Help with Druid 5 / Planar Shepherd 10 Build

[Jaraak]

Books: All WOTC 3.5 Some 3.0 if not updated or ludicrous (have to pass by DM)

I want to play a fairly stealthy druid, using Planar Shepherd but won't be abusing the bubble and wishes.

Race: Whisper Gnome (Mostly for early level survivability/hiding and racial skill bonus)

Feats:
1: Nightbringer Initiate (for Hide and MS as class skills)
3: ???
6: Natural Spell
9: Assume Supernatural Ability (So I can use the (su) of my magical beast forms, ie. blink dog)
12+ ??

I'd really like to focus on stealth and skillmonkery but if need be shift to an uberform and get my smash on.

I need suggestions for my feats and any other abilities. Also if you can think of a beter LA 0 Race.

[Vulaas]

For races, either a Anthropomorphic Bat or Jermalaine or Muckdweller would be good ones all at LA 0.

[Toliudar]

Darkstalker is a great stealth feat.

[Urpriest]

I like this concept. Abovementioned Darkstalker goes great with Mindsight, which you could pick up to use with forms with Telepathy if your DM follows WotC's lead on feat qualification while in Wild Shape.

I assume Nightbringer Initiate means you're going to choose Mabar for your plane? Or is that still up in the air?

[Greenish]

I assume Nightbringer Initiate means you're going to choose Mabar for your plane? Or is that still up in the air?I don't think Nightbringer Initiates have to pick Mabar any more than Greensinger Initiates would have to pick Thelanis.

[Jaraak]

No, I will likely go the Region of Dreams so I can pretty much pick any Outsider/Elemental/Magical Beast I want.

Darkstalker looks good.

I'm getting a bonus feat from my DM too!

What do you guys think of that feat that lets you share spells with your animal companion out to 30ft?

[Urpriest]

I don't think Nightbringer Initiates have to pick Mabar any more than Greensinger Initiates would have to pick Thelanis.

Not a requirement thing, but since he hadn't mentioned the plane I assumed that was his way of mentioning it.

@ the OP: Region of Dreams is a perfectly fine choice, though it is exactly how you get the time trait shenanigans that you said you weren't going for.

[Jaraak]

@Ur: Yeah, I know but I wanted a vast range of things to Wildshape into. I will unlikely use the Bubble ability; especially since you cant gain XP so whats the point?

[Greenish]

I will unlikely use the Bubble ability; especially since you cant gain XP so whats the point?What? Why wouldn't you gain experience if you use the bubble?

Anyhow, companion spellbond is pretty handy feat.

[Urpriest]

What? Why wouldn't you gain experience if you use the bubble?

Anyhow, companion spellbond is pretty handy feat.

Wow...I had never noticed that before. I think the entire TO community has been ignoring this. Jaraak, I think you've actually made a discovery!

To explain to Greenish: the time trait of the Region of Dreams specifies that you don't gain XP from combat there (as well as a few other similar things: it is a dream after all). This sounds...exploitable. It also messes heavily with the standard Dal Quor Planar Shepherd trick.

[Greenish]

Most curious indeed. Not sure what practical applications that may have.

[Urpriest]

You also can't gain or lose items while in the bubble...

Well for one, this gives us a foolproof way of destroying artifacts, even major ones:

Someone outside the bubble throws the artifact to someone in the bubble. The bubble is then dismissed. The guy outside loses the artifact, and were the bubble not in place the guy inside would gain the artifact. But since they gained it while in the bubble, they don't have it when the bubble vanishes. So the artifact simply ceases to exist.

Also, I could see some sort of Tippyverse using these bubbles to keep their populace from ever gaining any XP, and thus from challenging their Emperor.

[Greenish]

You also can't gain or lose items while in the bubble...Could you counter disjunction with it?

[Urpriest]

Could you counter disjunction with it?

Yeah, definitely. You'd need to have it up beforehand of course.

I just read another line, though, which makes things even more amusing: Spells cannot be cast or learned.

Now on face, that means that spell slots are not expended...which is already crazy good...but it also seems to mean that any spells cast from inside the bubble cannot affect anyone outside. Which in turn nerfs the standard use of the bubble into the ground. Why hasn't anyone noticed this before?

[Greenish]

Well, I still can't find it. Where are you pulling those?

[Urpriest]

Well, I still can't find it. Where are you pulling those?

Flowing Time trait in the Region of Dreams stats. It's in Manual of the Planes, so if there is a more recent source then that would trump it, but I'm not aware of one.

[Greenish]

Flowing Time trait in the Region of Dreams stats. It's in Manual of the Planes, so if there is a more recent source then that would trump it, but I'm not aware of one.Who says that Dal'Quor is the same as Region of Dreams? ECS, MoE or FoE don't mention anything about those features, they only say it has the flowing time 10:1.

[Urpriest]

Who says that Dal'Quor is the same as Region of Dreams? ECS, MoE or FoE don't mention anything about those features, they only say it has the flowing time 10:1.

Hmm...I wasn't aware ECS, MoE, or FoE said anything about the traits of Dal Quor whatsoever. I had the impression that people just assumed it had the same traits as the Region of Dreams, and that this was one of the fuzzier bits of TO logic, like use of Pazuzu. Can you point me to a writeup of the traits of Dal Quor in one of those books?

[Greenish]

ECS page 95 has the traits of Dal'Quor, though I notice it only lists Quori as inhabitants.

[Urpriest]

ECS page 95 has the traits of Dal'Quor, though I notice it only lists Quori as inhabitants.

Ah ok.

Yeah, then these are really only concerns for people who aren't in Eberron trying to imitate the Dal Quor Planar Shepherd. The standard one breaks in the usual way.