I'm running into a slight problem.
After watching a game solo session of DnD I ran for a buddy, my (non-gamer) wife has decided she wants to try her hand at the game. I check with my buddy, and he has no problem letting her join the solo campaign we were running. I helped her roll up a sixth level character so that she'd be on par with where by buddy's character is so far.
The problem I have is that she chose a druid. I've explained everything to her and so far she understands everything. My biggest problem is the WildShape Ability. Looking through the description it states that she could change into any animal of Small or Medium size she is familiar with.
So she can change into a Legendary Eagle (MM2) just as easily as a regular Eagle (MM)? How do I keep this balanced?
Note: To make it easier for her, I ruled that she can be "familiar" with a number of animals equal to her Wisdom score +1. But she can change which animal she's familiar with 8 hours of rest.
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Wild Shape (Su): At 5th level, a druid gains the ability to turn herself into any Small or Medium animal and back again once per day. Her options for new forms include all creatures with the animal type. This ability functions like the polymorph spell, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per druid level, or until she changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity.
The form chosen must be that of an animal the druid is familiar with.
A druid loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but she can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as her new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)
A druid can use this ability more times per day at 6th, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level, as noted on Table: The Druid. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a Large animal at 8th level, a Tiny animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15th level.
The new form’s Hit Dice can’t exceed the character’s druid level.
At 12th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a plant creature with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. (A druid can’t use this ability to take the form of a plant that isn’t a creature.)
At 16th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) once per day. These elemental forms are in addition to her normal wild shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the druid gains all the elemental’s extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. She also gains the elemental’s feats for as long as she maintains the wild shape, but she retains her own creature type.
At 18th level, a druid becomes able to assume elemental form twice per day, and at 20th level she can do so three times per day. At 20th level, a druid may use this wild shape ability to change into a Huge elemental.
bold is mine
Cant wildshape into something with more hit dice than your druid level. Legendary eagle is 12HD I believe.
Ah . . . figured I over looked something.
Anyone able to give me some suggestions on what animals to suggest to my wife? She's pretty dead set on having a wolf form (her companion is a wolf), a flying form, and form that would be able to carry the other PC if need be. I told her that once she hits 8th level and can shape into large animal's that the last one won't be so hard to do.
Is limiting her "familiarity" to three forms too much of a restriction?
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Wolves have trip attack which helps a lot, and flying is always handy.
A brown bear is a good option with the ability to grapple and bust down the occasional door.
When she can wildshape into a plant at 12th level (like a shambling mound), she'll be immune to stunning and mind control. Quite handy.
When she gets into situations that call for other forms, she should have fun using her imagination. I remember fighting a bunch of kuo-toa in an underground lake. My druid assumed the form of a great white :) If she needs to climb a surface, she could turn into a gecko or a tree frog, or a rat (ew).
Ask your wife what places her character has frequented. If she's a typical druid, that would be a temperate forest. From there, it's not hard to figure out what creatures she might have seen. In the case of the temperate forest, she might have spotted a fox or two, various owls, vultures, falcons (more along the fringes), coyotes, skunks, opossum, deer, bears, weasels, martens, etc. Keep it to things that you've heard of. You can find out what lives in a given region with a little help from a library or Wikipedia. The Monster Manual doesn't hurt, either;-)
Also, I might suggest that you ask her to keep track of the basic statistics of a few creatures she'll assume the form of regularly to speed gameplay. That way she won't have to flip pages to figure out if she can outrun those ogres as a wolf or if she can track them down by scent.
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Also, I might suggest that you ask her to keep track of the basic statistics of a few creatures she'll assume the form of regularly to speed gameplay. That way she won't have to flip pages to figure out if she can outrun those ogres as a wolf or if she can track them down by scent.
In fact, keeping track of the statistics of a few creatures to speed up gameplay could be interpreted as "being familiar" with those creatures. You could rule that she cannot wildshape into a creature she hasn't prepared earlier.
That's the exact reason why I'm trying to keep the number down . . . so she's not overwhelmed by how many sets of stats she'd have for wildshaping purposes.
