|
So, I'm trying to figure out what feats to take to maximize my wildshape abilities. One of the questions I have currently is, is there any feat or enchant I can put on my armor that would allow me to still get the AC bonus from my armor in wild shape. Also, what are some recommended feats that I should get for best wild shape usage aside from the natural spell feat.
This is what you are looking for for the armor: Wild
Wild Speech. Eschew Materials. Are also good fears to have if you plan on casting spells at all in your wild shaped form.
Depends on what your focus is.
Are you a melee focused druid that uses spells as secondary, or spells first and melee second?
Also, which wildshape type are you most interested in? Animals? Plants? Elementals?
Each has a different set of advantages and feats that help.
For example, a plant focused druid can do really well by taking Improved unarmed strike and the grapple feats (imp grapple, greater grapple, rapid grappler, pinning rend) because many plants have great combos of Grab and Constrict.
An animal druid would more likely focus on pounce attacks. In any case, its all relative.
And, of course, Natural Spell at level 5.
I mean, if you want to get silly, we can get silly. Big note you can do all of this at level 9 if you follow wealth by level.
Half-Orc Saurian Shaman Druid level 9
Take the Half-Orc favored class bonus (+1/3 natural armor while shaped)
Wildshape into Allosaurus
Relevant Feats:
Planar Wildshape (great defensive feat, only works for animal forms)
Natural Spell
Items:
Belt: Belt of Thunderous Charging 10,000g
Armor: Rhino Hide 5,165
Amulet of mighty Fists +1 4,000
Spell Buffs: Strong Jaw and Barkskin
Assume that you pump Str up to 20 with level boosts/racials, so 22 str with the belt of thunderous charging, 28 while wildshaped.
So, with strong jaw up, you charge. On the charge, as an Allosaurus you get pounce and rake.
Your attack bonuses: BAB +6, Str +9, Amulet +1, Size -2, Charge +2 = +16
Allosaurus form gets 5 attacks on the Charge. Your belt increases the damage type of attacks made on the charge by 1. Strong jaw then doubles that damage. Rhino hide then adds +2d6. You get +9 for strength and +1 for the Amulet.
So your charge looks like this:
Bite +16 (8d6+10 plus Grab)
2 Claws +16 (6d6+10)
2 Talons +16 (6d6+10)
So if everything hits, your pounce at level 9 deals 32d6+50, or an average damage of 162 damage.
Shaping gives you +6 natural armor, Barkskin gives you +4 natural armor, your favored class bonus gives you +3, your dex should be something like a -1, and there is the -2 for size and the -2 for charging. So before any bracers of armor, rings of protection or jingasas of the fortunate soldier, you have AC 18.
but this is much helped by the fact that you have Planar wildshape which gives you Resist Cold, Electricity and Acid 10, DR 5/Evil and SR 14.
(the energy resist and DR increase to 15 and 10 at level 10)
There are other ways to go though, so lets talk about those.
Plant Grappler... this is a favorite of mine. Plants have huge advantages when it comes to grappling.
For a plant grappler, I would use Menhir Savant or just go straight druid. No need for an archtype. Until you can plant shape effectively, you can use other forms with single big Slam attacks or single bites. Crocodiles are good for this.
So, lvl 12 druid (no archtype)
Str 24 (+2 racial, +1 4th, +1 8th, +1 12th, +4 belt)
dex 13
con 14
int 10
wis 17 (+2 headband)
cha 8
Items:
Belt of giant strength +4
Headband of inspired wisdom +2
Gauntlets of the Skilled Maneuver (Grapple)
+1 Wild Dragonhide Breastplate
Amulet of mighty fists +1
Ring of Protection +2
Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier
Relevent Feats:
Improved Unarmed Strike
Improved Grapple
Power Attack
Greater Grapple
Rapid Grappler
Natural Spell
Wildshape Form: Viper Vine
Plant Shape Bonuses: +4 strength, +2 con, +4 natural armor
Grapple CMB: BAB+9, Str+9, Size +1, Grab +4, Gauntlets +2, Feats +4, power attack -3 = +26
Grapple CMD: Base 10, BAB+9, Str+9, Dex+1, Jingasa +1, Ring +2, Size +1, Feat +2 = 35
Buffs, Strong Jaw, Barkskin
So, in wild shape you are a large viper vine
You have a bite, 4 tentacles with grab and constrict
You have 10ft reach with the bite and 20ft with tentacles.
Attacks
Bite +15 (4d6 + 15 + 3d6 acid)
4 tentacles +15 (2d6 + 15 plus grab)
Every tentacle that hits gives you a free grapple attempt, and if this is successful you will deal 2d6+15 constrict damage immediately.
Or you can just pick a target to grapple. As soon as you grapple them, they are moved to an adjacent square of yours. A full round grapple will look like this:
Grapple to Start a Grapple(move action) +26, deal 2d6+15 constrict
Grapple to damage (move action) +26, deal bite damage 4d6+15+3d6 acid and constrict for 2d6+15
Grapple to damage (swift action) +26, deal bite damage 4d6+15+3d6 acid and constrict for 2d6+15
So a full round grapple, if you make all three checks will deal 14d6+75+6d6 acid.
This is average damage of 145 per round.
You also have a better AC and HP with this build, can grab from 20ft away, and you are controlling opponents.
AC will be 10+ 1 dex, +1 jingasa, +2 ring, +7 armor, +5 barkskin, +4 wildshape, +4 Half-orc favored class bonus, -1 size = 33 AC (31 while grappling)
Well
You are a bit locked in there yeah. Nothing to say you can't be a big cat or allosaurus anyway...worse things have happened. Yoi will still be effective.
Take a quick look at the first build I posted... those items listed there are all good an attainable. However I would exchange the belt of thunderous charging for a straight up belt of giant strength since you are at a bit of a deficit there.
Featherstep slippers are great at low level... they let you ignore difficult terrain... important for being able to charge and pounce.
An amulet of mighty fists +1 is important...just so you can bypass DR/magic and hurt incorporeals.
Later on you may want to switch to elemental forms... they are less powerful offensively but great for defense. It all depends on how you want to play.
You could always use thag big dex in your favor. Grab weapon finesse and combat reflexes then at level 12 turn into a huge fire elemental. With a +4 dex belt and the bonuses from wildshape you will have a 28 dex 30 if you put 2 stat increases there.
With a 30 dex and combat reflexes you have 11 attacks of opportunity a round and as a huge elemental you have 15ft of reach... that is a fair amount of spatial control.
You also have enough int to get combat expertise as a feat and improved trip and greater trip. With those feats you can be a huge fire elemental that trips opponents, gets an aoo on a successful trip, lights its enemies on fire and then gets another aoo when the target stands up.