Author Topic: Base class: Druid  (Read 9028 times)

Offline sirpercival

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Base class: Druid
« on: October 20, 2012, 10:09:23 AM »
DRUID


Picture credit: Edli

"By Fire and by Water, between the Earth and Sky
We stand like the World-Tree rooted deep, crowned high."

- Ian Corrigan, druid

A Druid wields the primal magic of nature, speaking with the voice of flora and fauna, calling the woods to his aid, and taking the form of the creatures he rules over.

MAKING A DRUID
TBA...
Abilities: Wisdom determines a druid's spellcasting, and Constitution determines his hit points.
Races: TBA...
Alignment: Any neutral (on either axis).
Starting Gold: As druid.
Starting Age: As druid.

Class Skills (4+Int): The druid’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Hit Dice: d8

BaseFortRefWill
      ----Spells----     
LevelAttack BonusSaveSaveSaveSpecial123456789
1st+0+2+0+2Nature Sense, Wild Companion, Wild Empathy3
2nd+1+3+0+3Drift 1, Woodland Stride4
3rd+2+3+1+3Trackless Step52
4th+3+4+1+4Drift 163
5th+3+4+1+4  642
6th+4+5+2+5Drift 2, Wild Shape653
7th+5+5+2+5  6642
8th+6/+1+6+2+6Drift 26653
9th+6/+1+6+3+6Venom Immunity66642
10th+7/+2+7+3+7Drift 366653
11th+8/+3+7+3+7Nature's Guardian666642
12th+9/+4+8+4+8Drift 3666653
13th+9/+4+8+4+8  6666642
14th+10/+5+9+4+9Drift 46666653
15th+11/+6/+1+9+5+9Timeless Body66666642
16th+12/+7/+2+10+5+10Drift 466666653
17th+12/+7/+2+10+5+10  666666642
18th+13/+8/+3+11+6+11Drift 5666666653
19th+14/+9/+4+11+6+11  666666664
20th+15/+10/+5+12+6+12Drift 5666666666

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Druids are proficient with the following weapons: club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, sickle, shortspear, sling, and spear. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with wild shape. 

Druids are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. (A druid may also wear wooden armor that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. See the ironwood spell description) Druids are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones.

A druid who wears prohibited armor or carries a prohibited shield is unable to cast druid spells or use any of her supernatural or spell-like class abilities while doing so and for 24 hours thereafter.

Spells: A druid casts primal spells, which are neither arcane nor divine, drawn from the druid spell list.  When you gain access to a new level of spells, you automatically know all the spells for that level on the druid's spell list. You can cast any spell you know without preparing it ahead of time. Essentially, your spell list is the same as your spells known list.

To cast a druid spell, you must have a Wisdom score of 10 + the spell’s level (Wis 10 for 0-level spells, Wis 11 for 1st-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a druid's spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the druid's Wis modifier. Like other spellcasters, a druid can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. The base daily spell allotment is given on the table above.  In addition, you receive bonus spells for a high Wisdom score.

A druid need not prepare spells in advance. You can cast any spell you know at any time, assuming you have not yet used up your spells per day for that spell level.  You can cast 0th-level druid spells at will.

Bonus Languages: A druid’s bonus language options include Sylvan, the language of woodland creatures. This choice is in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.  A druid also knows Druidic, a secret language known only to druids, which she learns upon becoming a 1st-level druid. Druidic is a free language for a druid; that is, she knows it in addition to her regular allotment of languages and it doesn’t take up a language slot. Druids are forbidden to teach this language to nondruids.  Druidic has its own alphabet.

Nature Sense (Ex): A druid gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (Nature) and Survival checks.

Wild Companion (Su): At 1st level, when you cast summon nature's ally you may choose to change its duration to "Permanent (D)". You may have only one permanent summon from your highest available list in existence at a time, though you may split this allowance up into multiple creatures of lower levels; any creature can be traded for two creatures from one list lower (eg. if you could cast summon nature's ally IV, then you could have one creature from list IV, two creatures from list III, four creatures from list II, one creature from list III + two creatures from list II, etc.).

