Adventuring druids

[MikeAlphaTangoTango]

Are there any good role-playing ideas out there about getting a druid out of his grove and into a campaign?
I've heard of the "vengence" idea, and the "someone real powerful making you do it idea".
I can't seem to come up with a reason a druid would go adventuring and I'd like to try out the class.

 

[Sejs]

"Druid out to help people, and teach folks to live in harmony with nature"

"Remote villiage healer in over his head"

"Reincarnated elder druid co-inhabiting an unsuspecting young person's body"

"Erythnul (or Malar)-worshiping murderous beast cultist" (*may not work for all campaigns)

"Fey-blooded desendant, working to understand their inborn powers"

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Not every druid even has a grove. Druids are more generic then they were in previous editions. Druids are anyone who has command over nature. They don't have to be neutral anymore. There are good druids who run around and protect nature from any threats they may find, perhaps protecting humans from the dangerous parts of nature as well. There are evil druids who would use their command of nature to get power and kill those who oppose them. In short, druids have just as many reasons to go adventuring now as any other class.

 

[Witch Doctor]

There's also researchers, out to learn all they can about plants and beasts of the world.

 

[schporto]

Well, my druid is adventuring for 2 things.
1. You can only turn into an animal you know. As he's only been in the rough equivelent of canada and northern north america, he has no idea what a crocodile is, a leopord, a cheetah, elephant, etc. He 's heard of em, but never seen them.
2. He wants cash. Lots of cash. So he can set up a nature preserve type area. He likes the idea of a zoo, but wishes it wasn't cages but a open area - hence the preserve idea.
You could just ask why does somebody want to work at the national parks?
Silly ideas but I like em.
-cpd

 

[diaglo]

to learn and see all they can of what Mother Nature has wrought.

to find the best place to establish a new grove or recruit new followers.

to heal the land.

to return a part of the civilized world back to its original state.

 

[Gwarok]

Actual druid

Or you can play an old Celtic type druid, yanno, an actual druid. Back then they were the go betweens for man and nature. They focused less on enviromentalism and more on fertility and survival for the people they represented. Often they lived separate lives from the yocals, but sought to appease the harsh gods of nature and bring bounty, usually thru some ritual involving blood and/or sex. Of course you will probably tone it down a bit, but I find once you get away from the hippie tree hugger mentality that druids are saddled with, they can be a pretty wicked class to play with lotsa motivation to do stuff.

 

[MikeAlphaTangoTango]

All execelent ideas. Thanks much. I guess I was still in the "I live in a tree" mentality.
I specially like the roaming researcher idea, consider it nabbed.