[PF] Blight Druid...Ideas and Help?

[Giegue]

As the title asks. I find the Blight Druid to be a VERY interesting archtype, but when looking at it the archtype seems to make a poor necromancer as far as minions are concerned. While the class does get all the undead creation spells via the death domain(if you take it) it gets no way to control those undead made with the create undead line. So, if I where to build a Blight Druid should I forget animating undead all together and pick another domain such as the darkness domain? Or is there some way to make the death domain useful for a Blight Druid that I am missing? Also, do you have any other general suggestions for a Blight Druid that would be helpful? Post all your tips and suggestions for Blight Druids here.

[dantiesilva]

Are you talking about the Prc or a base class? If base class I have never heard of this and I'm very interested. Either way though if you have the spell hide from undead or can turn into a undead creature it should not be a problem.

[Giegue]

This is neither. It is an archtype which alters the druid class. Also, it's from pathfinder, not 3.5e, and since this is a pathfinder discussion I can't change into an undead as far as I know. If I am wrong, please correct me but last time I checked undead shape was a 3.5e thing, not a pathfinder thing, as is hide from undead.

[dantiesilva]

This is neither. It is an archtype which alters the druid class. Also, it's from pathfinder, not 3.5e, and since this is a pathfinder discussion I can't change into an undead as far as I know. If I am wrong, please correct me but last time I checked undead shape was a 3.5e thing, not a pathfinder thing, as is hide from undead.


Ah in that case...I personally see nothing useful from taking that version. You get things that you get at level one and 2 in 3.5 from the blighter PRC. But as i think you were trying to say it is PF only so sadly i can not help. Even though i just built a blighter build.

[Psyren]

Blight Druid is awesome. You trade crappy class features (trackless step, thousand faces, resist nature's lure) for great ones - auto-sicken adjacent creatures (and nauseate animals/fey/plants - nauseate is a truly nasty debuff) and auto-contagion anyone that touches you, both of which ignore SR. Disease immunity is a wash with poison immunity from where I'm sitting.

I would consider a familiar, but Destruction domain isn't bad - getting you gems like True Strike, Harm, Disintegrate and a (Wis+3)/day smite attack. Darkness is great too given how easily Druids can get Blindsight.

[QuidEst]

Well, you get Animate Dead, which lets you get basic skeletons and zombies at no risk. Pathfinder doesn't make it very easy for anybody but evil Clerics and focused Oracles or Sorcerers to get higher level undead.

Options!

Get DM permission to trade out Death Knell for Command Undead and Destruction for Control Undead. This is probably the most practical way to go about things. You'll need more Charisma than the usual Blight Druid.

Get DM permission to use Leadership to get undead minions you create.

Try to reason with the intelligent undead. Yeah, that's a pretty risky one.

Three feats- Skill Focus (Knowledge, Any); Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) for a familiar or bonded item; Improved Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) granting you access to Command Undead at level 11. That's a long time to wait for a second level spell, but it's just in time for your access to Create Undead. The downside is that you're giving up access to any Sorcerer spell 6th level (or 5th, depending on reading) and under. At level 15, you'll get access to Control Undead, which is a lot riskier to use (short duration and it ticks off intelligent undead). This coincides with your access to Create Greater Undead.

[Giegue]

I see, those are all useful tips and I'll have to look at the eldritch heritage feats some more. I'm not very familiar with them but if they can get me command undead they are worth looking at.

EDIT: Actually, the Edritch Heritage feats look pretty awesome. Getting a familiar AND a Domain will be very, very nice. Also, if I am correct, I can get both Command Undead AND Control Undead from Improved Eldritch Heritage(Arcane), no? Or does it not work because as a druid I get my whole list and not "spells known"?

[dantiesilva]

If you want the domains take a 1 level dip into Cleric and then you do not need to worry about undead either.

[QuidEst]

If you want the domains take a 1 level dip into Cleric and then you do not need to worry about undead either.

:smallconfused: He already gets the domain- it's Pathfinder.

If you're going to make a dip, I recommend Oracle of Bones. That way you don't have to take the Command Undead feat as well. Trouble is that the DC is going to be rubbish, so there's no reason to without the DM fudging the "half your oracle level" to be character level instead.

[Psyren]

Familiar benefits:

1) Good bonuses (e.g. Compsothagnus [sp?] gets you an Initiative boost, and Weasel gets you a Reflex boost - both are untyped so they stack with everything.)
2) The right familiar can use items, e.g. a raven could use wands.
3) Corollary to (2), familiars are an extra set of actions for you. In addition to using your wands they can also deliver your touch spells, and they get to make skill checks too (e.g. making Perception checks along with you.) This is particularly helpful for familiars with extra senses, e.g. Bats get Blindsense.


