Druids & Druidism

[Ghostwind]

Long overshadowed by their clerical brethren, Druids and Druidism levels the
playing field with their divine colleagues by providing eight new prestige
classes, more than twenty new feats and twenty-five new spells for druids of all
levels. In addition to these features, the supplement thoroughly discusses and
details the druid's relationship with nature.

Contained with its pages are rules for manufacturing herbal remedies and toxins
from plants, harvesting venom from poisonous animals, fashioning tools, armor,
shields and weapons from natural materials and acquiring the devotion of an
animal companion. This 70-page supplement also focuses on the druid's
relationship with others of his kind, detailing the costs and ceremonies needed
to found, create and maintain a druidic circle. Druids and Druidism breathes
fresh, new life into an often neglected character class.

Druids & Druidism was written by Thomas Knauss (author of Ink & Quill, a free
download at www.bastionpress.com); Edited by Jamie McGraw; Interior Art and
Cover by Kevin Yancey. Two versions are included (one with borders and one
without) for easy printing. 70 pages; full-color.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I've never liked druids. To me, they are like the monk in that they have some cool role playing potential but don't really fit into the standard knight-European theme. They're much older with a different vibe to them. They usually have difficulties in combat due to their inability to swap spells out for healing and poor armor class. Sure, they get a ton of special abilities and have some great role playing potential and are great as NPCs used to steer civilization in the right directions and as a DM, I enjoy using them in such a fashion (The Silver Summoning from Fiery Dragon anyone?), but as a player…That's why I was glad to look over Druids & Druidism. See what the fiends over at Bastion Press had done with the druids.

Well, the good news is, if you enjoy druids, you'll enjoy them more. If you're like me though, you'll find that although that are a ton of prestige classes, spells, magic items and other good, solid pieces of information to help role play the druid, the class is unchanged. There is no variant druid. There are no militant druids or advice on playing multi-classed druids. It's a druid's option book that does what it sets out to do.

In terms of prestige classes, we get the following: Glacier Walker, Guardian of the Oasis, Highlander, Packleader, Scourge of the Dead, Lord of the Flies, Packleader, Pridemaster,Scourge of the Dead, and Waverider. Each one is a ten level PrC that continues to advance in spellcasting ability. Many of them are druids that guard over a specific area and have abilities that help them survive their location. For example, the glacier walker gains some cold resistance, the highlander better movement in the mountains. Some of the concepts here are very different than others I've seen like the Lord of the Flies, a druid who believes that insects are much more useful than men acknowledge. The Scourge of the Dead on the other hand, isn't quite so original as it is another way to deal with the undead.

The feats help round out the druid. Most of the feats seem to fit the standard profile. Apothecary provides a +2 on Heal and Profession (herbalist) checks while Bloodhood provides a bonus to tracking and movement while tracking. Calls of the Wild might be out of place though. You and whoever else has the feat can communicate with brief animal noises. Good idea but would probably be better off with some type of combat language. One interesting feat though is Staff Mastery where it gives the user virtual Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting when using a staff. Now that can help the druid out quite a bit but seems to have a strange requirement being able to cast wood shape and weapon focus (quarterstaff). It's like they want to help only the druid, but then penalize him with the weapon focus requirement.

Perhaps the most interesting, but at the same time, layer adding material, is Nature's Handiworks. If you don't like all of your materials doing the exact same thing, then you'll love this chapter. Alder has benefits against water while mahogany weighs less. Good stuff overall but it's another layer of detail that the GM is going to have to keep track of. “So what's this masterwork staff made of? Tamarind? Ironwood? What?”. The extra armor types also comes in handy for those tired of standard armors. The only bad thing though, is that instead of providing the GM with ideas on what different things armor can be made from, it provides a list. Wouldn't it be more helpful to have a list of rules that could allow you to determine the armor from any creature instead of a list that covers Giants and Mind Flayers, but not Dire Creatures?

Those looking to add to their herbal abilities get a lot of material in Nature's Bounties. Homeopaths, the manufacture and application, the time to make and the cost to make them, as well as how to get the ingredients, are all covered. Those interested in poisons now have venom they can milk from poisonous beasts, as well as the creation of alkaloids, plant poisons.

