Help a DM with the druid

[lorddrake]

Peoples of the playground, hello you all!

I need some suggestions for the game I DM. It is a fast leveling Oh-how-can-this-be-so-low-OP game and I like suggesting some PrCs for my players (because thay haven't read basically nothing about nothing). I've seen some interesting stuff for almost all of them, but the druid.

She is a player very friend of all living things and I've found nothing really interesting that really draw my attention yet... Maybe I overlooked stuff...

So... What would you suggest?

(Suposing anything 3.0 and 3.5 goes)

EDIT: Forgot to tell that I have no access to dragon magazine

[legomaster00156]

Tell her to use the Planar Shepherd PrC. It will break the game even more than a straight Druid will.

[Dr.Epic]

Complete Warrior has some good combat based ones like Warshaper. I also find Blighter funny, mainly because it's a PrC based around burning down nature. Take that Smokey!

[lorddrake]

I know the planar shepherd... And I DM and don't want to break my own game. But thanks...

I want more flavor than power... And the player don't really cares to much about power (for some time she didn't even used her magic at all...)

[Aquillion]

As a general rule:

Nearly any PRC that isn't Planar Shepard is going to make the Druid weaker, so if that's what you want, it's not hard.

At the same time, the Druid's class features are so strong that anything that advances either full or close-to-full spellcasting or Wild Shape. So if you want to be on the safe side, just ask them which part of being a druid they like, and pick a class that advances that.

Given that you say that she hasn't used her magic at all, what has she used? If she's focused more on shapeshifting, Master of Many Forms is a good choice -- mind you, it's a bit weak PRCs as far as druid ones go, but if it's a low-optimization game, that might be an advantage.

[lorddrake]

Given that you say that she hasn't used her magic at all, what has she used? If she's focused more on shapeshifting, Master of Many Forms is a good choice -- mind you, it's a bit weak PRCs as far as druid ones go, but if it's a low-optimization game, that might be an advantage.

She has just gained the ability to shapechange, actually at the end of the last session. Before she just waved her blade and tried to save wild things from the slaughter that her friends planned...

I might check something on the BoED because she is so good even when it is not needed... Maybe something exalted may be her thing...


Complete Warrior has some good combat based ones like Warshaper. I also find Blighter funny, mainly because it's a PrC based around burning down nature. Take that Smokey!

Thank you very much! I'll check those out! (but she might not like the part about burning down nature, but it may become something like a nemesis for her)

[MukkTB]

Wait - Why does she need a PrC? If you're playing a low optimization campaign why not push the low tier PCs towards useful PrCs and let the tier 1 do what they want?

Are you wanting to throw optimized monsters or something at them? I'm confused where the problem is.

[Aquillion]

Wait - Why does she need a PrC? If you're playing a low optimization campaign why not push the low tier PCs towards useful PrCs and let the tier 1 do what they want?

Are you wanting to throw optimized monsters or something at them? I'm confused where the problem is.There's this, too. If she's not using her Druid abilities... well, she's not using them, and they don't really matter one way or the other!

There's no need to force her into a PRC if she doesn't want one; mechanically, druids don't need them, and it doesn't sound like she's dominating the game to the point where you need to force her into a PRC to make her weaker or anything. Story-wise, some PRCs can contribute, but it seems like she's happy with the thematics of being a straightforward druid.

[Garagos]

I agree that there is nothing wrong with going straight druid, its a fun/powerful class. But if you're looking for some type of specific flavor, maybe check out Lion of Talisid from Exalted Deeds. Not as strong as Planar Shep but still gets full casting I believe and Wild Shape is only slightly below what a standard druid gets. Grants things like fear immunity and pounce. The flavor is all cat based so she could start to focus her love of all animals specifically toward felines. Just a thought.

[Randomguy]

There are a few druid PrC's. A lot of them actually make the druid weaker, but that doesn't seem to be a concern in your game.

In complete warrior, there's Nature's warrior, which stacks with druid levels for wildshape, advances spellcasting for two of the 5 levels, gives d10 HD and a full BAB and 3 special abilities that only apply for wildshape.

There's also warshaper, which also gives d10 HD and full BAB, but no wildshape advancement or spellcasting. It gives several powerful bonuses that only apply while wildshaped, as well as one that makes few daily uses irrelevant, since it lets them swap forms without using another wildshape (but it still runs out when duration is over)

In complete adventure, there's daggerspell shaper, which advances wildshape and spellcasting and focuses on two weapon fighting with daggers. You need 1d6 sneak attack to qualify.

There's also master of many forms, which advances wildshape but not casting and gives access to more forms than druid and many more uses per day.

[Dr.Epic]

There's also warshaper, which also gives d10 HD and full BAB, but no wildshape advancement or spellcasting. It gives several powerful bonuses that only apply while wildshaped, as well as one that makes few daily uses irrelevant, since it lets them swap forms without using another wildshape (but it still runs out when duration is over)

Warshaper I think gets a d8 and I'm almost positive they do not get full BAB. I remember first looking at that class and I mostly played barbarians that went bear warrior and upon find that class my thought was "It'd be perfect after bear warrior if not for the not full BAB."


Thank you very much! I'll check those out! (but she might not like the part about burning down nature, but it may become something like a nemesis for her)

But if we don't kill nature, how can we build our houses? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDtuDbRg6Ic)

And yeah, Nature's Warrior is good if they really like wildshape and being a main fighter type.

[Gavinfoxx]

Wild Shape Ranger?

Shapeshifter Druid?

