Thinking of a druid caster build- few questions

[Panzermeyer]

Last question (will TR tomorow):

- It is a good idea to take 2 or 4 lvl of FVS? It would me more a direct damage dealer than a CC, what do you guys think?

I wouldn't put any FVS in a druid caster build.

Anything but pure will seriously compromise your Earthquake DC if not geared/built properly.

I personally wouldn't risk losing the best CC spell just for some direct damage.

I have very little need for direct damage as a druid caster anyways. It is all easily covered already.

Besides the best druid direct damage is Creeping Cold and Greater Creeping cold, and no FvS enhancements will boost your cold damage.

[geoffhanna]

Here's one that has some numbers filled in: http://www.gamergeoff.com/the-freeze...played-so-far/

I built it Halfling, and it hasn't hurt as the build does not need extra feats or characteristics, but if I had it to do over I'd probably go Human for the extra point of WIS and give it the Dragonmark of Passage.

I only played mine up to level 20 (and it was AWESOME!) but my wife has played hers up to 28 and loves it.

So there you go, hope you find it helpful.

[unbongwah]

Anything but pure will seriously compromise your Earthquake DC if not geared/built properly.

Pure druid vs monk splash is a wash as far as Earthquake DCs go: +2 WIS from capstone vs +2 WIS from Ocean stance.

Capstone also provides "Conjuration and Transmutation spells gain +2 DC, +2 caster level and +2 max caster level." The only Conj spell which I care about is Storm of Vengeance and upping the CL only extends its duration; but I like SoV enough that almost justifies staying pure on its own.

[thegreatneil]

.

EDIT: I don't think Ice Storm and Earthquake benefit from AoV, since they do blunt dmg, not Force; but I've never tested to be sure.

EQ is bludgeoning damage (but works like force), and does proc Scourge & Just Reward.
(tested on lama last update) did not test ice storm , but it should as well.

from wiki:

Re: Blade Barrier

Although Blade Barrier deals slashing damage, physical damage reduction does not apply to spells.
Damage boosts: Internally the damage is considered both slashing and untyped - thus it is affected by force damage enhancements. Impulse/Impact items increasing damage of blade barrier as they increase: Force, Untyped, Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning.

[Mandelia]

Two levels of fvs gets you an unending fountain of mana at the cost of 1 to your dcs for a druid. You will never, ever notice the difference to your earthquake.

[Doutrinador]

Two levels of fvs gets you an unending fountain of mana at the cost of 1 to your dcs for a druid. You will never, ever notice the difference to your earthquake.

I did TR on that Cleric and i am a lvl 6 druid, its very nice, can get 450 damage from call lighting SLA in crit (normally 220). Thx for all replies.
My char name is Taumante, server - Thelanis.

[Hirosue]

Update.

I reached level 21 a few days ago on my caster druid. Over all it was a very fun character to level up .Reading these forums, asking for advice and getting some feedback to ideas certainly helped me build a viable caster druid.

After a lot of consideration i went with half-elf evoker type build with monk dilettante for extra spell points and 40% healing amp and True neutral alignment.

To level up i played through every quest from 1-18 one time on elite with full BB and streak. Half elf works just fine as a druid caster .However i could see the benefits of going human and taking insightful reflexes if building a caster.

Personally i found the first few levels quite dull due to being build with caster stats.However once i started to get SLAs the fun ramped up very quickly.

To any new druid players or people considering druids reading this , i would recommend that you definitely build with SLAs in mind . They do great damage ( i took maximize and quicken very early.) and are fun.Mixing SLAs in with regular spells allowed my caster to pretty much never run out of spell points.

I had 9 past lives and a lot of leveling gear though.

Defenses are defiantly an issue with caster druid if you are planning to run Epic Elites , and mobs hit so hard. You will find it much easier if you get a displacement clicky and blurry item ,especially if soloing.

At level 21 my druid has 50 Wisdom and 3250 spell points.Earthquake dice check of about 53 which drops most mobs in EE quests at level i.e 20-23 lvl range. I have will be able to get a few more Dc as i level up and get better gear.

If i was to redo it , i think i would go elf with dragon mark for ,invisi and displacement SlAs. In the past i have played WF casters with reconstruct and displacement so i was used to having defenses which means survival in EE questing. In addition if going caster these does seem to be some legroom for multi-classing .I am euro timezone and as leveled posted every quest on the LFM as a PUg.

Very often the groups wouldn't fill at all or only half fill. bear in mind i am doing every quest at level at elite, with streak, the most desirable group to join XP wise.Taking 1 or 2 of rogue would give evasion and trapping so i would consider that especially if planning solo.

Im going to post my build for anyone who is interested, its is pretty much the evoker build with a few changes, especially using SLAs and of course going Half -Elf.

To conclude i would definitely recommend playing a caster druid. If you haven't rolled one up yet you should. Its a lot of fun and gives a very different game play experience to other classes of caster .

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 04.20.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 28 True Neutral Half-Elf Male
(20 Druid / 8 Epic)
Hit Points: 420
Spell Points: 2273

BAB: 15/15/20/25/25
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 7
Will: 24

Starting Ending Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Base Stats Modified Stats
(36 Point) (Level 1) (Level 28) (Level 28)
Strength 8 12 12
Dexterity 8 12 12
Constitution 16 20 20
Intelligence 16 20 20
Wisdom 18 29 35
Charisma 8 12 12

Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Strength used at level 3
+1 Tome of Dexterity used at level 3
+1 Tome of Constitution used at level 3
+1 Tome of Intelligence used at level 3
+1 Tome of Wisdom used at level 3
+1 Tome of Charisma used at level 3
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7
+3 Tome of Strength used at level 11
+3 Tome of Dexterity used at level 11
+3 Tome of Constitution used at level 11
+3 Tome of Intelligence used at level 11
+3 Tome of Wisdom used at level 11
+3 Tome of Charisma used at level 11
+4 Tome of Strength used at level 15
+4 Tome of Dexterity used at level 15
+4 Tome of Constitution used at level 15
+4 Tome of Intelligence used at level 15
+4 Tome of Wisdom used at level 15
+4 Tome of Charisma used at level 15

Starting Ending Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 28) (Level 28)
Balance -1 1 9
Bluff -1 1 9
Concentration 3 5 13
Diplomacy -1 1 9
Disable Device n/a n/a n/a
Haggle -1 1 9
Heal 4 12 20
Hide -1 1 9
Intimidate -1 1 9
Jump -1 1 9
Listen 4 12 20
Move Silently -1 1 9
Open Lock n/a n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a n/a
Repair 3 5 13
Search 3 5 13
Spellcraft 3 5 13
Spot 4 12 20
Swim -1 1 9
Tumble n/a n/a n/a
Use Magic Device n/a n/a n/a

Level 1 (Druid)
Feat: (Half-Elf Dilettante) Half-Elf Dilettante: Monk
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Favored Soul
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Favored Soul
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Favored Soul
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Sorcerer
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Sorcerer
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Sorcerer
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Wizard
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Wizard
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Wizard
Feat: (Selected) Quicken Spell
Feat: (Automatic) Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Call Wolf Companion
Feat: (Automatic) Dismiss Charm
Feat: (Automatic) Druidic Oath
Feat: (Automatic) Druidic Spontaneous Casting
Feat: (Automatic) Half-Elven Keen Senses
Feat: (Automatic) Half-Elven Mixed Heritage
Feat: (Automatic) Half-Elven Social Graces (ALL)
Feat: (Automatic) Heroic Durability
Feat: (Automatic) Immunity to Sleep
Feat: (Automatic) Light Armor Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Magical Training
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency: Scimitar
Feat: (Automatic) Medium Armor Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Shield Proficiency (General)
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Sneak
Feat: (Automatic) Wild Empathy

Level 2 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Wolf
Feat: (Automatic) Defensive Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Goodberry
Feat: (Automatic) Sunder
Feat: (Automatic) Trip

Level 3 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell

Level 4 (Druid)
Ability Raise: WIS

Level 5 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Bear
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Heroic Durability

Level 6 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Past Life: Arcane Prodigy

Level 7 (Druid)
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Wild Empathy

Level 8 (Druid)
Ability Raise: WIS
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Winter Wolf

Level 9 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Feat: (Automatic) Poison Immunity

Level 10 (Druid)

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

Level 12 (Druid)
Ability Raise: WIS
Feat: (Selected) Improved Mental Toughness

Level 13 (Druid)
Feat: (Druid Wild Shape) Wild Shape: Fire Elemental
Feat: (Automatic) Thousand Faces

Level 14 (Druid)

Level 15 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Spell Focus: Evocation
Feat: (Automatic) Timeless Body

Level 16 (Druid)
Ability Raise: WIS

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

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

Level 19 (Druid)

Level 20 (Druid)
Ability Raise: WIS
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Half-Elven Versatile Nature (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Human Adaptability: Wisdom (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Improved Dilettante (Monk) (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Improved Recovery (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Improved Recovery (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Improved Dilettante (Monk) (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Arcanum (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Arcanum (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Arcanumm (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Dilettante: Wisdom (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Improved Recovery (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Improved Recovery II (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Elf - Improved Dilettante (Monk) (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Seasoned (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Time (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Tide (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Sunburst (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Storm of Vengeance (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Hierophant (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Season's Greetings: Summer (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Season's Greetings: Summer (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Beguile (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Beguile (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Beguile (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Wax and Wane (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Spell Penetration (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Spell Penetration (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Spell Penetration (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Produce Flame (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Produce Flame (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Produce Flame (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Wax and Wane (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Creeping Cold (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Creeping Cold (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Creeping Cold (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Wax and Wane (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Wisdom (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Spring Resurgence (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Spring Resurgence (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Spring Resurgence (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Autumnal Susurrus (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Autumnal Susurrus (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Autumnal Susurrus (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Call Lightning (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Call Lightning (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Call Lightning (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Wax and Wane (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Wisdom (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Crown of Summer (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Winter's Heart (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Word of Balance (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Word of Balance (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Word of Balance (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Time and Tide (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Season's Herald (Drd) - Strength of the Solstice (Rank 1)

Level 21 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Epic Mental Toughness
Feat: (Automatic) Epic: Epic Skills

Level 22 (Epic)

Level 23 (Epic)

Level 24 (Epic)
Ability Raise: WIS
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Epic Spell Focus: Evocation

Level 25 (Epic)

Level 26 (Epic)
Feat: (Epic Destiny)) Epic Destiny: Epic Spell Power: Acid

Level 27 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Blinding Speed

Level 28 (Epic)
Ability Raise: WIS
Feat: (Epic Destiny) Epic Destiny: Hellball

[Panzermeyer]

I would recommend drop Spic Spell Power Acid and Blinding Speed.

Really the only spell that uses Acid is Storm of Vengence. And the timer on the SLA is too long, and the regular spell too expensive to use a ton compared to other spells in epics.

Going Cold or Fire based on the form you run in the most is best.

Blinding Speed helps out melee s the most which you are not doing. Nothing that cannot be handled by striders/speed slotted somewhere.

Otherwise welcome to the druid caster ranks. =)

[SirValentine]

Level 28 (Epic)
Ability Raise: WIS
Feat: (Epic Destiny) Epic Destiny: Hellball

I've never played with Hellball, and I'm not speaking against it at all, but as a Wisdom-based pure Druid caster, I hope you've at least considered Mass Frog here. It's awesome!