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Runestar
2010-12-18, 02:34 AM
I am currently toying with a nymph npc (in another of my tinkering moods). The idea is a nymph with lvs in a prc which advances divine spellcasting. I haven't decided on one yet, but the end result is basically a nymph with druid17 spellcasting. I may give it an extra 4 fey HD to make it less fragile, or maybe 4 lvs in sorc followed by mystic theurge, but that's besides the point.

So what would do you with a lv17 druid without an animal companion or wildshape? Assume alignment is neutral (or maybe NE). She may still use her blinding beauty and stunning glance abilities, since I plan to pump both wis and cha.

1) Can the nymph still spontaneously cast summon nature ally spells?

2) What good spells should she choose? I confess to have little experience with high lv play, much less how higher lv druids should play, especially one who has to rely on spells more than ever. The core list of druid spells doesn't seem very inspiring, nor does spell compendium seem to add much.

3) What spells for protection? I can manage a respectable AC of ~50, but main concerns are debuff/status effects.

4) Useful allies? The more exotic the better, but ideally still keeping in line with the whole nature vibe.

5) Also, items? Apart from stat boosters?

I would like spells which can give her that whole "avatar of nature" feel, you know, hovering in mid-air, shooting lightning bolts here and there, surrounded by a tornado, makes the PCs feel as though the entire landscape has turned against them etc.

I am also not interested in shapechange, since I want to retain her nymph appearance.

Thanks in advance for your help. :smallsmile:

WinWin
2010-12-18, 03:09 AM
Spontaneous Summon is a class feature of Druid. Nymph's don't get that class feature. I think there is a feat in Complete Divine that makes it available.

Spiritjaws and Vortex of Teeth are decent force based spells. Great for dealing with incorporeal foes. Blinding Spittle and Splinterbolt are some other decent spells from spell compendium.

Bloodsnow is decent for it's level. Boreal Wind, Call Avalanche and Blizzard just awesome. Check out frostburn for other spells.

Haboob is another decent blast debuff. Mummify is a Save or Die that is not a death effect. Blast of Sand is a no SR spell equivelant to Cone of Cold, only lower level. Check out Sandstorm.

Do I need to mention Entangle, Plant Growth and Wall of Thorns?

Plenty of spells available for a debuffing or blasty druid.

In terms of Summons, my favorite would have to be the Yellow Musk Creeper. Not the most powerful, but great for debuffing opponents. Even at higher level, feeding it helpless foes turns them into templated creatures under it's control. Great for a 2nd level spell.

Augmented Lurk
2010-12-18, 03:51 AM
The holly berry version of Fire Seeds is devastating. You might want to get Energy Substitution (acid) for it , though (a lot of monsters have fire resistance). Use the Energy Immunity spell to protect yourself from the blast, or have them delivered to the enemy via Wood Wose.

faceroll
2010-12-18, 03:54 AM
Summon Stalagmite is pretty good damage/control, as is cometfall and deadfall. You may also want to check out some Vile Spells.

Augmented Lurk
2010-12-18, 03:55 AM
Also Quill Blast is awesome if you're using the Complete Divine version.

faceroll
2010-12-18, 03:57 AM
Also Quill Blast is awesome if you're using the Complete Divine version.

Might not be that awesome on an NPC, given the typical size of a PC.

WinWin
2010-12-18, 04:49 AM
Sheltered Vitality is a must. 4th level spell from LM that is a great protection from a number of penalties. Combined with Death Ward and Plant Body from spell compendium, they should provide invulnerability to most save or dies or debuffs. I think Nausea and Petrification are the only things not covered by those 3 spells. Even though Type is changed to plant, the character retains it's natural abilities with only a slight modification to appearence.

A great method of controlling the battlefield would be to blanket the area with fog, either from Obscuring Mist or a much deadlier chain of spells. Should prevent being targeted unless the characters exact position can be determined. Then sculpt the battlefield with walls and movement inhibiting spells.

Any summons should be subject to animal growth, plant growth or giant vermin (particularly Desert Ally spell from Sandstorm). Most critters and vermin should have Scent or Tremorsense, thus not be inconvenienced by limited visibility.

