I like playing druid but I sometimes have trouble coming up with backstories that resemble other stories. It's not intentional, and I honestly never realized until a friend of mine pointed out that a backstory I had written was literally just Po's backstory from kung fu panda. I think it's common for people to write backstories that sound similar to others, but it got me thinking about what druid backstories get repeated often. Any thoughts on the subject?

I mean, by this point any simple backstory is going to resemble one major fictional character or other. Don't sweat it.

Regarding Druids, any "orphan raised by animals/druids" type one comes to mind. Was the one they used for the Druid in the movie, for one.

Two that I frequently see is they were born to a rich family but then either they realized there family's were evil and left swearing vengeance or and this I've seen way to much th house burns down and then there stranded learning the was of survival and wisdom and then there's the classic raised by wolfes.

Yeah its easy to get stuck in a rut and re/over use backstory plots.

It helps to not think of classes as a hardline in world box, Where these rules must be followed.

IE: Say your Druid before becoming a Druid was a sailor, Maybe the navigator or being trained under the navigator. Maybe a deck hand who was learning the Sea's temperament.
They spent the nights on board watching the stars dance across the night sky, Then oh no there's a bad storm and the ship wrecks and only a handful of crew survive.
Your Druid is cold, wet, afraid and hunger is setting in.
With what little strength your new druid can muster They call out for help from Nature its self.

At this point the sub class informs what happens.

Are you a Druid of the Stars calling out to the Stars for help and guidance?
Perhaps a Druid of the Land who used the Natural Recovery feature making a lot of Goodberry to keep everyone well feed.

Something like this lets you play the Druid more as a Nature Wizard/ Sorcerer and less of stinky dirty hermit trope.

If you do want to play the stinky dirty hermit who's Firmly in the Class box.

When you were little there was a famine/drought that plagued the farms near your Village.
One day a traveling Druid happened to stop by. Or maybe hearing the land was sickly a whole Circle came to the Aid of the Village.
Using secret and strange magics the visitor(s) grew the crops saving the peoples of the land. Once the task done they move on to to next town

Songs and praise are heaped on "Insert Circle". Never forgetting the kindness of the Druids you and a few friends journey to join the Circle latter in life.
Some pass the initiation rites some could not.

Side note: The Spell Plant Growth is one players can take at level 5, So 3-4 Level 5 Druids (Not that farfetched) casting this spell once over 8hours that's 2 miles of farmland being healed, If the Druids spent both 3rd spellslots over 16hours(predawn to just after dusk) that's 4 miles. For a small farming community That's a lot of land.

On a Darker note:
Maybe the Village worked out a Deal with the Druids, Where in exchange for saving the Farms a Child or two join Druid's Circle.
Maybe the Kingdom was getting uppity with the Druids, So they caused the blight are are now "healing " the land. Just A little reminder to not piss off the Woodland hermits.
How much of this is known by the character meh, that's for you to decide. 

All this is to say If your getting stuck try working backwards, Pick a Background First. 
Then ask yourself, Ok What events lead a Noble to Give up Nobility to live as a Druid?
Was it A Circle of the Dream who came to them in a dream and taught to turn in animals so they escape and live free, The Fay do tend to find sad/depressed see Fairy Godmothers/Peter Pan trope.
Or did they give it up, Maybe this Noble family is cool with the Druids, So then why is this Noble family so cool with Druidism. 

Hope my ramblings Help 

This really did help actually Thanks!

I think orphan in general is your default tragic backstory and conveniently gets rid of any family the DM can bother you with. 😉

I've done that backstory with one of my early characters, but I've also used it on purpose because sometimes it really does just make sense for a character, or it works into some other element especially well like the need for vengeance, some disaster or other you were a part of etc. It's okay to use "overused" or "trope" elements if you use it to build something that's either more unique, or just something that you particularly like for a character.

After all, you're not writing your backstory to win an award, it's a building block for a character, so use whatever works best, or is easiest. Some people don't care much about backstory and prefer to keep it dead simple, and instead develop their character's story through the events of the campaign, or fill in backstory retroactively (or let the DM do it), like maybe this cult you're investigating sparks a memory in you because (dun… dun… dun!) you were once a part of it! etc.

