Just curious about it.
Just a couple of ideas, but overall, I think a cleric might be better for Sargonnas.
Originally posted by EmperorYan
I'm not quite sure if this can work out... Wouldn't a Druid by default have to Worship one of the nature deities and not be able too have Sargonnas as their god without something happening to the Druid levels/powers/abilities?
Just curious about it.
Druids in Dragonlance worship one of the three nature deities:
Habbakuk (good druids)
Chislev (neutral druids)
Zeboim (evil druids)
Habbakuk is the god of the birds and beasts. That is reflected a lot in the druids shapechanging ability. Chislev is the personification of nature itself. But Zeboim doesn't seem to be a good choice for a third.
I think the real question is, what do you want for druids if you don't want aquatic based adventures?
For my own games I just make Chislev the patroness of druids of all three alignments (since they have to be neutral anyway). I still think that mystics would be a more ideal solution (given that druids didn't vanish during the Age of Despair) but this is also nice and neat.
Each pantheon does have a "back up" deity, if needed, for druids. Good has Branchala, neutrality has Zivilyn, and evil has Morgion. This isn't official, but there's ample evidence to include those deities.
Sargonnas, though, would make a fairly lousy patron of druids. Unless they were dark dwarf druids who focused on volcanic regions and fire, or something.
Cheers,
Cam
Hmm...wouldn't they be more like an anti-druid, or the anti-thesis of a druid?
To have a druid of Morgion...I think you'd have to make a new "class." Like the Blackguard is different from the Paladin.
Some druids feel that nature should be bending to their wills and thus the evil druids.
While Zeboim is concerned with the sea, she also represents the dark aspect of nature. I know that Jeff Grubb has said something to this effect as well.
Remember, gods aren't just one-trick ponies! Habbakuk, for example, is a god who may have both rangers and Knights of the Crown as his followers.
Originally posted by Brimstone
Hmm...wouldn't they be more like an anti-druid, or the anti-thesis of a druid?
Nope. Famine, disease and rot are all natural processes which occur as part of the cycle of life. Chislev embraces all of it, but Morgion has his clerics (and druids, if such are allowed in the campaign) focus only on those aspects.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Cam Banks
Druids only have to have a neutral component to their alignments, and can freely be good, evil, lawful or chaotic otherwise. Chislev is unlikely to have good or evil druids - hers would all be neutral.
Cheers,
Cam
Well, some evil bakali worship chislev, and would probably have evil druid among their ranks. But I guess this is the exception to the rule.
Originally posted by Baron the Curse
Well, some evil bakali worship chislev, and would probably have evil druid among their ranks. But I guess this is the exception to the rule.
Do they now?
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Cam Banks
Druids only have to have a neutral component to their alignments, and can freely be good, evil, lawful or chaotic otherwise. Chislev is unlikely to have good or evil druids - hers would all be neutral.
I think if Chislev is unconcerned with human morality and the good vs. evil axis, being basically the incarnation of nature. Thus, she probably freely has good, evil and true neutral druids to represent different aspects of her personality. Some other neutral dieties probably have evil clerics as well such as Reorx (among the dark dwarves), or Sirrion. I imagine that Gilean and Zivilyn are the most likely to have an entirely "true neutral" clergy making it very tiny.
(Question, if the Aesthetics are not clerics, what do clerics of Gilean do? I wouldn't make sense to make them lorekeepers and chroniclers.. what's the point of that when we are so adamant about keeping clerical powers out of the Aesthetic order?)
Shinare probably has good or neutral clerics but very few evil ones, since Hiddukel would offer a better deal. Lunitari of course, has neutral, chaotic neutral and lawful neutral wizards, but she allows her wizards to train under or to teach wizards of all alignments.
While normal druids aren't required to worship a god, Dragonlance druids are part of the general clergy, though they do specialize on a few functions. While I believe that their list of deities is shorter than that of a cleric, I believe that there are a few options for druids who worship other gods, and they can even have different alignments, or motivations within the same alignment. Here are just a few of my thoughts on the matter.
