Lvl 3 Druid: what spells to prepare

[turko]

Hello guys. So we're starting a campaign and I'm playing a druid for the first time, I made a list of basic spells to prepare if I'm not aware of anything going to happen upfront. I focused on utility since if I need extra damage I can always use SNA. So, is anything I'm missing here, what spells would you prepare?

Traveling:
0 Create Water
0 Detect Magic
0 Cure minor wounds
0 Light
1 Entangle
1 Lesser Vigor
1 Winged Watcher
2 Snake Switfness, mass
2 Snake Switfness, mass


Dungeon:
0 Create Water
0 Detect Magic
0 Cure minor wounds
0 Light
1 Obscuring Mist
1 Fairie Fire
1 Lesser Vigor
2 Snake Switfness, mass
2 Snake Switfness, mass

City:
0 Create Water
0 Detect Magic
0 Detect Magic
0 Light
1 Winged Watcher
1 Spider Hand
1 Obscuring Mist
2 Bliding Spittle
2 Kelpstrand

[eggynack]

Well, first, I'd just ditch light straight out. You'd get similar levels of utility from some extremely comparable mundane items, with a torch as the most obvious, and awesome alternatives to be found in Shax's Indispensable Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?148101-3-x-Shax-s-Indispensible-Haversack-(Equipment-Handbook)). I'd replace it with another copy of detect magic or cure minor. For 2nd's, mass snake's swiftness is great, but two copies seems excessive unless your party is just all fighting fellows all the time, and maybe even then. You should consider swapping one copy for something like blinding spittle or kelpstrand.

Firsts are somewhat more complicated, as you have a bunch of them. For things I'd get rid of, lesser vigor doesn't seem like it deserves a slot, just at the outset. If you need healing, just get a wand of that selfsame spell, and run your healing that way. I think you're also a bit low level to run faerie fire, as you should be using those slots in a more action oriented way.

As for replacements, in your dungeon and city setups it looks like you got rid of entangle for faerie fire because of a lack of plant life, so instead, if possible, you should pick up the spell impeding stones from cityscape instead, which is like entangle, except better suited for these environments. For the lesser vigor slot, there are a lot of options. Wall of smoke (SpC, 235) or maybe spore field (CS, 104) as backup BFC, spider hand (BoVD, 104) or wood wose (SpC, 242) for scouting/utility, instant of power (FoW, 114) or snowshoes (SpC, 194) for low action cost buffs, or omen of peril (SpC, 149) for minor divination power.

[Gavinfoxx]

Ask your DM if you can entangle on spore field in non-plant-filled areas.

[eggynack]

Ask your DM if you can entangle on spore field in non-plant-filled areas.
Alternatively, there's always plant-dog, where you attach plants to your riding dog such that you can cast the entangle with the dog in the area even when there aren't any plants around otherwise.

[turko]

I just noticed i got my city list worng, just edited the post, but this is the right one:

City:
0 Create Water
0 Detect Magic
0 Detect Magic
0 Light
1 Winged Watcher
1 Spider Hand
1 Obscuring Mist
2 Bliding Spittle
2 Kelpstrand

[turko]

Well, first, I'd just ditch light straight out. You'd get similar levels of utility from some extremely comparable mundane items, with a torch as the most obvious, and awesome alternatives to be found in Shax's Indispensable Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?148101-3-x-Shax-s-Indispensible-Haversack-(Equipment-Handbook)). I'd replace it with another copy of detect magic or cure minor. For 2nd's, mass snake's swiftness is great, but two copies seems excessive unless your party is just all fighting fellows all the time, and maybe even then. You should consider swapping one copy for something like blinding spittle or kelpstrand.

Firsts are somewhat more complicated, as you have a bunch of them. For things I'd get rid of, lesser vigor doesn't seem like it deserves a slot, just at the outset. If you need healing, just get a wand of that selfsame spell, and run your healing that way. I think you're also a bit low level to run faerie fire, as you should be using those slots in a more action oriented way.

As for replacements, in your dungeon and city setups it looks like you got rid of entangle for faerie fire because of a lack of plant life, so instead, if possible, you should pick up the spell impeding stones from cityscape instead, which is like entangle, except better suited for these environments. For the lesser vigor slot, there are a lot of options. Wall of smoke (SpC, 235) or maybe spore field (CS, 104) as backup BFC, spider hand (BoVD, 104) or wood wose (SpC, 242) for scouting/utility, instant of power (FoW, 114) or snowshoes (SpC, 194) for low action cost buffs, or omen of peril (SpC, 149) for minor divination power.

Ok, just added impeding stones and instant of power to my dungeon list.

As for lesser vigor, I'm just keeping it until tha party have enough gold to buy a wand, we are starting with no gold and just cheap and mundane gear.

[Gavinfoxx]

Ok, just added impeding stones and instant of power to my dungeon list.

As for lesser vigor, I'm just keeping it until tha party have enough gold to buy a wand, we are starting with no gold and just cheap and mundane gear.

At level 3? The DM DOES know about wealth by level, yes? And how it is perhaps 90% of many character archetype's power? IE, it's not optional for the math behind the game to work?

Read this:

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=4189.0

And make sure the DM reads it too...

[turko]

At level 3? The DM DOES know about wealth by level, yes? And how it is perhaps 90% of many character archetype's power? IE, it's not optional for the math behind the game to work?

Read this:

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=4189.0

And make sure the DM reads it too...

We were going to start at level one but I managed to convince him to start at level 3, but he didn't want to let us start with lvl 3 wealth. I think he will make up for it in the beginning of the campaign, or if he doesn't plan to, he will probably learn that he will have to.