# Forum > Gaming > Roleplaying Games > D&D 3e/3.5e/d20 >  And Urban Druid's A game

## Soranar

I'm trying to optmize an urban druid as much as possible , the only restriction being that I must be an urban druid 20

so far this is what I have

Race: Spellscale (for dragonblood, +2 CHA and free eschew material)
Template: unseelie fey (winter, for extra CHA and the save debuff)

STATS 32 pts

STR 6 (dump stat, you're always wildshaped into a caster form as of level 5, before then you hide behind your urban companion)
DEX 10 (dump stat, see above)
CON 12(you're not as squishy as a wizard but you need to invest here)  
INT 14 (skillpoints are useful)
WIS 8  (dump stat)
CHA 22 (main stat, gets every increase)

*Feats*

Level 1 *Snowcasting* (you get eschew material for free through blood meditation)
Level 3 *Draconic Aura* (Energy : cold, greatly inscrease your spells DC)
Level 6 *Cold Focus*
Level 9 *Greater Cold Focus* 
Level 12 open 
Level 15 open
Level 18 open 

The idea here is to optimize my spells DCs as much as possible since most of my spells offer a save

with 22 CHA, I can reach 38 charisma (22 base+ 5 from levels + 5 from inherent bonuses + 6 from a magic item)

so I get + 14 to my spell DCs  and I give off -14 to the saving throws of anything within my winter aura. 

with cold focus , greater cold focus and draconic aura, I get another +6 to all my spells DCs 

I'm just not sure what else is worth investing in after that except ways to expand my spell list 

*The urban wildshape* 

you get access to the darkstalker form at level 5: 14 STR,  3d6 sneak attack and 17 DEX gives you a fairly decent combat form since it can cast spells too. 

the other forms are only really useful as utility forms until the animated object shapes, if you're wildshaped into a fighting form and stuck into melee, something went horribly wrong


*The urban companion*

At level 1 and 2, your urban companion is a light warhorse, it's incredibly strong at that level 
At level 3 you can afford to buy a scroll of polymorph any object, since it's on your list you can cast it right away on your urban companion

by selecting a small animated object (which you shape into a small version of a hammerer) you can turn it into a hammerer (3 HD, 3 caster level, within 1 size category)

a hammerer is a 3 hd creature that's normally a terrible companion (half the time it does nothing) but a small animated object (which gets +2 hd due to the urban companion progression) can be 
turned into one permanently with a scroll of polymorph any object since


-they're the same type (construct) +5
-they're related (same shape) +2
-same int  +2 

meaning the change is permanent, it can be dispelled but that shouldn't be an issue for several levels at which point you can afford a backup scroll

unlike a hammer your companion is reliable
you don't need pounce when your attack deals 2d8 +10 damage
constructs are immune to a ton of stuff
as your small animated object progresses it gets even more powerful with better BAB, hitpoints, evasion and eventually a 2nd attack
you can still buff it with greater magic fang and the like 

I did the math and it looks like the hammerer stays the best option for a fairly long time but eventually you're going to want to switch to a retriever

since a retriever is a huge construct, your urban companion must be large or bigger with at least 10 HD, at level 14 you can have a huge animated object with +2 HD but if you wait a single level you can cast polymorph any object without a scroll so I'd wait till level 15+

at that point your huge animated object can be shaped like a retriever (helps to argue they're related forms)

so with the same size (both are huge) +2
same int (+2) 
same type (construct) +5 
again the change is permanent

Finally the best forms come at level 18  (huge animated object +6 HD) which you transform into an astral construct with 13 hd

even if your DM argues the change is not permanent, at this point you want versatility anyway and a buff that lasts for days is worth the trouble, a normal astral construct with 13 hd is already pretty versatile (can have pounce, can fly, have improved grab, etc) 

but one that was created by a psion with the constructor prestige class is even crazier , especially if you combine it with the boost construct feat

now, instead of 1 level C ability, it has 4. You can only pick ex abilities since polymorph any object limits you but those abilities are still very good, personally I would pick these: 

2 level B abilities (improved fly and pounce)
Rend, extra brawn and tail slap (see constrictor class for some of those options)

with those bonuses I'd argue the urban druid's urban companion actually edges out the druid's animal companion (I can't think of anything quite this ridiculous that you can do with a normal animal companion)


I still need to figure out what to do with 3 feats
and what kind of divine staffs would help me out the most

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## loky1109

Snowcasting doesn't work with eschew material.

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## Gruftzwerg

> I still need to figure out what to do with 3 feats
> and what kind of divine staffs would help me out the most


Feats:
Natural Spell
Companion Spellbound (30ft range for "Sharing Spells" with your companion)






> I'm trying to optmize an urban druid as much as possible , the only restriction being that I must be an urban druid 20


Is there any specific reason why sole "Urban Druid 20"?
Since you are willing to abuse Polymorph any Object, you could get into Beholder Mage with some effort.

