Druids

[Trouble_x_2]

It says in Lore something along the lines of " we are aware that Druids are unbalanced.....and will trade in 3 Quest Items for ones Druids could use....."

So Im just checking....the Helmet of Armour and Fort Vehl helmet? These can be swapped by a GM for other items?
Or is this no longer valid....and we just make the Helms into hoods?

[EdTheKet]

Do you have a link of where it is said? Thanks

[Trouble_x_2]

In Lore under "Druid Submissions"

LORE: Druid Submissions

[Acacea]

It's said in several threads over the forums that druids may not use the helmets of armor and other such things. Hiding it in a hood doesn't change what it was when it was granted - that is like a cleric of Lucinda wearing full plate, but putting a robe on it to look like he isn't breaking dogma. Most people change things to hood for aesthetic reasons, which is fine, otherwise you wouldn't be able to. It's just taking something you are not allowed to wear, and changing its appearance to something you can, that is a little cheesy.

The quote, while familiar in purpose, looks weird in wording to me so I'm not sure where it came from, but it is most likely referring to when the crackdown came in on druids wearing metal weaponry/shields. Items for wooden alternatives were in, but not yet craftable as at the time CNR was hellishly difficult to mess around with. So there was an acknowledgment of "we know that the alternatives for druids are not yet in, so we will trade out your metal shields and stuff for the nature-friendly ones, up to three times, until they are craftable."

They're craftable now, though. It sounds to me like that is what this applies to, but with the way it is phrased here, it's just a guess. Would need the link, like Ed said.

Edit - well, that's what I get for multitasking and leaving this sitting open before submitting

Edit again - Right, so yes, nothing about quest items. To quote for the non link-clickers, since you edited out your quote

  1. I am aware that we are lacking in armor and shields that will fill the void of protection and such that druids will now need. The project team is working on this right now and I hope to have it implemented in the next update—but no promises. So… give us a little time and we will make sure that druids have suitable options for their characters.
   2. I am also aware that druids out there will need to trade in their items for these new special items that will make them fall in line with the druid requests. As such a druid character will be able to trade in up to three weapons and three pieces of armor so that they fall in line with these new rules (and no more than that). A GM will handle the request and will take the old item to be replaced with an EQUAL item. At no time will a new item be more ‘powerful’ than the item replaced.

It's referring to being forced to stop using something, and having nothing to use in it's place.[/i]

[Dorganath]

The link does not state anything about quest items (Helmet of Armor, etc.), only things like armor and shields, and as Acacea said, the druid-friendly items are in-game and craftable now.

There is no "replacement" for the Helmet of Armor or any other helmet that's suitable for druidic use.  And also as she said, you should not just turn it into a hood, because its appearance doesn't change the fact that it's a metal helmet.

[EdTheKet]

Ah . Yeah, what Dorg and Acacea said.

[Redhawk]

Not sure if it is bad form to post here, but as one who plays a druid, I thought I'd chime in.

Druid casted barkskin is much better than the helm version, so even if the helm wasn't a violation of Dogma it wouldn't have much use to a druid.  As an aside, I've always thought that carrying the items needed to complete the quest were in themselves as much a dogma violation as the helm itself.  

I play druid dogma a bit extreme though, Wilwarin won't even attempt to pick up the weapons left on the corpses of slain monsters -- the act of carrying them disrupts his connection to nature.  A character grounded in dogma (clerics, druids, paladins) should be fanatical and not split hairs.

Sorry if I stepped on toes, Redhawk

[AeonBlues]

I will go on record here and state my opinion that druids are far from under balanced.  Through from a game balancing point of view it is kind of a roller coaster ride.

Some points:

1.  Layonara has a custom feat that can be taken at level 6 called Advanced Animal Shapes.  Some are fun RP shapes, but the cheetah shape has such a high AC that it makes for an over balanced 6th level character.

2. In my opinion, the balance flows down as you advance to level 11 where you have a slightly under balanced character, but with dire shapes at level 12 you go back to being over balanced again.  

3.  The craftable equipment in game has special attributes like "+2 AC vs Slashing" That will carry over to animal shapes, where a standard NWN item would not.  In the single player game for instance.  You might have a suite of +2 leather and a +1 shield.  When you take an animal shape, you would only benefit from strongest, becoming +2 deflection AC.  Because of the Layonara special attributes, your magical bonuses, like +2 armor AC, and +2 vs slashing and piercing all carry over to your animal shapes, though you will not see all of them in your stats.  Also, magic properties of weapons, like +1 enchantment and +1d6 elemental carry to every shape.

4. Druids are challenging to RP, as everyone has a strong opinion of how a druid should behave.  Druids on layonara are a diverse lot depending on their deity, alignment, and approved character background.

AeonBlues

[lonnarin]

I'll drink to that.  Anybody who thinks druids are weak should go hunting with Wil and Coyote around.  They're bloody brutal in melee!