Protector Druid Feat Advice Request

[OACSNY97]

Looking for build help, especially with feats

I'm currently playing a Scales of War 4e game where all WotC material is allowed.
I'm looking for some advice on a feats and possibly items and powers wishlist for the rest of heroic tier.
My GM is ok with a certain level of rebuilding above and beyond retraining at level up.

My character is currently a level 3 Shadar-kai Protector Druid with a Fey Blink Dog and Circle of Shelter feature.
Overall, I want to play something of a plant mage specializing in difficult terrain.
As a couple of notes, at this point, I have not yet bothered summoning anything besides my companion Blink Dog and I'm having difficulties making great use of the shapeshifting.
Playing a controller is also something of an experiment for me as my natural inclination is towards playing a buffing and healing leader that can occasionally offer a good smack.
I'm also feeling a bit short on healing surges since I'm spending a lot of them on keeping my pet alive.

The rest of the build is as follows:
Class- Protector Druid (GM ok with using 4core dailies instead of Essentials extra summons at subsequent levels)
Race- Shadar-kai
Pet- Blink Dog
Theme- Fey Beast Tamer
Background- Moonshae Isles (chosen for the saves and the language as I wasn't fond of any of the more thematically sensible options and willing to trade out)
Ability scores at level 3-
STR 10
CON 13
DEX 16 (14+2 racial)
INT 13
WIS 18 (16+2 racial)
CHA 10
Skills-
Nature
Athletics
Endurance
Perception
Powers-
Primal Attunements
Air Spirit
Verdant Touch
Call the Spirits
At-Wills
Grasping Tide
Swarm of Locusts
Encounters
Thorn Spray (Lvl 1)
Wind Wall (Lvl 3)
Daily-
Summon Natural Ally (Lvl 1)
Utilities-
Nature's Growth (Lvl 1)
Seed of Healing (Lvl 2) (may train out)
Shadow Jaunt (racial)
Feats-
Beastwalker Circle
Staff Expertise
Major Equipment-
Earthroot Staff +1 (Lvl 3)
Hide armor
Potion of Healing x2

I want to play up why a Shadar-kai might have been called to being a Druid and that's led me to plant mage- everyone likes to eat after all and the Shadowfell is not known for easy living.
As such, I'm planning on taking the following powers:
Lvl 5 Daily- Vine Serpents
Lvl 6 Utility- Leaf Wall
Lvl 7 Encounter- ??? (probably will just take Charm Beast because it's the sky blue power of the level since nothing plant based jumps out at me)
Lvl 9 Daily- Entangle
Lvl 10 Utility- ??? (Feywild Sojourn, Goodberry or one of the buffs- depends a lot on some other party build choices)

Ability score increases- please critique
WIS at both 4th and 8th
CON at 4th because I want a +2 in FORT and the extra healing surge
DEX at 8th because keeping up with secondary riders

Feats are what's holding me up. I'm looking at most of them and am just bored. I like feats that play with elemental synergy once the feat taxes are taken care of but I'm mostly doing untyped damage. I'm enjoying making zones of difficult terrain and would be willing to consider feats that help trap enemies in the zones.

Is World's Serpent's Grasp useful here? It's one of very few that look fun rather than just math fix.
Should I take my GM's advice and take Agile Form even though my character is mostly in bipedal form?
Is there a worthwhile multiclass feat?

Thank you for reading this wall of text.

[Dimers]

Disclaimer: I am not particularly adept at optimizing.


I'm also feeling a bit short on healing surges since I'm spending a lot of them on keeping my pet alive.

A build with animal companion or fey beast is mechanically best off letting them die, then resummoning later. It lets you get at least two surges' value for the price of one. But of course that's horrible and cruel in RP, when the creature is supposed to be precious to you. Maybe you could play it as an aspect of shadar-kai philosophy? Life is supposed to be extreme -- far be it from you to keep your pet from taking risks.


Lvl 7 Encounter- ??? (probably will just take Charm Beast because it's the sky blue power of the level since nothing plant based jumps out at me)

Cold damage aside, grasp of winter is very entangley. Or take the level 3 quills instead, which needs no refluffing at all. But yeah, charm beast is hella strong. Why not describe it as mind-altering spores/pollen?


Is World's Serpent's Grasp useful here? It's one of very few that look fun rather than just math fix. Should I take my GM's advice and take Agile Form even though my character is mostly in bipedal form? Is there a worthwhile multiclass feat?

WSG is great, and it certainly helps you fulfill your controller role. Agile Form might get used once per combat, given your play preferences, and won't necessarily be helpful at the time it comes up. Your DM might be encouraging you to wildshape more. And I opine that there's ALWAYS a good multiclass feat! I love getting more skills, powers and options. The three that I'd judge best for your current setup are all kinda physical, for better or for worse: Blade Initiate, Monastic Disciple, Twilight Adept. Monastic Disciple is the only one that might help get creatures into your controller zones, though.

There are some fitting skill powers. Nature sense is strong, path of the bounding stag and spot the path both work with your difficult-terrain theme, and I think foil ambush could also be fluffed as plant-y (the plants warn you!). You could choose one in place of an existing utility or you could spend one of those boring feats.

Heritage/bloodline feats are potentially more interesting to explore too. Take a look at Shade, Elan, Foulborn or Deva Heritage.


