Lucky DMs and the Druids who hate them

[theonesin]

So during our last DnD 3.5 session, both my Druid and his animal companion(Fleshraker Dinosaur) were killed off, the former by a triple-crit, and the latter by the monster exploding.

So I'm trying to think of what to do to counter the DM's rolls. He doesn't cheat, he just has INSANELY good luck with rolling, and tends to crit a lot. Abilities that allow saving throws typically don't work on him (that, or my Fleshraker's Fort 16 Poison attacks are too low anyway) for this reason.

Any advice on what I can do? My Druid's a level 9 Human(he was a level 10 Quasit, but a random NPC revived him AND turned him back to a human, making the process of leveling myself down more complicated). Any animal companions that would work better than the Fleshraker, given the uselessness of its poison abilities?

Thanks.

[Mad Wizard]

Are you sure he doesn't cheat? Does he show you his rolls, or does he keep them hidden? It sounds to me like he's on a power trip.

In any case, my recommendation would be to stick with it. Assuming he's not cheating or using weighted dice, his luck should even out eventually.

[Assassin89]

Wait a minute... how could an evil aligned outsider be reincarnated or resurrected? As for animal companions, I have no idea.

[theonesin]

No, he doesn't cheat. In fact, whenever he does roll a 20, he asks if anyone wants to look to make sure he wasn't lying. And I don't think it's weighted dice, because he's used different sets of dice with the same results.

[InkEyes]

Other than finding a way to become immune to critical hits, there doesn't seem to be much you can do. You say he doesn't cheat, so maybe his dice are unknowingly biased? It's really easy for dice to turn out this way straight from the factory. If it really bothers you, ask him to use your dice or another set.

Fleshrakers are trippers, grapplers and pouncers, the poison is just a nice side. They're meant to pin down enemies so you have fewer to deal with. Some other good animals are brown bears and giant crocodiles, and if you can go outside core the Magebred Ghost Tiger (from Five Nations) is seen as a great replacement. You could also look into flying creatures like Dire Bats and Dire Eagles (Races of Stone).

[theonesin]

Yeah, going outside the core books is no problem, as long as we run things by the DM.

[Starbuck_II]

There are luck feats in Complete Scoundrel:
They let you do stuff like turn a Nat 1 into a 20 (yes, a Crit).
Or turn a Crit into a normal attack (so no extra damage)

This will solve the Crit issue:
Feats:
1) Advantagous Avoidance
2) Better Lucky than Good

[Thorin]

one level deep in warshaper (complete warrior,page 90)
it grants you immunity to critical hits

Voila

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

For the Fleshraker companion, there's probably several things you missed that make it truly amazing:

1. Take the feat Natural Bond from Complete Adventurer, it will negate the -3 penalty to your effective Druid level for the more powerful companion. It definitely works, because you can apply your own bonuses and penalties in whatever order you choose.

2. Give it the feats Ability Focus: Poison from the Monster Manual, and Virulent Poison from Savage Species. Also remember that the DC is 10 + 1/2 its HD + its Con modifier, so the DC increases as it gains hit dice due to being an animal companion. If you're level 9 with Natural Bond, it will have 10 HD and +1 to a stat from levels (Con 16), so the DC will be 22. Cast Enrage Animal (SC) or Bear's Endurance on it and the DC goes to 24, or 26 if you've used both. A Fire Giant is CR 10 and has a +14 Fort save bonus, one of the highest in that CR and it still has to roll decently well to succeed.

3. Cast Venomous Volley, a 2nd level spell from Dragon 330. It hits a 15' cone for 1d6/2 caster levels max 5d6 reflex half, and anything in the area takes a -4 penalty on Fort saves vs poison for 1 minute per caster level regardless of the save. You can find most Dragon material at Crystalkeep. After that cast Snake Bite (SC) or be in the form of something with a poisonous attack (Fleshraker) or even use Summon Nature's Ally to get some poison-delivering vermin. Even opponents with a good Fort save will almost certainly fail a few of your companion's poison saves, opponents with poor base Fort saves will probably need to roll a 20 every time.

