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Most Fun Druidic Character for Full Saga Playthrough?

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  • gaiaasanagaiaasana Member Posts: 2
    9s4ayblhgcb3.png

    I've been having a blast playing as a Dual Berserker/Druid. I played through BG as just a Berserker and you can see how the Tombs helped raise my stats, that Wisdom gives me some great bonus spells per day!

    Bonus Druid Spell memorization:
    Level 1: +3
    Level 2: +3
    Level 3: +2
    Level 4: +3
    Level 5: +1

    I just escaped Spellhold and reached level 14. This is my first play through of BGII.

    The Grand Mastery in Quarterstaff + Specialized Two Handed Weapon and 19 STR yields 18-23 damage with 5/2 attacks per round is pretty devastating and lots of critical hits with 30+ damage.

    With the Plate of Balduran (which Druids can wear) and the Brawling Hands, my AC average is -6. Since Druidic spells are mostly pre-combat buffs or summons (I love Fire Elementals...) or the combat starting Insect plague it's easy to prep and then rush into battle. I haven't used Berserk that often, but in fights with lots of stun or domination it is handy especially before you have access to Chaotic Commands, which is probably my favorite/most useful buff at this point in the game.

    You can see my party on the right side, I had Dorn instead of Jaheira for about 400K XP so she is behind. I also used Edwin and Cernd a lot and only at the beginning of Spellhold dropped Cernd for Imoen. It was different play style with 3 druids in the group!
    gorgonzolabutteredsoulElysianEchoes
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,822
    gaiaasana wrote: »
    The Grand Mastery in Quarterstaff + Specialized Two Handed Weapon and 19 STR yields 18-23 damage with 5/2 attacks per round is pretty devastating and lots of critical hits with 30+ damage.
    Specialization in two-handers is kind of a waste here. Quarterstaves start at speed (initiative) 4, reduced by 1 for each point of enchantment. Grandmastery reduces it by 3 and the first dot in 2H style by 2, so you already hit the fastest possible speed of zero with even a nonmagical staff. The second dot in 2H style improves speed only, so it does nothing for you.
    gaiaasana wrote: »
    With the Plate of Balduran (which Druids can wear)...
    Only Fighter/Druids can wear it. Single-class druids can't wear anything heavier than studded leather, or less for some kits.
    gaiaasanagorgonzola
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366
    edited August 2019
    Has anybody tried Totemic Druid dualed to to fighter? It just occurred to me that for the price of about 30 or 40 hit-points, it might be kind of fun. I'd say Level 11 (for best summons) or level 14 (for best spells) would be good points for the switch. Those dual points would also allow play as a druid for all of BG and even SoD (for level 14 build anyway) so you wouldn't be gimped when it hurts the most. I know dualing 'out' of a spellcasting cast isn't generally done, but this could be an exception. Would that dual be allowed full-plate? I've never tried it so I'm not sure. Even if it doesn't that would still be a pretty kick-ass fighter by ToB! You could grandmaster in a melee weapon AND slings or darts by that point and still have your choice of four (or five at lvl-14) pips for the other ranged weapon, and your choice of staves, scimitars, daggers, clubs, spears, two-handers, one-handers, two-weapon fighting or sword and board.

    Edit: Another thing I'm not sure of. Would that build allow the dual without the 17 charisma requirement since you're dualing 'into' fighter?
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,822
    A quick test...

    Dual-classing from druid to fighter requires 17 Str, 15 Wis, and 15 Cha - nothing else.
    Standard and totemic druids can use any armor and any shield after dual-classing.
    Shapeshifters can use any shield after dual-classing, but still no armor; you'll need to shapeshift if you want decent AC.
    Avengers need the Str tome to meet the requirements. If they still go through with it, they can use any shields, but still no armor heavier than leather.
    In all cases, weapons are still restricted as a druid after dual-classing.

    Basically, the dual to Fighter increases the base armor allowed to fighter levels, but doesn't override any kit restrictions beyond that.
    Balrog99gorgonzola
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366
    edited August 2019
    jmerry wrote: »
    A quick test...

    Dual-classing from druid to fighter requires 17 Str, 15 Wis, and 15 Cha - nothing else.
    Standard and totemic druids can use any armor and any shield after dual-classing.
    Shapeshifters can use any shield after dual-classing, but still no armor; you'll need to shapeshift if you want decent AC.
    Avengers need the Str tome to meet the requirements. If they still go through with it, they can use any shields, but still no armor heavier than leather.
    In all cases, weapons are still restricted as a druid after dual-classing.

    Basically, the dual to Fighter increases the base armor allowed to fighter levels, but doesn't override any kit restrictions beyond that.

    Thanks for the info. I know what I'm doing for my next re-startitis relapse now.
    Totemic-dual-Fighter baby! I'm thinking solo-no-reload. What can I say? I'm a masochist...

    Edit: Any advice on level 11 vs level 14 dual? Are the 6th and 7th level spells enough of a game-breaker to justify a MUCH LONGER time as a vanilla fighter?
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,822
    Laying out the options, starting at level 11:

    Level 11: 5/4/4/3/2/1 spell slots. 200K XP as a druid, 1000K as a fighter.
    Level 12: 6/5/5/3/2/2 spell slots. 300K XP as a druid, 1250K as a fighter.
    Level 13: 6/6/6/4/2/2 spell slots. 750K XP as a druid, 1500K as a fighter.
    Level 14: 6/6/6/5/3/2/1 spell slots. 1500K XP as a druid, 1750K as a fighter.
    No new abilities at those levels aside from the spell slots. Your THAC0 and saves as a druid will be eclipsed by your THAC0 and saves as a fighter by the time you complete the dual.
    Going to level 12 for the extra 6th level slot is a pretty decent tradeoff; at a random time after completing the dual, you're more likely than not to be at the same fighter level you would have been dual-classing at level 11.
    Going to 14 for the extra 5th and 7th level slots? That gives up about five levels of fighter progression, a huge cost for a modest benefit. I'd much rather have five fighter HLAs than two good spell slots.

