[3.5] Would these changes be enough to T3-ify a Druid?

[Syreniac]

As the titles said, would a combination of these changes be enough to push a Druid down to around T3 levels?

1. Spellcasting

• Change to follow the Bards pattern of spells per day, and spells known. Keep the druid spell list.
• Two small exceptions: Change the 1st level spells known at 1st level from 0 to 1. Change the 1st level spells castable at 1st level from - to 0 (so they can use any bonus spells granted by high Wis).

2. Animal companion

• Change to use the Ranger's progression of this ability (i.e. it progresses at half speed compared to normal)
• (On a side note, what would be the effects of giving a Ranger the normal Druid's Animal Companion progression instead of their normal half speed one?)

3. Wild shape

• Change duration from 1 hour/level to 1 min/level
• Remove the ability to change into a Huge Animal, a plant or an elemental form.
• Instead of gaining Wild Shape (elemental) uses at 16th and 20th levels, the Druid instead gains an additional use of Wild Shape/day.
• Limit the number of different forms allowed. At 5th level the Druid chooses one specific animal and can only use the Wild Shape ability to transform into the specific animal. At 8th and again at 11th, 15th, 17th and 19th, the druid can choose one new additional animal to transform into.
• The Wild Spell feat is not available.

[bobthe6th]

Just use the shapechange ACF for wild shape. Take away natural spell, and you should have no problems with letting them have full casting.

animal companion could just be a summon... like they can use a slot of their highest level to summon the animal companion for CL/minutes.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Probably, yeah. Personally, I favor using a Familiar progression instead of the Animal Companion ones, and the Shapechange option from the PHB 2, but what you've got should push them down to a nice, jack-of-all-trades type.

[chaos_redefined]

Just use the shapechange ACF for wild shape. Take away natural spell, and you should have no problems with letting them have full casting.

animal companion could just be a summon... like they can use a slot of their highest level to summon the animal companion for CL/minutes.

Assuming you mean the one from PH2, I personally find that ACF insulting. It gives you the buffs from the various bite of the X series, at the cost of your equipment and your animal companion (and wildshape/natural spell).

In any case, if you wish to use it, then it already loses natural spell anyway, since they no longer qualify. If the option was this or the above, I'd probably take this and never use the shapeshift (full casting > weak animal companion+wild shape).

Generally speaking, I generally hear the following as a simple method of fixing the druid (although I don't think it goes far enough...)

Lose one of the following: Animal Companion, Spellcasting or Wildshape. This ability can not be modified at a later date.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Assuming you mean the one from PH2, I personally find that ACF insulting. It gives you the buffs from the various bite of the X series, at the cost of your equipment and your animal companion (and wildshape/natural spell).

Really? I played a druid for a short campaign using it and enjoyed it greatly. It's simpler, at-will, and available from the start- all of which make it attractive, especially for a new player.

[bobthe6th]

Assuming you mean the one from PH2, I personally find that ACF insulting. It gives you the buffs from the various bite of the X series, at the cost of your equipment and your animal companion (and wildshape/natural spell).

There is a reason it is thought of as semi balanced... it gives limited at will buffs that make you a reasonable fighter. If you buff a bit before that, and with a animal companion you should be good.

In any case, if you wish to use it, then it already loses natural spell anyway, since they no longer qualify. If the option was this or the above, I'd probably take this and never use the shapeshift (full casting > weak animal companion+wild shape).

I honestly could see making the druid an invocation class, with shapeshift and animal companion so it is useful in combat. then it seems less like a cleric, but with a woodsy feel.

[137beth]

Seems like it should work pretty well...
As for the animal companion, yea, it never made sense to me that the ranger got a weaker one. As for your side note about the ranger's animal companion, I did a fix which makes the ranger's animal companion substantially more useable, but I did not touch the druid. If you reduce casting to that of a bard, you may as well not alter the druid's animal companion (assuming you alter the polymorph rules to work in a reasonable way, it isn't too powerful.) On the other hand, even with reduced casting, the druid would still have nice buffs, so you could just as easily give the druid's companion half progression like the RAW ranger.

If you are interested, here is my alternate animal companion. Do not apply this to a druid.

[Gnorman]

Really? I played a druid for a short campaign using it and enjoyed it greatly. It's simpler, at-will, and available from the start- all of which make it attractive, especially for a new player.

Agreed. Shapeshift ACF is an extremely elegant solution to druid dominance. They can still cast spells basically whenever they want (swift action to turn back), but can't dominate the battlefield 24/7 and are forced to actually invest something in physical attributes if they want to be on the front lines.

Plus, it's really fun and requires very little bookkeeping.

Problem is, you can take away Wildshape and the Animal Companion, and a Druid is still probably Tier 1. Being a prepared full caster will do that. With your spell changes, though, you might have done it.