Druid in pathfinder

[Melnir]

Hello playground!

It's my first time playing with Pathfinder (but I've got plenty of experience with 3.5) and I decided to play a druid. The campaign has heavy limitations on magic, starting from 7th level (not spell level, PC level), but we're starting at level 5, so no problem for now.

The druid is a bit different from standard PF druid, it's a totemic druid with some different abilities, the most relevant is that, based on the totem we choose, wild shape works at +2 level for some animals and -2 for other ones (in my case +2 should be for desert animals (hot tempered), forest animals (hot tempered), and plain animals). Our animal companion must be as well one of these animals. Anyway I could change totem, so I could have different animals for wild shape and animal companion, if you think it's better.

We use PF buy point 28, one feat every 2 levels and increase ability score every 4. All PF books allowed, no dinosaurs as animal companions (maybe in the future), no flaws. All racial archetypes/alternate class features allowed.

I need advices on everything (buy point, feats, animal companion, his feats, everything you could think of, except equipment). I was thinking half-orc as race (I could change, no problem, only core races, no halfling), the party is made of paladin, warrior/rogue (2 warrior levels only for background, so pretty much a rogue) and wizard (that is psion-like because it uses magic point system).

Another question: wich are the best animals for wild shape?

Thank you for your help!

[Yora]

That sounds like the Animal Shaman archetypes (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid) for druids, just slightly altered to allow for a broader range of animals.

If you chose desert predators, good animals would be lions and hyenas. They are listed as Warm Plains (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/animal-companions) instead of Warm Dessert, but your GM will probably be fine with that, or otherwise you may chance from dessert to savanna, as there aren't really that many animals that live in real desserts other than insects.

Half-Orcs have no major special abilities, but also no disadvantages, so it's not a bad choice.

By Point Buy 28, do you mean D&D Point Buy or Pathfinder Point Buy? Because D&D 28 is quite common, while PF 28 would be D&D 40, which is fantastically high.

In Pathfinder, changing into an animal just slightly changes your ability scores, but you mostly keep your own. As a hyena or cheeta, you'd gain a bonus to Dexterity, as a lion a bonus to Strength. It is probably a good idea to get one of them quite high from the start, so you can get them even higher when you turn into an animal and make real good use of them. If you want to fight a lot as an animal, you also should have very high Constitution. Wisdom is required for spellcasting. If you think you might get that character to 17th level, you should start at least with Wisdom 15, or you won't have Wisdom 19 when you get 9th level spells.

[Melnir]

It's Pathfinder buy point 28, which is higher than epic fantasy point buy (but we have no items to increase ability scores, as I understood from the DM).

I would be the caster of the party, because the player of the wizard will probably play an unarmed barbarian. Of course I forgot, no material components, except for very expensive ones (wish, true resurrection and so on), no I don't have to take escrew material. I will have to be very careful with my focus, though...

I'm trying to optimize a bit (not something OP, but quite strong), so the race is not such a problem, if you think there are better races between the core ones, I'm ok with that (half-orc was my flavour choice, but I'm not quite sentimental :)).

Feats? Natural spell and then? Metamagic? Are there some pathfinder only good feats for druids?

EDIT: I was thinking on summoning mostly

[QuidEst]

Spell Focus (Conjuration) followed by Augment Summoning will toughen up all your summons. It's really handy. If you're spending a full round summoning the things, it's best if they stick around. Getting some bonuses to your concentration or a good method of hiding/flying makes casting those long spells much easier.

[grarrrg]

Samsaran (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/uncommon-races/arg-samsaran) race, if allowed, can get you access to Off-List divine spells, and have +WIS too boot.

There are a few options for Druid, Wild-Shape-Face-Smash, Summoner, Casting.
There is plenty of overlap, but you don't want to try to do all three.

Wild-Shape options:
Class level-wise you are limited to either Druid, or Green Faith Acolyte (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/e-h/green-faith-acolyte) PrC. Green Faith Acolyte has Full Casting, but only 6/10 Wild Shape (not that you need much progression past effective level 8 or so). It also has 6/10 Companion progression.

The Shaping Focus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/shaping-focus) feat counts you as (up to) +4 levels for Wildshape though.

Another option is 1 level of Ranger and the Shapeshifting Hunter (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/shapeshifting-hunter) feat. The feat lets Druid levels stack for Favored Enemy progression.

Other good feats are Natural Spell, Planar Wild Shape, and Powerful Shape.


Summoner options:
There are a few here, World Walker (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/archetypes/paizo---druid-archetypes/world-walker) Druid into Nature Warden for 4 or 8 levels can be nice, granting all your summons and Companion bonuses, it does lose some casting though, and does not progress Wildshape (again, the Shaping Focus feat can help if desired).

Also, worth a look is the Mammoth Rider (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/i-m/mammoth-rider) PrC. It has NO casting progression, BUT it has full Companion progression and grants you access to larger Companions AND gives them nice stat boosts. I would not take it for more than 3 levels tops though, due to lost casting.


Caster options:
Probably take a Domain instead of Companion. The Pathfinder Savant (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/n-r/pathfinder-savant) PrC loses 1 level of casting, but for the other 6 levels you can add ANY SPELL EVER to you class list (at +1 spell level though).