My starter character for this campaign, a seasinger bard, died two levels ago. I built her to be mainly a buffer and she was really helpful to the party. But she was really soft in combat and when she was surrounded by enemies she died quickly (it was a fight the party started at a party... they attacked the host. So I was caught off guard, my character was in a bad place, and was cut down and dead in less than two rounds. I didn't even get to swing a single punch).
Anyway, I rolled up an 8th level storm druid to replace her with the idea of being better able to protect myself. She recently reached level 10.
The druid has been great defensively. I am good at keeping her alive no matter what. But I don't think I am contributing much to the fights. My spells and abilities don't seem to do anywhere near as much damage as melee. I tend to fail my caster rolls or our enemies have spell resistance or make their saves. When I do damage, it's peanuts compared to melee. I can be helpful, but it seems very situational.
To top it off, I am really not a good player when it comes to druid mechanics. I am slow playing because I have to look up wildshape forms and I am still learning the spells. I use other players turns to come up with what I think are good ideas and look things up and make a plan, only to find out when I announce my actions that its not allowed or I misread how something works. Sometimes the situation changes and what I planned to do is not longer needed (the enemy I was going to attack is now dead). So then I scramble and rush to come up with an alternative idea for my turn and it's a crummy one. I tend to just quickly use Lightening Arc and Storm Burst so as not to hold up the game too long.
So I am thinking I am just not contributing to the fight right and could use some advice. I never played a druid before this and it didn't help that I jumped in at level 8 so I didn't learn along the way. Any tips on what I should be doing? Focus on buffing, debuffing, am I supposed to deal damage but am not doing it right? What should be my go to actions in combat to be useful?
For what it's worth, I am pretty good a RP I think. I have an interesting backstory and even after playing her for several sessions and two levels, the party still hasn't figured it all out and they are confused by her a little. Her mood changes, literally, with the weather. And she keeps a cursed doll because she's in love with it and thinks someday it can become a real person. She's also a bigamist and has several husbands scattered around the Shackles. But somehow, she manages to get into the good graces of important NPCs (I play her mood to the weather and it just kind of works out--I think the GM is helping with that, haha).
But I really want to have just as much fun in combat as I do when we are in town and I get to role play her. We seem to do a lot more combat/adventuring than RP, so most times I literally am not having fun. I need help. Thanks!
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You need high wisdom for caster druids, else saves and SR will be a problem. Without metamagic feats, spell focus and spell penetration you should focus on Wild shape. Print sheets with your favorite battleforms to save time during combat rounds.
And please post your build if you want more suggestions.
Thank you Khan. I've also been working with my GM too (he's really smart and has great ideas). He's telling me to focus on battlefield control vs damage. He also mentioned our party doesn't make a lot of knowledge checks (which would help us).
Here is the build, if more info is needed, please let me know. I should note we are playing with bonus progression.
S: 10
D: 18
C: 14
I: 10
W: 19
Ch: 12
Feats:
Spell focus evocation
Spell focus transmutation
Greater spell focus evocation
Improved Initiative
Natural Spell
Scribe Scroll (I use this for situational spells that I don't want to memorize)
Skills
Bluff: 13
Craft tattoo: 8
Diplomacy: 7
Disguise: 1
Fly: 6
Handle Animal: 11
Heal: 8
Intimidate: 3
Knowledge Geography: 1
Knowledge Local: 6
Knowledge Nature: 15
Perception: 17
Profession sailor: 8
Sense motive: 5
Spellcraft: 8
Stealth: 2
Survival: 11
As far as magic items go, they seem hard to buy. Not that I have a lot of gold at 793gp. I use a gold crafting scrolls. I've literally found nothing I want to buy at any port and I've found little druid stuff adventuring. All of this (except the ring of swimming and the wands) were gear I started with).
I have a slew of scrolls I made (and I can make more)
ring of eloquence
ring of swimming (kind of a waste when I can wildshape)
Masterwork wild lamellar armor
+2 scimitar
selective metamagic rod
extend metamagic rod
wand of cure light
want of cure moderate
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Ok so your stats and feats look good, but pick up spell penetration next.
The trick with casters is guessing which saves you should target.
Big monster; reflex saves and touch/ranged touch attacks
Small monsters; fortitude, CMD (grapple fx.)
Don’t use spells that target will saves on other casters as a general rule.
Conjuration spells usually have No save and some battlefield control as well fx. Stone Call, which will cover the entire deck of another ship.
What are your usual spells in combat?
Thanks again for the tip. I have a while before I level, so it will be a while before I pick up spell penetration.
I've been all over the place with spells as I try to figure out my niche, but I would say some of my go to spells in combat are liberating command (we get grappled a lot), barkskin, call lightening, mad monkeys, flamestrike, firesnake, baleful polymorph.
I get to use more of my weather spells when we are on the ship. I actually do pretty well there. If I may be so bold, I think I was the most helpful PC when it came to winning the regatta but for a pirate campaign, being on the high seas seems to be the exception rather than the rule. But that's probably due to the party wanting to do quests more so than hunt for and loot ships.
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Other spells of notice:
1. Lev: Snowball (only save vs staggered), Thunderstomp (ranged trip, targets CMD)
2. Lev: Aboleths Lung (buff or attack spell) Agressive thundercloud, Sickening Entanglement (double debuff targets two different saves and huge area) warp Wood (make a backdoor into any ship or possible sink it.)
3. Lev: Aqueous Orb, Hydrophobia (really fun in combination with other water spells like Summon water elemental, slipstream, aqueous orb…)
I will come with more later, when I have the time.
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3. Lev: Feather Step Mass (after a stone call spell your team will be the only ones making 5ft. Steps.) Mirage (Great illusion spell for druids. Hide reefs or your ship with this)
4. Lev: Control Water (Raise or lower water an incredible 100ftx100ftx20ft at level 10 and imagine the effect) Vermin Shape II (become a tiny flying blaster Druid)
5.lev: Fickle winds (make your team immune to most ranged attacks)
Thank you again! We play again tomorrow. We left off in the middle of exploring some caves. When I get a chance to rest, I will try out some of these spells. I have used control water (when we were stuck on a reef by wreckers). It's one of my "go tos" when we are on the ship along with quench and control winds. But I've not really used most of the others suggested.
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A reach metamagic rod is also handy next time your are shopping.
Fx with Aboleths Lung.
If you wildshape into a creature with reach you can also make touch attacks without triggering AOO as long as you can attack from outside your targets reach.
An ex. is:
1 lev: Frostbite gives you 10 touch attacks dealing 1d6+10 nonlethal Frost damage. If you wildshape into an giant octopus first, you could deliver 8d6+80 nonlethal frost damage in one round targeting touch AC with no save with 20 ft reach.