D&D General Druids and Path Dependency: Why the Scimitar Helps Illuminate D&D

[James Gasik]

I may be in a minority here, but I’m quite happy with the druid as is, mismatched anachronistic misinterpretation, sickle, scimitar, non-metal armour et al.

It fits my headcanon that druids are proto-wizards, a magical tradition dating back to the time of arcane/divine schism (in people head at any case), and that they hold on to their magical powers by tradition, with everything that tradition implies with taboos and obligations.

So more like the Druids of the Shannara series, like Allanon?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I am now totally going to write up a halfling druid/feylock who uses minor illusion to create pots of gold...

Only if you do a terrible "Irish" accent every session!

 

[aco175]

Wouldn't the kukri be more like the sickle than the scimitar? I guess 1e didn't have it and people wouldn't like a d4 when they can have a d6.

 

[Voadam]

Wouldn't the kukri be more like the sickle than the scimitar? I guess 1e didn't have it and people wouldn't like a d4 when they can have a d6.

View attachment 262395

In the 1e PH classification chart a Kukri, depending on blade length, could fall under short sword which "includes all pointed cutting & thrusting weapons with blade length between 15” and 24”."

 

[Mad_Jack]

Only if you do a terrible "Irish" accent every session!

Heh... Maybe I should play it like the other leprechaun - I'll go around slaughtering people while yelling, "Where's my gold?"

Which... is pretty much just your standard D&D character...

 

[MGibster]

Yeah... Nobody's ever going to bother to complain about the cultural appropriation aspect of it - we live in a world where a derogatory 18th century newspaper caricature of Celtic culture is still used as a sports mascot and to sell children's cereal, and non-Celtic people don't see anything wrong with getting rowdily trashed on green beer during what's supposed to be a religious holiday..

Those images belong just as much to the descendants of the Celts who moved to the United States as it does to the ones who stayed in Europe. They immigrated here and their distinctive flavor melted and became a part of this great queso we call American culture.

 

[RuinousPowers]

First off, props for mentioning Forrestals. If someone wanted a great fictional example of a druid in fiction, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever is a great resource. Not just the Forrestals, but the Rhadhamaerl and Hirebrands, and indeed, the very way the people treat the Land.

I always equated monks with the Bloodguard from Thomas Covenant, so I never really got the hate they often get for not being "appropriate".

 

[MGibster]

I always equated monks with the Bloodguard from Thomas Covenant, so I never really got the hate they often get for not being "appropriate".

I always equated them with Caine from Kung-Fu.

 

[Laurefindel]

So more like the Druids of the Shannara series, like Allanon?

Mmmmmyeeeeaaah... It’s been a looooong time since I read those, but I vaguely remember Allanon now that you mention him. Wouldn’t be able to answer that question however.

 

[Remathilis]

Yeah... Nobody's ever going to bother to complain about the cultural appropriation aspect of it - we live in a world where a derogatory 18th century newspaper caricature of Celtic culture is still used as a sports mascot and to sell children's cereal, and non-Celtic people don't see anything wrong with getting rowdily trashed on green beer during what's supposed to be a religious holiday...
(Hell, I'm only being semi-serious writing this, lol.)

If D&D were being designed for the first time today, it probably would have some generic name and would represent all manner of different archetypes: shamans, witches, druids, animalists, summoners, etc. It's rough because while the idea of a nature-communing magician is universal, the druid often gets kicked for being too "western". File the name off, make some minor edits and the class fits fine outside of Faux-European settings.