challenge for a druid

[Gilladian]

I'm setting up a set of challenges for each of the players in my party to work through on their own. I've managed the others without a problem, but I can't think of a way to challenge the druid. He's 8th level, and is the most undruidical druid you ever saw.

For example, last week they ran into a dryad and her pet dire badger, who was down in his den/hole. One PC climbed down there, not knowing what was living inside. The druid, on seeing the dire badger, promptly cast flaming sphere and tried to kill it. When this happened, he was standing with his back to the tree. The dryad stepped partway out of her tree, put her dagger against his throat and told him to stop. He almost didn't.

I want to challenge him with something that will probably risk his life, force him to respond AS A DRUID, but doesn't need to devolve into combat. Any ideas? He'll be in a pocket dimension, so any environment would work.

Edit; I forgot to say that he's a halfling.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

Wow. That is pretty un-druidical (is that a word?), at least IMO. My druid tries pretty hard to not harm any forest dweller unless it comes down to that or her dying.

Perhaps have this druid be confronted with another , high leve druid who has "heard" of his ways and is not very pleased about it. There could be a confrontation and your druid will have to decide whether or not to change his ways and act like a druid, or be cast out of druid society.

Don't know if that would work in your game. Another possiblity might be have him somehow wind up alone in the forest with no chance of seeing civilization for days and he'd have to act like a druid to survive. But then he might just go back to killing things....

 

[Altalazar]

How about a crisis - a small village in the woods full of people is dying - it turns out that the only way to save them is to completely destroy one whole species of tree in the forest - the species that is making them sick with its pollen - they all refuse to leave the forest - it is their home, after all.

So now the Druid needs to come up with some sort of solution...

 

[MarauderX]

Have them run into a group of bandits/brigands/etc. that use animals for mounts. When they see him, the druid will realize how poorly treated the mounts are, but they can't attack the bandits outright for some reason... say they kidnapped the kid of someone important and won't return her until the party slays some neutral critter. Requires actual roleplaying to tell the rest of the party what is going on with the mounts plus he might turn the mounts against them - always a favorite for players, if he can roleplay it right with the mounts.

 

[Chupacabra]

How about this scenario:

Your druid is tasked with protecting the life of a simple critter (deer, fox, etc.) that is the target of a Royal Hunt. He must shadow the creature for lets say 8 hours and ensure that no harm comes to it, but he cannot openly attack the huntsmen. As for a direct threat to the PC, the hunters are not the only thing in the forest that are out for blood. Perhaps a dire animal or two can show up to combat the druid as he runs through the hunting grounds.