OSR Let's make Shadowdark classes!

[TGryph]

How about this for a non-shifting Druid?

Weapons - Club, Spear, Staff
Armor - Leather, Wooden Shield

Languages - Sylvan (Bonus)

Master of the Wild:
- Can Identify animals, plants, pure water
- Cannot be tracked (unless they want to)
- Immune to Charm from Dryad or other Fey

Turn Animal :
Gets the Turn Animal Spell (As Turn Undead except it only affects Normal or Giant animals). If the creature fails its CHA check by 10+ points and is equal to or less than your level, you can give it a Command (1 hour duration).

Spellcasting - as Priest, but use Druid Spell List

Druid Talents - As Priest, except on a 10-11, change to +2 to WIS or CON

Druid Spells:


Tier 1:
Barkskin (As Mage Armor but skin takes on bark-like appearance)
Charm Animal - As Charm Person, but only affects Normal or Giant animals
Cure Wounds
Faerie Fire - Duration : 5 Rounds Range: Near Creature outline in harmless flames. Opponents get +1 to hit.
Light
Holy Weapon (Wooden Only)

Tier 2:
Alter Self
Augury
Hold Animal (As Hold Person but only affects normal or giant animals)
Invisibility (Normal or Giant animals only)
Summon Wolf - As "Druid" in the Monster Section, except it is a wolf
Thunderclap - As "Druid" in the Monster Section

Tier 3:
Command
Imbue - As "Druid" in the Monster Section
Mass Cure
Protection from Energy
Speak with Animal - As Speak with Dead but normal or giant animals only
Summon Bear - As "Druid" in the Monster Section

Tier 4:
Commune
Conjure Flames - As "Druid" in the Monster Section
Control Water
Polymorph
Regenerate
Stone Skin

Tier 5:
Heal
Prophecy
Scrying
Shapechange
Speak with Plant - As Speak With Animal, except with any sort of plant.
Summon Woodland Being - As Summon Extraplaner, but only summons a Fey Creature

Something I knocked together during a lunch - just to show how easily it is to tinker with...

 

[Autumnal]

Well, I’d play it. Evaluating the spells would require some play time, and I’m not the best at it anymore anyway. But the ambience is just right. Neat abilities!

 

[Nightfly]

Do smite, lay hand and divine favor == mastery and grit?
I think he need more attack punch.

Maybe! But I was actually worried that healing without a check was too strong.

 

[Bill Zebub]

How about this for a non-shifting Druid?

Weapons - Club, Spear, Staff
Armor - Leather, Wooden Shield

Languages - Sylvan (Bonus)

Master of the Wild:
- Can Identify animals, plants, pure water
- Cannot be tracked (unless they want to)
- Immune to Charm from Dryad or other Fey

Turn Animal :
Gets the Turn Animal Spell (As Turn Undead except it only affects Normal or Giant animals). If the creature fails its CHA check by 10+ points and is equal to or less than your level, you can give it a Command (1 hour duration).

Spellcasting - as Priest, but use Druid Spell List

Druid Talents - As Priest, except on a 10-11, change to +2 to WIS or CON

Druid Spells:


Tier 1:
Barkskin (As Mage Armor but skin takes on bark-like appearance)
Charm Animal - As Charm Person, but only affects Normal or Giant animals
Cure Wounds
Faerie Fire - Duration : 5 Rounds Range: Near Creature outline in harmless flames. Opponents get +1 to hit.
Light
Holy Weapon (Wooden Only)

Tier 2:
Alter Self
Augury
Hold Animal (As Hold Person but only affects normal or giant animals)
Invisibility (Normal or Giant animals only)
Summon Wolf - As "Druid" in the Monster Section, except it is a wolf
Thunderclap - As "Druid" in the Monster Section

Tier 3:
Command
Imbue - As "Druid" in the Monster Section
Mass Cure
Protection from Energy
Speak with Animal - As Speak with Dead but normal or giant animals only
Summon Bear - As "Druid" in the Monster Section

Tier 4:
Commune
Conjure Flames - As "Druid" in the Monster Section
Control Water
Polymorph
Regenerate
Stone Skin

Tier 5:
Heal
Prophecy
Scrying
Shapechange
Speak with Plant - As Speak With Animal, except with any sort of plant.
Summon Woodland Being - As Summon Extraplaner, but only summons a Fey Creature

Something I knocked together during a lunch - just to show how easily it is to tinker with...

I kinda like “Turn Animal”. Instead of “turning” though, as in fear, I would just have the animals become non-aggressive. The relationship between Druid and beast is not the the same as between priest and undead.

The “summon animal” spells I’m not crazy about. They are thematic, but I hate the idea of animals just materializing out of thin air, like a wizard summoning an elemental, and the alternative is that it’s useless in a dungeon.

Maybe “Summon Nature Spirit” that looks like a ghostly animal, and provides support instead of physically manifesting?

 

[Nightfly]

I've been working on a Shadowdark monk, but it's tricky. One of the principles of SD is that no one ever gets more than one attack, but monks in D&D have always had multiple, weaker attacks. I could give monks two attacks for small damage. Or perhaps a second small damage trigger off a natural odd attack roll - that way we keep the flavor of having two attacks but with only one d20 roll. Any thoughts?

 

[Andrew Anderson]

Start with the story, then develop mechanics to fit. Which sounds stupid, but it should work. Let me put my thinking cap on.

 

[Autumnal]

It might work to emphasize mobility and lack of need for physical armor instead.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It might work to emphasize mobility and lack of need for physical armor instead.

That's where I'd start.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I'd start further back and think about the core concept you want to represent, and try to push out of your mind any mechanics that have become D&D tradition. Come up with something icon and novel that results in a playstyle that is unique from the existing classes. Sure, making two attacks would be different mechanically, but does it really result in a different feel? Do you end up making different decisions, declaring different actions, as a result?

I suspended my efforts at a monk precisely because I have yet to come up with something that answers those questions. I didn't want something that plays like a fighter but with a different gear list.

 

[Andvari]

Narratively the monk can still make multiple attacks while only making one attack roll. If you want to make it feel like multiple attacks, perhaps the player rolls multiple d4s for damage or something.