Airborne opponents can be incovenienced a number of ways. Gust of Wind, Control Wind, Summoned Swarms and Flying creatures. Some of these spells will blow away any mist in the area, but then they are only there to buy time to get spells up and running. Once the fog is down, that is a great time to spring Blinding Beauty on any foe determined to press melee.

Depending on ow much time this character has had to prepare, this could be a very nasty fight. I have not even covered any high level Druid spells in this advice.

Runestar
2010-12-18, 05:55 AM
Boy, this makes me realise just how little attention I have been playing to the druid spells in my splatbooks. :smallsigh:

Keep the suggestions coming, I will look through the spells when I can access my books later tonight. :smallsmile:

Looking through frostburn at the moment.

Wow...frostfell looks good. How did I ever miss it? Kills on a failed save, 20d6 cold damage even if you succeed.

Cometfall also seems interesting. Damage is meh, but can potentially stun 3 PCs for up to 3 rounds.

Glacier is ultra-cool, but looks quite they can be readily cleared without too much problem.

Seems druid spells are quite good at altering terrain. :smallcool:

mint
2010-12-18, 07:52 AM
Cometfall, Tidal Surge, Creaking Cacaphony + Thunderous Roar or some other sonic spell, I think there are better ones.
I liked Entomb from frostburn, mostly because it seemed cool.

Summon Nature's Ally to summon Storm Elementals is pretty neat.
Rashemi Summoning (i think from Magic of Faerun?), lets you summon Orglash with a Cone of Cold.
My rule of thumb: any blast needs to be a double threat, even more so than SoDs.

Darrin
2010-12-18, 08:38 PM
1) Can the nymph still spontaneously cast summon nature ally spells?


My inclination is to say "No", but that's not entirely clear. If "Spells" entry for druid said they can spontaneously cast SNA spells, I think you'd be ok, but it says "see Spontaneous Casting, below", which refers to another class ability that may be specific to druids. Sounds like it's a DM's call.

Spontaneous Summoner is available as a feat in Complete Divine, but it's limited to a number of uses per day equal to your Wis bonus.



2) What good spells should she choose?


It depends on what you mean by "druid blaster". If you're looking for direct damage, druids have quite a few fire-related spells, so consider picking up Searing Spell (Sandstorm). Extend Spell and Sculpt Spell are also extremely useful for druids.

1st level:

Produce Flame (Core). Ranged touch attack, so generally better than attacking with your sling.

Cloudburst (Spell Compendium). Mostly a battlefield control spell, but this is a good way to create "stormy" conditions for Call Lightning.

Conjure Ice Beast I (Frostburn). I really wish this were a Summoning spell (for Augment Summoning), but it's just a Conjuration (Creation). This may not seem like a direct damage spell, but one of the special abilities you can give your ice beasts is Cold Aura, which does 1d6 cold damage in a 10' burst as a free action every round *no save*. Pretty useful at low levels, but when you get higher and summon a bunch of ice beasts at once, that can be quite a lot of cold damage.

Path of Frost (Dragon Magic). Another battlefield control spell (the druid version of grease), but does do some minor damage if someone enters those squares.

Sandblast (Spell Compendium). 1d6 nonlethal with a Ref save vs. stun. A little better with Sculpt spell, but unfortunately the damage doesn't scale up with caster level, so it becomes pretty useless after 1st level.

2nd level:

Fire Trap (Core). More of a gimmick spell than direct damage, but you can cast this on grenade-like weapons such as alchemist's fire or acid flasks. Oil flasks are also very cheap: 1 sp, and it burns for 2 rounds, doing 1d3 fire damage each round.

Flameblade (Core). Melee touch attacks, better damage than produce flame. If fire resistance is bothering you, try Searing Spell or switching to Scimitar of Sand (Sandstorm, untyped damage).

Blinding Spittle (Spell Compendium). Doesn't do any damage, but it's a ranged touch attack (-4 penalty) and if it hits, the target is blind *no save*.

Bone Talisman (WotC article (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a)). Not really a direct damage spell (although you can hit undead creatures with it for +1d6 damage), this is for getting ahold of Turn Undead, which could be used for activating certain feats/abilities, such as the various Devotion feats.

Creeping Cold (Spell Compendium). Not the fastest way to kill something, but better damage than chill/heat metal, doesn't depend on the target wearing metal, and it gets really nasty if you extend it to 6 rounds. By RAW, damage = Xd6, where X = number of rounds that have passed. Persistent Creeping Cold is absolutely pure evil.

