The idea's you made seem pretty nice but those are best left for NPC's than PC's the story seem way too forceful to a point that me as a player would feel restrained and barely any option to RP since it's a big rail road by my own story. And from my experience it's a hell hole to play a character with but one reason for his adventure... Destiny. If your player is willing it then it's fine. Though again i feel such stories make awesome NPC's. Surely it brings kinda new things to the table and it's awesome but it'll feel like homework to me at least.
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
I assume this is a dead thread, since the newest reply is two years old. That said, I am playing a moon druid in a campaign that starts tomorrow. He is a Yuan-Ti Pureblood, exiled from his home city in Chult. He believes his people have half the right idea with their focus on transformation and self-improvement but reasons that the current Yuan-Ti way cannot be the best way or his people would be on top and in control. By cultivating an intimate understanding of the natural world, rather than simply trying to set himself above it, he has begun to attain powers of malleability which, he believes, shall rival his peers. Reality itself is malleable, he figures - both without and within. I imagine that, like most of his people, his emotions are at least partially suppressed...except when he uses druidic magic, which opens his body, mind and spirit to such influences. This strikes him as almost being like a new sense - a new way to understand the world around him. To deliberately cut such a thing from oneself is, to his understanding, foolish and wasteful. Eliminating a sense to strengthen others can be done, yes - it is more powerful, however, to master all of one's senses and have them work together in harmony.
So that's where the character begins, at any rate. I named him Ophidius, of course, and he is working on thesis for his thoughts titled - naturally - Ophid's Metamorphoses. This seems to me a druid concept which gets away from the two most common druid types: the "tree-hugging hippy" and the "anarchic Social Darwinist, red in tooth and claw." We shall see.
I'm playing a druid now in a campaign and having fun!
I wasn't really interested in playing an "Extremist" druid in any form, didn't want the "extreme true neutral" that sometimes happens. I was looking to make a druid that would have enough of a connection to society that she would participate in fairly normal quest hooks (save the town! rescue the friend!) instead of having to tie everything back to nature.I also wasn't really looking to subvert druid tropes or anything, so it's what I consider close to a classic druid.
She's got a strong connection to the land, where she grew up, as did her parents and grandparents and ancestors). But she cares about all who dwell there - the animals AND the plants AND the people. She believes that living in harmony with the land, and maintaining balance, is important. Plants get eaten by deer who get eaten by wolves who die and are eaten by worms who fertilize the plants... but humans can live in harmony with the land too, hunting or farming as long as it's done sustainably. So, clear-cutting or wiping out ecosystems is bad (as would be, like "factory farming" if it existed), but nothing wrong with humans using nature too.
So, like, tree-hugging hippy for sure, but no need to take it to an extreme that starts breaking campaigns.
Very interesting read! When I started my druid, I was doing the whole Radaghast thing, but I've followed a more chaotic good stance. I'm all about preservation of nature, but at the same time, everything has its time and place to die. To that end, my druid is currently fostering an animal/nature army (quietly) to reclaim what has been lost (humans and their destruction of nature). I've been creating 2 Ents a day. Costing me a lot of money, but getting there.
My druid is a former courtier who felt drawn to nature and who dabbled in botany, and then was appointed and trained as successor to the High Druid of the kingdom's sacred grove. He has one foot firmly in the world of civilization and one foot in nature. He is on a tree-planting mission, and I have always seen him more as an upper-class Johnny Appleseed than Radagast...always ready to delay his mission to help people in need. (Neutral Good.)
There are really all kinds of ways of playing druid, nobody should feel constrained by any stereotype.
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Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) WoodElf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2 Last Tree StandingTabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1 Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
what about druids like celtic, germanic tribes from history ;) its just another society "uncivilized" :D druid is just cleric but different society, traditions etc.
This is my first forray into playing a Druid and I got a lot out of this post. Thanks for taking the time to write it. I'm definitely playing the character in an unorthodox way. He hasn't figured out his purpose yet (he's only 16). Anyway, lots of good tidbits here.
My druid has a backstory monster chasing her. Recently she found out that the monster was her (accidentally sorta killing herself in the process--she is now either a different person or a younger version of herself, not sure which. Either way she still has her memories and apparently, her abilities). Therefore, she is almost always on her guard and very slow to trust. Also after a particularly bad dream (she doesn't sleep unless she has nightmares) she may suffer a short but crippling bout of anxiety. But after that she's basically fine.
She believes animals are better than people because animals are at least straight with you. She normally tries to talk them out of fighting. Generally, animals seem to like her.
The manipulative BBEG doesn't get to her not because she's socially smart, but because she's so socially inept that she doesn't even pick up on his cues (even tho she has OK CHA). Also, she tends to trust her instincts and past experiences (including said BBEG trying to kill her more than once) over what anyone says.
Speaking of instincts, mentally, she's almost more animal than elf. Sometimes she says something that wasn't meant to be rude but most definitely is. Sometimes she rushes the enemy wizard right before he casts a fireball. Occasionally she savagely kills an enemy (although I add small amounts of guilt when she kills anyone, even in self-defense.)Basically, she will always do something rather than nothing in a tricky situation. Run, hide, fight, turn into something big then fight, but never freeze.
However, I use SOME druid tropes. For example, we've established that she wears a tie-dyed cloak as a running gag. The 'animals are better than people' thing is sort of a running joke as well. Her being vegetarian, but not vegan (she does love her cheese), but also not worrying about animals that eat other animals is a character detail that sort of conflicts. She's a bit of a conflicted person though, so fine.
I'm at Lev 5 with an autognome circle of stars druid in a spelljammer campaign and love it. Plus the subclass, race, and setting are a really good match.
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Food, Scifi/fantasy, anime, DND 5E/RPG geek.
