I think ...
They're so awesome I love them! AMAZING!
So yeah I wanna make them, I have a fairly decent theoretical understanding of the base druid and have in the passed made a fairly bland one which was built towards buffings and being decent in combat with her pet tiger and some more tigers she summoned whilst also being a tiger lol.
Also making use of forms like a small air elemental for more controlling casting focusing on spells that didn't always ask for saves or just more summons, you know sort of control wizardy.
But I want to make a Leshy Warden and I think that I want something new.
I am open to spell perfection but I'm not particularly interested in making the classic Ball+Daze spell perfection combo because it isn't really taking advantage of all my plantyness.
So looking at what I'm given.
I love the Leshy familiar because I love Leshy not particularly because of some mechanical means, I just love them. I don't want to make a mauler because my little cabbage buddy is not a okay. I am however open to archetypes so long as they don't trade away improved evasion.
Also I haven't been able to find what bonuses the Leshy grants as a familiar to it's buddy so if any of you know that let me know.
Summoning is as strong as ever, but I've sort of done that before, so its an option but not my favorite.
I have to take the plant domain which isn't great because I'm pretty sure I have all those spells already, but if I go Growth, which I think I can, I can pick up Enlarge person which might be good.
I am very interested in a nature based perfect spell but I'm pulling a blank.
Finally we have Wildshape at first glance it looks pretty dire only having plants but I've looked at some forms and it isn't the end of the world. I'll put my summary of forms in spoilers because this is already a wall of text.
For a small plant Calathagar seems like a decent stealth form with climb speed, darkvision and 3 natural attacks should I get caught I do still get a Con and Ac bonus for being small so not like the end of the world.
For medium I've got a Mi-go, which grants flight which is good news because I haven't been able to find flight speed on a small plant, seems like a decent combat form as well should I decide to go that route +2 Strength, Con and Ac, and 4 natural attacks, not pouncing but its not terrible, 4 natural attacks at level 6 isn't too bad.
For large Alraune actually seems pretty badass 4 reach attacks all primary natural attacks coming off a +4 strength bonus and grab and shes fast, not gonna lie kinda excited to be a big badass plant lady.
For Huge Gallows tree can smash the s&#& out of most things with a +8 strength on 6 slams as primary attacks by level 10.
So tl/dr fighting with wildshape still totally an option on the table.
So far the build idea I have is trying to get a a wand of Enlarge person for my Leshy by level 2 or 3 at the latest to cast on me and then myself cast Shillelagh to make a huge+1 Quarterstaff after one turn of buffs which seems decent to me, if it works how I think it should anyway. I'd still have access to stuff like fog/obscuring mist/entangle should I want to control.
But like I said Totally up for a spell perfection route should you guys knows a kewl spell to do it with thats more plant themed.
I was going to suggest taking the second form Leshy and then going Mauler for an unreasonable amount of stats (which you can improve further by then enlarging the leshy and dipping Eldritch Guardian for combat feats), but another method is probably to use them as spell delivery.
Stay with the first leshy type (leaf), and use them to deliver spells through flying at enemies or up to allies from a good vantage point. For you, be sure to summon lots of leshies to have your familiar move among. Your opponent wont know which leshy is your familiar in a pack of them, so be sure to capitalize on that. Summoned monster leshies can draw attacks of opportunity for your own leshy to fly in and out safely. In addition, their leshy power is growing stronger and stronger due to usinf your HD for effects, so their seed can be really annoying for stopping casters.
For you, work on boosting your combat prowess so that you can wade into the fight in plant form. A relatively forgotten feature of leshies is the fact that, when they die, they heal plant creatures around them. So summoning a bunch of leshies, running in with them as a big plant creature (flavour it as big leshy with an axe), and having them die by provoking attacks of opportunity (or threaten to flank an enemy) can mean you have a lot of healing power.
I'm Sorry I notice I somehow managed to not finish a sentence in my first post, that should read, 'I don't want to make a mauler because [putting my] my little cabbage buddy [in danger] is not a okay.'
I think using a Leshy's fly speed to get up to enemies is a bit ambitious given that it can only fly 10ft and has to descend 5ft from where it started. The Army of Leshy is a kewl idea though I like the idea of hiding mine inside, then all he has to fear is fireballs xD
So you agree with me about the plant form combat thing? I'm glad, got any better combat forms at medium size than Mi-go.
Also do you agree with the Enlarge person wand + Shillelagh until that comes online.
bump.
Leshys are pretty much improved familiars, so they won't grant any bonuses like +1 Natural Armor or +4 Initiative.
For other plant forms - a psychepore is medium size and gets 3 slams, all with wisdom damage/confusion poison. It's not as mobile as a mi-go but that poison is nasty.
Ahhh thanks Azten that explains it.
Psychepore sounds like an interesting form worth making a sheet for just incase :P