So in my home game, I have been playing a druid. One close association that has developed is with the party rogue. Occasionally they will do a few side quests together, and work very well together (aside from a general, and comical, lack of planning). What really struck me is just how well a druid can be a thief.
Give a druid a level or two of rogue and they become fantastic housebreakers. With spells like obscuring mist, they provide cover for themselves to break the law. The various buff spells at level two help the rogue abilities. And as for getting away or not getting caught, how freaking handy is wild shape. Turn into a hawk and fly away, or a badger and burrow away, or a dog, and bark at the theif who just ran by you down the alley... Even the second-level spell Tree Shape is great - no thieves here, just a bush.
Has anyone actually played a druid like this? I joke that I am one step away from eco-terrorist with the druid, but for a simple housebreaking thief (or pirate), the druid seems pretty darn handy. And don't get me started on assassin...
I like how druids are almost skill monkeys. I played an elf druid archer with a 14 Int, so I had 6 skill points per level to play with. It allowed me to dabble in Ride and Profession sailor and Diplomacy some cross-class Knowledges, while still being good at the spellcaster stuff (Concentration and Spellcraft) and the actually druidy stuff (Handle Animal and Survival), while also being the best scout around (Listen and Spot, High Wisdom, and racial bonus to Listen & Spot!). My DM could get nothing to sneak past me.
Complete Scoundrel and Complete Champion has some nice PrCs for the Druid/Rogue.
I've been intrigued by that combination for a while. In fact, back in Dragon #318 I had an article featuring lizardfolk druid-rogues. That was back when they used to have those sample class progressions for all 20 levels. The one I came up with was a Lizardfolk Druid 10/Rogue 7. The fluff of the article drove me to the idea of a multiclass druid-rogue and I've been flirting with running a PC like that ever since (but hasn't fit any of the campaigns so far).
Especially thinking of them as these predator/hunters, it's actually a very natural class combo.
I've always been more fond of monk/druids. Had a nasty villain one once... Derek, stop reading this!
Druid/rogues can be even better than rogue/sorcerers or rogue/wizards at infiltration because of wild shape. Daggerspell shaper (Complete Adventurer) is a good PrC to consider when taking this route.
I also like the nifty ruling where all of a druid's items meld into his wild shape. When teh "rogue" steals an item and changes into an animal form, the item is simply ... gone. No-one can spot it or steal it back, or even really scry on it until it is far, far away.
I've used that idea more than once to smuggle items past king's guards and even mages. They can't detect what's flying 1000' overhead.
Perhaps it's too much ShadowRun in my past, but I find myself one step away from the "radical eco-terrorist" PrC. I am certain my DM and fellow players would ban that... ;D
