core druid spells

[endersdouble]

OK, I've never actually played a druid before (gasp!) I know core CoDZilla is pretty good, and it's not just Wild Shape, but what are the best druid spells that I'm not thinking of? I'm 9th level, mostly interested in core spells, but Completes are probably in too. (3.5, obviously.) Looking especially for best save or dies.

Yes, I know, I'm lazy.

[ubernoob]

Spell Compendium nerfs a few spells, but it's really fucking handy to have around if you're playing any of the 9th level casters.

In the PHB, here are spells that fucking rock right now:
Baleful Polymorph. No explanation needed.
Control Winds. Grab some prayer beads and destroy an entire army with a hurricane.
Death Ward. Duh.
Summon Nature's Ally 5: 1d3 unicorns to be heal bitches.
Transmute Rock to Mud. It's like solid fog, but different.
Wall of thorns. Sort of like wall of fire, but better.

Other spells that I'm not going to bother to look up:
Owl's Insight (SC): for more RNG breakage on DCs.
Kelpstrand (SC): because nothing quite says 'fuck you' like kelpstrand.
Greater Resistance (SC): Because paying for a cloak of resistance is for other people.
Bite of the Weretiger (duh)
Phantom Stag (speedy!)


Other useful core spells to have up: Airwalk, Freedom of Movement, Protection from Energy

[Grek]

9th level druid means 5th level spells. Druid spells are rather short on SoDs. You can cast the 3rd level spells Contagion and Poison to give people some ability damage, or lightning bolt/flame strike people, but you have very few actual SoDs. Special mention to Baleful polymorph, as mentioned above.

What you do have alot of no-save battlefield control spells; Spike Stones, Wind Wall, Plant Growth, Fog Cloud, and Wood/Stone Shape. Use that.

Utility wise, you're also pretty good. You can cast Scrying on rainy days using puddles, but you can't teleport or anything. You also have Reincarnate, if you feel like it.

You also get to summon dinosaurs, which is a cute, if not terribly useful trick.

[Ice9]

Mass Snake's Swiftness. Every ally in a 20' burst gets to make a free attack. So most of the other party members, plus your AC, plus your summons.
Not the ultimate move of doom, but it's pretty low level, combines well with your other spells, and fun for the rest of the party. Useful for whenever you don't think the foes merit going full tilt, but want to do something.

Also, check out It's Cold Outside for some good Druid spells. Off the top of my head, there's one that drops an iceberg on your foes (not super powerful, but amusing and no-SR), and Frostfell, a large shapeable non-[Death] SoD, that does decent damage even on a save. Freeze Armor is fun if you face many humanoids. And there's one that makes a huge (several hundred foot) radius area of zero-visibility; good if you need to disrupt something or help a large number of people escape. I'll look up the name when I get home.

It's Hot Outside has some as well - Mummify is another non-[Death] SoD, but only for one person.

but you can't teleport or anything

Druids do have a quasi-teleport spell called Master Earth. Description is vague as to whether you have to be touching the earth, but it has no miss chance and isn't a [Teleportation] effect, so you can laugh at Dimensional Lock and the like.

[RobbyPants]

I like Vortex of Teeth (SpC, 4th level), particularly coupled with a quickened Entangle. You can pull all of that off at 9th level.

[Ferret]

Don't druids also get Slime Wave?



(fake edit: Slime Wave is Druid 7, so you don't have it -yet-, but it's pretty boss once you do on larger enemies with shitty Reflex slaves.)

[PoliteNewb]

but you can't teleport or anything.

Tree Stride? It certainly has limitations, but it IS a teleportation effect. At 9th lvl, assuming you have enough oak trees within range of each other, you can cover about 5 miles in a minute and a half. *shrug* Beats walking.

And in a couple levels, you get Transport Via Plants, which takes away the range disadvantage (leaving the still-major disadvantage of needing appropriate plants).

[Grek]

5 minutes is too long for scry and die. I don't remember Master Earth, what's it from?

[PoliteNewb]

5 minutes is too long for scry and die. I don't remember Master Earth, what's it from?