I guess if we take some time to prep more than just three animal forms into cards it could still work . . . .
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For that matter, why not just print out a bunch of the stats from the SRD onto index cards and keep them in a recipe box. Organized them by size, ability(flying, swimming, etc.), or whatever seems good.
The whole point of the ability is to have a broad spectrum of animals to assume the shape of, and limiting it to 3 or even 12 isn't really productive to the Druid's class.
Here is a link to the Animal section of the SRD, get printing....
Incidentally, Monkeys, baboons, and apes are great climbers, Crocs rock the water, Bears as someone already mentioned are excellent, Badgers have a burrow speed, any of the Great Cats are good, Snakes and bats see frequent use, eagles and other flyers are always very useful, and there is nothing that goes unnoticed as much in a city as a flea-bitten mutt or an alley cat. All those options should be open.
FH
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Do you have the PHBII? Because the shapeshifting variant would solve all your problems. It is a significant advantage in terms of ease of play over the standard variety (and more balanced mechanically to boot).
As a 6th level character, she would, in fact, have a wolf form and a flying form of some variety, and would be working toward the dire wolf version...
Yeah, I have phb2, but can't find the book. I'm worried that I may have left it at someone elses house after a night of gaming.
The variant, from what I remember, could work except she looses out on an animal companion.
As far as the warshaper, I don't see why the variant wouldn't work as a prereq. . . but that's just going off of what I can remember off the top of my head after just waking up.
well, I always consider it a huge mistake to let a brand new gamer start at anything besides 1st level, basic classes and races, but I hope it works out for you and she doesnt get overwhelmed and frustrated.
the basic rule of wildshape that I use is that a wildshaper may change into any appropriate animal of equal hit dice with no strings attached, no change in ECL or anything else. I dont put any restrictions about what animal a character knows and doesn't, especially as this character is going to be 6th level and who knows where and what that person has been doing all their life, I just take it in stride that the person has been trained or has been gifted with this knowledge from their diety who obviously is behind this ability anyway. You can pull a lot on new players as they are taking your words on trust, but this "animal familiarity at wis +1" is a low blow and the more this player becomes familiar with the game, and other peoples games, that player is gonna have questions, probably hard ones.
I find that this ability in no way affects game balance. Always keep in mind that the whole point of the game is to get together and have fun, overcome challenges. This wildshape is supposed to be a buff; supposed to be a good and useful thing when used not equal to, but on par with that warrior with all his feats; that barbarian with feats and rage, that mage with his fireball; etc, be very careful you dont make rules that will gimp this character, frustrate the player to not having fun then quitting; then have to live with the bad feelings that may arise. Not much is more frustrating to a druid player than being from a area that clearly has some animal type living within and having the gm stomp on your finally gained wonderous ability just because they are afraid to deal with the creatures poisons, ac, str or whatever, yet in the same breath will throw thos mobs against the party. Seriously, I have seen bad gms have parties fight animals that should be on the list, said parties have been fighting the animals for many levels; player gets to the level to wildshape to the creature; and not batting an eye; the gm says you dont know that creature; what a crock of bull.
I suggest you be less about balance and more about having a good, fun game.
*sidenote*
There are a few wildshape threads on these boards; you will find I am the champion of wildshape as so many people quiver in fear of the dreaded druid.
hmm, I really apologize about the sarcasm, but feel it necessary to stress the point.
All else aside, I am really interested in WHY you want to impose such penalties of restricting animal forms in wildshape rather than just follow the rules as written.
hehe I am now thinking if she takes the Master of Shapes pretige class (I think it is called that), your gonna have a coniption. hehe she already qualifies for it.
I think at this point, I'll throw out the idea of limiting to her wisdom and follow Fakey's advice about printing the animal's out from the SRD (thanks for the link).
As far as the master of forms prestige class, I doubt she'll take it. I showed it to her and she didn't seem interested in it.
Now the "Pack Leader" or "Beast Master" prestige class I think she'd be more interested in.
heeh first time I read the Master class and learned a druid could shapechange into a Bullet at level 10, I drooled :)