Children of the Wild Shape

[Chimera]

So...is it still "Beastiality" if a Wild Shape Druid has sex with an awakened animal?

And their children. Awakened or not? Entirely animal (since the Druid was in Wild Shape), or part Human (or whatever race the Druid is)? Or is a Druid in Wild Shape even capable of inseminating a normal animal? Or bearing the animal young herself if the other way around?

I guess I've never seen this discussed in D&D. But I got to thinking about it in designing the head (local) Druid for my next campaign. I gave him an Awakened Female White Tiger as his animal companion. The got to thinking about a PC encounter where they come across two white tigers mating. Only one of them is actually the Druid.

 

[Squire James]

I guess it depends on whether you consider sex to be an extraordinary ability or a supernatural ability!

Here are a few ideas:

1. The child is a natural lycanthrope that can change between the two races (and is born in hybrid form). This is probably how lycanthropes evolved in the first place!

2. Such matings are infertile, and generally considered unnatural by other druids. Druids don't actually BECOME animals, they just assume the form of one for a while.

3. The child is of the mother's species at the time of birth. If the child is an animal, it is not Awakened, though the druid can change that quickly if desired (though the effects would come into play gradually as the animal matures). If the child is a human (or whatever the druid was), it might exhibit some behaviors typical to the parent animal (but nothing that actually changes stats).

Things REALLY get strange if BOTH parents are shapechanged druids, but Options 2 and 3 still work (and the disdain of other druids would probably be less, more odd than unnatural).

 

[Chimera]

Oh come now. 100 views and a Master of the Wild book that's almost totally dedicated to Druids, and I only get one flipping response?

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Oh come now. 100 views and a Master of the Wild book that's almost totally dedicated to Druids, and I only get one flipping response?

OK, let's double the response rate....

The bestiality question - who cares. Besides the local puritans, I mean. To them, yes, it would be. To most people, it probably would be. But, alone, deep in the woods with a bear (or whatever), who will know? Hopefully, any druid worth his/her salt will easily lose anyone who tries to trail them into the wild.

As for the issue of, well, issue. It's basically a DM call. How deeply does the Wild Shape ability change you? And, possibly (depending on how you answer that), how does changing back affect any unborn issue?

If the answer is that a druid so changed is reproductively viable as the new species then so be it--new animals will arrive in a few months. If not, don't worry about increasing the population burden on the planet (or plane or whatever).

But what happens to a female druid in this situation who changes back to her normal form? Does the unborn "animal child" change to unborn human child? Or is it an unborn animal child born to a human mother? Personally, I like Squire James' answer #1 - child is a natural lycanthrope. Nature is a powerful force and can allow any such pregnancy to progress.

I would definitely lean toward making Wild Shape druids fertile. If a PC is gonna have hot jungle love--literally--well, there's gonna be consequences!

Of course, I don't imagine this would happen in most games I play in. Much less the one I DM in, since my kids play in that game.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

May I suggest asking some more qualified (s)experts (please don`t excuse this pun)?
http://www.netbook-of-uck.net/
The "responsible" have also a thread in the house rules forum.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Tsyr]

Bleh, sorry it took me so long to respond.

IMC, I use the Hengenyoki from OA for this (Yes, I have thought of this, got some strange players). Favored class: Druid OR Ranger OR Barbarian (Depending on the type of Hengenyoki)

 

[gamecat]

Beastiality? What the hell is wrong with you?!? Druids venerate nature, not VIOLATE it!

just my 20 cents.

 

[psionotic]

Beastiality? What the hell is wrong with you?!? Druids venerate nature, not VIOLATE it!

just my 20 cents.

Agreed, but I think he is talking about awakened, and presumably willing animals.

 

[gamecat]

Agreed, but I think he is talking about awakened, and presumably willing animals.

*shudders* what kind of D&D are you playing? I am disturbed.