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The idea's you made seem pretty nice but those are best left for NPC's than PC's the story seem way too forceful to a point that me as a player would feel restrained and barely any option to RP since it's a big rail road by my own story. And from my experience it's a hell hole to play a character with but one reason for his adventure... Destiny. If your player is willing it then it's fine. Though again i feel such stories make awesome NPC's. Surely it brings kinda new things to the table and it's awesome but it'll feel like homework to me at least.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
I assume this is a dead thread, since the newest reply is two years old. That said, I am playing a moon druid in a campaign that starts tomorrow. He is a Yuan-Ti Pureblood, exiled from his home city in Chult. He believes his people have half the right idea with their focus on transformation and self-improvement but reasons that the current Yuan-Ti way cannot be the best way or his people would be on top and in control. By cultivating an intimate understanding of the natural world, rather than simply trying to set himself above it, he has begun to attain powers of malleability which, he believes, shall rival his peers. Reality itself is malleable, he figures - both without and within. I imagine that, like most of his people, his emotions are at least partially suppressed...except when he uses druidic magic, which opens his body, mind and spirit to such influences. This strikes him as almost being like a new sense - a new way to understand the world around him. To deliberately cut such a thing from oneself is, to his understanding, foolish and wasteful. Eliminating a sense to strengthen others can be done, yes - it is more powerful, however, to master all of one's senses and have them work together in harmony.
So that's where the character begins, at any rate. I named him Ophidius, of course, and he is working on thesis for his thoughts titled - naturally - Ophid's Metamorphoses.
This seems to me a druid concept which gets away from the two most common druid types: the "tree-hugging hippy" and the "anarchic Social Darwinist, red in tooth and claw." We shall see.
I'm playing a druid now in a campaign and having fun!
I wasn't really interested in playing an "Extremist" druid in any form, didn't want the "extreme true neutral" that sometimes happens. I was looking to make a druid that would have enough of a connection to society that she would participate in fairly normal quest hooks (save the town! rescue the friend!) instead of having to tie everything back to nature.I also wasn't really looking to subvert druid tropes or anything, so it's what I consider close to a classic druid.
She's got a strong connection to the land, where she grew up, as did her parents and grandparents and ancestors). But she cares about all who dwell there - the animals AND the plants AND the people. She believes that living in harmony with the land, and maintaining balance, is important. Plants get eaten by deer who get eaten by wolves who die and are eaten by worms who fertilize the plants... but humans can live in harmony with the land too, hunting or farming as long as it's done sustainably. So, clear-cutting or wiping out ecosystems is bad (as would be, like "factory farming" if it existed), but nothing wrong with humans using nature too.
So, like, tree-hugging hippy for sure, but no need to take it to an extreme that starts breaking campaigns.
Very interesting read! When I started my druid, I was doing the whole Radaghast thing, but I've followed a more chaotic good stance. I'm all about preservation of nature, but at the same time, everything has its time and place to die. To that end, my druid is currently fostering an animal/nature army (quietly) to reclaim what has been lost (humans and their destruction of nature). I've been creating 2 Ents a day. Costing me a lot of money, but getting there.
My druid is a former courtier who felt drawn to nature and who dabbled in botany, and then was appointed and trained as successor to the High Druid of the kingdom's sacred grove. He has one foot firmly in the world of civilization and one foot in nature. He is on a tree-planting mission, and I have always seen him more as an upper-class Johnny Appleseed than Radagast...always ready to delay his mission to help people in need. (Neutral Good.)
There are really all kinds of ways of playing druid, nobody should feel constrained by any stereotype.
Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) Wood Elf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2
Last Tree Standing Tabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1
Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive
Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth
Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
what about druids like celtic, germanic tribes from history ;) its just another society "uncivilized" :D druid is just cleric but different society, traditions etc.
This is my first forray into playing a Druid and I got a lot out of this post. Thanks for taking the time to write it. I'm definitely playing the character in an unorthodox way. He hasn't figured out his purpose yet (he's only 16). Anyway, lots of good tidbits here.
My druid has a backstory monster chasing her. Recently she found out that the monster was her (accidentally sorta killing herself in the process--she is now either a different person or a younger version of herself, not sure which. Either way she still has her memories and apparently, her abilities). Therefore, she is almost always on her guard and very slow to trust. Also after a particularly bad dream (she doesn't sleep unless she has nightmares) she may suffer a short but crippling bout of anxiety. But after that she's basically fine.
She believes animals are better than people because animals are at least straight with you. She normally tries to talk them out of fighting. Generally, animals seem to like her.
The manipulative BBEG doesn't get to her not because she's socially smart, but because she's so socially inept that she doesn't even pick up on his cues (even tho she has OK CHA). Also, she tends to trust her instincts and past experiences (including said BBEG trying to kill her more than once) over what anyone says.
Speaking of instincts, mentally, she's almost more animal than elf. Sometimes she says something that wasn't meant to be rude but most definitely is. Sometimes she rushes the enemy wizard right before he casts a fireball. Occasionally she savagely kills an enemy (although I add small amounts of guilt when she kills anyone, even in self-defense.)Basically, she will always do something rather than nothing in a tricky situation. Run, hide, fight, turn into something big then fight, but never freeze.
However, I use SOME druid tropes. For example, we've established that she wears a tie-dyed cloak as a running gag. The 'animals are better than people' thing is sort of a running joke as well. Her being vegetarian, but not vegan (she does love her cheese), but also not worrying about animals that eat other animals is a character detail that sort of conflicts. She's a bit of a conflicted person though, so fine.
Now you guys can roast her I suppose.
I'm at Lev 5 with an autognome circle of stars druid in a spelljammer campaign and love it. Plus the subclass, race, and setting are a really good match.
Food, Scifi/fantasy, anime, DND 5E/RPG geek.