When the spells come in, they're listed by class, level and alphabetical. I've always found this type of listing easier to read though as it provides a quick idea of where the spells have gone. Unfortunately, most of the spells here are mid to low level. We get two 6th, two 7th, one 8th, and one 9th, but but 1st, four 2nd, four 3rd, and three of 4th and 5th. The druid's spell list does need rounding off, but it needs it at all levels. The ranger, when appropriate, also gets spells added to his list, which is a nice touch since this book is a druid focused book.

Most of the spells are going to fit into the campaign without issue. Take Rhino Hide, a 3rd level spell that augments the armor class of hide and leather or Wither, a spell that damages plans. All druids will eagerly be seeking the 9th level spell though, Fission, which deals 25d6 points of damage as the molecular bonds of the target are attacked.

The level of crunch isn't quite over yet. We've covered the player bases of spells, prestige classes and feats, but the book also has magic items with a druid flavor and by druid, I mean naturalistic abilities. How about a Chameleon Skin that provides a bonus to Hide checks or a Verdant Avenger, a scimitar that acts as keen in a druid's hand and can suck health from a tree and give it to the druid? With a wink and a smile, the book pays homage to an old tale with a Sling of Giant Slaying, as well as other items like rings crafted from non-metal, using bone and wood for example.

For those more interesting in the role playing aspects, you still get some mechanics. For example, the Druid Circle is a standard of the druid concept. How exactly do you make such a circle? Rules are provided that cover a wide range of areas and materials from aquatic coral circles to stone circles in the mountains. Such circles must be consecrated though and this requires blessings to be provided through a seven day ritual and a sacrifice made to the circle, closed off with a hallowing by a single druid.

The role playing material helps a GM and player determine what the leadership of the circle is made of, as well as how best to handle matters of succession, including voting and contests. This is a situation where Mystic Eye Game's new Tournaments book might have some alternatives. Imagine a group of mountain men who decide that only through the rigors of vigorous drinking can a leader be determined? Good stuff. The book also look at joining a circle with some initiation rites that aren't quite as bad as those in modern times (can you say hazing? I knew you could.)

For those who feel that the druid isn't best as a sole worker, there are rules for getting an animal companion. The rules are detailed and cover almost all the bases from getting the companion to voluntarily ending the bond and are suitable for most d20 fantasy campaigns.

The book is laid out in standard two column format. Editing mistakes are at a minimum, outside the table of contents which is missing some entries in the Prestige Class listing. The book comes in two flavors, an on-screen version with colorful borders, and a border free version for easier printing. Art is full color in both products, is minimal in use, and is good, fitting to the subject matter when used.

The book doesn't change the druid. The druid is still the same class with more options. This is great if you already like the druid but if you want to move beyond the standard nature druid, this product can't help you. It'll customize the druid for different environments, outfit him with new magic items and spells. In the end, the book does what it sets out to do.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

By Glenn Dean, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack

Sizing up the Target
Druids & Druidism is a 70-page PDF supplement written by Thomas Knauss published by Bastion Press. It is available as a $7.99 download.

First Blood
Druids & Druidism is a d20 supplement designed to provide druid players and wilderness-based campaigns with some additional options, especially powers and abilities that will harness the powers of the natural world and confront forces pillaging nature. In the words of the author, this is a guide to “how not to be a passive, anti-social vegetarian!”

The supplement begins by introducing eight prestige classes designed for druids – though most requirements are general enough that these prestige classes could be applied to barbarians, rangers, or appropriately multi-classed characters. The prestige classes fall generally into two categories: those focused on a particular habitat, and those focused on particular animals. The Highlander is a mountain druid, for example, while the Guardian of the Oasis is adapted to life in the desert. The Lord of the Flies has an affinity to insects, while the Packleader adapts himself to a wolf pack. Each of the prestige classes maintains full spellcasting ability (+1 spellcaster level), and while my experience is normally that that particular feature tends to overpower prestige classes, overall these classes are very well designed. The entry requirements are appropriate, the special abilities gained are tied the particular background, and powerful abilities are balanced out nicely – these classes are good examples of how to design a prestige class to fill a particular role, and still have it make sense within the context of both the campaign and the game rules.

