My first DnD Character ever: Gestalt Ninja//Druid

[Luminiferous]

So I'm wanting to play Dnd. I never have before, and I'm still looking for a group, abut I've been poking through the internet, and I've maybe been poking around too much, but in my mind I have fallen in love with the idea of a human/Lyncathrope (weresnake, Huge Viper?) Gestalt Druid//Ninja with Warshifter added later.

It's so beautiful...

I have no clue how to put it together...

...help?

[gbprime]

So if a tree falls in the forest and you don't hear it, blame the ninja druid. :smallbiggrin:

[Gnaeus]

Make sure to take the warshaper on the ninja side.

If you can take the la/rhd from your lycanthrope form on one side of gestalt, again, ninja side.

(in other words, one side of the gestalt should be Druid 20 if possible).

Natural spell at level 6.

Be aware that wildshaping into combat forms is very powerful (especially pared with strong buff spells, like venomfire, bite of the wereX and the like). Having a combat pet or a flying mount is very powerful, and druid casting is very powerful. Ninja is kind of weak, but adding wisdom to your AC is very strong for a druid. This means that you may accidentally outclass characters playing weaker combinations.

[Luminiferous]

Gbprime: ...yes. Pretty much, yes. :smalltongue:

I wanted to keep to the snake theme with my pet, but I' not aware of any snakes that fly or make good tanks. My hope was to fill the role of a rogue but with more style.

Is human the best base race to go with here? What feats should I take that go well with "sneaky druid"?

Has anyone made a druid that fills the rogue's role before?

[Novawurmson]

Which Ninja are you using?

[Gnaeus]

Is human the best base race to go with here? What feats should I take that go well with "sneaky druid"?

Has anyone made a druid that fills the rogue's role before?

You don't need to take feats for it, just keep hide, move silently, spot and listen maxed (which should be easy), and finish up with spells and wildshape. For example, Augment Wildshape + wildshape into a desmodu bat + maxed hide/move silently and you are a sneaky, flying scout with good maneuverability and 120 foot blindsight. Or just wildshape into a rat, and you are very difficult to see, and people who see you think you are a rat.

Human is good. Gnome is also surprisingly good for druids. Non-core, anything that gives a wisdom bonus is a viable choice.

[Doc Roc]

Don't forget Wilding Clasps and the various wildshaping feats.

[Lord.Sorasen]

Oh, small thing: You can't actually use huge viper for your lycanthrope form, you're limited to one size category of difference.

Is it for fluff reasons you want to be a weresnake? If it's just to be thematic, keep in mind that a druid can already become a snake with wildshape.

A 4th level druid can pick a large viper. It's probably not the best choice, but I'm certain with enough time you'll be able to find a decent snakefriend. Be sure to consider the feat if you do this that lets your animal companion be 3 levels higher (to maximum of your hit dice), some rule that it allows you to take stronger companions at higher levels.

Oh, and take natural spell.

[Luminiferous]

Which Ninja are you using?

...There are multiple? ****, I need to do more research. I think I was looking at this one: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Reworked_Ninja_(3.5e_Class)

I can't tell if it's balanced or not.

The non-core races all seem pretty silly, not gonna lie. Looks like I'm sticking with human for now.

Those wildshapes sound like lots of fun. :smallbiggrin:


Okay, my confidence has been boosted, I think I can build this. ...does anyone know a Skype-based session looking for players?

[Luminiferous]

Oh, small thing: You can't actually use huge viper for your lycanthrope form, you're limited to one size category of difference.

Is it for fluff reasons you want to be a weresnake? If it's just to be thematic, keep in mind that a druid can already become a snake with wildshape.

Oh, and take natural spell.

Ah, large viper, then.

It is, but I had it in my head that being a weresnake would free me up a little to delve into other aspects of the druid. It also adds some flavor as controlling lycanthropy is not always easy.

Yes. Natural spell. *jots down*

[Doc Roc]

Ah, large viper, then.

It is, but I had it in my head that being a weresnake would free me up a little to delve into other aspects of the druid. It also adds some flavor as controlling lycanthropy is not always easy.

Yes. Natural spell. *jots down*

You're a full-caster. Controlling lycanthropy is trivial.

[Luminiferous]

You're a full-caster. Controlling lycanthropy is trivial.

Well, if you guys think it's redundant, then I suppose I can just have a snake theme. I'm sure I can be a devotee of Shekinester or find some other excuse for it.

[Novawurmson]

Ah, here's an important rule of looking for things about Dungeons and Dragons on the internet:

Do NOT use dandwiki!