For other spells, be sure to use Animal Growth on it, and see if you can get it grandfathered in to work on yourself when you're Wild Shaped. Before the errata Wild Shape changed your creature type to Animal making you a valid target for this spell, but since the errata your creature type doesn't change and this trick was inadvertently ruined. You can use Summon Nature's Ally to get several lions, then cast Animal Growth on all of them and your animal companion and hopefully yourself. Hopefully the opponents will waste attacks on the summoned minions, which will be extremely dangerous combatants. A Lesser Rod of Chain Spell (CA) with Enrage Animal is also extremely useful, just don't bother concentrating on it since it will already outlast the summon.

[Innis Cabal]

Your also missing Venom Fire, another awsome spell to mix with poison using creatures. Its in Serpent Kingdoms

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Your also missing Venom Fire, another awsome spell to mix with poison using creatures. Its in Serpent Kingdoms

No, he's not. He's a Druid. With a Fleshraker. He has no need of a spell that adds 10d6 damage to each hit. That is so badly broken it's not funny. It's like advising someone to take levels of Incantrix or Planar Sheperd. Yes, it's good, but it's more likely to get your character banned than anything else.

[Lappy9000]

No, he doesn't cheat. In fact, whenever he does roll a 20, he asks if anyone wants to look to make sure he wasn't lying. And I don't think it's weighted dice, because he's used different sets of dice with the same results.

Man, I know how that is. I have a die named McCrittey which my group often refuses to let me use. Let's just say I've held back on the monsters who have weapons that crit for x3 or x4 lately

[kladams707]

Hey, someone in our group gave our DM his player killer...

[Innis Cabal]

No, he's not. He's a Druid. With a Fleshraker. He has no need of a spell that adds 10d6 damage to each hit. That is so badly broken it's not funny. It's like advising someone to take levels of Incantrix or Planar Sheperd. Yes, it's good, but it's more likely to get your character banned than anything else.

Its still a wonderful spell, and from a purely damaging point of view, its one that he should not be missing. Ever. He wants a way to make his dino more powerful, and thats a great way to do it

[Inhuman Bot]

Sorry to go off of topic, but which book are Fleashrakers from?

Also, look into that armor type that gives to a chace to be immune to critcals, if druids can wear it.

[Innis Cabal]

I think its MM2 or 3, but not 100% sure.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Sorry to go off of topic, but which book are Fleashrakers from?

MM3. They're essentially raptors with dex-damage poison on every hit. They get about 5 different combat abilities all usable in one turn, and a 4-hit full-attack. And they're a 4th level Animal Companion. The only way I'd be willing to use one is if my Druid was mad with rage and grief after the loss of his previous companion and wanted a physical embodiment of Nature's Rage.

But yes, they rock.

[magic9mushroom]

No, he doesn't cheat. In fact, whenever he does roll a 20, he asks if anyone wants to look to make sure he wasn't lying. And I don't think it's weighted dice, because he's used different sets of dice with the same results.

He could have simply put the 20 face up before he lets you see it.

[theonesin]

Wow, I did not know about the DC thing for the Fleshraker actually going up with as it "leveled". This is my first time playing a Druid, and really no one else in the group is familiar with them either, so I had no idea about that. It'll certainly change things for the better. As for feats, I did take Virulent Poison, but I opted for Improved Multiattack instead. Since I have to "make" a new Fleshraker anyway, should I go back and switch IMA for Ability Focus: Poison?

I already had Natural Bond from the start, so it was still getting all of its "levels". I was also making use of Venomfire in the session that I died in, but apparently even 10d6 Acid damage on the Fleshraker's full attack still wasn't enough to kill it. The DM kept asking why we didn't just run away, but it just doesn't occur to me to run away from a monster as opposed to trying to kill it.

It was mentioned that the Fleshraker has a 4-hit full attack? I thought the full attack was just two claws and either a bite OR tail (with poison) attack?

I liked the idea of the Warshaper, but is it worth it enough to slow down my Druid progression by one level? And as much as those Luck feats look useful, I just don't have enough feats to switch around to make it work.

[Zanticor]

If my druid was hell-bent on taking the fleshraker cheese and even went looking for nasty feats to make it better, I would certainly sent in the improved crit heavy pick brigade! I'm already frustrated with the enlarged legendary snake my druid pulls on my monsters. Are you entirely sure he does not cheat with his crits? Maybe just talk to him about his frustration with the nasty dino and stick with a nice dire wolf for a while. Remember you can never win a power battle with your DM! Only with the rest of the party and that is a battle you don't want to win.

