[3.5] Favorite Druid Spells?

[Kansaschaser]

So, I've played plenty of Wizards, Beguilars, and the occasional Cleric. But, I have yet to play a Druid above level 5. So I haven't really looked at a lot of higher level Druid spells.

What are some of the Druid spells you like and why? Are there any spells you can't live without?

[Silva Stormrage]

Blood Snow has always been a favorite of mine simply because its so effective as a 2nd level spell and covers such a huge area.

[Keld Denar]

Kelpstrand! It's a 2nd level Evard's Black Tentacles!

[Kansaschaser]

Kelpstrand! It's a 2nd level Evard's Black Tentacles!

Holy Soggy Corn Flakes Batman! That's an awesome spell. I'm definatly putting that spell on my spell list.

[mregecko]

Fire Seeds (Holly Berry Bombs). One of the best AoE damage spells in the game, in my opinion.

It's only 6th level, so you don't need a major metamagic rod to, say, Empower it... It's triggerable, so you can cast it X amount of times and trigger them all at your leisure (debatable / ask your DM on if you can do multiple at once). And it has a huge static component, which means you do reliable damage.

At 20th level:
(8*(1d8+20))*1.5 empowered is 1.5*(8d8)+240 damage. You'd be hard pressed to find more AoE damage out of an 8th level slot, much less one that you can trigger at will.

For extra fun, use invisible servants or mage hands to carry the bombs and detonate from afar, around corners, etc.

Oh, and it's no SR. ;-)

-- Mr

[Kansaschaser]

Fire Seeds (Holly Berry Bombs). One of the best AoE damage spells in the game, in my opinion.

It's only 6th level, so you don't need a major metamagic rod to, say, Empower it... It's triggerable, so you can cast it X amount of times and trigger them all at your leisure (debatable / ask your DM on if you can do multiple at once). And it has a huge static component, which means you do reliable damage.

At 20th level:
(8*(1d8+20))*1.5 empowered is 1.5*(8d8)+240 damage. You'd be hard pressed to find more AoE damage out of an 8th level slot, much less one that you can trigger at will.

For extra fun, use invisible servants or mage hands to carry the bombs and detonate from afar, around corners, etc.

Oh, and it's no SR. ;-)

-- Mr

That's....devious! :smallamused: I like it.

[Darrin]

Blinding Spittle (2nd, Spell Compendium). Ranged touch attack, target blinded, *no save*.

Flesh to Salt (5th, Sandstorm). Untyped no-save damage, then a fort save vs. petrify. If they turn into salt, you can sell their body as a trade good *and* you get to keep their equipment.

My general advice for treehugger spells (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12183941&postcount=4).

[Eldariel]

Control Winds and Giant Vermin are both hilarious. Divine casters just so happen to have a goodly bunch of caster level boosters available to them. Use Strand of Prayer Beads and Ankh of Ascension. Now, imagine the implications of CL 20 Control Winds or Giant Vermin on ECL 12. :smallamused:

Creeping Cold [Spell Compendium] is of course worth mentioning. Extend it and it's suddenly hitting for a lot of painful damage against tough targets. It isn't a high level spell, granted, but it's a wonderful one.

Master Earth [Spell Compendium] is awesome. It amounts to Material Plane-only Greater Teleport for Druid.

Enhance Wildshape [Spell Compendium] is an absolutely amazing spell that makes Wildshaping that much stronger.

Antilife Shell is a hilarious control effect that just plain shunts things away. And there's of course Shapechange in its lone grandeur waiting to do everything and even cook for you on spell level 9.

Just a few personal favorites off the top of my head.




Then there's Summons: Summon Nature's Ally IV to summon Unicorns for healbots with their own actions is well-documented. Few other wonderful creatures in the Summon-trees are less so though.

Take, for instance, Janni from Summon Nature's Ally V-list. Not too impressive in combat, why would you ever summon Janni? Well, they can cast Plane Shift at will, able to transport themselves and up to 8 other creatures. In other words, Druids can spontaneously cast Plane Shift on ECL 9.

