Let me see if I have this 3.5 Druid figured right

[Aurorablade]

Hi! My current group is finishing up. It has been fun. I have always done the healer bit. But after getting hooked on Order of the Stick's comic I decided on a Bard (Tra-la-la I'm a Bard). This current group really knew a lot about the game and only needed healing early on and only rarely. Like I said it's coming to an end we are starting a new campaign. I have picked a druid. I have never played one in 3.5 so I would love some help making sure I understand everything right. Also no source books are off limits.

Her race is a Forestlord Elf (Dragon Magic pg.8)

Her stats
STR 12
DEX 14
CON 14
INT 14
WIS 17
CHA 17

Now the DM is having us take two flaws so starting off we get three feats. The flaws are not important I think but I am thinking Wild (Homebrew I think) and Claustrophobic (also homebrew)

Her Feats (this is what I am unsure of)

1st Natural Bond (Complete adventurer pg 111)
Exalted companion (Exalted deeds pg 42) plus another feat

or Spell focus conjuration (Players handbook pg 100)
Augment summoning (Players handbook pg 89) plus something

3rd Nymph's Kiss (Exalted deeds pg 44)

6th Natural spell (Player's hand book)

9th Multiattack (Monster manual pg 304) If I understand it right because I wildshape into a wolf I have three natural attacks bite/claw/claw taking this feat will cause the claw/claw secondary attacks to be at a -2 penalty

12th Dragon Wild shape (Draconomicon pg 105) (Because DRAGON!)

15th Improved natural attack (Bite) (Monster manual pg 304) So again I wildshape into a creature say dragon :smallbiggrin: that has a bite attack taking this feat will cause my bite attack to increase by one category.

18th (I really have no idea what to plan for here)

The campaign setting is partly my idea, on accident! Since the group is family/friend/all ages mix I suggested to keep the 2nd generation interested that a Zombie Apocalypse theme should peek interest since they love the Walking Dead show. What was I thinking and why couldn't I keep my mouth shut? I hate Zombies!

Thank you for any help advice.

[eggynack]

What is your goal with the character, particularly as applies to how they're going to solve problems in and out of combat, but also possibly as applies to flavor? As I'm keen on saying, druids can do pretty much anything in existence, so figuring out what subset of that you actually want to do is pretty important. As for what I'd change, nymph's kiss, multiattack, and improved natural attack are all rather weak, so I'd swap those out for something different, and I would also swap out forestborn elf, because it just doesn't do much of anything on a druid. In any case, it seems like you just want general druid stuff, so I could always just PM over my massive and in progress druid handbook. It should cover this ground pretty efficiently, particularly along the spell axis.

[Gavinfoxx]

Just doublechecking, you have read this, yes?

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=940.0

[tyckspoon]

If you're going to be Exalted anyway, Exalted Wild Shape is also decent. Not just or because of the short list of specific creatures you can turn into (although there is a saying "Always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn. Then always be a unicorn." And Exalted Wild Shape lets you be a unicorn >.> Blink Dogs are also pretty cool if you're wanting to be castery more than facebear style. Permanent Blink and free at-will Dimension Door make you near impossible to pin down without significant effort and magic.) You also get the special qualities you normally wouldn't from the animals you turn into in addition to the stuff from the Celestial template.. mind, you're dealing with normal Animals, so there's generally nothing too exotic there, but hanging out as some form of Bat and actually getting the Blindsense is pretty nice.

[Aurorablade]

Yes always a unicorn!

Thanks for answering. I am interested in the wild shaping side of the druid. I thought multi attack and improved natural attack would make the wild shapes attacks stronger.

I did read the minmaxboard post but it was a while ago. Going to reread that.

Now to figure out different feats.

[Eldariel]

Your sources are needlessly complex. Natural Spell is in 3.5 PHB (not 3.0 tho; Masters of the Wild is a 3.0 book) and Multiattack is in 3.5 Monster Manual 1. Honestly tho, aside from that, most stuff looks fine. As a Druid you have approximately billion options, most of them more or less incredible so it's hard to go truly wrong. But yeah, Handbooks should help you along if you still wish to improve upon this.

[Aurorablade]

That in itself is the problem! Truly billions of options. Plus I have not played a druid with 3.5 so I am unsure if I understand everything right. I'm sure you all have had a few go rounds with a druid and could see what works a little better. This is the first character I've put this much thought into. I'm trying not to do the usual way I pick out the feats. (Close my eyes and point ).


Fixed sources. That is kinda for me to show the DM. Sorry if it's annoying.

[...]

Remember, kids; BoED Druid spells give you free minions. Cast them multiple times when you have a break for a day or two.

[Gavinfoxx]

If you want to focus on wild shaping:

Natural Spell
Dragon Wild Shape
Exalted Wild Shape
Frozen Wild Shape
Assume Supernatural Ability

The Multiattack/Bestial Charge/Improved Natural Attack Claw/Improved Natural Attack Bite are more secondary.

