What is a druid?

For the first time, I find myself interested in playing a druid. I have mostly played warlocks in 5e with only one exception. Somewhere recently I thought it would be interesting to play a druid.

full disclosure: I want to play a character that has a lot of creepy witch-like potential. I dislike circle of the moon and plan to play with weapons and spells. I am taking one level (likely hexblade for sword prof and flavor) and some feats to do this. When
i wild shape, I am looking for spiders and snakes and the like, almost exclusively.

but my main thought is that I have never seen the druid description seem so wide open.

are they wandering mages, sage like magic users? Are they priests focused on the divine? The intro text says sort of Yes to all of these things.


i am interested in hearing how others have attempted to make druids part of the game world. I feel I am going off label...planning to play an angry and rebellious gray
elf now who has renounced corellon and makes the woods or perhaps swamps his new kingdom.

but is he priestly or just freelance like a mage that adventures?

how do you define the role of druids?

(edit for typos)

PHB p. 64 said:

Whether calling on the elemental forces of nature or
emulating the creatures of the animal world, druids are
an embodiment of nature’s resilience, cunning, and fury.
They claim no mastery over nature. Instead, they see
them selves as extensions of nature’s indomitable will.

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(Emphasis mine.)

If I had to pin down one immutable characteristic of the druid, it would be this. Whatever else a druid may do or say, they must embrace the laws of nature, submitting to them fully and using their powers to reinforce those laws. (I don't mean "law" in the same sense as "lawful;" it's just the best word in our language for this concept. "The true nature of nature" sounds weird.)

D&D basically has Druids function as eco-terrorists with supernatural powers. I've never really understood why, seeing as how the industrial revolution hasn't really happened in any D&D world.

Most of the time, I guide my players into playing them as a type of mage rather than a devoted priest or warlock, emphasizing that their power comes from channeling the world itself, though it's largely up to them to figure out what to do with it (A true test of sink-or-swim survival). Any communication with the source of their power is based on instincts or feelings unless they explicitly worship a god (who then acts like an interpreter/caretaker of said power instead of being the source of power like other gods would have you believe)

As for creepy Druids, you are in luck, the Circle of Spores is creepiness incarnate. A sort of halfway necro-druid with a fetish for fungus.

I tend to use druids as followers if "the old faith" before all of these newfangled gods showed up. Out in the rural areas of my worlds worship of the old faith tends to be more prevalent than the gods of the clerics.

Another way I use them is as actual clerics. If I have a primal nature deity then they won't have clerics but druids as their priests. For the nature domain, an agricultural god will grant it. This creates a nice split between the wild nature gods and the civilised nature gods.

Warpiglet said:

how do you define the role of druids?

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Personally, I think of them as a bit akin to Wizards. Both of them deal in manipulating the building blocks of the world around them. It's just that Wizards dig down to the abstract arcane level while Druids handle the more macro expressions of reality.

Imagine it like a quantum physicist and an alchemist. Wizards use their intellect to break down reality to the smallest component particles and use those to build the result they want from scratch. Druids build a rapport with plants and animals and the elements of the natural world and nudge them in useful directions. A Wizard conjures a Lighting Bolt out of nothing directly at their foes. A Druid will Call Lightning to build a storm overhead and guides its strikes at their enemies.

Druids are also distinguished by being an old tradition. Shaping the primal forces for an edge on survival is one of the basics for a primitive tribe in a world with magic available. It takes time to establish a relationship with the gods or build an arcane knowledge base, but anyone can stare into the fire and beg it for a little extra warmth. That's why Druids have their own secret language. They've been around a very, very long time.

In my way of doing things, Druids are "friends of nature" where a Nature Cleric is the servant of a nature focused deity. The druid may still revere, and probably does, the nature gods, but they're buddies, not servants. A wizard takes their power from the weave and controls it, while a druid asks for it. They work with nature. They don't seek to control it.

The "old faith" really works here. Druidic magic isn't as codified in tradition as Clerical magic and isn't as scientifically codified as Wizard magic. But it still comes from Wisdom, like a Clerics, so it is based on an intrinsic understanding of the natural world.

Have fun with your druid! If you're not a moon druid, though, definitely remember that your wildshape forms are best used for stealth and for gaining animal movement and senses. They won't be good for combat, except really early when the extra 11 hp or so to start off a fight could really help.

Warpiglet said:

how do you define the role of druids?

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I base my druids heavily on the ones from the Shannara series of books by Terry Brooks...specifically the Heritage of Shannara series. You can find some fan-supported info here: https://shannara.fandom.com/wiki/Druid

And I never liked the way that Wild Shape worked in D&D, though. So I made it more like an animal-shaped "force field" around the druid, that weakens as it takes damage until it eventually "breaks." I guess I imagine it working sort of like the artwork in the MTG "Umbra" cards:

I think this is largely up to the player and the DM. I prefer to play druids who practice an ancient form of wizardry, more primal, and in some ways more powerful (though less refined). I don't play it like a nature cleric, but some people do, and that's cool, too. Whatever you find fun, I guess?

A large amount of it depends on how the DM defines it in their world. For example, in my Greyhawk campaign ALL druids are members of the Old Faith, which is a world wide religion led by the Great/Grand Druid (a pope-like figure). They must have some form of neutrality in their alignment, with most just being neutral. They each have a role to serve, either as spiritual advisors (i.e. shamans), guardians of sacred groves, or wandering protectors of the wilderness. There is a strict hierarchy, but for the most part each is left to act on their own decisions. Druids can work with nature loving creatures to create a harmonious environment, or work to kill those who would "defile" the woodlands. It is strict and flexible, good and evil; it is the Balance.

The standard 5E druid is usually considered to be a nature priest or shaman type. Their magic comes from the spirits of nature themselves, so you might want to look into animism for examples. They aren't usually the mercenary type, but might do so if they need money for a particular goal (such as bribing a human village from getting lumber from a particular forest). They already have scimitar proficiency, so you don't need to multi-class for that, but AC is usually a big issue, since you cannot wear metal armor. I suggest a high dex and convincing your DM that Studded Leather doesn't require metal studs (the PHB never says metal) and using a wooden shield.

Circle of the Moon is the most common choice, because it's probably the most powerful. I don't know about the newer ones, but I played Circle of the Land, and it's not bad. You are more of a spellcaster than a melee character in those cases. If you did multi-class into warlock for reasons other than sword proficiency, I think that the Archfey would make a better pact for flavor reasons.

Xeviat said:

In my way of doing things, Druids are "friends of nature" where a Nature Cleric is the servant of a nature focused deity. The druid may still revere, and probably does, the nature gods, but they're buddies, not servants. A wizard takes their power from the weave and controls it, while a druid asks for it. They work with nature. They don't seek to control it.

The "old faith" really works here. Druidic magic isn't as codified in tradition as Clerical magic and isn't as scientifically codified as Wizard magic. But it still comes from Wisdom, like a Clerics, so it is based on an intrinsic understanding of the natural world.

Have fun with your druid! If you're not a moon druid, though, definitely remember that your wildshape forms are best used for stealth and for gaining animal movement and senses. They won't be good for combat, except really early when the extra 11 hp or so to start off a fight could really help.

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Your point is well taken. I was thinking g about a giant wolf spider to sneak, spy and climb...what an unsettling vision that would be!