Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mordriana the Blood 09-19-03, 02:34 PM	So anyway, a friend of mine decided to start a 3.5 campaign. At first, he said it was just going to be a hack-and-slash type of campaign, just going through many of the modules that Wizards has on their site. Without much thought, I decided to play a druid, simply because I had never played one before. But now, my friend has decided that he wants to get serious and turn it into a full-fledged campaign. He wants us to write detailed backgrounds for our characters. Silly me, because I picked my character class so casually, I am now in a complete quandry about writing a character background. So I was wondering if anyone had any interesting ideas or thoughts on possible druid backgrounds. I'm looking for something besides the "always had an affinity for the forest, so he just wandered off into the woods one day and became a druid." Here's the details of my druid so far: His name is Brynmor of Aspenwood and is a NG Human druid. His animal companion is a wolverine (named Logan. Shows how serious I thought this campaign would be) and he wields a longspear. Thanks in advance.
Cheantoa 09-19-03, 04:00 PM	Ahem - The absolute easiest way to throw a curveball with a druid is not to come from a forest. But what's done is done. He was the overzealous student of a Wise Man (Read druid of village/tribe) who wanted to go out and make a difference in the world, so he left his village with a group of other adventurous people who just happened to be passing through. His village (In or on edge of) a forest was destroyed/deserted, and your character never left (like everyone else)whilst the forest claimed it, and they just stayed there until they were a Man of the forest. Elhonna (or whatever his diety is) appeared to him and said 'Go do something with your life.' That's some of the variation I can think of for a forest druid. However, druids of forest are, connected spiritually to the forest, and like the forest (or at least an aspect of nature in it).
Morka 09-19-03, 04:55 PM	Brynmor's father was a rich marchand, often in travel to sell things in exotics lands. On his 10th birthday, Brynmor left his village for the very first time to go with his father's caravan. At mid-road, the caravan was attacked by orcs (or any other villain tribe). Most of the guards are quickly killed, but the caravan is saved by a group of druids from Aspenwood. Mortally injured, Brynmor's father ask the druids to take care of his son. A few years pass and Brynmor learn of the way of the druids. But at the age of 16, he learns a terrible truth. He was following some other druids when they spot some orcs in ambush along the road. Instead of quickly dispatching the orcs, the druids wait that a caravan comes, let the orcs attack and kill some guard, and only then the druids start to attack the orcs. They say it was to preserve the balance between humans and orcs. But Brynmor didn't care about balance. He understood the druids were there when his father's caravan was attacked, and they were waiting a few humans to fall before helping them, in order to preserve the balance. They let his father die. Brynmor of Aspenwood left this druid grove, and start wandering, not knowing what to do. Should he avenge his father? Should he return to the civilization?
TheBlackBart 09-21-03, 07:58 PM	A sequel to the previous post... Brynmor, enraged from the actions of his fellow druids, ran of on his own. He tought of all he learned, of the soon to come ceremony through wich he would pronounce his vows and become a full-fledged druid. Could he still be a druid now? He tought of going to the city nearby, but cities made him uncomfortable now. He decided he'd stay in the forest that night. He dreamed of his deity, who told him the following words: "You must learn the need for Balance." He woke up. How could his deity condone the actions of his fellow druids? Unable to sleep anymore, he resume his walk in the dark. Eventualy, he heard the cries of an animal, a wolverine mother and her babies. She was wounded in a trap, but escaped. Yet, Brynmor had no doubt that she would die, unless he would cast a healing spell to save her. And her kids couldn't survive on their own, so they would die too. Problem is, until he'd pronounce his vows, he couldn't cast any spells. He then made his choice. He called to his deity, pleading that he/she would let him save the wolverine. Nothing happened, and the wolverine mother died. Brynmor left, his heart crushed. His faith wasn't strong enough. He start walking away, but one of the babies followed him. Brynmor thought: "I couldn't save the mother, but I can save the babies." And, in the months that followed, he took care of them. Predators ate their mother, and Brynmor let them, she was dead after all. And thus Brynmor learned balance, and his deity smiled on him. And so he wouldn't forget, one of the wolverine was given as a companion to Brynmor, the one one he named Logan (you might want to change the name). It's not very good, I know. I'm a bit tired. Hope it helps anyway.
stembolt 09-22-03, 02:25 AM	Curveballs are so standard now that they are the new stereotype. A better idea is to play a classic background combined with some new ideas. Ideas why you are a druid: Parent or parent figure was a druid Always admired and respected a druid Had aptitude and was recruited by a druid Was in training for one job (like being a woods guide) and discover druid training Interesting tweaks to the character: Belongs to an order devoted to protecting one or more holy sites Is part of a scholarly tradition of Druids Is the local weapon specialist druid Teaches the apprentice druids You see not all ideas have to be weird for the sake of weird