frankthedm
First Post
MerakSpielman said:
That is lawful Neutral
I know Druids can be evil, but how evil can they really be?
- Thread starter Thyrkill
- Start date
That is lawful Neutral
Wildscape has the stupidest idea for evil druids (one that you want to avoid)- they want to kill everything and replace life with unlife.
My personal suggestion is have a group of druids that want to reduce the number of beings who reproduce fast. Humans, orcs, goblins and kobolds fit squarely in this catagory.
My personal suggestion is have a group of druids that want to reduce the number of beings who reproduce fast. Humans, orcs, goblins and kobolds fit squarely in this catagory.
Torm
Explorer
Most of you who read it probably took my previous post as a joke - and somewhat rightly so. 
But the actual point I was driving at is, why does it always have to be about threats to nature or their forest? You (almost?) never see a Druid with a sacred forest or grove or what-have-you that nobody wants to bother - maybe it is way off the beaten path, or maybe the people of the local town just plain LIKE having that view of beautiful wilderness outside of the north part of town - and so the Druid's motivation for adventuring/being-a-baddie is latched onto a totally different aspect of their lives. Everyone seems to want to go for the nature-guardian/ecoterrorist angle, and while those do make sense, they're just a little obvious, no?
But the actual point I was driving at is, why does it always have to be about threats to nature or their forest? You (almost?) never see a Druid with a sacred forest or grove or what-have-you that nobody wants to bother - maybe it is way off the beaten path, or maybe the people of the local town just plain LIKE having that view of beautiful wilderness outside of the north part of town - and so the Druid's motivation for adventuring/being-a-baddie is latched onto a totally different aspect of their lives. Everyone seems to want to go for the nature-guardian/ecoterrorist angle, and while those do make sense, they're just a little obvious, no?Patryn of Elvenshae
First Post
frankthedm said:
What? No, it isn't. What a ridiculous thing to say.
Brother MacLaren
Explorer
Couple of ideas from Marvel comics here... gods don't have to care about what their followers do with their power. A distant nature-oriented deity could take the position that any use of the power of nature in the deity's name increases the sentient races' fear and respect of it, which then augments the deity's power. (The idea here is lifted from Dr. Strange - Cytorrak did not care how Strange or the Juggernaut used his power, as long as they used it and thereby enhanced his prestige and power) I don't know if any FR gods take this point of view.
And the second Marvel-themed idea is Kraven the Hunter. More evil ranger than evil druid, but the concept is a character who, while a hunter, is deeply respectful of the power of wild beasts. And who sometimes relies on these beasts to accomplish his goals. He's evil because he considers people and spider-people fair game for the hunt.
The druid is, like the paladin, too easily shoehorned into one role and one set of motivations. The first priority for a gnoll or lizardfolk druid could quite well be using the powers of the natural world to serve, protect, and maybe rule their tribe, filling the role of shaman or historical druid. Doesn't mean they have to leave their tribe to go hang out in a grove.
And the second Marvel-themed idea is Kraven the Hunter. More evil ranger than evil druid, but the concept is a character who, while a hunter, is deeply respectful of the power of wild beasts. And who sometimes relies on these beasts to accomplish his goals. He's evil because he considers people and spider-people fair game for the hunt.
The druid is, like the paladin, too easily shoehorned into one role and one set of motivations. The first priority for a gnoll or lizardfolk druid could quite well be using the powers of the natural world to serve, protect, and maybe rule their tribe, filling the role of shaman or historical druid. Doesn't mean they have to leave their tribe to go hang out in a grove.
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
Mankind has technology, skills, adaptability. He's no longer a part of the cycle - he's too strong. He has no competitors or predators.
Nature is stagnating, not progressing. It's losing the ability to compete too.
These new creations are there to close the gap. A new world where mankind lives day-to-day, competing like all the rest of nature does, and in turn nature will be able to compete, pushing it to the bounds of excellence.
Do you see what I have done!!
Nature is stagnating, not progressing. It's losing the ability to compete too.
These new creations are there to close the gap. A new world where mankind lives day-to-day, competing like all the rest of nature does, and in turn nature will be able to compete, pushing it to the bounds of excellence.
Do you see what I have done!!
Nifft
Penguin Herder
Some ideas from my NE Druid of Auril:
- He convinced a town that was having trouble with frost salamanders that they'd be better off "adapting" to a naturally chill lifestyle instead of fighting Auril's favored critters. He convinced them that they'd lose far fewer citizens if they simply held a sacrificial ceremony to Auril once per year, giving Her icy majesty a single human life. Auril was so generous, She would not even require that the human sacrifice be a citizen of hte town... and as a side-benefit, the celebrants got year-long endure elements, so they wouldn't need to hide from Auril's glory.
