Kerrick
First Post
I spent a little time tossing ideas around; I reorganized some of the existing abilities and added some new ones. Here's what I've got so far. I'll add some prereqs later; I just want to get the abilities sketched out first.
L20 ability:
Terrain Mastery: The druid is so attuned to nature and the environment that he can operate normally even in extreme temperature or weather. In effect, he does not suffer nonlethal damage for temperatures from 0 to 140 degrees F. Temperatures from 0 to -20 degrees deal nonlethal damage instead of lethal, and below -20 degrees deals lethal damage as normal; temperatures above 140 degrees likewise deal lethal damage. A druid in metal armor still suffers normal effects, regardless of the temperature. The druid also suffers no ill effects (nonlethal damage) from sandstorms, though he still has limited vision as normal.
Generally speaking, good-aligned druids use their powers to help civilized peoples - bringing rains to dry areas, preventing or mitigating natural disasters, and the like - while neutral druids do what they feel is best for nature (not necessarily man), and evil druids actively oppose the encroachment of civilization on the wilds and use their powers to destroy or drive away those who would attempt to settle there.
Mastery of Animals
[sblock]Beastlords are druids more attuned to the animal kingdom. A typical Beastlord knows every species of animal that lives in the area he protects, and often knows most individuals by sight. They often have a small entourage of wild and tamed animals around them, either openly following or within calling distance. Beastlords are most common in areas with varied animal life, but they can be found in any terrain or climate, from arctic to tropical, mountains to plains.
Beastlords are never attacked by animals unless the animal is attacked first, rabid, or under another person (or creature's) control; their level for purposes of animal companion abilities (and their effective level for gaining advanced companions) is treated as 2 higher than normal.
Aspect of the beast: This is identical to the ranger ability of the same name.
Wild Empathy (Ex): A druid can improve the attitude of an animal, just like using Diplomacy to improve the attitude of a person. He rolls 1d20 and adds his class level and his Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.
The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of Indifferent, while wild animals are usually Unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the druid and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
A druid can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a -4 penalty on the check.
Wild Form: As a standard action, the druid can change part of his body to that of an animal - head, hands/arms, or feet/legs - which must be one into which he can wildshape. He can make armed attacks with the new form's natural weapons, as a creature of his size (claw attacks generally deal 1d6 damage and a head butt or bite attack deals 1d4 damage). A druid with an animal head can't speak or cast spells using a verbal component; one with animal hands can't hold items or cast spells with somatic or material components. Using this ability counts as a use of wildshape.[/sblock]
Mastery of Elements
[sblock]Elemental Lords are druids who attune themselves to the earth itself - they can speak to the stones, feel life flowing through the ground, and control the flows of natural energy. LIke other druids, they serve as wardens, but their purpose is different - they head off natural disasters like earthquakes, forest fires, and volcanic eruptions before they start, or control them after they've already happened (forest fires are often necessary for some trees to spread their seeds, for example). They spend much of their time alone, away from civilization, and often underground - the better to feel the ebb and flow of the earth's energy.
Control Element (Su): Three times per day, an Elemental Lord can control large amounts of elemental matter of his chosen type. In order to exert control, he must be within 5 feet per class level of the element and must be able to see or touch it. Gaining initial control of the element is a full-round action; thereafter, he must maintain concentration, and can control it for up to 1 round per class level. He can manipulate up to 10 cubic feet per class level, all of which must be touching - he can't control several separate fires, for instance.
What a druid can actually do is subject to the player's imagination and the DM's discretion. The druid could, for instance, create animals out of existing sources of fire and control their movement, or simply make a mass of fire move on its own; make the ground move (ripple, open up under someone or something, or rise), create hands to grapple or pummel, or change its consistency, turning earth into fine dust or quicksand, or stone into mud or sand. Treat a controlled elemental mass as an elemental of the same size, except that it has no hit points and cannot be damaged (but it can be dispelled).
The druid can relinquish control at any time as a free action; if he loses concentration for any reason, the element automatically becomes inert; fire constructs revert to their normal state (i.e., disperse), while earth usually remains changed (pillars of rock raised from the ground, for instance).
