my dm asked, as the main build expert of the group, to help build "a druid focused on battlefield control and debuff" for a high level campaign.
i came up blank, so I came to look for knowledge among those more expert than me.
oh, a druid has a lot of bfc and debuff.
problem is, this is a high level campaign. it's been going for a while. everyone in the party has access to freedom of movement.
99% of druid bfc spells are of the "summon plants to grab you" or "summon animals to grab you" or "summon animals that will throw nets at you". anyway, all that stuff is negated by freedom of movement. either that, or if has a for save and a giant neon sign saying "if you think you can beat his fort save, just cast baleful polymorph".
looking in the spell compendium, I come up with a limited selection.
- quill blast would be nice, quills impose a -1 penalty on most check. but it's noncumulative, so it's limited to a single -1. still, quickened could be worth a swift action.
- cast in stone is pretty good, but it's 9th level, limited availability.
- deadfall is interesting. moderate damage that cannot be reduced; knocking prone is not that huge effect, but still useful. it leaves behind difficult terrain, but freedom of movement counters that. it does not work on anyone flying, though
- greater whirlwind could have some success, but i'd be reluctant to use it for the amount of bookkeeping it entails. it's 9th level, anyway
- bombardment... does freedom of movement cover being buried under rabble? if it doesn't, this spell could be the winner.
this is mostly bfc. for the debuff, the only remotely useful thing i see is quill blast; everything else is strictly worse than baleful polymorph (which is a pretty strong spell anyway, if one can buff the saving throw dc). oh, and possibly use an animal companion to make trip attacks.
anything else I'm missing?
thanks