Druid feat advice

[Lithium]

Hello all,

I am currently building a druid for an up coming game and I don't have a lot of experience in general and normally play brutish characters and have a friend help with my stats. But I thought it is about time I spread my wings and build my own character and I love the druids. I've done A LOT of reading and have picked most things (background, gear, main spells and so on) but I can't settle on the feats and all the googling I have done has generally giving me the same answer...pick any feats. Anyway, I've compiled a list of feats that look appealing to me but I need to make cuts in said list. Help :P

Side note, Im a human druid for the +1 feat and also dont want to take frozen wild shape being it doesnt feel right to my character and im not looking to be over powered. My role in the party will be more of a fill in role, not amazing at one thing but can heal, combat, cast, tank, scout...so on.

Spell focus (conjuration)
Augment summoning
Natural bond
Natural Spell
Quicken spell
Dragon Wild Shape (Unsure if this one is worth it or not)
Initiate of Nature
Beast totem
Totem Companion (this and the above are honestly because I like the idea of the winter wolf, but his stats dont seem great, am i missing something or a waste of two feats?)
Companion spellbond
Scribe scroll
Craft Wondrous Item

If I missed any fun ones let me know. Thanks for everyones time.

*EDIT, added in the last two feats I forgot.

[Gwendol]

Greenbound summoning is rather good, especially since you seem to plan on summon a lot.
Ashbound summoning is another one.

Sculpt spell can be useful for a druid (lot's of area effect spells)

Also, the rest of the metamagic feats (other than quicken which you have taken) should see some use.

[Confused Dad]

If you have any kind of arcane caster in your party, I wouldn't recommend Ashbound Summoning:

ASHBOUND [GENERAL]
You have been trained in the druidic traditions of the
Ashbound, seeing yourself as one of nature’s avengers.
You consider the use of arcane magic to be a vile and unnatural act.
Prerequisite: Ability to spontaneously cast summon
nature’s ally.
Benefit: The duration of your summon nature’s ally spells is doubled. Creatures summoned by those spells receive a +3 luck bonus on their attack rolls.

Your DM may rule that your restricted viewpoint means that witnessing any use of arcane magic means that you attack the offender, including your own party members.

[Lithium]

I dont really intend to be an over the top summoner, just took Augment summoning because it seems like a solid choice, greenbound does give me something to think about, but seems like a lot of extra math ;)

There will most defiantly be other casters, a wizard is confirmed.

Sculpt spell looks kinda fun.

[Ellowryn]

Aberrant blood + Aberrant Wild Shape opens up a lot of options (And doesn't actually required you to be non-good for some reason). If you don't have your heart set on being human you could try being a shifter and going Moonspeaker, you gain augment summoning and extend summoning for free, along with other benefits to your race and stuff. that option also opens up druid ACF for shifters as well, some of which are really really good.

[paperarmor]

For Dragon Wildshape it really depends on what dragons your DM allows. I think Aberration Wildshape has become more or less the gold standard due to just how many freaking aweswome things they can do.

Also I'm not going to lie but if I where to focus on the animal companion at all I wouldn't bother with the winter wolf your current set up has it advancing at Druid -6 which isn't great personally I'd drop it for something else.

Greenbound Summoning is very good and the key to summons is to get a list of utility summons i.e. Flying mounts, burrowing/digging creatures or critters with niche abilities that might be useful, and Combat Summons find and keep up with the stat blocks for each in a nice little list.

[Lithium]

Aberrations do seem interesting, but it is just so far removed from my idea of a forest dwelling druid, honestly when i found that feat to begin with I was confused on how this is a thing at all.

I will look into greenbound more and try and wrap my head around the rules and decide from there as it seems popular.

Probably right about the winter wolf, just seems so majestic in my head :P. Ill just pray I make it to epic level and take the feat for wild shape magic beasts and just run around as one for fun...no combat.

[Ellowryn]

Also, natural bond is a waste unless you multi-class or PrC into something that doesn't advance your companion. For a good combat companion look at the fleshraker, don't remember what MM it was in at the moment, but is generally considered the best for damage.

[Eonir]

...fleshraker, don't remember what MM it was in at the moment...


MM3, i'm pretty sure.

