An Urban Druid...Any ideas?

[toberane]

I'm getting ready to start an Eberron campaign, and it is going to be largely city-based. The main action will take place in Sharn, although there are lots of opportunities for travel as the adventure unfolds.

Now, I'm sure every DM will be familiar with this situation: I've come up with a nifty idea for an adventure, and one player has their heart set on playing a race or class or combination thereof that just doesn't seem to fit in with the adventure. Combine this with the fact that the player in question is my wife, and you can see the spot I'm in.

My wife wants to play a druid. A Warforged druid. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to let her. It couold be a very interesting character. What I'm asking for are role-playing ideas on how to play a sentient construct druid based in a city. Anyone got any good ideas on how she might play this?

For those of you unfamiliar with Eberron, Sharn is a city made up almost entirely of towers a mile high. Some dwellers in this city can go their whole lives never getting closer than half a mile from the ground if they don't leave the city. There are artificially created parks and areas where people are growing plants, grass, and trees on top of buildings or on bridges connecting towers, but almost nothing that could be considered natural vegetation. Warforged are constructs created during the century long war that has just ended, and they are unique because they are sentient and self-aware. Following the war, they were given the status of citizens and are no longer considered to be property.

 

[jmucchiello]

There are artificially created parks and areas where people are growing plants, grass, and trees on top of buildings or on bridges connecting towers, but almost nothing that could be considered natural vegetation.

Unless the plants are made of plastic how are they not natural? Also, I'm sure the towers of Sharn are full of ivy and similar plants (and moss) growing out of control. I imagine some of the towers are condemned because a vine plant has broken through the walls and nearly fills the interior of the tower. This uber-vine is now thousands of feet tall and 40 feet around supported by the masonry of the tower.

Lots of fun places for druid to hang out in Sharn....

 

[toberane]

Unless the plants are made of plastic how are they not natural? Also, I'm sure the towers of Sharn are full of ivy and similar plants (and moss) growing out of control. I imagine some of the towers are condemned because a vine plant has broken through the walls and nearly fills the interior of the tower. This uber-vine is now thousands of feet tall and 40 feet around supported by the masonry of the tower.

Lots of fun places for druid to hang out in Sharn....

I like this idea, particularly for a druid who is largely constructed from metal and stone. I can just see this large, gentle statue-like druid hanging out in a crumbling tower surrounded by ivy and other vines. Sounds cool!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Urban Warforged Druid... eeeenteresteeng!

Assuming 1st level, I'd burn that feat and take Adamantine Body. The PC won't have to worry about arcane spell failure, and will have a better AC than most low level druids. Use a Scimitar and shield for the weapons, unless you want to use Shillalagh a lot. If so, use Club and Shield.

Animal companion- something that works in a city- rats, cats and dogs are obvious choices, but in Sharn's mile high towers, some kind of bird or bat would have obvious benefits. A rat would be my next choice. Each would get access to areas not normally available to other animal companions. A rat would be more appropriate for someone who is at home on the ground or the sewers. A bird is more appropriate for someone who lives high. Bats work in both environments, but are daylight challenged.

Spells- Shillalagh is solid. So are Summon Nature's Ally, Obscuring Mist or Faerie Fire. Entangle, one of the best low-level Druid spells, is going to be much weaker in Sharn.

Role-Play- Perhaps the druid runs/works in a pet-store, flower shop, grocery or other plant/gardening-related shop. She(?) is on a mission to bring life and greenery and fresh produce to the towers of Sharn, showing the city's inhabitants that nature is actually good. Or perhaps she is more vengeful, seeing Sharn as an affront to nature- Goal: bring down the towers.

 

[Wild Gazebo]

I have a goblin, urban duid, NPC from Sharn in an Eberron game I'm running. He's a really fun character and I'm hoping the PCs will get along with him long enough that I can develop him further.

I ruled that he was the founder of his order though. He broke away from the Gatekeepers after discovering an ancient Dhakaani ziggurat bured beneath Sharn. After having a religious experience he developed a communal empathy with the spirits of the city. Since, he has moved up to claim a large portion of the Cogs and the Lower Wards as his guarded land. He feels the city is alive and inhabited by several spirits that make up a larger spirit that is the essence of the city.

I stole a bunch of stuff from my friend's Dragon magazine #317--I think it was 3.0 era...I'm unsure...I only have the notes I took. Good luck!

 

[arscott]

There's an urban druid class in dungeon 317 that you might want to check out.

 

[Wild Gazebo]

Whoa...we're in sterio.

 

[Andor]

RE: Adamantine body. Or she could just play a commoner. You do realize that adamantine body denies all druid spells and abilites forever?

on topic: I think a Warforged Druid in Sharn is an awesome character/setting combination. A warforged druid is a work of man given life, and has found within herselfa link to the greater life of the world around her. Sharn is likewise a construct of man and both contains life and has a life of it's own. She probably sees the city as a metaphor for her own existance. Perhaps she studies how life adapts and flourishes in its new settings. (Some wild animals do very well in cities. If I recall correctly 70% of the perregrin falcons on the entire east coast live in NYC.)

BTW: I know there is no official ruling on this but, given that a warforged retains it's armour and construct properties in wildshape, do they turn into construct animals? 'cause that would look cool...

 

[fafhrd]

Neat idea. I keep thinking of Ghost Dog. Caretaker of pigeons or maybe spiretop dragons on the roof of some burned out tower.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Andor, thanks for the correction!

I own a copy of Eberron, but its just for show- my group will never want to play in it, so I'll probably never get to use it. :\

Looking over it again, if I were going to take an Eberron Feat for this Warforged Druid, I'd go with Ashbound, Child of Winter, Gatekeeper Initiate, Greensinger Initiate, Improved Damage Reduction, Improved Fortification or Urban Tracking, depending on character concept.

Ghost Dog is good...so might Jean Reno's character from The Professional, with his little plant...

Hmmm....looking at the PrCL Verdant Lord, now, with prereq feats of Plant Defiance and Plant Control...

A Warforged Druid, maintaining a greenhouse...eventually becoming a Verdant Lord...possibly with some kind of plant companion?

Iron Man meets Swamp Thing! Chia-Warforged!