Zanticor

[theonesin]

Well, it seems about half of this topic has been rendered useless now, as when I did my little prayer thing or whatever to try to get a new Fleshraker, the DM gives me a Giant Constrictor Snake instead, on the grounds that the Fleshraker's habitat got destroyed or something so I can't get another one.

On another note, 3 of the four players in our party (I wasn't one of them) all got killed by basically being pulled into a black hole. Yet, they do some weird thing where instead of revived normally and losing a level, they instead get soul-swapped into the bodies of dwarves, and they got to keep their levels (the humans had to drop a feat though). I can't help but feel that was rather unfair since my Druid was forced to lose a level when he died.

I guess what I'm looking for now is how to best optimize my new animal companion. My character is a level 9 Druid with Natural Bond, so I'm not quite sure how to do its stats.

On another note, the DM said I couldn't take Warshaper, even just the first level, because he thought it'd make me too powerful.

[Zherog]

one level deep in warshaper (complete warrior,page 90)
it grants you immunity to critical hits

Voila

Warshaper is a very nice class. Note, though, that it's abilities only apply while you're wild shaped.

[Sendal]

Note, though, that it's abilities only apply while you're wild shaped

only always then.

[Zherog]

No, not necessarily. There are completely reasonable reasons for a druid not to be in wild shape, such as being in town or needing to speak.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Well, it seems about half of this topic has been rendered useless now, as when I did my little prayer thing or whatever to try to get a new Fleshraker, the DM gives me a Giant Constrictor Snake instead, on the grounds that the Fleshraker's habitat got destroyed or something so I can't get another one.

I guess what I'm looking for now is how to best optimize my new animal companion. My character is a level 9 Druid with Natural Bond, so I'm not quite sure how to do its stats.

Druids don't pray for their animal companion to show up, they go find an animal they want, make friends with it, and train it. Go get a Tiger or maybe a Dire Eagle (RoS). For a Tiger either give it Power Attack and later Leap Attack, or instead give it Mage Slayer (CA) and later get Combat Reflexes. For the eagle give it Improved Flight (RotW) and either Combat Reflexes or Mage Slayer, and get the other of those two later. I'm sure there would be more Fleshrakers somewhere, just casting Commune with Nature should find any that are left, and even reveal who destroyed their habitat so you can deliver justice on them. There would probably even be some higher level Druids seeking to prevent the extinction of any species whose habitat was destroyed, and you could probably adopt one from them as your new companion.

[theonesin]

Weird, I thought you prayed to get one back. Well, at any rate, I figure my DM will make me keep the snake for now.

In the society of the game world we're in, the DM made dinosaurs "sacred", which allowed me to bring my pet anywhere in town without getting in trouble. As for the habitat being destroyed, I assume it's because of our idiot Blighter who burned down a good chunk of forests, which spread to the crops of a town that kicked us out just now.

[Vonriel]

A 1st-level druid’s companion is completely typical for its kind except as noted below. As a druid advances in level, the animal’s power increases as shown on the table. If a druid releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion that has perished.

I think this is the particular paragraph causing confusion, emphasis mine.

Personally, I think it's ridiculous that the DM is forcing you to accept an animal companion you don't necessarily want. I'd be ok with him banning certain ones (no fleshrakers or tigers, for instance) but to say "this is your animal companion, enjoy it or enjoy it, your choice," is a bit much.

[woodenbandman]

Your DM probably is using weighted dice.

Not intentionally. i don't mean to impugn his character, but check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR2fxoNHIuU

This guy explains why dice will sometimes roll 20s more often than other dice.

[magic9mushroom]

Weird, I thought you prayed to get one back. Well, at any rate, I figure my DM will make me keep the snake for now.

In the society of the game world we're in, the DM made dinosaurs "sacred", which allowed me to bring my pet anywhere in town without getting in trouble. As for the habitat being destroyed, I assume it's because of our idiot Blighter who burned down a good chunk of forests, which spread to the crops of a town that kicked us out just now.

He can't. Well, he can, but the rules clearly say you can dump it and get a new one. Banning Fleshrakers is a different matter, but he can't choose your companion for you.

[theonesin]

Well, I did figure that I could always let it die and grab a new one anyway. So I guess I'll just make due with what I have for now.

My earlier question still remains though. I'm not sure how to stat up the Giant Constrictor Snake as my animal companion.