WIP Nature Warden Guide


Advice


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So as the title says this is my work in progress page, simply because I don't feel like making a new google account simply to use that at the current time.

Nature Warden:
NEEDS:
Animal Companion
Wild Empathy
Favored terrain
Divine Spell casting 2nd level
Good Stuff:
Companion Bond
Natural Empathy
Mystic Harmony (Potentially HUGE!)
Guarded Lands
Companion Soul

Things to consider:
Favored terrain
Companion
Spell casting
Wildshape (affects AC)

Methods of Entry
Druid:
Provides spell casting, AC wild empathy
Consider using rogue for favored terrain due to ability to spend feats to gain more.
Earliest entry: level 6 (druid 3/ rogue 2)
Consider entry at level 7 to pick up wild shape
Ranger:
Can enter PrC straight -- at level 7 -- option sucks
Delayed AC, early wild empathy -- consider for mixing with other classes that need wild empathy.
Favored terrain at level 3 -- later than rogue
Consider skirmisher for mild usage.
Consider Beastmaster and horselord(poor choice likely)
Cleric:
Animal Domain for AC (feather could be best choice)
Possible Evangelist to help buff.
Needs wild empathy and favored terrain
Sorcerer:
Sylvan Bloodline for AC -- Bad Choice!
Barbarian:
Mad Dog True Primitive has potential needs wild empathy and spell casting. Consider druid 4 to mix with barbarian 1. No rage though.
Nature Oracle:
Bonded Mount counts, AC stacks, consider mixing with barbarian.
Nature's whispers nice, consider mixing with noble scion of war to limit need of dexterity.

Other PrC to consider:
Horizon Walker -- capstone is mad useful to Nature warden -- investigate on potential entry methods
Green Faith Acolyte -- gives wild shape which can be used on AC (I think -- needs research).

Consider AC Archetypes.


Future considerations:
Mixing Rogue with secondary method of gaining favored terrains -- continuing stacking bonuses could lead to huge bonus on mystic harmony, which is shared with AC.


Racial Considerations:
Human -- Floating bonus and can give up bonus feat for bonus to AC.
Half-Orc -- Floating bonus, darkvision, possible luck bonus
Dwarf -- Slow speed in medium armor could help but not huge
Elf -- No real bonuses to consider wild shape favored class bonus potential
Halfling -- potentially use of AC as mount in dungeon
Gnome -- no real perks


Huh, very cool. Dotting for interest.


Further considerations:

Best Entries:
Mad Dog 1/ Druid 4
Pros:
1. Full AC
2. Wild Shape (appears to not carry over to AC due to not being cast and not being on druid/ranger spell list)
3. Almost full casting (4 of 5 levels)
4. fastest entry
Cons:
1. Only a single terrain limits bonus from mystic harmony
2. BAB takes a very small hit before entry.

Rogue 2/ Druid 3 (or 4)
Pros:
1. Easy boosting of favored terrain with feats
2. Little spellcasting lost
3. Rogue talents available
4. fastest entry
5. More skill points to spread around into favored terrain related skills.

Cons:
1. AC takes an early hit -- remedy involves burning a feat
2. Burns feats for favored terrain -- remedied by increasing bonus on AC from odd source in more places at increasing bonus.
3. Spellcasting takes a bigger hit.
4. BAB takes a bigger hit.

Nature Oracle 4/Ranger 3
Pros:
1. Charisma centric helps with wild empathy, can also dump Dex if Noble Scion (war) feat is taken
2. Sets up entry into horizon walker
3. Free bonus feats from ranger can get mounted combat
4. Different spell list than druid -- potential bonus with green faith acolyte

Cons:
1. Late entry
2. AC takes a hit and is limited
3. Spellcasting takes a hit, and continues hurting.

Reasons to enter prestige class:
1. boosts animal companion.
2. Thematic ties to the land with increasing bonuses to AC (armor this time), initiative, and key skills (perception, stealth)
3. Stacks in well with Horizon walker -- consider 3 level dip then switch to horizon walker, use AC as scout story centric piece instead of combat companion. Conflicted interests in Horizon Walker and Nature warden -- level 10 ability of horizon walker great, as is level 9 of nature warden, but mutually exclusive.
4. Silverpaw and Ironpaw -- grant DR to AC. Limited foes that use silver or cold iron, and limited number of +3 weapons until rather high level (limited then as well). Grows to DR 10 which is fairly tanky.
5. Woodforging is thematic, and potentially useful, but also possibly limited -- useful for self created magic weapons and armor, though limited to self only -- again highly thematic. Possibly useful for AC since spells that affect self have effect on them too?

