Help me with a PC for Tonight

[Rafim]

Hi guys..
i'm becoming mad. I have to play my first session in a new Pathfinder Campaign with a GM friend. Here's my problem: i usually play wizard and i love Wizard but, unfortunatley, for a Campaign reason "arcane prepared caster" are gone. I'm lost.

so i decided to try the Druid.

We start from first level and i think we would play till 10-12.
After reading EVERYTHING about the druid my idea and concept is this:

I want to play a no-specialized druid. I know that in PF everything is a specialization in something but i'm sure that the druid can do that.

And this is the idea:

20 point buy

human menhir savant liv 1

str 14
dex 14
cos 12
int 10
wis 16
cha 8

i'm thinking about the +2 human bonus.. what about str 16 and wis 16? the idea is to be a good caster with buffs, some control and later fighting with Change Form and the help of some spell.

what i want to know is, i your opinion, if this thing is possible or
is too much general and no specialized.

[J4RH34D]

Im playing a gnomic druid at the moment... A lot of your control spells can just as easily hinder your party, entangle and the like. Probably the best controllers are summon natures ally which you can spontaneously convert spells into.

Only problem is that SNA is a full round spell. If you plan on focusing on one shape for wildshape and one creature type for SNA, look at the Shaman archetypes. At 6th level they can wildshape as per 8th level into their choice animal, also they can SNA their choice animal as a standard instead of a full round. Makes for geat battlefield control. Can use SNA to interupt charges if as a readied action.

With a STR of 16 you can easily keep up with melee characters as well when you wild shape. A large wildshape takes your STR up to 20, and buffs can take that to 24, on 3 natural attacks with reach, it can be scary good. a 14 DEX will also make smaller shapes more viable and allow you to soak the penalties from larger shapes without too much of an issue.

My 2cp

[Chess Pwn]

I'd suggest
str 16+2
dex 12
cos 14
int 10
wis 14
cha 8

Reason being, if your doing spells that don't need a save then you just need enough wis to cast. And a 14 lets you cast for a long time and you'll get a headband or level bonus to reach the higher spells.
If you're fighting with wildshape your Dex drops and you get Natural armor. So I say the higher HP is better than the 1 AC. And having a high str means you'll be good in combat.

It's useful to put the +2 in your highest stat since you get more worth from hit.

[Matthew Downie]

In my experience a wild-shaping druid with an initial Strength of 14 is inadequate as a melee character - unless you're fighting large numbers of combats a day against weak enemies, you're going to be more useful summoning or buffing.

[TGMaxMaxer]

Druid is one of the few classes that can be a generalist and still be better than average at everything.

Stats are ok. If you make sure you don't use spells that have a save, or spells that still work on a save (such as stone call/entangle/etc) so that you can do some battlefield control, you have a plenty high enough wisdom.

+2 would maybe go into Str. I would actually recommend starting with an odd Str and Wis to try and get that Con up to a 14 if you plan on taking some frontline Wildshape combat duties.

Try Str 16 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 15 Cha 8. 20 pt buy still, but a little more health and another +1 hit and damage at level 1. at level 4 put another +1 into wis, and you are good on casting stat until level 13.

You would be better off with Str 17/wis 15 or Str 15/wis 17 and have a Cha of 7, depending on whether you want to be more caster or more combat. (I don't know your feelings on low stats). Boost one at 4, the other at 8, and if you happen to see level 12+, pick anything.

The difference between a 7 and an 8 is minimal, you aren't going to have many face skills anyways, and the only skill you need Cha for (Handle Animal) you get a +4 bonus on so by 3rd level even with the -2 you only fail a trick its trained for on a 1, and by 4 you don't fail at all. Give it the Defend and Guard tricks, so that even if you can't tell it to do something it defaults to protecting you or someone you have previously designated.

If you are going with a domain instead of a companion, then Cha 7 is no penalty mechanically.

[Rafim]

Thank you :) i choose menhir savant instead of a shaman mostly because i dont like the change form later. I love saurian shaman and the idea of summoning as standard action a lot of punce/charging things.. i think that it is a nice character to play but it's not what i want this time. i cant dump charisma to 7 (i forgot to mention it) cause my GM doesnt' like it.

str18 dex 12 con14 int10 wis 14 cha 8

Lol i'm basically creating a combat druid :)

It could be fun.
I've another question: i love animal companion, but i want the domain too, so i'm thinking about the Feather Domain. But until lvl4 i've few spells (low wis), no AC.. no change form.. i'm s#@* :)) is possibile to start with the AC and then, at lvl4, reatrain the AC with the feather domain?

In this case i can set talent like this:

1- combat casting
1- weapon focus (natural weapons??? possibile 1 feat for all?)
3- boon companion
5- Natural spell
7- dunno
9- powerful shape?

[J4RH34D]

The Earth domain gives a weaker AC. I think... could be misremembering

[Fruian Thistlefoot]

I'll be honest a druid prior to shape change can get along fine with good armor, shield and a club that has shillelagh on it.

[Chess Pwn]

Lv 1-3 you'd be an 18 str character, use a longspear, and you're good for combat.
you weapon focus 1 natural weapon, so bite or claw or talon or wing etc. But you could take it multiple times for all the natural weapons you want.
Boon companion would need to be taken at 5 since the feather doesn't give you the companion till 4.
Which spells from the feather domain are you wanting? If there's no really useful spells then you're better going the animal.
I wouldn't get combat casting, if you're in melee you're attacking not casting. If you're casting 5ft step away and you're not in melee anymore.

[Rafim]

uhm.. oki. you re totally right.

so:

trait

gifted adept: call animals
reactionary

so what about feats?

1- improved initiative
1- dunno
3- power attack
5- natural spells
7- Wild Speech
9- powerful shape
11- Planar Shape

or

1- spellfocus (conj)
1- aug. summoning
3- power attack
5- natural spells
7- Wild Speech
9- powerful shape
11- Planar Shape

any ideas?

[Fruian Thistlefoot]

Toughness is very nice level 1.

If your going more melee style druid then choice 1. Add in toughness and your good to go.

[Rafim]

Oki i went With the first + toughness!!
Thank you all for the help.