I need advice as a Druid [Archive] - Wizards Community

I need advice as a Druid [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Veloth The Druid
02-13-05, 10:15 PM I just recently started playing D&D and this is my very first character. The campaign setting is this: the adventurers are trapped in a world that is actually a simulation within a magical box. Anyway, I jumped in about a good ways into the campaign and the other players don't really know much about my character and I don't know that much about him either.

I only had the vaguest idea of what I wanted when I chose an alignment and on top of that being a druid limits you to one of the neutral alignments. Also, I picked Wee Jas as a god, but I'm not really too sure about that choice now. Especially since everyone else but the DM is laughing and telling me that she's totally not the right god for a druid to worship. In the session before my last one, my character was insulted by an annoying NPC the others dealt with before. He was an arrogant lord who hated dirt and filth (a hypochondriac).

I wanted to show off, so basically I just slaughtered this guy and his two bodyguards. I was wondering if that was really evil? I mean, the guy was insulting my honor as a druid. On top of that he was probably in league with the false king who stole the throne and rules the land as a tyrant. I dunno...I'm still trying to create a background story for my character. However, all I have is that he was called to the town (mystic box) by dark forces and that he's losing his memory (I know, lame) but he has a wife back home he desperately wants to get back to. That's about it. Anyone have some advice on how I can flesh out my character?
Nuntius128
02-14-05, 05:12 PM Hmm, yeah Wee Jas isn't a good idea for a druid. Which alignment did you choose? I'd say Obad-Hai or Pelor would be good choices for Druids, Wee Jas is more for Wizards or Sorcerors, I'd say.

Killing someone in order to show off? Not only is it evil, it also isn't what a Druid would do, depending on how badly you were insulted. What did he do to insult you?

Also, background story isn't somuch about how your character became involved in the present campaign, but how your character became a Druid. Where did he grow up? What was the environment like, growing up? Violent? Peaceful? Basically, find a reason for your character to be a Druid, and work around that. And losing one's memory, while it sounds like a good idea, is strictly for roleplaying, and you'll have to think of why he is losing memory. After all, what you know and what your character knows are totally different things.
Dell Kallyan
02-14-05, 06:44 PM I played a Dwarven druid before, and he didn't kill all the gnolls insulting his beard... so yeah, most druids wouldn't kill for honor.

Anyway, I'd go with Pelor, Obad Hai, or Ehlonna as your god.

Here is a website with advice that may help you create your character:

http://www.burningvoid.com/rpg/plcharacter.php
Veloth The Druid
02-15-05, 10:17 AM Thanks for the link. I'm still uncertain about how to play it neutral though. To answer more thoroughly about why my character killed that guy, he told me that I was a "Moldy, despicable, filthy little elf." I told him to back off and that he was basically an arrogant *beep*. So he called for his two goons to beat me up, I panicked and just went to town on them. If I could get some examples of how you reacted to certain situations I would appreciate it.
Giver_of_Rings
02-15-05, 03:33 PM Wee Jas is more appropriate than Boccob perhaps. She's about as appropriate Corellon and Pelor. She's pretty apathetic just like a Druid. But depending on how Druid you feel your character should be, Errynthul is a reasonable choice as well.
Nuntius128
02-15-05, 04:26 PM I told him to back off and that he was basically an arrogant *beep*.

No, no, no, not Neutral at all. Neutral would be ignoring that. Plus, that's slightly more what a Rogue would say.
Veloth The Druid
02-15-05, 11:47 PM But aren't rogues usually neutrally aligned as well? If a rogue can insult someone, shouldn't my druid be able to?
Sang-Drax
03-03-05, 09:51 PM Well, I'd definately consider evil someone who slaughters someone else for being insulted. Evil, evil, pure evil. You might seriously consider Erythnull as your patron deity :D
thegreatbuddha
03-03-05, 11:17 PM The way it sounded to me, the guy insulted him, and then ordered the goonsquad to attack after the druid returned the insult. That's self-defense. Killing them may have beena bit far, depending on whether or not they were trying to kill the druid or not, but I'd buy it.

And yeah, Wee Jas= not a good choice on god.
RogerWilco
03-04-05, 07:44 PM Go with Obad-Hai as a god, and you sound like Chaotic Neutral I think.
Try this for some hints on roleplaying alignment:

http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/description.html

And this for gods:
http://www.crimsonspire.org/gods/domain_list.shtml

Chaotic Neutral, “Free Spirit”: A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn’t strive to protect others’ freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it.

Just think the tree's are your only true friends, eveeryone else is just a nuisance or something like that.
SmiloDan
03-06-05, 07:43 PM Wee Jas sounds like a very interesting choice for a druid. Druids are dedicated to the natural world, and the natural world is cyclical. One of the points on that cycle is Death. Wee Jas is a deity of death and magic, and druids are magical and also deal with death. Don't they have Finger of Death or whatever on their spell list?

