druids...and bows...and x-bows

[jemkym]

I say yes to both. But then, I play a ranger a lot of the time... And we love our bows.

 

[Ravellion]

Both should be able to be used. Who takes their spells and powers away from them after using, say, a heavy mace anyway? The god of Nature himself?:

"Behold druid, that thy brethren who are clerics of mine use heavy maces, but if you do, I must take away thy powers."

 

[John Smallberries]

I removed the dopey weapon restrictions and just let Druids have Simple Weapon proficiency.

(But then, I did away with most of the 'Flavor' restrictions which did nothing for balance)

 

[Gez]

They should be able to use either. Diana/Artemis are typical example of who a D&D druid in classical mythology, and do you imagine these goddesses without a bow ?

In a more D&D-ish mythology, what deity has a magical quiver associated to her ? Elhonna, another example of druid&ranger deity.

They should at least be allowed to use bows. I could see why some druids wouldn't want to touch crossbows, but that's a cultural thing. Crossbows are also "bows for dummies" (easier to use). So, I voted they could use both.

 

[Umbran]

Both should be able to be used. Who takes their spells and powers away from them after using, say, a heavy mace anyway? The god of Nature himself?:

"Behold druid, that thy brethren who are clerics of mine use heavy maces, but if you do, I must take away thy powers."

There are various orders in real world religions that take different vows, and are held to different rules while still following the same deity. So, there's nothing odd about holding druids to one set of rules, and clerics to another. After all, if druids were held to exactly the same rules as clerics, they'd be clerics, not druids.

 

[Ravellion]

There are various orders in real world religions that take different vows, and are held to different rules while still following the same deity. So, there's nothing odd about holding druids to one set of rules, and clerics to another. After all, if druids were held to exactly the same rules as clerics, they'd be clerics, not druids.

Yes, but the deity himself has to take the powers away now doesn't he? It is perfectly fine to say: Oath. It is not fine to say Oath or consequences in game mechanics as well as in world consistency.

The druid may very well have such an oath, but if the druid is unarmed (sundered or something), all wildshapes used, with an onrushing minotaur coming his way, and the vanquished cleric of his same faith lies unconscious but stable at his feet, with a +2 mace enchanted by the clergy of his deity right before him, he should be able to use the bloody mace, then heal his fellow cleric after vanquishing the minotaur. He can repent later.

Rav

 

[kengar]

IMC, we changed the druid to allow longbow & shortbow proficiency (no crossbows); but said they had to use stone-tipped arrows (flint) these do -1 damage (House Rule). Also, we got rid of the scimitar. What self-respecting druid would use a scimitar when they could cast Shillelagh on their club or staff?

Anyway, we felt this balanced it nicely and made more sense in general. Hunting (for food) is part of the natural cycle and druid's would have no objections to it.


BTW, a horn bow (in case someone hadn't already answered this above) is made from things like antler & bone. Essentially, that's what a composite bow is, iirc.

 

[Gez]

IMC, we changed the druid to allow longbow & shortbow proficiency (no crossbows); but said they had to use stone-tipped arrows (flint) these do -1 damage (House Rule).

Do you know why stone-tipped arrows were abandonned ?

Because they're a pain in the arse to create. No because they were crude or unefficient.

Stone arrowheads have to be cut one by one, whereas metal heads are created in a mold.

Stone-tipped arrows would, if anything, deal more damage -- reconstitutions made by archeologists (you know, the weirdoes that try to rediscover how prehistoric-era men lived by simulating it) have shown stone heads were, indeed, far more efficient.

They have made their own "bows" (or rather, atlatl, or propulors), using only what crafts and materials were available to cromags. They made arrows the same way, and cutted arrowheads in flint. It is a boring, painstaking activity, even with training. Then, they hung deer carcasses, and shot at these.

They also shot with the same weapons arrows made following bronze-age technology (metal-tipped).

The stone arrows penetrated flesh better, the arrows were stung deepier, and sometimes even traversed the carcass wholly -- metal-tipped arrows never.

Stone-tipped arrows should deal more damage, but on the other hand be much more expansive -- hard to find because bothersome and time-consuming to create. The druid may have to make his own ammos, since no self-respecting fletcher would have stone arrows handy.

 

[kengar]

Stone-tipped arrows should deal more damage, but on the other hand be much more expansive -- hard to find because bothersome and time-consuming to create. The druid may have to make his own ammos, since no self-respecting fletcher would have stone arrows handy.

That may be, but it was a game-balancing mechanic that we found worked well in our group. The druid's player was happy to have access to bows and actually took ranks in Craft: Fletcher to make his own flint & obsidian arrows. He loved the idea enough to change his spears to flint knapped just to fit the "image" (I didn't reduce the damage on those though).

 

[isoChron]

I have always seen the druidic weapon list as something that more primitive cultures used. So why a scimitar ???? It breaks the list and I think it must be for balance reason... at least one good weapon for a druid must be. Hmmm. Bows were used since ... oh I don't know. Neolithicum ?!? Ancient egypt has seen bows. They are easy to make with simple methods and use only natural materials like wood, stone, bone, sinew and the like. Later there was a little improvement in power and arrow tips made of metal. But the principles stayed the same.
Crossbows were very technological and primary invented for armor penetrating and use in hands of simple soldiers instead of trained archers. That is not a weapon a hunting tribe would have invented.
So I voted for BOWS: YES CROSSBOWS: NO

BYE