|
This is for PFS so primarily level 1 through 11. Higher levels may or may not occur, so they are really not terribly applicable to this discussion.
I was going to make a primarily wild shaping melee druid. However, something good happened that makes the choice more complicated. I got a boon that lets me play a Nagaji character. The Nagaji have the special druid archtype called the Naga Aspirant. Sounds too kool to pass up. But it does make my choice a bit more complicated.
Melee Wildshaper - The Naga Aspirant gets a bonus on wildshape but only if it is a naga shape. That really doesn't seem at first glance to be the best combat form.
Caster - Those that I have seen seem to really heavily rely on SNA. Along with spell focus conjuration and augment summoning. However, the Naga Aspirant gives up the spontaneous casting of SNA. Meaning I would have to prepare them. Not an insurmountable problem, but it hurts the versatility significantly. The Naga Aspirant does get to add some choice spells to the druid list. Some of them are even very nice spells. So that helps the versatility some.
If you were making a Nagaji Naga Aspirant, which would you chose melee wildshaper or caster? Why?
|
Druids are very powerful control casters with a spell for every situation. The spells they gain from the archetype only makes this more true. If I was to play it I would become a caster druid. Forgoing the animal companion and taking the the Serpent Domain. Really Own it. For feats take Natural spell and the like as well as spell focus on your preferred spell school.
|
|
Druids are very powerful control casters with a spell for every situation. The spells they gain from the archetype only makes this more true. If I was to play it I would become a caster druid. Forgoing the animal companion and taking the the Serpent Domain. Really Own it. For feats take Natural spell and the like as well as spell focus on your preferred spell school.
Not sure about the serpent domain. The only spell added to the druid list is charm monster which I wouldn't get until 11th level (yet it is a very good spell). The slither ability might sometimes be useful. The venom immunity seems worse than the standard version that it replaces. A tiny viper familiar might be a decent scout though.
I will think about it.
Edit 1: Just realized the domain does give an additional spell slot of each level, but it does have to be from the single domain list.
Edit 2: Oddly enough, can't take the serpent domain. The serpent domain replaces venom immunity and the naga aspirant already replaced venom immunity.
|
This is just a suggestion. Druid Combat Focus + Animal Companion.
Nagaji
Druid (Naga Aspirant)
Str 18
Dex 10
Con 14
Int 8
Wis 14
Cha 12
Feats
1: Skill Focus Handle Animal
3: Improved Initiative
5: Power Attack
7: Natural Spell (for When you wild shape)
9:
11:
Animal Companion : Snake, Constrictor
Starting Statistics
Size Medium; Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d3+3 plus grab); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
4th-Level Advancement
Size Large; AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4+10 /Power Attack 1D4+13); Ability Scores Str +8(24)(Druid level+1), Dex –2(16)(Druid level +1), Con +4(18); Special Attacks constrict 1d4+10.(+1 Con at 4)
Feats: (Druid level)
1: Extra Item Slot : Belt (getting a + Str Item)
2: Power Attack
5: Narrow Frame
8: Lithe Attacker
10: Toughness
|
|
For PFS I'd play a druid who is BOTH decent at casting AND in melee.
Even in season 4 a druid is sufficiently powerful that they do not need to specialize to be quite effective. And the versatility of not specializing can have an immense value in PFS.
My Lion Shaman (now L9) has sometimes been the party tank has sometimes been the party healer, has sometimes been the party buffer, sometimes the party controller, sometimes a blaster. She has good wisdom, strength com and dex.
Sure, she is a little less effective in any particular role than she would be if she specialized. But when you don't know if you'll be adventuring with 3 barbarians or with 3 arcane casters that versatility is just immensely valuable.
As for Summon Natures ally, although she has Augmented Summoning and Superior Summoning feats she rarely actually casts SNA. Its a fairly anti social spell since it consumes lots of table time and can make the rest of the group feel redundant. She has it available in case things go south and the group gets into trouble. So, having to actually memorize 1 per level (at most) shouldn't be a huge burden
|
|
The domain is up to you. there are several good ones to give you more spells. The Ash sub-domain is my favorite for adding versatility. Though I am pretty sure the Naga Aspirant does not replace venom immunity.
