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Currently, I have a R/C and Sorcerer going on in the game, but for one reason or another I decided to try a new character. Now, the only class I havent tried yet in BGI or BGII is a druid. In BGI, they just didnt look that fun or interesting, but in BGII with higher lever spells and kits I figured I would take a chance and try one

Now, a shapeshifter is out of the question because they seem too limited and the inability to wear armor is not a con I care to take on at the moment. Also, I have never been a fan of shapeshifting. Seems like the cons of shapeshifting outwiegh any pros

So, that leaves Avengers or Totemics. Initially, the -2 CON and STR ruled out the Avenger altogether, but I soon remembered 17 or 18 CON is useless anyway for a druid and they are not front liners so 18 STR isnt much of a concern. Now, their spells seems to be the Avenger's greats advantage, but how useful are they and how often can they cast them (are they a once a day special ability or do they get them in a mage spell book)? I mean, I have a mage already that can cast those, and taking an avenger just for a few extra spells seems silly. One Improved Invisibilty or Chaos seems rather useless when a mage has 6 or 7 spells per level anyways. I am not too worried about the added shapeshifting abilities

Now, I am leaning towards the Totemics for their summoning abilities. With their various elemental summoning abilites, the added animal ones seem like a nice plus. A high level totemic is a one man summoning machine, which has the added bonus of freeing up spots for your mage to cast better spells. Later in the game when you need magical weapons to hit, the animals may become useless offensively but they do provide a decent barrier.

Also, do totemics get their first summon animal at level one (thereby summoning 7 at level 31) or first at level 5 (thereby only getting 6) since they get to summon an extra animal every 5 levels

IMHO the Avenger is definitly better. the spirit animal isnt very good and the avenger makes the druid get a usefull level 2 spell (web).

D&D second edition rules will only give the +3 hp per level to the Fighter and Paladin classes I think. All other classes can gain no more than +2 per level depending on their constitution ability score (e.g con = 10 no bonus, con = 16 +2 bonus, con = 18 +3 bonus only get +2). Your saving throws however would be as though you had 18 constitution score, I think.
Druid spells work just like a Clerics would. They know all the spells of that level depending on the wisdom and alignment I think, but you get to choose which ones to memorize.
Shapeshifting is not a bad thing. There is something cool about a raging werewolf glowing and pulsating with magic as it tears into its victims.
The summoning creatures will certainly come in handy throughout the game. Using them as cannon fodder does work but you can only control up to five creatures at a time. Totemecs get an additional one to control every five levels I think so at level 15 your druid should be able to summon and control eight. I think this may be affected by wisdom too. The less the wisdom the less the creatures you can control. Also at level 15 he should be in control of the Druid Grove too. If not then it should be extremely easy to do so.

J

I've played a dualled totemic druid/fighter, and she was great. Being able to summon and send out fodder became really useful to me, especially in no-magic areas. They helped control the timing of the offense when taking on a larger group of victims, and there's nothing better than planting a summon right under a dragon's nose, and watching the summon get targetted while you swoop in for the real onslaught.

As I had played trying an avenger as my healer, the extra spells actually made it more difficult to pack in an extra healing spell. Druids do have access to the full range of healing spells including heal, so I normally try to pack on doom, glyph and insect plague-type spells for the best range of attack spells, and healing, iron skins and righteous magic for great buffing / defensive spells. The summoning ability keeps those spells out of the mix.

N......

I’ve used the Totemic Cernd mod and I like the summoning ability. Its nothing really special, but it’s helpful having all these free summonings around. You don’t have to use spell slots for them. Plus like you said, the mage spells are already covered by your mage. I would go for the totemic druid.

Just to note, the summonings are not that powerful, so in TOB you probably won’t be using them as much. Fodder is what they'll be.