(Mongoose) The Quintessential Druid

Mongoose_Matt

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Hi guys,

A real nightmare, I have been without a computer for three days and I have only just realised how much I depend on it!

Anyway, the tenth Quintessential book dropped on my desk late last week and it is a real good 'un - The Quintessential Druid.

Character Concepts opens up with new variations of the basic Druid class, giving players the option to try their hand at characters such as the City Dweller, Oak Brother (who also has access to the Oakheart fighting style from Quintessential Fighter), the Rescued Soul, Wandering Druid and many more. The class is further expanded and fleshed out with the Prestige Druid - the Archdruid makes an appearence for high level play but there are plenty of others for players to try as they ascend in power. Nature's Avenger will strike fear into any who despoil the wilderness, while the Noble Druid balances civilisation with his obligations to the wild. Others include the Beast Whisperer, Tree Dancer, Vitiate Maiden and Master of the Hunt.

My favourite chapter once again - Tricks of the Trade. This introduces new uses for the Wilderness Lore skill, how Druids may track each other, foraging, manufacturing equipment using nothing but the bounty of nature and speaking Ogham, the secret language of the Druids.

Druid Feats will flesh out any character of the wild, with new abilities granted such as Augment Wild Shape, Elemental Summoning , Fluid Shape and Terrain Focus, while Tools of the Trade may benefit more than just Druids. Clothing for all terrain is detailed, along with natural armours, fishing nets and camouflage kits. Attuned Foci can boost certain spells, while Herbal Recipes provide a wide range of concoctions the Druid may prepare to aid himself and his allies.

Living Magic focuses on the Druid's spellcasting ability and greatly widens the options available to the class. Druids can now tend Potion Gardens to harvest ingredients or prepare Scroll Flowers. Trees may be invested with the magic of nature while a whole range of new magical items common to Druids is detailed to enhance powers and provide new abilities.

The next chapter, The Life of a Druid, takes a look at the society of nature Druids will dwell within, giving a whole wealth of information on druidic orders and the circles they form. Trials are detailed so players may rise within their order and progress to the inner circles where they may become Archdruids or maybe even the Grand Druid. Ceremonies are covered as well, and Druids may find their powers boosted during Samhain, or its equvalent in your fantasy world.

The Otherworld will allow Druids to 'pass beyond' into a new plane of existence, attracting spirit guides and combining their knowledge of this place to better deal with the Fey who exist in the environment they tend. Druid Magic follows on from this, allowing Druids to weave the forces of the Otherworld into their spellcasting, as well as providing many new spells for Druids to try such as Beast Friendship, Brother's Staff, Lighten Burden, Otherworld Passage, Spirit of Transformation and Venomous Vial.

Paths of the Shapeshifter grants Druids a lot more flexibility with their wild shape class feature, enabling players to personalise the power to their own character. With a lot of hard work, Druids can now even assume dragon, elemental, fey and onstrous wild shapes, among many others. Wild shape can be further refined by assuming different sizes, becoming incorporeal or even breaking down a Druid's body to become a swarm. The greatest druids can assume partial or combined forms, becoming the very spirit of the natural elements they wield.

The Quintessential Druid ends with Sacred Groves, allowing high level druids to create and defend their own territory and gain many new powers while they are there. Conversely, rules are also given on how to destroy or pollute a Sacred Grove, as well as how to use Circle Magic by calling upon the inherent energies that exist in such places. This provides a new range of incredibly powerful spells such as Lightning Strike, Nature's Wrath, Nature's Avatar and Weather Mastery, all usually beyond the capabilities of even a Druid.

The Quintessential Druid is already on its way to distributors and will be available in the shops within a week or so.
 

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Quint PsyW and Druid

Dear Mongoose Matt
'Druid sounds good!
However back to my most desire at the moment......when is Quint psy Warrior out in UK? I looked on the release list for this week and still not on it. As Q. Druid will be with us soon can we perhaps expect them both next week on shelves in UK? One of my players is rolling up a psychic warrior now.Waiting patiently (honest!)......

Cheers with ever expectation
 

Psychic Warrior should be available in the UK next week, with Druid following the week after.

Still, if you are DragonMeet on Saturday, you never know. . .
 

This does sound pretty cool. There's not enough stuff out for druids, in my opinion, and so this should make one of my players quite happy for Christmas, if it's on this side of the Atlantic by then.

Remind me, is there a Q. Bard yet? That's the other class I think is lacking the most.
 
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Celtic society?

I'm profoundly interested in seeing an at least somewhat realistic treatment of Celtic society for D&D settings (at least as much as we know of them, which is little...). The 2nd Edition Celts book was not bad, but not great. Was there any attempt in this publication to address this? Discussions of the Roman accounts of the Celts and Druids (scary stuff...) and from whatever other sources might be out there? The D&D Druid is often depicted as a much more benevolent force then the Roman historians/chroniclers (Julias Caesar among them) would have their readers believe. Some have said it might have been as much propaganda as anything else, but others believe differently. After reading a few books on the Celts my view of them is of a much darker, more grim people then the common D&D view of Druids.

Has this book delt with historical Druid (and Celt) vs. the D&D Druid?
 

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