Orc Druid Racial Sub levels [Archive] - Wizards Community

Orc Druid Racial Sub levels [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Werebat
07-07-07, 01:01 PM Hey, someone suggested that one way to make the Orc druid more attractive in Eberron would be to allow him to use his Strength bonus while in animal form. I like the concept and felt that the best way to do it would be via a racial sub level for Orc Druids.

Then I started wondering:

* What would they need to give up to get this potent ability?

* Any other abilities that Orc druids might get via racial sub levels? What else would they lose?

I'm thinking Orc Druids might gain things like bonus feat: Gatekeeper Initiate, a bonus to Handle Animal checks involving Horrid Animals, um, not sure what else.

I could see them losing spontaneous casting (Orc not good spell finesse), animal empathy (GROG SMASH no feed birdies in woods!), and Resist Nature's Lure (Orc druid still Orc, still no like dum fairies).

I'm thinking swap out Sponteneous Casting to grant Gatekeeper Initiate as a bonus feat (it's worth a feat because it can be recovered with a feat), and lose Animal Empathy to gain a +4 bonus to Handle Animal checks involving Horrid Animals (negating the usual penalty imposed by their difficult nature), and maybe the ability to take a Horrid animal companion one step earlier than normal (so the Orc druid could take a Horrid Rat as a companion at 1st level) -- or would that be too much?

Then, swap out Resist Nature's Lure to gain the ability to use the Orc Druid's racial +4 bonus to Str while in wildshape form.

Not sure if there would be a need for anything else.

What do you think? This keeps the Orc druid encouraged to play a more "martial" type of druid, and makes his Strength bonus more attractive to players since it will work while in war forms. Make sense? Balanced? Hm?

Thanks,

- Ron ^*^
GrimAlchemist
07-08-07, 03:57 AM Pondered this myself, and I like your take on the matter. The abilities I see an Orc Druid forsaking are the Spontaneous Casting, Resist Nature's Lure, and A Thousand Faces. Your substitutions feel in flavor with the Gatekeepers, though I am loathe to entirely abandon Wild Empathy (animal empathy?) entirely, but their affinity with horrid animals makes sense. Taking a Horrid animal earlier than normal would be a bit overbalanced, but perhaps an optional feat (requiring Gatekeeper Initiate) could increase your effective Druid level by +4 for the purposes of acquiring a horrid animal companion.

I'm not sure what the rules say about Wild Shape and the Horrid Animal template, but I could see losing A Thousand Faces or Elemental Shape to apply the Horrid template to the animals they change into, or perhaps just one animal form which they have an affinity for, and applying the Horrid template to it when they change.
Werebat
07-08-07, 04:21 PM Pondered this myself, and I like your take on the matter. The abilities I see an Orc Druid forsaking are the Spontaneous Casting, Resist Nature's Lure, and A Thousand Faces. Your substitutions feel in flavor with the Gatekeepers, though I am loathe to entirely abandon Wild Empathy (animal empathy?) entirely, but their affinity with horrid animals makes sense. Taking a Horrid animal earlier than normal would be a bit overbalanced, but perhaps an optional feat (requiring Gatekeeper Initiate) could increase your effective Druid level by +4 for the purposes of acquiring a horrid animal companion.

I'm not sure what the rules say about Wild Shape and the Horrid Animal template, but I could see losing A Thousand Faces or Elemental Shape to apply the Horrid template to the animals they change into, or perhaps just one animal form which they have an affinity for, and applying the Horrid template to it when they change.

This is what I wrote up for my campaign (shorthand I know):

Orc Druid racial substitution levels:

Orc (and half-orc) druids may take the following two racial substitution levels of Druid:

1. Lose Spontaneous Summoning and Animal Empathy to gain Bonus Feat: Gatekeeper Initiate, a +4 bonus to Handle Animal checks involving Horrid animals, and the ability to take a Horrid animal companion one step earlier than normal (for example, take a Horrid Rat animal companion at first level).

