In prior editions, they’d get full-on depowered for things like that, but 5e and especially ‘24 have moved away from presenting that option. There’s also just excommunication from one’s sect, circle, community, etc.
Yeah. There's no official answer, because there's no official way that druids operate. In one world, you might be cast out. In another, hunted down and killed. In a third, no big. (and really all three of those could be true within a single world, because there's no reason for druids to be a single monolithic bloc (except for the weird common language, but languages in D&D are pretty weird to start with))
In another, it's impossible to teach it to a non-druid.
I'll poach a couple of bits from the AD&D Complete Druids handbook for my response and I'll pop them into spoilers to save space.
Some genreal info on the Druidic "secret" language is in the first spoiler, its a bit lengthy but gives some real world historical context for the ispiration behind it and an example of how its used:
The Secret Language
All druids can speak a secret language in addition to other tongues they know. Using the optional proficiency system, the secret language does not require a proficiency slot.
The secret language of the druids has its roots in British tradition. A language called Thari, derived from Celtic roots, apparently was spoken as a secret tongue throughout the British Isles by a small number of traveling folk such as tinkers and hards. It later was adopted by some ***** clans in addition to Romany, their own Indie language. Thari may predate the Dark Ages, and some claim fluency in it even today. Certain researchers seeking
the roots of Thari as a language distinct from Gaelic have linked its origins to both ancient Celtic craft guilds and to the historical druids. If the DM wants to name the druids' secret language, Thari possesses some historical relevance.
Not only can druids use the secret language to provide passwords, they can speak this private tongue when they wish to baffle nondruidic eavesdroppers. It is a precise tool for discussing Nature; a druid can say "dense, old-growth pine forest" in one word rather than a whole phrase.
The secret language has a specialized and detailed vocabulary limited to dealing with Nature and natural events; beyond this sphere, it is very basic, A druid could use the secret language to talk about the health of a person, animal, or plant; discuss the weather; or give detailed directions through the wilderness. The language also can describe druidic spells, ceremonies, powers, and any natural and supernatural creatures known to the
druids. However, it contains no words for sophisticated human emotions, for most tools or artifacts (beyond those used for hunting, farming, or fishing), or for weapons and armor (other than items druids use). The language also contains few words that refer to concepts peculiar to sentient beings, like property , justice, theft, or war. Tense distinctions blur in this secret tongue; usually the concepts druids express bear a certain immediacy or timelessness.
Finally, the secret language of the druids remains a purely spoken tongue, A few simple runes or marks (symbolizing danger, safe water, safe trail, and so on) exist for marking paths and leaving messages, but the language cannot communicate actual sentences and complex ideas in writing.
Here's an example of how the secret language works in practice. Suppose two druids are discussing a magical item and want to converse entirely in the secret language, using no words borrowed from other tongues. One druid wishes to say:
"This magical long sword was a gift to Melinda, wife to King Rupert, from Rupert's court wizard Drufus. The mage gave it the power to throw lightning
bolts. But then King Rupert grew jealous of Melinda. He had her executed and took the blade for himself. After Rupert died, the sword was left buried in the dungeons under his castle."
In the secret language, the story might come out some tiling like this:
"This magic scimitar was for the Tall Golden Female, mate of the Man-Leader, from the Wielder of Magic from the Vale of the Wliite Eagles. He put the call lightning power in it. But the Man-Leader wanted it. He killed the Tall Golden Female Bind took it for himself. He died. The scimitar stayed in the cave under his big stone man-den."
See the difference? There's no word for long sword , so our druid has substituted ’"scimitar." (All druidic weapons have names.) The idea of a gift is described in more basic terms. In addition, the concept of naming has no place in this Nature-oriented language; people and creatures are known by description, status, or place of origin. Wizard becomes the more generic "wielder of magic." Lightning, a natural phenomenon, has an equivalent in the secret language. But the secret language cannot convey a human emotion such as Rupert's jealousy, so the druid has had to substitute less precise phrasing. Similarly, the private tongue does not cover execution or murder, so the druid used the more generic "killed." Finally, no druidic term corresponds to dungeon or castle, so the druid has had to use other words—"cave under his big stone man-den"—to convey that image. Of course, a druid not worried about being overheard might mix the secret language and normal speech in a single sentence.