Wild Empathy (Ex):  A druid can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The druid rolls 1d20 and adds her druid level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.  The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.  To use wild empathy, the druid and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.  A druid can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a -4 penalty on the check.

Drift (Ex): Drift is a gradual devolution into some other natural form.  Those who experience this phenomenon gain attributes of animals and plants as time goes by. Druids experience drift at every even level, divided into stages.  You must choose one drift from stage 1 the first time you experience the phenomenon. Your second drift must also be from stage 1. Thereafter, you may choose from a higher stage only after you have acquired at least two drifts from the previous stage. For example, a stage 4 drift may be chosen only after you have at least two stage 1 drifts, two stage 2 drifts, and two stage 3 drifts. You may, however, choose drifts from stages below your maximum whenever you wish. For example, you if you have two stage 1 drifts, you may choose a third stage 1 rather than a stage 2, if desired.  You cannot choose the same drift twice.

Stage 1 drifts have no game effect. Each drift of stage 2 and beyond grants a permanent extraordinary ability. Natural attacks allow for Strength bonuses on damage rolls, except in the case of poison and acid. The damage values given for natural attacks are for Medium creatures. To adjust for Small or Large creatures, use the following table.  You cannot gain the same kind of natural attack twice from different drifts.

Natural Weapon Damage by Size
SmallMediumLarge
1d21d31d4
1d31d41d6
1d41d61d8
1d61d82d6
1d62d42d6

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Woodland Stride (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a druid may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.

Trackless Step (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a druid leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Wild Shape (Su): At 6th level, when you cast summon nature's ally you may choose to transform into the summoned creature. This reduces the range of the spell to Personal, and limits the number of summoned creatures to one. While the summoned creature exists, you are banished to a pocket demiplane from which you can give it orders and see through its senses (using your Spot/Search/Listen modifiers); you may not otherwise take any action except to dismiss the spell. Mind-affecting effects target your mind instead of the summoned creature's, and True Seeing displays your appearance superimposed over the creature's.
If the summoned creature is slain or dismissed then you appear in its space; you are not subject to any damage or negative conditions inflicted on the summoned creature (excepting mind-affecting effects, see above). Likewise, the effect ends if you are somehow removed from the demiplane created. If the summoned creature enters an Antimagic Field then you appear in its position as if it had been dismissed, but the effect resumes when you leave the field.

This ability may be combined with Wild Companion.  Your banishment and subsequent recall count as you disappearing due to the ending of a summoning spell, and thus are not blocked by effects such as dimensional anchor and dimensional lock.

Venom Immunity (Ex): At 9th level, a druid gains immunity to all poisons.

Nature's Guardian (Su): At 11th level, when you cast summon nature's ally in a natural location, you may extend the casting time to 24 hours to summon a Guardian version of the creature(s). Such a creature gains maximum hit points and a +4 bonus to all ability scores, but is dismissed if it leaves the site for more than 1 minute. In addition, this casting method increases the caster level of the spell used by 4, and increases the duration to 1 hour/level.

The area within which the guardian can exist is a sphere with a radius of 10ft/caster level of the spell. You may not cast this spell in a location sacred to a deity, unless you are within one step of that deity's alignment and have done nothing to offend them (such as worshipping an opposing deity).

This ability may be combined with Wild Companion and/or Wild Shape.

Timeless Body (Ex) After attaining 15th level, a druid no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place.

Ex-Druids
A druid who ceases to revere nature, changes to a prohibited alignment, or teaches the Druidic language to a nondruid loses all spells and druid abilities (except weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She cannot thereafter gain levels as a druid until she atones (see the atonement spell description).

