Why do almost all of the druid alternate features have late entry wildshaping, with a penalty? Even the ones that dont give a new ability to wildshape have it. Im wondering what the design idea was for this. So far, the only druid ive seen that dosent have wildshape penalized is the blight druid.
There's all the Animal Shamans which actually give you BETTER wildshape for a specific animal. The standard druid is a versatile shifter and caster, the terrain druids is better attuned with nature, and the shaman druids are better at a specific animal. That makes sense to me.
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Why do almost all of the druid alternate features have late entry wildshaping, with a penalty? Even the ones that dont give a new ability to wildshape have it. Im wondering what the design idea was for this. So far, the only druid ive seen that dosent have wildshape penalized is the blight druid.
What the normal druid gets up to level 9:
Animal companion/domainWild Empathy -- animals with int scores >3
Woodland Stride -- never seen this used
Trackless Step -- never seen this used
Resist Nature's Lure -- never seen this used
Wildshape
Wildshape 2/day
Wildshape 3/day
Venom Immunity -- finally something useful
What the aquatic druid gets up to level 9:
Animal companion/domain
Wild Empathy - animals with swim speeds with/without int scores >3
Aquatic Adaption -- 1/2 her level to Swim, Perception!!, Stealth, Survival, Know (Geo) and Initiative!! while in water ... replaces woodland stride, so you keep nature sense for +2 Survival and Know (Nature)
Natural Swimmer -- 1/2 her land speed as swim for trackless step
Resist Ocean's Fury -- +4 vs. aquatic or water creatures abilities, including poisons, diseases, breath weapons, etc. ... replaces the useless resist nature's lure
Wild Shape -- at -2 level
Wild Shape 2/day
Seaborn -- aquatic subtype, amphibious trait, swim speed = land speed, endure elements vs. cold climates.
Simply put, an aquatic druid is extremely valuable and set to fit an aquatic setting, such as a pirate or island campaign...
Cave druids are the same, except their abilities are much more useful in... caves, and underground. A great drow druid is a cave druid. Oh, and they can wild shape into oozes and that is awesome.
EDIT:
Their resistances are also better and more sweeping...
Aquatic druid's resist is vs. aquatic or water subtype creatures.
Normal druid is vs. fey (not exceptional) and vs. plant spells
Cave druid is vs. aberrations and oozes
Abberations: 18, Oozes: 5
Aquatic: 21, Water: 6
Fey: 5, Plant Spells: 5~6, if "Command Plants" counts
I'm sure Bestiary II will add more fey, but it will also add more aberrations, oozes, aquatic and water subtype monsters.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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Why do almost all of the druid alternate features have late entry wildshaping, with a penalty? Even the ones that dont give a new ability to wildshape have it. Im wondering what the design idea was for this. So far, the only druid ive seen that dosent have wildshape penalized is the blight druid.
Mostly it's because their low-level abilities are better than trackless step and woodland stride.
So the trade is:
Regular druid: wimpier low level abilities + WS earlier
Terrain druid: better low level abilities + WS later