Frostbreath (Spell Compendium). 30' cone, 1d4 cold damage/2 CL (max 5d4), which is kinda lackluster, but there's also a 1-round daze effect if the target fails the Ref save.

Frost Weapon (Frostburn). Damage buff for weapons, including ranged. Cast it on your flameblade for the irony if nothing else.

Salt Ray (Spell Compendium). 1d6 damage/2 CL (max 5d6), Fort save vs. stun for 1 round. If you're looking for a ray, though, Splinterbolt is better.

Splinterbolt (Spell Compendium). The druid version of scorching ray. One of the best blasty spells for druids.

3rd level:

Call Lighting (Core). Your signature spell. Use Cloudburst for storm-like conditions. Add Sculpt Spell for four 10'x10' cubes of lightning damage.

Conjure Ice Beast III (Frostburn). Four 1st level ice beasts (4x Cold Aura = 4d6 cold damage *no save*), or create a large centipede that can engulf medium-sized creatures.

Hypothermia (Spell Compendium). Pretty decent direct damage, but I still think an extended Creeping Cold is nastier.

Icelance (Spell Compendium). More of a spear/javelin than a lance, and something of a one-hit wonder that doesn't scale up very well. The +4 attack bonus and Fort save vs. stun for 1d4 rounds is kinda nice, though.

Junglerazor (Spell Compendium). Really great damage against animals, fey, plants, and vermin... against everything else, a waste of a spell slot. Good to have around on a scroll, though.

Thunderous Roar (Spell Compendium). Mediocre damage and "friendly fire" issues, but targets must make two saves: Fort save for half damage, and Ref save or be knocked prone.

4th level:

Flame Strike (Core). 1d6 damage (max 15d6), and you get it a spell-level before Mr. Healbot. The 10' radius means you can probably catch more than one target with it, and the high max means this spell remains viable for a long while, pretty much until Frostfell becomes available.

Ice Storm (Core). 5d6 damage, no save. Also halves movement. I wish the damage scaled up, but still a pretty decent spell.

Arc of Lighting (Spell Compendium). 1d6 electricity damage/CL (max 15d6), hits at least two creatures. Not quite a 3rd level lightning bolt, but another very decent spell.

Creeping Cold, Greater (Spell Compendium). Don't bother, just extend the non-greater version.

Moon Bolt (Spell Compendium). 1d4 Str damage/3 CLs. Not really worth it... by the time you're high enough level to drop something with one hit, there are much better spells available.

Murderous Mist (Spell Compendium). Cloud that does 2d6 damage and blinds, but a successful Ref save means half damage and no blinding. Bleah... compared to Acid Fog, Freezing Fog, or even Kelgore's Grave Mist, this spell stinks.

Starvation (Spell Compendium). Considering Hypothermia did the same thing one spell-level ago, only with lethal damage, this is an extremely lousy spell.

Vortex of Teeth (Spell Compendium). Fantastic area effect no-save spell for clearing out low-level cannon fodder, incorporeal creatures, and anything with lots of DR.

5th level:

Baleful Polymorph (Core). The go-to favorite for whenever you have that urge to watch a fish suffocate.

Call Lightning Storm (Core). Damage is a little better, but the sorcerers/wizards with their orbs, enervation, and cone of cold spells are probably snickering at you behind your back.

Blood Creepers (PHBII). On a failed Fort save, vines burst out of the creatures body, tie him to the ground, and proceed to rip him apart. Sounds really cool, and damage per round = CL, but a waste of a spell if the target makes the Fort save, and after that can escape the vines with a Str check or Escape Artist check. A lot simpler to just turn the target into a fish or an ice/salt sculpture.

Flesh to Ice (Frostburn). Flesh to stone, only a spell level earlier, and it looks a lot better at wedding reception buffets.

Flesh to Salt (Sandstorm). Just like the last one, only you get to keep the target's loot, and it's much easier to get rid of the statue... why isn't this a 6th level spell?

Freeze (Spell Compendium). Ok, a ray that does 2d6 cold damage is pretty lousy for a 5th level spell, but encasing your enemies in a solid block of ice for 2d6 cold damage/round? Very sweet awesomesauce.

