The Essential Druid

Some characteristics and limitations apply to all branches of the druidic order. The following section expands on the rules for druid characters in the PH (pgs. 35-38).

Alignment and Ethos

All druids are of neutral alignment and share an ethos devoted to protecting the wilderness and maintaining natural cycles and a balance between good and evil (PH, pgs. 37, 47). For a detailed discussion of the neutral alignment and the beliefs of druids, refer to Chapter 4: Role-playing Druids.

Experience and Hit Dice

All druids must use the druid column of Table 23: Priest Experience Levels (PH, p. 33). Druids, like other members of the priest group, use eight-sided Hit Dice (HD), gaining one die per level from 1st through 9th level. After 9th level, druids receive an additional 2 hit points per level, but gain no special bonus for high Constitution.

Proficiencies and Crossovers

Druids gain proficiencies just like other priests (PH, p. 50), starting with two weapon and four nonweapon proficiencies.

It is strongly recommended that you, the player, use the optional nonweapon proficiency rules when creating druid characters with this book. The various branches of druids (and the druid kits described later) make extensive use of the nonweapon proficiency system to differentiate among types of druids.

Note that druid nonweapon proficiencies come from the general, priest, and warrior groups. Druids have access to the warrior group (even though many other priests do not) because it contains many of the proficiencies associated with outdoor skills the druid needs to operate in the wilderness.

Money and Equipment

Druids start with 3d6-10 gp, which they can use to purchase equipment. All but a few coins (less than 1 gp) must be spent prior to entering play.

If using the optional druid kit rules described later in this book, both the initial money and the equipment allowed might vary depending on the kit.

Magical Items

Druids use all magical items normally permitted to priests, with the exception of written items (books and scrolls) and those types of armor and weapons that are normally forbidden them. (The weapons and armor permitted to members of each branch and kit do vary, but they remain similar to those allowed to druids in the PH.)

Thus, a druid who finds magical chain mail may not wear it, since druids must use only nonmetallic armor. Similarly, a druid cannot wield a magical mace, since maces are not among the permitted druidic arms.

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 bards. It later was adopted by some Gypsy clans in addition to Romany, their own Indic 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 something 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 White Eagles. He put the call lightning power in it. But the Man-Leader wanted it. He killed the Tall Golden Female and 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 worldwide druidic order together. Druids from different circles (See Chapter 3: The Druidic Order) 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.

Shapechanging

Characters belonging to almost all druidic branches (discussed later in this chapter) can shapechange into various animal forms upon reaching 7th level. For more than the following guidelines, consult the description of a particular branch's granted powers.

Normally, the druid can assume only a limited number of shapes each day, depending on the character's branch; the choice of branch usually restricts the types of forms the druid can assume.

Shifting shape takes one round, during which the druid cannot take other actions. The druid can remain in the new shape indefinitely--the duration of a form ends only when the druid turns back to the original shape or assumes another one. A druid can shift from one shape to another without returning to human form first.

Upon assuming a new form, the druid heals 10% to 60% (1d6-10) of all damage. (Round fractions down.) For example, a druid who has suffered 15 points of damage rolls a 3 on a d6. Therefore, the character regains 30%-15 hp, or 4.5 hp. This value becomes 4 hit points after rounding.

The animal form a druid assumes can vary from the size of a bullfrog or small bird to that of a black bear. Unless noted otherwise, the druid can assume only the form of a normal (real-world) animal in normal proportions. A druid in animal form takes on all the beast's physical characteristics movement rate, abilities, Armor Class (AC), number of attacks, and damage per attack. The druid retains original hit point and saving throw values.

The druid's clothing and one item held in each hand also become part of the new body; these reappear when the druid resumes normal shape. Generally, a druid in animal form cannot use such items, but in particularly challenging campaigns, the DM may allow protective devices, such as a ring of protection, to function normally.

A shapechanged druid radiates strong Alteration magic.

Turning Undead

No druid has the granted power to turn undead. Such creatures are not of the living world--the only world that concerns druids--so members of this class have no control over them.

Higher-level Druids

The worldwide organization of the druids allows for the existence of only a limited number of 12th- or higher-level druids, assigning them special titles, servants, and responsibilities. Druids who gain enough experience to reach 12th level can advance only if they find a vacancy within the Order's ranks or wrest a position from another druid through the challenge. (See Chapter 3: The Druidic Order.)

Only one 15th-level druid exists in any campaign world: the Grand Druid, chief of all druids in the world. The Grand Druid can come from any branch, though on many worlds this position requires a member of the usually dominant forest druids. A Grand Druid who retires and continues to gain experience can become a hierophant druid, of which a world can have any number.

The rules for druids of 12th and higher levels described in the PH on pgs. 37-38 apply to all druidic branches. For more details on the hierarchy of druids and the special responsibilities of higher-level characters, see Chapter 3: The Druidic Order.

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