernar
2010-09-30, 02:16 PM
Well, there's always a very powerful class, the 3.5 Druid.

...
...

:smallamused:

Master of Many Forms may actually be what you're looking for, especially in a high level game.

EDIT: MoMF IS what you're looking for, if highly varied shapechanging ye seek. It's in Complete Adventurer.

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2010-09-30, 02:20 PM
Nothing allows you to take magical beast forms in general, but there are a few feats which enable specific creatures' forms. Frozen Wild Shape in Frostburn allows Cryohydras and a few other cold-themed monsters, and Exalted Wild Shape in BoED allows some physically weak forms but grants their supernatural abilities.

PlzBreakMyCmpAn
2010-09-30, 02:38 PM
Sigh... not true at all. Sometimes this board feels like its made of fail. There are multiple ways to get magical beasts in general.

But since you're after a PrC more than a feat it seems, you want the Tier 1 PrC Planar Shepard (FoE 106)

wayfare
2010-09-30, 02:53 PM
I didn't think the druid gained the abilities of magical beasts he emulated -- is this just a house rule my DM is using?

My character is basically a more "rational" druid who is studying the effects of mystic energies on natural creatures. I figured it might be cool to eventually gain the abilities of magical beasts.

Feats are actually better than PrC's, but both are welcome.

Thanks

--wayfare

Caliphbubba
2010-09-30, 02:55 PM
I didn't think the druid gained the abilities of magical beasts he emulated -- is this just a house rule my DM is using?

My character is basically a more "rational" druid who is studying the effects of mystic energies on natural creatures. I figured it might be cool to eventually gain the abilities of magical beasts.

Feats are actually better than PrC's, but both are welcome.

Thanks

--wayfare

I think Shifter from 3.0 Masters of the Wild lets you get Magical Beasts and lots of other stuff too. But it doesn't progress casting....so there is that.

Kalaska'Agathas
2010-09-30, 03:15 PM
I didn't think the druid gained the abilities of magical beasts he emulated -- is this just a house rule my DM is using?

My character is basically a more "rational" druid who is studying the effects of mystic energies on natural creatures. I figured it might be cool to eventually gain the abilities of magical beasts.

Feats are actually better than PrC's, but both are welcome.

Thanks

--wayfare

What abilities are you looking to gain, exactly? And I'll second the Planar Shepherd, which at third level gains the ability to wildshape into magical beasts native to his/her attuned plane. It also grants you a bunch of other nifty, powerful, and flavorful abilities - all in all, one of my favorite classes.

cdrcjsn
2010-09-30, 03:26 PM
And what levels are you thinking of playing?

Shapechange at 17th level is pretty much the best you can get and anything that delays getting there should be examined carefully.

I'm also wondering what you are hoping to get that the standard druid wildshape + natural spellcasting can't get you.

Being able to become a hydra is neat and all...but I'd rather stay a tiger if it means I can still use a wall of thorns/flamestrike/etc. while in animal form.

wayfare
2010-09-30, 03:52 PM
And what levels are you thinking of playing?

Shapechange at 17th level is pretty much the best you can get and anything that delays getting there should be examined carefully.

I'm also wondering what you are hoping to get that the standard druid wildshape + natural spellcasting can't get you.

Being able to become a hydra is neat and all...but I'd rather stay a tiger if it means I can still use a wall of thorns/flamestrike/etc. while in animal form.

The character is 1st level, I'm just trying to plan ahead and see if MB wildshape can be done.

I actually don't mind a dip in power, this isn't an optimization thing.

Urpriest
2010-09-30, 04:01 PM
I'd echo what previous posters have said. In addition to Frozen and Exalted Wildshape mentioned before, there is a chain of feats in the Eberron Campaign setting that can get you wildshape into things like a Chimera or Gorgon (you pick one and it serves as the theme for the feat chain).

If you're ok with losing some casting progression, Master of Many Forms includes magical beasts among its "turn into basically anything" class features.

Planar Shepherd lets you turn into a range of magical beasts from a particular chosen plane.

awa
2010-09-30, 04:50 PM
i just looked at complete adventure master of many forms and unless their is another one printed in a different book or alt class features some where it can not turn into magical beasts

Urpriest
2010-09-30, 07:52 PM
i just looked at complete adventure master of many forms and unless their is another one printed in a different book or alt class features some where it can not turn into magical beasts

Wow...that class can do Dragons, but not Magical Beasts. This depresses me.

Dark_Nohn
2010-09-30, 09:53 PM
Umm, if you're going full shifter with MoMF, you might want to take up some levels of Warshaper for 16-20 for that extra +4 STR and CON in any form you assume, extra reach, better natural weapons, Fast Healing 2, and more base attack bonus. I don't see much difference between being a level 5 caster and being a level 10 caster at level 20, as any other form of caster would wipe the floor with you.