Ice Flowers (Spell Compendium). Meh... 1d6/CL, but Ref save for half, and won't work in all terrain/conditions. If only druids got Earth Reaver...

Jungle's Rapture (Spell Compendium). Baleful polymorph is certainly a lot quicker, but this one has a Will save, and if you need a few more shrubberies around your hut...

Memory Rot (Spell Compendium). A really slow, ineffective version of Feeblemind, crippled by the fact that most low-Int creatures have very high Fort saves. Skip it.

6th level:

Fire Seeds (Core). Acorn grenades... that just sounds awesome. Damage could be better, but not bad. Holly Berry Bombs have some interesting applications, but the damage isn't all that impressive unless you group all 8 together.

Cometfall (Spell Compendium). Ok, Mr. Fancy-Pants Wizard, so you've got your orb spells and maximized fireballs and whatnot, but can you call down a friggin' *comet*? Well, no, not until he gets Meteor Swarm, but until then, you get to get to wear the "I Am Sephiroth" T-shirt. Love the flavor, but we got Flame Strike two spell-levels ago, and it does the same damage and has a wider radius.

Death Hail (Frostburn). Another one of those "kill 'em slowly", but again, relies on failed Fort saves. Since most creatures will be able to move out of the area of effect in a round or so, I don't think this spell really deserves such a cool name.

Dinosaur Stampede (Spell Compendium). Another spell with a name that sounds so much more awesome than the damage it does. Still, force damage, and the ability to move it around from round to round with a free action is very nice.

Entomb (Frostburn). Sort of the druid version of disintegrate. Even if they make the Fort save, they still take 6d6 cold damage. Entombing an enemy in a solid block of ice, though? Priceless.

Flaywind Burst (Sandstorm). 60' cone, 1d6 damage/CL (max 10d6), somewhat decent damage spell... but Flame Strike has a pretty good spread, and has a higher max damage.

Miasma (Spell Compendium). Takes too darned long. Most creatures in D&D have time to finish combat and knit an entire sweater before they start to suffocate. Besides, Aboleth Mucus is only 20 GP.

Mummify (Sandstorm). Another druid version of disintegrate, 6d6 damage even on a successful save. Still a toss-up, though, which is cooler: Entomb or Mummify? Both make very nice tsotchkes for your trophy room.

Storm of Ice and Fire (Complete Mage). Damage is fixed at 12d6, but at this level it's not much different than a widened Flame Strike, which continues to scale up to 15d6 damage.

Tidal Surge (Spell Compendium). Another spell that depends a lot on available terrain. Even if you're near a large source of water, it's not much better than Flame Strike.

7th level:

Fire Storm (Core). You get it a spell level before Mr. Healbot, and you can shape it into two 10' cubes per level. Better max damage (20d6) than Flame Strike. All it really needs is Energy Substitution or Searing Spell to get around fire resistance/immunity.

Great Worm of the Earth (Complete Mage). Great visual, but there are more immediate damage/save-or-die spells.

Storm of Elemental Fury (Spell Compendium). Kind of a bookkeeping headache ("What round is it again?"), but this is pretty epic *ouchness*. A good fire-and-forget spell, but Fire Storm is quicker.

Wrack Earth (PHBII). 30' line, 1d6 bludgeoning damage (max 15d6), but Ref save for half. Not nearly as good as Fire Storm.

8th level:

Finger of Death (Core). A little late to the party, but simple no-fuss Fort save-or-die.

Whirlwind (Core). For an area-effect spell, the footprint is too darned small (10' wide at its base), it's useless against anything bigger than large-sized, laughably ticklish damage against large-sized, and anything smaller than that has to fail two Ref saves in a row to get any decent damage. Not worth the bother.

Reverse Gravity (Core). At this level, most creatures stopped worrying too much about falling damage several CRs ago, but still, a lot of humor value in this spell.

Sunburst (Core). 6d6 damage for an 8th level spell? Flame Strike gets better damage. Sunburst might be better against undead, particularly for clearing out hordes of low level zombie-fodder.

Bombardment (Spell Compendium). Not quite "Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies", but not that far off. 1d8 damage/CL (max 20d8) and possibly buried under 5 ft. of rubble. Ref save for half and even if they aren't buried, they're probably surrounded by difficult terrain.