I didn't realize you were specifically referring to Scry & Die (for which neither of those spells is suited)...teleportation does also have logistical and story uses.

[Ice9]

I don't remember Master Earth, what's it from?

Spell Compendium (and Magic of Faerun); 7th level.

This guide is pretty decent.
Also, now that I'm home, here's some that I've found useful:

6th Level
Spellstaff - A free extra spell, recharged whenever you have downtime.
Fire Seeds - With a delivery mechanism, this does quite decent damage (~124 at 11th, ~196 at 20th).
Find the Path - This gives you not only the route to something, but also specific instructions on how to avoid traps and open wards.
Antilife Shell - Trap people in a corner, no save. Insta-win against any melee-only living foe.
Mummify (Sand) - non-[Death] SoD that still fatigues if they save.

5th Level
Rejuvenation Cocoon (SpC) - It's Heal, but takes two rounds, so mostly out-of-combat.
Blizzard (Frost) - That spell I mentioned, it shuts down visibility and impedes movement in a 100'/level radius.
Call Avalanche (Frost) - Another delaying tactic, buries everyone in 10'/level under snow. Good with Quickened Blood Snow (which makes snow deal Con damage).
Baleful Polymorph - non-[Death] SoD.
Bite of the Weretiger (SpC) - Large physical bonuses.

4th Level
Last Breath (SpC) - It's Revivify for Druids! But you have to roll on the reincarnation table. Still better than nothing.
Boreal Wind (Frost) - An extra wide line of freezing wind that utterly pwns swarms and can screw with anything non-big. Lasts the whole battle and you can redirect it every round.
Giant Vermin - At high levels, this gives you some pretty beefy meat shields.
Arc of Lightning (SpC) - Just a blasting spell, but no-SR and up to 15d6. Good for cleaning up mooks and swarms.

Lower Level
Venomfire (Serpent Kingdoms) - Broken in many campaigns. Every poison attack you have (so at least five with a Fleshraker) deals CLd6 acid damage. Lasts all day.
Forestfold (SpC) - +10 to Hide and Move Silently. Good in conjunction with Wildshape to a scouting form.
Mass Snake's Swiftness (SpC) - Great in a melee-heavy party, gives everybody a free attack.

[Roy]

Venomfire only works on 3 attacks for a fleshraker.

[Red_Rob]

Our druid is a little lower level than you, but he's really rocking Entangle, and if you use Caster level based DC's instead of Spell Level based then lower level spells stay useful for longer.

[Ice9]

Venomfire only works on 3 attacks for a fleshraker.

Four if you use the special pounce, five if also hasted. But yeah, I should say 3-5.
With Shapechange, you can turn into things with 10+ poison attacks and really clean up, but even before then, the spell is just insane.

On the subject of lower-level spells, Omen of Peril is like a poor man's Divination, and only 1st level.
Hippogryphs can be summoned with SNA II, and are useful for ferrying people up/down places that you can't climb. They're ok in combat too, but I tend to stay away from "3+ natural attack" summons, just because they slow things down.

Later on, a large Air Elemental can give you or someone else free movement if you speak Auran.

[shau]

Core only caster druids have it pretty bad really.

Looking at save spells, Level 1 has the best level 1 save or lose in the game, entangle. Level 2 has got nothing for non animals. Level 3 has got dominate animal and contagion, which both blow. Level 4 has...uh...command plants and repel vermin. Level 5 is legitimately awesome, with baleful polymorph and control winds. Baleful polymorph is basically a SOD that is harder to resist than normal. Control winds lasts hours per level and forces everything within a 360 foot wide area to save or take massive damage. It's awesome, but it will be nerfed into oblivion the second it is used. Level 6 has a late wall of stone. Level 7 has uh Sunbeam. Level 8 has a late finger of death and reverse gravity. Also Sunburst. Level 9 has shapechange.

So yeah, if you want to drop spells on people as a core druid you pick up heighten spell, and pretty much go all entangle/baleful polymorph. Other decent spells include wall of thorns and sleet storm, which both prevent movement way more than they first appear. Freedom of movement and summon swarm both synergize nicely with your rooting spells.