D&D 3E/3.5 First time Druid help (3.5e)

[Innocent Bystander]

I'm set to play my first druid and will be starting at level 10 and am looking for feat recommendations, as well as items (have 49000gp, no more than 1/2 spent on 1 item), and wild shape forms for combat.

I think for feats, Natural Spell is a must, but that's about as far as I know for sure. This is for a solo game, so his animal companion is going to be a dire lion for some melee help.

 

[Dandu]

Bead of Karma (20,000) x1
Metamagic Rod of Extend Spell, Lesser (3,000)
+Wis item
Monk's Belt (13,000)
Boots of Speed (12,000)
Pearl of Power

Does any of this look good to you?

Other than that, I guess you should check out the Druid Handbook or something.

 

[shadyizok]

I had my druid burn a feat on heavy armour proficiency and took a +1 beastskin dragonhide fullplate (I know, long name). That's a massive +9 ac to your combat form right there for a measely 12k.

For feats:
Natural spell offcourse!
spellbound companion is decent.
Dragon Wild Shape (when you hit lvl 12)
Maybe a metamagic feat.

For items:
the biggest +wisdom periapt you can buy
a bunch of wilding clasps
train your animal companion as a warbeast ala MM2.
Buy your animal the best armour you can buy since it's proficient with it now. (or a rhinohide is good since the lion has pounce. +2d6 damage on every attack on a charge!)

For the rest it's not really importent. Druids are pretty powerfull as is.

 

[Corsair]

I had my druid burn a feat on heavy armour proficiency and took a +1 beastskin dragonhide fullplate (I know, long name). That's a massive +9 ac to your combat form right there for a measely 12k.

For feats:
Natural spell offcourse!
spellbound companion is decent.
Dragon Wild Shape (when you hit lvl 12)
Maybe a metamagic feat.

For items:
the biggest +wisdom periapt you can buy
a bunch of wilding clasps
train your animal companion as a warbeast ala MM2.
Buy your animal the best armour you can buy since it's proficient with it now. (or a rhinohide is good since the lion has pounce. +2d6 damage on every attack on a charge!)

For the rest it's not really importent. Druids are pretty powerfull as is.

Armor: Get Wild armor. Slightly more expensive, but it loses all the penalties when you change form, but explicitly only retains the armor bonus. This means no need for silly proficiencies, you don't have to worry about max dex bonus or reduced speed, AND it doesn't waste one of your wildshape uses. (Alternatives: Monk's Belt + wilding clasp; Greater Luminous Armor [BoED])

Feats: Strongly consider SF: Conjuration and Augment Summoning. Personally for a solo druid game I'd go something like Human with SF: Conjuration, Augment Summoning, Spontaneous Healing, Natural Spell, Leadership. Dragon Wildshape at 12 is a good choice as well. Check out the plane shift ability of the gem dragons in MM2. If Wilding clasps are not easy to find though, you should strongly consider Craft Wondrous Item.

Items: Armor (you're a warrior), Wis item (+ wilding clasp) are your main initial investments. I generally agree with Shady here.

 

[Dandu]

The question is, where do you want to take this character?

 

[Innocent Bystander]

Thanks a lot so far guys. Awesome stuff. I'm a little hesitant on the wild armor because of the cost, and strength is going to be a dump stat (max 10, it's 32 pb) so it would hinder my druid while not in wildshape. The +WIS item is a given of course, and I'll pick up wilding clasps as needed (i'm assuming they're only good for amulets, peraipts, and cloaks?), and I'll look at an extend spell wand.

Loving the feats offered. For story purposes the druid is an elf so I've only got 4 feats to play with. I was thinking of burning one on track until I realized I could just wildshape into a wolf or something that already has the track feat. So my feat list at the moment is looking like, Natural Spell, Companion Spellbound (thank you so much for that one, it's really going to come in handy), and Augment Summoning. Where's spontaneous healing from?

Can Animal Growth be used on himself while in wildshape, or is that typically a dm to dm call? If I can, between that and Companion Spellbound will be simply awesome.

The story goes he's been asked by the druidic council to go to a continent that until now was sealed off. A number of races/cultures are flocking there to retrieve a powerful artificat (part of the reason the continent was magically sealed off) and his directive is to find it, find a way to destroy it, or return it to the council so they can destroy it. Their view is it's too powerful an item for any one to have and would ultimately upset the balance. The dire lion is actually the cursed form of his lover. A druid herself as well, she's been locked into that form for his past transgressions against the council. Originally she was just a lioness, but in his search for a way to break the curse, one attempt turned her ferral and into the dire form. For that reason, using her as a mount won't fly, but I'll definitely keep that in mind the next time I write up a druid. The council has offered to undo the curse if he retrieves/destroys the artificat.

 

[Corsair]

Spontaneous Healer is from Complete Divine. Basically lets you pretend you're a cleric for Wis-mod times per day and turn spells into Cure spells. However if you're dead set on Companion Spellbound and being an Elf, you probably won't have space for it (as things like Augment Summoning or Leadership are better options, particularly in a solo game)


If you want to avoid the armor, either Greater Luminous Armor (4th level, 1 hour / level, +8 Armor AC and -4 to opponent melee attacks) or a Monk's Belt (with Wilding Clasp) are your main options.


Animal Growth no longer works on druids since wildshape revision. Wildshape does not change your type. Ergo, you are not an "animal" and not a valid target of the spell.


Also these druids sound like dicks. Get artifact, become mega powerful, break curse yourself with new found power or force someone to do it for you.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Animal Growth no longer works on druids since wildshape revision. Wildshape does not change your type. Ergo, you are not an "animal" and not a valid target of the spell.

In other words, drink a potion of Enlarge Person before Wildshaping, or get psionic tattoos of Expansion to use while in animal form. Or just have an ally cast it on you...

 

[Innocent Bystander]

Or just have an ally cast it on you...

Won't be any allies aside from my animal companion. Would the potion effects carry over if you wildshaped? At 250 a piece, I'd really stock up on those.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Won't be any allies aside from my animal companion. Would the potion effects carry over if you wildshaped? At 250 a piece, I'd really stock up on those.

Yes, you retain your type when you wildshape (humanoid for you, I assumed), so the potion can still affect you.

They're only 50 gp a piece, though, for CL 1 and 1 minute duration. It's not worth it to really extend it or get a higher CL, the potions still likely won't last more than 1 fight.