It's a sea of painfully unbalanced homebrew. There's plenty of good homebrew on these forums, though :D

Anyway, Rogue isn't a half-bad chassis for a "Ninja." There's a Ninja class in Complete Adventurer...and another in one of the Rokugan books. Can't think of it. Nine times out of ten, the Rogue is going to be more useful.

Factotum (from Dungeonscape) and Swordsage (from the Tome of Battle) could also work for a sneaky character.

[Stormageddon]

You might want to check out Master of Many Forms.

Can I suggest

Ninja 5/Master of Many Forms 10/Warshaper 5// Druid 20

Rogue might be better start

Wild Shape into a tiny snake sneak around and than turn into a huge snake and bite people's heads off.

I agree with being a weresnake and druid is redundant.

But no matter what you do take natural spell and win D&D.

[gbprime]

Anyway, Rogue isn't a half-bad chassis for a "Ninja." There's a Ninja class in Complete Adventurer...and another in one of the Rokugan books. Can't think of it. Nine times out of ten, the Rogue is going to be more useful.

The enemy is surrounded in dire animals... And one of them has 6 dice of sneak attack and keeps casting Mass Snake's Swiftness.

[dspeyer]

Being an actual lycanthrope is probably a bad idea. It costs you a bunch of levels and doesn't give you much that you couldn't do with wildshape. Remember that you're free to call your druidic powers "an infection" or even wildshape "uncontrollably" every full moon.

The ninja you linked looks like a minor tweak of the Complete Adventurer ninja. Probably not unreasonable (biggest change is full bab, CA is 3/4) but to not cause cringing you might want to go with the published one. If you don't have CA, you can find the ninja class online various places of ambiguous legality.

Ninja isn't the strongest class in dnd, but druid is so that's all right :smallbiggrin:. The wisdom powers are nice, and sudden strike does well on anything stealthy with pounce (like tigers or megaraptors). A shadow-hand focused swordsage can do most of what a ninja can do better, but it means learning yet another system and you're not lacking overall power.

Do check out Master of Many Forms (also Complete Adventurer), but if the sheer number of options looks overwhelming that's fair enough.

And a practical note, figure out the shapes (wildshape + buffs) you're going to use often and precompute your character sheet in those shapes, so you don't need to do math for every attack and skill check.

[Gnaeus]

Anyway, Rogue isn't a half-bad chassis for a "Ninja." There's a Ninja class in Complete Adventurer...and another in one of the Rokugan books. Can't think of it. Nine times out of ten, the Rogue is going to be more useful. .

You are right, but I think this is one of those tenth times. Wisdom to AC is crummy for a ninja, who would be better off in armor, but it is really good for a wildshaping druid.

Factotum or swordsage are stronger still of course, but druid//ninja shouldn't be seen as weak compared with most gestalt.

[Luminiferous]

Okay, instead of a weresnake, what about this: http://grandwiki.wikidot.com/bldnaga

It's made by Fifth Element. Has anyone GM'd their rules before?

[IdleMuse]

If you're building this character with the idea of finding a game to play it in later, steer clear of third-party content; more DMs are gonna say no than yes.

If this is purely an optimisation exercise, I'd steer clear anyway; using third-party content is opening an optimisation can of worms.

[kulosle]

The best base race for a druid is the anthropomorphic bat. +6 to wisdom and flight? Yes please. I guess it doesn't really fit your theme though. Does an anthropomorphic snake have arms? I know it can's legs, buy it doesn't say it gains arms. It says it gains hands so I would assume, but some RAW determined DMs might say that they don't actually have arms. Unless I'm missing something.

[Hiro Protagonest]

If you're building this character with the idea of finding a game to play it in later, steer clear of third-party content; more DMs are gonna say no than yes.

If this is purely an optimisation exercise, I'd steer clear anyway; using third-party content is opening an optimisation can of worms.

And don't build a gestalt character when still looking for a group.

[Metahuman1]

Take one level of the Fist of the Forest Prestige class form Complete Champion. Then take two levels of Swordsage form Tome of Battle Book of Nine Swords, and at least one level of either Rogue or Factotum, the latter form Dungeonscape.

That will give you Martial Maneuvers, some skill points, Wis and Con to AC, and a couple of other useful tricks. Put all that on one side. Then put Warshaper and what ever else you fancy on that side to fill out the rest of the 20 levels, and take Druid 20 on the other side.


Take Natural Bond and Natural Spell, maybe Invest in Augment Summoning and a couple of metamagics (I like extend spell myself.), And put skill ranks in Concentration and sneaky skills.