Deadly Lahar (Complete Mage). Another fixed damage spell, although on a failed Ref save has the potential to go up to 25d6 total with a 3-round slow effect. On a successful save, though, an underwhelming 5d6 damage, so you're probably better off with a Flame Strike or Fire Storm.

Frostfell (Frostburn). For those moments when you must absolutely positively turn everything around you into a frozen corpsicle. 1d6 frostburn damage/CL (max 20d6) on a *successful* save. Even Mr. Fancy-Pants Wizard should be pretty impressed with that. Hands down, this is one of the deadliest spells in the game.

9th level:

Storm of Vengeance (Core). After the Storm of Elemental Fury (which doesn't require concentration), this one is something of a let-down. Still, 1d6 no-save acid damage, then six 10d6 lightning bolts (Ref half), then 5d6 no-save hail.

Cometstrike (Frostburn). At first glance, not quite as impressive as Meteor Swarm, but can strike more targets for more damage in the long run. Assuming all four meteors hit, four targets take an average of 28 damage, or one target an average of 112 damage. Assuming all the comets hit (and the targets make all their Ref saves), three targets take an average 25 damage for 3 rounds, so 75 no-save damage x 3 targets = 225 average damage. On the other hand, Meteor Swarm may make up the difference with collateral damage on the four 40' bursts. However, Cometstrike is less likely to treat your allies as collateral damage.

Tsunami (Spell Compendium). 1d6 bludgeoning damage/CL (max 20d6), but you get a chance to do that every round for everybody that fails a Fort save.

Whirlwind, Greater (Spell Compendium). Much, much better version of whirlwind. Creatures that fail two Ref saves are no longer trapped until the spell ends (they automatically get thrown out after 3 rounds), but any creature inside the tornado takes 6d6 no-save damage. You can also uproot trees and obliterate small villages.



3) What spells for protection? I can manage a respectable AC of ~50, but main concerns are debuff/status effects.


Uh... stoneskin, barkskin, sheltered vitality? (I kinda blew all my time on offense).



4) Useful allies? The more exotic the better, but ideally still keeping in line with the whole nature vibe.


Fleshrakers make very cuddly pets.



5) Also, items? Apart from stat boosters?


All of your (Su) abilities are Cha-based. You get your Cha bonus to saves and AC, so that kinda says "Cloak of Charisma" to me.

Veil of Allure (14000 GP, MIC) is a must-have item for you. +2 to all your Cha-based DCs.

Monk's Belt for Wis to AC. Unarmed strike plus the various polymorph/shapechange spells isn't a bad idea, either.

Stormfire Ring (4000 GP, MIC) is one of my favorites. Faerie fire 5/day +1d6 no-save electricity damage for 5 rounds.

Ring of the Beast (8000 GP, Complete Champion) if you go the summoning route.

Keinnicht
2010-12-18, 09:16 PM
Flame Blade could be nasty. It might not be the most damaging spell in the world, but it's good to have ready if they enter melee range. Plus touch attacks are probably going to work out way better for her than normal attacks.

Call Lightning and Call Lightning Storm, of course.
Flame Strike is decent because even if they have fire resistance, it still deals some damage.

Tvtyrant
2010-12-18, 10:45 PM
FlameStrike also goes up into the air and so can get flyers.

Eldariel
2010-12-18, 11:03 PM
Well, Shapechange obviously opens up a world of blasting (I'm sure you don't need me to help here) but I'm not sure you want to open that particular can of worms. Other than that, Control Winds bears mentioning; Tornadoes are rather nasty and CL 20 is trivial to achieve for level 17. They deal decent damage, are hard to stop and have some other negative side-effects too. Earthquake can generate some conditions too, but whether it's any good or not depends on the terrain (mostly, if the players get a save, it's useless since DC 15 = trivial).

Summon for Storm Elemental [MMIII] is a nice "blasty" spell. Maximized SNAIX for 3 Greater Storm Elementals results in respectable 36d6 worth of sonic attacks and 72d6 worth of electricity damage overall with DC 30 (assuming Augment Summoning and nothing else) Fort for ½ on Sonic and Ref for ½ on Electricity. That's certainly something to keep in your back pocket (though of course, every semi-sane high level adventurer is warded from Elements to at least some degree making the blasts far less effective, and cutting the Shock they could deliver out of the equation entirely; each individual blast only deals 12d6 and 24d6 respectively so yeah). Summon Elemental Monolith [SC] sorta qualifies too. Rashemi Elemental Summoning [UE] provides you with some very nasty summons out of standard SNAs too; very much to this effect.


