How should I integrate "Primal" into my Warhammer D&D game?

Emirikol

Adventurer
The new classes for the 4e PHBII have been released. They include a new class power category (Primal). Others types being divine, arcane and martial. I'll probably just consider them divine in terms of fitting into the world, however things like the "Jade College" could leave druids in an in-between space.

Any thoughts on how to integrate them into a 4E D&D Warhammer campaign? (Yes, we are playing D&D 4e in the warhammer world currently)


Controller: Druid

Defender: Warden

Leader: Shaman

Striker: Barbarian

jh
 

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Well, wouldn't the green wind of magic be best suited for the primal power source?

That is, if green still is about nature and wild stuff, it's a long time that I read in my WhFB-rulebook which wind does what.
 

Not to mention I can see followers of Taal or Rhya taking primal classes- it fits better than a cleric or paladin for them.
 

I just reviewed Terror In Talabheim info on Taal and there's a ton of good "Primal" stuff in that one. I'm working it into my house rules :)

Thanks,

Jh
 

"Druids are not absolutely committed to becoming Druidic Priests; they are followers of the religion, and not all of them will aspire to, or achieve, Priesthood" - page 151, Druidic Priests, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 1989

Druidic Priests form the priesthood of the Old Faith.

"There is no major deity or pantheon ruling the Old Faith"
"The Old Faith is based on the natural world, and does not have formal shrines or temples. Instead, there are sacred groves - small clearings in the depths of the forest which serve as places of meeting and worship." and "It is possible for a follower of the Old Faith to gain blessings from sacred groves in the same way as followers of other deities receive them from temples and shrines."
"Characters who are successful in progressing to level 1 Druidic Priest are granted a vision in which a spirit-animal comes to them" - page 206

"Lycanthropy, the condition that turns a normal Human into a Were Creature is frequently caused when a Human somehow becomes possessed by an animal spirit which the Human is unable to control. Druidical priests whose familiar spirit is of the same species as the were-spirit can relieve someone of this curse..." and "If the Druid is successful, the were-spirit is tamed. It is not cast out, but remains with its host in a dormant state." - page 207/8

Druid is a basic career with Career Exits of Druidic Priest, Gamekeeper, Hunter, Outlaw, Trapper, and Woodsman.

So D&D 4th Edition druids could be Druidic Priests who internalize their familiar spirit and sorta voluntarily make themself into a Were Creature.

There is a strong link in Warhammer between druids and the ranger classes. I can't think of any mechanical drawbacks but you could arbitrarily move the Ranger class to be Primal power source especially the Beastmaster version (which could even be a Druidic Priest that focused on its familiar spirit instead of spellcasting). Also druids can ultimately become Targeteers which would fit the Archer Ranger build.

We don't know much about the Warden yet and only dwarf Troll Slayers really feel thematically like 3rd/4th Edition Barbarians. To become a Druidic Priest out of the Druid career requires a roll on the Druidic Advance Table. On that table (page 152) there is a 10% chance the "character is judged unworthy to become or continue as a Druidic Priest, and must move to a randomly-determined Ranger career." So barbarians, wardens, or shamans might be druids who failed to advance as Druidic Priests and instead took up other careers but continue to hold the tenets of the Old Faith.
 


Many of the Warden's attacks feel like Battle Magic. You could treat this as a character with career paths in both Druidic Priest and melee professions (like Gamekeeper and Woodsman).

The big difference between Primal classes in 4th edition and the feel of Druidic Priests in Warhammer is spells. The ritual caster feat is only available if you have skill training in Arcana or Religion. You may want to allow Primal characters to use Nature as a prerequisite for the spell feat even though Wizards of the Coast rules are officially against this change. Or just make sure Religion is on/added to the skill list of Wardens, Druids, and Shamans (which is proabably not a game-breaking change).

You have to buy spells with EP in WFRP so mechanically/thematically it makes sense that some Primal characters can use their Primal powers that look like spell effects while others have mastered one or more ritual spells. It can easily make sense for all Primal classes to come from the same Druidic Priest or lesser Druid tradition yet different characters have different abilities.
 


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