I recommended serpent for flavor, because of the familiar and because it lets you stay in your large form without getting messed up by tunnels and such :)
|
|
... Though I am pretty sure the Naga Aspirant does not replace venom immunity...
I had about 70% convinced myself to go with the serpent domain even though it isn't very powerful just because it sounds perfect. Then I noticed this.
...This ability replaces venom immunity, a thousand faces, and timeless body...
------------------------------------
For PFS I'd play a druid who is BOTH decent at casting AND in melee.
Even in season 4 a druid is sufficiently powerful that they do not need to specialize to be quite effective. And the versatility of not specializing can have an immense value in PFS...
So what feats did you pick to try and be decent at both? And did you take a domain or an animal companion?
(I'm definitely taking spit venom for my first level feat.)|
|
I have a grappling lion shaman druid that I sometimes use. I went with the animal companion. So far she has used more scimitar + shield or Produce Flame than grappling, but grappling + rake is useful in some cases.
STR..18 (10 pts, +2 race)
DEX..15 ( 7 pts)
CON..12 ( 2 pts)
INT...8 (-2 pts)
WIS..13 ( 3 pts)
CHA..10 ( 0 pts)
Feats:
Improved Unarmed Strike [human]
Improved Grapple [1st]
Traits:
Birthmark [magic]
Hunter's Eye (longbow) [faction]
I played a caster druid and my brother played a melee druid for PFS. My brother regretted not going casting and the first levels where you can't wild shape and stay effective were extra painful for him.
I should add full casting is about as versatile as you can get.
|
Something to keep in mind is that melee builds (especially ones with animal companions) tend to blow casters out of the water for the first two or three levels of PFS, and druid melee builds peak around levels 6-10. That being said, the naga thing is pretty cool, and probably better suits a caster druid considering the awesome Sorc/Wiz spells you can get.
The transform ability says it functions like shapechange - do you know if that means you can expend one use of wildshape to be able to go back and forth?
Oh, and building a grapple build could be cool with this. (You do get constrict at 8th level.)
I would also suggest a balanced approach. Assuming Boon Companion is allowed and you have access to its book, I suggest a Menhir Savant with Feather (Animal) subdomain. Once you take Boon Companion, you recoup the level penalty on your pet, and effectively trade that feat for the extra spells and perception bonus of the feather subdomain.
Ideal race would be +Str/Wis, and penalty to cha. So Oread and possibly some of the bloodline variant Tieflings and Aasimars are best. If you can't use those, Dwarf is a great core race choice.
|
|
... Ideal race would be +Str/Wis, and penalty to cha. So Oread and possibly some of the bloodline variant Tieflings and Aasimars are best. If you can't use those, Dwarf is a great core race choice.
... I got a boon that lets me play a Nagaji character. The Nagaji have the special druid archtype called the Naga Aspirant. Sounds too kool to pass up...
--------------------------------------
Ok, I'm about 90% decided to try being a switch hitter. With wildshaping for melee and spells if there are already a bunch of melee types in the party.
So I guess I will go with an animal companion (constrictor snake) to guard me while casting or help me while meleeing. Put a 16 in both wis and strength. Feats will be spit venom, power attack, natural spell, furious focus, and then not sure.
I played a caster druid and my brother played a melee druid for PFS. My brother regretted not going casting and the first levels where you can't wild shape and stay effective were extra painful for him.
Unless your brother's druid had 9 Wisdom, I suspect he was exaggerating how bad his casting was.
The difference between a druid with 12 Wis casting a spell and a druid with 18 Wis casting a spell is that an extra 1 in 6 opponents is going to save vs. spells. That's not nothing, but in my book that's not the difference between effective and ineffective, especially considering all the druid spells that don't have a save (e.g. buff spells, Produce Flame, etc.).
I think the difference is mostly psychological: when an enemy successfully saves, the druid with 12 Wis will curse his low Wisdom and the druid with 18 Wis will curse the GM's dice! :-)
|
|
Ok, this is what I've come up with so far. It is mostly melee as far as the feats are concerned. But my wisdom is high enough to be a caster with a halfway decent DC. And the spells added to the list are pretty good. So if we have plenty of melee power, I can do that.
SelterSago
Naga Aspirant (Druid) level 1
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Faction: Lantern Lodge
Fame: 0
Prestige Points: 0
Race: Nagaji
Str: 16(14+2), Dex: 12, Con: 14, Int: 10(12-2), Wis: 16, Cha 9(7+2)
Languages: Common, ?
