I'm harsh, but seeking to compansate. Any advice?

[brun]

In my campain, the planet (literally) is an archgodess of nature/life. Since 5 years (in-game), she is agonising and diying, due to extreme changes and loss of life; minor cataclism, extensive wars and a current demon invasion. The basics are that whenever something dies, she gets weaker. The more powerful it was in life, the greater the blow. Now, she's so close to "death" that the weather is wild and animals go crazy.

So, in a self-defense mechanism, she tried to stop the "bleeding". She's very weak, so the only beings she can affect are those that are close to her, namely wild animals, druids and, to a lesser extent, rangers.

In my ongoing campain, druids shouldn't kill. Though most understand that something's very wrong with the godess, most do not understand why or to what extend.

And so druids are stripped from the ability to cast damaging spells (those with listed damage in their description). It's harsh. And I have an elf druid in the party who is growing bitter by the day. Oh! I understand him, so I am seeking advice on how to at least lessen the loss, if not compensate. But I need something that'd stay true to the situation, so ...

 

[Crothian]

If the destroying of life is killing the goddess, then restoring life and healing should in theory help restore her. I'd give them greater healing abilities especially of plants and animals. Maybe lower the spell level of all healing spells when cast on plants and animals. Perhaps giving them restance to the odd weather or even ability to help the weather get better in their area.

 

[Anabstercorian]

Whip out some Druidical mind-affecting spells that inflict the pain that the Earth suffers on the target. They automatically receive a fat sack of subdual damage, special hindrances based on the level of the spell if they fail a fort save (as well as full damage instead of half) and if they fail a will save, they realize exactly what effect a death has on the planet. Basically an agonizingly painful education. Subdue without killing, and cast it enough times and you can permanently move a victim in to a state of shattered pacifism, a la Clockwork Orange.

 

[Ezrael]

If there's a current Demon invasion that's causing all this, and the Demons are (I assume, if I'm wrong, sorry) not part of the natural order, is it possible that killing *them* doesn't hurt the planet? If that's the case, then power over demons/unnatural creatures (similar to clerical turning) might be in order.

 

[Umbran]

Much of this depends on cosmology - how much the goddess knows about individual person's actions, and how well she can communicate.

So here's a question for you...

Let's say there's a warlord out there, causing huge numbers of deaths. What's better in the eyes of the goddess - killing that one person, or allowing him to live?

By your description, this goddess is pacifistic for practical reasons, rather than idealistic ones. It would seem to me then, that she'd be better off mostly disallowing killing, but allowing her worshippers to keep a little bit of butt-whooping power for when the individual kill is really necessary to prevent more deaths. Misuse of that but-whoopping power should have grave consequences, though. Remember that in all likelyhood the druids aren't usually the ones racking up huge body counts except in service of nature anyway.

That, however, presupposes that the goddess knows when a worshipper uses the power, and why, and can act in reprisal if her power is misused. It also really requires her to get the message across that misuse isn't going to be tolerated.

However, if you want to keep damaging spells off the list, what else is a druid to do? In a world where killing is already commonplace, how is a druid to stop that killing without the ability to use force? Answer that question, and you'll find a way to keep your player happy and useful in the party.

 

[brun]

Thanks. These are all great ideas.
Lowering the spell level for healing animals and plants would need to be worked on, as it would not be of much use to the party.
I love the pain-of the-earth idea.
No, demons aren't part of the natural order. In fact, they're the ones causing much of the damage. I'll weigh the pros and cons of granting power over them, since it'd mean something like the Last-Chance.

I'm now nurturing the idea of spontaneous healing casting, as the cleric's. Any thoughts?

 

[brun]

Umbran, my payer used your arguments, and I answered that (as you said) she was too weakened to differenciate when or why a worshiper uses her powers.

there is always summoning...

 

[Oni]

I don't know what level the character is, but maybe you could let him have back some of his offensive punch by changing the nature of the spells. For instance, Druids don't have polymorph other on their list, maybe you could give them something similar in an offensive reincarnate. Or perhaps spells that cause deterioration in the target, basically makes them in to compost and feeds them back into the natural cycle as a sort of life giving material.

 

[Umbran]

Brun: Fair enough. I'd still wonder about her choice of ways of dealing with the situation. When there are lots of people around doing violence, turning pacifist doesn't really help. Unless the druids were a big problem in the first place, declawing them won't solve the problem. In fact, it makes the problem worse, by removing one potential barrier to the violence. Gods are supposed to be smart, and this doesn't seem a smart move.

It'd be more logically consistent and plausible to have the goddess be pacifist by idealism, rather than practicality. Idealism isn't countered by my "but that doesn't help you with your problem" arguments

However, it is your game, and you can run it as you want it. The matter remains that having declawed the druids, you must give them some other tools. Giving them enhanced healing powers is one option. Giving them greater mind-controlling effects (so as to be able to stop violence without bloodshed) is another. Giving them non-lethal attacks (spells like entangle, or spells that do lots of subdual damage) may also be options. Extra divinatory power may also help - with greater information, the character is more likely to find a way through problems without killing.

You may want to allow them damaging spells, but don't allow them to work on normally living things. Allow their use against demons and undead, as their deaths shouldn't hurt the Earth Mother, as their life-energy doesn't come from her.

Summoning is not really an option consistent with the goddess' stated goal. You can't have spells that directly do damage, but you can summon a creature that will rip your enemies to shreds and kill them? Switching to summonings merely changes how the druid deals out death. That doesn't help them avoid killing. Summonings also have the added problem that not only does the target die, but the summoned creature probably dies, too. Would the Earth Mother like that?

 

[Mistwell]

Allow all the damage-dealing spells, but change the damage done to subdual damage (using the pain of the planet idea, already proposed above). You might add in some charm spells too, representing the increased persuasiveness behind the message of the druid, backed by the pain of the planet.