Rant: Flavor restrictions

[Mistwell]

I believe Monte Cook said it, and followed it up by changing the Druid Weapon rules in the Forgotten Realms setting.

 

[Aaron L]

Actually, in FR, druids of Meilikki can use any weapon a ranger can. They aren't proficient with them, but they aren't "bound by spiritual oaths" not to use them. Because the spiritual oaths idea is lame anyway.

Since when is metal an unnatural thing?

 

[bwgwl]

Since when is metal an unnatural thing?

and there's quite a lot of metal in a scimitar, anyways....

 

[Aaron L]

and there's quite a lot of metal in a scimitar, anyways....

Exactly.

 

[bwgwl]

Exactly.

i never understood why druids, a class based on Celtic folklore, are always proficient with the scimitar, a martial weapon of Arab design.

it's like giving all paladins proficiency with the katana, just because.

the argument for which weapons got selected seems to be ones that are primarily wood, but both the sickle and scimitar have a lot of metal in them -- a lot more than a spear or bow and arrow, which druids can't use.

if the restriction is weapons that are also tools (like sickles, for example), where is the agricultural flail (known in the East as nunchaku), scythe, and various other pole arms? not to mention the two most common medieval hunting weapons -- the bow and the spear.

the list just looks too arbitrary for me. IMC, i change druid weapon and armor proficiencies to all simple weapons and light armor. they can use any kind of weapon or armor without restriction, but these are the only ones they start proficient in.

 

[Jeph]

i never understood why druids, a class based on Celtic folklore, are always proficient with the scimitar, a martial weapon of Arab design.

Turkish, actually. The turks were islamic, but not arab.

I think. Maybe I'm wrong. IIRC, Arab is the ethnicity (to which the turks do not belong), and Islam is the religion (to which many turks to belong).

 

[CRGreathouse]

I always thought the Druid weapon restriction was balance based, not flavor. Has any developer actually said it was flavor, like they stated w/ the multiclassing?

Unlike monk/paladin multiclassing, I think it's balance as well as flavor. I don't think it'll throw balance too far off, though, so I'd consider it. (It hasn't come up IMC.)

 

[shurai]

I dunno, the D&D druid is so far away from Celtic druids that I don't really think that reasoning has any real merit.

I always understood the weapons restrictions for druids like this: A druid is allowed to use a few basic hunting weapons (the bow is not a basic weapon in this respect, but that's a matter of opinion). The only weapons of war they are allowed to use are those that work or look like natural animal's weapons, like teeth or claws. That's where we get the dagger, sickle, and the scimitar. I admit it is a stretch. In any case, when I DM I don't consider anything not on the weapon list in the PHB or generally considered not a weapon for its own sake to cause loss of powers. This means that druids can throw rocks all they want, since rocks aren't really weapons. They can grab a chair and crack someone over the head with it for the same reason.

That DM that caused druid ability loss, for the rock? He's a twink. Unless his DMing is pretty good otherwise, I'd stop gaming with him if you can find other group somewhere.

-S

 

[Nightfall]

Hopefully the Druids of the Titans won't have this problem...

 

[maddman75]

IMC, I those were some of the first houserules I made. A druid is proficient with the weapons listed. By multiclassing or taking feats they can learn to use others. Our group's Ranger/Druid/Deepwood sniper is an effective character, but not in any way unbalanced.

The multiclass restrictions do nothing but stop some rather interesting character concepts. How about a paladin/rogue, investigating heretics and enemies of the church? Or a monk sorcerer, who describes his spells as 'ki power' (for those of us who don't use psionics)?

they are second-editionisms made when WotC weren't sure how well the changes to the game would be recieved. No need to pay attention to them now.