How would you RP an evil druid?

Hriston · Jan 16, 2019

1. Use metal!

2. You can’t. Druids are true neutral.

Leatherhead · Jan 16, 2019

How about going Doctor Moreau?

Immortal Sun · Jan 16, 2019

Hriston said:
2. You can’t. Druids are true neutral.

Wait, what? In 5E? Even in 3E they only required one alignment component to be neutral.

*checks 5E book* there's a lot of talk about them loving nature and being concerned with "balance" but I don't see any alignment requirements.

Hriston · Jan 16, 2019

Immortal Sun said:
Wait, what? In 5E? Even in 3E they only required one alignment component to be neutral.

Ah, but in 1E, they were true neutral.

*checks 5E book* there's a lot of talk about them loving nature and being concerned with "balance" but I don't see any alignment requirements.

Sorry, I should have added a smiley face.

Aiden_Keller_ · Jan 16, 2019

Prakriti said:
Or Sunless Citadel.

TRUE!

Wiseblood · Jan 16, 2019

Like Saruman. The birds of the air are my eyes. My mind is metal and gears. My voice is honey. My words are wise.

As villains go he’s one of my favorite. (Christopher Lee played him and that was awesome.) He started out good fighting against Sauron but he was corrupted. He joined and even saught to usurp Sauron and rule all of middle earth.

Quickleaf · Jan 16, 2019

Keeper of the Old Faith that believes the earth must be appeased. With blood. He often was at odds with the archdruid whose fiery belief had been tempered with old age & was leading the followers of the Old Faith towards a more peaceful existence. The druid came to power when he killed the previous archdruid in ritual combat, tore the elder's heart from his chest, and ate it. As was their tradition. However, vapor-infused visions have revealed the past archdruid has reincarnated in the form of a child with a constellation birth mark. Now, the druid sends outriders to hunt down reports of any child bearing such a mark, the poor child destined for grisly sacrifice at the druidic stone altars. And the eyes of the Old Faith are multitudinous, from the one-eyed porter at the laketown docks to the seamstress spinning late nights across from the inn.

Dausuul · Jan 16, 2019

Three pages in and no one's mentioned Leeky Windstaff? ENWorld fail.

More seriously, though... I've never liked the idea that druids are all about protecting nature from humans. In a typical D&D world, nature is powerful and terrifying; it does not need protection from humans, humans need protection from it. To the extent that druids engage with human society at all, I see them as intermediaries, warning people about the forces at work in the natural world and how to avoid getting squashed by them.

An evil druid could turn that role into extortion: Give me what I want, or I will invoke those forces to wipe you off the map.

Dessert Nomad · Jan 16, 2019

One possibility is that the druid doesn't have a specifically 'druidic' motive for being evil. Maybe they just like power, or think "If I was in charge, things would be better" and fight to destabilize an existing kingdom or take over some area. Sure, when they do take it over they'll treat the natural lands better than other overlords would, but that's not what drives them. Maybe that orc druid is using his abilities to help his horde succeed. Yes, when they raze all of the human settlements in the border lands it will also allow nature to flourish, but again that's not what's driving him. Or Sir LightyPantsTheBold wronged him years ago, and he's working to bring down Sir LightyPants and his allies for that. The slight might have involved hurting an area the druid was protecting, but again that's not the important part.

MechaTarrasque · Jan 16, 2019

I would go with something like a druid who was trying to change the world into the "true nature" of the Far Realm or the Abyss, and is "wildshaping" into aberrations. There are a bunch of demon lords that look animal-ish or plant-ish.