Wife needs advice on what's good gear to aim for for Druids.

[LordBlade]

We're currently level 4. I never really play a Druid myself, so I don't know what to be looking for. Not that I tend to know much anyway, that's why I come here. :p

Basically I'd like everyone to have a wishlist of items, so when I'm DM I can try to sprinkle some of those things around (instead of the usual useless crap that comes preset in campaigns).

[BloodSnake'sCha]

How does she play the druid?

Anyway, "Being Everything: Eggynack's Comprehensive Druid Handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?439991-Being-Everything-Eggynack-s-Comprehensive-Druid-Handbook)" have an item list and this is a very good handbook.

[tiercel]

The most obvious item would likely be the Wilding Clasp (MIC), which allows a druid to actually use magic items while wildshaping. Given that most druids eventually wind up spending much/all time in wildshape... not having to "turn off" (or figure out which items can be doffed and then re-donned) important magic items is pretty much, yeah.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Wilding Clasp (MIC) has already been mentioned, when attached to another worn item that item continues to function when you wild shape.

Monk's Belt (DMG): Adds Wis to AC, plus other benefits. A function of a belt is to hold other items, so just one wilding clasp on this allows you to use the belt to hold other items (wands, etc.) which will also not be melded into your form when you wild shape.

Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend (DMG): It's cheap, and it makes spells last twice as long. Use it with buffs like Longstrider, Barkskin, Bull's Strength, etc. Use it for offensive spells like Creeping Cold (for 21d6 damage from a 2nd level spell).

Wand of Lesser Vigor (DMG, SC): Heals 11 hp for 15 gp per charge, significantly cheaper than potions (50 gp per use) and more cost effective than Cure Light Wounds (1d8+1 averages 5.5 points healed per use). Use this to fix everyone between encounters.

Ring of the Beast (CC): Makes your Summon Nature's Ally spells more effective, doesn't need a Wilding Clasp. Consider getting the full set.

Wild armor (DMG): It still melds into your form when you wild shape and you're not considered to be wearing armor, even though you keep its armor bonus to your AC, so the Monk's Belt AC bonus will still apply. Preferably get Armor of the Beast (CC) for the set bonus.

Raiment of the Stormwalker set (MIC): None of the pieces need a Wilding Clasp, though the ring and bracers are probably the only ones worth getting.

Adding additional effects to other items (MIC p234): You can add a deflection bonus to AC to another type of ring for the same price as a Ring of Protection of the same bonus. You can add an enhancement bonus to Wis to any other head or neck item for the same price as a Periapt of Wisdom of the same bonus. The more effects you combine into a single item, the fewer Wilding Clasps you need to purchase.

Otherwise get all the Necessary Magic Item (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) effects that your spells and class features don't already cover.

[Darrin]

First, some cheap magic items to make a druid's life easier:

Chronocharm of the Uncaring Archmage (500 GP, MIC). 1/day you can cast a 1st through 3rd level spell with a full-round casting time as a standard action. For when you have to get that SNA out there in the same round.

Pearl of Speech (600 GP, MIC). Putting this pearl under your tongue allows you to speak a language. She doesn't quite have wild shape yet, but she can cast aspect of the wolf, and this would allow her to still cast spells with verbal components. Or you could give the pearl to your animal companion, which could allow them to activate command-word items, such as...

Talisman of the Disk (500 GP, MIC). This can be used to create a "sidecar" either for your non-pouncing animal companion to "ride" next to you (up to 30' per round) and unload a full attack against an adjacent enemy, or you could give it to your animal companion (speechified via the pearl) to charge in alongside them, spending a full-round action to attack or cast spells or what have you.

Feather Token: Tree or Swan Boat (400/450 GP, MIC). These are one-shot items, but she can cast winged watcher (Complete Scoundrel), fly above an opponent, and then activate these items for 20d6 falling object damage.

Also, two other optional material components that can make a world of difference for a low-level druid:

Fairy Dust (100 GP, Complete Mage). Adds an "Extend Spell" effect when used with a transmutation spell. There are lots of great transmutation spells, but creeping cold (Spell Compendium) is particularly devastating, as it goes from 6d6 damage over 3 round to *21d6* damage over 6 rounds.

