little bit of druid help needed

[wildbynature]

Ok, so I'm TRing Pealea into a druid. It's her last caster life, but I'm thinking I'd like to take advantage of the bear and wolf forms and do a little bit more melee than I have on other lives. My plan is to stand in a firewall and cleave and try to get my doublestrike upso that I'm doing decent damage, but I'm feeling a little feat starved.

Has anyone tried to do this build with a pure druid? I made a bet with a guildy a long time ago that I could get through all of my lives as pure classes, and I don't really want to break that now.

I know that you need at least two natural fighting feats, but some people have insisted on having three. If I go for three, I'd have to give up either cleave or my only metamagic. I like maximize. I want to fit it in a little sooner then lvl 18, but I'm not sure I can fit it in at all. I'm planning on taking quicken at lvl 21 so that I can pretty easily backup heal if I need to, and I'd like to fit in that other natural fighting. (Maybe at 24??) I'd also like to have great cleave.

As it stands now, it looks like I'll be getting a doublestrike one in every three hits or so with an extra 6% from gear. I'm not sure another 6% from the last natural fighting feat is going to make a huge difference (30-ish percent to 36-ish??? Still about one in three hits) I have gs hp items and conc op items as well as archmagi items, so I'm not really worried about spell points, and my hp will be fine as well. I haven't worked out my enhancements either, so they're not posted here.

Any help I can get with this build would be awesome. Thanks!

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.14.02
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Pealea 
Level 20 Neutral Good Human Female
(20 Druid) 
Hit Points: 282
Spell Points: 1441 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 16
Reflex: 7
Will: 16

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(36 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             16                    23
Dexterity            10                    13
Constitution         16                    19
Intelligence         12                    14
Wisdom               15                    18
Charisma             10                    13

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 1
+3 Tome of Dexterity used at level 1
+3 Tome of Constitution used at level 1
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 1
+3 Tome of Wisdom used at level 1
+3 Tome of Charisma used at level 1

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               1                     5.5
Bluff                 1                     1
Concentration         8                    27
Diplomacy             5                    24
Disable Device        n/a                   n/a
Haggle                2                    12.5
Heal                  4                     4
Hide                  1                     1
Intimidate            5                    24
Jump                  6                    17.5
Listen                4                     4
Move Silently         1                     5
Open Lock             n/a                   n/a
Perform               n/a                   n/a
Repair                2                     2
Search                2                     2
Spot                  4                     4
Swim                  4                     6
Tumble                2                     2
Use Magic Device      3                    12.5

Level 1 (Druid)
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Bard
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Cleric
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Favored Soul
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Rogue
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Sorcerer
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Wizard
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Wizard
Feat: (Human Bonus) Shield Mastery
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


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


Level 3 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 4 (Druid)


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


Level 6 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Cleave


Level 7 (Druid)


Level 8 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Winter Wolf


Level 9 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Natural Fighting


Level 10 (Druid)


Level 11 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Dire Bear


Level 12 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Natural Fighting


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


Level 14 (Druid)


Level 15 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Shield Mastery


Level 16 (Druid)


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


Level 18 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell


Level 19 (Druid)


Level 20 (Druid)

[smeggy1384]

Going melee? Max out that wisdom then, you want your wolf abilities to have higher DCs so you bluff, trip or freeze your target, or freeze a whole room once you get snowslide. Those all use your wisdom mod in the DC. Take a few points from STR to do it, you'll be doing plenty of sneak attack damage to make up for the slightly lower str.

Not tried the cleave route with my druid, was more than enough damage going without it anyway. Probably better off with empower heal.. cause when you need to heal they need that extra power.

For enhances get the required ones for natures warrior 1 and the sonic damage blast it has. Even if you're in human form and get a kill in the level range it goes off. The rest put towards whichever damage type you prefer. I've been playing with lvl 3 lightning strike with mine.. One shot a caster with it and the sonic blast takes care of most trash for me.

[verad]

Sadly cant use the animal attacks while raged/madstoned/under effects of feeblemind
and beholders......there is with bear form huge delays in attacks you have to every time stand and then attack 3 times where out of bear form you notice a signifigant
increase in attack speed. The animations for cleave and imp cleave are slowish
and power attack will max at +5 even if you use a 2 handed weapon wai. The double
strike seems good but you end up taking it as your 12th 15th 18th level feats making
yourself featstarved....powerattack cleave imp cleave shield mast imp shield mast toughness. Unless your planning on spashing some fighter/mnk it may be a tough go.
I didn't use wolf too much but my overall impression that compared to a dual wielding
class your dps is lower because of the cap damage.

The low levels are nice for a druid the animal forms spells seem to work well....as you
get past 12+ your damage will seem to cap and every level you stay the same instead
of getting more powerful as other classes are set up. This class is not like artificer or
monk where your going to be ahead of the pack....

If you did your wiz/sorc life your just going to feel like a gimp wiz
If you did your cleric/fvs your just going to feel like a wimpy healer.
If you did rogue your winter wolf is just going to feel weak
If you did Pal/fighter your direbear is going to make you never want to play this
class again...

thats just me though

V

[wildbynature]

Thanks for the tip about maxing out my wisdom, smeggy!!! I got to level 3 before I got tired and went to bed last night, but I'm liking the class so far. It's just a bit of an adjustment from any other class I've played. Normally, I run through Korthos swinging a great axe and wearing a breastplate of invulnerability with a medium gem of health on it. That did NOT work at all.

I made it to level 3 last night using the trip ability and the flame blade, and I was doing some pretty significant damage for such a low level (60-ish) on a crit and (25-30-ish) normally. (Possible with other toons but a bit of a nice surprise to me about the druid) With my medium gem of health, I've got over 100hp. I don't feel healin capable yet, but cure light in combination with tiny vigor was enough to keep me and my pet up.

I'm hoping that this Druid does pretty well dps-wise throught her life, but it's looking like many of my friends are rogues this life, so I might end up in bear form mostly as an intimitank and just let them hack everything to bits.

[DogMania]

So u soon as ill be tr'ing later today for my completionist life

[DemonStorm333]

put into wis would be the best advice i can give u as you get flame blade wich uses ur wis mod for to hit and damage as well as it affects your dc's

[wildbynature]

I started with a 16 wis...have a +3 tome, and I'm putting all of my level ups into wis now. I still want a little bit of strength cause I can always use flameblade.

[Machination]

Cleave, great cleave, reaving roar in wolf form really work well together. Start with 17 or 16 Wis with all level up into Wis. Rest into con, str. Quite fun to level and play

[smeggy1384]

Just remembered further incentive to go high wisdom. Around the time you get snowslide for wolf form there is also a wolf form howl to paralyze either around you or in a cone. This used the wisdom mod in its DC. Who wouldn't want to snowslide through a room of mobs then turn around and mass paralyze any that escaped that?