lvl 13 Druid for Age of Worms

[ripjames]

Ok so here is the deal. I am getting back into playing D&D for the first time in a few years (life is finally settling down). I have found a game that we are running on maptools and it will be starting at lvl 13 with tier 3 and above characters. Since we are going to be a small party I figured why not just go for a T1 character and I have always wanted to play a Druid. The DM is allowing any WOTC source, including the magazines. This is what I have currently: http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=938993

This will probably be the highest level character I have every played, the next highest being a level 10 Knight (technically 11 but never got that next game where I would have been 11). Obviously there is a major difference between a Knight and a Druid. I am looking for advice on what kind of armor I should be looking at, and magical gear etc.

Also the only thing I know about Age of Worms is that it is very difficult (which is why I am attempting to optimise) and that there is a pack of wolves attacking near the beginning.

Any advice you can provide me will be greatly appreciated.

[eggynack]

Starting at the top, I'd probably swap out the race. Buoman just doesn't do much of anything. If you want wisdom, you should probably go with anthropomorphic bat (SS, 215), and I've always favored dragonborn desert half-orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertHalfOrcs) with half-orc druid substitution levels (RoD, 159), which should be neat if you want something more normal. If you can rearrange your stats, you should ditch some of that strength and dexterity for some more not-that.

Moving on to feats, you should definitely ditch improved unarmed strike, and should probably ditch imbued summoning, cause they don't do much. You can obviously also get rid of spell focus (conjuration) and augment summoning if you do the half-orc thing too. As replacements, you're likely going to want a powerful wild shape feat, like aberration wild shape (LoM, 178), dragon wild shape (Draconomicon, 105), or exalted wild shape (BoED, 42), and maybe a powerful animal companion feat, like natural bond (CAdv, 111) and/or companion spellbond (PHB II, 77). You may also seek out one of the two big summoning feats, rashemi elemental (UE, 45) or greenbound summoning (LEoF, 8).

As for items, on the armor front you should just use a monk's belt with a wilding clasps (MIC, 190), which should give you more than enough armor, especially combined with luminous armor (BoED, 102) and a high AC form like desmodu hunting bat (MM II, 65). Beyond that, you're going to want at least one lesser rod of extend spell, and maybe even a normal rod on top of that, and the ring and mantle of the beast (CC, 140-141) are great. That should do pretty well for a start, though if you want more stuff, I could PM the handbook I'm working on on the topic over. At the very least, it covers a lot of the spell stuff that I didn't really mention hereabouts.

[Silva Stormrage]

It looks like you are going for a summoning route, Ashbound Summoning and Greenbound summoning are great feats for a summoner druid.

Seconding the monk's belt + luminous armor, a DM approved custom item of a metamagic rod of rapid spell (To make summoning easier. It should be the same price as a metamagic rod of extend really) would also be a pretty good buy if you want to summon.

[eggynack]

A DM approved custom item of a metamagic rod of rapid spell (To make summoning easier. It should be the same price as a metamagic rod of extend really) would also be a pretty good buy if you want to summon.
It might be worth going the shifter route for that purpose. Notably, if the character holds off on moonspeaker until level 13 (making the build druid 12/moonspeaker 4/druid 4), then it'll start the game with rapid summoning in hand. It'll also start out with the free augment summoning, which replaces the half-orc sourced feat adequately.

[ripjames]

playing around with a sanctified Half Orc Dragonborn Druid (not taking the druid specialization level). And the DM just informed me that he is allowing Gestalt (We are so going to die early on) so I am considering throwing in some Swordsage to. If I wanted to go the shifter rout what feats would you reccomend?

[eggynack]

playing around with a sanctified Half Orc Dragonborn Druid (not taking the druid specialization level). And the DM just informed me that he is allowing Gestalt (We are so going to die early on) so I am considering throwing in some Swordsage to. If I wanted to go the shifter rout what feats would you reccomend?
If you're not running the substitution levels, there's really no point to running half-orc. It's not a particularly powerful race without the random free feats. As for shifter, just basically whatever you would do as a not-shifter, except with perhaps a greater summoning focus, and also a lack of animal companion feats, if you take the first substitution level. Shifter feats aren't all that good on a druid. Do note that, as is the case with half-orc, shifter isn't all that good as a druid race unless you take some combination of moonspeaker and the first two substitution levels.

[infomatic]

Agreed, the only point of doing Half-Orc or Shifter Druid is for the sub levels. That's why WotC created the sub-levels, to give people a legit reason to play them occasionally.

So something like Half-Orc Druid13//Swordsage11/Barbarian2, picking up the Lion (CC) and Wolf (UA) Barbarian totem features for the free pounce and improved trip (which will help with Setting Sun Maneuvers) and the 1st and 6th Druid Sub-levels (4th is optional depending on CHA).

Feats: Adaptive Style, Greenbound/Ashbound, Natural Spell and/or Dragon Wild Shape, Extra Rage (Mad Foam Rager if you take only 1 of Nat Spell/DWS)

Addendum: If you don't like the rage element, use the Hunter Barbarian variant from UA and Snag Zen Archery, b/c more Wisdom-to___ never hurt.

[eggynack]

Agreed, the only point of doing Half-Orc or Shifter Druid is for the sub levels. That's why WotC created the sub-levels, to give people a legit reason to play them occasionally.
Well, shifter at least can be driven by moonspeaker alone, and still be viable as a racial option. Aside from that, pretty much.