Pissed Druid - Need some help

[Angelsboi]

Ok my players ran into a druid this past game session and he had a white tiger (which is unusual for this region).

Well the tiger was attacking this man in robes and the man was screaming and the druid wasnt around. They subdued the tiger by knocking it out and the man told them the druid was full of Blight and worshiped Vaath, the god of plagues and pestilence and that he caused the tiger to become full of rabies.

Well the group didnt like that and let the man go. The druid showed up FURIOUS his tiger was unconscious. He tried to entangle them and started to drag his tiger away and healed it so they could flee. But one hit and the tiger was down and dead (critical).

The tiger reverted to a male human with weapons and armor. The druid was pissed and said they killed his lover. He took the body and it started raining as he walked off carrying his body.

What REALLY Happened:
The man in rbes became jealous of the druid and his lover (because he wanted the druid for himself). He polymorphed the fighter into a tiger and the druid kept him as a 'animal companion'. Now that hes dead, the druid blames the party for not getting the full story and letting the man go (who was the wizard. The fighter in a tigers body wanted him dead for doing such a thing).

The group seems like they could care less (they are mostly chaotic).

What would a 4th level druid do?

Level 3: Fighter/Ranger Human
Level 3: Kobold NPC Sorcerer
Level 2: Haflthing Rogue
Level 2: Human Wizard
Level 2: Elven Ranger (Bounty Hunter)
Level 3: Dwarven War Cleric
Level 2: Dwarven Shaman

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I am assuming the druid is a druidess. Female.

She would plot revenge.

Revenge, but not an immediate attack.

A low level party has no chance to evade a druid who wants to tail them.
A low level party simply doesn't have the means to teleport out of danger.
The druid has the natural world as her friend, can survive in the wild, and can wait with all the patience needed ... patience, for the time when a devastating strike can be arranged.

There is also the small matter of slandering the party.
Since the party is chaotic, they may have a shady reputation already, and be especially vulnerable.
Furthermore, a druidess's word could carry heavy weight, especially in rural areas and small towns friendly to her.

There are many eager (and very corrupt) town officials, town guards, and even plain townsfolk, not to mention travelling freemen and freewomen, who would love to help themselves to the wealth of an entire adventuring party.
Not to mention NPCs in the town who would love those magical items and spellbooks for themselves.
These people would love any pretext to attack the party and take their items for themselves, and a druidess could provide pretexts aplenty and to spare.

When the party is rotting in prison, the druidess could even rescue them.
Then watch as they were recaptured and beaten by the infuriated guards.

Or, the druidess could wait until the party was captured in this way, sneak into the dungeon, and wreak her vengeance right then and there upon the helpless, defenseless party.
She could even buy off the guards to look the other way while she did it.
So long as they get their share of the treasure -or their employers get it - what do they care about crazy, dangerous adventurers?

 

[Henrix]

Nice idea for a scenario intro, mind if I nick it?

I don't know what the druid would do, though. Depends a lot on where they are and who he is.

 

[Angelsboi]

the druid is a 19 year old male wwho had a lover who was a fighter. A bitter love triangle ensued and a 'curse' placed on the druids protector.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

By the way, Disease is a druid's friend.

Cause Disease is a devastating spell when there is no Cure Disease to counter it, as seems to be the case here.

Typhoid, typhus, and cholera, common diseases in a medieval world (and thus likely candidates from a Cause Disease spell) will incapacitate an adventuring party pretty fast.

How does the party travel when one of their fighters is laid flat out, fighting for his life against a disease?
Will they carry him or her?
Will they carry his or her items? His or her armor?

How will they avoid contaminated food, protect themselves from the spread of disease?
Hunt for food? That will take all of their time, and they won't be travelling anywhere.

A party with sickness is not going to be terribly well received in any place that does not have a cleric capable of casting the 3rd level Cure Disease spell.
Inns and taverns along the road don't want typhoid walking in the door.
Villages don't want typhoid walking over the moat.

And if the party does find a cleric capable of casting Cure Disease, that cleric is all too likely to be neutral.
Neutral clerics want money, and they want magical items, and they might want converts.
If the party thinks it's going to be a free affair, they had better think again.

And if they threaten the cleric, he or she has them arrested, or he or she simply walks away. Certainly, no healing is forthcoming, and if the cleric is slain certainly no healing is forthcoming.

Of course, the druidess can always throw the Cure Disease.
She might even arrange for a message to be sent to the party stating just this.

But the druidess will have her price.
That price will be very high.
It will redress all of the wrongs the druidess considers to have been inflicted on her, and then more.

It goes without saying that sick characters (much less those flat on their back from illness) are easier to attack.
A party treating these sick characters is a weakened party, all of them vulnerable to attack.

How to give the party the Gift of Disease?
Throw the Cause Disease spell on an item (preferably a magical item, which the adventurers cannot resist picking up, and otherwise touching) and leave it lying in the road.

That doesn't work?
There are many ways to transmit disease. Have the druidess think of one.

 

[Henrix]

Cause Disease is a devastating spell when there is no Cure Disease to counter it, as seems to be the case here.

OTOH, the poor 4th-level druid does not have access to the 3rd level spell Contagion (as it's called these days) either.

 

[Zappo]

I am quite sure the druid is male. Anyway, he doesn't have the firepower to deal with seven people of 2nd/3rd level, not even with terrain advantage. He may try guerrilla tactics, using animals, taking the PCs down one at a time, but it is extremely risky and not something I would do unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Henrix]

Guerilla tactics sounds fine, if you want the druid to attack the PCs.

Woodland Stride, Trackless Step, Tree Shape and Obscuring Mist make a druid a good guerilla fighter.

He does not stand a chance if he fights them openly, so he probably wants to harm them i ways that last more than an encounter, wearing them down.

If he can follow them until they are attacked by something else a Summon Swarm and Summon Nature's Ally could turn the tables.

A couple of summoned vipers near sleeping PCs is fine.

Summon a wolf near their horses at night.

Use Warp Wood when they are camping out in the forest to ruin some of their weapons and missiles.

Charm one of them (the NPC kobold sorceror, perhaps).

Charm animals and make them wander into their camp.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

It's a 2nd edition tactic, I know, but ...

If your druid was 5th level, he or she could hide in the forest, and start blasting the party with Call Lightning.
After all, that spell goes on for ages, and there is no indication of where the spell is originating from (unlike Fireball or Lightning Bolt.)

And when the infuriated and frustrated party starts beating the bush for the Druid, then the Entangle spell is loosed.

Nothing like having the trees swoop down with their branches to catch and hold your enemies.

- - -

Here's another idea.
Loose a pack of animals on them.

Charm all the wild animals you can find, especially skunks, wild boar, and stags. (wolves and wolverines, if you can get them.)
See if the locals won't allow you to charm some of their hunting dogs, as well.

Assuming you can hold this motley pack together with your Charm spell and your charisma, sic the lot of them on the party.

Entangle the party, to boot, so that fighting or escaping the pack is difficult or impossible.
Fight yourself, if the party is losing against your pack and you can subdue all of them (killing them is letting them get off too easily. You are a druid!)

 

[Zappo]

Charm one of them (the NPC kobold sorceror, perhaps).

Better try one of those with a bad Will save.