How to Pimp

[3drinks]

Alright, here's the situation. Got a Gestalt game coming up, where the starting level will be between 3 and 7(haven't been ironed out yet) and I've decided that I want to be a Half-Orc Duskblade/Druid ---> Dragon Disciple(personal fluff, old character concept of mine, never got to play out till now).

So, I need to know a lot of the good stuff and tricks of playing a Druid as I've never played one before. I figure with Duskblade, it's there to offer some supplemental combat spells like Kelgore's Firebolt and the ubiquitous Ray of Enfeeblement and also the good saves, and awesome BAB(which will help my Druid BAB in wildshape as AFAIK druid uses his own BAB while shaping).

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[NeoSeraphi]

Druids do indeed use their own BAB while wildshaping. Unfortunately, being a druid will actually hurt you on the duskblade side, as you'll be restricted to only leather armor until you get medium armor casting.

Suggestions for a druid? Well, it looks like you'll be eating some serious MAD here. (Int, Str, Wis, and Con), unless you're starting at a high enough level to where you can fight in Wild Shape all day (you're not).

Assuming you can get some decent stats, you should be having a grand old time Arcane Channeling shocking grasp into your bear claws and slaughtering people. Suddenly, the grapple druid becomes even more scary, if your DM lets you Arcane Channel into your grapple checks.

Dragon disciple will provide some nice flavor, but unfortunately it means missing out on Arcane Channeling (Full Attack), which is one of the duskblade's nicest class features.

Quick Casting dimension door a few times per day will really be nice, and you'll find yourself being a natural at battlefield control with the duskblade's teleportation and the druid's...entire spell list.

As a bonus, when you get Wild Shape (Plant), turn yourself into a shambling mound and strike yourself with call lightning or shocking grasp. Yes, it might seem like a waste of spell, and yes, it might not heal you as much as a cure serious wounds would, but...come on. Striking yourself with lightning to heal. Why wouldn't you do that?

[3drinks]

Haha yeah, the armour thing, is meh, I can wear Hide Armour, which gives me the same equivalent of +3 armour, +4 max dex, but ultimately, I still have spells like barkskin, and of course there are always bracers of armour, amulet of natural armour, etc, etc. :)

I've just...never played a Druid before, but from what I've come to understand on these forums, all a Druid really needs is Skill Focus: Craft(Underwater Basketweaving) >_>. But seriously, yeah I'm just new to this archetype.

[NeoSeraphi]

Just make sure to take Natural Spell. It's kind of sort of drastically necessary.

[3drinks]

That's the one that lets me cast in wild shape, right? is tha PHB or an alternative book? (sorry, most my characters have been the big, axe-wielding brutes, so i haven't looked as much into the full caster feats).

[NeoSeraphi]

That's the one that lets me cast in wild shape, right? is tha PHB or an alternative book? (sorry, most my characters have been the big, axe-wielding brutes, so i haven't looked as much into the full caster feats).

Yes, it's in the PHB.

[Coidzor]

Well, at low levels you'll basically be going into combat with your animal companion either as a mount or a fighting buddy. With share spells your animal companion should get an equivalent to arcane channeling through its first natural weapon to hit, which is a decent buff.

From 3rd to 5th level you'll pretty much be a duskblade with better utility, a pet, and more spell selection.

At 6th level and up, you've got the choice between full-attacking in wildshape or arcane channeling. Much like how full attacking can win out over arcane channeling at 6th level, especially with feats like arcane strike... Actually, arcane strike(complete warrior) is really good for druids, as it seems to specify it applying to all natural weapons. So arcane strike and power attack combined are going to be the more likely bread and butter of your duskblade/druid, though you'd need to pull some shenanigans to get arcane strike before 9th level and grab natural spell on time at 6th. Even without arcane strike, it's still pretty good. You might want to consider going into Master of Many Forms(complete adventurer), Warshaper(complete warrior), or Nature's Warrior(complete warrior) for at least a few levels. On the other hand, the spell Enhance Wildshape(spell compendium) on the druid spell list does most of Master of Many Forms...

At 13th level you've got enough for wild or beasthide armor(IIRC) or wilding clasp'd items, are able to be in wildshape all day, and can get all of your attacks to have spells channeled through them. Whether you enjoy the spells or view them as a minor buff depends upon how the DM adjudicates attacking the same target multiple times in one full attack with channeled spells. Pouncing forms are especially good, as they're the only way to channel and full attack without dipping spirit lion totem barbarian. On the other hand, you're also a bear summoning bears while riding a bear and taking advantage of Wilding Clasps from the magic item compendium. So the duskblade stuff is mostly superfluous the further into it past 13th level one goes. And even before 13th, it's only really relevant earlier on, but it does allow some nice things, especially with arcane strike.

For further reading:
Druid Handbook. (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=940.0)
Duskblade Handbook. (http://dictummortuum.blogspot.com/2011/08/duskblade-handbook.html)

[TroubleBrewing]

I can picture it now: Two goblins stand by the side of the road. All of a sudden, a tiger riding a bear charges out of the woods and swats a goblin with a massive paw. He bursts into flames and his friend dies from sheer awe.

[Coidzor]

I can picture it now: Two goblins stand by the side of the road. All of a sudden, a tiger riding a bear charges out of the woods and swats a goblin with a massive paw. He bursts into flames and his friend dies from sheer awe.

Heh. Now that does sound nifty.

OP: Oh, and If you like minions, obtain familiar + dragon magazine material can get you a non-riding dog as a familiar or obtain familiar + one of the improved familiar feats gets you a pretty durable combat familiar who also shares your skill ranks.

Since you have full BAB and will be arcane, the Hexblade spell "Hound of Doom" in an eternal wand or 2 is also pretty nifty.