Habakkuk - This one seems to be the general call for most Neutral Good druids, though I'm not sure why, really. Habakkite druids would, in my opinion, be more focused on animals than on nature as a whole, probably preferring to spend most of their efforts studying and preserving animal life. Neutral or Lawful Neutral druids of Habakkuk might spend a great deal of time trying to find ways to better protect those who travel in the forest from the ravages of beasts such as Dire animals. Personally, I can't really see why anyone would want to pick Hab as a god, but hey, to each their own.
Chislev - Ah, now here's the one that I think all druids should at least pay homage to. Chislev is not only the embodiment of nature, she's also the goddess of instinct. Any druid who would consider themselves a 'pure' or 'traditional' druid probably started out among Chislev's followers. She can support a druid of any alignment allowed (that is, Neutral Good, Lawful Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, True Neutral, or Neutral Evil).
NG - NG druids of Chislev would be primarily concerned with maintaining peace and harmony within nature itself.
LN - LN druids of Chislev would serve as the enforcers of the Druidic Code, judges among the Circles themselves. They're the ones charged with not only maintaining the proper balance among the druids, but of nature as a whole, ensuring that both outsiders and druids alike respect nature. LN druids can be calm and collected, or can have all the fury of a raging storm, depending on the circumstances. Personally, I play a LN druid of Chislev more than any other, because of the sheer versatility with which the alignment and the god provide for Roleplaying.
CN - CN druids of Chislev are more likely to embrace the wild side of their own natures, living at one with the forests and the denizens thereof. They'll probably care very little for the cities as a whole, distancing themselves from it whenever possible to embrace the more feral aspects of their nature.
TN - True Neutral druids of Chislev are one part civilized, one part wild. They feel at ease wherever, and are as close to an animal as you can get. Embracing living by instinct without taking sides, True Neutral druids of Chislev are probably going to be rarely seen unless there is some dire need for them to be, preferring to observe from a distance and stay well out of the affairs of others.
NE - NE druids of Chislev are going to be savage and ferocious types, the Alpha (Fe)Male of their respective 'pack'. Caring very little for things like diplomacy, they use the 'might makes right' principle in everything they do. They are likely to be extremely territorial, engaging anyone who happens to be unlucky enough to venture into their 'domain'.
Zeboim - Zeboim's druids are most likely the ones that the Circles call upon when some darker deed needs doing. NE druids of Zeboim are probably the aspect of some sort of small, venemous animal. Sneaking in and doing the dirty work to purify the circle and ensure that the cycle continues.
Morgion - Ah, Morgion. Now here's a versatile god for a druid. Pesilence and plague are very much a natural part of the world, and it would seem to me that Morgion would have his own following of true druids and blighters. Blighters would want to see to it that old things and weak things die so that the strong and the new can continue to thrive. While true druids and blighters of Morgion might not see eye-to-eye, and in fact are probably at odds with each other more than one might think, Morgion is, as a whole, a god that offers druids a lot.
Sirrion - The god of passion and fire. Druids are the masters of natural forces, and being close to nature tends to make you less reserved than those of the cities. While Sirrion is a natural choice for some druids, especially those that focus on spells that manipulate natural forces, such as Sphere of Flame or Elemental Blade, his following would be somewhat smaller than the other gods mentioned here, I would think.
Zivilyn - Zivilyn is more a god for those philosophical druids, those that like to sit back and observe the beaty and harmony of nature as a whole. Zivilyn, while not a popular choice for druids, focuses more on the changing aspects of the world, and less on the sheer, raw instinct of those more feral druids, like those of Zeboim or Chislev. A good choice if you're going for the Old Druid Sage.
Sargonnas - All in all, I would say that Sargonnas is a poor choice for druids, though some can find a place within his service. The ones that pop to mind right away are the more militant druids, those that feel that the cities and civilization in general are a defilement to nature, and wish to see them torn down brick by brick. The wrath of a druid is something that you shouldn't take lightly at all, and if you're that kind of druid, what better deity than Sargonnas?
