In my campaign, running since September or so, I freely gave the druid proficiency with bows. I didn't even make him spend a feat. The players are now level 7, and I haven't once thought that it was a mistake - the druid is balanced just fine against the other characters. I honestly don't understand why anyone would cry that it's crazy unbalancing.
Druids with bows
- Thread starter Akhkharu
- Start date
Tetsubo
First Post
I'm considering allowing Druids to use any non-metallic weapon. Restricting them from using metal at all in fact. I'm looking at a more savage, primitive Druid. So a bow would be just fine. But they would be using arrows tipped with stone, thorns or bone. This seems to be a more consistant form of "flavor" than an arbitrary list of weapons.
BTW, gathering mistletoe would be done with a stone edged wooden scycle (sp?).
BTW, gathering mistletoe would be done with a stone edged wooden scycle (sp?).
alt. druid
On Agramainyu (sp?)'s page (http://members.rogers.com/wilson0246/DnD/index.html) he/she has a house rule for druids that we adopted. All druid's start w/simple weapon proficiency and no armor proficiency and their spells suffer spell failure from armor as if they were arcane spells--but they have no weapon/armor restrictions.
This works well for us since our campaign doesn't have a druid organization and hierarchy. "Druids" are just those people who have been selected/reached out to the world spirit. There's no druid cant either.
So scimitars aren't especially used by druid's much but xbows (and if they spend a feat) longbows are.
-vox
On Agramainyu (sp?)'s page (http://members.rogers.com/wilson0246/DnD/index.html) he/she has a house rule for druids that we adopted. All druid's start w/simple weapon proficiency and no armor proficiency and their spells suffer spell failure from armor as if they were arcane spells--but they have no weapon/armor restrictions.
This works well for us since our campaign doesn't have a druid organization and hierarchy. "Druids" are just those people who have been selected/reached out to the world spirit. There's no druid cant either.
So scimitars aren't especially used by druid's much but xbows (and if they spend a feat) longbows are.
-vox
Dark Dragon
Explorer
I'don't have a problem with a druid using a bow (perhaps shortbows only) because it's a primitive weapon used by most people living in wild nature. A trident would be also ok. In return, a "wild druid" shouldn't be able using a scimitar. My stone age jungle druid uses only a quarterstaff, club, dagger and a longspear and it works fine, although a bow for ranged attacks would be useful sometimes...
Flavor
Yes i've heard it said before that the druid restriction is just flavor.
Look at the FRCS. In forgotten realms, druids that worship meilikki (sp?) can use any ranger weapon (martial weapons).
In defending the right for them to be able to do that, it had to be stated that the restriction was just placed there for flavor.
But the restriction makes absolutely no sense. No other class in the game has a restriction on the weapons they can use.
A wizard can run around with a great axe, as long as he pays some form of cost to gain that ability (feat, multi, -4 to hit, etc).
The druid *can* use a scimitar, but can't use a bow? That's just wierd. A bow, made out of wood, cannot be used by a druid, however a masterwork metal scimitar can...
All i have been able to figure out, is that it must be the bow string. Now what do they put in those strings...?
---------------
In my campaign the druid's restriction on weapons has been removed. They don't gain any weapon's, but if they acquire proficiency in them somehow, then they can use them.
Yes i've heard it said before that the druid restriction is just flavor.
Look at the FRCS. In forgotten realms, druids that worship meilikki (sp?) can use any ranger weapon (martial weapons).
In defending the right for them to be able to do that, it had to be stated that the restriction was just placed there for flavor.
But the restriction makes absolutely no sense. No other class in the game has a restriction on the weapons they can use.
A wizard can run around with a great axe, as long as he pays some form of cost to gain that ability (feat, multi, -4 to hit, etc).
The druid *can* use a scimitar, but can't use a bow? That's just wierd. A bow, made out of wood, cannot be used by a druid, however a masterwork metal scimitar can...
All i have been able to figure out, is that it must be the bow string. Now what do they put in those strings...?
---------------
In my campaign the druid's restriction on weapons has been removed. They don't gain any weapon's, but if they acquire proficiency in them somehow, then they can use them.
Re: Flavor
Exactly. The big reason I got rid of the weapon restrictions is that they don't seem necessary. But the other one is, the weapons they do get make no sense. A scimitar? Do all druids start out as pirates? Or the fact they can use a scythe, a farming implement, but not a bow, a hunting implement.
Just one of those D&D-isms, I guess.
Cullain
DerekDyer said:
Exactly. The big reason I got rid of the weapon restrictions is that they don't seem necessary. But the other one is, the weapons they do get make no sense. A scimitar? Do all druids start out as pirates? Or the fact they can use a scythe, a farming implement, but not a bow, a hunting implement.
Just one of those D&D-isms, I guess.
Cullain
Staldin*Freefall
First Post
Scimitars can be used like machetes, which might mean diddly squat if Druids didn't get Woodland Stride at second level.
I'd just toss out that "lose abilities for a day" clause and let it go at that. So they could use a bow if they spent a feat, multi-classed, or (more likely) were an elf. I don't see it being particularily unbalancing. Sure, it makes them stronger, but I think they needed (them and those poor bards).
Bob Aberton
First Post
How about just no metal (or maybe just no iron) weapons? That would make sense. I also think Druids should be let use Greatclubs. However, the Sickle Knife was an actual Druidic trapping, so maybe no metal weapons except the sickle, and druids can use any non metal weapons. Sound good?
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