Random Notes:
1. Green Faith Acolyte worth considering but 3 level dip and no more -- week for heal/restoration, great effect, limited chance at use. Builds AC and Wild Shape, but limited effect (about 1/2 class level)
2. Consider Ninja/Oracle of Nature/ ranger 1 -- not ideal in all likelihood but very charisma centric... some people like that.

The Exchange

ooh... aah... I like where this is going. DOT for now.


Animal Companion Archetypes:
Bodyguard:
The bodyguard feat is potentially useful if you take the time to build the animal companion up for it. The tenacity abilities really jive well with the nature warden's ability to free revive their AC, and alertness is a good feat. Losing devotion hurts though, and raises questions of the nature warden's capstone ability to increase the bonus.

Charger:
For a small character or one that's mounted this could be good. The bonus feats are less stellar but the 15th level ability is pretty tight, and the reduction in armor penalties is nice too -- makes the AC into a bit of a mini fighter. This might be a good choice for the nature oracle since their AC is already intelligent enough to take other feats if they want.

Racer:
Meh... maybe if you are using your AC as a tank or reserves so it can get into place... but the abilities are pretty mediocre especially for what you are giving up. Share spells for 10 more feet of movement and only with a light load and no armor? No thanks -- leave this to the NPCs.

Totem Guide:
Well... it's very thematic which is something I've seem to say a lot with nature warden. The bonus spells are alright -- stuff you won't normally cast but on occasion are useful. Eldritch claws isn't so useful, but there are worse things, and the Ghost Guardian ability is potentially useful... if you happen across a lot of ghost and undead.


What animal companion to choose:
Ankylosaurus -- Stun is nice, daze is alright good AC scent is good, large is a bit of a setback, but not bad.
Ant, giant -- Grab and poison is a nice combo, climb speed is nice too, stats aren't so hot though, and mindless, which is good and bad.
Ape -- claws and bite for 3 attacks, 'manlike' frame and 'hands' iffy combos available if of higher intelligence
Badger -- multiple movement modes, but slow, rage + intelligence means some neat feat choices, middling stats, but three attacks
Bat, Dire -- interesting choice for flying mount, blindsense, poor stats, single attack
Boar -- ferocity isn't useful if you go bodyguard, stats are alright, decent AC few attacks
Camel -- spit is potentially useful, stats are solid if uninspired, speed is nice, AC is low
Big Cat -- Assault vehicle of choice
Small Cat -- Not an assault vehicle, has 3 attacks, trip meh stats
Chameleon, giant -- um... odd... weird, but not bad... has potential
Deinonychus -- small creatures assault vehicle of choice -- but a dinosaur is still a dinosaur
Dolphin -- if you are underwater a decent choice, BLINDSIGHT is nice. If you can find a way to take it out of the water... why not?
Horse -- pretty middle of the road
Iguanodon -- more oddness, but it isn't a bad choice
Leech, Giant -- you should feel bad for doing this... but could be surprisingly effective
Mantis, Giant -- an odd mount with lots of movement choices, and some decent combat ability
Moray Eel, Giant -- if underwater not a bad choice
Octopus -- Grapple, poison, meh stats... it could work
Orca -- if not a dolphin why not an Orca?
Quetzalcoatlus -- Could work, flyer, decent attacks, later stats are alright
Rhino -- like a horse, but bigger and hits kind of hard on a charge good armor, nice stats
Roc -- decent attacks, flight, decent later stats, grab (drop them from 220 feet up! 20d6 damage is fun!)
Scorpion, Giant -- alternate assault vehicle, doesn't have pounce, has grab and poison instead
Slug, Giant -- you should feel bad. But you don't because you have acid spit and blindsight plus decent armor and weird DR -- surprisingly good... but you should still feel bad
Thylacine -- better than a dog
Giant Wasp -- Meh flying mount -- but thematic and neat
Wolf -- I like the Thylacine a bit more


Also note -- silverpaw and ironpaw apply to creatures summoned by summon nature's ally... while generally a weaker summoning ability this pushes it up some.