The secret language helps bind the world¬wide druidic order together. Druids from different circles or branches all speak the same secret language. However, they may have developed their own regional accents or dialects. These could enable a listener to identify the region the druid comes from, or provide a clue to the speaker's branch, In a Spelljammer® or Planescape'" campaign and through the use of certain spells and magical items, druids from different worlds can meet. The DM should decide whether their secret languages resemble each other enough to allow communication.
Finally, the druid's secret language, while private, is not supernatural—theoretically, others can learn it. However, because the tongue provides druids with code phrases or passwords, they simply will not teach it to nondruids. The great druid of the region will punish any who break with this tradition.
In AD&D a "Grand Druid" was a druid of 13th level or higher and effectiely the leader of a given area, other druids of 13th level or higher are refered to as "Arch-Druids" and serve as a coucil or Moot for the Grand Druid. In the last paragraph of the spoiler above it stipulates that a Grand Druid will punish anyone who teaches the secret langauage to a non-druid and the closest I can actually find in the book about punishments is in the next spoiler:
The Ban.
The great druid can impose a strong, nonviolent sanction upon those who have offended the circle. All must shun someone placed under the ban; no druid in the circle will aid, speak to, or associate with the target of the ban. When an entire town or village suffers the ban, no druid may enter that area or speak to or aid any resident. Some druidic allies volunteer to follow the custom of the ban as well. For instance, a clan of sprites or centaurs on good terms with a circle may receive word of a ban and choose to honor it.
The great druid has the right to pronounce a ban on any druid in the circle. A ban also can cover nondruids, whole communities, or druids visiting from other domains (except the Grand Druid and personal servants), to demonstrate the circle's displeasure.
To pronounce the ban, the great druid stands up during a moot and announces to the group the reasons to impose the ban. Then the subject of the ban, if present, answers the accusations before the assemble. Finally, the High Council of the Moot votes on the matter openly, usually at sunset. If a
majority of the council votes in favor of the ban, it passes. If not, the great druid should start keeping an eye on the circle's archdruids—the opposition to the ban likely reflects an impending challenge.
A ban punishes a druid for violating the tenets of the druidic order or reprimands a character whose actions, while within the bounds of the druidic ethos, nevertheless were contrary to the Order's interests. For instance, suppose an angry druid massacred the inhabitants of a human hamlet because
they would not turn over two hunters who slew a stag in the druid’s sacred grove. The druid acted within the bounds of the druidic ethos, but the great druid might call the character's indiscriminate vengeance out of proportion to the crime, adding that the slaughter has threatened to make local commoners hate and fear all druids in the circle. So, the great druid imposes the ban, both as a punishment and as incentive for the character to change.
Nondruid individuals are less likely to fall victim to a ban, usually the great druid finds that direct action against the offender proves more effective. However, if the people of an area depend on druids rather than other priests for healing and religious ceremonies, a ban sends them a message of disapproval. And sometimes a ban can sen e as a symbolic gesture against a subject too powerful or influential to confront directly—a baron or king, for instance.
A ban generally lasts 10 summers. However, the inner circle can vote to lift a ban early or (once the time is up) to extend it. The shunning does not extend outside the domain, so banned druids usually choose to go into exile, the result the great druid probably intended in the first place.
So from that you can assume that anyone teaching, or being taught, Druidic will be shunned by the Druids in the region for approximately 10 years barring exceptional events happening. Although druids in other regions maybe more amiable depending on the severity of the crime/infraction against the Druidic circle and how quickly gossip travels through the "grape vine" to other druidic communities.