[Lithium]

Also, natural bond is a waste unless you multi-class or PrC into something that doesn't advance your companion. For a good combat companion look at the fleshraker, don't remember what MM it was in at the moment, but is generally considered the best for damage.

I thought of taking natural bond for the extra tricks and buffs the companions get for being a higher level (unless i read that section wrong).

Fleshraker seems very powerful, but dinosaurs are a no go from the DM as it goes against his idea of the world we are in, which doesnt bother me...Bears and the such are way more druid in my mind :3

[Starmage21]

Hello all,

I am currently building a druid for an up coming game and I don't have a lot of experience in general and normally play brutish characters and have a friend help with my stats. But I thought it is about time I spread my wings and build my own character and I love the druids. I've done A LOT of reading and have picked most things (background, gear, main spells and so on) but I can't settle on the feats and all the googling I have done has generally giving me the same answer...pick any feats. Anyway, I've compiled a list of feats that look appealing to me but I need to make cuts in said list. Help :P

Side note, Im a human druid for the +1 feat and also dont want to take frozen wild shape being it doesnt feel right to my character and im not looking to be over powered. My role in the party will be more of a fill in role, not amazing at one thing but can heal, combat, cast, tank, scout...so on.

Spell focus (conjuration)
Augment summoning
Natural bond
Natural Spell
Quicken spell
Dragon Wild Shape (Unsure if this one is worth it or not)
Initiate of Nature
Beast totem
Totem Companion (this and the above are honestly because I like the idea of the winter wolf, but his stats dont seem great, am i missing something or a waste of two feats?)
Companion spellbond
Scribe scroll
Craft Wondrous Item

If I missed any fun ones let me know. Thanks for everyones time.

*EDIT, added in the last two feats I forgot.

Natural Spell is a requirement/Feat Tax. Under no circumstances should you NOT have this.
Dragon Wild Shape is only useful if you can be a shadow dragon I think.
Crafts feats are useful.
Totem Companion is a flavor thing. The Winter Wolf isnt mechanically advantageous, but its a flavor thing for you.
Augment Summoning and PreReq is considered gewd.

[paperarmor]

I thought of taking natural bond for the extra tricks and buffs the companions get for being a higher level (unless i read that section wrong).

Fleshraker seems very powerful, but dinosaurs are a no go from the DM as it goes against his idea of the world we are in, which doesnt bother me...Bears and the such are way more druid in my mind :3

You read the feat correctly however, it just kinda rubs me the wrong way to use an animal companion with that much of a hit. Personally, I like the Ape with Natural Bond as it makes advance as a full companion and it can use tools/spare magic gear

[fishyfishyfishy]

::uses a greenbound ashbound summon natures ally 9 to summon Eggynack::

Hold on....this takes at least 1 round...

I've witnessed Eggynack give very solid advice on druids before, and has even offered to PM people the Druid guide he wrote. Perhaps he can help here.

[eggynack]

I thought of taking natural bond for the extra tricks and buffs the companions get for being a higher level (unless i read that section wrong).
You're reading it correctly. As long as you're running one of the animal companions with required level higher than first, natural bond grants an extra step of progression.


Dragon Wild Shape is only useful if you can be a shadow dragon I think.
Nah, dragons are sweet. You do really want some book access, but if you have that, the list of accessible abilities is rather awesome, ranging from the li lung (OA, 156), with its earthquakes, blindsight, and invisibility, to the mercury dragon (DoF, 138), with its ridiculous 250 (good) flight speed, to the mist dragon (DoF, 142) with its gaseous form ability that allows you to keep casting spells. It's not really as good as aberration wild shape, with its massive serving of ridiculousness, but it's probably the second best form adding feat, with or without shadow dragons.


Augment Summoning and PreReq is considered gewd.
Augment is alright, though it's a bit expensive and low impact when dealing with a non-core environment.

Edit: Woah, that was surprisingly good timing.

[Ellowryn]

I thought of taking natural bond for the extra tricks and buffs the companions get for being a higher level (unless i read that section wrong).

Fleshraker seems very powerful, but dinosaurs are a no go from the DM as it goes against his idea of the world we are in, which doesnt bother me...Bears and the such are way more druid in my mind :3

I wrote about the Natural bond under the assumption that you were not going with the winter wolf, if you still wish to then the feat is fine.