| Classes - Druid |
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The fury of a storm, the gentle strength of the morning sun,
the cunning of the fox, the power of the bear-all these and
more are at the druid's command. The druid however, claims no
mastery over nature. The claim, she says, is the empty boast
of a city dweller. The druid gains her power not by ruling
nature but by being at one with it. To trespassers in a
druid's sacred grove, to those who feel the druid's wrath,
the distinction is overly fine.
Adventures: Druids adventure to gain knowledge,
especially of animals and plants unfamiliar to them, and
power. Sometimes, their superiors call on their services. Druids
may also bring their power to bear against those who threaten
what they love, which is more often includes ancient stands of
trees or trackless mountain than people. While druids accept
that which is horrific or cruel in nature, they hate that
which is unnatural, including aberrations (such as beholders
and carrion crawlers) and undead (such as zombies and
vampires). They sometimes lead raids agianst such creatures
especially when the creatures encroach on the druid's territory.
Characteristics: Druids cast divine spells much the same
way clerics do, though they get their spells from the power
of nature, not from Gods. Their spells are oriented toward
nature and animals. In addition to spells, druids gain an
increasint array of magical powers as they gain experience,
including the ability to take the shapes of animals. The
weapons and armor of a druid are restricted by traditional
oaths, not simple training. A druid could learn to use a two-
handed sword, but using it would violate the druid's oath and
suppress her druidic powers. Druids avoid carrying much worked
metal with them because it iinterfers with pure and primal
nature that they attempt to embody.
Alignment: Druids, in keeping with nature's ultimate
indifference, must maintain at least some measure of dispassion.
As such, they must be neutral in some way, if not true neutral.
Just as nature encompasses dichotomies of life and death, beauty
and horror, peace and violence, so two druids can manifest
different or even opposite alignments (neutral good and neutral
evil, for istance) and still be part of the druidic tradition.
Background: Though their organization is invisible
to most outsiders, who consider druids to be loners, druids
are part of a society that spans the land, ignoring politcal
borders. A prospective druid is inducted into this society
through secret rituals, including tests that not all
survive. Only after achieving some level of competence is
the druid allowed to strike out on her own. All druids are
normally members of the druidic society, though some are
so isolated that they have never see high-ranking members
or participated in druidic gatherings. Still, all druids
recognize each other as brothers and sisters. Like true
creatures of the wilderness, however, druids sometimes
compete with or even prey on each other.
A druid may be expected to perform services for
higher-ranking druids, though proper payment is expected for
these assignments. Likewise, a lower-ranking druid may appeal
for aid from her higher-ranking brethren, for a fair price in
coin or service. Druids may live in small towns but always
spend a good portion of their time in wild area. Even large
cities otherwise surrounded by cultivated land as far as the
eye van see often have druid groves nearby-small, wild refuges
where druids live and which they protect fiercly. Near coastal
cities., the refuge is often a nearby island, where the druids
can find the isolation they need.
::Game Rule Information::
Spells: A druid casts divine spells. A druid may
cast any spell on the spell list provided she can cast spells of
that level. She prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does
(though she cannot lose prepared spell to cast a cure spell in
its place). To prepare or cast a spell, a druid must have a
Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level. The
Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a druid's spell is
10 + the spell's level + the druid's Wisdom modifier. Bonus
spells for druids are basted on Wisdom.
Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawfull Spells: A druid can't cast
spells of any alignment opposed to her own.
Bonus Laguages: A druid may substitute Sylvan for one of
the bonus languages available to her because of her race. In
addition, a druid knows the Druidic language. This secret
language is known only to the Druids, and druids are
forbidden from teaching it to nondruids. Druidic has its own
alphabet.
Nature Sense: A druid can identify plants and animals (their
species and special traits) with perfect accuracy. She can
whether water is safe to drink or dangerous (polluted, poisoned,
or otherwise unfit for consumption).
Animal Companion: A 1st-level druid may begin play with an
animal companion. This animal is one that the druid has
befriended with the spell animal friendship. As such, it can
have no more than 2 Hit Dice. A 1st-level druid may have more
than one animal companion, provided the animals' total Hit
Dice don't exceed 2.
Woodland Stride: Starting at 2nd level, a druid may move
through natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar
terrain at her normal speed and without suffering damage or
other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas
that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion
still affect the druid.
Trackless Step: Starting at 3rd level, a druid leaves no trail in
natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.
Resist Nature's Lure: Starting at 4th level, a druid gains a
+4 bonus to saving throws against the spell-like abilities
of feys (such as dryads, nymphs, and sprutes).
Wild Shape: At 5th level, a druid gains the spell-like ability
to polymorph self into a Small or Medium-sized animal (but
not a dire animal) and back again once per day. Unlike the
standard use of the spell, however, the druid may only
adopt one form. As stated in the spell description, the druid
regains hit points as if she has rested for a day. Note: The
creatures available include some giant animals but not
unnatural beasts. The druid may wild shape into a dog or a giant
lizard, for example, but not into an owlbear. The druid does not
risk the standard penalty, for being disoriented while in her
wild shape.
The druid can use this ability more times per day at 6th, 7th,
10th, 14th, and 18th level. In addition, the druid gains the
ability to take shape of a Large animal at 8th level, a Tiny
animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15th level. At 12th
level or higher, she can take the form of a dire aniaml.
At 16th level or higher, the druid may use wild shape to
change into a Small, Medium-sized, or Large air, earth, fire,
or water elemental once per day. She gains all the elemental's
special abilities when she does so. At 18th level, she can do
this three times a day.
Venom Immunity: At 9th level, a druid gets
immunity to all organic poisons, including monster poisons but
not mineral poisons or poison gas.
A Thousand Faces: At 13th level, a druid
gains the supernatural ability to change her appearence at will,
as if using the spell alter self.
Timeless Body: After acheiving 15th level,
a druid no longer suffers ability penalties for aging and cannot
be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already suffered,
however, remain in place. Bonus still accure, and the druid still
dies of old age when her time is up.
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