On playing Druids

[Umbran]

Role-playing is more nebulous: I'm looking for ideas on how a druid could/should view different things: dungeons, undead, cities, paladins, neutral alignment, etc. Ideas on unique twists are welcome.

Well, the typical "neutral" is now more like "I really don't care enough about this to stick my neck out". A Neutral person can be a stauch defender of friends and family, and he may have any number of likes and dislikes. He can even recognize that Good is, well, nicer to live with than Evil. But he does not personally care about what happens to people on the whole to stick his neck out for them. Or against them - he takes no joy in hurting peopple either. Nor does he care about human (or humanoid) organization or freedom (Law and Chaos). The typical druid may often seem a bit mercenary, because he won't help people merely because it is the right thing to do, like most heroes

Simply put, your druid probably simply has concerns other than people and what happens to them.

Undead - well, that depends on the cosmology. In most worlds, undead are either a perversion of life, or not your concern. Remember that on the whole, undead don't interact with the normal environment - they don't need to eat or burn fuel or build cities or anything. The tougher ones are actively evil and hurt people, but who cares about people? You may only care about them when they're doing something that harms nature.

Cities - either they are a natural part of humanoid existence that must be kept in balance with the rest of the world, or they're a blight. Take your pick.

Dungeons - well, your typical artificial dungeon doesn't really impinge on teh rest of the world much, other than harboring an unnatural concentration of monsters that may prey on local flora and fauna. Cave systems, however, are quite natural. "Nature" is not limited to trees and grass, after all.

 

[Remathilis]

Ah yes, Eberron's druidic sects are teh awesome. I think I'll re-read them. Warden or Gatekeeper stick out as probably good templates to start with.

It seems like Augment Summoning is a near-must. Is Spell Focus: Conj Useless for a druid though?

 

[Wystan]

I play a druid in a Larp, it is my second Druid and they have both been different. I have also written a Larp rules section for druids that never got used as the Larp never happened.... (Have to find that again)

The Druid information from the Larp Nocturne (www.nocturne.com):

I am Sky
The bringer of Lightning
The storm that rages through the bitter cold

I am Heat
The bringer of Fire
The twin edge of destruction and creation

I am Earth
The bringer of Stone
The strong back that bears the world

I am Water
The bringer of Ice
The guarded heart of the wine dark sea

I am the Dragon
The four made one
The Mother of all; last of my kind

***popular Erlish cradle song


The Goddess of Nature in all her beauty and wrath, the Dragon is said to be older than the gods – older than the earth and stars. The Druids say that she has ever been and that she will ever be. Every breeze, every branch. Every wave and grain of sand; all are a part of Her. All seasons are faces of the Goddess, but the Druids honor her most during the season that bears her name. The Dragon Season, when the fiery heart of the Goddess blazes over the earth. This is when the dragon is said to be closest to the world. This is when she is most apt to hear the prayers of those who call to her.

And the Dragon is not alone.

The Brood - the four elemental wyrms – made from the scales of the Dragon herself, stand with the Mother in all things. A druid does not come to the Dragon without first coming to her Brood. They are Terrasque, the Dragon of Earth, Tempest, the Dragon of the Sky, Leviathan, Dragon of the Sea, and Forge, the Dragon of Fire. Together, the four elemental wyrms combine with the Mother to form the manifold power and mystery that is Nature.

And to this mystery are called the Druids.

A druid’s prayers allow him to tap into the primal elemental forces of nature. Like all emissaries, he is a capable healer. However, anyone who assumes that a druid is anything short of a formidable foe is in for quite a surprise. Like their goddess, the Druids can be fierce and unpredictable when their ire is raised. Their ability to harm their unfortunate enemies at a distance is unmatched among the priestly professions. The sheer unpredictability of their spells makes them dangerous opponents. As a servant of the elemental forces of Lightning, Ice, Stone and Fire, a druid has access to more damage types than any other. Further, a druid’s rituals tie him closer to one element than the others, making him stronger with his chosen element. Because of this, it is often difficult to know what to expect of any one druid.