Summoning feats to consider:
Moonlight Summons -- not great for the silver part but the immunities and light could be useful.
Nimble Natural Summons -- possibly useful but usually not since it doesn't affect magic effects.
Sacred Summons -- IF you can get an aura this could be useful... but probably not so much if you are going druid.
Starlight summons -- depends really -- early on it's semi-useful but everything it gives is going to be negated by moonlight summons
Sunlight Summons -- this one is useful as your summoned creatures are treated as magical for overcoming damage reduction they can attack incorporal too and are immune to blind and dazzle semi-useful
Superior Summoning -- Gain more creatures if you summon more than one
Augment Summoning -- Why not if you are going to be summoning a lot

The Exchange

Skeletal summons? I could have sworn that works with SNA. Even if it doesn't, being able to summon a Skeletal _____ is a beautiful thing.


Skeletal is for summon monster -- close but not quite -- could be good for a cleric or oracle though.


Biggest Problems:

Too Spread out -- there are a lot of good uses that are very spread out. Decent spell casting, a strong AC, favored terrain bonuses. Any part is worthwhile but each requires a bit more to be really good... and there isn't enough resources to provide for that.
BAB -- it's a medium BAB class... depending on entry method BAB is going to be held back, possibly leading to limited effectiveness -- not enough spells plus not enough BAB means potentially a lot of whiffs in combat.
Thin Spells -- At a minimum 4 spell caster levels are lost as well as the spell levels that go with it. Very painful for a spell caster. Consider treating like a 2/3 progression caster instead of a full caster, to avoid disappointment.
Skill Points -- Generally most entry methods are lacking in skill points. Potential for MAD combines with this to make for frustration, especially since favored terrain goes well with solid skill usage. Potentially favored terrain could help make up for this with bonuses.

Future Challenges:
Consider methods for collecting more 'pets' and companions combining lots of summons with several pets (AC, familiar and cohort) with some command abilities could lead to 1 man party.


Need to review
feral child and ward archetypes (druid and ranger respectively)
Order of the beast for cavalier also potentially useful

sympathic rager for badger companion.


Just a note as I've done some research on sympathetic raging:

Sympathetic Rage and Badger Friend will only work with Inquisitor(Solo Tactics) or Cavalier (Tactician).
Other alternatives are Ferocious Mount/Beast in conjunction with the Horsemaster's Saddle and a mount buddy.


World Walker gets all of the hard-to-get requirements by level 3, allowing you to get the other 2 BAB and 2 ranks in all those skills however you want.


Thanks Abyssian -- I knew there was another entry method I was forgetting. That and two levels of rogue would probably be my preferred method at the moment.

Alex Mack -- I need some proof rulewise for that. Sympathetic rage isn't a teamwork feat. All it requires is someone raging near you.

Sympathetic Rage (Combat, Orc/Half-Orc) wrote:

Seeing an ally rage fills you with your own fury.

Prerequisites: Half-orc or orc, nonlawful.

Benefit: Whenever you are adjacent to an ally who is raging, you may choose to enter a similar but less powerful rage as a free action on your turn. This weaker rage gives you all the benefits and penalties of a barbarian's rage, except your morale bonus to Strength and Constitution is only +2. There is no limit to how long you can rage, as long as you remain adjacent to a raging ally (for example, you could take a 5-foot step away from one raging ally toward another raging ally and maintain your rage). As with a barbarian's rage, when this weaker rage ends, you are fatigued. You cannot use this feat if you are fatigued.

The adjacent thing is a bigger issue in my view. Unless I'm missing something.

Maybe you are considering amplified rage?

Amplified Rage (Teamwork) wrote:


Prerequisites: Half-orc or orc, rage class feature.

Benefit: Whenever you are raging and adjacent to a raging ally who also has this feat or flanking the same opponent as a raging ally with this feat, your morale bonuses to Strength and Constitution increase by +4. This feat does not stack with itself (you only gain this bonus from one qualifying ally, regardless of how many are adjacent to you).

Which while it would be a nice combination, like you said would require much more work to make happen.


Oh yeah I was mixing stuff up there...


No big deal, glad for the help!

Hm...

Boots of friendly Terrain need to be mentioned.

I think that concludes the base notes -- I'm unlikely to get back to this before next weekend, but I'll try to finish it up then.

If anyone else has something to add please do!


I think you can also qualify with Idyllkin Aasimar, Nature Oracle 2 / Archaeologist 4, not the fastest entry but can focus on Cha.


Hate to resurrect a dead thread, but I highly recommend Ranger(Warden)1/Druid(Feral Child) 4.

You get two favored terrains by level 4, and have easy entry after level 5. The downside is the lack of Wild Shape, but you lose that with Nature Warden anyway. Oh, and additional bonuses in your favored terrains from the Feral Child Archetype.


How is this work going?

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