Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Master_Vega 10-24-07, 04:01 PM	I'm creating a fun NPC for an upcoming game and I thought I'd make something different. When my players hear "Druid" they think "Hippie with nature-magic"... I want to know if it's even possible to come up with a "right-wing" (leave politics out of the thread, please) druid, because I find the idea absolutely hilarious. Hypothetical scene: Lumberjack: chopping at a tree* PC: *looks at the druid, who isn't phased at all* Aren't you going to rant about how he's abusing nature or something? Druid: *blinks, shocked* ... Are you insane? That tree's been dead for three years! It's a fire hazard! PC: Uh, what? Druid: Look, I revere mother nature an' all that, but did you hear what happened to Brook's forest? PC: Brooks forest? Druid: Yeah! The guy chased all the people away from it, and when lightning struck the forest it went up like a pile of matches! PC: ... Hypothetical scene 2: Gnome NPC: *not bothering to look up from his tinkering, speaks sarcasticly* I suppose you're here to whine to us about our buildings, built from the logs of the forest? The last druid did that; he earned himself the ire of the entire town, too. Druid: *smiles* Not at all, friend. Thinking races are as natural as nature herself. Ants build nests by digging into the earth, termites by hollowing trees, birds by gathering twigs. Why would I harass you for taking trees and building your own nests? Neither of the hypothetical scenes will probably happen, but similar things might. The druid's attitude towards civilization will be that it is a product of human (or other species') nature, and thus perfectly fine by him. So long as civilization does not actively fight against nature, or do something so foolish as to over-hunt on a near-genocidal level. His thought process on man vs. nature is more "Man has to take care of nature" instead of "Man ruins nature and should stop fiddling with it". What sort of background would inspire such a druid? Perhaps he was a cleric to begin with? Any other ideas? Thanks in advance!
Puritan13 10-24-07, 05:13 PM	"Hey, that guy needs wood too. Even if the tree's still alive, and it looks like it is, he still has to have shelter." "I don't care that the guy killed a defenseless bunny. He needs to eat! You ever wonder what I do when I turn into a tiger and leave camp for a while? Yeah, I eat bunnies." "Well guys, I went to the zoo and checked it out like you suggested. I talked with the animals, and we agree: They've never had it so good. Three square, shelter from the rain, fresh water daily, no predation... Whats not to love?" *points at his mage companion* "Neat little side effect of your fireball is that it set fire to some of the forest. Which is a good thing, some of these seeds will only germinate during a fire. Nice going. As a matter of fact, if you could, would you mind sending a couple more fireballs off in the directions I point out?" "Yeah, I see that he's selling fur. I guess I better talk with him." *goes and talks to the guy for a few moments* "He says the best place to get fur is up north. I'll double check with some by talking with some critters when we get outside the city." Some of these are only what you're telling the party. In my last example, you may ask the guy not to overhunt an area. But really, most experienced hunters already know that. All in all though, I think you already have a clear idea of what you're going for. Your examples show that. As far as background: Maybe he was raised near a dwarven settlement that his mentor had formed a tight friendship with. He saw how his mentor would show the dwarves the best trees to chop down to suit their needs, and then the next day go around planting seeds and making the trees grow rapidly enough to restore the forest. In exchange, the dwarves offered added protection from evil humanoids and other bad guys he may have come across.
Master_Vega 10-24-07, 06:58 PM	I really like the quotes. Those ones will certainly raise eyebrows if they ever come up. :P The background idea is cool as well. Thanks for the help! Anyone else have ideas for this character?
Terjon of the Blue Rose 10-25-07, 12:45 AM	I'd say the zoo is a bit over the top. Other than that it's all good. For a background consider a circle of druids who live in human civilization. They probably have churchs and the whole lot where they lead their herds and the people enjoy having them around to help fend off the worst of weathers and keep the crops flowing. In exchange they listen to and respect the druids' laws on how to keep from overtly harming the natural world. There are plenty of churches that mix clerics and druids for this effect including Chauntea and the like.
Puritan13 10-25-07, 10:14 AM	I could see the zoo being a bit over the top if the animals were being abused.
Uberwoot 10-25-07, 01:52 PM	The analogy to your character would be a paladin who doesn't play as awful stupid: yes, it's very possible, and in fact represents what I believe to be the most realistic interpretation of its respective class. The alternative is the most clear path to the insane villainous zealot, and yet many players can't envision the characters any other way. As for a backstory, I would be inclined more toward Terjon's suggestion, with one reservation: his use of the word "civilization" implies something a bit larger, whereas I would definitely set the character's pre-adult life in a smaller frontier type town with plenty of subsistence farming- the residents of such a place are far more subject to the ravages of weather and the wild. Oh, and instead of an organized church, I would go with a village mystic- someone people in the area visit for help with any of a number of things, including things a reasonably-low-leveled druid can't really do (at least according to the rules), but might make a show of doing for the purpose of satisfying their clientele (rituals to ensure good luck, blessings to increase the likelihood of a child of a particular gender, etc). And you? His apprentice. /woot
munchlord 10-26-07, 08:45 AM	well that sounds kinda like the mindset of the trolls from a setting I'm brewing up. Be a part of nature instead of trying not effect it with anything but protection. If you need some firewood or some logs for a shelter then go chop some but not more than you need. If you are hungry then go shoot a deer, and while you are at it make something useful out of its hide and bones... Cool!
