Druid Spellcasting Help

[Jarmen4u]

Hey all, resident noob Druid here.

I'm very new to the 1e spell list for Druids, and am finding it very difficult to find situations to use my spells. A lot of them, at face value, seem situational at best.

Can someone who's creativity isn't a dump stat give me some examples of out-of-the-box ways to use otherwise seemingly useless Druid spells?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: As of right now, I'm able to cast 3rd level spells, and we're only using the list from PHB+UA. To be more specific, it's spells like Predict Weather, Detect Snares, Stone Shape, etc that seem like they should be useful, but I can't find any time where they would be worth preparing/casting.

EDIT 2: Also off the top of my head, the 3rd level spell Call Lightning has always puzzled me. It takes 10 minutes of casting just to get one bolt? Not to mention, I can only cast it during a storm (and my DM says precipitation isn't good enough). I don't see how that would ever be useful in any combat, especially when the magic user next to me can essentially do the same thing in a fraction of the time. :smallfrown:

[Arsamit]

You have to think of a druid in other way...

No you cant throw lightning like a wizard... but call lighning IF there is a storm, can throw a ligntning every 10 mins, wich is a great siege weapon.

Also you can wear armor, use a shield and a scimitar, so will have a decent AC, 1 atack and 1 block.

At low levels, best 1st lvl spells are: healing, animal friendship, bless, snare, imaginay fire, etc, most are support spells, to buff you or the party.

At 2nd lvl Heat metal and charm person are a must :) Also fire blade is great

And a t 3rd lvl, stone shape an protection from fire also are great.

You can fit a role of melee/healer/support perfectly

Answering your question... Predict weather can tell you if worth to prepare call lightning!
Stone shape is very usefull to block caves when resting or to escape from dead ends, or to clear pasages, open doors (cutting arround it)... etc.

Dont focus in what you CANT do... find what you can do better.

[Jarmen4u]

You have to think of a druid in other way...

No you cant throw lightning like a wizard... but call lighning IF there is a storm, can throw a ligntning every 10 mins, wich is a great siege weapon.

Also you can wear armor, use a shield and a scimitar, so will have a decent AC, 1 atack and 1 block.

At low levels, best 1st lvl spells are: healing, animal friendship, bless, snare, imaginary fire, etc, most are support spells, to buff you or the party.

At 2nd lvl Heat metal and charm person are a must :) Also fire blade is great

And a t 3rd lvl, stone shape an protection from fire also are great.

You can fit a role of melee/healer/support perfectly

Answering your question... Predict weather can tell you if worth to prepare call lightning!
Stone shape is very usefull to block caves when resting or to escape from dead ends, or to clear pasages, open doors (cutting arround it)... etc.

Dont focus in what you CANT do... find what you can do better.

Can you tell me where you're getting some of those spells? I don't see bless/imaginary fire in the player handbook.

Also, since you mentioned it. Stone Shape says you have to have clay/some material shaped into what you want to make, but it doesn't necessarily specify size. Could you potentially make a large object (wall, door, club???) out of a tiny one shaped in your hand? Also, how would that cause you to be able to cut through stone to potentially free yourself from a trap/dead end? I feel like I'd have a hard time convincing the DM that I shaped a ball of clay into an empty space.

[Arsamit]

Bless
(Conjuration/Summoning)
Reversible
Sphere: All

Faerie Fire
(Alteration)
Sphere: Weather

Both in PHB LVL1

Yes you can make large objects but that will depend on your lvl

Stone Shape
Area of Effect: 9 cu. ft. + 1 cu. ft./level

"By means of this spell, the caster can form an existing piece of stone into any shape that suits his purposes. For example, he can make a stone weapon, a special trapdoor, or a crude idol. By the same token, it enables the spellcaster to shape a stone door, perhaps so as to escape imprisonment, providing the volume of stone involved is within the limits of the area of effect. While stone coffers can be thus formed, stone doors made, etc., the fineness of detail is not great. If the shaping has moving parts, there is a 30% chance they do not work."

Maybe you should just spen enough time reading spell descriptions...

If you want to cut through a wall then make a tiny wall and cut through it :P

[Lord Torath]

Unearthed Arcana is actually 1st Edition AD&D. Tome of Magic is 2nd Edition. Can you clarify which rulebooks you're using?

