equipping high level druid

[7th son of sons]

I have been running a group for almost a year now, and have DMd the group for the majority of the time. Every now and again one of my players will ask to take over for a stint, and I am happy to oblige. The last time this happened was level 12. Now the group is level 18, and I'm asked to step back into my Druid Character. We've learned a lot about dnd since then, and thus, I allowed everyone to reallocate dumb decisions and buy during a large break we took four months ago. As such, I need help in decided what to spend this 440,000 GP on, as I've got really no ideas on what to do with all that money outside tome, periapt, and Monk's Belt. Wilding clasps for sure, but I've got nothing to slap them on aside from the periapt and the belt. What else is really a necessity?

[Rebel7284]

Mantle of the Beast
Ring of the Beast

Tome of +5 Wis is nice too. =)

[Phelix-Mu]

I found things like metamagic rods of extend (get more than one), greater chaining, maximize, and so forth quite useful. I wasn't hip to the monk's belt trick back then, but I made excellent use of +5 dragoncrafted dragonhide wild full plate (Draconomicon, counts as medium armour), and a +5 wild heavy shield.

Pearls of power, especially for 4th and 5th levels (where many of the best attack and buff spells reside). Definitely get one to replace owl's insight.

Necklace of prayer beads. While the windwalking one is cool, the winner is the bead of karma. +4 to CL for 10 minutes. Turn it on while you set up your long-term buffs, combo with metamagic wand of extend, go to town.

I usually invest in scroll copies of the big spells that can fix entire encounters. This is especially true for tsunami (very situational and expensive component), frostfell (I use that so often an extra copy is always called for), elemental swarm (usually useful only for mid-term minionmancy, but if you are rich...).

Finally, tree tokens! These are so good, pretty much my favorite magic item of all time.

[eggynack]

Out of the items yet to be listed, some of the best options are a belt of battle (MIC,73), which should likely be attached to your monk's belt, because extra actions are awesome, a ring of mighty summons (CM, 127), whose duration reduction isn't all that meaningful at this level (if it ever was), and you should fill out you list with golden desert honey (CM, 136), which lets you rapid cast summons at 600 GP a pop. Also worth consideration at this level is a bone ring (MIC, 75), which mitigates ability drain, allowing you to cast sanctified and/or corrupt spells with higher efficiency.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Be sure to put a Wilding Clasp (MIC) on everything you want to keep active when you Wild Shape. Note that an item with a wilding clasp 'continues to function' when you wild shape, and that's not limited to magical effects of items. For example, one function of a belt is to hold other items, so if you put a wilding clasp on a belt it should still be able to perform that function and hold other items when you wild shape, thus any item that can be attached to a belt will benefit from the belt's wilding clasp.

Get a standard Strand of Prayer Beads that's had the Bead of Smiting removed, per DMG pricing it should only cost you 9,000 gp. Use the Bead of Karma before casting your daily buffs. You won't need a Wilding Clasp for it if you put it on your belt.

Get a standard Metamagic Rod of Extend and a 6th level Pearl of Power. Every other day prepare Energy Immunity (SC) twice, and cast it three times using the pearl, using the rod on each so they all last 48 hours. On the days between those prepare and cast Energy Immunity once and Superior Resistance (SC) once, use the pearl to cast Energy Immunity a second time and use the rod on each so those also last 48 hours. This gives you continuous immunity to all five energy types and a +6 resistance bonus to your saving throws, for just two 6th level spells each day and those two items. You shouldn't need a Wilding Clasp for either of those.

A Ring of Enduring Arcana (CM) is highly recommended. You can add the effect to another ring for a 50% price increase (9,000 gp total) per DMG page 282. Same goes for a Ring of Sustenance (3.750 gp). You can add certain other effects to an existing ring, such as a Deflection bonus to AC, for no more than the cost of a standalone item per that effect per MIC p234. You can also add on the effects of a Stormfire Ring (MIC) for 6,000 gp, which allows you to use Faerie Fire and makes it keep functioning when you Wild Shape, so you don't need a Wilding Clasp. Throw those onto a Ring of Freedom of Movement and the whole thing costs 58,750 gp.

A Necklace of Adaptation (DMG) is extremely useful. Again, you can add the effect to another item that occupies that spot for a 50% increase to the effect's price.

If you're good aligned, you should be casting Greater Luminous Armor (BoED) every day. Get a Rod of Bodily Restoration (MIC) to fix the Str damage that happens when that spell ends. If you're not good aligned, you should get some Wild armor, preferably Armor of the Beast (CC) if you plan on getting the other two items from that set. In either case, you should wear a Monk's Belt with a Wilding Clasp to add your Wis bonus to AC. Wild armor still melds into your form when you wild shape and you're no longer considered to be wearing armor, even though you still benefit from its AC bonus, so you'll still add your Wis to AC for the Monk's Belt with wild armor when wild shaped.

Get at least two Lesser Metamagic Rods of Extend, probably more depending on how many spells you plan to use them with each day.

Get 112 Bone Talisman (Turning) (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) spell foci, and thread them onto a loop of string or leather like beads. Have them colored or numbered to easily keep track of them. Get fourteen doses of Unguent of Timelessness and apply it to each of them, it will never wear off and their passage of time will be 365 times slower. At your current level, when you use the Bead of Karma and a Lesser Rod of Extend to cast Bone Talisman (Turning) with one of those timeless foci, it will last a little more than 111.5 days. Prepare and cast Bone Talisman once per day, if you use any you can renew them during downtime or prepare a few more for a few days. Arrange them in order from least-remaining duration to longest-remaining duration. When you need to use one, use it from the least-remaining duration end, then put that one on a twist in the loop to keep it separate. Always cast it on a spent one or the one that just ran out, and move it around to the longest-remaining duration end. This will allow you to use Turn Undead like a 22nd level Cleric, with enough uses that you shouldn't ever run out.

Obligatory Necessary Magic Item Effects (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) link.

[TrueJordan]

If we're breaking the game, I say you should spend 1200 gold on a wizard to cast Polymorph any Object and turn into a Blood Fiend (FF 46 or so) and get all of the undead immunities, plus some other nice benefits (fly speed, 16 int if you don't have that and great AC + attacks in natural form).

Since you're level 18, I'd recommend an (eternal) wand of expedious retreat so when you swiftly (with the mantle of the beast as someone already pointed out) Wild Shape into an Octopus Tree for every battle every day, your movement speed is 40. Or a giant squid, if you don't think you need the extra 11 AC and you just want more attacks (has 13).

Oh but at level 18 you're no doubt already Shapechanging into 18-headed hydras...

I'm too used to optimizing/breaking the druid, I'll go away now.

[eggynack]

Since you're level 18, I'd recommend an (eternal) wand of expedious retreat so when you swiftly (with the mantle of the beast as someone already pointed out) Wild Shape into an Octopus Tree for every battle every day, your movement speed is 40. Or a giant squid, if you don't think you need the extra 11 AC and you just want more attacks (has 13).

Oh but at level 18 you're no doubt already Shapechanging into 18-headed hydras...

You're generally better off just going with a dire tortoise, because acting first and not acting second (separate considerations, kinda) is so ridiculously important. It's a bit of a sad thing, but it makes other options a bit pointless. That's just the wild shape half, however. The shapechange half can obviously do things more ridiculous than either hydra or dire tortoise, like infinite wishes, and other insanity.