new player, and a DM unfamiliar with druids

[big teej]

greetings playgrounders,

my group has been recently blessed with A NEW PLAYER :smallbiggrin:

she want's to play a druid

I've never played a druid so I always struggle in helping people build first characters that are druids


she's a rock gnome druid at level 3

what is a good feat for her to take? (CORE FEATS ONLY!)

thanks in advance.

[ajkkjjk52]

Natural spell. Period.

[Morbis Meh]

Agreed, natural spell hands down best core feat for a druid.

[Doug Lampert]

Natural spell. Period.

She's not eligable at level 3 since she doesn't get wildshape till level 5.

Level 3 she should take Craft Wondrous item unless someone else in the party has it. Note that she can cooperate with other casters to make items.

Level 1 track is good if you have any occassions when they need it (you're the GM, would it be useful in your campaign or is it all dungeon crawls).

Otherwise power attack is good for level 1 if she's planning to melee at all. Scribe scroll is nice if no one else has it and she wants utility scrolls available.

[Seerow]

Since when do Druids have access to wild shape at level 3?

Love people who respond without reading the topic.


edit: Ninjad

[Urpriest]

Can't take Natural Spell at level 3. Do take it at level 6 though. Augment Summoning is core, and since I presume you aren't using flaws she could take Spell Focus Conjuration and Augment Summoning as her first and third level spells feats.

[pffh]

Improved initiative is always nice if you don't know what to take.

[Doug Lampert]

Can't take Natural Spell at level 3. Do take it at level 6 though. Augment Summoning is core, and since I presume you aren't using flaws she could take Spell Focus Conjuration and Augment Summoning as her first and third level spells.

That also works. I was actually looking in the SRD for augment summoning so I could edit it into my previous post.

But natural spell is definitely the one of the two best feats a level 6 druid can take for personal power (leadership is at least as good if you don't have an actual charisma penalty, even with the -2 to the cohort's leadership modifier for the animal companion a 10 charisma druid gets a level 3 wizard as a lacky).

[Vladislav]

Spell Focus Conjuration and Augment Summoning if you want to make the party fighter cry.
Improved Initiative and Craft Wond. Item if you want to be useful w/o making anyone cry.

[Akal Saris]

Improved initiative.

[Greenish]

Extend Spell is decent.

[erikun]

she's a rock gnome druid at level 3

what is a good feat for her to take? (CORE FEATS ONLY!)
This depends on what kind of a druid she's invisioning playing. I had a Druid (Gnome Druid, ironically enough) whose parents were rangers and who focused on wilderness survival, and so picked Track as a first level feat. I had another Druid who was more focused on healing and buffing, and so picked Brew Potion as a feat. A Druid who is planning on using their animal companion as a mount would do will with the mounted combat feats.

Natural Spell is a given at 6th level, although you aren't there yet. Spell Focus Conjuration + Augment Summoning will only work if she is planning on focusing on summoning creatures, and I don't think 3rd level gives you anything outstanding in that regard. (The selection is fine, but with only 3 rounds duration and a new player may not want to just sit back and have summoned bunny rabbits do everything for her.)

[Incanur]

Druid can get Improved Initiative for free by wild shaping into an elemental. But that is 12 levels off. I second Extend Spell or Spell Focus (Conjuration) to lead up to Augment Summoning. Clogging the battlefield with lions, tigers, and bears works.

[BenInHB]

Scribe Scroll- at level 3 you still don't have a lot of spells per day. this lets you carry over some of your unused spells from the previous day at a minor gold and xp cost. Plus druids can pick any spells they want at the start of each day so you can get a scroll of any spell of a level you can cast.

[Vladislav]

Spell Focus Conjuration + Augment Summoning will only work if she is planning on focusing on summoning creatures, and I don't think 3rd level gives you anything outstanding in that regard. (The selection is fine, but with only 3 rounds duration and a new player may not want to just sit back and have summoned bunny rabbits do everything for her.)
I'm a level 4 druid in a face-to-face campaign right now, and there certainly is a lot of good stuff to summon.

Summon Nature's Ally II gives you a choice between Dire Bat, Hippogriff, Crocodile, Black Bear, Snake (the poison save DC is Constitution based!) or - my personal favorite - 1d3 Wolves for flanking tripfest.

Finally, Summon Swarm is also a summoning spell and thus also affected by Augment Summoning, and all the Swarm save DCs also happen to be Con-based. Profit!

[Gavinfoxx]

Level 1 Core druid: Spell Focus Conjuration
Level 3 Core druid: Augment Summoning
Level 6 Core Druid: Natural Spell

Important stats for core druid, in order:
1. Wisdom
2. Constitution
3. Everything Else

[Incanur]

Summons are great as soon as you get passable durations. Level 3 is about perfect. A black bear or 1d3 wolves can cause plenty of trouble. She won't be able take Augment Summoning until level 9 anyway, though. By that point you can conjure up 1d4+1 lions or dire wolves. With boosted strength and a mass snake's swiftness or two (especially good with the dire wolves), they might be able to handle a CR 9 encounter on their own.

Edit: If first level feats are available, then by all means do as the post above suggests. 1d3 buffed wolves for the win.

[big teej]

augment summons and improved initiative sound like the two I'm going to suggest, thanks everybody.


for those of you who asked "what type of druid is she playing?"

I honestly haven't the slighest clue, I've never played a druid, probably never will (I can't get around the fluff)

so I don't know what type of druid she's playing, and I wouldn't have the first clue what to suggest.

[absolmorph]

Augment Summoning requires Spell Focus (Conjuration).

[Amphetryon]

Can't take Natural Spell at level 3. Do take it at level 6 though. Augment Summoning is core, and since I presume you aren't using flaws she could take Spell Focus Conjuration and Augment Summoning as her first and third level spells feats.

+1 to this. SF(Conjuration), Augment Summoning, Natural Spell, Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Still Spell, Silent Spell. More or less in that order, though moving Improved Initiative to 9 won't hurt.