What is the best piece of armor for a wild shaped druid? Would it be Wild Full plate or something else? And is it worth getting if you had the funds.
1 level of monk
Otherwise, buy some barding for your favorite form and have the party help you put it on after you transform.
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Depends on your Dex, and if you want to invest extra feats.
Generally I would say a dragonhide breastplate with the wild enchantment paired with a large darkwood shield, also with the wild enchantment. They are not metal, and don't need any extra feats. Without the wild enchantment, armor doesn't matter when wildshaped.
Ya without spending any feats. What is the advantage of Wild Dragonhide Breastplate over Wild Dragonhide Full plate?
Also depends on your intent with what you intend to do with your druid.
If you're not going into melee, are spell focused, etc - you don't need to put so much into armor.
10 level. AC18 Druid.
Also depends on your intent with what you intend to do with your druid.
If you're not going into melee, are spell focused, etc - you don't need to put so much into armor.10 level. AC18 Druid.
I was thinking for a caster druid. What would you recommend for that? How does one survive with 18AC?
156 ish hp. Ability to earthglide, fly, whatever.
Saves around +16 +2 +16.
Toss in a ring of blink.
Buy some magic items that boost AC like a Ring of Protection, Amulet of Natural Armor, or Monk's Robe. The Monk's Robe works best with a monk level dip.
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Druids do not start with heavy armor proficiency, so full plate (or any heavy armor) would impose an armor check penalty on every attack, .
Breastplate is generally the preferred choice because you can make it out of dragonhide to get around the metal armor restriction.
Druids can also wear shields, so a heavy darkwood shield will give you the most AC boost.
Ring of protection is pretty much the default for one of your ring slots.
Amulet of Natural armor is nice if you have the spare gold, but it does not stack with Barkskin, making it less attractive.
If you are planning on being a caster focused druid, AC is less important since you won't be on the front lines...once you get Wildshape, turn into an eagle and fly out of range of most enemies while raining death, control, and buffs. At higher levels turn into an air elemental for even greater effect.
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A caster druid might wild shape into a little animal/magical beast or an air elemental with a great dex bonus and raise dex further via a decent base score, a belt or a cat's grace spell and late game an inherent bonus. Useful for initiative, reflex saves, ranged touch spells and skills (especially stealth and fly - see the new aerial roll feat). In such a case armor is mostly irrelevant at least as an AC bonus.
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I was thinking for a caster druid. What would you recommend for that? .
AVR always gives good advice. Adding to it:
You have almost the equivalent of a frontline fighter in your animal companion, which can be used as a blocker to block trouble, or as a mount to evade trouble.
You have two good saves, saves being the thing that kills most non frontliners.
IC is mostly a money sink: if you wish to avoid it you need to incorporate other methods of minimizing hits. Blink, Mirror Images, or a very good mischance.
Would you suggest a wand of mirror image for a caster druid? Is there any way of getting that spell on the Druids list without dipping into another class?
There's four druid archetypes which could pick up mirror image, plus the dreamed secrets feat. I'd question whether a caster druid should be using it much though - most of the time they'd be casting battlefield control, blasting or buffing an animal companion's attacks, and they should try to avoid melee most of the time.
Feyspeaker and naga aspirant can pick up mirror image directly, and nature priest or Nithveil adept (edit: or bat shaman) can pick it up via the trickery/deception subdomain. I won't swear those are the only druid archetypes which can get it either.
Stoneplate with the "wild" armor special ability.
I was thinking for a caster druid. What would you recommend for that? How does one survive with 18AC?Also depends on your intent with what you intend to do with your druid.
If you're not going into melee, are spell focused, etc - you don't need to put so much into armor.10 level. AC18 Druid.
Get Natural Spell (and Reach Spell - optional), then Wild shape into something diminutive (1/8lb.-1lb.) that flies, something as small as a dragonfly or a hummingbird or something, and cast spells while being nigh-completely unnoticeable.