    It's not so much the time as a fighter as it is the XP invested in being a druid - because that's taking away from your fighter levels. Spending about one level's worth to reach druid level 11 or 12 is reasonable, while spending three or six level's worth is an enormous cost that's hard to justify.
    Grond0gorgonzolaBalrog99monico
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    jmerry wrote: »
    gaiaasana wrote: »
    The Grand Mastery in Quarterstaff + Specialized Two Handed Weapon and 19 STR yields 18-23 damage with 5/2 attacks per round is pretty devastating and lots of critical hits with 30+ damage.
    Specialization in two-handers is kind of a waste here. Quarterstaves start at speed (initiative) 4, reduced by 1 for each point of enchantment. Grandmastery reduces it by 3 and the first dot in 2H style by 2, so you already hit the fastest possible speed of zero with even a nonmagical staff. The second dot in 2H style improves speed only, so it does nothing for you.
    gaiaasana wrote: »
    With the Plate of Balduran (which Druids can wear)...
    Only Fighter/Druids can wear it. Single-class druids can't wear anything heavier than studded leather, or less for some kits.

    Druids without additional armor restrictions (so not avenger or shapeshifter) can wear ankheg (or dragon) armor, which is a major improvement over studded leather.
    gorgonzola
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,822
    Right, inconsistent descriptions on that one. It's listed as "non-metallic" in game and "no heavier than studded leather" in the manual. At least in the current version, the former is how it's done for druids.
    All of the dragon armors are allowed, by the way. They may be based on various different armor types (studded leather, ankheg, full plate...) as far is their modifiers go, but that doesn't matter to the druid eligibility. They can wear everything up to and including the blue dragon plate, as long as they have the strength for it.
    Balrog99
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366
    Thanks @jmerry.

    I have a plan for my next run. Totemic Druid 12 / Fighter X. Now if I can just remember to not take pips in non-druid weapons while I'm a fighter. (Don't laugh, I've screwed myself by accident before - although that was pre-Keeper days. Good times...)
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    edited August 2019
    Not to worry @Balrog99. That's a possibility when dualling away from a fighter, but when dualling to a fighter (or anything else), the EE games will only offer you options not prohibited by the previous class.
    Balrog99monico
  • gorgonzolagorgonzola Member Posts: 3,864
    To go from totemic d. to fighter bring the spirit helpers, very powerful at low level, but no more in end game, some useful divine spells and buffs, and the really powerful cahotic command, insect plague and ironskin at lev 5.
    At lev 6 wonderous recall let restore lev 5 spells. Both the lev 12 and 13 dual let have up to 6 lev 5 spells and to dual later cost too much xp and time, imo not worth.

    As solo a totemic fighter is strong at the beginning for the summons and strong late game as his lev 5 spells give him survavibility and anti mage capability, but late game he is mainly a fighter and more hla are better then high level spells.

    It is not a PG choice, but is strong and viable in its own way.
    Balrog99
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,822
    My Bhaalspawn isn't a druid for it, but I'm currently running a druid-heavy playthrough. The key element to it is SCS improved shapeshifting, which turns druid shapeshifting abilitites into tokens that can be equipped as weapons for at-will transformations. This, of course, makes the Shapeshifter druid fantastic; you can always shift to normal form to cast a few spells, and then go back to mauling people as a werewolf without losing any daily power uses. It's so good that it had to be nerfed some; the shapeshifter now gets a lesser werewolf form with 1 APR at level 1, and doesn't get the full (2 APR + haste) werewolf form until level 7.
    Since the shapeshift tokens set your strength and dexterity to fixed values, you don't need high stats there, and can feel free to max out Wisdom and Charisma. In BG1, you can be a better healer than any cleric and a better melee warrior than most fighters, all in one character.

    Now, where it gets silly... those shapeshift tokens can be created each day, transferred to other party members, and equipped by any druid, monk, or shaman. So, then, I have three werewolves running around; my secondary PC shapeshifter, Jaheira, and Rasaad. Jaheira can even get to 4 APR in BG1 this way; dagger specialization and the bonus half-attack from Fighter 7. They just maul their way through so many fights that are usually challenging, and with very little equipment needed.
    The secondary PC will not be imported to BG2; instead, I'll take Cernd. The remaining party members will all eventually get Use Any Item, and be able to become werewolves themselves.
  • Mantis37Mantis37 Member Posts: 1,173
    That party should probably head to Werewolf Island and stay there ;). "So y'all were werewolves all along? What a coincidence."
  • jsavingjsaving Member Posts: 1,083
    SCS is indeed a game-changing (and game-breaking) power boost for shapeshifters.
  • DavidWDavidW Member Posts: 823
    Moving the tokens to other people is an exploit, fwiw, but I have a don’t-block-exploits policy, so if you enjoy playing this way, have fun.
    jsavinggorgonzola
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    Gotta go with the Druidic Sorcerer who happens to be able to use a Bow. Neat-o!
    RAM021 wrote: »
    Ranger/Cleric

    'Game Options', 'Cleric Ranger Spells', '0'
    Yeah, OG Cleric/Ranger was terrifyingly powerful. I once rolled one with a 92 stat total with a 18/00 Strength. That dude was a powerhouse from start to finish.
  • butteredsoulbutteredsoul Member Posts: 168
    UAI lets thieves use the SCS shape-change tokens.... I ran the experiment but didn't actually play that way. Also, the HLA druid shape change tokens are sweet.
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