DRUIDS IN THE WORLD
Quoteness
-quoterie
A brief description of how your class is persevered in the world and how he interacts with the world.
 Daily Life: Some general information about the typical day in the life of your class.
 Notables: Notables
 Organizations: Organizations

NPC Reaction
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« Last Edit: October 21, 2012, 04:44:25 PM by Prime32 »
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Offline sirpercival

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2012, 10:11:13 AM »
Reserved for spell list
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Offline sirpercival

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2012, 10:34:40 AM »
Are there any core druid spells which should be removed from the spell list? I'll be going through the splatbooks, too, of course.
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Offline littha

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2012, 11:19:13 AM »
Honestly I would leave the spell list as it is, it is already fairly specific and it will be a monumental task to go through the whole thing.

Nearly their entire list is blasting/nature manipulation/healing spells. Even with the full druid spell list I cant imagine this class being higher than low tier 2...
« Last Edit: October 20, 2012, 11:24:56 AM by littha »

Offline JohnnyMayHymn

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2012, 11:37:56 AM »
I'm liking this, not a blatent nerf and you cut out most of the book keeping with spontaneous spells, wildshape and wild companion. 
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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2012, 11:43:20 AM »
Wild companion should either start in at a higher level or outright disallow the wolf option (at least untill you gain some levels), otherwise you're still stuck with the old "I'm a CR 1 guy with a CR 1 permanent minion at 1st level" problem.

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2012, 11:46:44 AM »
Nature's Guardian is useless without Wild Companion (24 hour cast time for a ~20 round effect).

Not sure I like Drift.

It feels weird that Wild Shape is defeated by Dimensional Anchor.

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2012, 11:54:00 AM »
It feels weird that Wild Shape is defeated by Dimensional Anchor.

Because laughing at the conservation of energy and matter while perfectly reshaping your own body just because you really love trees was completely natural of course. :p

Offline littha

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2012, 12:13:22 PM »
It feels weird that Wild Shape is defeated by Dimensional Anchor.

Because laughing at the conservation of energy and matter while perfectly reshaping your own body just because you really love trees was completely natural of course. :p

There should just be a note in the ability about it being a Transmutation effect.

Offline Prime32

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #9 on: October 20, 2012, 01:03:58 PM »
Maybe Favored Enemy (aberrations)?

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #10 on: October 20, 2012, 01:30:29 PM »
Since Wild Companion is an actual summoning spell, your companion gets the benefits of all your summoning-related feats. For a dedicated summoner, could this make it even stronger than the usual Animal Companion?

If you end Wild Shape in a Dimension Locked area, you're stuck in your demiplane forever.

Edit: Shouldn't the Druid have a 6th 9th-level spell at level 20, like the Sorcerer?
« Last Edit: October 20, 2012, 01:32:52 PM by Garryl »

Offline sirpercival

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #11 on: October 20, 2012, 10:55:52 PM »
Honestly I would leave the spell list as it is, it is already fairly specific and it will be a monumental task to go through the whole thing.

Nearly their entire list is blasting/nature manipulation/healing spells. Even with the full druid spell list I cant imagine this class being higher than low tier 2...

Hmm... if others agree with you then I'll leave it be.

Wild companion should either start in at a higher level or outright disallow the wolf option (at least untill you gain some levels), otherwise you're still stuck with the old "I'm a CR 1 guy with a CR 1 permanent minion at 1st level" problem.
Maybe you can't pick a creature with more HD than you have levels? Though you couldn't pick a horse, then...

Nature's Guardian is useless without Wild Companion (24 hour cast time for a ~20 round effect).
Hm, I wonder if that's a typo, or if the point of it is to use with Wild Companion, in which case it might be better worded that you can't have both active at the same time.  Prime?

Quote
Not sure I like Drift.
I have an ACF in mind -- grants you plane-specific benefits based on your planar host or attunement or whatever we end up calling that mechanic.

It feels weird that Wild Shape is defeated by Dimensional Anchor.

Because laughing at the conservation of energy and matter while perfectly reshaping your own body just because you really love trees was completely natural of course. :p

There should just be a note in the ability about it being a Transmutation effect.
Good call.

Maybe Favored Enemy (aberrations)?
Meh... I think Favored Enemy should be the realm of the ranger.  They're more hunters than druids.

