Druid optimisation, level 5 start

[Gardakan]

Hi GITP forums mates.

I'll be joining in a few weeks a DD 3.5 party with some old mates and I'll playing a druid (in a group of 6). I've taken the role of the utility one.

We already have a dwarf fighter 5 (tank) halfing rogue 5 (tool monkey) elven fighter 5 (archer) human cleric 5 (healer and second tank) and a gnome generalist wizard 5 (DPS/support buffs).

I'm already planning on taking at level 6 the feat that allow myself to cast in shapeshifting form.

Here are my stats (with the level 4 augment), I am a human (knowing that I need to have more Constitution being able to keep only this stat while shapeshifting).

STR : 11
DEX : 10
CON : 18
INT : 14
WIS : 20 (17 base + 1 at level 4 + 2 from a magical object i'll buy with my 9k gold (4k))
CHA : 11

I've got 3 feats to take... I just don't know what to take (besides natural shapeshifting).

Also... for the animal companion ... I arrested my choice to two companions. I'm not sure about which one is the best. (limited to the base monster manual... nothing coming from other then labeling as monster manual)

Dire Bat : Being the utility one in the team, I need mobility and safety. Having the opportunity to fly on a regular basis is something strong. He can check area for us, having high mobility and good detection tools. He's squishy, and not useful in teamfight.

Crocodile : I like the crocodile. I've already use it in another druid role, being the tank/damage soaker this time. The fact that he can CC an enemy with much facility (landing a basic attack then having to entering free grapple is quite useful).

For the three feats... I'm not even in the state of being able to make a list of choice I could consider, there are too many.

I'm asking for help. Keep in mind that I want to keep up the more utility as possible (so mobility and improved casting on summoning animals is what I'm believing).

[Snowbluff]

Is there an TTRPG equivalent of rolling your face on the keyboard?

Anywho, how about Law/Animal Devotion?

[eggynack]

What kinda book access do you have? It looks a bit like you're stuck in core, which means that feat choices aren't that important outside of natural spell. The options just aren't high impact enough otherwise to make a significant difference to something as powerful as a druid. I'd go with something like spell focus (conjuration) and augment summoning as the first two feats, and then if you want mobility, improved initiative is kinda like that and not the worst. Other reasonable options include metamagic, particularly extend spell, crafting feats, particularly craft wondrous, and maybe spell penetration if the game's going to extend into high levels.

As for the animal companion choice, if you're limited to those two, I'd pick the bat. They're actually the exact opposite of squishy, with 30 HP to the crocodile's 22, and 20 AC to the crocodile's 15. If you just want the crocodile because you think it'd soak damage, dire bat is thus the obvious choice, being better in both roles you've listed. Crocodiles are better at dealing damage than dire bats, but it's not the most massive difference, even accounting for that grappling ability. Do note that if you have access to non-core materials, then your options for this stuff, especially feats, increase greatly. If you don't, then these seem like good answers.

[Gardakan]

Is there an TTRPG equivalent of rolling your face on the keyboard?

Anywho, how about Law/Animal Devotion?

I don't believe there is an equivalence to TTRPG... it's an acronym. (Unless you wanted to mean something else, I'm a french-born speaker)

Also, about Animal Devotion, just check it out, it's awesome. I'll greatly consider this into my build. The utility side is perfect for what I'm planning to put on the table ! Thanks for the idea. It's pretty neat !

[Darrin]

I've got 3 feats to take... I just don't know what to take (besides natural shapeshifting).


Books available? Is this a Core-only game?

If it's Core only, then take Spell Focus: Conjuration, Augment Summoning, and either Improved Unarmed Strike or Extend Spell.

[Gardakan]

What kinda book access do you have? It looks a bit like you're stuck in core, which means that feat choices aren't that important outside of natural spell. The options just aren't high impact enough otherwise to make a significant difference to something as powerful as a druid. I'd go with something like spell focus (conjuration) and augment summoning as the first two feats, and then if you want mobility, improved initiative is kinda like that and not the worst. Other reasonable options include metamagic, particularly extend spell, crafting feats, particularly craft wondrous, and maybe spell penetration if the game's going to extend into high levels.

