Guide to Being a Druid

[Silfir]

So yeah, I wrote a new guide over at my website. I'm very keen on hearing your opinion on it, preferably after reading it! It's about Druids. I could've written "Play a Priest instead" and be done with it, but instead you get an enormous block of text. Be grateful!

[someone7]

Wow, that makes me not want to play a Druid (unlike your Barbarian guide, which made me realize the awesomeness of Orcish Barbarians).

[Baranor]

The first character I ever won with was a Human Druid! Woot! They are still my favorite to play. I like the combination of skills that they get.

Druids Forever!

[Maul]

I don't think I've ever won with a druid. Actually, I don't think I ever got as far as the fire/water orb with one. Maybe because I don't like them - either I play a C- druid or I'll have to live without a lot of useful corpses characters may give.

[Silfir]

Well, there's one spider corpse... and maybe one fire beetle... Apart from that, what do you need?

[Maul]

-Lightning lizard
-Starvation problems early on
-Claw bug corpses+morgia for high Dx AND Wi
-Also, even a large bat could drop your eternium spear of devastation :)

Generally, it's nice to have a temporary meatshield from the iron golem that's chasing you, but other than that... nonhostile and weak animals are a liability, I'd say. Keethrax's animals will still be hostile, and that's the more sensible quest to take with Healing already available and the hatchet being quite unneeded.

(Summoned spiders will be hostile anyway)

[Silfir]

Lightning lizard - shock resistance is of lower importance, and they appear pretty late anyway. The possibility to get shock immunity - well, first of all, triple resistance (intrinsic resistance, ring of the High Kings, elemental gauntlets for instance) is as good as immunity, and second, you get immunity to shock anyway at level 40.
Starvation problems - Don't Druids start out with money to buy large rations? :P
Claw bugs + morgia - The BUGWIL bugs aren't neutral, are they? Easily killed with bolt spells at the time you have humongous amounts of morgia at your disposal.

It's true that you miss out on kills and drops somewhat, but nothing keeps you from just walking around more killing more monsters. If you really can't help killing everything that moves, then a nonchaotic Druid is indeed not for you.

I wouldn't say the Keethrax quest is the more sensible one in all cases. Granted, you get bracers of toughness and a potion of cure corruption out of it, but the possibility of receiving potions of ultra healing from Jharod endlessly is nothing to scoff at.

[Maul]

Wait, wait. What potions of ultra healing?

Starvation problems - let's say you buy 6 large rations, with your iron ration there anyways. Enter SMC. Go through. Find no food in the shop. Go to CoC. Well, by now you might or might not be strapped for food, but I often find I am. :) The arena solves these problems, if you can get that far...:p

By the way. Does Thrundarr give a quest to kill an animal as a random quest?

[head2]

By the way. Does Thrundarr give a quest to kill an animal as a random quest?
Yes, he does that sometimes, once he said "I wants ye to slay a rat to prove your valor." which i found quite amusing.

But if you use spells to kill a neutral creature, is it considered a chaotic act?

[Maul]

It is. How should the game know? It's like kicking a fireball-trapped door and killing a cat with it will ruin your chances with the Lord. A few games ago I had a dwarven barbarian who kicked down a door at VD:4 and went downwards. Then realised he didn't find the healer. He was nowhere! He searched for secret doors for five minutes then checked the kill list. 1 healer. Damn. Shift+q

[warheart]

A few games ago I had a dwarven barbarian who kicked down a door at VD:4 and went downwards. Then realised he didn't find the healer. He was nowhere! He searched for secret doors for five minutes then checked the kill list. 1 healer. Damn. Shift+q

Happened to me some time ago too. And in my current game, playing a wizard, killed an out-of-sight wild cat with magic missile, so no more ring for me :(

[gut]

There are some more resistances from animals.
Ants give -acid, as do ankhegs, and giant
slugs give acid immunity. I don't see any
reason not to get these intrinsics from
animals, even if you are a druid. Alignment
is easily fixed, if a low level PC just
wears the marble amulet. If you have a
nuetral or lawful altar somewhere, it's
rediculously easy to control your alignment.
Just sac 1 gp at a time, until you are
happy.

The initial greater (and killer) bugs, in
the BUGWIL (and BUGCAV) are all hostile.
Every newly generated bug, will be neutral
toward a druid. If any bug spawns, the
newly spawned bug will have the same attitude
toward you that the spawner had. This is
actually a benefit, if going for scumming
your De stat. It makes the whole place much
less dangerous.

> Wait, wait. What potions of ultra healing?

If you keep showing mercy, the healer will
keep giving you PoUH. This is a potentially
very powerful feature for spellcasters,
especially the ones that have the alchemy
skill. PoUH are often one ingredient in
your PoGA recipe. I can't say that I have
ever felt like fiddling with this feature
though.

I also have had an unfortunate situation
with Jharod (long ago). I led the carpenter
to him, having a few close calls on the
way. Upon reaching the healer, I stepped
on a fireball trap killing him. I couldn't even
get the healing skill from Hotzenplotz,
because I hadn't talked to him first. Very
painful.

[Silfir]

Oh man. I guess in future I'll get the Hotzenplotz quest for the healer just in case...