Defensively, Freedom of Movement is obvious as is the whole Barkskin/Tortoise Shell/whatever-line. Superior Resistance too; overall, saves and AC should be through the roof with choice immunities (such as FoM and maybe DW, but 1 min/level is harder to use) and obviously, resistance/immunity to all energy types (from Resist Energy, Energy Immunity & co.). Defensively solid tactics include breaking line of effect by melding into ground/wood/whatever, and breaking line of sight with weather effects (Tornadoes are neat, for example). If you want potency, Shapechange again does everything but unless the players are using it, that's an overkill. Dire Tortoise always acts on surprise rounds which can be a useful ability to acquire through shapeshifting.


Allies: Well, plants, obviously (Treants, Dryads, various tendrilly trees, etc.). Elementals. Animals, particularly more epic ones like Dire Animals (Dire Elephant is really mean; Dire Tigers are scary too) and Dinosaurs (Tyrannosaur is badass). Giant Vermin is a nice way to turn a small Scorpion into OMFGITSRIPPINGUSAPARTDOSOMETHINGABOUTIT and yeah.

EDIT: Oh yeah, of course she should have Spell Resistance up too. All CL buffs go great with SR and SR the spell can give you quite a bit of it; forces at the very least Assay Resistance if intending on a wide variety of spell-based offense.

ShriekingDrake
2010-12-19, 10:09 AM
You've received a lot of good advice. I'll just add a couple of small points.

Not sure anyone mentioned Kelpstrand. It's not blasty, but it is great for dealing with casters before they have access to Freedom of Movement.

Spells like Vortex of Teeth work especially well when you pair them with spells like Spiritjaws, Kelpstrand, Entangle or Impeding Stones, that will prevent your subjects from leaving the area.

I would also reiterate the utility of protective spells like Superior Resistance, Energy Immunity, Greater Dispel Magic, and Antilife Shell--6th level spells.

Runestar
2010-12-19, 08:09 PM
Wow! Thanks all for your feedback.

Still in the midst of digesting the info, and looking up the respective spells.

Thought I would clarify on shapechange. I know it is very powerful, but I wanted my nymph to remain a nymph in appearance, not shapeshift into a pitfiend the instance combat starts (else I would just create a pit fiend druid or something). :smalltongue:

Npcs using polymorph spells has been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time now, but I digress. :smallredface:

I was also expecting mostly higher lv blast spells (since I doubt the encounter will require her to fall back on her low lv spells), but still plenty of advice for if I ever plan to roll up another druid character. :smallsmile:

I also probably won't be wasting any time summoning (any allies I want her to have, they will just be present at the start). Man, storm elementals look nasty. Never realised deadly lahar was a druid spell either. Though quite a number of spells seem quite indiscriminate in who they hit. Will probably have to burn a feat to sculpt spell to avoid hitting my tanks.

Eldariel
2010-12-19, 08:53 PM
Just one thing: Control Winds is the best spell to Quicken. Ever. The effect is strong enough to be a 9th level spell and yet, with 20 CL, you can get it from a 5th level slot. Which is yummy. And of course, Druid wants some Dispel Magics for the pesky defenses casters tend to have access to.

But yeah, 4th level+ slots should all be perfectly servicable for combat use on these levels, at least. Something to utilize.

Vistella
2010-12-20, 02:35 AM
Wow! Thanks all for your feedback.

Still in the midst of digesting the info, and looking up the respective spells.

Thought I would clarify on shapechange. I know it is very powerful, but I wanted my nymph to remain a nymph in appearance, not shapeshift into a pitfiend the instance combat starts (else I would just create a pit fiend druid or something). :smalltongue:

shaphechange into a solar and use its change shape ability to look like a nymph :p

Runestar
2010-12-20, 05:51 AM
shaphechange into a solar and use its change shape ability to look like a nymph :p

:smallsigh: The sacrifices I make in the name of roleplaying... :smalltongue:

Ooh...Just noticed storm of fire and ice (CM). Damage is okay...but a fire and ice spell! How cool is that? :smallbiggrin:

Boy, I feel like a kid in a candy shop again, having ignored druid spells for so many years.

