New player Druid build advice

[Lebeaubrun]

Hello, I'll be starting a game of pathfinder soon and it is my first time playing a pen and paper type of game.

I was wondering if I could get advice for my half-orc menhir savant build I plan to be playing.

I've read a lot about the game already but I'm still uncertain.

I value flexibility over optimization so I'm also on the look out for fun feats that would give me more options. The DM allow all paizo material.

So here is what I have so far: Half-Orc Menhir Savant with the ash domain. (one pc is playing a ranger so I felt like having two pet might be a bit much and since I'm the only 9th level caster in the group I thoutgh more spells would be a good idea)

Rolled stats: 16 str, 12 dex, 14 con, 10 int, 18 wis, 6 cha

Racial traits: Skilled, Unflinching valor, sacred tatoo

The DM doesnt give any extra traits

Feats:
1) Power attack (starting weapon would be great axe)
3) Additional trait: Reactionary and Fate's Favored
5) Natural Spell
7) Signature skill (Sense Motive): extra initiative, defense plus detect surface thoughts
9) Planar Wildshape (defense + smite)
11) Divine Interference
13) Quicken Spell
15) Spell Penetration
17) Quick Wildshape
19) ??

[Firebug]

Power Attack requires BAB +1 so swap it with Extra Traits if you are starting at 1.

You might consider Wild Speech, Beastspeak, or a Ring of Eloquence if you are planning on staying in celestial/fiendish form all day.

You do seem to be overloading your swift actions a bit with Divine Interference/Quicken Spell/Quick Wild Shape, but the first two at least are really useful. If you plan on sinking several feats into wild shape, then you are probably in a form all day, and you would only be swapping for special movement forms most likely.

[Lebeaubrun]

Firebug wrote:

...

Thanks for answering.

I start at lv3.

Do you think planar wildshape is worth it? If I am mainly a caster is an air elemental better?

Yea I do plan on using beastspeak unti l I can get a ring of eloquence.

Quick wild shape just feels useful but I am not that attached to it. Like flying to an enemies and dropping on top has an elephant in the same round.

Any opinion on signature sense motive? I dont see anyone use it but it seems like a really decent combo of survival and initiative bonus with added flavor.

[gnoams]

Planar wildshape is the most op feat you can take as a druid. You get good DR that practically nothing bypasses, decent energy resistances, and smite evil which with the typical druid lots of attacks is very good.

I'm personally not a fan of power attack on a druid. With 3/4 bab, I'd rather not take to hit penalties, and with many shapes you will be using secondary attacks which are only getting half the pa bonus.

Sense motive can be the most important skill to have or completely useless. 100% dependent on your GM in my experience.

Another druid feat to consider is powerful shape.

Wild armor is expensive, but nothing beats wild stoneplate if you want to keep the versatility of being able to change into whatever form fits the given situation. A lot of minmaxers will recommend using barding, but that route locks you into a single form, which to me defeats the whole purpose of being able to wildshape.

[Meirril]

This doesn't fit OPs current build but he says flexibility is important to him so I thought I'd throw this out there anyways.

Secret of Magical Discipline feat lets you trade one of your spells for any other spell of the same level once per day for each feat you spend on it. The druid spell list has a lot of quirks to it. You've got some healing and status mitigation, but in almost every case a level higher than the cleric. You also have some nice offensive spells, but the Wizard has a better list. Also...you don't have a really good list of utility spells.

Being able to poach not only from the larger cleric and wizard list, but also from very specialized (and overpowered) lists like Paladin and Summoner makes Secret of Magical Discipline an extremely powerful feat.

The major downside is you need the Secret class feature to take this feat. Which means you need to dip 1 level of Loremaster to qualify. If you plan on being a melee type, dipping into Loremaster is a bad idea. You get 0 BAB for this level. That is a real problem for a 3/4 class trying to melee in the late game. It really depends, a lot of druids tend to transition to mainly casters at high levels.

[Lebeaubrun]

gnoams wrote:

...

I mainly pick sense motive for the dodge and initiative unchained bonuses tbh, RP uses and thought read is just extra fun.

Might drop power attack and just take powerful shape later on. Vital strike feels too situational too.

Yea with quick wildshape I want to be able to change form on the fly in combat to abuse flying speed and form abilities so wild armor seems like the only good option.

[Lebeaubrun]

Meirril wrote:

Secret of Magical Discipline

Oh that sounds really fun. I will greatly consider it for a late level dip.