Nagaji: +2 to strength and charisma, -2 to intelligence
Trait: lantern lodge: story teller (single knowledge check at +3)
Trait: suspicious (sense motive +1 and is class skill)
Naga Aspirant: ?
favored class: hit points
feat: spit venom
First 2 prestige points use to buy wand of cure light wounds
1: feat: spit venom, spell: ray of frost
2: spell: divine favor
3: feat: power attack, spell: acid arrow
4: +1 strength, spell: mirror image
5: feat: natural spell, spell: displacement
6: spell: suggestion
7: feat: furious focus, spell: divine power
8: +1 strength, spell: greater invisibility
9: feat: powerful shape, spell: see invisibility, augmented form: detect thoughts at will
10: spell: silent image
11: feat: divine interference, spell: shield
Sithiss
Constrictor Snake
1: feat: toughness
2: feat: power attack
4: +1 intelligence
5: feat: cleave
8: feat: furious focus
9: +1 intelligence
10: feat: weapon focus (bite)
Was considering the teamwork feat outflank for both of us, but I'm not sure.
|
|
For PFS I'd play a druid who is BOTH decent at casting AND in melee.
So what feats did you pick to try and be decent at both? And did you take a domain or an animal companion?
The feats concentrate on spell casting (especially SNA). But she has heavy armour proficiency and Power Attack.
She has an animal companion.
Magically, she has spent money on spell casting type stuff (scroll library, metamagic rod). on her companion (armour, amulet of mighty fists) and on melee (armour, weapons, etc)
The end result is a very versatile character who is somewhere between reasonably and very effective regardless of role she fills in any particular adventure. If I picked any one role she'd definitely be more effective in that role but not by a huge margin. And I really do NOT need that extra effectiveness. I tend to underplay her most of the time, partly for roleplaying reasons (she is very protective of her companion, for example) and partly so as not to dominate the table.
|
|
*Note: The Animal Magic Item Slots table found on the inside front cover of the book is not legal except under the following conditions. First, an animal companion, familiar, or bonded mount, may choose one slot listed under its body type when taking the Extra Item Slot feat (this feat may be taken multiple times, each time selecting a different available magic item slot based on the creature’s anatomy). Second, access to specific magic item slots may be granted at a later date by another legal source.
This is important for any one with a animal companion to know.
Handle an animal 10
“Push” an animal 25
Part 2 of things to think of when you have a animal companion. Cha is not a important stat for druids. It dose affect you in a very important way.
Handle animal Rank 1 Ability -1 Class Skill 3 Animal Companion 4 = Total 7That means you will have to roll for known tricks up to level 3. And your chances of pushing the animal for unknown tricks is very low.
|
|
That is why I suggested going for a combat focus. Over dividing your stats to far. With a starting Wis of 16 you will lose the save DC race around level 6. As your saves will not keep pace with the base save + Ability + Protection. So a few less points in Wis can go a long way to making you more effective. If your going caster base. Starting with a 18 in your casting stat is almost required. As you are in a race you can not win with saving though increases. Even with targeting weak saves most monsters by level 10is have multi layer defenses vs. spells. Don't get me wrong casting is powerful. But It required focus beyond just starting with a good casting stat.
You can go caster or melee. A tricked out pet can be a "good enough" melee combatant in its own right, letting you pick your poison.
I believe the Lantern Lodge is no longer going to be a faction in the near future. You may wish to find an alternate.
|
|
Actually that was a fairly meta-gamed choice. It is rumored that the PC's of the elimiated factions will get a boon to make up for the faction going away then will be able to switch to another faction with no loss of prestige points. May not be tue, but I think i'll take that chance.
Anyone remember if there is a specific god for nagas? I thought there was, but can't find it now.
|
|
I believe the Lantern Lodge is no longer going to be a faction in the near future. You may wish to find an alternate.
Lantern Lodge and Shadow Lodge are actually ideal choices because they're not going to be a faction in the near future; there's going to be rules for changing factions when they become obsolete and there is storyline linked directly to those factions coming up. You won't be able to choose them later, so it's now or never.
Hey, as long as you are aware, it's cool by me.