Since Wild Companion is an actual summoning spell, your companion gets the benefits of all your summoning-related feats. For a dedicated summoner, could this make it even stronger than the usual Animal Companion?
Probably only at 1st level.

Quote
If you end Wild Shape in a Dimension Locked area, you're stuck in your demiplane forever.
Not if it's a transmutation effect, right?

Quote
Edit: Shouldn't the Druid have a 6th 9th-level spell at level 20, like the Sorcerer?
Oh, yes.  Thanks.
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Offline sirpercival

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #12 on: October 20, 2012, 11:03:24 PM »
I looked at Dim Anchor and Dim Lock and found a nice workaround.
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Online Garryl

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #13 on: October 20, 2012, 11:05:44 PM »
Quote
If you end Wild Shape in a Dimension Locked area, you're stuck in your demiplane forever.
Not if it's a transmutation effect, right?

You're hopping to and from a demiplane. That's what Dimensional Anchor bars. Doesn't matter if it's Conjuration (teleportation), Transmutation, Necromancy, or an Ex ability. Planar travel just fails, and you have no other ways to get back.

I looked at Dim Anchor and Dim Lock and found a nice workaround.

Well? Don't keep us in suspense!
Edit: Still doesn't help with Forbiddance. Technically, doesn't even help with Dimensional Lock as even if you count as a summoned creature, you're not disappearing.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2012, 11:09:32 PM by Garryl »

Offline sirpercival

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #14 on: October 20, 2012, 11:08:14 PM »
I edited it in already :p

EDIT: lol.  Lemme look at that.

EDIT: Forbiddance should have the same text, because otherwise you can just summon a whole crapload of creatures and have them move into the Forbiddance'd area, and never go away.  Druidic sanctuaries will be full of ridiculous amounts of summoned animals..
« Last Edit: October 20, 2012, 11:10:35 PM by sirpercival »
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Offline Prime32

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #15 on: October 21, 2012, 09:52:34 AM »
If not Favored Enemy, what about Smite Aberration or Aberration Banemagic?
Nature's Guardian is useless without Wild Companion (24 hour cast time for a ~20 round effect).
Hm, I wonder if that's a typo, or if the point of it is to use with Wild Companion, in which case it might be better worded that you can't have both active at the same time.  Prime?
Could throw in a bump up to 1hr/level duration.

Offline sirpercival

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #16 on: October 21, 2012, 10:54:07 AM »
If not Favored Enemy, what about Smite Aberration or Aberration Banemagic?
Nature's Guardian is useless without Wild Companion (24 hour cast time for a ~20 round effect).
Hm, I wonder if that's a typo, or if the point of it is to use with Wild Companion, in which case it might be better worded that you can't have both active at the same time.  Prime?
Could throw in a bump up to 1hr/level duration.

I think the anti-aberration stuff should be either a PrC or another ACF.  Maybe the latter...

And I'll increase the duration, good call.
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Online Garryl

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #17 on: October 21, 2012, 01:58:26 PM »
If not Favored Enemy, what about Smite Aberration or Aberration Banemagic?
Nature's Guardian is useless without Wild Companion (24 hour cast time for a ~20 round effect).
Hm, I wonder if that's a typo, or if the point of it is to use with Wild Companion, in which case it might be better worded that you can't have both active at the same time.  Prime?
Could throw in a bump up to 1hr/level duration.

You'll want at least a 24 hour duration, probably 1 day per level (but possibly with the restriction that areas of multiple guardians can't overlap).

Offline Prime32

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #18 on: October 21, 2012, 04:17:43 PM »
Maybe require "spell investiture" then? As in, you can't regain the spell slot while that spell is in effect. Actually, that would be a good rule in general...

Offline sirpercival

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Re: Base class: Druid
« Reply #19 on: October 21, 2012, 05:41:15 PM »
Maybe require "spell investiture" then? As in, you can't regain the spell slot while that spell is in effect. Actually, that would be a good rule in general...
  I thought that was already true, though as I read them again, it isn't.  Go ahead and make the change, if you please.
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