D&D 3E/3.5 Does anyone know confirmed 3.5e Druid changes?

[Magus Coeruleus]

Hey folks,

I'm making a Druid/Wizard and the DM is going to use 3.5 changes when they come out, so I'd like to avoid as many problems as possible by incorporating as much knowledge about upcoming 3.5 changes to Druid as possible now. We're playing tomorrow (Saturday) for the first time, and I need to bring my character to the game. It will be 1st level (apprentice/apprentice), so anything that doesn't come into play until later levels is not so important now. If you know stuff, can you share it here and cite your source so I can point the DM to it?

Thanks.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

There are a half dozen threads right now giving proposed changes. but the druid is not mentioned much.

Animal empathy is no longer a skill but a class ability
Intuit direction, and wilderness lore and now one skill called survival.
The spell list will have added spells including buff spells
The new MM will do away with the beast catigory opening many of those creatures up for being animal companions and wild shape forms.

Oh and... all druids must be halflings with no exceptions... I'm sure god told me that one.

 

[Malicene]

I tought there were old with bards, white robes, and gold scythe !
LOL

please to hear many changes on this matter

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Nope... That was eratted out. They have to be old bearded halflings with silver bayonettes. And they all have bards as animal companions.

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

Thanks for the info! So since 3.0 Animal Empathy works a lot like Diplomacy but on animals, would you agree that it seems likely the class ability will just allow you to use your Diplomacy skill on animals to achieve old Animal Empathy effects?

Also, can you point me to any source for the class ability change (I think it's called "Wild Empathy," right?)?

Thanks

 

[hong]

Thanks for the info! So since 3.0 Animal Empathy works a lot like Diplomacy but on animals, would you agree that it seems likely the class ability will just allow you to use your Diplomacy skill on animals to achieve old Animal Empathy effects?

IIRC it'll be based on Handle Animal skill, not Diplomacy.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

IIRC it'll be based on Handle Animal skill, not Diplomacy.

WOW! There is still a skill my druid Bolo will be able to use. He is lossing like 2 total. Hong do you know if the druids skill points have been modified?

 

[Dr_Rictus]

The new MM will do away with the beast catigory opening many of those creatures up for being animal companions and wild shape forms.

Not necessarily. They may just all become magical beasts. For example, the Blood Hawk (Fiend Folio) is listed as a magical beast despite having no magical abilities, no unusual physiology, and no exceptional intelligence for an animal. I'm pretty sure it's basically just a good-sized nasty-tempered bird with an (exceptional) Wounding attack.

 

[niteshade6]

Actualy the blood hawk has wounding, which is probably in some way magical in nature even though it's listed as extraordinary.

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

On this issue of how wild empathy will work, what's the basis for thinking it will use handle animal instead of diplomacy? Both animal empathy and diplomacy involving changing attitudes through DC checks, and in the Dragon 308 article on 3.5 revisions, it says of the ranger that the Wild Empathy ability "replaces the Animal Empathy skill and works much like Diplomacy but is only available to rangers and druids."

Just curious as to hong's thinking.

Thanks