For for my early orphan character, he wasn't just an orphan, his parents were part of a smaller band of thieves that were killed during the early struggles between Xanathar's Guild and the Zhentarim in Waterdeep, so tying this into recent (and ongoing) events. He also wasn't a young child, but a teenager who already had some experience at running con jobs, so that's what he fell back on to get by, along with a few friends who could help out here and there. So it's "orphan" but not completely isolated, and with a difficult stake in things that are going on as any thief, con artist etc. operating in Waterdeep has to tread carefully around (or work with) Xanathar's Guild or the Zhentarim, no matter how much they might hate to do so.

You can also do other twists on the tropes; for example were you orphaned through no fault of your own or did you do something that led to your parent's deaths (or even kill them yourself)? Suddenly "orphaned but raised by druids" is a whole lot more complicated. Did the druids know what really happened? Did you cause it and they're trying to teach you to control yourself/your powers? What really drove you to do it? Bang! Another layer!

I've got a druid character I'd like to use some day, and she's a green dragonborn, raised as a farmer, didn't really care for it. Tried living in the city, hated that even more because by this time she was exhibiting more characteristics of her green dragon ancestry and facing discrimination for that because of the bad reputation of green dragons as manipulative schemers. Eventually she just had enough and wandered off to be alone in a forest… and never really came back. She's not a formal druid, but learned some basic druidic from old menhir stones she found, enough to work out what some symbols signify but not to communicate clearly (yet). Her Wildshape may or may not be a druidic power (could be a latent draconic shape change), and her fondness for sleeping for prolonged periods submerged in muck has give her a coating of moss and fungus (circle of spores).

That's the backstory, the missing link for her is leaving the grove she's unwittingly inherited; but that can wait till I've got a specific campaign she'll run in, because she probably will be a character will leave the party as soon as her goal is achieved, e.g- might go with the classic "threat to the grove" or "family have been kidnapped", in which case she'll either return to the grove once that is resolved, or have some greater concern to keep her going naturally.

Hmm…for one of the most common backstories; I’d say that it’s the hermit who waged war against civilization for polluting nature.

However, I’ve always enjoyed the Druid who actually lives in a city…it’s part of the reason why I’d be keen on an “urban” Druid subclass at some point.

They perceive industrialization as just another facet of nature…a species that has adapted to the landscape. This sort of Druid maintains a balance between civilization’s development & the other ecosystems; and typically occupies a job that suits their mastery over elements…heating metal in a forge…manipulating water flow for the city’s sewer system…creating & maintaining a grove in the city park…etc.

I remember hearing on the radio about a literature article that claimed there to actually be a very limited amount of different plot archetypes that humans have used in stories throughout the ages. So most stories have already been told by now. I'm sorry I can't remember the article, so don't take my words as any legit source. Luckily the point is still valid. :P 

The point is that don't worry about the similarities. Most story archetypes have already been told anyways. Even if your BG is very similar to some other story, the randomness of the actual game will quickly take the character to a surprisingdirection. :)

This goes a bit off-rails, but might help ease your mind:

I remember when I started making my first proper setting. I had a friend who was obsessed with originality. That kinda affected me and I was constantly worried that my content/creation was a cliché. Later I played a game of his where the party felt really disoriented all the time, because everything felt so alien. It was hard to grasp the setting or relate to anything, when the rules of the world you are used to, don't make sense anymore. That was a moment of learning for me.

I realized that a good story/setting is something that allows people to both relate to / identify and get a sensation of discovery. 

"Something new, something old, something borrowed, something original" is a good motto IMO

So even if it's very similar with Po's story, you can ask yourself the questions: What makes this story different from Po? What part of this story is relatable and easy to identify? What part of this story would cause a sensation of discovery when it's revealed? 

Questions like those could help. You can make your own support questions based on your preferences, these are just mine. :)

The most common I've seen is born into a druid society.