From their beginning, the druids have always met in secluded islands. Access to these sacred sites is strictly monitored by the druids and only those who are properly sanctioned are allowed to visit. Below is a list of some of the more noteworthy Isles. It can be safely assumed that there are several more than those mentioned.


Tir Anor – The Isle of Apples

Tir Anor is the greatest of the Druid Isles. The Isle can appear in any body of water at any time and is never in one place for very long. The Isle of Apples is said to travel on the breath of the Dragon, and its arrival is always preceded by a thick, impenetrable fog. It is only this supernatural nature that allowed the Isle to escape the Scourge. On the Island of Apples one can find the Warden Vale of the Falcon as well as an untold number of ancient and mysterious items saved from the worlds forgotten past. Here rules Yvaine Raghnild, the Nightstar. A sylvan elf of unknown age, Yvaine is the Voice of the Dragon on Aeryn. Though both Elven cultures have unified under the reign of King Zytherin, Yvaine is also regarded as the unofficial ruler of the sylvan elves. Yvaine maintains absolute control over the Isle, directing where and when it appears.

Tir Annwyn – Isle of Plenty

Lost during the Scourge, Tir Annwyn was the most well loved and open of the druid Isles. A retreat for those seeking the solace of nature, the Isle of Plenty was also the destination of countless pilgrims wishing to honor the power of the Dragon. Since its loss, Tir Annwyn has achieved a near legendary status and is often referred to as the Blessed Isle, a paradise that remains forever beyond the reach of mortals; concealed by the Scourge – but as yet unscathed.

Tir Vestra – Isle of Seasons

The Isle of Seasons is one of the few ancient druid Isles to have been founded in Artanna. As such, it benefits from the protection of the Sanctuary which guards it against the Scourge. Tir Vestra has the dubious honor of guarding one of the greatest trophies in the battle against the Demon Lord.. The nature of this artifact remains unclear, but many believe that it was delivered to the Isle by the Dragon herself. The artifact caused the forests on Tir Fenn to grow wild and treacherous. The few druids who remain on Tir Vestra have made holy vows to guard the Isle with their lives, and few outsiders ever visit.

Tir Fenn – Isle of Rest/Isle of Horrors

In ages past, Tir Fenn was the final resting place for some of the greatest druids and devotees in history. Here they would end their journey at last, guarded by the druids against corruption. The Isle became a flashpoint in the war of the gods when it was invaded by the Nethermantic Church during the Age of Might. The Nethermancers covered Fenn in powerful undead which were raised from the very soil of the Isle itself. Every druid on the Isle perished in the initial struggle. Oddly, the Druids did not retaliate. The Isle, they said, would take care of itself. Like the Isle of Plenty, the Isle of Horrors was lost with the coming of Ixiel. While its fate remains a mystery, its legacy endures as a point of tension between the Keeper (the Dragon) and Breaker (Xyric) of Cycles. “Remember Tir Fenn” is a common axiom of the faith.


“Ah cannae undarstaind why we ‘ave Athos and Syrilith and all dem udder gods wit good n solid names, but no one in all the Nine can tell me the name of the Dragon. Ya must call ‘er by some name udder den dat?”

“Just so. We call Her the Dragon because She has no name. And that is Her name”

The Eight Observances, as they are known, form the basis of the Druidic ethos. Critics cite the general obscurity of the Observances, but the Druids continue to find wisdom in them, guiding their lives by its simple course.


Of we, the Caretakers, these things the Dragon asks:

That…

The Cycle is unbroken
The Balance is observed
The Dragon is obeyed
The Brood is preserved
The Covenant is honored
The Hunter is allowed
The Blight is Lifted
The Ways are Avowed



Appearing only after the Scourge, the Blight is the most deadly plague to ever descend upon Aeryn. Bridging the gap between animal and plant life, the Blight affects everything that lives. No insect, tree, mammal or fungus is immune. The Druids claim that the Blight is a representation of the many wounds inflicted upon the world by the Demon host. While the truth may never be fully known, the Blight and its irradiation seem to be of paramount importance to the Druids. Together with the Healers, they search endlessly for a cure to this terrible affliction.