I want to play up why a Shadar-kai might have been called to being a Druid and that's led me to plant mage- everyone likes to eat after all and the Shadowfell is not known for easy living.

Mmm, Mother's Bloom feat, then?

[OACSNY97]

Dimers- Thanks for getting back to me a few days ago. I didn't abandon my thread, I've just been a bit too busy to take the time to write the reply your post deserves.


Disclaimer: I am not particularly adept at optimizing.

A build with animal companion or fey beast is mechanically best off letting them die, then resummoning later. It lets you get at least two surges' value for the price of one. But of course that's horrible and cruel in RP, when the creature is supposed to be precious to you. Maybe you could play it as an aspect of shadar-kai philosophy? Life is supposed to be extreme -- far be it from you to keep your pet from taking risks.

I agree it's terrible RP which is why I've been burning too many healing surges keeping my pet alive. After talking with my GM, we decided to fluff it as the dog blinking back to the Feywild to rest up, which annoys me less that picturing the dog dying every fight.



Cold damage aside, grasp of winter is very entangley. Or take the level 3 quills instead, which needs no refluffing at all. But yeah, charm beast is hella strong. Why not describe it as mind-altering spores/pollen?

Overall, after looking at the power and feat selections again, much as I didn't really want to play a weather mage, that's pretty much what druid's best at after shifting. I may end up going more weather/elemental anyway if it makes the build easier, so any suggestions that way? FYI- Wind Wall (lvl 3 encounter) is fun.



WSG is great, and it certainly helps you fulfill your controller role. Agile Form might get used once per combat, given your play preferences, and won't necessarily be helpful at the time it comes up. Your DM might be encouraging you to wildshape more. And I opine that there's ALWAYS a good multiclass feat! I love getting more skills, powers and options. The three that I'd judge best for your current setup are all kinda physical, for better or for worse: Blade Initiate, Monastic Disciple, Twilight Adept. Monastic Disciple is the only one that might help get creatures into your controller zones, though.

Yay! World Serpent's Grasp probably is worth my time, but it may be better to wait until I've got another encounter power to pair with it.

Turns out that my GM had been advocating Agile Form so I could get the extra couple of squares of movement by shifting in and out of Wild Shape every other turn. The argument makes sense but I'm not sure if I want to. On the other hand, the party leader just changed from Artificer to Warlord, so playing ping-pong with enemies may become more possible. Must think on this more...

Thanks for the multi-class feat options. I've got a question about Blade Initiate- how does the feature "once per day, when you are wielding a blade, you invoke the Swordmage Warding feature..." play with a staff druid? Do I need to switch to Swordmage implements to make this work best?



There are some fitting skill powers. Nature sense is strong, path of the bounding stag and spot the path both work with your difficult-terrain theme, and I think foil ambush could also be fluffed as plant-y (the plants warn you!). You could choose one in place of an existing utility or you could spend one of those boring feats.

Heritage/bloodline feats are potentially more interesting to explore too. Take a look at Shade, Elan, Foulborn or Deva Heritage.

Mmm, Mother's Bloom feat, then?

Thanks for the Nature Sense suggestion as an option for retraining my level 2 encounter. I may just do that.

I can't find Mother's Bloom anywhere on the off-line character builder or when I went to consult the internet, specifically the D&D4 Wiki. Do you know where I might find this feat? The closest thing I'm finding is the Bloom ritual, but regrettably, I'm not a ritual caster.

After this ramble and a third look through the builder options, I'm still not sure what I wan to do for feats, but I'm starting to think that I can probably keep my plant/terrain theme going for utility and daily powers, but I may just need to go wind/weather for encounters.

If I do end up going for more weather based powers AND realizing that with a Warlord in the party, forced movement is going to be happening a lot more, what other suggestions are there?

Thanks :)

[darkbard]

I can't find Mother's Bloom anywhere on the off-line character builder or when I went to consult the internet, specifically the D&D4 Wiki. Do you know where I might find this feat? The closest thing I'm finding is the Bloom ritual, but regrettably, I'm not a ritual caster

Dragon 412:
Mother's Bloom
Prerequisite: 2nd level, must worship Chauntea
Benefit: You master the Bloom ritual. You can perform the Bloom ritual in 5 minutes, including during a short rest, and you need no ritual book to do so. Performing the ritual during a short rest does not prevent you from resting. If a creature in the ritual’s affected area spends healing surges at the end of the rest, that creature regains additional hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier with each healing surge.
In addition, you can perform the Bloom ritual once per day without expending ritual components.

[Dimers]

I don't have the brainpower at the moment to get in-depth, but this one is easy for me --


I've got a question about Blade Initiate- how does the feature "once per day, when you are wielding a blade, you invoke the Swordmage Warding feature..." play with a staff druid? Do I need to switch to Swordmage implements to make this work best?

You can wield a wrist razor without giving up a staff at all. If you want maximal AC from the Blade Initiate daily, though, yes, you'd have to change implement arrangements. That's not a horrible idea, since there are tons of interesting weapon enchantments that can apply to implement attacks ... but staves are some of the best enchantments out there, and Staff Expertise is vastly better than Versatile Expertise. I opine that it's better to just not make optimal use of Blade Initiate.

EDIT: Mother's Bloom plus protector druid lets you double up on that Wis healing bonus, though you have to short rest twice (gotta recharge Nature's Growth).