Druid/Character Build

avehn · Post by **avehn** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:21 am

Is a Zen Archery Elf Druid viable? I'm thinking of going with 10 str, 14 dex, (10/12) con, 16 wis, (10/12) int, & 14 cha. Feats are Point Black Shot, Rapid Shot, Combat Casting, Improved Critical(Longbow), & Weapon Focus(Longbow). For skills I'll be going for Persuade, Open Locks, Lore, & Concentration. So is this viable? Anything to add? Please help, I'm really not so good at decisions like this.

QuenGalad · Post by **QuenGalad** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:50 am

It sounds like it could be fun, especially since as an elf you'd probably be able to use a bow instead of those silly slings. IIRC, rapid shot is only for crossbows, but check.
Don't bother with open lock much, you'll waste skill points trying to raise it to anything reasonable - bashing through doors works too, unless you really don't see your char doing that from a roleplaying point of view.

I say go for it - if the game proves too much you can always get one of those shanzzy damage-soaking items that make you so much harder to kill. I'd be interested in hearing how it came out, actually.

Nymie_the_Pooh · Post by **Nymie_the_Pooh** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:01 am

I'll echo the suggestion to drop open locks and might consider dropping weapon focus (longbow) as well. If it is a prerequisite for something then take it. If not then it is a +1 to hit (so roughly 5% increase) for one weapon type. This is the one feat I would drop from those listed if you were looking at another but were having trouble deciding which of the current list to drop for it. I also tend to stop taking lore after about six ranks unless I have spare points. That is enough to where 100 gold to identify an object is not a problem. It's nice to have more, but I take at least four to six ranks on most characters then stop there unless there is a character specific reason to keep adding more.

Something to add may be spot or listen along with search. Elves have a great bonus in that they are always in search mode. Keeping your search skill up even at half ranks can be a huge help with Elf characters for not blundering into traps. In my opinion the Elven ability to actively search while moving full speed is one of the best racial abilities of the basic races so I support it if I have the skill points. Spot and listen are used for finding hidden enemies. I usually go for only one or the other depending on how many skill points I have. Each is better than the other in specific situations, but it is generally better than to pump one than to split points between the two or sacrifice another skill to get both up.

It sounds like fun, but those would be my basic tweaks. You can take Tomi along if you drop the lock pick skill. If you keep search up at half ranks you will likely see traps before he does if moving full speed.

avehn · Post by **avehn** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:17 pm

Thanks for the reply. I'll be taking off Open Locks in my original plan and add Search and/or Listen if I have leftover points. Rapid shot is for ranged weapons not including crossbows. I believe Rapid Reload is the feat for crossbows that lets you attack as if it was a bow since crossbows can only attack once per round regardless of the character's BAB. Weapon focus is there to influence loot drops since I hate reloading over and over again just to get the right weapon for my loots. Thanks again for the help and I'll try to see if it's really viable or not.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:08 am

I'd consider a Cleric instead of a Druid: their spells, being more to the buffing side, support direct combat a lot better than Druid spells, which are more control/damage.
As an aside, choosing the right Domains might give you intresting benefits too.

Nymie_the_Pooh · Post by **Nymie_the_Pooh** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:05 am

I didn't realize weapon focus affected drops. I may have to reevaluate it's value. Thanks for the information.