The Blight is transferred by only a handful of readily known means. Contact with a blighted creature, or casting from a blighted component may induce the sickness. However there are times when the Blight seems to manifest at random and for no clear reason. Angry green veins appear beneath the flesh of the victim, whose unfortunate fate is nothing short of a prolonged, agonizing death.


The druids say that the Scourge is a wound in the world. Ugly and festering, the wound was long ago inflicted on Terrasque by Ixiel. It continues to gnaw on the Earth Dragon, causing unbearable pain and driving him to insanity. From this wound springs the curse of the Blight, served by the menace of the Defiler Lords. Defilers are those who have given themselves over completely to the Blight nd serve its ends as though it were a sentient entity. These wielders of disease and torment draw upon the suffering of the world and inflict it back on those who oppose them. Many defilers were former druids who have become somehow corrupted by the suffering of Terrasque. For these twisted individuals, there can be no hope of salvation, and the Druids are committed to eradicating them wherever they are encountered. While their influence in the world remains small, the Defilers appear to be growing in number. Former members of all professions and races can be found among them, maddened by the horrible pain inflicted on the world.


The Obelisk of Nature is one of the most remote of all the Obelisks. Geographically, it is the only Obleisk that does not stand on the continent of Artanna. Rather, the Obelisk is found amid the rolling forests of Erridor. The druids maintain the Obelisk and its surrounding forests are zealously guarded. The entire area has become something of an Eddar retreat, and members of all three Emissary churches can be found there. Only the Obelisk of Truth in Valan-Tir is so vigorously maintained. However, the extreme distance of the Obelisk usually makes it the final destination point of pilgrimages and word from it comes infrequently. Recently, more and more Erlish settlers ave arrived in the area, asking that the druids allow them to settle the small swath of Erridor protected by the Obelisk. The Erlish seem to feel that the Dragon herself spared their ancient homeland, and a growing number of Erlish serve the Dragon as her emissaries.

 

[Henry]

It seems like Augment Summoning is a near-must. Is Spell Focus: Conj Useless for a druid though?

If you're just using the spells in the PHB, then almost completely yes (fire seeds at 6th level is the only standout I see, though all the cure spells are conjurations, and casting them on undead involves a will save ).

However, if you're allowed the Spell Compendium, there are a LOT of spells in there which are conjuration school that druids are allowed. (Arc of Lightning comes to mind, but there are lots of others.)

 

[VirgilCaine]

Homebrew setting. Pretty standard, cept no elves/half elves, and orcs are intelligent and have a civilization.

Wow, that's just like my homebrew!

The character creation pertinent parts, at least.

 

[Nightfall]

My DM has allowed godless clerics, I fail to see the difference. I need to hammer out the fine details, but feel free to give some scarred land druid ideas.

Well for starters you could say to your DM "Say look. My guy, he liked the strength and power of the earth. Not necessarily the earth itself but the "metals" it can be used. Thus I want to be a guy that likes forging and shaping using metal and I also can make and use metal weapons.

Or..."I'm the guy that believes the best way to keep people disease free is to infect himself and "draw" the power of disease into himself."

How are those for some non-evil ideas?

 

[Wik]

Anyway in a party Druids have a role of 'Battle Feild control" there spells tend to be long distance and can be focussed on controlling the terrain. Use this to advantage let the fighters do melee while you sit back and chanel the enemy to where they want them.

This is absolutely true. Entangle is one of those spells that can really affect the course of a battle, even if absolutely no one is affected by it. It can control where people move, and all that jazz. I've found throughout the times I've played druids (they are, after all, my favourite class) that something as simple as Entangle can become INCREDIBLY vital to the combat.

Wildshape is the druid's primary ability, and the best way to play a druid is to be aware of the fact that you can use this ability to achieve a variety of effects. A druid is an excellent scout, and he can be used to back up pretty much anybody in the party. In my experience, that means it's often a good idea to become something of a generalist - if you need a fighter, the druid can help...

I dunno.