LN is really appropriate for a druid that is organized or analytical about nature. Maybe more like a biologist than a hippy.

I play a druid that doesn't get to spend a lot of time communing with nature because he is on the run from his evil family, and is on a mission to save the world. But his drive to save the world is more about him needing a place to live than a noble feeling of rescuing people or preserving nature.
Sobek
03-06-05, 07:45 PM If your Chaotic Nuetral insulting him back was ok but killing his guards is a no no... just incapacitate them, when you beat them up badly and they are laying on the floor groaning that Lord will have some more respect, killing people that someone else ordered to attack you is not very nuetral, especially if you have no bad blood.
tiercel
03-08-05, 10:20 PM First of all, welcome. There's a lot to keep track of in terms of rules, and figuring out how to play the *character* (not just the rules) can be even more challenging, and more rewarding.

I understand, as a new player and character, this reaction to an antagonistic NPC (and the need to "prove yourself" to the other players and characters). If the goons were trying to kill, rather than subdue, then I'd say you weren't out of line at all. If the goons were just going to rough you up a bit, then... yeah, maybe, a bit out of line. But heck, we all make mistakes.

As for the choice of god/dess... I guess it would be interesting to know what made you think of Wee Jas in the first place. She is certainly an *unconventional* choice for a druid, but there is no reason you couldn't really make that work for you. As SmiloDan has pointed out, death is a part of the cycle of nature. Perhaps your druid is particularly fascinated by the natural power of death and destruction -- after all, are not many druid spells the calling of lightning and fire, the poison of the predator, the turning of claw and root against those who trespass against nature itself? You could even work this into a LN, icy demeanor partially explaining the incident with this guy who set his goons upon you:

NPC fop: "Eww, grody! What a moldy, despicable, filthy little elf! Out of my way you peon!"

Your druid: "Arrogant fool. You know not of which you speak - the all-encompassing presence of Nature, and Her touch bringing death and thereby rebirth to all things."

NPC fop: "How... how dare you! Guards! Guards! Crush this impudent little filth and drive it from my sight!"

Your druid: "Very well. Obviously you are badly in need of renewal and wish to learn firsthand. Come, then, and prepare to meet my Dark Mistress." *begins gathering fire and lightning in a crackling nimbus of power*

...because walking on the line between Good and Evil is so very fun... and so very dangerous.... heh, heh, heh.