Benly
2010-09-30, 10:15 PM
Exalted Wild Shape lets you WS into a blink dog, giant eagle, giant owl, pegasus, unicorn, or a celestial version of any animal you could wildshape into, and grants you the Ex and Su abilities of these creatures. Other forms are available "at the DM's discretion" although it recommends only magical beasts of CR 3 or lower.

Probably not what you were looking for, but it is the easiest way I know of to WS into magical beasts and get their Su abilities to boot.

Gabe the Bard
2010-09-30, 11:14 PM
Maybe you can ask your DM to houserule a version of Master of Many Forms so that you can replace one of the forms on the list (aberrations perhaps?) with magical beasts.

Kalaska'Agathas
2010-09-30, 11:35 PM
I still think Planar Shepherd will give you what you want, advancing both Spellcasting and Wildshaping as it does, along with its other abilities, and most importantly, giving you access to magical beast forms.

awa
2010-10-01, 01:04 AM
the problem with planner Shepard is its so broken i feel few dms would allow it.

zenanarchist
2010-10-01, 01:32 AM
the problem with planner Shepard is its so broken i feel few dms would allow it.

Seconded, hell-- Thirded and fourthed as well. Don't try the Planar Shepard, any and all DM's will shut it down.

it's not just cheese. it's melted cheese on top of cheese wrapped in a delicious cheesy wrapper.

It's beyond broken.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-10-01, 10:30 AM
IMO Planar Shepherd is broken depending on which plane you attune yourself too, sure attuning to the plane of dreams where all creatures including Magical Beast and Fiends exist exponentially increase your power, but I am sure there are far less abusive planes (I am not well versed in the planes)

Greenish
2010-10-01, 10:37 AM
IMO Planar Shepherd is broken depending on which plane you attune yourself too, sure attuning to the plane of dreams where all creatures including Magical Beast and Fiends exist exponentially increase your power, but I am sure there are far less abusive planes (I am not well versed in the planes)Any plane with it is a step up from druid's power. Wildshape into Magical Beasts and Outsiders (complete with SLA's), without losing any of your druid power?

Overpowered^2.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-10-01, 10:40 AM
I forgot that planer shepherd gave SLA's appart from the shape... in that case disregard my previous at its overpoweredness.

awa
2010-10-01, 10:43 AM
see if this was a class designed for monks or something i could accept a class that does every thing the base class can do and more as potential not being broken but the druid is already extremely powerful right from the get go. So even if its abilities weren't broken (they are) the fact that its a druid+ would make it overpowered.

Kalaska'Agathas
2010-10-01, 10:47 AM
It may be 'broken' but from a fluff perspective it fits pretty well, I think. You've studied these creatures and planes so much that you can wildshape into them, and even bring a bubble of that plane back with you. And truly, the Druid is already tier 1, and will break the game if you let it. Playing either Druid or Druid/Planar Shepherd just requires finesse and restraint.

Seatbelt
2010-10-01, 01:05 PM
any reason he couldn't present it to the DM with a stripped down, less broken package of abilities?

awa
2010-10-01, 05:15 PM
personally i feel if you did decide to alter a class you would be better of working from master of many forms rather than planner Shepard because its not like the planar Shepard has one broken ability he has several.

Myth
2010-10-02, 04:50 AM
Hate to railroad the thread, but i've been thinking last night - if a lvel 48 Druid takes the form of the Tarrasque, can he then, have unlimited potential for Epic magic? Take as much backlash damage as you can - Big T never dies anyway. even 10,000 backlash damage is nothing, it'll just make him sleep for a bit after casting the spell.

Urpriest
2010-10-02, 04:48 PM
Hate to railroad the thread, but i've been thinking last night - if a lvel 48 Druid takes the form of the Tarrasque, can he then, have unlimited potential for Epic magic? Take as much backlash damage as you can - Big T never dies anyway. even 10,000 backlash damage is nothing, it'll just make him sleep for a bit after casting the spell.

Turning the damage into nonlethal seems enough like mitigating it for the clause that you can't mitigate backlash damage to go into effect. Besides, there are more efficient ways to cheese out epic magic or to get unpierceable regeneration anyway.

dspeyer
2010-10-02, 10:11 PM
There exist Aberration and Dragon wild shape feats, but I don't think there's one for Magical Beasts. You could try to convince your DM to allow homebrew one based on those two.

Also check out the Assume Supernatural Ability feat from Savage Species, but discuss how it will be nerfed with your DM before taking it (if your DM is sane, it will be nerfed, if not banned outright).

Eldariel
2010-10-02, 10:14 PM
There exist Aberration and Dragon wild shape feats, but I don't think there's one for Magical Beasts. You could try to convince your DM to allow homebrew one based on those two.

Magical Beast Wildshape (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#magicalBeastWildShape) exists, but is an epic feat. And has prerequisites that make it very hard to acquire pre-epic (you have to use extra HD tricks + Reformation to qualify for the skill prerequisite, Dragonwrought to qualify as Epic, Extra Wildshape to get enough Wildshape attempts and just have a good base Wis and even then, it's not much before level 18).