Edit: You could take a stealthy caster druid route if you wanted. Diminutive creatures get a +4 size bonus to AC, a +6 bonus to Fly, and a +12 bonus to Stealth. Get Skill Focus (Stealth) for a +3 to Stealth that turns into a +6 to Stealth at lvl 10, and get Hellcat Stealth, which allows you to Stealth even while being actively viewed (with a -10 penalty). Slippery Trait can give you Stealth as a class skill with a +1 bonus. Child of the Moon Trait gives you an additional +1, +2, or +4 Stealth depending on the moon cycles as well. Keep some potions/scrolls of Cat's Grace on you for an additional +2 AC and +2 Stealth, as well as potions of Heroism/GHeroism for a +2 or +4 to att/saves/skills. If you have a friendly neighborhood bard/wizard/sorc, Invisibility/Greater Invisibility also is pretty handy because it's +40 stealth when you're not moving, +20 stealth if you are.
So, at level 10, you could have a 10skillrank +3classskill + 6skillfocus + 1-4CotMTrait + 12Diminutive + 2CatGrace +2Heroism + ?dex = a + 36-39 Stealth, plus whatever your Dex Mod is, and an additional +20/+40 if you have a bard/sorc/wiz with invis/Ginvis spells/scrolls. At lvl 13, pick up Dreamed Secrets and you can Ginvis yourself, and of course you can pick up that tasty Disintegrate spell as well.
If someone does manage to pull off a nat 20 with a +redonk Perception and manages to see you and attacks you, simply Hellcat Stealth and poof you're stealthed again :P
All you need to make this work is Skill Focus Stealth, Hellcat Stealth, Natural Spell, 10 skill ranks, and Child of the Moon Trait + any Trait that gives you Stealth as a class skill. Plus consumeables for buffing. And Dreamed Secrets at lvl 13.
Stoneplate with the "wild" armor special ability.
There's several problems with that, starting with lack of proficiency, going on to the way that stoneplate slows and encumbers (including when you're wild shaped), and finishing with the cost - not just the 16K for +1 wild, but also the higher cost of any other +X equivalent you'd want to put on the same suit of armor.
If possible spells or barding are better for a druid, or even bracers of armor.
You could also get a Ring of Chameleon Power: +10 competence bonus.
Essentially at that point, you'd be completely untargetable unless you're seen with a Perception check. I'd go true Neutral for alignment so you can avoid Aura Sight and alignment-based detection spells. Let's assume you have a 14 dex.
At level 10, you could have 10SkillRank + 3ClassSkill + 6SkillFocus + 1-4 CotMTrait + 12Diminutive +2Cat'sGrace +2Heroism +10Chameleon Power + 2dex + Greater Invisibility =
1d20+68-71 Stealth (avg. 78.5-81.5 Stealth) while moving, and 1d20+88-91 (avg. 98.5-101.5 Stealth) while not moving
If something is able to see you, Hellcat Stealth with a -10 penalty vs a new Perception check and poof you're stealthed again. You can do this all day, there's no limit.
If they have See Invisibility or True Sight, your Stealth is only 1d20+48-51, oh darn.
And you're flying, so the only thing you could be hit with is an arrow or a spell. Pump your Saves, because good luck hitting a hummingbird with an arrow from 200ft away (or even 800ft if you get Reach Spell and modify Medium Range spells to Long Range spells).
Basically, your minimum stealth is a 1 roll = 49 stealth (your average stealth would be 59.5 stealth), and they would need a minimum of +29 perception with a 20roll vs your 1 roll. Some high Wis min-maxed PC's might have about a 30-35 perception by level 10. Most creatures aren't even close.
Vs. creatures who can track you with Scent, you can use Negate Aroma spell.
And every time you cast an offensive spell, or perform an attack you give away your position. Even with Improved Invisibility your position will be known at that moment. Anyone trying to track you that has any sense (including hearing) that can track you will be able to keep track of you until you make a stealth check (move action).
If invisibility works, you have concealment and you can immediately attempt a new stealth check. Otherwise you need concealment that isn't from a creature. Remember you get -5 if you move more than half of your move, and you can't attempt stealth if you run/charge/attack. Also you need concealment to continue stealthing. If the monster sees invis or true sight that means you need real concealment/cover.
Yeah, Stealth doesn't fix everything, but it fixes a lot. It's a massive improvement to survivability though.