There are others too. 9th level SNA can summon Pixies to cast Otto's Irresistible Dance. Various large Elementals have useful abilities and Djinni can Major Creation permanent matter (though of course, making a summon last 10 minutes takes work; that would be 100 round duration required). Then out of Core you have Yellow Musk Creeper [Fiend Folio] to Enthrall people and Oread [Fiend Folio] with a goodly bunch of spell-likes (including Earthquake). Sporebat [Fiend Folio] can cast Enervation and Storm Elementals [Monster Manual III] are basically AOE damage spells that continue to do stuff after summoning.

And that's without delving into Rashemi Elemental Summoning or Greenbound Summoning. And without the plain bruising capabilities every level offers.

[Cranthis]

Reincarnate, only because of the chance to become anything.

[Eldariel]

Reincarnate, only because of the chance to become anything.

I prefer Last Breath to do this without the level loss :smalltongue:

[Cranthis]

I prefer Last Breath to do this without the level loss :smalltongue:

Last breath still causes level loss.

[Snowbluff]

Fell Drain Produce Flame

Fell Drain Call Lightning

Fell Drain VENOM FIRE

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Lesser Rod of Extend + Creeping Cold (SC) deals 21d6 damage over six rounds at 3rd level.

Sleet Storm and Ice Storm are particularly good, and they can be Extended as well.

Frostburn has Call Avalanche (5th), one of the best spells ever printed.

Also from Frostburn you've got Snowsight (1st) and Obscuring Snow (2nd, and every class gets it), which combined will give a party a completely unfair edge over opponents. Get everyone in your party to each buy you a 1st level Pearl of Power and to go in thirds for Lesser Rods of Extend, so for 2,000 gp per party member (and you make up any remaining thirds for the rods) and only one of your 1st level spells each day, everyone in the party gets Snowsight for 2 hours/level. Anyone in the party can cast Obscuring Snow, it also lasts an hour/level, and its area is big enough that not even a Fireball can completely eliminate it, so within a round the snow will fill back into any area that was cleared. Remember though that it's extremely unfair and it won't protect you from thrown books.

Chill Metal and Heat Metal are useful if your DM is reasonable enough to make opponents drop any metal weapons it's cast on, exactly how Aragorn was disarmed in Fangorn Forest.

Produce Flame is particularly good if you're going to be attacking when wild shaped. Get a Circlet of Rapid Casting (you can also add a Wis bonus to it) with a Wildling Clasp and cast it as a swift action, then full attack and deal extra fire damage with every natural weapon per holding the charge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#standardCastaSpell) on a touch spell.

Summon Nature's Ally IV for a Unicorn is more efficient healing than casting cure spells, plus its Magic Circle effect keeps extraplanar foes at bay and suppresses mind control. Get a Ring of the Beast (CC) and you can get one with Summon Nature's Ally III instead.

Wall of Thorns, cast it right on top of as many opponents as you can. Any of them that can't get 25+ on a Str check will be stuck in place for ten minutes per level.

Bone Talisman (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) (turning) will let you Turn Undead as a Cleric of your caster level when it was cast. Get a standard Strand of Prayer Beads with the Bead of Smiting removed, which is only 9,000 gp per DMG pricing that's untouched by errata, and you can get a +4 caster level when casting that and all of your daily buffs. Put some Unguent of Timelessness on those bone talisman foci and it will last 365 times longer, or about 60 hours/level. The unguent lasts indefinitely on them and they can be reused as many times as you want. Thread a bunch of them onto a loop of string and color or number them to keep track of how much duration remains on each. You can have dozens of those ready to be used to turn at any given time, and they'll be organized so the first one you use will have the least duration remaining. Just cast that spell once each day to renew the one with the least duration left or one you've used.

Heart of Air/Water/Fire/Earth in CM and the Primal X line of spells in Dragon Magic are extremely useful. Cloud Wings (SC) is also extremely good, just wild shape into something that flies and you're already buffed.