As for the animal companion choice, if you're limited to those two, I'd pick the bat. They're actually the exact opposite of squishy, with 30 HP to the crocodile's 22, and 20 AC to the crocodile's 15. If you just want the crocodile because you think it'd soak damage, dire bat is thus the obvious choice, being better in both roles you've listed. Crocodiles are better at dealing damage than dire bats, but it's not the most massive difference, even accounting for that grappling ability. Do note that if you have access to non-core materials, then your options for this stuff, especially feats, increase greatly. If you don't, then these seem like good answers.

For the feats, we can have them if we prove the source (Internet). We can't devy in term of classes from the core list (same for prestige classes) because we've done way too many cheese back in the time and we ended up having no fun. So we tried to balance things out. I have access to all feats from every source (except those pesky Dragon Magazine one, there are just too cheesy sometimes and it's not an ''official'' source for our actual DM).

I love the bat for the utility side but I'm always in-between as choosing the crocodile for the grappling it could provide. I've checked out some monsters available in the other monster manuals... I'm not finding something better then those two. Maybe you know something I'm not aware of, this is the point of the thread :P.

I like the idea of Improved Summoning with spell focus + augment summoning... I'll take those in account.

[Gardakan]

Books available? Is this a Core-only game?

If it's Core only, then take Spell Focus: Conjuration, Augment Summoning, and either Improved Unarmed Strike or Extend Spell.

Not core only. All sources available. Except dragon mag.

[eggynack]

For the feats, we can have them if we prove the source (Internet). We can't devy in term of classes from the core list (same for prestige classes) because we've done way too many cheese back in the time and we ended up having no fun. So we tried to balance things out. I have access to all feats from every source (except those pesky Dragon Magazine one, there are just too cheesy sometimes and it's not an ''official'' source for our actual DM).

I love the bat for the utility side but I'm always in-between as choosing the crocodile for the grappling it could provide. I've checked out some monsters available in the other monster manuals... I'm not finding something better then those two. Maybe you know something I'm not aware of, this is the point of the thread :P.

I like the idea of Improved Summoning with spell focus + augment summoning... I'll take those in account.
Just to start with, on the animal companion front, check out the fleshraker dinosaur from the monster manual III. Should be enough to indicate that better things exist. On the feat side, with apparently infinite access, things get a lot crazier. The most powerful summoning feat out there is probably greenbound summoning (LEoF, 8), which lets your summons use wall of thorns, and grants crazy stat bumps of most varieties in existence. If you want a step down from that, then ashbound (ECS, 50) is quite good, granting a +3 to attack and doubling duration for half the feat cost of augment summoning.

You get access to some animal companion boosting feats out of core, particularly natural bond (CAdv, 111), which advances your companion by one rank, as well as companion spellbond (PHB II, 77), which makes share spells a much better proposition. If you plan to go reasonably high in level, then you might want aberration wild shape (LoM, 178) eventually, which is the best not natural spell wild shape feat, which necessitates picking up aberrant blood from the same book, likely in this level range. Finally, meaning not finally at all, you might be interested in the initiate feats, which add a bunch of spells, particularly gatekeeper initiate (ECS, 54). Long story short, lotsa broken stuff you can do with increased book resources. If you seek additional information, I can also send a copy of my in progress handbook, a thing less helpful in a core only environment.

[Extra Anchovies]

Spell Focus (Conjuration), Augment Summoning, and Greenbound Summoning (Lost Empires of Faerûn). If your DM isn't having any of that Greenbound cheese, go with Ashbound (Eberron Campaign Setting) instead.

ETA: Spellthief'd

[Gardakan]

Spell Focus (Conjuration), Augment Summoning, and Greenbound Summoning (Lost Empires of Faerûn). If your DM isn't having any of that Greenbound cheese, go with Ashbound (Eberron Campaign Setting) instead.

ETA: Spellthief'd

I know Greenbound Summoning for having used it too many times... I'm not against... but I'd like something a bit less powerful... Spell Focus (Conjuration) and Augment Summoning will be taken. Did not remembered them, but too many people shoved back my memory to those two useful feats.

[Runeclaw]

I know Greenbound Summoning for having used it too many times... I'm not against... but I'd like something a bit less powerful... Spell Focus (Conjuration) and Augment Summoning will be taken. Did not remembered them, but too many people shoved back my memory to those two useful feats.

It's really one useful feat that just happens to cost you two feat slots.