Elemental Form (Su): The Elemental Lord can choose an elemental form (any creature of the Elemental type with the Earth or Fire subtype) as one of his wildshape forms.
Summon Elemental (Su): Once per day, as a full-round action, an Elemental Lord can summon one Large or two Medium earth or fire elementals, provided there is a large enough source of the element nearby. The elementals follow his commands to the best of their abilities; they remain for 1 minute per class level or until killed or dismissed.[/sblock]
Mastery of Plants
[sblock] Verdant Lords are dedicated to the preservation of nature in general and plant life in specific. A brief touch can make a plant look healthier, while a little attention and a few words can make a flower bloom. They are most common in areas with heavy plant life – rain forests and jungles, or just plain forests.
Verdant Lords are never attacked by sentient plants unless the plant is attacked first or is under another person (or creature's) control. They can also move through areas of undergrowth that have been magically enchanted to impede movement, like spike growth, without taking damage or being impaired.
Control Plants (Su): Three times per day, a Verdant Lord can exert control over all nonsentient plants within 5 feet per class level. He can either maintain concentration and make them take specific actions or let them freely act on a given command.
If he concentrates, he can have the plants do anything of which they are capable – trees can move their branches to lash at or hinder opponents, vines and bushes can move to entangle foes or move out of the druid's way to provide a clear path. Plants cannot uproot themselves, however; if the druid loses his concentration, they will continue to carry out the last command given until he resumes concentration or the duration runs out.
If the druid gives a simple command, plants in the area will do their best to carry it out - again, to the limits of their abilities. As above, these commands are usually limited to hindering or killing foes – if they are hindering, each enemy must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 the druid's level + druid's Wis bonus) each round or become entangled, as the spell; even on a successful save, they take 1d4 points of damage from thorns, lashing branches, etc. If the command is given to kill, each enemy must make a Reflex save each round or take 2d6 points of damage (a successful save halves the damage; a natural 1 doubles it).
The control lasts for 1 round per class level or until the druid dismisses it; commands can be no more than 10 words long and can be changed once per round as a standard action.
Plant Shape (Su): A Verdant Lord can choose any creature of the Plant type as a form for his wild shape ability.[/sblock]
Mastery of Weather
[sblock]Stormlords are druids who have learned to control the weather (though "control" is often a misleading term – they typically "nudge" it a bit here and there to avoid drastic climate changes). They are among the most powerful of druids, able to call down lightning from a clear sky, summon or banish storms, and eventually call air elementals or other creatures of the sky.
Stormlords gain a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves vs. severe weather (this includes extremes of heat and cold), a +4 bonus to Survival checks to predict the weather, and a +2 bonus to the save DCs for all weather-related spells they cast.
Control Weather (Su): Once per day, a Stormlord can call up a specific weather phenomenon – a tornado, strong winds, lightning, a rainstorm, etc. If there is not already a storm present, it requires 5 minutes to do so. Calling lightning, high winds, or other normal phenomena from a storm is a full-round action; the druid can direct lightning strikes (up to 1 per class level, as the call lightning spell) at any target he can see within 50 feet per class level.
Shocking touch (Su): At will as a standard action, a druid can deal 1d4 points of electricity damage with his touch. There is no save against this effect. If the target is wearing/carrying a large amount of armor, it takes 1d6 points of damage, and the druid can arc the shock up to 5 feet to hit it.
Summon Stormrider (Su): Once per day, as a full-round action, a Stormlord can summon one Large or two Medium air elementals. The elementals follow his commands to the best of their abilities; they remain for 1 minute per druid level or until killed or dismissed.