On that note, a given use of Wild Shape lasts an hour/level or until you dismiss it. Additional uses of Wild Shape override previous ones, but don't end their effect. You can Wild Shape into a Legendary Eagle, fly around a bit, Wild Shape into a Dire Bear to fight some stuff, Wild Shape again into a Huge Shark to swim a bit, dismiss the shark shape to go back to a dire bear to fight some more, then dismiss the dire bear shape to go back to a legendary eagle and keep on flying.

Also, get a Monk's Belt with a Wilding Clasp to get your Wis bonus to AC. If you wear Wild armor, you'll actually still get the Monk AC bonus when you Wild Shape. The armor will meld into your form, and even though you'll retain its AC bonus, you won't be wearing armor so it won't cancel the AC from the Monk's Belt. Another thing about that, an item with a Wilding Clasp will 'continue to function' when you wild shape; one function of a belt is to hold other items. That means any items you attach to that belt (metamagic rods, pouches of Fire Seeds, Bone Talismans, etc.) will likewise not meld into your form when you wild shape.

Get a 6th level Pearl of Power and a standard Metamagic Rod of Extend. Every other day cast Energy Immunity (SC) twice, and use the pearl to cast it a third time, all with the rod so each will last 48 hours. On the days in between cast Superior Resistance (SC) once and Energy Immunity twice, one using the pearl, again with the rod so each of those will last 48 hours. For the cost of those two items and two 6th level spell slots each day you'll be continuously immune to all five energy types and get a +6 Resistance bonus on your saving throws.

Take the feat Natural Bond (CV) and get a Fleshraker dinosaur (MM3) as your animal companion. You can apply your own effects in the most beneficial order, so the stronger companion's 'level -3' can be applied first and then Natural Bond's +3 will catch it back up to equal your total Druid level. There's a spell in Serpent Kingdoms called Venomfire that will get books thrown at you. You can also Wild Shape into that same critter and use Venomfire on yourself. Don't forget, Bead of Karma, Lesser Rod of Extend.

[Eldariel]

Last breath still causes level loss.

What? :smallconfused: Whatever gave you that idea? 'cause it very clearly states that it doesn't cause level loss, con loss or loss of spells, and that it must be cast within 1 round of death. And it's a level 4 spell.

[Deophaun]

Take, for instance, Janni from Summon Nature's Ally V-list. Not too impressive in combat, why would you ever summon Janni? Well, they can cast Plane Shift at will, able to transport themselves and up to 8 other creatures. In other words, Druids can spontaneously cast Plane Shift on ECL 9.
Let's go to the SRD...

A summoned monster cannot summon or otherwise conjure another creature, nor can it use any teleportation or planar travel abilities.

[Eldariel]

Let's go to the SRD...

Huh, I never actually noticed that. For some reason that line isn't in the Summon-type restrictions but the spells themselves. :smallconfused:

[Talya]

Oread [Fiend Folio] with a goodly bunch of spell-likes (including Earthquake).

I need to reiterate this in case it gets lost in the wall of text.

Oread is summonable by SNA-6. It has Earthquake as one of its many Spell-like abilities. That's a level 8 spell. It still has other useful stuff after it casts that. You've now got spontaneous earthquake out of a level 6 spell slot.

Or... 1d4+1 spontaneous earthquakes out of a level 8 spell slot.

(Also, a savage bard should always take SNA-6 as one of their known spells. Apart from the Oread, 1d4+1 unicorns is a hell of a lot of hit-point healing - on par with the Heal spell as an average. And then you've still got 1d4+1 unicorns.)

[ravagerofworlds]

Fire Seeds (Holly Berry Bombs). One of the best AoE damage spells in the game, in my opinion.


At 20th level:
(8*(1d8+20))*1.5 empowered is 1.5*(8d8)+240 damage. You'd be hard pressed to find more AoE damage out of an 8th level slot, much less one that you can trigger at will.