Something else to consider there is who the language is being taught to. Supposedly ( given just how little we really know about ancient Celtic culture) both Druids and bards were parts of the “nobility” with familial relationships somewhat similar to mideveal ones. A noble needed “an heir, and a spare (or three)” but what do you do with the spares? In mideveal times second sons were often encouraged to enter the church, so Celtic second sons might well have become Druids. Then third sons, with whatever “courtly training” they might get along with a purely oral tradition become the keepers of lore - remembered as songs and so a bard or skald. Finally, later sons might get trained as guardians of the edges - rangers. Since they are frequently out in nature and dealing with nature they might well have a need to learn the secret language - if only to communicate with their brothers. Assuming this, it might well be acceptable to teach Druidic to a relative or to a ranger linked to the circle.
Technically, they’re not even united in that sense. In mainland Faerûn, druids typically use a sublanguage called Drueidan as worshipers of Silvanus. In the Moonshae Isles, where Chauntea is more prevalent, they typically use Daelic.
If a druid taught a non-druid druidic, what would the punishment be?
In prior editions, they’d get full-on depowered for things like that, but 5e and especially ‘24 have moved away from presenting that option. There’s also just excommunication from one’s sect, circle, community, etc.
Yeah. There's no official answer, because there's no official way that druids operate. In one world, you might be cast out. In another, hunted down and killed. In a third, no big. (and really all three of those could be true within a single world, because there's no reason for druids to be a single monolithic bloc (except for the weird common language, but languages in D&D are pretty weird to start with))
In another, it's impossible to teach it to a non-druid.
I'll poach a couple of bits from the AD&D Complete Druids handbook for my response and I'll pop them into spoilers to save space.
Some genreal info on the Druidic "secret" language is in the first spoiler, its a bit lengthy but gives some real world historical context for the ispiration behind it and an example of how its used:
In AD&D a "Grand Druid" was a druid of 13th level or higher and effectiely the leader of a given area, other druids of 13th level or higher are refered to as "Arch-Druids" and serve as a coucil or Moot for the Grand Druid. In the last paragraph of the spoiler above it stipulates that a Grand Druid will punish anyone who teaches the secret langauage to a non-druid and the closest I can actually find in the book about punishments is in the next spoiler:
So from that you can assume that anyone teaching, or being taught, Druidic will be shunned by the Druids in the region for approximately 10 years barring exceptional events happening. Although druids in other regions maybe more amiable depending on the severity of the crime/infraction against the Druidic circle and how quickly gossip travels through the "grape vine" to other druidic communities.
hope that helps.
Something else to consider there is who the language is being taught to. Supposedly ( given just how little we really know about ancient Celtic culture) both Druids and bards were parts of the “nobility” with familial relationships somewhat similar to mideveal ones. A noble needed “an heir, and a spare (or three)” but what do you do with the spares? In mideveal times second sons were often encouraged to enter the church, so Celtic second sons might well have become Druids. Then third sons, with whatever “courtly training” they might get along with a purely oral tradition become the keepers of lore - remembered as songs and so a bard or skald. Finally, later sons might get trained as guardians of the edges - rangers. Since they are frequently out in nature and dealing with nature they might well have a need to learn the secret language - if only to communicate with their brothers. Assuming this, it might well be acceptable to teach Druidic to a relative or to a ranger linked to the circle.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Technically, they’re not even united in that sense. In mainland Faerûn, druids typically use a sublanguage called Drueidan as worshipers of Silvanus. In the Moonshae Isles, where Chauntea is more prevalent, they typically use Daelic.
its_gith#0│He/Him│UTC-5:00 (Eastern)
Voice, PbP│DDB, Discord, Roll20
Roleplay → Exploration → Combat
Thorror (Bugbear Barbarian 5 [Path of the Beast] )
Dungeon of the Mad Mage: Eberron Edition - SheudenFritz
Dar'shavir the Black Sh*t (Tabaxi Rogue 4 [Arcane Trickster] )
Salvage Operation [ONE-SHOT] - SheudenFritz