A Gentleperson's Wager: Druids in the PHB1

[Remathilis]

This is purely a gentlemen's (or gentlewomen's) wager: will there be druids in the first PHB...

The Pros:

A long history of Druids in D&D as a PC class.

this quote:

A mossy forest glade where evil druids spill the blood of hapless travelers over the roots of the thirsting trees;

A mention long ago there there was "at least" eight classes, and less than fifteen.

Possible Divine + Controller or Leader.

PHB size/Price recently beefed up.

Cons:
Wildshape and a selection of druid spells would take up a lot of room unless they reuse a lot of wizard and cleric spells (which could dilute their flavor)

Wildshape very wonky and hard to balance.

Divine Power Sources would outnumber Arcane

Whatever role it fills (controller most lkely, but leader possible) would have 3 options, unlike the others only having 2.

There are already 8 classes (fighter, paladin, ranger, rogue, warlord, cleric, wizard, warlock) which will eat up a large chunk of PHB already.

No mention of them in any playtest material/Des&Del/Blog Entry/Interview before this point.


So all things considered, are druids going to be in PHB 1?

 

[Branduil]

Well, we don't know that Warlocks will fill the controller role. They could very well be Arcane Strikers. In that case, the Druid would make the most sense as an alternate controller class.

I imagine wildshape would work more like the non-broken PHB II version, if they have it at all.

 

[HeinorNY]

If the druid is completelly different I want them in PHB1.
They can be like WoW druids, or like AE Greenbonds. I'll be happy with one of both.

 

[freyar]

Ok, Remathilis, you need to vote, too...

Seems to me that the hints are in favor of the druid showing up in the PHB. Also, I think the 3.5 PHBII made some strides in simplifying the wildshape class feature as an alternate class feature.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I hope so, given their long history in the game and popularity.
Yet the same is true of the monk, and I hope he's not in the PHB.

 

[Branduil]

I hope so, given their long history in the game and popularity.
Yet the same is true of the monk, and I hope he's not in the PHB.

Same.

I wouldn't miss Bards, Monks, or Sorcerers, but I'd like to see Barbarians and Druids in the first PHB.

 

[Gort]

I hope they remain in the game as the divine controller. I hope their power level is severely examined, as with the cleric and to a lesser extent the other pure spellcasters.

 

[the_myth]

I've seen other people suggest this, but has anyone else considered some of the Druid and Bard being folded together?

 

[The Human Target]

I say they won't be, but would kinda like to be proven wrong.

I do hope that when they show up, whenever it happens, they be less a nature cleric and more something else.

 

[Nifft]

I think they will technically exist in the PHB, but I don't think they'll be in a format we recognize as a distinct 20-level Core class. IMHO they'll be either a PrC, or a Talent tree based off of whatever Cleric is called.

Cheers, -- N