-- Mr

I thought that was some funny math until I read the entry over and over again, wondering why would any druid not use the berries for an acorn when there is a 8x multiplier between a thrown acorn grenade (with CL damage die divided between) and a placed holly bomb (with CL damage for each). To use Unseen Servant or Mage Hand would require levels in wizard/bard... or you'd have to pick up ranks in Use Magic Device as a cross class... and that would be DC 20 (mage hand, range 25 ft +5 ft CL) and DC 21 (unseen servant, range 25 ft +5 ft every 2CL). Activating said wand is a standard action. So it will take at least 2 rounds to pull off this trick.

So... useful at 20th level, but it will take 2 rounds to pull off this spell combo, and at 11th level druid (when the spell becomes available), this means UMD can have 7 ranks + Int mod for a cost of 14 skill points to go the wand route (otherwise, this trick requires a cohort casting arcane or another player). Even at 11th level, this is still a craps shoot with a 50/50 chance of getting the arcane step to work.

The other consideration for this spell is climate and season; Holly berries are available in temperate and subtropical climes, ripen in winter but bud in late summer. The berries rot off the tree over time, and preservation techniques (http://osuext.intermountaintech.org/download/preserving%20cut%20holly.pdf) for ornamentation probably require a Craft (Alchemy) check. And this only works for 14 days at room temperature, or 2 months in a freezer (26F).

So.... good luck on those material components. As a GM, I would not consider this item to be in a spell pouch or eschew materials to apply.

[ravagerofworlds]

Lesser Rod of Extend + Creeping Cold (SC) deals 21d6 damage over six rounds at 3rd level.


I count 8d6 over 6 rounds. How do you get 21d6?

[Eldariel]

I count 8d6 over 6 rounds. How do you get 21d6?

1d6 cumulative points per round (the listing is just a parenthetical explanation of what that means), that is for 6 rounds:
1d6 + 2d6 + 3d6 + 4d6 + 5d6 + 6d6 = 21d6

[ravagerofworlds]

1d6 cumulative points per round (the listing is just a parenthetical explanation of what that means), that is for 6 rounds:
1d6 + 2d6 + 3d6 + 4d6 + 5d6 + 6d6 = 21d6


Transmutation [Cold]
Edit- deleted the text- I found it via google

Wow. Wildly unbalanced spell. Good thing I only allow Core spell lists in my game.

Then again, the victim has to sweat. So thats... not all mammals. Pigs don't sweat. Neither do dogs. Or cats. Would an Endure Elements negate the sweat factor of this spell?

[Urpriest]

Blizzard is awesome as an army-killer. Snowsight has been mentioned, but for optimal use Snowshoes (/its mass version) is also really nice.

[Snowbluff]

Persistent Creeping Cold.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Wow. Wildly unbalanced spell. Good thing I only allow Core spell lists in my game.

Then again, the victim has to sweat. So thats... not all mammals. Pigs don't sweat. Neither do dogs. Or cats. Would an Endure Elements negate the sweat factor of this spell?

Core has the most unbalanced spells in D&D, just throwing that out.}

And you are confusing fluff with the actual mechanical effect. You are affected by creeping cold? you take 1d6 cold damage even if you are an incorporeal shadow. Endure Elements wouldn't protect you; but Protection from Energy [Cold] would.

[Talya]

Plant Growth is situationally one of the best two dimensional battlefield control spells in the game.

[ShriekingDrake]

I know that many of these have been mentioned, but consider this list nonetheless.

