Druid Focus Points

[Thes33]

I've noticed that for druid's that choose the Wild or Animal orders as their initial paths, it can be hard for them to become a "dual-order" druid concerning the number of focus points they receive.

Suggestion: For the next errata, include the following line to the Order Magic feat: "If you currently have a focus point pool of 1, increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1 (to a total of 2)."

Reasoning: This ensures that it doesn't matter as much which order the druid character started out, they end up with the same number of focus points at level 4 and beyond. It seems silly that the initial order should effect the number of focus points at Level 4 after taking two feats to become part of another order. If the player rebuilt their character, swapping their initial order for Leaf or Storm, they'd have nearly the same build (difference in starting skill training), but they'd have 2 focus points.

[mrspaghetti]

Thes33 wrote:

I've noticed that for druid's that choose the Wild or Animal orders as their initial paths, it can be hard for them to become a "dual-order" druid concerning the number of focus points they receive.

Suggestion: For the next errata, include the following line to the Order Magic feat: "If you currently have a focus point pool of 1, increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1 (to a total of 2)."

Reasoning: This ensures that it doesn't matter as much which order the druid character started out, they end up with the same number of focus points at level 4 and beyond. It seems silly that the initial order should effect the number of focus points at Level 4 after taking two feats to become part of another order. If the player rebuilt their character, swapping their initial order for Leaf or Storm, they'd have nearly the same build (difference in starting skill training), but they'd have 2 focus points.

I think the way focus points work, you automatically get another focus point whenever you get another focus spell already. I know there is some disagreement on that, but that's how I read it and how I run it.

[breithauptclan]

Thes33 wrote:

Suggestion: For the next errata, include the following line to the Order Magic feat: "If you currently have a focus point pool of 1, increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1 (to a total of 2)."

I don't think that would completely fix things. There is definitely something strange about the Druid's focus point pool. I thought it was universal that gaining another focus spell would increase your focus point pool by 1. But then Druid's get Primal Summons which grants the spell, but does not mention the focus pool.

However, there is still Impaling Briars that does give the spell and increase the focus pool.

So, a Druid that takes Wild order initially, Order Explorer (Leaf) at level 2, picks up Impaling Briars at level 16, and Order Magic at level 18 or 20 to finally get goodberry. That build is still going to be a focus point short than taking Leaf order initially and Order Explorer into Wild order. Because at the point that they take Order Magic they do already have a focus pool of 2 points because of the focus point increase from Impaling Briars.

[Mellored]

breithauptclan wrote:

Thes33 wrote:

Suggestion: For the next errata, include the following line to the Order Magic feat: "If you currently have a focus point pool of 1, increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1 (to a total of 2)."

I don't think that would completely fix things. There is definitely something strange about the Druid's focus point pool. I thought it was universal that gaining another focus spell would increase your focus point pool by 1. But then Druid's get Primal Summons which grants the spell, but does not mention the focus pool.

However, there is still Impaling Briars that does give the spell and increase the focus pool.

So, a Druid that takes Wild order initially, Order Explorer (Leaf) at level 2, picks up Impaling Briars at level 16, and Order Magic at level 18 or 20 to finally get goodberry. That build is still going to be a focus point short than taking Leaf order initially and Order Explorer into Wild order. Because at the point that they take Order Magic they do already have a focus pool of 2 points because of the focus point increase from Impaling Briars.

most spells give an extra focus point, but some do not. Seems to depend on how stong they think the spell is.

Certainly not universal.

[Gortle]

breithauptclan wrote:

Thes33 wrote:

Suggestion: For the next errata, include the following line to the Order Magic feat: "If you currently have a focus point pool of 1, increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1 (to a total of 2)."

I don't think that would completely fix things. There is definitely something strange about the Druid's focus point pool. I thought it was universal that gaining another focus spell would increase your focus point pool by 1. But then Druid's get Primal Summons which grants the spell, but does not mention the focus pool.

However, there is still Impaling Briars that does give the spell and increase the focus pool.

So, a Druid that takes Wild order initially, Order Explorer (Leaf) at level 2, picks up Impaling Briars at level 16, and Order Magic at level 18 or 20 to finally get goodberry. That build is still going to be a focus point short than taking Leaf order initially and Order Explorer into Wild order. Because at the point that they take Order Magic they do already have a focus pool of 2 points because of the focus point increase from Impaling Briars.

Leaf and Storm Druid start with a focus pool of 2, Wild and Animal start with 1. I have to assume it was a deliberate design choice to make it harder to get multiple focus points for Wild and Animal Druids.

Wild => Impaling Briars is only a total of 2 Focus points
Leaf => Impaling Briars is 3 Focus points

Order Explorer and Order Magic do not give a focus point ever. Maybe this could be errated as you say but it seems deliberate.

You are missing Wind Caller which also increases focus points, along with a range of of multiclass options.

[breithauptclan]

From what it looks like to me, taking both Order Explorer and Order Magic covers everything except the initial skill training of the Druid order benefits. Yes?

If so, then as long as a character has all of the available abilities of the second order, I would allow them to 'retrain' their character to the alternate build. Choose their second order as their first order and reassign Order Explorer and Order Magic to the other order that they have.