D&D General What is Druidism in your game?

[Maxperson]

On a more serious note, you could say that a druid's magic is from the same source as fey magic, and thus druids refuse to encase themselves in iron as it is disruptive to their magic.

So it's okay to wear mithril, copper, bronze, adamantine, etc. armor?

 

[Laurefindel]

So it's okay to wear mithril, copper, bronze, adamantine, etc. armor?

Smiths won't tell you that, but all of those metals are the same thing with a different coat of paint! Don't tell anyone! If they realize this, their mythril armor will suddenly become much heavier and adamentine will become much more brittle!

 

[Azzy]

So it's okay to wear mithril, copper, bronze, adamantine, etc. armor?

Sure, if you're completely intent on gaming the fluff, why not? You'll need to find such items or someone who can craft them (working with one metal doesn't mean you're good at all others). Copper will be too soft to be really effective (may have an AC penalty). Bronze may be hard to get and/or expensive (depending on where/whether it's mined and the trade routes you gave to go through). Mithril and adamantine are treated like magic items. Etc.

I mean, is the point coming up with some fluff to give reason to the rule or are we looking to totally shut down players?

 

[Maxperson]

Sure, if you're completely intent on gaming the fluff, why not? You'll need to find such items or someone who can craft them (working with one metal doesn't mean you're good at all others). Copper will be too soft to be really effective (may have an AC penalty). Bronze may be hard to get and/or expensive (depending on where/whether it's mined and the trade routes you gave to go through). Mithril and adamantine are treated like magic items. Etc.

I mean, is the point coming up with some fluff to give reason to the rule or are we looking to totally shut down players?

First off, what I said was just a joke

Secondly, the way I run it is that the taboo is just that, a strong fluff, taboo. If a druid has a valid in game reason to violate that taboo, go for it. There may or may not be in-fiction consequences, but they aren't going to cease being a druid simply for violating a fluff taboo.

 

[Voadam]

In my homebrew mashup I use a lot of Golarion aspects so the Kellid ethnicity is a common one in many areas and they are a fantasy Celt/Cimmerian ethnicity.

I often have strains of druidism being fairly strong among the Kellids.

So in my Holy Lothian Empire imperial province of Ustalav where Kellids are a rustic conquered underclass druidism is an older indigenous faith that the imperial henotheistic state church at times has tolerated and persecuted, associating it at times with rustic superstitions, demons, old ones, and witches.

For my Ustalavan Kellids druidic faith tradition mostly comes down to a Wheel of Time type of belief in reincarnation, a respect for druids as advisors and people of power, a bit of reverence for nature and fey and maybe some specific cultural gods, and some seasonal holiday traditions. They might be good Lothian's who also keep older traditions alive alongside the empire's ascended paladin god. When I ran my 5e Carrion Crown adventure path game in Ustalav druidism was mostly a background setting element fitting into prejudices and divides that were themes in the gothic horror game.

For my Numenerian Kellid tribal lands outside of the Empire's borders where my current 5e adventure path campaign is set the Kellids are the majority and Druidism is a strong cultural factor. In this part of my setting I had the Werewolf druid character so Druidism has a strong White Wolf Werewolf the Apocalypse kinfolk aspect to it. Spirit Realms, Totem spirits, spirit challenges and pacts, the fight against the Wyrm, distrust of the Weaver, werewolves patroning Kellids and driving some of the beliefs. A lot of the White Wolf stuff fits in easily in a D&D context and makes druidism have some hooks to roleplay out and riff off of.

 

[Voadam]

I preferred 3e where it spelled out what happens if a druid wears metal armor

"A druid who wears prohibited armor or carries a prohibited shield is unable to cast druid spells or use any of her supernatural or spell-like class abilities while doing so and for 24 hours thereafter."

You could then at least build out fluff for the defined mechanic such as it being a geasa with supernatural consquences for breaking the taboo.

Otherwise you are stuck with the older edition issue of what happens when Gandalf the Wizard picks up a sword and swings it at a goblin? If wizards can only use staves and daggers the DM is left on their own to come up with both mechanical impacts and narrative explanation.

 

[Tonguez]

So it's okay to wear mithril, copper, bronze, adamantine, etc. armor?

Just as D&D Acid covers all kinds of Corrosive substances whether Acidic or Alkali, all regular metals in D&D are Iron even if they're not ...

 

[Maxperson]

Just as D&D Acid covers all kinds of Corrosive substances whether Acidic or Alkali, all regular metals in D&D are Iron even if they're not ...

No.

 

[Azzy]

First off, what I said was just a joke

Sorry.

 

[Flamestrike]

a mystery to me, I have never really gotten how druids get magic but I like them more than clerics.

From nature, animistic energy etc.

Mages get access via logical understanding of the forces of magic, bending it their will with incantations, and Druid get it from their connection to nature and the fay/animistic spirits within. Clerics get it via a connection to a deity or the simple power of their faith, and Sorcerers have access to it via (effectively) inherent mutant powers, and with little thought attached.