Zero: Cure Minor Wounds, Create Water, Dawn (SC), Detect Magic, Guidance, Groundsmoke (Dragon Mag. 326 @ 73), Light, Know Direction, Read Magic
First: Aspect of the Wolf (SC), Beastland Ferocity (SC), Entangle, Healthful Rest, Impeding Stones (City), Obscuring Mist, Omen of Peril (SC), Produce Flame, Shillelagh
Second: Blinding Spittle (SC), Bone Talisman (WoTC), Gust of Wind, Kelpstrand (SC), Snake's Swifness--Mass (SC), Splinterbolt (SC), Venomfire (SK)
Third: Alter Fortune (PHII), Crumble (SC), Energy Vortex (SC), Heart of Water (CM), Magic Fang--Greater, Poison, Primal Instinct (DrM), Spiritjaws (SC), Stone Shape, Venomfire (SK)
Fourth: Boreal Wind (Frost), Blast of Sand (Sand), Enhance Wild Shape (SC), Friendly Fire (EoE), Giant Vermin, Heart of Earth (CM), Langour (SC), Last Breath (SC), Luminous Armor--Greater (BoED), Sheltered Vitality (SC), Vortex of Teeth (SC)
Fifth: Animal Growth, Baleful Polymorph, Blizzard (Frost), Control Winds, Owl's Insight (SC), Phantom Stag (SC), Plant Body (SC)
Sixth: Antilife Shell, Bite of the Werebear (SC), Dispel Magic--Greater, Energy Immunity (SC), Mummify (Sand), Resistance--Superior (SC), Spellstaff
Seventh: Control Weather, Heal, Master Earth (SC), Rain of Roses (BoED), Slime Wave (SC), True Seeing, Word of Balance (SC)
Eighth: Bombardment (SC), Frostfell (Frost), Red Tide (SC), Unearthly Beauty (BoED), Word of Recall
Ninth: Nature's Avatar (SC), Shapechange, Summon Elemental Monolith (SC), Undermaster (SC)

[Clistenes]

Nobody likes Cometstrike? You can't cast it indoors or underground, but outdoors all you have is to cast it and let it work for the rest of the encounter.

I guess you people think it underpowered for a 9th level spell because of the outdoor thing? or because each of the three targets only takes 3d6+10d4 damage per round at best?

[Snowbluff]

Yeah. Doesn't Meteor Swarm do more damage? And it's a 9th, so Fell Drain is hard to get on it.

[Clistenes]

Yeah. Doesn't Meteor Swarm do more damage? And it's a 9th, so Fell Drain is hard to get on it.

Well, Cometstrike is a divine spell, which are usually worse at doing damage than arcane ones. Cometstrike is a poor man's Meteor Swarm, but I think it's not so bad for a divine spell (of course, it's a shame that Empowered Fire Seeds is so much better, being only level 8th).

[Eldariel]

Well, Cometstrike is a divine spell, which are usually worse at doing damage than arcane ones. Cometstrike is a poor 's Meteor Swarm, but I think it's not so bad for a divine spell (of course, it's a shame that Empowered Fire Seeds is so much better, being only level 8th).

I mentioned it before: Summon Storm Elementals [Monster Manual III]. When they appear they can use Thunder and Lightning the same turn. Greater Storm Elemental does 12d6 Sonic damage to 60' radius around them and 24d6 lightning damage in a line. You need DC 28 Fort-save to halve the Sonic and DC 28 Reflex-save to halve the lightning. In addition to Shock (12d4 non-lethal electricity to a target within 10' with DC 28 Fort for half) and just staying around as a beater for 20 turns. And the save DCs are Con-based so Augment Summoning adds +2 to all of them.

These can be summoned by Summon Nature's Ally VIII. You get 1d3 (average 2) out of Summon Nature's Ally IX (which you can Empower or Maximize with a Rod should you feel so inclined). 3 Greater Storm Elementals nuke for 36d6 sonic, 72d6 lightning and 36d4 non-lethal electricity the turn they are summoned, with DC 30 saves for each, and stick around to beat up stuff. They also heal off electricity and sonic (such as each others' attacks). Eat your heart out, Meteor Swarm.

[Amphetryon]

I rather like the 3rd level spell, Quillfire. Melee or ranged attacks for decent (if unspectacular) damage, with poison.

[ShriekingDrake]

I rather like the 3rd level spell, Quillfire. Melee or ranged attacks for decent (if unspectacular) damage, with poison.

It's a good spell; though it was nerfed a bi the Spell Compendium