Weather Resistance (Ex): Stormlords are immune to many effects of weather, due to their innate ability to control it. At first, this ability is relatively minor – a Stormlord won't get wet in a rainstorm, can move safely through a dust storm, sandstorm, or anything similar (no damage taken, and no chance of choking – this does not apply to spell effects like stinking cloud), and can call up a mild wind (up to 10 mph) at will as a standard action. In addition, he is not affected (no Fort save necessary) by any winds short of Severe, as long as he is on the ground – a druid who is flying (either from a spell, item, or polymorphed) is immune to winds up to Strong only.[/sblock]
L20 ability:
Terrain Mastery: The druid is so attuned to nature and the environment that he can operate normally even in extreme temperature or weather. In effect, he does not suffer nonlethal damage for temperatures from 0 to 140 degrees F. Temperatures from 0 to -20 degrees deal nonlethal damage instead of lethal, and below -20 degrees deals lethal damage as normal; temperatures above 140 degrees likewise deal lethal damage. A druid in metal armor still suffers normal effects, regardless of the temperature. The druid also suffers no ill effects (nonlethal damage) from sandstorms, though he still has limited vision as normal.
Generally speaking, good-aligned druids use their powers to help civilized peoples - bringing rains to dry areas, preventing or mitigating natural disasters, and the like - while neutral druids do what they feel is best for nature (not necessarily man), and evil druids actively oppose the encroachment of civilization on the wilds and use their powers to destroy or drive away those who would attempt to settle there.
Mastery of Animals
[sblock]Beastlords are druids more attuned to the animal kingdom. A typical Beastlord knows every species of animal that lives in the area he protects, and often knows most individuals by sight. They often have a small entourage of wild and tamed animals around them, either openly following or within calling distance. Beastlords are most common in areas with varied animal life, but they can be found in any terrain or climate, from arctic to tropical, mountains to plains.
Beastlords are never attacked by animals unless the animal is attacked first, rabid, or under another person (or creature's) control; their level for purposes of animal companion abilities (and their effective level for gaining advanced companions) is treated as 2 higher than normal.
Aspect of the beast: This is identical to the ranger ability of the same name.
Wild Empathy (Ex): A druid can improve the attitude of an animal, just like using Diplomacy to improve the attitude of a person. He rolls 1d20 and adds his class level and his Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.
The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of Indifferent, while wild animals are usually Unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the druid and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
A druid can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a -4 penalty on the check.
Wild Form: As a standard action, the druid can change part of his body to that of an animal - head, hands/arms, or feet/legs - which must be one into which he can wildshape. He can make armed attacks with the new form's natural weapons, as a creature of his size (claw attacks generally deal 1d6 damage and a head butt or bite attack deals 1d4 damage). A druid with an animal head can't speak or cast spells using a verbal component; one with animal hands can't hold items or cast spells with somatic or material components. Using this ability counts as a use of wildshape.[/sblock]
Mastery of Elements
[sblock]Elemental Lords are druids who attune themselves to the earth itself - they can speak to the stones, feel life flowing through the ground, and control the flows of natural energy. LIke other druids, they serve as wardens, but their purpose is different - they head off natural disasters like earthquakes, forest fires, and volcanic eruptions before they start, or control them after they've already happened (forest fires are often necessary for some trees to spread their seeds, for example). They spend much of their time alone, away from civilization, and often underground - the better to feel the ebb and flow of the earth's energy.
Control Element (Su): Three times per day, an Elemental Lord can control large amounts of elemental matter of his chosen type. In order to exert control, he must be within 5 feet per class level of the element and must be able to see or touch it. Gaining initial control of the element is a full-round action; thereafter, he must maintain concentration, and can control it for up to 1 round per class level. He can manipulate up to 10 cubic feet per class level, all of which must be touching - he can't control several separate fires, for instance.
What a druid can actually do is subject to the player's imagination and the DM's discretion. The druid could, for instance, create animals out of existing sources of fire and control their movement, or simply make a mass of fire move on its own; make the ground move (ripple, open up under someone or something, or rise), create hands to grapple or pummel, or change its consistency, turning earth into fine dust or quicksand, or stone into mud or sand. Treat a controlled elemental mass as an elemental of the same size, except that it has no hit points and cannot be damaged (but it can be dispelled).
The druid can relinquish control at any time as a free action; if he loses concentration for any reason, the element automatically becomes inert; fire constructs revert to their normal state (i.e., disperse), while earth usually remains changed (pillars of rock raised from the ground, for instance).
Elemental Form (Su): The Elemental Lord can choose an elemental form (any creature of the Elemental type with the Earth or Fire subtype) as one of his wildshape forms.