Of course, being a druid you'll have really good summoning abilities, especially if you take either green bound summoning or rashemi elemental summoning.

You should also be able to qualify for a prestige class that grants special mount progression, especially if dragon magazine material in the table, and combining a special mount with animal companion progression is always good fun, though feat intensive enough that you'd want to have flaws and dip fighter once or twice to cover other feats.

Heck, depending upon material access, you could probably fit in some bardic music abilities if you really wanted.

For reference, Endarire's Breaking Down Inspire Courage Optimization Handbook Edition. (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9830)

[GoatBoy]

See, I thought someone created this thread wanting to know how to be an actual pimp. Like, how many ranks in Profession (pimp) to take, how much to charge depending on settlement populations, what the Fort save vs. common diseases would be, how much damage can a courtesan take when you slap her... and even though I was repulsed by this concept, I opened the thread anyway, like a rubbernecker at a horrific car accident.

Instead it's just another "how do I make my character awesome" post with an incredibly vague title.

Now I'm not sure whether or not the first possibility would have disappointed me more.

[Rejusu]

Just make sure to take Natural Spell. It's kind of sort of drastically necessary.

Honestly it makes you really question why it isn't just a class feature. I really don't like feats that you don't actually have any choice in whether to take them or not. Something you just HAVE to take really raises the question as to why it's not built into the class in the first place. I could understand it if essential feats were printed later than the class itself, but Natural Spell is in the PHB! Then again Druids are good enough that having to always take Natural Spell at level 6 isn't much of a loss.

[Kaeso]

1. Take the leadership feat
2. Choose a cohort (preferably a bard)
3. Take improved unarmed strike (and superior unarmed strike)
4. Smack dat hoe until she gives you dat green :smallbiggrin:

[NeoSeraphi]

Honestly it makes you really question why it isn't just a class feature. I really don't like feats that you don't actually have any choice in whether to take them or not. Something you just HAVE to take really raises the question as to why it's not built into the class in the first place. I could understand it if essential feats were printed later than the class itself, but Natural Spell is in the PHB! Then again Druids are good enough that having to always take Natural Spell at level 6 isn't much of a loss.

It's a feat tax. If anyone deserves a feat tax, it's a full caster. I have absolutely no problem with druids having to suck it up and spend 1/7th of their customization on the ability to cast while in animal form. It's the definition of a good feat, and I only wish other classes got feats that amazing. It shouldn't be a class feature, it's way too unbalancing for that.

[Rejusu]

It's a feat tax. If anyone deserves a feat tax, it's a full caster. I have absolutely no problem with druids having to suck it up and spend 1/7th of their customization on the ability to cast while in animal form. It's the definition of a good feat, and I only wish other classes got feats that amazing. It shouldn't be a class feature, it's way too unbalancing for that.

Well this just highlights some of the balance problems present in the game really. A class should never need a feat tax. You shouldn't have to sacrifice customisation for any reason. I'm not saying they don't deserve it, but rather that this kind of false choice sucks by design. Admittedly no one is forcing you to take Natural Spell, but you're always going to feel pressured into it.

I guess what I'm saying is there's better ways to fix issues of balance than imposing taxes on customisation.

[NeoSeraphi]

Well this just highlights some of the balance problems present in the game really. A class should never need a feat tax. You shouldn't have to sacrifice customisation for any reason. I'm not saying they don't deserve it, but rather that this kind of false choice sucks by design. Admittedly no one is forcing you to take Natural Spell, but you're always going to feel pressured into it.

I guess what I'm saying is there's better ways to fix issues of balance than imposing taxes on customisation.

I agree. The druid should not be so incredibly powerful out of the box that it needs a feat tax. But it is. So we have one. That's just the fault of the designers, and if you find a tier 3 druid in the homebrew section, chances are it gives Natural Spell away as a class feature.

[Darrin]

Something you just HAVE to take really raises the question as to why it's not built into the class in the first place. I could understand it if essential feats were printed later than the class itself, but Natural Spell is in the PHB! Then again Druids are good enough that having to always take Natural Spell at level 6 isn't much of a loss.

I think I disagree. Natural Spell is something of a hotbutton pinata, but I think it's overblown. A Druid can still rip the planet in half *without* taking Natural Spell. Yes, it's a great feat for Druids, and there's not much reason to take anything else at level 6, but at best it makes using Wildshape less annoying. A druid that never bothers to Wildshape could get the same if not better benefits of Wildshape via magic items or spells.

I'm mostly with sonofzeal: Druids can be difficult to screw up, but it's also hard to play them well. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223072) Keeping track of what wildshape form does what is a bookkeeping nightmare, on top of the usual bookkeeping nightmare of summoning spells. The real strength of the druid is spell selection: they generally do anything a wizard or cleric can do, and they have one of the most flexible spell lists in the entire game, but it all falls apart if you're not picking the right spells.

That being said, my general spell advice for Druids (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12183941&postcount=4).

[TroubleBrewing]

After reading that spell list, I really want to play in a game with a party of all Druids. Or Druids and Spirit Shaman. There are so many nifty little spell combinations to be had on the Druid list.

[NeoSeraphi]

After reading that spell list, I really want to play in a game with a party of all Druids. Or Druids and Spirit Shaman. There are so many nifty little spell combinations to be had on the Druid list.

I'd join that game. The only problem I have with the druid spell list is the complete lack of illusion spells on it. (I think there might be about 5 non-core druid illusion spells).

[3drinks]

Wow lots of great advice here, and tonnes of reading material as well. Thanks for all the help guys!

[TroubleBrewing]

I'd join that game. The only problem I have with the druid spell list is the complete lack of illusion spells on it. (I think there might be about 5 non-core druid illusion spells).

Illusions, nothing. Why make an illusion of a bear when you can BE A REAL BEAR?