2. Lose Resist Nature’s Lure to gain the ability to retain racial bonus to Strength while in wildshape form.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Werebat 07-07-07, 01:01 PM	Hey, someone suggested that one way to make the Orc druid more attractive in Eberron would be to allow him to use his Strength bonus while in animal form. I like the concept and felt that the best way to do it would be via a racial sub level for Orc Druids. Then I started wondering: * What would they need to give up to get this potent ability? * Any other abilities that Orc druids might get via racial sub levels? What else would they lose? I'm thinking Orc Druids might gain things like bonus feat: Gatekeeper Initiate, a bonus to Handle Animal checks involving Horrid Animals, um, not sure what else. I could see them losing spontaneous casting (Orc not good spell finesse), animal empathy (GROG SMASH no feed birdies in woods!), and Resist Nature's Lure (Orc druid still Orc, still no like dum fairies). I'm thinking swap out Sponteneous Casting to grant Gatekeeper Initiate as a bonus feat (it's worth a feat because it can be recovered with a feat), and lose Animal Empathy to gain a +4 bonus to Handle Animal checks involving Horrid Animals (negating the usual penalty imposed by their difficult nature), and maybe the ability to take a Horrid animal companion one step earlier than normal (so the Orc druid could take a Horrid Rat as a companion at 1st level) -- or would that be too much? Then, swap out Resist Nature's Lure to gain the ability to use the Orc Druid's racial +4 bonus to Str while in wildshape form. Not sure if there would be a need for anything else. What do you think? This keeps the Orc druid encouraged to play a more "martial" type of druid, and makes his Strength bonus more attractive to players since it will work while in war forms. Make sense? Balanced? Hm? Thanks, - Ron ^*^
GrimAlchemist 07-08-07, 03:57 AM	Pondered this myself, and I like your take on the matter. The abilities I see an Orc Druid forsaking are the Spontaneous Casting, Resist Nature's Lure, and A Thousand Faces. Your substitutions feel in flavor with the Gatekeepers, though I am loathe to entirely abandon Wild Empathy (animal empathy?) entirely, but their affinity with horrid animals makes sense. Taking a Horrid animal earlier than normal would be a bit overbalanced, but perhaps an optional feat (requiring Gatekeeper Initiate) could increase your effective Druid level by +4 for the purposes of acquiring a horrid animal companion. I'm not sure what the rules say about Wild Shape and the Horrid Animal template, but I could see losing A Thousand Faces or Elemental Shape to apply the Horrid template to the animals they change into, or perhaps just one animal form which they have an affinity for, and applying the Horrid template to it when they change.
Werebat 07-08-07, 04:21 PM	Pondered this myself, and I like your take on the matter. The abilities I see an Orc Druid forsaking are the Spontaneous Casting, Resist Nature's Lure, and A Thousand Faces. Your substitutions feel in flavor with the Gatekeepers, though I am loathe to entirely abandon Wild Empathy (animal empathy?) entirely, but their affinity with horrid animals makes sense. Taking a Horrid animal earlier than normal would be a bit overbalanced, but perhaps an optional feat (requiring Gatekeeper Initiate) could increase your effective Druid level by +4 for the purposes of acquiring a horrid animal companion. I'm not sure what the rules say about Wild Shape and the Horrid Animal template, but I could see losing A Thousand Faces or Elemental Shape to apply the Horrid template to the animals they change into, or perhaps just one animal form which they have an affinity for, and applying the Horrid template to it when they change. This is what I wrote up for my campaign (shorthand I know): Orc Druid racial substitution levels: Orc (and half-orc) druids may take the following two racial substitution levels of Druid: 1. Lose Spontaneous Summoning and Animal Empathy to gain Bonus Feat: Gatekeeper Initiate, a +4 bonus to Handle Animal checks involving Horrid animals, and the ability to take a Horrid animal companion one step earlier than normal (for example, take a Horrid Rat animal companion at first level). 2. Lose Resist Nature’s Lure to gain the ability to retain racial bonus to Strength while in wildshape form.