[Lurkmoar]

Entangle is a great first level spell that can give you a massive advantage in outdoor combat. Just make sure that none of your allies are in the AoE.

Goodberry is a pretty good second level spell, can heal up to 8 hp a day, and a single berry counts as a full meal. They stay enchanted up one day + 1day/level. So you could have a fairly decent number stocked up for use as healing or rations.

Dust Devil can make spell casting for a pain and handy to keep gas clouds of gaseous creatures away from you.

Find Traps is also useful since Druids have minor access to Divination. Fire Trap is another decent choice if you think your party is being stalked by something.

Obscurement is handy if the party is retreating, er, making a tactical withdraw.

The above spells the other posters listed are quite good as well. When you get shape shifting, abuse it. Not as strong as 3.5 where Druids could cast while shifted, but still quite powerful if used properly. Use the bird form to scout ahead, reptile form to sneak around and the mammal form to attack. Bears are a common choice, but I like using Lions or Tigers too.

[Jarmen4u]

Unearthed Arcana is actually 1st Edition AD&D. Tome of Magic is 2nd Edition. Can you clarify which rulebooks you're using?

**** sorry, I keep saying 2nd edition but it's first. I'm really sorry guys. It's PHB and UA only.

[LokeyITP]

I've done 2nd recently, not sure where druids are in first (other than I don't think their in PHB).

As far as 2nd, they're as powerful as 3rd, the spell progression is insane. We only made it to 4th or 5th, but other spellcasters are a spell level or two behind you, and those 1st level spells aren't terrible.

If enemy is wearing armor or using a metal weap, heat metal that up. Fight is done, just keep everyone alive and it's even fire and forget :) There's a lockdown spell at 3rd beyond those mentioned, Summon Insects? Needs concentration, but it's going to be nerfed right after you use it.

[D+1]

I'm very new to the 1e spell list for Druids, and am finding it very difficult to find situations to use my spells. A lot of them, at face value, seem situational at best.
Well, many spells ARE, whether clerical, druid, m/u...


Can someone who's creativity isn't a dump stat give me some examples of out-of-the-box ways to use otherwise seemingly useless Druid spells?
Not without a good list of all the spells you think are useless.

Predict Weather - WILL I be able to make good use of Call Lightning today?

Detect Snares & Pits - a 1st level and somewhat weaker take on the 2nd level cleric spell Find Traps. If your DM uses a lot of pit traps in dungeons any suspicious corridor ought to prove it useful. If the DM uses traps outdoors then it's useful. If neither of those is true then, yeah, it's not as useful a spell as some other choice.

Stone Shape - A door in a dungeon set into a stone wall? Stone shape the area of wall where the lock is at - door's open. Can't open the door to a room in a dungeon? Stone shape a hole in the wall next to it, or a way to crawl under it. Need to hole up in a dungeon room? Stoneshape part of the floor into a doorstop. Better than Wizard Lock because unless the door opens OUT they literally have to destroy the door to get in, not just bust the lock. Holding a defensive position? Make a small stone wall for cover.


Also off the top of my head, the 3rd level spell Call Lightning has always puzzled me. It takes 10 minutes of casting just to get one bolt? Not to mention, I can only cast it during a storm (and my DM says precipitation isn't good enough).
Your DM is wrong. Or he's being really obnoxious and needs to knock it off. Description of the spell lists qualifying conditions as:
- a rain shower
- clouds and wind
- hot and cloudy
- or a full-blown tornado of course - but it's CLEARLY saying you DON'T need that level of weather to get ONE freaking bolt every 10 rounds.

I don't see how that would ever be useful in any combat, especially when the magic user next to me can essentially do the same thing in a fraction of the time. :smallfrown:
If it's a fight that's going to go on for a good while it's dynamite. It's even better if you have the advantage of being able to cast it ahead of time before your side initiates combat. It takes 10 rounds of casting, and that's a tough pill to swallow, but after that it lasts 1 turn per level, during which time you can cast other spells, take other actions, and then once every 10 rounds call another bolt down.

[Jarmen4u]

Well, many spells ARE, whether clerical, druid, m/u...


Not without a good list of all the spells you think are useless.

Predict Weather - WILL I be able to make good use of Call Lightning today?

