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The Vorpal Tribble
2007-05-07, 01:11 PM
I'm looking for a druid variant that takes away your ability to use wild shape but gives you something in return. Anyone know of anything like that?

Making a character who is basically a 'civilized' druid, a wealthy farmer whoes key to success is that he can grow crops practically by speaking to them and can chat with his animals and know their complaints to treat them and such.

Piccamo
2007-05-07, 01:13 PM
Simple Variant (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/unearthedCoreClass.html#druid)
The druid might choose to give up her wild shape ability in exchange for becoming a swift and deadly hunter.
Gain
Bonus to Armor Class when unarmored (as monk, including Wisdom bonus to AC), fast movement (as monk), favored enemy (as ranger), swift tracker (as ranger), Track feat (as ranger).
Lose
Armor and shield proficiency, wild shape (all versions).

The Vorpal Tribble
2007-05-07, 01:26 PM
Simple Variant (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/unearthedCoreClass.html#druid)
The druid might choose to give up her wild shape ability in exchange for becoming a swift and deadly hunter.
Gain
Bonus to Armor Class when unarmored (as monk, including Wisdom bonus to AC), fast movement (as monk), favored enemy (as ranger), swift tracker (as ranger), Track feat (as ranger).
Lose
Armor and shield proficiency, wild shape (all versions).
Aye, just found that and its a good fit for what I was going for. Thanks :smallbiggrin:

Jasdoif
2007-05-07, 06:30 PM
If you're using that variant druid, I also suggest making use of the favored environment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#favoredEnemyVariantFavore dEnvironment) variant. It might make more sense to have a farmer's experience tied to a type of terrain then to a type of creature.

Also I am going to point to the gleaner (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/gk7uKJeF296jRcx1NJw.html) over in the bar on the left, simply because there's some new spells that are farm-oriented, and they all appear on the druid's spell list as well.

Yvian
2007-05-07, 07:14 PM
Not a druid variant per say, but I have always wanted to play a druid with the hafling sub levles. You give up some druid abilites to bond more closely with your animal campion - which is now basicly your mount.

JellyPooga
2007-05-08, 07:57 AM
Not a druid variant per say, but I have always wanted to play a druid with the hafling sub levles. You give up some druid abilites to bond more closely with your animal campion - which is now basicly your mount.

It's hardly giving them up...just alters them slightly.

I, too, like the Halfling Druid racial sub levels. Always wanted to play a Halfling Druid/Arcane Heirophant myself - Familiar Companion = Brixashulty (cos they're bad-A :smallbiggrin: )

ocato
2007-05-08, 11:02 AM
There's also a variant that requires 4 ranks in knowledge (religion) that lets you spontaineously cast healing spells instead of summoning spells. I don't know if your farmer is going to be an animal farmer that much, but I guess it's feasible.

ZeroNumerous
2007-05-08, 11:03 AM
Vorpal, theres a Shapeshifting variant in the PHBII that allows druids to still shift(into semi-useful creatures) while not being insanely broken(wildshaping into a prismatic dragon anyone?)

Caelestion
2007-05-08, 12:45 PM
Vorpal, theres a Shapeshifting variant in the PHBII that allows druids to still shift(into semi-useful creatures) while not being insanely broken(wildshaping into a prismatic dragon anyone?)
Amuse me. Exactly how many epic feats and class levels do you need for that little gimmick?

Laesin
2007-05-08, 09:19 PM
None you lose standard wild shape and your animal companion and gain a number of specific forms with bonus feats usable only in those forms. Oh and you can't take natural spell. Available at first level I think.

Whoops, misread previous post. The prismatic dragon trick can't be done (by core). The dragon wild shape feat only allows chromatic or metallic dragons

ShneekeyTheLost
2007-05-09, 01:37 AM
Amuse me. Exactly how many epic feats and class levels do you need for that little gimmick?

MoMF should do the trick. No epic feats or levels required.

