Season's Herald Caster / Healer - First Life

[EnjoyTheJourney]

I have a build plan roughed out for a Season's Herald who will hopefully be effective solo and teamed, intended to be a healer / caster; feedback to make her stronger would be helpful, and appreciated.

The leveling curve is intended to be as follows:

Level 1 - 6: Summons + melee, SPs mostly for healing and some damage spells / buffs.
Level 7 - 10 (or 12): Use persistent AOEs to whittle down groups of foes, use DOTs on bosses, heal as needed; summons are bascially a distraction. Use flame blade or other means to melee, as a way of keeping SP expenditures down.
Level 11 (or 13) onward: Mostly focused on AOEs, DOTs, using Season's Herlad abilities as needed. Melee (hopefully) won't be used very much.

This character will need to find her own gear, as the "lead" character on a server, and so gear will be a challenge to put together.

As one note of some chagrin, I'm guessing that I won't be making many reflex saves, with this character.

Here is the plan:


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.14.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Windbeam
Level 20 Neutral Good Human Female
(20 Druid)
Hit Points: 312
Spell Points: 1626
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 15
Reflex: 6
Will: 21

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 10 10
Dexterity 10 10
Constitution 16 16
Intelligence 8 8
Wisdom 18 29
Charisma 10 10

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20)
Balance 1 11
Bluff 0 0
Concentration 7 26
Diplomacy 4 23
Disable Device n/a n/a
Haggle 0 0
Heal 4 9
Hide 0 0
Intimidate 0 0
Jump 0 0
Listen 4 9
Move Silently 0 0
Open Lock n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a
Repair -1 -1
Search -1 -1
Spot 4 9
Swim 0 0
Tumble 1 1
Use Magic Device 2 11

Level 1 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Spell Focus: Evocation
Feat: (Human Bonus) Toughness


Level 2 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Bear


Level 3 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing Spell


Level 4 (Druid)


Level 5 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Wolf


Level 6 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell
Enhancement: Druid Season's Herald I
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Druid Waxing Hoarfrost I
Enhancement: Druid Waxing Sun I
Enhancement: Druid Waxing Life I
Enhancement: Druid Zenith of the Sun I
Enhancement: Druid Energy of the Locus I
Enhancement: Druid Eminence of Hoarfrost I
Enhancement: Druid Eminence of Hoarfrost II
Enhancement: Druid Eminence of the Sun I
Enhancement: Druid Eminence of the Sun II
Enhancement: Druid Eminence of Life I
Enhancement: Druid Wisdom I
Enhancement: Druid Toughness I
Enhancement: Druid Toughness II


Level 7 (Druid)


Level 8 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Dire Bear


Level 9 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Heighten Spell


Level 10 (Druid)


Level 11 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Winter Wolf


Level 12 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Quicken Spell
Enhancement: Druid Autumnal Susurrus
Enhancement: Druid Season's Herald II
Enhancement: Druid Spring's Resurgence
Enhancement: Human Adaptability Wisdom I
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Druid Zenith of Life I
Enhancement: Druid Energy of the Locus II
Enhancement: Druid Energy of the Locus III
Enhancement: Druid Eminence of Hoarfrost III
Enhancement: Druid Eminence of the Sun III


Level 13 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Water Elemental


Level 14 (Druid)


Level 15 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Spell


Level 16 (Druid)


Level 17 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Fire Elemental


Level 18 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Spell Focus: Evocation


Level 19 (Druid)


Level 20 (Druid)
Enhancement: Druid Hierophant
Enhancement: Druid Crown of Summer
Enhancement: Druid Hide of the Crocodile I
Enhancement: Druid Hide of the Crocodile II
Enhancement: Druid Nature's Warden I
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery III
Enhancement: Human Versatility I
Enhancement: Druid Zenith of Hoarfrost I
Enhancement: Druid Eminence of the Storm I
Enhancement: Druid Wisdom II
Enhancement: Druid Wisdom III
Enhancement: Druid Toughness III

[EnjoyTheJourney]

On a related issue, I'm curious about how others regard the value of specific druid spells, for a human / elemental form caster druid. Are there any spells given below, that should probably not be taking up a spell slot, because they provide so little value? Are there really valuable druid spells not given on the list below?

