Druids and Undead

[MerricB]

My current Greyhawk campaign is set around the city of Greyhawk, but the PCs are currently exploring the cairn of a high-ranking druid nearby. It has undead in it, which is making them wonder if I know what I'm doing... undead and druids don't quite go together.

Well, of course they don't! Yes, it'll make sense when they finally reach the bottom of the tomb. At least, I hope it will.

I just wonder what tales of the undead come from the old Celtic lore? Certainly, the banshee (Bean Sidhe), but are there any others?

Cheers!

 

[Rechan]

Maybe I'm just broken, but I don't think that undead must always be the antithesis of druidism.

In a fantasy world, where undeath is a possibility, who says it can't be out of the natural order? It's not in our world, but I'd like to see a way to integrate it into a fantasy world's natural order where it's not a complete antithesis.

 

[Lancelot]

I'm thinking the cauldron-born would be ideal...

Cauldron-Born - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They were popularized in the Chronicles of Prydain, but various Celtic legends of the "Cauldron of Plenty" restoring health and life to the badly injured are all over the place (e.g. the 2000AD comic series "Slaine").

 

[Starbuck_II]

Ebberon allows it:

They even have a feat to Diplomacy undead (including mindless) pg 61 of campaign book.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I think it depends on how the undead are brought to undeadness. If it is something magical like Divine or Arcane magic the Druids wouldn't support it and see it as going against the natural order of things.

If it was say... A virus, parasite, etc. That was naturally occurring then they may be more excepting of it. Or if it is a Primal Spirit/General Spirit that takes over the body that would be expecting too since they view the Spirit World as natural as well.

Though, you could also do corrupt style Druids where they are trying to control and manipulate nature and part of that is finding out how to circumnavigate such natural processes. I imagine they would still use "natural" means but it be twisted. They be like the bio-engineers/bio-weapon experts of the day. Make them the Umbrella Corporation of fantasy.

 

[Treebore]

I've always considered undead to be an abomination to Druids. Back in my 1E/2E days I allowed Druids to destroy undead. IE they couldn't do anything to undead until they had the levels to get a "destroyed" result. That way clerics still dominated this portion of the game, because they could turn undead immediately, but eventually Druids became destroyers of the "undead abominations".


Hmmm, I think its time for me to re-institute an old rule of mine...

 

[Thanael]

Three words: Lizardman druid mummy.

 

[MerricB]

Three words: Lizardman druid mummy.

Yeah, well...

This is my Greyhawk campaign, which the last major part thereof was of a druidical setting (County of Ulek) using 3.5e rules. Undead are not part of the natural order, and the druids had a lot of trouble with them - thankfully, druids will be able to affect them in 4e (more correctly, restore those who are affected by nasty effects).

The cauldron-born are a good suggestion, although I tend to take the original myth of a cauldron of true resurrection...

Cheers!

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Are the undead there protecting the druids last resting place for good, ill, or are they 'dancing on his grave' {so to speak}?

I can see lots of reasons for having undead festering about a Druid's Cairn.


The Celtic mythos, as I recall, really blends the line between death being 'evil' or not.. depending. The Lord of the Hunt, "Cernunnos", is both the diety of animals and life as well as the underworld and death. Feared, revered, loved, dreaded...all in one.

...

 

[MerricB]

Are the undead there protecting the druids last resting place for good, ill, or are they 'dancing on his grave' {so to speak}?

The undead are definitely intruders.

The Celtic mythos, as I recall, really blends the line between death being 'evil' or not.. depending. The Lord of the Hunt, "Cernunnos", is both the diety of animals and life as well as the underworld and death. Feared, revered, loved, dreaded...all in one.

I certainly can see druids not fearing death; however, there's a big difference between death and undeath! Especially, if you're using the druidical beliefs of reincarnation, and undeath stops the soul moving on...

Cheers!