Guardians of the Green and other eco-nuts.

[Andor]

A large portion of Complete Champion is devoted to the Guardians of the Green. When I say large I mean they get 3 of the 11 PrCs in addition to the usual space devoted to each affiliation. Organizations dedicated to protecting the wilderness are pretty common in D&D settings these days, in addition to the Druids-as-ecoterrorists meme which seems widespread too.

My question is why? To be sure mankinds deletorious influence on our ecosystem looms large in our world and in our minds, and just as surely RPGs are an appropriate format for exploring these themes.

However, in D&D mankind in not a giant astride the world casually destroying whole forests through mere inattention. Men are weaklings who stand a good chance of losing a fight with an angry squirrel. The forests are full of things which are faster, stronger, tougher, smarter, and more vicious than man. A standard midlevel forest encounter can easily destroy a small village. Any logger who dares to venture into the woods risks being killed by half the monster manual(s). Hell, some of the trees can kill you. Hell wasps, grey renders, dire badgers, cranky moose, half-dragon lions and ankehgs. Mankind in D&D should mustly be huddled behind nice safe walls, and only venture out in large parties.

So why are all these protectors of the wilderness needed, and who are they protecting it from?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Great post!

 

[Vorput]

A large portion of Complete Champion is devoted to the Guardians of the Green. When I say large I mean they get 3 of the 11 PrCs in addition to the usual space devoted to each affiliation. Organizations dedicated to protecting the wilderness are pretty common in D&D settings these days, in addition to the Druids-as-ecoterrorists meme which seems widespread too.

My question is why? To be sure mankinds deletorious influence on our ecosystem looms large in our world and in our minds, and just as surely RPGs are an appropriate format for exploring these themes.

However, in D&D mankind in not a giant astride the world casually destroying whole forests through mere inattention. Men are weaklings who stand a good chance of losing a fight with an angry squirrel. The forests are full of things which are faster, stronger, tougher, smarter, and more vicious than man. A standard midlevel forest encounter can easily destroy a small village. Any logger who dares to venture into the woods risks being killed by half the monster manual(s). Hell, some of the trees can kill you. Hell wasps, grey renders, dire badgers, cranky moose, half-dragon lions and ankehgs. Mankind in D&D should mustly be huddled behind nice safe walls, and only venture out in large parties.

So why are all these protectors of the wilderness needed, and who are they protecting it from?

Well said!

I don't know if these PrCs are actually being used to make a political statement (not neccesarily even sub-consciously), but I won't rule it out as a possibility. I think more likely however is people are simply running out of ideas... Anyway, great post... I'm curious to hear other people's reactions...

 

[Shemeska]

Because a crazy member of the ALF/ELF with Creeping Doom threatening a town bordering a forest is a more frightening villain than a mundane, real life one burning down a ski-lodge with a petrol bomb.

Just like it's easy to incorporate the aura of Stalinism or Nazism into the Church of Bane or the Eldreth Veluthra, it's easy to incorporate the modern eco-terrorist into an evil druidic group.

 

[frankthedm]

I don't know if these PrCs are actually being used to make a political statement (not neccesarily even sub-consciously), but I won't rule it out as a possibility.

White wolf has been shoving their green agenda down the gaming world's throat since the 90's. Wotc does not usually seem that overt, unless you count the power up druids got in 3.5. Even the D20 Modern Menace Manual's Earthfist organization did not get that glorified.

Just like it's easy to incorporate the aura of Stalinism or Nazism into the Church of Bane or the Eldreth Veluthra, it's easy to incorporate the modern eco-terrorist into an evil druidic group.

But when that group's members are described as "rarely evil" in a game of absolute morality, it starts sounding like an author's personal leanings have tainted the work.

 

[VirgilCaine]

So why are all these protectors of the wilderness needed, and who are they protecting it from?

Excellent post.

 

[frankthedm]

So why are all these protectors of the wilderness needed, and who are they protecting it from?

Evil high level power-gamed PCs that have more in common with Freak Legion Fomori than most fantasy characters?

Far realm monstrosities with at least 20 HD looking to make themselves at home?

High level Evokers who don't care about collateral damage?

 

[Imp]

Yeah, given the balance of power in older-era settings, it usually makes more sense to have druids and the like currying the vast power of the wilderness for boons, rather than striving to protect it against overwhelming industrial forces that... aren't there.

I'd probably have Guardians-of-the-Green type groups guarding particular mystically-endowed locations (or animals) within the game rather than just fuzzy wuzzy nature in itself. A stag that will sire a great nature spirit according to prophecies (that will then be indebted to the druids, that being the hope anyway) – that kind of thing.

(Actually – well, I haven't read Complete Champion, but I'd be more inclined to have a few awakened animals out there with druid levels and the guardian prestige classes. Those who get the best help are those who help themselves...)

 

[Andor]

Evil high level power-gamed PCs that have more in common with Freak Legion Fomori than most fantasy characters?

Far realm monstrosities with at least 20 HD looking to make themselves at home?

High level Evokers who don't care about collateral damage?

None of whom are the Joe the commoner farmer who fears the druids/priest of Obad-hai/Guardians of the green/Hayduke/whatever. Honestly the Guardians of the Wilderness-chock-full-of-horrible-beasties-perfectly-capable-of-taking-care-of-themselves should be going after Kobolds and Kruthiks before they sweat Joe.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I can't speak for the Guardians of the Green--not one of my sections of the book--but I do think you can have a "green" faction in D&D. However, they shouldn't be focused on the dangers of industrialized humanity, but rather

A) Extra-planar threats (either evil ones, like demons, or purely destructive ones, like elementals), or

B) Offensive, rather than defensive. Instead of protecting nature from humanoids, I can see an evil-leaning faction that believes wilderness is the natural state, and seeks to destroy civilization.

Either of those, I think, could work in a D&D campaign where nature isn't even remotely threatened by humanity.