Druidic Branches

Each branch within the druidic order operates, effectively, as a separate priest class under the standard druid rules. Here's how the pages that follow describe the characteristics of each branch:

Minimum Ability Scores. The druidic prime requisites of Wisdom 12 and Charisma 15, or slightly modified scores, serve as the minimum ability scores necessary for a character to choose a particular branch.

Races Allowed. Standard (forest) druids are usually humans or half-elves, but members of other races can choose some druidic branches. (Details on these options appear in The Complete Book of Humanoids.) A number in parenthesis shows the maximum level these characters normally reach; they can achieve higher levels only with high ability scores, as stated in the DMG, pgs. 14-15.

The Complete Book of Humanoids offers four new races for use as druid PCs: alaghi, centaurs, saurials, and swanmays. Other nonhumans can become druids, at the DM's option, though details on these characters should be carefully worked out within the guidelines of The Complete Book of Humanoids. Possible allowable races include:

Dryads. A dryad is quite shy and unable to travel far from her home tree. Unusual circumstances might allow a dryad PC to become a druid and travel within a large forest using magical items that link her with her home tree, but it remains unlikely that the dryad will advance beyond 4th level in ability. DRAGON® Magazine (#109, "Hooves and Green Hair") has suggested that half-dryads (born of a union of human male and dryad) might reach 7th level or higher. Dryads and half-dryads always become forest druids.

Elves. The AD&D Original Edition Unearthed Arcana reference book allowed elves to become druids. Only sylvan elves may achieve druidhood, perhaps in remote areas such as lost islands or other worlds. Sylvan elf druids can reach 12th level (like regular clerics) and can take the Herbalist kit from The Complete Book of Elves (pgs. 83-84). They always fall under the forest druid branch. Interested players might develop a druidlike priest kit for an elf, such as the halfling's Leaftender. Though drow cannot become druids, half-drow (like all half-elves) can; these almost always become gray druids.

Giant-kin. Firbolgs and voadkyn, described in The Complete Book of Humanoids, might become forest druids in certain remote regions of a campaign. They could reach the 7th level of ability. Again, players could develop a druidlike priest kit for this race.

Halflings. The AD&D Original Edition game allowed halflings to reach the 6th level of ability as NPCs; Unearthed Arcana allowed halfling druid PCs to reach higher levels. In the AD&D 2nd Edition Complete Book of Gnomes and Halflings (pgs. 119-120), halfling priests gained the Leaftender kit, which strongly resembles the druid class. Leaftender priests normally may achieve 8th level. If halflings become true druids, they can reach 8th level, too, usually in the forest or plains branches.

Lizard Men. A civilized group of lizard men on a world in the Spelljammer setting might have druids among them. Though some lizard men aboard the ship Spelljammer (detailed in The Legend of Spelljammer boxed set) achieved high levels of clerical ability, most lizard man druids would not advance beyond 7th level. These beings become jungle or swamp druids.

Satyrs. As a rule, satyrs concern themselves too much with having fun to bother with the serious side of a druid's life. Satyr druid PCs should not gain levels above 4th. An article in DRAGON Magazine issue #109, "Hooves and Green Hair," allowed half-satyrs (born of human women and satyrs) to reach 6th level or higher. Satyrs and half-satyrs always belong to the forest druid branch.

Armor and Weapons Permitted. Most druids wear natural armor (leather) and use wooden shields. Other armors, especially metallic kinds, are forbidden to all druids.

Most of the weapons permitted to druids of a particular branch resemble tools used in herding, hunting, and farming, or hold symbolic meaning to the druid. For instance, the curved scimitar and khopesh represent both the sickle used in the harvest and the crescent moon, which stands for birth, death, and rebirth in the cycle of Nature.

The standard druid can use the following weapons: club, sickle, dart, spear, dagger, scimitar, sling, and staff (optional: scythe).

Use of metallic weapons and tools usually remains unrestricted, but local availability can prove a problem, especially in areas like the arctic tundra. Nonmetallic materials can make effective weapons, with the following modifiers (compared to similar metallic items):

Bone: 30% cost; 50% weight; -1 damage; -1 to attack roll.

Stone: 50% cost; 75% weight; -1 damage; -2 to attack roll.

Wood: 10% cost; 50% weight; -2 damage; -3 to attack roll.

The damage modifier reduces the damage normally done by the weapon, with a minimum of 1 point of damage. The attack roll modifier does not apply to missile weapons, as the attack roll reflects the character's aim and is not a function of the material used to make the weapon. Damage modifiers do apply to missile weapons, however.

Enchanted nonmetallic weapons must overcome the negative modifiers, too; thus a bone dagger +1 works just as well as a normal steel dagger.

Whenever a nonmetallic weapon inflicts maximum damage in combat, it has a 1 in 20 chance of breaking and becoming useless. (The DM rolls a d20.)

Nonweapon and Weapon Proficiencies. A druid of a particular branch must have certain proficiencies required by the branch. Recommended proficiencies are only strong suggestions. If the DM permits the optional druid kits from the next chapter, select the druid's proficiencies only after you, the player, have chosen a kit, since kits have their own proficiency requirements.

If the DM prefers to use secondary skills rather than nonweapon proficiencies, choose appropriate druidic skills from Table 36 in the PH, p. 53.

The scythe is a weapon available to many druidic branches. Its large curved blade, sharp only on its inner edge, attaches to a handle 5 to 6 feet long. A harvesting tool used to reap grain, the scythe costs 5 gp and weighs 8 lbs. This medium-sized (M) weapon must be used two-handed. It causes piercing/slashing (P/S) damage with speed factor 8. A scythe inflicts 1d6+1 points of damage vs. small or medium-sized opponents, or 1d8 vs. large opponents.

Spheres of Influence. Each branch allows its members access to different clerical spell spheres. (An asterisk indicates a sphere to which branch members have only minor access.) Druids gain bonus spells for high Wisdom.

Granted Powers. A druid has a wider variety of granted powers than a standard cleric, an advantage balanced by a druid's more limited sphere selection and inferior armor.

Special Limitation. Some branches suffer from unusual disadvantages. For example, heat debilitates an arctic druid.

Holy Symbol and Grove. Many branches of druids use plants as holy symbols and spell components mistletoe, for instance, symbolizes the forest druid. In habitats where mistletoe is not available (such as deserts or arctic regions), druids use other symbols.

Forest druids worship in groves of ancient trees, which have become sanctuaries, meeting places, and sites of power for them. Alternate worship sites can replace groves for branches whose primary terrain does not foster tree growth. (See Chapter 6: Sacred Groves.)

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