Now, domains got buffed in PF so it's much more of a toss-up. I would definitely go with Destruction or Darkness over Death myself, but remember you have the regular druid domain choices too, e.g. Storm which is very nice for a caster.

[QuidEst]

Familiar benefits:
(…)
Now, domains got buffed in PF so it's much more of a toss-up. I would definitely go with Destruction or Darkness over Death myself, but remember you have the regular druid domain choices too, e.g. Storm which is very nice for a caster.

True, but Death is more fun. XP Animate Dead allows you to get flying zombies, after all. If going the Eldritch Heritage route, you get a familiar as well.

[Giegue]

Yeah, I was personally thinking darkness, though IF the eldritch heritage feats do in fact work(as in it CAN add command and control undead to my list) then Death is actually somewhat worthwhile since I do like the idea of an undead commanding druid if simply for fluff's sake AND getting BOTH a familiar AND a domain is nice. It would only work with good rolls though as I'll need at least 15 charisma to get the feats, so if not I always have the other domains.

[Psyren]

True, but Death is more fun. XP Animate Dead allows you to get flying zombies, after all. If going the Eldritch Heritage route, you get a familiar as well.

Fun is relative. Undead I can barely control because I can't Rebuke and likely have crappy Charisma even if I were to dip, wouldn't be very fun for me personally. Undead creation is expensive too.

So since the OP asked for my tips and suggestions, here they are - skip the undead stuff, pick Weather/Darkness/Destruction along with Natural Spell, and nuke from 30 ft. up as a bird of some kind.

[QuidEst]

Yeah, I was personally thinking darkness, though IF the eldritch heritage feats do in fact work(as in it CAN add command and control undead to my list) then Death is actually somewhat worthwhile since I do like the idea of an undead commanding druid if simply for fluff's sake AND getting BOTH a familiar AND a domain is nice. It would only work with good rolls though as I'll need at least 15 charisma to get the feats, so if not I always have the other domains.

Yes, Eldritch Heritage should work. If you get any grief over it, just point out that you're taking a second level spell with one use instead of, say, Permanency. I would use Command Undead for preference- it lasts a long time (especially if you use Extend- a Lesser Rod of Extend Spell will be great) and doesn't carry the obnoxious clause about intelligent undead remembering and wanting revenge. Keep Control Undead for emergencies, along with a couple of Sunlights.

I should add that you only need 15 charisma by level 11. You need 13 by level 3 (netting you your familiar), so you can make do with less if you don't mind relying on your headband slot to increase Wisdom.

Related Feats:
If you wind up with 15 constitution at the start or later, Necromantic Affinity (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/necromantic-affinity) is pretty cool fluff-wise and for practical considerations when dealing with the undead.

It'll take two feats, but Spell Focus (Necromancy) followed by Undead Master (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/undead-master) gets you sixteen more HD of skeletons and/or zombies and doubles the duration of Command Undead. At level 11 when you get it, with a lesser metamagic rod of extend, that's a month and a half.

[grarrrg]

Here are two links (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13591597#post13591597) to the same thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13594694#post13594694).
You can peruse the rest of that thread if you want, but those two have the most Necro-Druid stuff.

Some high points:
SAMSARAN (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/uncommon-races/arg-samsaran) WILL fix your lack of Necromancy spells with the Mystic Past Life option.
Jack your WIS as high as it will go, Samsaran will add another +2 WIS, then you get to choose 1+WIS-mod Divine spells (ANY Divine spells) to add to your Druid list. They do NOT have to be level 1 spells.

You can also take the Pathfinder Savant (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/n-r/pathfinder-savant) PrC to add ANY spell to your list, but at +1 spell level (so a Magic Missile would be a level 2 spell).


As for gaining Command Undead channeling, you would have to dip, and the DC won't scale very well for you
But there are 4 options for gaining it.
Undead Lord Cleric (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/cleric/archetypes/paizo---cleric-archetypes/undead-lord)
Bones (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/mysteries/paizo---oracle-mysteries/bones) or Juju (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/mysteries/paizo---oracle-mysteries/juju) Oracle
Necromancy (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/arcane-schools/paizo---arcane-schools/classic-arcane-schools/necromancy) School Wizard (INT based)

I'd shy away from Oracle, just because of the Curse downside.
Choose Cleric or Wizard based on whether your INT or your CHA is higher.