Level 1: Entangle, faerie fire, longstrider, jump, produce flame, charm animal
Level 2: Flame blade, fire trap, resist energy, splinterbolt, creeping cold, barkskin
Level 3: Call lightning, salt ray, cure moderate wounds, protection from energy, neutralize poison, contagion, dominate animal
Level 4: Ice storm, flame strike, mass lesser vigor, cure serious wounds, freedom of movement, dispel magic
Level 5: Wall of fire, death ward, cure critical wounds, greater vigor, panacea, animal growth
Level 6: Greater creeping cold, word of balance, mass vigor, fire shield, fire seeds, tenacious pack
Level 7: Creeping doom, mass greater vigor, regenerate, elemental toughness, body of the sun, fire storm, freezing spray, sunbeam
Level 8: Heal, earthquake, fires of purity, sunburst, finger of death, ice flowers
Level 9: Anger of the noonday sun, mantle of the icy soul, mass regenerate, storm of vengeance

[cru121]

quench is very powerful in the right situation

[Khatzhas]

On a general note, I would recommend taking Fire Elemental form first. Body of the sun is generally more useful than Freezing Spray at that level, until you start fighting very tough individual mobs. The best (IMO) water elemental ability is Mantle of the Icy Soul, which you only get access to at high level.

Regarding spells: (Obviously these are my opinions. YMMV)

Level 2: Fire Trap is rather situational. Splinterbolt isn't very efficient (no spellpower lines boost it).
Align Fang is useful to give your pets and summons ability to bypass Good DR (most devils in Vale for example.)
Gust of Wind is excellent for clearing fog, sleet storms, firewalls, disco balls, ice storms now that many more enemy casters use them.
Pack presence is great for keeping your opponents focused on your pets/summons/hirelings, not you.

Level 3:
Vigor is a good heal, Spiderskin is useful as a natural armour boost if you don't have enough level 2 slots for Barkskin. Quench not only does damage to Fire types, but also removes resistances, and can give higher resists than resist energy does.

Level 4: Flame strike is a bit too slow, and rather inefficient.
Ice Storm is awesome. Summon Nature's ally IV: The Razor cat is very powerful.

Level 5: Stoneskin is very good. Pack Aptitude has a shorter duration than most other buffs, but is good for your mob. I believe that elementals use constitution for their spells, but would really like confirmation on that.
Reincarnate: its slow, its a bit random, but its the only ress you have.

Level 6: Fire shield is good as a resist effect, but I prefer mobs to bear on my pack, not me. Fire seeds has double range, and a small AoE, but not that much better damage than Produce flame.
Tenacious pack is great. Particularly with Spring Resurgence.

Level 7: Mass Greater vigor is not that much better than mass vigor. Use whichever you have the slot spare. Creeping doom is very slow to travel, and is not boosted by any spellpower enhancements.

Level 8: Earthquake is awesome. Fires of Purity is a good party buff when no Artificer around.

Level 9: Mantle of the Icy Soul is the reason to be a water elemental. ;) Use in conjunction with lesser creeping cold to set up for Finger of Death, or Ice Storm for Earthquake.

[moriedhel]

Personally i would drop heighten and quicken for mental toughness feats but that's just me, heighten is good on EQ, FoD and quench, quicken probably good on heal as the regenerates are pretty fast casting and you won't be meleeing to be hit that often.

You got all the important spells in there except maybe sleet storm, some people like to drop that on top of EQ and Ice storm, I personally don't as it means I have to FoM everyone first and the graphical effects kind of annoy me :p