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## Troacctid

As loky pointed out, Snowcasting doesn't work with Eschew Materials the way you want. The spell only gets the bonus if you use snow as an additional material component. If you ignore the component (something you could do already, even without eschewing materials), you don't get the bonus.

Unseelie fey is also listed in the book with multiple different level adjustment valuesvaryingly +1 (cohort), +0, or N/A depending on where you lookand was never properly updated to 3.5 to fix it, so unless your DM specifically approved it as +0, you shouldn't consider it to be usable.

For your feat slots, my last urban druid had great success with a more utility oriented build using Silver Tongue (D318), Nymph's Kiss (BE), Bind Vestige (TM), and Practiced Binder (TM) to be a whiz at Diplomacy and Bluff and get at-will buffs and debuffs, plus Shape Soulmeld: Blink Shirt (MoI) for infinite teleports. I also enjoyed having the Charm domain power via Touchstone (PlH), which gives a +4 Cha for one encounter per daya nice DC boost for the hard fights where you really need it. And if you're dumping Wis, then I think Force of Personality (CAd) is worth considering once you're at the point where you're getting +7 or more to Will from it. On the other hand, if you go for an evil build, Insane Defiance (ElE) could be really good.

There is an important factor you're missing in regards to the companions: feats. Constructs don't get feats. But you know what companion does get feats? Vermin. Their Int changes to 1 when you summon them, which means they get full feats for their HD, and since they don't have default feats the way animals do, you can just...fill all their feat slots.

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## Soranar

> Snowcasting doesn't work with eschew material.


why not?

I've reread both feats and I don't see a conflict

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## Soranar

> Feats:
> Is there any specific reason why sole "Urban Druid 20"?


The point is to optimize an urban druid, I can easily figure out a way to optimize a multiclassed characters, I'm trying to get the most out of this class.

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## lylsyly

one simple question since you have a killer cha score starting out and bluff/diplomacy/sense motive on your skill list .... does your table run diplomacy by RAW?

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## pabelfly

If you're going to be using Wildshape to pump your physical stats, I'd look at getting Endurance and Steadfast Determination to get CON to Will saves instead of Wisdom. Your will save looks pretty bad and I think it's something worth investing a few feats in to fix.

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## Troacctid

> If you're going to be using Wildshape to pump your physical stats, I'd look at getting Endurance and Steadfast Determination to get CON to Will saves instead of Wisdom. Your will save looks pretty bad and I think it's something worth investing a few feats in to fix.


I don't know if it's worth two feats, though. I did mention Force of Personality in my earlier post, and I think if you're getting just one of the two, Force is better because it's cheaper.

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## pabelfly

> I don't know if it's worth two feats, though. I did mention Force of Personality in my earlier post, and I think if you're getting just one of the two, Force is better because it's cheaper.


I've always been meaning to ask, so this seems like a good a point as any: what will saves aren't against mind-affecting spells and abilities?

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## Soranar

OK is eschew material doesn't work then playing a spellscale isn't worth it nor is using draconic aura

Unseelie fey has been cleared by my DM, we play fairly high power campaigns and the debuff aura is not that useful in combat 

I still need a high CHA race, so far the best option I seem to have is a primordial half giant with LA buyoff 

I still need feats to complement my spellcasting

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## Troacctid

> I've always been meaning to ask, so this seems like a good a point as any: what will saves aren't against mind-affecting spells and abilities?


Figments, shadows, transmutations...it's uncommon, but not unheard of.

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## Maat Mons

Also, notably, Plane Shift.

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## Gruftzwerg

> I've always been meaning to ask, so this seems like a good a point as any: what will saves aren't against mind-affecting spells and abilities?


As  Troacctid mentioned there are several spell options. Aside from spells there are some class abilities and monster abilities that can rely on a Will save without being a mind-affecting effect. 

a class ability example: Weighty Utterance (warlock)
Upon a failed Will save a flying victim is forced downward to the ground (1d6 per 10 ft. falling damage)


To mention an interesting monster example: Ghostly Visage
- Has a fear based paralyzing gaze attack with a Will save. (mind-affecting, since it is fear based)
- It has the ability to "Meld" into a host creature upon a failed Will save as a "symbiont". (not mind-affecting)
- If there is an alignment conflict between the two, the Symbiont can try to get in control of the body. The host has to make a Will save against the EGO score of the Symbiont. And yeah, this is not a "mind-affecting" ability, its just a "symbiont" (type) trait. The mind of the host is unaffected. It just a wrestle for control between the two minds, "host and guest" (see symbiont rules).

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