Eldariel
2010-12-20, 09:14 PM
:smallsigh: The sacrifices I make in the name of roleplaying... :smalltongue:

Ooh...Just noticed storm of fire and ice (CM). Damage is okay...but a fire and ice spell! How cool is that? :smallbiggrin:

Boy, I feel like a kid in a candy shop again, having ignored druid spells for so many years.

Yeah, Druid list really gets much more malign than it earns; it's not quite as powerful as the arcane lists nor quite as strong defensively as the divine lists, but it's a very, very solid mix between the two and also happens to have few amazing unique spells.

Druid is Tier 1 just like the rest of the bunch for a reason; their spell list is narrow but awesome. They may not be able to turn back the clock and remake the universe, but the Remake The Universe-part; that they can do just fine. And far as destruction go, they are quite possibly the best of the bunch.

Dead_Jester
2011-01-08, 07:58 AM
Yeah, Druid list really gets much more malign than it earns; it's not quite as powerful as the arcane lists nor quite as strong defensively as the divine lists, but it's a very, very solid mix between the two and also happens to have few amazing unique spells.


That is, unless you wildshape into a Solar or an Ethergaunt, in which case your better than the Cleric or the Wizard at his own job and your are a better beatstick while still keeping your druid goodness. Welcome to DroodZilla.

Eldariel
2011-01-08, 09:59 AM
That is, unless you wildshape into a Solar or an Ethergaunt, in which case your better than the Cleric or the Wizard at his own job and your are a better beatstick while still keeping your druid goodness. Welcome to DroodZilla.

You do know both Clerics (through Animal-domain) and Wizards have Shapechange too, right? That kinda makes the whole point null and void. Also, you need 23 HD and Outsider Wildshape to turn into Solar; Shapechange is way better than Wildshape for this purpose anyways.

Dead_Jester
2011-01-08, 10:31 AM
But shapechance is a 9th level spell. It's easy to make a druid that can wildshape into a black ethergaunt, and you can do it at 16th level if you don't grab an item that boost your wildshape level (2 exist that I know of, and they are incredibly broken, so you probably will never be allowed to use them).

Shapechange is good, but wildshaping into another full caster and then shapechanging using it's spell per days is just mean (and you can refresh it more often then shapechange, because you have a ton of wildshape uses per day).

If you have outsider wildshape, why not turn into a Chronotrym (sp?) for instant 2 to 1 action abuse?

And Wizards may have the Incantrix, but Druids have the Planar Shepard, probably the most overpowered PrC ever.

But back on topic, the Druid spell list is probably one of the most versatile and it has some of the best CC spells in the game (kelpstrand, boreal wind, etc), with a specialization in double-threat spells.

ShriekingDrake
2011-01-15, 09:05 PM
One spell not mentioned here is "Thorn Spray" from PGtF. On a ranged attack, you do 1d6/level (up to 20). You can do this all to one creature, or divide it up among multiple targets. Moreover, a target that is hit by the thorns has to make a Fort. save to avoid being sickened for 2-4 rounds. You can get access to this from the Initiate of Nature feat. While it's not a broken spell, it's a pretty good in high dex forms, which will let you hit your quarry.

isotunknown
2011-02-05, 05:09 PM
Probably a stupid question . . . but what is a blaster. Is this a reference to doing damage from a distance or is it something else. Is there a difference between AoE damage and more direct damage when on thinks of a blaster.

Eldariel
2011-02-05, 05:15 PM
Probably a stupid question . . . but what is a blaster. Is this a reference to doing damage from a distance or is it something else. Is there a difference between AoE damage and more direct damage when on thinks of a blaster.

Kinda old thread; you might wanna avoid thread necromancy. It's perfectly ok to just make a new thread for the question. That said, since I'm answering anyways, in the immortal words the Black Mage (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/05/03/episode-024-shes-a-white-magic-woman/): "I casts the spells that makes the peoples fall down!" That's a blaster. Thes guys whos casts thes spells thats makes thes peoples falls downs.