Summon Elemental (Su): Once per day, as a full-round action, an Elemental Lord can summon one Large or two Medium earth or fire elementals, provided there is a large enough source of the element nearby. The elementals follow his commands to the best of their abilities; they remain for 1 minute per class level or until killed or dismissed.[/sblock]
Mastery of Plants
[sblock] Verdant Lords are dedicated to the preservation of nature in general and plant life in specific. A brief touch can make a plant look healthier, while a little attention and a few words can make a flower bloom. They are most common in areas with heavy plant life – rain forests and jungles, or just plain forests.
Verdant Lords are never attacked by sentient plants unless the plant is attacked first or is under another person (or creature's) control. They can also move through areas of undergrowth that have been magically enchanted to impede movement, like spike growth, without taking damage or being impaired.
Control Plants (Su): Three times per day, a Verdant Lord can exert control over all nonsentient plants within 5 feet per class level. He can either maintain concentration and make them take specific actions or let them freely act on a given command.
If he concentrates, he can have the plants do anything of which they are capable – trees can move their branches to lash at or hinder opponents, vines and bushes can move to entangle foes or move out of the druid's way to provide a clear path. Plants cannot uproot themselves, however; if the druid loses his concentration, they will continue to carry out the last command given until he resumes concentration or the duration runs out.
If the druid gives a simple command, plants in the area will do their best to carry it out - again, to the limits of their abilities. As above, these commands are usually limited to hindering or killing foes – if they are hindering, each enemy must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 the druid's level + druid's Wis bonus) each round or become entangled, as the spell; even on a successful save, they take 1d4 points of damage from thorns, lashing branches, etc. If the command is given to kill, each enemy must make a Reflex save each round or take 2d6 points of damage (a successful save halves the damage; a natural 1 doubles it).
The control lasts for 1 round per class level or until the druid dismisses it; commands can be no more than 10 words long and can be changed once per round as a standard action.
Plant Shape (Su): A Verdant Lord can choose any creature of the Plant type as a form for his wild shape ability.[/sblock]
Mastery of Weather
[sblock]Stormlords are druids who have learned to control the weather (though "control" is often a misleading term – they typically "nudge" it a bit here and there to avoid drastic climate changes). They are among the most powerful of druids, able to call down lightning from a clear sky, summon or banish storms, and eventually call air elementals or other creatures of the sky.
Stormlords gain a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves vs. severe weather (this includes extremes of heat and cold), a +4 bonus to Survival checks to predict the weather, and a +2 bonus to the save DCs for all weather-related spells they cast.
Control Weather (Su): Once per day, a Stormlord can call up a specific weather phenomenon – a tornado, strong winds, lightning, a rainstorm, etc. If there is not already a storm present, it requires 5 minutes to do so. Calling lightning, high winds, or other normal phenomena from a storm is a full-round action; the druid can direct lightning strikes (up to 1 per class level, as the call lightning spell) at any target he can see within 50 feet per class level.
Shocking touch (Su): At will as a standard action, a druid can deal 1d4 points of electricity damage with his touch. There is no save against this effect. If the target is wearing/carrying a large amount of armor, it takes 1d6 points of damage, and the druid can arc the shock up to 5 feet to hit it.
Summon Stormrider (Su): Once per day, as a full-round action, a Stormlord can summon one Large or two Medium air elementals. The elementals follow his commands to the best of their abilities; they remain for 1 minute per druid level or until killed or dismissed.
Weather Resistance (Ex): Stormlords are immune to many effects of weather, due to their innate ability to control it. At first, this ability is relatively minor – a Stormlord won't get wet in a rainstorm, can move safely through a dust storm, sandstorm, or anything similar (no damage taken, and no chance of choking – this does not apply to spell effects like stinking cloud), and can call up a mild wind (up to 10 mph) at will as a standard action. In addition, he is not affected (no Fort save necessary) by any winds short of Severe, as long as he is on the ground – a druid who is flying (either from a spell, item, or polymorphed) is immune to winds up to Strong only.[/sblock]