Interesting thing about classes, though: I've never played a monastic monk nor a "kung-fu" monk. It's always been reflavored into a fisticuffs class using the same mechanics. (The closest I got to a monastic monk was a "janitor" ["custos"] at a religious monastery, not one of the monks and no martial arts were practiced there.)

If one looks at the Druid class from a different angle, a Druid is a master of elements and beasts. Sure. This could mean one is "in-tune" and "in-balance" with such things, but it can also be that being a druid class is forcing one's will upon the elements and beasts. This doesn't mean evil. People use the elements and beasts for their purposes all the time. Druids employ a more powerful way of doing it.

So, imagine a court sorcerer who uses elemental magic to control the elements and beasts (and uses only the druid mechanics and is not a sorcerer class at all but simply holds a royal title of court sorcerer).

To my experience:

1. Raised by animals

2. I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees

3. Definitely not Keyleth from CR

4. Lives among wood elves/firbolgs (also Doric from HAT)

I’m inspired, I might make a Druid who is a friend to all of the city’s pigeons… Think Radaghast the Brown but with a city twist. 

I always wanted to play a Druid who was more like a scientist. Like a Jane Goodall type who spends all their time studying animals, to the point they start being able to turn into them. (Probably should note here there are no recorded instances of her turning into an actual gorilla.)
It still ends up with protecting nature from civilization, just gets there from a little different direction. 

As a writer, I enjoy playing with tropes. The first druid I made is very different from what you'd expect from a druid, despite the fact that his background and subclass are very stereotypical. Below is a description of my character I posted elsewhere on the forums.

Neutral / Hill Dwarf / Forest Land Druid / Hermit

When he was young, he fell in love with a human. She was everything to him and he was everything to her. They would have married if not for the curse that separated them. Someone jealous of their love put a curse on it. Should the dwarf see the human again or even hear about her, she would die. Not wanting the death of his beloved, he left her to live as a hermit in a remote forest. He refused to see anyone, otherwise there would have been a risk that someone who knows his beloved would talk about her. Just hearing her name would have been enough to cause her death. He waited the equivalent of a human lifespan before returning to civilization, ensuring that his beloved would have lived her life to the fullest. Even then, he's too afraid to talk about her to his adventuring companions. The latter are surprised to learn that he spent most of his life as a hermit. He loves the company of others and is always cracking jokes and pulling pranks. For those who don't know his story, it makes no sense for a hermit druid to love people and civilization that much.

Basically, the only reason why he became a druid is because he had nothing better to do. Being alone in a forest away from civilization for nearly 80 years would have made anyone go mad due to boredom. He was in his early twenties when he left. His only company were wild animals and the occasional fey. In order to give his lover a chance at life, he had to abandon everything. He had to learn how to survive all by himself. He studied nature, cataloguing every single thing he observed: mushrooms, trees, animals, foliage, etc. He even learned how to speak Sylvan by interacting with various fey creatures. He learned druidism all by himself. He made the most out of his situation. Prior to his self-imposed exile, he never would have thought he would one day become a druid. He's the sheer opposite of what you expect a typical druid to be. The day he learned how to speak with animals was the best day in his life since his exile. He finally had plenty of "people" to converse with.

When it was finally time for him to return to civilization, he became an adventurer in order to travel the world and see tons of different people and cultures. Because he spent nearly 80 years as a hermit, he's not up to date with everything that happened in recent history. He likes drinking in taverns and having one night stands with pretty ladies. He didn't get any sex while in the woods and he's not ready to fall in love again. As for the kind of prank he likes to pull, he once put LSD in his party's food, causing everyone to halucinate during a short rest.

The heavily used/plundered backstories/archetypes ive seen over the years:

• The chosen one
• The (almost) drowned
• The disciple
• The stoner
• The hippie
• The "i wanted to play a werewolf, but wildshape was all i got"
• All Wood Elves are Druids
• Hänsel and Gretel (aka the lost child, but a druid found them before the witch did)
• Snowwhite/Cinderella
• Tarzan
• Poison Ivy
• Bravestarr
• Captain Planet
• Tom Bombadil

forest got destroyed probably