Twenty-three wilderness feats make up the next section of the supplement, and these run the gamut of tracking skills (Bloodhound), wilderness affinity (Gardner, Attuned), focus against particular opponents (Child of the Wilderness, vs. fey), combat (Lie in Wait, an ambush feat), and non-combat (Coax venom, Homeopath). These feats provide a nicely varied range that any wilderness-based character can find something to provide a little more individuality, and enhance spellcasting, combat, roleplaying, or skill use.

A chapter entitled “Nature’s Handiwork” discusses working with natural materials to produce useable items for the campaign. There are both beneficial and baneful applications: homeopathic remedies and a selection of herbs for long term healing, which provides a nice touch for a wilderness based campaign, contrasted to a treatment of a number of poisons, including a discussion of the availability and methods of obtaining various snake venoms. The most useful section of this chapter in my mind is the treatment of leather and hide armors; there are methods for making unique armors from various monster hides including such widely varied sources as ankhegs, remorhaz, giants, and mind flayers. No longer are dragon scale and cowhide the druid’s only options for armor!

The chapter on magic provides 27 druid and ranger spells to expand the wilderness repertoire, most of these are based upon animal skills or attributes, or ties to various weather phenomenon. Spells include useful applications like Bat Senses; an armor enhancement – Rhino Hide; Imbue Animal Companion, to provide some magical ability to the druid’s animal companion; and the frightening Fission – a 9th-level “druid nuke” that literally explodes a single target. These spells provide some more “woodsy” options than much of the traditional spell list. Magic items are addressed as well, and include a number of new abilities and specific magic items for hide and leather armors, druid weapons, wood and bone rings, magical staves – nice to have more druid-focused items in this category – and some wondrous items. Some of the magical items, like the Crown of Thorns, make for some great roleplaying flavor by combining both beneficial powers and drawbacks in the same item.

The final three chapters of the supplement provide a number of ideas and discussions that provide not only some basic game mechanics, but also useful ideas for roleplaying druids in the campaign. There is a discussion of creating druid circles – both the physical circle, and the organization of druids that accompanies it. The discussion of joining the circle, contests, ceremonies, and ascension provide both a way to introduce prestige classes to the campaign, but also opportunities for playing a bit of wilderness politics, which is a treatment of the druid that harks back to early editions of the game. Some time is spent in discussion of choosing an appropriate animal companion to the druid’s favored habitat, and how the lifestyle of the druid and animal must be adapted to their new relationship. There are mechanics for locating rarer animal companions by availability and type of terrain, so the druid’s animal companion can be the result of a useful adventuring quest rather than just an “off-screen” occurrence if you wish. Finally, there is a discussion of reconciling former druids – both the “Abandoned” who have left the faith, and the “Black Thumb”: the evil anti-druid.

The supplement contains two files: a black & white printer-friendly version, and a full-color version. Some of the artwork in the color version is quite nice – the gnolls on page 19 being my particular favorite.

Critical Hits
Druids & Druidism provides a number of great options for customizing wilderness based characters, particularly if you’re running a campaign in a location that doesn’t fit the agrarian assumptions of the core game. Whether your game is set on arctic tundra, on the ocean, or in the desert, there are useful applications here. The terrain and habitat approach to the druid is quite useful, and the work as a whole is well rounded, touching a little bit on every aspect of druids, druidism, and the wilderness in general.

Bastion Press has done a great job with some of the game design in this effort. Many of the mechanics are a great blend of good flavor and appropriate mechanics to accomplish it – the prestige classes in particular being quite appropriate and nicely balanced for the roles they fit.

Critical Misses
While Druids & Druidism is a very solid work, well designed and nicely put together, it is one of a number of wilderness or druid-focused products on the market. It has a little bit of subject matter overlap with Bastions Press’ herbalism supplement (Alchemy & Herbalism), for example. No single element of it really stands out to me as a “must have”; we’re not talking revolutionary developments here, merely fleshing out some options. As a well-rounded treatment it’s a good purchase; if you’re looking for something dramatically original, this won’t seem much different than similar works on the market.

Coup de Grace
Druids & Druidism is a nicely formatted, all encompassing look at druids and wilderness subjects that is 100% open content. Nicely balanced mechanics comply well with the core d20 mechanics; both players and GMs will likely find something useful in this product if the campaign has more than a casual wilderness bent. Its only real fault is perhaps not standing out enough from a host of other d20 products – certainly a minor criticism.

To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.