INeedNoSalt 10-27-07, 01:08 AM	I'm playing a druid who couldn't care less about nature. <<
ghastcow 10-27-07, 04:58 PM	Your from a long line of Druids, and your father was sent to the bustling, urban capital as a representative of an ancient Druid enclave. He taught you his ways and passed down the knowledge of his ancestors, but, as you grew up in the city, your connection to nature is not perhaps as strong and your views more progressive. You see within man the machinations of nature - the day laborers are bees and the city a great hive, and just as the bee relies upon nature to provide the resources for both honey and hive, so too does man. The older guard is far too conservative and rigid in their views (they believe that man and nature are two separate, opposed entities) and you seek to change that. You make little to no distinction between the great forests and bustling cities, each teems with life and each a beautiful edifice to nature, in all its forms. If you want to be good: needless destruction is your greatest evil, and the preservation of nature and man is your greatest priority. You walk a fine line, however, as you are forced to distinguish between destruction and construction If you want to be evil: death and rebirth is the endless cycle which occurs throughout nature, by destroying you see yourself as encouraging rebirth and regeneration - this includes within humans and nature. The weak must be destroyed in order for the stronger to thrive. I hope this helped! Good luck!
JulesCARV 10-27-07, 11:50 PM	Frankly, I've grown tired enough of the refrain "druids don't have to be tree-hugging hippies!" that I actually want to play a druid who is a tree-hugging hippie.
albinomonkeyking 10-28-07, 02:35 AM	My buddy played a warforged druid with a giant beetle animal companion. He wore wooden armor and had branches that looked like antlers strapped to his head. He also carried around a stick becuase he thought Shillelagh was the funniest spell ever. I miss him.
Monkeys Po0p in your MiLk 10-29-07, 03:02 AM	What if your druid was an agriculture professor that realized he could teach more people if he left the class room rather then be stuck inside a college all day; of coarse that's with the assuming that there are institutes of higher learning around.
jdhartucus 11-03-07, 10:26 PM	It should be a "left-wing" druid, as that would imply a liberal non traditional view of druidism. A "right-wing" druid would belong to the group that held onto the conventional standard tenents of the druidic order.
Master_Vega 11-04-07, 01:27 AM	It should be a "left-wing" druid, as that would imply a liberal non traditional view of druidism. A "right-wing" druid would belong to the group that held onto the conventional standard tenents of the druidic order. *sighs* I believe you missed the point; I said "right-wing" as in the United States conservative view (particularly the man>animals part), particularly because it's easier to say "right-wing" and have everyone understand right away than to explain something that won't do anything to improve the thread. The view the druid holds will not be called either in-character because "right-wing" and "left-wing" just don't fit in a fantasy setting. Come to think of it, I haven't heard the term used (in a non-inflammatory manner) to describe anything outside the United States conservatives. ... But this thread isn't about that, and I don't want it devolving into a political flame-debate. Thanks everyone for your input! I'll be sure to consider all of the options posted here before I decide on the character's background. ^_^
Aloki 11-07-07, 05:37 PM	You know, that's kinda weird, because this is always how I play my druid characters. Then again he was chaotic neutral... And made a gnome cut his finger off on a demonic sign... (don't ask)... Oh well, but yeah. And his background was pretty awesome. He was orphaned when he was a baby, he was found by a dryad, and was raised so until he was about 10 or so. There happened to be a group of elven druids checking on the forest, she noticed that we look alike (he was an elf), and thought that she wasn't the best mother. So, in short, he was a born druid, and just thought that since everything is natural, everything needs shelter, and everything needs to eat. But he would hurt someone if they just started to chop at a tree. Or randomly start killing animals for no reason.
Mjollnir88 11-11-07, 11:15 PM	I think a western cowboy/rancher might be a good model for such a character. Alot of knowledge and respect for nature's power, with a less hippie mentality. Reference the works of Jack London.
FearTheBat 11-11-07, 11:46 PM	You could take the view of someone who adheres very closely to Darwinian principles, survival of the fittest, adapt to survive, that sort of thing, and apply it in just about every situation. People with each other, people with nature, animals with each other, everything. Actually, that's how my current druid sees the world.