[Pilo]

Don't give her a Prc, give her power in your world.
She is a full druid, then let her join a druid circle and give her a usefull item that has a weak at will power (like talking to animals), a low powered power 3 times per day(use a summon natural allies of one level less than her maximum) and a moderately powerfull power once a day/week {commune with nature or revivify (spell compendium, cleric 5)} which require a sacrifice from her (like getting fatigued or taking one or two points of ability damage that can't be cured with magic or power).

In the complete champion, there is some cool stuff for natural caring people.

[Spider_Jerusalem]

Man, and here I was thinking a bad, bad druid was biting your campaign to death or something.

Seriously, though, I don't think a druid needs a PrC anyway, so you could just show a couple of them to your player and let her decide by flavor which PrC she wants (or if she wants a PrC at all). Maybe you could just help her get used to playing a druid and that's all, you never know.

[Eldariel]

Druid PRCs focus on some aspects of Druid. Pure Druid is the only real generalist Druid (aside from Planar Rofl). As such, assuming she doesn't want to specialize, just have her continue as pure Druid. It keeps getting interesting abilities all the way, so I don't see a reason to change that.

[lorddrake]

I agree that there is nothing wrong with going straight druid, its a fun/powerful class. But if you're looking for some type of specific flavor, maybe check out Lion of Talisid from Exalted Deeds. Not as strong as Planar Shep but still gets full casting I believe and Wild Shape is only slightly below what a standard druid gets. Grants things like fear immunity and pounce. The flavor is all cat based so she could start to focus her love of all animals specifically toward felines. Just a thought.

This is more or less what I wanted. Flavor.

And another thing... I'm not pushing her toward the PrC... All I do is suggest... If she want she can stay Druid all the way to 20+. But the party is pretty flavorful (one swashbucler/bard/dragon disciple/pale master, one dragon-hunting fairy rogue and a couple of clerics of a madness/chaos god) and she seems like away from it and it makes her a little sad/bored...

I thought, maybe giving some flavor for her to roleplay she might feel better about the game...

And I thank you all for your reply... I'm going to see all your suggestions right now.

[Anderlith]

Swanmay, swans are fluffy

[Aquillion]

This is more or less what I wanted. Flavor.

And another thing... I'm not pushing her toward the PrC... All I do is suggest... If she want she can stay Druid all the way to 20+. But the party is pretty flavorful (one swashbucler/bard/dragon disciple/pale master, one dragon-hunting fairy rogue and a couple of clerics of a madness/chaos god) and she seems like away from it and it makes her a little sad/bored...

I thought, maybe giving some flavor for her to roleplay she might feel better about the game...

And I thank you all for your reply... I'm going to see all your suggestions right now.I don't think that that's the right way to get a player involved in your game. Instead of trying to come up with things for her, talk to her and find out what she wants. Figure out what she wants out of the game; why she's there, what she thinks of her character, what she wants her character to do and become -- what parts of the setting and what stories are interesting to her. Try and coax her into adding things to the setting herself; those will be things she'll care more about.

It sounds to me like she's not so experienced with D&D. A PRC is a bad idea in that case, since you'll be making her character mechanically more complicated and harder for her to handle. If you want to make her more engaged in the story, you have to talk to her and figure out from her what she thinks is cool. She could be playing a Commoner and still tell an amazing story, after all.

[Optimator]

Holt Warden in CC is fun.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

First, I just want to toss out that you seem to be falling into a classic fallacy of believing that PrC's are required to have interesting flavorful characters and that members of base classes or "vanilla" characters are boring.

Ask the player why she picked Druid in the first place. What interested her? I'm going to assume it was fluff over mechanics, but Druid has one of the best fluff/mechanics match-ups in the game. Suggest how fun Wildshape would be; taking the form of an animal and running through the woods or flying through the air, becoming more in touch with nature than any real person has ever been. Give her animal companion a personality it could well become her closest in game friend. Finally show her how to unleash nature's unbridled fury via her spell list.

If you think she really wants to PrC out, because everyone else is doing it. Sentinal of Bharrai is a good 1 level dip for nature friendly spell which helps mitigate damage to to environment when you let loose spells in natural settings.

Unfortunately, there really is very little reason to PrC out of Druid for anything but Planar Shepard because the class she goes into will be weaker and therefore fail to support it's own fluff.

[lorddrake]

Thank you guys. I'll talk to her and see what she wants.

I all have been very helpful.

[Gnaeus]

Moonspeaker in races of eberron is a flavorful and fun druid PRC that isn't nearly as broken as Planar Shepherd.

Problem is, it is for shifters only, so entry requirements and some class features would need to be reworked.

[Dr.Epic]

If they like being a spellcaster, there are plenty of PrCs in Complete Divine that'll let them advance their spellcasting too.

[hex0]

Tell her to use the Planar Shepherd PrC. It will break the game even more than a straight Druid will.

Unless you could get a level in Beholdermage and continue with Arcane Hierophant after that. :smallamused:

[lorddrake]

Unless you could get a level in Beholdermage and continue with Arcane Hierophant after that. :smallamused:

Maybe I should make a homebrewed PrC combining hulking hurler with beholdermage and planar shepherd capable of shapeshifting (at will) into a Kobold with godly powers capable of making people fanatical while jumping. Maybe make craft (basketweaving) a class skill...

[Aquillion]

Maybe I should make a homebrewed PrC combining hulking hurler with beholdermage and planar shepherd capable of shapeshifting (at will) into a Kobold with godly powers capable of making people fanatical while jumping. Maybe make craft (basketweaving) a class skill...Don't forget to balance it by not giving it a familiar.

[lorddrake]

Don't forget to balance it by not giving it a familiar.

Now I need a like button!