[3.5e] Pure druid vs. Arcane Heirophant

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Originally Posted by Edje

Practiced spellcaster ya or nah? and if so double up or single?

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Generally yes, but probably only on one side. You only need Practiced Spellcaster for overcoming SR and for level dependent spells. You can easily fill one class spell list with buffs, utility spells, and a few save or loses and you won't notice the lack of Practiced Spellcaster.

Practiced Spellcaster, Natural Bond, Natural Spell, Companion Spellbond, should be your first 4, in my opinion.

Craft Wondrous Items may be necessary. If your DM allows wildling clasps, you want one for every body slot, which may mean making them. You also want items for every body slot your pet has.

After that, almost anything. Able Learner is OK. Improved maneuverability if you plan on spending a lot of time in the sky. Improved Toughness is ok. Spell Penetration if you will be fighting lots of stuff w/ SR. Spell Focus is OK. Multiattack or Improved Natural Attack or Improved Unarmed Strike+ Improved grapple are good if you expect to be doing a lot of melee.

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Originally Posted by Gnaeus

Druid 3/Wizard 3/MT 1 doesn't have BAB +4.

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I think he's assuming fractional BAB since that's usually the non-inane way to handle it.


Anyway: Feats depend on your final build. If you aren't getting wildshape, you won't need natural spell; otherwise, obviously, you do.
And make sure you get quicken spell eventually.

Also, I suppose I should ask if you're dead set on AH. You could do a decent Ardent/Psychic Theurge otherwise. Mind Crush+Face Rape, For Great Justice.

Which class would make a better Summoner? (thats what i'm trying to build)

Druid gets lower diversity of summons but can get higher level ones faster, and i would give him ash bound summoning (summons get +3 tohit and last 2x as long), also it gets full wild shape and much higher HP

ArH gets better diversity more low level slots but doesn't keep up in summons strength, gets stronger overall companion

How does your DM feel about homebrew?

If you're allowed to use Unearthed Arcana's specialist wizard variants a conjurer allows you to trade your Familiar for standard action summons and scribe scroll for augment summoning as a bonus feat. You'd have to check the wording and with your DM about giving up your familiar and an Arcane Hierophant's familiar companion or if all else fails take Obtain Familiar since Augment Summoning frees up a slot. Not sure if it's worth it still.

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Originally Posted by Zaydos

If you're allowed to use Unearthed Arcana's specialist wizard variants a conjurer allows you to trade your Familiar for standard action summons and scribe scroll for augment summoning as a bonus feat. You'd have to check the wording and with your DM about giving up your familiar and an Arcane Hierophant's familiar companion or if all else fails take Obtain Familiar since Augment Summoning frees up a slot. Not sure if it's worth it still.

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do you need spell focus conjuration to take augment as a bonus feat?

If you like having an uber-Companion/Familiar take BeastMaster - Comp Adventuer

Druid 3, Wizard 3, Beastmaster 1, Arcane Heriophant
You need to take Skill Focus Animal Handling.
This cost you 1 lev of casting on both sides, and 1 lev of wildshape, but adds +3 to your Druid level for Animal Companion purposes, and counts as a Druid lev for Animal Comp purposes.
With Natural Bond this allows you to take an advanced Animal Companion of -3 and still count as a 8th lev druid for it's abilities.

Note - if you invest in a headband of Intellect for your Animal Comp the Improved Trip feat chain becomes available for it. :-)
If it is already has a trip attack it can become a true trip meister. Whenever it hits it gets 2 trip attempts, 1 of which it can't be tripped back. :-)


Stephen E

Hi

I don't own Races of the Wild. Is there somewhere online I could download the Arcane Heirophant info for free?

Cheers
Paul H

It's not OGL, so you'll either have to pony up or collect the scraps diligently via Google. I'm sure you can find the most important bits with enough searching.

If we're feeling cheesy, why not get your arcane side through Versatile Spellcaster and a single level in Warmage/Beguiler/Dread Necromancer?

Druid 3/Dread Necro 1/Mystic Theurge 4/Arcane Hierophant -> More MT.

In exchange for some feats, one caster level, and probably your wildshape, you get 9th level arcane spells, DMM with your Druid spells, and that nifty infinite negative-energy touch attack. Seems fair to me.

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Originally Posted by Edje

What would be the best feat build for a lvl 8 ArH with 2 flaws?

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Actually have one right now, I took the -1 ac and -2 to range attacks. The -2 to range attacks isn't that big when all your range attacks are touch. I did the druid 4/wizard3 into it.
Honestly even as the only "real" caster in the party I feel dissatisfied most of the time. Part of that could be the fact that I have no down time to make items I want, and the party in general doesn't get treasure except the one session where we got a huge haul. Of course over 3/4 of the items we found were cursed in some way. Add in the fact that once I finally got my special companion the DM forced us into a dungeon where it was useless. I don't know if it's the campaign I'm in or if the -3/-4 levels on spell progression is doing it, but I'm definitely not satisfied with the character.

G other:wizard 1/Druid 3/AH++++

Use that something or other aprentice feat to get 2nd level wizard spells with 1 level of wizard.