[eggynack]

If you want to focus on wild shaping:

Natural Spell
Dragon Wild Shape
Exalted Wild Shape
Frozen Wild Shape
Assume Supernatural Ability

The Multiattack/Bestial Charge/Improved Natural Attack Claw/Improved Natural Attack Bite are more secondary.
I would just go with natural spell, aberrant blood, and aberration wild shape, skipping everything else. Even costing two feats, aberration wild shape still stands head and shoulders over everything. I'm not even entirely sure what you're getting out of assume supernatural ability in the setup.

[Aurorablade]

Remember, kids; BoED Druid spells give you free minions. Cast them multiple times when you have a break for a day or two.

sorry not sure I understand what you are referring to?

Frozen wild shape Hmmm...Aberrant interesting didn't know that one.

Thanks for the answer about the attack feats.

[eggynack]

sorry not sure I understand what you are referring to?

He's talking about sanctified spells from the book of exalted deeds, particularly cry of ysgard and valiant steed. There's not much benefit to multi-casting them though.

[Gavinfoxx]

You can do quite a lot with those feats...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17bYfVxcXM8uKmxtQAOHgKN7MNchvqcMw31R-k-NPrTw/edit?authkey=CLWf4ugH&authkey=CLWf4ugH

[eggynack]

You can do quite a lot with those feats...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17bYfVxcXM8uKmxtQAOHgKN7MNchvqcMw31R-k-NPrTw/edit?authkey=CLWf4ugH&authkey=CLWf4ugH
I'm aware that they can do a lot of stuff. Just less than aberration wild shape, which grants extra actions, ridiculous abilities, and tons of stuff besides. Also, still really not sure where assume supernatural ability fits in. It obviously doesn't do anything with exalted or dragon wild shape, and the cryohydra doesn't have any Su abilities to speak of, so I guess you'd use it with frozen wild shape's hoary steed form (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/hoaryHunter.htm#hoarySteed), for the astral projection/etherealness power. Not all that interesting, in other words.

[bekeleven]

If you really like wild shape and don't like a billion options, consider the Master of Many Forms prestige class from Complete Adventurer. You give up spellcasting advancement, the druid's most powerful asset, as well as companion advancement - but you're still as strong as a dozen fighters and, with the right optimization, can do nearly everything else as well.

There are a number of forms available to the MoMF that give it relatively unique abilities (until casters get Shapechange, but 9th level spells break the world and we already knew that). Drd5/MoMF10 is a solid 15 levels, and you can cap it off with Nature's Warrior, Warshaper, or just more druid.

It can also be entered through Wild-shape ranger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#ranger), trading spells and a good companion for more free feats and BAB.

[Aurorablade]

ok So the rest of the group has come up with characters. A dragonborn monk wizard something or other, A beastmaster (yeah walking zoo), another spellcaster, rogue, and dragon shaman. I think that is all we will have starting off.

so druid stats
Her stats
STR 12
DEX 14
CON 17
INT 14
WIS 14
CHA 17

1st level feats Natural bond, spell focus conjuration, augment summoning

3rd exalted companion

6th natural spell

9th touch of golden ice (book of exalted deeds pg 47)

12th dragon wild shape

15th exalted wild shape

18th Purify spell? (book of exalted deeds pg 44)

see how long we last in this magicked zombie world.

of course I could take vow of poverty

[Gavinfoxx]

Don't! Not if you have ANY expectation of anything even resembling wealth by level!

[eggynack]

Touch of golden ice and purify spell aren't particularly worthwhile without VoP. That's not to say you should take it, because it's not really as good as WBL (though it's at its best on a druid), but it's the way to go if you want piles of mediocre exalted feats. As is, there's some solid room for a big summoning feat, like greenbound or rashemi elemental summoning, and maybe one of the more fillerish feats, like gatekeeper initiate or craft wondrous item. Alternatively, if you want to push the animal companion shtick, companion spellbond is pretty sweet.

[...]

sorry not sure I understand what you are referring to?

Frozen wild shape Hmmm...Aberrant interesting didn't know that one.

Thanks for the answer about the attack feats.

There are spells in the Book of Exalted Deeds that the Druid can cast that give you free unicorns and/or rangers to serve you for a year.

[Aurorablade]

Thank you everyone for the help to figure out what I really wanted from this druid.

Also ... I will be reading Book of exalted deeds to find the spell for a pet ranger hehe.

[Ketiara]

ok So the rest of the group has come up with characters. A dragonborn monk wizard something or other, A beastmaster (yeah walking zoo), another spellcaster, rogue, and dragon shaman. I think that is all we will have starting off.

so druid stats
Her stats
STR 12
DEX 14
CON 17
INT 14
WIS 14
CHA 17

1st level feats Natural bond, spell focus conjuration, augment summoning

3rd exalted companion

6th natural spell

9th touch of golden ice (book of exalted deeds pg 47)

12th dragon wild shape

15th exalted wild shape

18th Purify spell? (book of exalted deeds pg 44)

see how long we last in this magicked zombie world.

of course I could take vow of poverty

Is it on purpose that you've put 17 in Cha but only 14 in Wis?

[Aurorablade]

No those scores are amistake. Thank you for noticing I have to make sure I don't copy that onto the character sheet LOL.