Update for Druids

[barna10]

I am working on a new Druid class.

I find all the depictions of druids lacking when compared to the druids of celtic myth.

Those druids wielded elemental powers, powerful wands, and were shapeshifters.

Mystic Herbology can account for some of the wand ideas, and the fantasy druid has somewhat weak elemental abilities and get metamorphosis: animal.

But none of the descriptions present the kick-ass super mages of myth. Also, Palladium seems to have latched onto the lame druidic hierarchy idea created by Gygax. The mythic Druid was a power-hungry archmage, not the village Wiseman.

One concept I am toying with: to give this new Druid metamorphosis spells or something like the Beguiler's ability....thoughts?

[Library Ogre]

Which myths are you talking about? Because there's plenty of evidence that the druids were the priestly class of the Celts, which would make them the village wiseman at low level.

I also think the PFRPG Druid (based on the Mutants in Avalon druids) has some of those immense powers. At 3rd level, they can control animals (two per level of experience, for two minutes per level). At 5th level, they can extinguish or create forest fires, and communicate flawlessly over miles. At 6th level, they have a four times as effective Metamorphosis: Animal spell (half cost, twice the duration). Their 7th level Phoenix healing means that, in half an hour, they can bring anyone back from the brink of death, provided they have a sacrificial animal (they are priests with healing powers, so the base is 75%... and they give a +30% with that power).

If you throw Mystic Herbology on top of that, they have an even greater array of powers.

While the Rifts: England Druids are pretty underwhelming, a Palladium Fantasy Druid is pretty awesome... they're just level-gated, like psychics, instead of knowledge-gated, like wizards.

[Soldier of Od]

I don't know the Beguiler - which book is that in?

The Palladium Fantasy first edition druid was much more focussed on shapeshifting, but in second edition was replaced by a modified version of the druid from After the Bomb: Mutants in Avalon. But, in PFRPG Book 10: Mount Nimro, the first edition druid was reimagined as the "Were-Shaman" - take a look at that and see if it suits your needs any better. It doesn't have any of the other druidic elements, but does cover the animal shapeshifting.

[Curbludgeon]

I'm thinking the use of Beguiler might be in reference to the d20 class, which is sort of an Enchantment/Illusion focused sorcerer/rogue, but I don't know.

I've seen a couple of fixes suggested to up the power of different druid classes. Glomming together OCC abilities is the easiest: Dryads gain the abilities of PFRPG's Druids, Scathachs get stuff from Mystic Kuznya, Filidhs get merged with Were-Shamans, and Millennium Druids become Psi-Druids.

I don't know how I'd go about converting it, but I flipped through an old copy of Mongoose Publishing's Sláine, and liked the flavor behind their take on Druids. The class is very similar to their Scholar found in their d20 Conan books, which while capable of strong effects has to work for it more than most Palladium practitioners of magic.

I'm looking forward to seeing these proposed updates!

[barna10]

I'm referring to the (racist term here) Beguiler from (Rifts) Mystic Russia

Regarding myths that I'm using as sources:

• Fer Fidail changes his sex to convince a maiden to follow him
• Several instances of druids transforming others into animals
• The idea of other magical items (Cloak of Invisibility is probably most well-known)
• Bobd using mind control (aka Druidic Sleep)
• Many instances of some fantastic wands

There are instances of Druids fulfilling the "wiseman" role, but as we see in the Cattle Raid of Cooley, the two pig farmers that also happened to be druids were going at each other like Merlin and Morgana in the Sword and the Stone!

Druids in myth are often the rulers of a domain. A good instance of this is the Queen Medb archetype.

Mystic Herbology absolutely covers some of this, but it is a slow process compared to the fantasy action of the myths where the druids are more like spell-wielding hotheads than the old codger standing over a cauldron.

I think the main thing missing from the druids is the charm and transformation magic of the myths. There's also a fair amount of magical defenses and curses. Again, some of these are covered by Mystic Herbology, but others are absent.

[Library Ogre]

I think the main thing missing from the druids is the charm and transformation magic of the myths. There's also a fair amount of magical defenses and curses. Again, some of these are covered by Mystic Herbology, but others are absent.

How many of these come back when you add in the ability to start getting wizard spells at levels 10 and above?

[barna10]

Not many, if any, since those spells are limited to 3rd level. Plus abilities that kick-in at 10th level aren't going to be realized by 99% of the players and groups that never make it to 10th level.