Detect Snares & Pits - a 1st level and somewhat weaker take on the 2nd level cleric spell Find Traps. If your DM uses a lot of pit traps in dungeons any suspicious corridor ought to prove it useful. If the DM uses traps outdoors then it's useful. If neither of those is true then, yeah, it's not as useful a spell as some other choice.

Stone Shape - A door in a dungeon set into a stone wall? Stone shape the area of wall where the lock is at - door's open. Can't open the door to a room in a dungeon? Stone shape a hole in the wall next to it, or a way to crawl under it. Need to hole up in a dungeon room? Stoneshape part of the floor into a doorstop. Better than Wizard Lock because unless the door opens OUT they literally have to destroy the door to get in, not just bust the lock. Holding a defensive position? Make a small stone wall for cover.


Your DM is wrong. Or he's being really obnoxious and needs to knock it off. Description of the spell lists qualifying conditions as:
- a rain shower
- clouds and wind
- hot and cloudy
- or a full-blown tornado of course - but it's CLEARLY saying you DON'T need that level of weather to get ONE freaking bolt every 10 rounds.

If it's a fight that's going to go on for a good while it's dynamite. It's even better if you have the advantage of being able to cast it ahead of time before your side initiates combat. It takes 10 rounds of casting, and that's a tough pill to swallow, but after that it lasts 1 turn per level, during which time you can cast other spells, take other actions, and then once every 10 rounds call another bolt down.

I actually didn't know that last bit, I assumed I had to concentrate on Call Lightning the entire time. I think the issue was that Precipitation only lasts one segment per level, so the rain wouldn't last long enough for me to get the full cast time of Call Lightning off.
I guess I can see how Stone Shape might be useful in a dungeon, but insofar as we've gone, it's been almost exclusively open land, no dungeons yet, and no traps.

Also as an aside for Stone Shape, does the clay shape I make have to be the same size as the target piece of stone, or can it be a small shape made to scale?

[Lord Torath]

Also as an aside for Stone Shape, does the clay shape I make have to be the same size as the target piece of stone, or can it be a small shape made to scale?The latter. It's a smaller version of what you want to make. Otherwise it would be really useless.

[D+1]

Also as an aside for Stone Shape, does the clay shape I make have to be the same size as the target piece of stone, or can it be a small shape made to scale?
As big or as small as you like, within the limits of the volume of the effect. You just can't get fine detail, per the spell description. But you can make weapons, trapdoors, secret doors, idols, coffers, pots, tablets with 10 Commandments, a garden gnome, a bird bath, a sign, steps, a shelf, a brazier or fire pit, a cooking grate, stone serving platter, catapult ammunition, a water trough, a crude drinking cup, a bathtub right in the middle of a stream... Still need more ideas for what to use it for?

Stone shape is a FIFTH level magic-user spell. Magic-users can't cast it until 9th level! For druids it's a third level spell - which they can cast AT 3rd level! If you can't find uses for it maybe you're really not trying?

Story time: There was a campaign where the PC's were on a sea voyage. One of the characters was bored. He started casting Continual Light on all the copper pieces he had. One or two spells a day. Why? No good reason whatever - he was BORED. It gave his character another spell to cast every day. As is REQUIRED in D&D, the voyage ends in a shipwreck and they swim to an island. :) The island is in the middle of a nation of sahuagin who are annoyed at the intrusion. Night falls and the sahuagin trudge up from the sea onto the shores. It's a certain TPK. But then the PC grabs his bag of copper pieces and starts throwing them. Guess what particular weakness sahuagin have? Light. The sahuagin stay away. The PC's eventually escape.

I tell that story to emphasize to you that things your PC does, spells he casts, DO NOT have to have immediate and obvious usefulness and effectiveness. Cast a stone shape spell every day whether you really need to or not. If you can't find a good adventuring use for it then just make another garden gnome and leave it at your campsite. Why? Because one day the King of the Gnomes may just find out you're the one who has brought such honor and recognition to his people and give you, personally, a big fat bag of gemstones and glory among his people, or some weird schtuff like that. If you keep casting Stone Shape every day trying to make something different EVERY day then in a month you'll have found THIRTY new uses for Stone Shape - even assuming you never need to make a trapdoor or something "conventional" with it.