Mishakal - Mishakal to a druid would be the power of restoration, and also the embodiment of the seasons, in a sense. She represents the godly power of healing, of growth and development, and also the coming of spring after the long winter, the reappearance of life. While she's going to be a fairly small percentage of the druid following, I think that she'll have a healthy respect from most all of them.
Reorx - Now here's a god with a small following, but Reorx could have his own posse of druids, shapers of nature. Those druids that seek to shape the natural world in harmony with the cities to the betterment of all would at least have a decent opinion of Reorx, whether or not he's their primary deity or not.
Branchala - Druids who serve Branchala would probaly be more focused on the beauty of nature and of the creatures therein, so I can't see a whole lot of druids mainly following this god, though I'm sure that there are some who focus on this aspect of nature more than any other.
The Moons - Druids have a respect for nature, and as such, I'm sure that mroe than one of them pays at least lip-service homage to the moons, since they're both natural aspects and the gods of magic, even though the magic they teach is foreign to the druid thinking on Dragonlance. I'm sure that out of all the lesser deities on a druids list, at least one of the moons make their top three.
Now of course, there are other druids, and other gods. As you can see, the god a druid follows mainly depends on their outlook. It matters very little for the druid's powers, unlike a cleric, and therefore the god they choose can be practically any one with some tie-in to nature. The god that a druid follows probably has more to do with the druid's personal agenda, and less about the god's. Druids come in a lot of different outlooks and ideals, 5 alignments who all share similar goals, but are wildly different, even amonst the same alignment (look at the possibilities for Chislev or Morgion, if you don't believe me. I'm sure that as you read this you thought of a few more things that druids in there could do). So as you can see, I personally think it matters very little who a druid follows, as the power is the same. It's mainly from an RP perspective that you would have to pick a god, as it more personifies your agenda than theirs.
But I've ranted long enough. Just thought I would try and put my two cents in there, but feel free to make up your own minds. :D
The Ashwalker, Druid of Firebringer (fire domain)
Sargonnas knows the value of natural resources, and tries to keep as much for his people as possible. In the homelands of the minotaurs and ogres and even other lands, Druids are often violent and brutal protectors of the land.
They are also sometimes employed as guides for military forces and as support troopers who use their magic to aid the army in combat, from controlled burns to controlled flash fires to controlled volcanic erruptions.
The druids of Sargonnas turn a battlefield into a deathtrap for opposing forces.These druids often have a problem with pyromania and do more harm than good. They have a deep desire to consume everything in fire, they have a love for ash, often using ash to mark themselves with ritualistic battle marks. They also use super heated brands to mark themselves with symbols.
These druids are a very real problem to the enemies of Sargonnas as they often slip into hostile territory and start fires, which drive off game to lessen the amount of food in a region, Burn up woods and crops to reduce food stores ability to restock their supplies. Fire is also used as a distraction for invading forces wishing to slip into a region unnoticed. Using smoke as cover
forces are more easily capable of ambushing enemies.
The expertise of a flame druid is valued when laying siege to a settlement as the druid can often use its spells to weaken barriers and walls. They are equally valued when needing defensive fires to funnel enemies into narrow killing zones. If a retreat is needed the druid can often offer cover in the way of smoke, masking the retreat of an army making enemy archers useless.
Chislev's worshippers are mortal enemies of the Ashwalkers.
Don't have a name for it yet, so lets just call it a BeastMaster for now.
In the ogre lands, Beastmasters are very feared. They are cruel druids who form bonds with the fiercest animals in the lands. They are often employed by the state to track down enemies, they were at one time used to track down escaped slaves, but the slaves were never brought back alive, always killed and eaten by both the creatures and the ogre druid.
In ogre armies, the Beastmasters are normally used to flank enemies and break morale, a single beastmaster and his creatures can cause serious problems for any army as it rips through them, rending limbs and cutting down foes very fast. This tactic can split a force in two, making it easier for the ogre forces to win a battle.
The creatures a Beastmaster usually bonds with are the large lizards found in ogre lands. (i forget their names, but amaloks are among them.)
Beastmasters love to hunt, and feed on their kills. (thats all I got for now on this type of druid.) but its another exsample of evil druids of sargonnas.
Hope you like.