Wrapping my Brain around Druids

[Zansatsu]

So I was hoping to gain some more understanding about this class. As it is described, it appears to be a caster at heart, but I was curious about how it functions in Spiritshift. Can it be played as a mele fighter or front line fighter?  I see a bear form that has a high damage threshold, and Stag with splash damage on mele attacks when reading through on wiki. It also says while shapeshifted you can still cast spells. I'm curious because the Idea of shape shifting into different animal forms and attacking in close combat effectively is probably the coolest thing I can think of and would love for the class to work that way. It sounds like it kind of does?

Edited August 9, 2014 by Zansatsu

[Sensuki]

Spiritshift is a limited use ability (probably x/per day use) that lasts for the duration of an encounter, so in certain encounters during an adventuring day you could play the druid in melee via the use of spiritshift. While not spiritshifting, the druid is not naturally good at melee, so using a ranged weapon may be preferable.

[Zansatsu]

Ya your right I missed it being only usable once per rest. Ah well.

[Nonek]

Transformers: Hippies in disguise.

[Zansatsu]

I like to think of them as park rangers and not stinky ass hippies.

[Fatback]

I will say some of the Druid spells seem really awsome. The spell that sprouts stam healing around dead foes really nice idea. I just really hope that encounters last long enough for them to be useful. Depends on the party build I guess.

[Lephys]

You know what would be kind of great? If a Druid got a plant-hybrid form. Just like a big briar-golem or something.

[Sensuki]

That could fill the ranged druid spiritshift form too, a plant-human that fires poison needles or something.

[Arden]

Shambling mound like swamp thing

[Lephys]

I just thought about it: They tend to get purely animal forms, rather than broader earth-affinity forms.

[CptStarfish]

I just thought about it: They tend to get purely animal forms, rather than broader earth-affinity forms.

Thats true. I think its only a small matter of risking to turn them into "elementalist". Could work really good anyways

[Gromnir]

our first impression o' druids were based on caesar's commentaries. oh sure, were largely political propaganda, but the brutal nature-lover spin has stuck with us insofar as fantasy/rpg descriptions is concerned. so, what we need is some wicker man bonfires.  if PoE has bogs that might be useful too. historical druids apparently liked to dispose o' sacrifices and/or criminals in bogs.

 

tyrannical hippies who were into human sacrifice?  

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Zansatsu]

Well however they end up if they can only shapeshift once per day I don't think I will play as one.  Turning into animals and gaining their strength is my favorite type/way they are sometimes portrayed.  I would have liked nothing more than spending most of this game fighting as a giant bear.

[Lephys]

For some reason, I thought they could currently do it thrice per rest. Even if they start only being able to do it once per rest, that number will probably climb, I would think. Either that or their Spiritshift form becomes INSANELY powerful, if it's limited to "no, you can only ever do this for ONE combat." *shrug*

 

I definitley prefer that it be more spread around. That's the main thing I hated about Magery in D&D: it was always "Oh, you get to handle MYSTICAL magical spells! So, obviously, you only get like 2, for now... per day. Everything else you just have to do like a normal person. But you're a totally different class, and you've dedicated your life to magic, and not quarterstaff skills. But, just go ahead and handle 99% of things with your stick, until you gain about 4 or 5 levels."

 

If I'm to be magical, I want to use magic. I don't care if it's not volcano-summoning. I'd rather it be a bunch of small torch burns that I can use on a regular basis, than just one big fireball that embodies the essence of my class.

[Silent Winter]

^ I also thought the spiritshift ability was 3 times per rest and/or would increase in number like the other skills - hope so.

[neo6874]

I definitley prefer that it be more spread around. That's the main thing I hated about Magery in D&D: it was always "Oh, you get to handle MYSTICAL magical spells! So, obviously, you only get like 2, for now... per day.

 

...

 

If I'm to be magical, I want to use magic. I don't care if it's not volcano-summoning. I'd rather it be a bunch of small torch burns that I can use on a regular basis, than just one big fireball that embodies the essence of my class.

Yeah, this was always a pain.

 

At least with 3/3.5e (where I cut my teeth on it, yeah, yeah) they "fixed" the magic usage to some degree. Although, I don't think it (D&D) was really cut out to be a huge dungeon-crawl slugfest that spans a significant amount of time. Or rather, while you can do that (and, let's face it, it's fun), it seems more that the encounters are meant to send parties back to town (or at the very least, their camp/stash) after a while anyway.

 

An encounter with the EL equaling that of the party's level should expend about 20% of their resources (spells, HP, consumables, etc.). This means that, on average, that after four encounters of the party's level, the PCs need to rest, heal, and regain spells. A fifth encounter would probably wipe them out.

Because of this, I'm starting to form the opinion that over time, people have "forgotten" (for lack of a better word) that D&D (et. al.) is at its core a "Roleplaying" Game, and not just a "go here, and kill these people and be the hero" types.

 

I mean, I'm in a game right now, and the idea of crafting items appealed to me (or at least, with my first character who died like 3 years ago). Great, here are the rules for it, and everything else I need to ... oh wait, the party doesn't want to "wait for 2 days" while I make them this stuff (which is unavailable for any price, because "hamlet", and we're 3 rides* from a large enough town to have any hope of obtaining the item).

 

*Note - 1 ride = 1 tenday, because we're in Cormyr.

[JohnnySideburns]

I imagined that perhaps a talent, could do something about it, like "shapeshifter" and it lets you spiritshift once per encounter at the cost of other spells being less at hand.

[Doppelschwert]

Well however they end up if they can only shapeshift once per day I don't think I will play as one.  Turning into animals and gaining their strength is my favorite type/way they are sometimes portrayed.  I would have liked nothing more than spending most of this game fighting as a giant bear.

 

Hm, maybe take a ranger with bear companion and pretend to be the bear?

[Scottfree6000]

I wanted plant shape druid that use spell like: 

 

barkskin adds to the druid's amour  

improved barkskin where thorn and poison or corrode damage

Thorns spray poison or corrosion dmg in a cone 

and finally a plant summon

 

But I'm still happy with POE druid. it isn't Jaheira or (cough cough( Hashirama) cough) but it will due.