el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
I just picked up the trade paperback collections of Alan Moore's incredible run on DC comic's Swamp Thing (is there a better comic writer?) and going along with my oft-expressed opinion that everything you wanted to know about running a good campaign you can learn from comic books - I realized that the Swamp Thing's point of view (and sometimes the POV of the villians or anti-heroes he runs into) are readily adaptible for a druid character.
I understand that people find druids are often difficult to play, that it is hard to get a hold on their mindset and attitude, especially grasping neutrality in regards to their behavior - but look at Swamp Thing.
As a elemental manifestation of plant-life, he still has a human-like consciosuness. . . He watches over plant life (just add animals for druids), and while he is more reactive than proactive - he still does take action, work towards peaceful co-existance with humans, but still has a volitile side that can be moved to action - and has friends and loved ones that he fights for.
And yet, I doubt Swamp Thing cares if Penguin robs a bank or if an election is rigged or a million other petty evils of the civilized world. . .
On the other end, take a villian like the Fluronic Man (Posion Ivy might work too) - Here is an example of what an evil druid might be like - someone who believes the active promotion of plant (again, add animal for druids) life over human life and civilzation - He uses his power to have the swamp slowly encroach over towns - vines strangling people, plants hyper-oxygenating the air in order make people giddy and nervous and fires easier to catch.
I guess, I just wanted to give yet another example of how comic books can be very useful in providing guidelines and archetypes to build characters on in your campaigns - esp. considering that comic books (like D&D) are a realm of constant struggle and frequent "events" that require characters to act in extreme ways.
I understand that people find druids are often difficult to play, that it is hard to get a hold on their mindset and attitude, especially grasping neutrality in regards to their behavior - but look at Swamp Thing.
As a elemental manifestation of plant-life, he still has a human-like consciosuness. . . He watches over plant life (just add animals for druids), and while he is more reactive than proactive - he still does take action, work towards peaceful co-existance with humans, but still has a volitile side that can be moved to action - and has friends and loved ones that he fights for.
And yet, I doubt Swamp Thing cares if Penguin robs a bank or if an election is rigged or a million other petty evils of the civilized world. . .
On the other end, take a villian like the Fluronic Man (Posion Ivy might work too) - Here is an example of what an evil druid might be like - someone who believes the active promotion of plant (again, add animal for druids) life over human life and civilzation - He uses his power to have the swamp slowly encroach over towns - vines strangling people, plants hyper-oxygenating the air in order make people giddy and nervous and fires easier to catch.
I guess, I just wanted to give yet another example of how comic books can be very useful in providing guidelines and archetypes to build characters on in your campaigns - esp. considering that comic books (like D&D) are a realm of constant struggle and frequent "events" that require characters to act in extreme ways.
