Melee Druids

[_M_O_B_]

Pretty new here, so bare with me! This mostly goes by assumption and what I've heard, but it's kinda scary anyway.

I'm playing a melee druid, which was a pretty viable and fun concept on another server I played at, managed to nab some duskwood medium armour, a decent large shield, and had the great pleasure of hour/level bull's strength, endurance and cat's grace (it was added to the druid spell list because it was confusing they didn't have it, and the poor druids needed it). There was also a decent amount of choices as far as summons went to help you up front, and call lightning was a continuous spell centered on yourself, so it was nice to be up and close.

However, after searching the druid-y threads on here, looking at the spell lists and whatnot, it seems (and everyone says so too) the only really viable druids here are ranged/caster druids, seeing as Owl's Wisdom is still hour/turn, and you can buff your animal companion nicely. But with the lack of cat's grace, then 1 turn/level durations on the standardish level 2 buffs (which is virtually nothing at lower levels, or for us poor multiclasses), it seems that melee druids have it pretty hard, especially when they have to rely on hoping to find some special armour they can actually use (you'd be surprised at how ineffective a 10 dex melee character is with leather armour ).

Of course, I could be wrong, I'm mostly going by assumption, but has anyone else found this to be the case?

[MadMage99]

As a druid player. it is is and isn't. Druids here are versatile. With bll's strnegth and stonekin you make an effective melee combatant. more so if you take heavy armor prof and get chitin full plate made by crafters, casting in meele is easy neough if you use defensive casting mode. your animal companion is a great boon in any fight really. but at higher levels with owl wisdom casting and shooting becomes highly effective too. so in short don't gimp your druid by dedicating him to melee. Do what the situation calls for.

[_M_O_B_]

Does stoneskin require a component to cast? If not, I can imagine that helping a lot.

It's more of a RP-decision than a mechanics one, even if melee druids suck I'll still keep playing him as one

[MadMage99]

No component cost, no. and the RP reasons are fine. Meele druids are viable. just be savvy about how you do it. and remember, at low levels almost everything is bigger, faster and stronger then you. Mechanics and RP-wise... so be the clever druid. let your meaty bear tank for you while you flank. or you do the tanking while your panther does the sneak attack thing. and remember to run when needed.

[Ingwulf]

I play a melee druid, he uses his hands... since it transfers to his wildshape.... unarmed strike, improved crit-unarmed... and so on

[Mr. Thorn]

I play a melee druid, he uses his hands... since it transfers to his wildshape.... unarmed strike, improved crit-unarmed... and so on

Yup badger form FTW!

Yeah thank god for empower bulls or I would be in melee with a 10 strength [Flex]

[_M_O_B_]

An unarmed melee druid would work great of course, due to wildshape... but I'm talking about a weapon-wielding one.

[Emomina]

Well, you can make a 'decent' meleer out of just about any class combination.
You can usually not make an elite melee character out of anything but fighter and barbarian or as rogue flanking.

Other classes have to use a small army of self buffs to even stand a chance in PotMs dungeons. They get knocked on their asses if they get hit though, so in the places that are worth doing they lack the skills to really thrive in melee. They are an excellent secondary meleer for a party though.

[Ingwulf]

I think he can make a nice toe to toe fighter with weapons, just use the buffs correctly. But he will of course lack other things that the other melee classes have..

[Corvus]

I play a level 13 druid (Vincent Lycastus) and its fairly easy to go melee. Once you get greater stoneskin it gets really easy.  
Buff up, rush in, draw enemies to you, blast of a AoE spell. Then proceed to cut down what ever survives.

If you meet a single tough enemy, hit with Inferno and then cut at him.     

Get heavy armour, towershield and a scimitar.  

[Ercvadasz]

I play a level 13 druid (Vincent Lycastus) and its fairly easy to go melee. Once you get greater stoneskin it gets really easy.  
Buff up, rush in, draw enemies to you, blast of a AoE spell. Then proceed to cut down what ever survives.

If you meet a single tough enemy, hit with Inferno and then cut at him.     

Get heavy armour, towershield and a scimitar.  

... of course this is still situational, and dungeondependant.

Elemental immune monsters love to be hit by ltg and inferno:P

But druids are the best bow shootas. Owls insight+high wisdom+owls wisdom+zen archery. around level 14 you can have a 30 wisdom...(that is +10! to hit!) Probably this is why many take the shoota way.
As i noticed the most optimal form wildshape form is the wolf. Good AC, good dex, good str. Your wisdom remains. Your saves improve, you hit 3 times a turn, and do pretty decent damage with the base 25 STR in that form. With proper buffing before, you can easily obtain 33-35 STR. And greater stoneskin usually helps a lot to.

[_M_O_B_]

At least it seems feasible, albeit heavily relying on getting lucky and finding/being able to afford good gear. Until then, I'll continue trying to melee stuff with no buffs and 13 AC, hurrah!

[HellsPanda]

eh.. 13 AC... you shouldnt be thinking of tanking yet. Take advantage of flanking and your companion

[_M_O_B_]

Oh yer I'd never tank with that obviously haha, unless desperate, 16 con + toughness makes up for it a little.

I'm finding animal companions pretty useless at low levels, as soon as any spawn turns to fight them, you can bet the companion is dead meat.

[Ercvadasz]

Oh yer I'd never tank with that obviously haha, unless desperate, 16 con + toughness makes up for it a little.

I'm finding animal companions pretty useless at low levels, as soon as any spawn turns to fight them, you can bet the companion is dead meat.

sadly later it will remain the same...
They are there so you can escape....
But in certain situations they can come handy.
Dominate a deep forest wolf alpha, summon an elemental, keep your panther buffed, and you got an army...That will die in 30 seconds on appropriate level-2:P
But at least than you will know it is time for running:)(If you can)
Allthough the best was so far the guy, who had a familiar, a summon, a dominated creature and the animal companion....Wonder if all the creatures even fit in one screen:)
wonder if he even could have had a mpc summon, if he would have been one....that would make him the man of the half dozen.

Dont know if it is still about, but previous times the animal companion(certain ones at least, panther defo) tended to bug after 1-3 transitions(or certain transitions??) and all their stats were reduced to base 8.(Removeing all buffs, beside gmf, stoneskins, barkskins....which greatly made them....WEAK...)

[Badelaire]

I'm shamelessly looking at perhaps making a Spring Stag or a Shadowier initiate of Mielikki as a counter-point to the rampant foraging and general were-laden nature of Barovia and an attempt at a non-cleric/paladin good PC with just as personal an agenda. Did I mention they're granted the use of scimitars and chainmail? [Cough]


EDIT: This PC has been created as of a few hours ago and the class is markedly different to what I play usually (nasty melee PC's whacking the living crap out of things) and I must say it's a refreshing change. Be interested in forming a group concept based around barbarians, rangers, druids and nature clerics.

[Dobian]

I have been very happy with my melee druid.  Taking advantage of the buffing spells, casting greater fang and awaken on my dire wolf, and wearing her croc armor, Tabitha can get right in there and mix it up.  I've been soloing werewolves with her since level 8, and she can take on ogre berserkers by herself now at level 10.