(This may not have been your reasoning *at the time*... but you could rationalize it after the fact this way...)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Veloth The Druid 02-13-05, 10:15 PM	I just recently started playing D&D and this is my very first character. The campaign setting is this: the adventurers are trapped in a world that is actually a simulation within a magical box. Anyway, I jumped in about a good ways into the campaign and the other players don't really know much about my character and I don't know that much about him either. I only had the vaguest idea of what I wanted when I chose an alignment and on top of that being a druid limits you to one of the neutral alignments. Also, I picked Wee Jas as a god, but I'm not really too sure about that choice now. Especially since everyone else but the DM is laughing and telling me that she's totally not the right god for a druid to worship. In the session before my last one, my character was insulted by an annoying NPC the others dealt with before. He was an arrogant lord who hated dirt and filth (a hypochondriac). I wanted to show off, so basically I just slaughtered this guy and his two bodyguards. I was wondering if that was really evil? I mean, the guy was insulting my honor as a druid. On top of that he was probably in league with the false king who stole the throne and rules the land as a tyrant. I dunno...I'm still trying to create a background story for my character. However, all I have is that he was called to the town (mystic box) by dark forces and that he's losing his memory (I know, lame) but he has a wife back home he desperately wants to get back to. That's about it. Anyone have some advice on how I can flesh out my character?
Nuntius128 02-14-05, 05:12 PM	Hmm, yeah Wee Jas isn't a good idea for a druid. Which alignment did you choose? I'd say Obad-Hai or Pelor would be good choices for Druids, Wee Jas is more for Wizards or Sorcerors, I'd say. Killing someone in order to show off? Not only is it evil, it also isn't what a Druid would do, depending on how badly you were insulted. What did he do to insult you? Also, background story isn't somuch about how your character became involved in the present campaign, but how your character became a Druid. Where did he grow up? What was the environment like, growing up? Violent? Peaceful? Basically, find a reason for your character to be a Druid, and work around that. And losing one's memory, while it sounds like a good idea, is strictly for roleplaying, and you'll have to think of why he is losing memory. After all, what you know and what your character knows are totally different things.
Dell Kallyan 02-14-05, 06:44 PM	I played a Dwarven druid before, and he didn't kill all the gnolls insulting his beard... so yeah, most druids wouldn't kill for honor. Anyway, I'd go with Pelor, Obad Hai, or Ehlonna as your god. Here is a website with advice that may help you create your character: http://www.burningvoid.com/rpg/plcharacter.php
Veloth The Druid 02-15-05, 10:17 AM	Thanks for the link. I'm still uncertain about how to play it neutral though. To answer more thoroughly about why my character killed that guy, he told me that I was a "Moldy, despicable, filthy little elf." I told him to back off and that he was basically an arrogant beep. So he called for his two goons to beat me up, I panicked and just went to town on them. If I could get some examples of how you reacted to certain situations I would appreciate it.
Giver_of_Rings 02-15-05, 03:33 PM	Wee Jas is more appropriate than Boccob perhaps. She's about as appropriate Corellon and Pelor. She's pretty apathetic just like a Druid. But depending on how Druid you feel your character should be, Errynthul is a reasonable choice as well.
Nuntius128 02-15-05, 04:26 PM	I told him to back off and that he was basically an arrogant beep. No, no, no, not Neutral at all. Neutral would be ignoring that. Plus, that's slightly more what a Rogue would say.
Veloth The Druid 02-15-05, 11:47 PM	But aren't rogues usually neutrally aligned as well? If a rogue can insult someone, shouldn't my druid be able to?
Sang-Drax 03-03-05, 09:51 PM	Well, I'd definately consider evil someone who slaughters someone else for being insulted. Evil, evil, pure evil. You might seriously consider Erythnull as your patron deity :D
thegreatbuddha 03-03-05, 11:17 PM	The way it sounded to me, the guy insulted him, and then ordered the goonsquad to attack after the druid returned the insult. That's self-defense. Killing them may have beena bit far, depending on whether or not they were trying to kill the druid or not, but I'd buy it. And yeah, Wee Jas= not a good choice on god.
RogerWilco 03-04-05, 07:44 PM	Go with Obad-Hai as a god, and you sound like Chaotic Neutral I think. Try this for some hints on roleplaying alignment: http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/description.html And this for gods: http://www.crimsonspire.org/gods/domain_list.shtml Chaotic Neutral, “Free Spirit”: A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn’t strive to protect others’ freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it. Just think the tree's are your only true friends, eveeryone else is just a nuisance or something like that.
SmiloDan 03-06-05, 07:43 PM	Wee Jas sounds like a very interesting choice for a druid. Druids are dedicated to the natural world, and the natural world is cyclical. One of the points on that cycle is Death. Wee Jas is a deity of death and magic, and druids are magical and also deal with death. Don't they have Finger of Death or whatever on their spell list? LN is really appropriate for a druid that is organized or analytical about nature. Maybe more like a biologist than a hippy. I play a druid that doesn't get to spend a lot of time communing with nature because he is on the run from his evil family, and is on a mission to save the world. But his drive to save the world is more about him needing a place to live than a noble feeling of rescuing people or preserving nature.
Sobek 03-06-05, 07:45 PM	If your Chaotic Nuetral insulting him back was ok but killing his guards is a no no... just incapacitate them, when you beat them up badly and they are laying on the floor groaning that Lord will have some more respect, killing people that someone else ordered to attack you is not very nuetral, especially if you have no bad blood.
tiercel 03-08-05, 10:20 PM	First of all, welcome. There's a lot to keep track of in terms of rules, and figuring out how to play the character (not just the rules) can be even more challenging, and more rewarding. I understand, as a new player and character, this reaction to an antagonistic NPC (and the need to "prove yourself" to the other players and characters). If the goons were trying to kill, rather than subdue, then I'd say you weren't out of line at all. If the goons were just going to rough you up a bit, then... yeah, maybe, a bit out of line. But heck, we all make mistakes. As for the choice of god/dess... I guess it would be interesting to know what made you think of Wee Jas in the first place. She is certainly an unconventional choice for a druid, but there is no reason you couldn't really make that work for you. As SmiloDan has pointed out, death is a part of the cycle of nature. Perhaps your druid is particularly fascinated by the natural power of death and destruction -- after all, are not many druid spells the calling of lightning and fire, the poison of the predator, the turning of claw and root against those who trespass against nature itself? You could even work this into a LN, icy demeanor partially explaining the incident with this guy who set his goons upon you: NPC fop: "Eww, grody! What a moldy, despicable, filthy little elf! Out of my way you peon!" Your druid: "Arrogant fool. You know not of which you speak - the all-encompassing presence of Nature, and Her touch bringing death and thereby rebirth to all things." NPC fop: "How... how dare you! Guards! Guards! Crush this impudent little filth and drive it from my sight!" Your druid: "Very well. Obviously you are badly in need of renewal and wish to learn firsthand. Come, then, and prepare to meet my Dark Mistress." begins gathering fire and lightning in a crackling nimbus of power ...because walking on the line between Good and Evil is so very fun... and so very dangerous.... heh, heh, heh. (This may not have been your reasoning at the time... but you could rationalize it after the fact this way...)