Druids, Any good?

[Althalon the Traveler]

ive heard that everybody likes druids and that they are acually great characters in icewind, i mostly play with a paladin and a bard(I love bards , they are so damn versatile!) but ive never gotten around to trying a druid. so fill me in if possible! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ar-Cunin]

Can't say that I like them - I use a Cleric for healing (clerics can turn undead as well - veeerrry useful [img]smile.gif[/img] )

[Ervain Blackshealth]

is it worth deleting charecters at chapter 2

[StarVid]

I don't think I've ever played without a druid (since I got HoW). I can't envision myself without one. In general, they're my favorite class, but in HoW, they are also pretty powerful. I noticed your post about mages in the other thread. Let me compare how I use them to you.

Mage spells that I find to be extremely useful (as in I build tactics around):
Friends (just for prices at shops though)
Invisibility
Web
Haste
Slow
Skull Trap
Emotion: Courage
Emotion: Hope
Emotion: Hopelessness
Cloudkill
Contact Other Plane (for one single situation)
Death Fog

Some of the Acid spells (acid storm and vitrolic sphere) as well as the magic/force missle spells are pretty nice, but I can easily live without them.

Now for the druid spells:
Remove Fear
Sunscorch
Entangle (almost as good as web, and in the case of spiders, better)
Alicorn Lance
Beast Claw
Flame Blade
Cloud Burst
Mold Touch (well, it could be, but I'm too afraid to use it in case my own party gets infected. [img]tongue.gif[/img] )
Moonblade
Spike Growth (one of my favorite spells with web or entangle)
Storm Shell
Animal Summon I, II, and III
Giant Insect
Smashing Wave
Star Metal Cudgel
Static Charge
Insect Plague
Spiked Stones
Conjure Fire and Earth Elemental (I wish I had water elemental too)
Entropy Shield
Whirlwind (used very carefully)
Creeping Doom
Earthquake
Stalker

With all this, I should probably play with 2 druids instead of 1. Should you delete someone and add a druid? It depends on your party. If you're only in chapter 2, it's early enough to do without really loosing out on much.

Most of all, it depends on personal preference. I could easily tighten my belt on the arcane magic and play with only a bard. My ideal 6 person party would probably be a Paladin, Elven Ranger, Dwarf or Gnome Fighter/Thief, Human Fighter(7)/Druid, Dwarven Cleric, and Half-elven Bard. Notice how there's no actual mage? There's plenty of people who play with 1, 1 1/2, even two actual mages. In the end it's all preference. I think my party is pretty well-rounded and versatile, which is what I prefer in a party. I have two tanks (Ranger, Paladin), two archers (Ranger, F/T), all the types of magic covered (bard for mage spells, cleric, druid). And even better, once my bard hits level 11(War Chant of Sith bard song in HoW), my cleric will be memorizing a lot less healing spells.

[selone]

I like Druids they definetly are a lot more viable than BG druids, maybe do a half elf fighter//druid or multi class druid though as druids are easy to level.

[Ervain Blackshealth]

ive never used a druid before, but mages i use

[Malavon's Rage]

the only time that i started to like druids is when you get to dorns and buy the rhino beetle sheild and umbur hulk armor, druids get like an armor class of like -7 then and they arent magical so you can wear some rings with it

[mu]

i have a druid in my party.i love his boring bettles.but animal summoning 1 and 2 is not good.(bears are so slow and they can stuck!)
and he is the healer.next time i will choose a cleric.

[Pyrite, fools gold]

one good spell ive found is goodberry, when your just hanging around an inn, and memorize it while you identify some items, you can make like 20 of them. very useful when in the wilderness and out of healing spells.

[BlakJak Birkin]

Personally, i don't know which is better- a druid or cleric.
So if i was you i'd get both. In Baldur's Gate 2 i was torn by Jhaheira and Aerie both going for me but me not knowing who to choose! so i'd pick a druid/fighter and a cleric(both female)