This is an idea for a druid path that is inspired by one of my favorite characters from the BG games, Jaheira.
The Wardruid trades off some of its shapeshifting and summoning power to become an effective martial warrior, wielding spears, clubs, scimitars, staffs, slings and other druid weapons with respectable skill, and making use of light and medium armors.
Restrictions:
-The Wardruid is limited to weapons and armor granted by Druid Proficiencies, even if they multiclass, and they lose all racial proficiencies. Edit: they can also use the Dire Mace. FWIW that new Dire Mace is worthless to druids without a kit like this.
-The Wardruid loses all access to Elemental Shape and Plantshape.
-The Wardruid’s summons do not benefit from conjuration foci.
Benefits:
-Blood Frenzy now has no penalties, and the bonuses improve with transmutation focus as per normal.
-At level 14, the attack bonus in wilderness areas granted by Nature Sense increases from +2 to +3. At level 21, this bonus improves to +4. At level 28, this bonus improves to +5.
-At level 14, the Wardruid gains +2 Armor AC. At level 21, this bonus is increased to +3. At level 28, this bonus increases to +4. These bonuses do not stack with Monk wisdom AC.
-Improved Combat Casting at level 18
-Blood Frenzy, Aura of Vitality, and Bear's Endurance, Bull's Strength, and Cat's Grace have a % refund chance that scales at the same rate as that shown on the Cleric’s wiki page.
-At class level 21, gains +3 CL against dispels.
-If multiclassed to Barbarian, 1/3 Druid levels count towards Rage AB/Damage progression and Dodge AC.
-If multiclassed to Ranger, 2/3 Druid levels count towards Ranger progression for the following:
Defensive Two-Weapon Fighting
Archer path ranged bonus damage scaling based on effective levels
Woodland Stride at effective level 7 (ex. 6 Druid 3 ranger)
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting at effective level 9
Called Shot for Archer Path Rangers at effective level 9
Out-of-combat Movement Speed at effective level 18
Wilderness Map (Ranger feat) at effective level 12 (ex. 10 Druid/3 Ranger)
Here is why I think this path would benefit the server:
1. It gives variety to a class that is otherwise completely designed around shapeshifting.
2. It gives druids a reason to keep using certain spells at higher levels that tend to become obsolete once they get their powerful shapeshifting abilities, especially in the evocation school.
3. If too powerful it would be fairly easy to tone down by removing a few perks, but at face value it’s not all that powerful. Warpriests and Spellswords are much more potent combatants, and vanilla battleclerics probably outclass it in both summoning power and combat prowess. It’s certainly not more powerful than vanilla Druids.
4. It would not render Shamans obsolete. First, only 1/3 of the Wardruid’s levels count towards Barbarian Rage/AB/AC bonuses, compared to the Shaman’s 2/3. The Wardruid does not scale with Bard or Monk as Shaman does; dipping Monk will give you wis AC and some Monk feats, but Druid levels do not count towards Whirlwind Attack or Ki Strike progression. The Wardruid also cannot cast haste, it cannot use martial weapons or heavy armors, it cannot be of any alignment, and it has a smaller selection of spells. It cannot buff its summons with conjuration foci.
5. It allows build variety: you can make monk combos, you can multiclass with ranger to use a staff or dual wield sickles, you can go sword and board with scimitar, you can do a zen archery build with a sling, you can multiclass with Barbarian to get some reasonably good boosts to AB and damage, and it also makes clubs more relevant.