Caelestion
2007-05-09, 05:34 AM
Even if that is the case, there's an easy fix: "you can only assume forms that you have as many or more HD than." Prismatic dragons have huge HD, even when very young.

Marius
2007-05-09, 07:03 AM
Druids can do worse things than that, they can actually play force dragon tetris.
You can use Shapechange to turn youself into anything with HD = Caster Level, up to 25 HD. A Druid 20 with an Orange Ioun Stone has CL 21; using a Bead of Karma (from the Strand of Prayer beads) ups his CL to 25 for 10 minutes, during which he casts Shapechange.
But first he casts Animal Growth on his animal companion, then he casts Shapechange to turn into a Very Young Force Dragon and shares the spell with his animal companion.
Now the druid is a Very Young Force Dragon on top of his animal companion that is also a very young force dragon but one size category larger thanks t the Animal Growth spell.

Caelestion
2007-05-09, 07:11 AM
That's assuming the MoMF PrC or epic feat to assume dragon form?

Does Shapechange really allow you to apply it to your animal companion? That sounds ridiculous.

Marius
2007-05-09, 07:21 AM
That's assuming the MoMF PrC or epic feat to assume dragon form?

Does Shapechange really allow you to apply it to your animal companion? That sounds ridiculous.

No MoMF, no epic feat, just shapechange. And it does apply to your animal companion since it's a spell that affects you.


Share Spells (Ex)

At the druid’s option, she may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) she casts upon herself also affect her animal companion. The animal companion must be within 5 feet of her at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the animal companion if the companion moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the animal again, even if it returns to the druid before the duration expires.

ZeroNumerous
2007-05-09, 07:58 AM
Caelestion, I'm alittle surprised that you didn't know how broken a druid can be.

FdL
2007-05-09, 10:56 PM
The druid class is like an egg. It's pretty solid to play, but if you want to break it, you will, easily.

Now, I don't see this as a fault of the class but as a consequence of a style of play and mentality (ie, "FTW" videogame mentality that looks for advantages even at the risk of spoiling fun).

MoMF is not that broken, just not very well designed IMHO. If you don't abuse it to ridiculous terms and play it RAW it's even slightly underpowered. But it's got the flavor, so I like it. What is no fun about it is that forces the player to become a monster taxonomist and a MM browser. Which I consider has a big potential for metagaming, a thing I don't like. That's why it's a better option to play the PHB II shapeshifting variant, it's easier to play plus it allows zero crap.

The thing about turning your animal companion into a dragon with yourself, if legal, it's as dumb as it gets and I wouldn't use it . Like I said, even if it's legal by RAW, it goes against the spirit of the rules (hello? changing shape? YOUR body's shape?)

Caelestion
2007-05-10, 06:17 AM
Caelestion, I'm alittle surprised that you didn't know how broken a druid can be.
Well, that's probably because our group never plays high-level spell-casters and we also tend to play extremely thematic characters, which often have the weirdest design decisions simply because we think that would be fun.
(I'm infamous for playing rogues with TWF and Improved Unarmed Strike.)

ZeroNumerous
2007-05-10, 07:42 AM
MoMF is not that broken, just not very well designed IMHO.)

Actually, by RAW, it is broken. Just not broken in the "zomgwtfbbqpwnt" broken. MoMF without it's errata doesn't advance your Wildshape HD limit. So a Druid 5/MoMF 10 by RAW only has access to 5HD creatures.

Marius
2007-05-10, 08:34 AM
The thing about turning your animal companion into a dragon with yourself, if legal, it's as dumb as it gets and I wouldn't use it . Like I said, even if it's legal by RAW, it goes against the spirit of the rules (hello? changing shape? YOUR body's shape?)

I agree that it's a chessy tactic and I would never use it but it's not against the spirit of the rules, why wuold it be? You and your animal companion share the benefits of spells cast on yourself, why won't you share the benefit of shapechange?