I am far from an expert, but personally I love mine. I am building him around buffing his pet rex named Mr Chomps. The expanded summoning list seems to need a bit to really get useful. I do like that you can spontaneously enlarge person. He is a PFS character by the way.
It restricts you animal choices to dinosaurs or megafauna...which means you have to pounce with an allosaurus rather than a tiger form. Very slight downgrade for flying since you are restricted to pterosaurs and the like.
But yes, this is fairly powerful. Particularly since giant shape allows you to use your normal weapons and armor, according to the transmutation rules. So it is mostly just a huge boost with few of the compromises regular wildshape requires.
Just grab a scimitar with the impact property, and swing that thing like it was a greatsword. Or play a half orc and just use a falchion. You can definitely play that up for a 'big, mean, and green' thing.
The build is just begging for the Animal Growth spell :)
I recommended in another thread the possibility of dipping a level of Living Monolith. Lot of good bonuses for one level, you get to keep your spell-casting and you get to cast Enlarge Person 3/day as a swift action.
The build is just begging for the Animal Growth spell :)
I recommended in another thread the possibility of dipping a level of Living Monolith. Lot of good bonuses for one level, you get to keep your spell-casting and you get to cast Enlarge Person 3/day as a swift action.
Goliath Druid specifically says that you can cast enlarge person on your pet.
Animal Soul feat says you can animal growth yourself
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/animal-soul
Animal Soul feat says you can animal growth yourself
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/animal-soul
But is that worth it? A 5th level spell and a feat for a temporary buff when you could wild shape for something that is just a bit less, but for 9+ hours at that point?
By level 12, there is little difference stat wise, and at level 14....ha, no you want to turn into a giant ASAP (since giant form II is written rather..differently from beast shape- it gives a set amount of stat increases, and doesn't separate them by form taken; you want to stay as a large troll, this just increases your stat boosts). Transmutation is always a bit of an iffy business for druids- they usually have better things to turn into.
Animal soul is more awesome on the nature fang druid, which trades in wild shape for studied target. They aren't turning into useful things otherwise, so why shouldn't they use animal growth or atavism (which I kind of prefer- +4 to all stats works great when your talents work off a different stat than your casting stat)
I was just reading this archetype and loving it. Very tempted to mix in some barbarian (feral gnasher or hurler) and see what I can do with rock throwing.
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Living Monolith is a poor combination, since you can't stack Enlarge Person with Wild Shape (due to the polymorph rules).
Me, I was thinking of just using a Moss Troll chassis, for the 15ft reach claws.
Also, investing in fire-resistant armor, because any enemies that succeed on a knowledge check will know that moss trolls hate and fear fire. So you can semi-predict the most common attack people will use against you.
Living Monolith is a poor combination, since you can't stack Enlarge Person with Wild Shape (due to the polymorph rules).
Me, I was thinking of just using a Moss Troll chassis, for the 15ft reach claws.
Also, investing in fire-resistant armor, because any enemies that succeed on a knowledge check will know that moss trolls hate and fear fire. So you can semi-predict the most common attack people will use against you.
Resist energy seems like a fairly prime buff for anyone using troll forms too.
I mean, fire resist 30 for 2 hours is an option by the time you get regeneration. Keeping that prepared seems like a fairly obvious use of a 2nd level slot. Turn it into an enlarge spell for your animal companion if you decide you aren't going to use it.
If you use the variant multiclass rules from unchained and put barbarian as your secondary you can grab rage without sacrificing levels of druid.
If you use the variant multiclass rules from unchained and put barbarian as your secondary you can grab rage without sacrificing levels of druid.
...you can do that anyway. The goliath druid includes the rage domain as one of its options.
If you use the variant multiclass rules from unchained and put barbarian as your secondary you can grab rage without sacrificing levels of druid....you can do that anyway. The goliath druid includes the rage domain as one of its options.
But that will cost you your animal companion, whom you are specifically allowed to cast enlarge person on, for that large, flanking, friend at level 1....
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Fun Fact: Druids have been able to that since 3.0.
Share Spells (Ex)
The druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A druid may cast spells on her animal companion even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (animal). Spells cast in this way must come from a class that grants an animal companion. This ability does not allow the animal to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells.
This is one of those class features that doesn't really do anything.
Fun Fact: Druids have been able to that since 3.0.
This is one of those class features that doesn't really do anything.Share Spells (Ex)
The druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A druid may cast spells on her animal companion even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (animal). Spells cast in this way must come from a class that grants an animal companion. This ability does not allow the animal to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells.
The class feature specify this because unlike the standard enlarge person this one only works on the goliath druid casting it. The AC is the only other creature on which he can cast it