3.5E Druid build help

[macdaddy]

I have NEVER played a druid before in ANY version of D&D, although I have played all of the other basic classes at some point. Since we are starting up a new campaign at 1st level, I decided that even though someone else will play a druid, wth! I will too.

My available stats (in any order) are: 18, 14, 14, 14, 13, 11.

I am thinking a Summoner/Wild Shaper would be a solid build:
======================================
Human, Druid(20)
Str 14, Dex 14, Con: 14, Wis: 18, Int 13, Chr 11

Feats:
1. Spell Focus (Conjuration), Augment Summoning (improve summon natures ally critters)
3. Nature Bond (improve animal companion)
6. Natural Spell (cast spells in wild shape form)
9. ??
12. ??
15. ??
18. ??

For the 4 remaining feats I don't know what I should go with. I think the only remaining good feats are listed below, but I am not sure what to take, or when:
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Imbue Summoning (add Magic Fang or Growth to the summons)
Extend Spell
Persist Spell
Quicken Spell
Rapid Spell (make full round spells take a standard action.... is this useful for a druid?)
Power Attack
Multi-Attack (don't know if it would be allowed)
Improved Natural Attack (don't know if it would be allowed)

The Faerun and Eberon books are out, so no Ashbound/Greenbound, and no access to the book with the Elemental Summoning feat.

Books allowed are:
PHB, PHB2, DMG, DMG2, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Champion, Complete Warrior, Complete Adventurer, Spell Compendium, Complete Mage

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Your feats look solid, don't worry about what to take at 9th+ until you get that far and have a feel for what you'll want at that point. The Summon Elemental reserve feat in Complete Mage could be worthwhile, or Combat Reflexes maybe. Imbue Summoning is probably only worthwhile if you can use Enrage Animal with it, which you technically can't since it's not touch-range. Starting out you'll probably want a riding dog companion, get a wooden tower shield and hide armor, and just cast and concentrate on Enrage Animal every fight.

If you can't get Wilding Clasps from MIC then your items will be a bit of a pain. Get the Armor/Mantle/Ring of the Beast in Complete Champion, and a few Lesser Rods of Extend. A Monk's Belt is highly recommended since it adds your Wisdom bonus to your AC, which would still work if you're wearing Wild armor and in a wild shape form since the armor melds into your form and you're not considered to be wearing any armor despite still gaining its benefit. Definitely try to get access to a copy of Magic Item Compendium, maybe even take Craft Wondrous Item if useful gear isn't readily available, and you can make a nice profit crafting for the rest of your party.

[macdaddy]

I don't know if the DM will let me take any reserve feats, especially one like the Elemental Summon. If you used up a spell to get the elemental, or it was a once a day thing, it would probably be allowed, but being able to just constantly bring one forth as quick as they die is kind of broken.

I am pretty sure I will be able to use Wildling clasps and you make a VERY good point about Craft Wondrous item. Its not a bad feat to take, and if I remember correctly, I can combine with other spell casters casting spells I don't have access too to create the item... and split the xp loss. Could be useful for the clasps as well as other stuff.

I didn't think druids could use Tower shields without taking a feat for it.

[MeeposFire]

I don't know if the DM will let me take any reserve feats, especially one like the Elemental Summon. If you used up a spell to get the elemental, or it was a once a day thing, it would probably be allowed, but being able to just constantly bring one forth as quick as they die is kind of broken.

I am pretty sure I will be able to use Wildling clasps and you make a VERY good point about Craft Wondrous item. Its not a bad feat to take, and if I remember correctly, I can combine with other spell casters casting spells I don't have access too to create the item... and split the xp loss. Could be useful for the clasps as well as other stuff.

I didn't think druids could use Tower shields without taking a feat for it.

Actually the elemental feat is useful but not broken, not even close. The elemental will never be a really effective combatant and spamming it is using standard actions that could be used using more powerful spells or full attack actions.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Multiple casters can cooperate to craft an item, but they don't get to split the XP cost, the one who contributes the item's caster level (even if they both have the same caster level) pays the entire XP cost.

You don't need a feat to use a tower shield. You'll take the armor check penalty (-10) as a penalty to your attack rolls, but if you just cast and concentrate on Enrage Animal the whole fight you won't need to make any attacks anyway. It's a low-level survival trick, you'll probably want to trade it for a heavy shield within a few levels.

Summon Elemental isn't useful for gaining a combatant at all. What it does do is it gives you an expendable critter to set off traps, or a water elemental to douse fires, or a fire elemental to start fires, or an air elemental to blow away a fog effect, etc. It's there to be useful, not to fight. Compare it to what you could get via a Summon Nature's Ally at a given level. You would be taking it at 9th level to get a small elemental, SNAV gets a large elemental. When you get SNAVI it gets a medium elemental, casting that spell gets a huge elemental. Once you get SNAVIII you can get a large elemental, when you can already use SNAVII to get an elder elemental. It's seriously not going to be useful at all in combat, and you'll always have something better to do than summoning a new one of those.

[macdaddy]

Its primarily a feat that gives you a disposable/renewable companion. True, it won't be as great from a combat perspective, but as you pointed out it can do a whole host of abilities and as many times as you want in a day.

He may allow it, he may not. At the rate we play(once every 2 to 4 weeks), I won't hit 9th level for about 12-18 months so not a big deal.

Biffoniacus, thanx for pointing out the XP cost part. Its possible that when we last played D&D 3.5 the GM allowed the XP cost to be split between the casters because he was stingy with magic and didn't want to put too much of a burden on the character that took the item creation feats. Its been a long time since we played so I don't recall exactly what we did.

Thanks for pointing out the Enrage Animal spell. I was intending to use the wolf shape spell, jumping into combat and tripping things. Hanging back and buffing the animal companion would certainly help ensure my survival though.


I wish I could get the feat that lets me Turn Animals/Plants. That would be really cool, but I don't think I have access to that book. Perhaps I can talk him into it at a later time....

[Vladislav]

To give the rest of the party a fighting chance at being useful, I suggest:

Level 1: Toughness, Toughness
Level 3: Toughness
Level 6: Natural Spell
Level 9: Toughness
Level 12: Toughness
Level 15: Toughness
Level 18: Improved Toughness

[Dictum Mortuum]

IIRC, RAW, natural bond only works for multiclass characters. You might opt for companion spellbond instead (share spells within 30ft instead of 5ft) which is great, depending on your companion (not that good if you ride it, but great for combat companions).

[Vladislav]

IIRC, RAW, natural bond only works for multiclass characters.Not, it works for single-classed, albeit in a somewhat cheesy way:

1. Be a level 6 druid with Natural Bond
2. Take one of the (-3 levels) companions (eg. Black Bear)
3. Effective Druid level for statting that companion is now 3 ...
4. ... however, Natural Bond pushes it back to 6!

Voila, you now have a higher-level animal companion with all the advancement of a lower-level companion.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

IIRC, RAW, natural bond only works for multiclass characters. You might opt for companion spellbond instead (share spells within 30ft instead of 5ft) which is great, depending on your companion (not that good if you ride it, but great for combat companions).

According to several official sources (FAQ, Ask Wizards) you can apply your own bonuses and penalties in the most beneficial order. A Druid 4 with a 'level -3' companion and Natural Bond can apply the -3 first, to count as 1st level, and then apply Natural Bond afterward to bring him back up to 4th.