How should I stat up a Wood Elf Druid Summoner?

[Max Caysey]

Hi guys and girls

I'm going to be playing a Wood Elf druid summoner with Greenbound summoning. So that will be my primary "weapon" so to speak. But I'm usure of how to place my stats. I will be shapechanging, but, Its kind of going to be my tertiary thing. Secondary option will be optimizing my animal companion... so I don't expect I'll be tanking anything to beging with. We start at level 4 and have gotting 76 stat points to deal out.

I'm currently looking to place stats as follows (before racial modifiers):

8
8
16
14
18
12

I wonder if this seems like a good way of doing it when my primary action will be to summon, secondary will be optimizing animal companion and third will be shapechanging? I'm specidfically thinking about dumping charisma to 10 raising my con or int with another 2.

My feat selection, including flaws are: Spell Focus (Conjuration), Augment Summoning, Greenbound Summoning. My level 3 feat I'm cosidering going either Ashbound Summoning or Exalted Companion giving my Stag the Celestial template.

What do you guys think? The current setup has been chosen based on Eggynack’s Comprehensive Druid Handbook, which I have just got to give a massive shout out to! Wow that is some seriously empressive work!

Any suggestions or comments are most welcome!

Cheers!

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Start with Greenbound Summoning, Ashbound, and Natural Bond for sure. Get one of the "level -3" animal companions like a Fleshraker dinosaur or Dire Eagle, and Natural Bond will allow you to still count your full Druid level toward its benefits. For your last feat Exalted Companion or even Nymph's Kiss are worth considering.

With Exalted Companion your animal companion can take exalted feats as well, namely Vow of Poverty, which is incredibly strong but you can't do that with a Fleshraker due to BoED's hate of poison use. It's also worth mentioning that a non-celestial animal companion can have the Warbeast template in MM2 added via Handle Animal, so there is an opportunity cost with going that route.

[Max Caysey]

Start with Greenbound Summoning, Ashbound, and Natural Bond for sure. Get one of the "level -3" animal companions like a Fleshraker dinosaur or Dire Eagle, and Natural Bond will allow you to still count your full Druid level toward its benefits. For your last feat Exalted Companion or even Nymph's Kiss are worth considering.

With Exalted Companion your animal companion can take exalted feats as well, namely Vow of Poverty, which is incredibly strong but you can't do that with a Fleshraker due to BoED's hate of poison use. It's also worth mentioning that a non-celestial animal companion can have the Warbeast template in MM2 added via Handle Animal, so there is an opportunity cost with going that route.

Thank you for your reply.

I'm pretty set on using the Elk from DR#333, p87 as animal companion. It fits my wood elf, so I'm going with that even though it might not be the absolut best choise. The plan was indeed to add the Warbeast template, so it not only got stronger, but was rideable as well. Only problem I face is weather or not it comes online for me at level 1 or level 4 - I can't seem to figure this out. Does anyone know when the Elk, from DR#333 comes online as an animal companion - and why?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Thank you for your reply.

I'm pretty set on using the Elk from DR#333, p87 as animal companion. It fits my wood elf, so I'm going with that even though it might not be the absolut best choise. The plan was indeed to add the Warbeast template, so it not only got stronger, but was rideable as well. Only problem I face is weather or not it comes online for me at level 1 or level 4 - I can't seem to figure this out. Does anyone know when the Elk, from DR#333 comes online as an animal companion - and why?

Dragon 333 page 87 for those wondering (always include a page number when referencing Dragon Magazine, their table of contents is not clear at all). An Elk is 3 HD, same as a horse, which is available to a 1st level Druid. The Elk also doesn't say anything about it being a more powerful companion, so it's definitely able to be obtained at 1st level.

[Max Caysey]

Dragon 333 page 87 for those wondering (always include a page number when referencing Dragon Magazine, their table of contents is not clear at all). An Elk is 3 HD, same as a horse, which is available to a 1st level Druid. The Elk also doesn't say anything about it being a more powerful companion, so it's definitely able to be obtained at 1st level.

I was pretty sure I referenced a page number... anyways, thanks. That was what I thought too, except I couldn't find any info so I was uncertain. You mentioned that I can't have both celestial template and warbeast template! Could you elaborate why that is... because I can't see anything excluding this?

Cheers!

[Endarire]

Eggynack's Druid Guide (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?439991-Being-Everything-Eggynack-s-Comprehensive-Druid-Handbook).

How determined are you to go Wood Elf? Other races can get you better stats, but it's your character.

[Max Caysey]

Eggynack's Druid Guide (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?439991-Being-Everything-Eggynack-s-Comprehensive-Druid-Handbook).

How determined are you to go Wood Elf? Other races can get you better stats, but it's your character.

Yeah... I'm pretty set on wood elf. Thing is, I better not push my DM more than I have, having him allow Greenbound is probably the max I can push my optimization. I also had him give us 2 stat points more, than he wanted to origionally...

[Endarire]

When I mentioned better stats, I meant Human for the extra feat and skills. I know from experience in a difficult campaign that the extra feat matters, but, again, it's your character.

[Max Caysey]

When I mentioned better stats, I meant Human for the extra feat and skills. I know from experience in a difficult campaign that the extra feat matters, but, again, it's your character.

I actually ended up going human since my DM for some arbitrary reason would only allow one flaw...

[el minster]

But aren't flaws a bit cheesy?

[Max Caysey]

But aren't flaws a bit cheesy?

Only if you consider feats cheesy... I mean most classes have so few feats. Its nice to have an extra but two extra would have been better. I don't personally consider gaining one or two feats at level 1 inherently cheesy at all. I actually think the game has too few feats as it is... There are too manny options which never see the light of day simply because of heavy or arbitrary feat requirements. Options which could have been fun, if only characters had more feats!