Golden Desert Honey (300 GP, Complete Mage). A little pricey, but when you use this with a summon spell, it knocks the casting time down to a standard action. You can cheat a little on the price with a Chaos Flask (100 GP, Planar Handbook), to turn it into a half-pound of golden desert honey with a free action DC 13 Wisdom check.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

If the druid has a really high Wis score, shapesand (Sandstorm) would allow her to make whatever items she wants whenever she has a few moments to concentrate. Could be quite useful. Even better, it's reusable!

[schreier]

Druid's satchel from Dungeon Magazine #92 (pg 103) is pretty cool and rarely talked about.

It's a shoulder bag that looks like it holds about 5 pounds. It works like a bag of holding, but the text says it can hold up to "2 cubic feet or 120 pounds of material." If you look at bags of holding, they can hold:

Bag Bag Weight Contents
Weight Limit Contents
Volume Limit Market Price
Type I 15 lb. 250 lb. 30 cu. ft. 2,500 gp
Type II 25 lb. 500 lb. 70 cu. ft. 5,000 gp
Type III 35 lb. 1,000 lb. 150 cu. ft. 7,400 gp
Type IV 60 lb. 1,500 lb. 250 cu. ft. 10,000 gp

The 2 cubic feet doesn't make much sense to me, so I changed it to 20 cubic feet.

The more important powers though are: "when the wearer reached into it for a specific item, that item is always on top; retreiving an item from a druid's satchel is a free action" and "It the wearer assumes a different form through .... wild shape, the satchel changes form to accommodate the new form chosen but is not absorbed into the new form." This allows you to wild shape and still have items available for use through the bag.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Druid's satchel from Dungeon Magazine #92 (pg 103) is pretty cool and rarely talked about.

It's a shoulder bag that looks like it holds about 5 pounds. It works like a bag of holding, but the text says it can hold up to "2 cubic feet or 120 pounds of material." If you look at bags of holding, they can hold:

Bag Bag Weight Contents
Weight Limit Contents
Volume Limit Market Price
Type I 15 lb. 250 lb. 30 cu. ft. 2,500 gp
Type II 25 lb. 500 lb. 70 cu. ft. 5,000 gp
Type III 35 lb. 1,000 lb. 150 cu. ft. 7,400 gp
Type IV 60 lb. 1,500 lb. 250 cu. ft. 10,000 gp

The 2 cubic feet doesn't make much sense to me, so I changed it to 20 cubic feet.

The more important powers though are: "when the wearer reached into it for a specific item, that item is always on top; retreiving an item from a druid's satchel is a free action" and "It the wearer assumes a different form through .... wild shape, the satchel changes form to accommodate the new form chosen but is not absorbed into the new form." This allows you to wild shape and still have items available for use through the bag.So it's a smaller version of a handy haversack combined with a wilding clasp?

[schreier]

Wildling Clasp says "When so worn, a clasp prevents the worn item from melding into your new form when you use wild shape (as long as the item could reasonably be worn by the new form)."

Druid Satchel says "the satchel changes form to accommodate the new form chosen" - so it would change size and fit to match the new body. Change into a cat, maybe it's kind of like a saddle bag. Change into a fish, it still somehow fits around the fin. Additionally, retrieving an item is a free action (even the Haversack is a quick action I believe).

Plus, the Satchel only costs 3000, while a wildling Clasp is 4000 by itself.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Personally, I like to have myself skinned by someone with the Illithid Heritage feat so the skin is treated as a humanoid skin illithid graft, then use the MIC's item creation rules to add the following properties to it (at minimum): a possum pouch (in the obvious place), a handy haversack (to add its handy dandy x3 pouches and ability to pull from as a move action while what you actually want is always on top to the pouch), sanctified enveloping pit x3 (to vastly expand the inventory space of the handy haversack possum pouches into 10' x 10' x 50'), a pair of gloves of the master strategist (to store in and pull from the possum pouches as free actions, while shrinking everything by a factor of ~4,000), and a spell component pouch. Because why not? This gives me my own personal kangaroo hammerspace.

Then I have it regrafted onto myself, possibly via a spell which grants regeneration.

Of course, that's not usually affordable until later on. But it's something to work up to!

[LordBlade]

We don't use DM or homebrew stuff (unless there's a lot of discussion ahead of time). We stick to the official books (though I know DM is "technically" official).

The Druid guide has been really handy, and taught us both a lot. Honestly nobody in our group ever wants to roll a Druid. :p
I've got my Warlock character (also a somewhat new experience) and I've been finding a ton of great info here.