About druids

Remove all ads!

I personally like playing with Weimer's fantastic mod for druids installed. In my opinion it makes the druids better, and I've always liked them for whatever reasons. But I usually play druids pure sometimes just adding 1 lvl of ranger. Anyones out there who have some nice ideas of how to enhance the druids any further? Perhaps someone have played a party consisting of only druids? as I'm planning to do after finishing my recent game.

 

Barbarian1/Druid X has great potential. Extra HPs, BAB, weapon choices, speed compliment druid well. Not sure if rage continues when shapechanged, but this could help as well. While abilities score requirements are strained, note the availibility of many Wis building items and potions, so max Str and Con and go with 14 Wis to start. Makes a great frontliner with great buffing spells.

Ranger/druid works well. Using leather armor and duel wielding can work, but I prefer fighter4/druidX. Gets more fighter feats (take ambi and 2weapon fighting if you want) plus weapon specialization. More weapon choices until you settle down with that late game great weapon of your choice. I hate being stuck with a simple mace+1 while everyone else has better weapons because you are limited in your choices.

Right now I am trying a monk20/druid10 (currently monk 13) for decoy in HOF who could help out in a fight. Maxing Wis and Dex.
I personally love going treant while in the ice temple. Entangle when hit comes in handy in some of those big battles.

 

Monk 1/Druid X works fairly well, though you have to be careful with that build... you can't wear anything on your chest without losing your Wisdom bonus to AC (which can get around +8, if you work at it). This isn't a character to fight barehanded... instead, use two-handed weapons if you've got a 14+ strength, or just find something one-handed and stick with it. Weapon finesse is pretty good for them, as well.

Does anyone know if you can use stunning attack with your wildshape's natural attacks?

 

You could make a LN druid with one lvl monk (for saves and AC-bonus from wis), one lvl ranger (if you plan to use 2-weapon-fighting )and one lvl dreadmaster for the extra wis-quest.

 

A newbie question about druids in 3rd edition rules: can they yield metal weapons? If I remember correctly from Baldur's Gate, druids are supposed to have some restrictions (only club, scimitar, staff or pike) even if they have fighter levels. My druid in IWDII seems to be able to use swords, though.

I guess I will try the fighter4/druid X build. I don't think i will put feats in weapon profficiency, though. +1 to hit and +2 to damage does not seem worth 2 feats. I was thinking to add some spell penetration/focus feats, but not sure what school. Any suggestions?

 

There are no weapons or armor restrictions on Druids in IWD2

 

Seems to me though, that everyone here uses his druid in the frontline battles... Won't you be better off taking a fighter or a barbarian in that case?

Do druids have so many great spells that other spellcasters don't have? Is the shapeshifting that great? Someone fill me in please, because a druid seems to me like he's an allround character, but doesn't excell in any discipline... (bit like the bard...)

 

@ Spliff Krieger
Some people like shapeshifting but I usually only use them when I'm hurt and then quickly change back to regain some HP. The druid gets 8 HP/lvl (with max HP/lvl enabled) which is not far from the fighters 10. The difference seems even less with good constitution: With con=18 youll get 12 instead of 14 HP which is about 15% less.
The .75*BAB makes them able to hit most enemies quite easily.
The spells aren't as good as the ones the arcane casters get but the damaging spells are at least close to the arcane spells.
If you want your druid in the frontline it might be good to take one lvl in any fightingclass to be able to use the best weapons you get.
A fighter/barb might be a better frontliner but the ability to cast powerful spells and to be an almost as good frontliner makes the druid better. I like having a party with 3 frontliners and 6 high-lvl casters.

[ July 06, 2005, 10:38: Message edited by: Mudde ]

 

Bar1/druidX with Bear's strength, barkskin. two handed weapon, raging will mow through those tough monsters, with the ability to flame strike, ice storm, lightning, etc if you need it. Similar to the bard, as the backup healer, buffer, 2nd tank. Do not underestimate the shapechange. Weimers mod adding Will-o-wisp makes great decoy.

 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Crushing Wave. That is one deadly spell right there. The only downside is that it takes a long time to cast. If you can time it right and you give your druid plenty of concentration skills, it's incredible.

 

What happened to stacking Call Lightning and Static Charge? I guess maybe its a bit too cheap

 

Heck, I've always liked just casting 2 or 3 Static Charges in an indoor fight... they're a lot less perky when you're pounding on them, and the spells keep hitting them, too.