- He saw himself as basically a Wolf-spirit. His animal companion was a dire wolf, but the Druid himself was the alpha-wolf. In any negotiation, he would always assign the roles "alpha", "beta", "pack" and "prey", and act accordingly. It was the only relationship metaphor that he understood. He also always tried to be the alpha, but not to the point of openly fighting (unless insulted).
-- N
- He convinced a town that was having trouble with frost salamanders that they'd be better off "adapting" to a naturally chill lifestyle instead of fighting Auril's favored critters. He convinced them that they'd lose far fewer citizens if they simply held a sacrificial ceremony to Auril once per year, giving Her icy majesty a single human life. Auril was so generous, She would not even require that the human sacrifice be a citizen of hte town... and as a side-benefit, the celebrants got year-long endure elements, so they wouldn't need to hide from Auril's glory.
- He saw himself as basically a Wolf-spirit. His animal companion was a dire wolf, but the Druid himself was the alpha-wolf. In any negotiation, he would always assign the roles "alpha", "beta", "pack" and "prey", and act accordingly. It was the only relationship metaphor that he understood. He also always tried to be the alpha, but not to the point of openly fighting (unless insulted).
-- N
TheLostSoul
Explorer
I see Druids as symbolizing the various forces of nature, striving, as a whole, towards balance and neutrality. Good Druids then, are forces of fertility and creation while evil represents destruction and death. The various neutral Druids also has their niches (unpredictability, predictability and balance). More niches exists within each allignment. Most also serve a spiritual purpose in their tribes/communities.
When an evil Druid releases a plague upon a farming community, it is not necessarily out of malice, but rather an attempt to reestablish a new balance (it does not really matter if the area currently is in balance, the Druid might see differently. This goes for all Druids). An evil Druid might call upon a swarm of locusts, a plague or other natural disaster to destroy a community or their crops, to recreate the balance as the Druid sees it. He would most likely try to remain hidden most of the time, to avoid being attacked.
Druids who turn completely from nature are not Druids anymore. They might attain similar powers (Blighters for exampel), but they are not a force of nature anymore. Blighters are a force of corruption and are greatly feared by all. This makes them tremendous antagonists and, IMO, are even better when supported by abberations and other things man was not ment to know...![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
When an evil Druid releases a plague upon a farming community, it is not necessarily out of malice, but rather an attempt to reestablish a new balance (it does not really matter if the area currently is in balance, the Druid might see differently. This goes for all Druids). An evil Druid might call upon a swarm of locusts, a plague or other natural disaster to destroy a community or their crops, to recreate the balance as the Druid sees it. He would most likely try to remain hidden most of the time, to avoid being attacked.
Druids who turn completely from nature are not Druids anymore. They might attain similar powers (Blighters for exampel), but they are not a force of nature anymore. Blighters are a force of corruption and are greatly feared by all. This makes them tremendous antagonists and, IMO, are even better when supported by abberations and other things man was not ment to know...
TheAuldGrump
First Post
Look up Moon Wells, and the Wild Hunt.
To feed the moon as she must be fed, yet never look upon her feeding...
Imagine a villager chosen every year, stripped, then given a mantle of a stag's head and pelt, then driven into the woods, to be hunted by men in wolves' pelts.
The moon well was very simple, you dug a deep hole, then pushed the poor bleater of a sacrifice into the well, then never look to see if they survived the fall, died, or got out.
Sometimes NE just means complete callousness in regards to other's lives. Nature is both Mother and Devourer, Life and Death, and someone must worship and feed the hag and the corn mother.
The Auld Grump
To feed the moon as she must be fed, yet never look upon her feeding...
Imagine a villager chosen every year, stripped, then given a mantle of a stag's head and pelt, then driven into the woods, to be hunted by men in wolves' pelts.
The moon well was very simple, you dug a deep hole, then pushed the poor bleater of a sacrifice into the well, then never look to see if they survived the fall, died, or got out.
Sometimes NE just means complete callousness in regards to other's lives. Nature is both Mother and Devourer, Life and Death, and someone must worship and feed the hag and the corn mother.
The Auld Grump
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VirgilCaine
First Post
BlueBlackRed said:
IMC, evil druids ARE the ecoterrorists. For "normal people", nature isn't some world full of talking fluffy bunnies and deer or a pristine thing of beauty being destroyed by demihumankind, its the place where people get lost, starve, are eaten by animals, monsters, whathaveyou, and other BAD THINGS HAPPEN.
IMC, Good druids work to expand civilization, Lawful ones destroy undead and keep the system going, but if a creature is hunted to extinction, hey, survival of the fittest. Chaotic druids don't do much of anything except wander around and enjoy the beauty of nature.
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