Druid Magic in the desert

[Old_school_overlord]

My group are under taking an expedition into a cold desert, and are relying on the druid's create water and good berry spells pretty heavily.

I've been thinking about this, and wonder if Druid magic should still work at full effectiveness in a place so devoid of life (and thus, nature spirits).

Is this a good and interesting twist to throwthe players, or am I just induling my killer DM side?

 

[Dragonwriter]

I don't see any reason to cut off the Druid's magic on the basis of "deserts are devoid of life."

I can see why people think deserts are devoid of life, but it's really a joke. Deserts have lots of life, it's just that you don't see them that much. A lot of the animals don't go around in the day because it is too hot for them to survive. Most desert animals are nocturnal because of this. Then there are the lizards, and they are active during the day, to at least receive the heat they need to stay alive.

On top of this, there is the plant life. There are many plants that only survive in deserts, the many species of cactus being the most famous.

There are also examples of the lovely "desert oasis," the small above-ground body of water in the middle of the desert. These are used by animals and people alike to survive, getting their necessary liquid and allowing them to survive.

Even a cold desert has examples of these things. Check out tundras. They are the literal "cold desert" (even saying so in the DMG). The arctic fox and wolf only live on the tundra. There are plenty of plants that live within the permafrost. Here's a Wikipedia article on the tundra that may be helpful: Tundra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, really, a Druid should be perfectly useful in any natural environment. Even one as seemingly hostile as a desert or tundra.

 

[Corsair]

Dragonwriter already addressed the desert life issue. You can also look at Sandstorm for more thoughts on the matter.

Instead, I'm focusing on this small part:

Is this a good and interesting twist to throwthe players, or am I just induling my killer DM side?

No. It is a terrible idea. Boning your players relatively arbitrarily and without warning, especially in the case where it deals with their basic assumptions of how the rules work is wrongbad. Mind you had you told your druid player this when he initially picked the class, and that was how druid magic was house ruled in your game, then this wouldn't be an issue. But the way you presented it would be a great way to piss off a player.

Were I starting with a new group and someone sprung this on me with no warning, I wouldn't go back.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I wouldn't penalize a Druid in the desert because I think Druids are more closely connected to nature than to life alone. So while a desert has less abundance of plants and animals than a jungle, Mother Nature shows up in the desert through its blazing sun, shifting dunes and fierce sandstorms. No matter now harsh those elements are, they're always natural. So I think a desert can be right up a Druid's alley.

 

[Old_school_overlord]

Thanks for the responses everyone, sometimes you just need a reality check

 

[frankthedm]

Is this a good and interesting twist to throw the players, or am I just indulging my killer DM side?

It is a good and interesting twist. Create water should definitely be hindered in Desert environments. But, characters also should have been previously informed about this if this is a normal result of the spell in the desert. Now a smaller area where Fire element is emboldened and water element is diminished would need no warning.

 

[Nimloth]

It is a good and interesting twist. Create water should definitely be hindered in Desert environments. But, characters also should have been previously informed about this if this is a normal result of the spell in the desert. Now a smaller area where Fire element is emboldened and water element is diminished would need no warning.

While it would be an interesting twist, don't surprise the players with it. Any halfway intelligent and competent druid should be aware of this effect (say, knowledge: nature dc 12 or so).

 

[taliesin15]

Wednesday Boy I think is on the right track--Death and Life are intertwined in the Druidic take on the Universe methinks...

Also, speaking of Life in the desert--don't forget insects! They are useful in many ways, including being a very underrated source of nourishment.

 

[Ashtagon]

If you are going to weaken druids in one environment, you should give them a boost in that same environment.

 

[Oni]

So you want to take the class most in tune with nature, and penalize it for being in a natural environment rather than say a dungeon?

When you feature a natural environment in your game, especially as a challenge I would think it would be the druid's time to shine, not be made less effective.