Differance between cleric and druid of

[CyberThread]

What do you think the duties and abilties are different between a cleric and druid of Obad-Hai

[eggynack]

I don't think a druid has any real duties, outside of a general enjoyment of nature. Specifically, they lack any sort of attachment to a god that isn't also shared by any other worshiper. I don't know what you mean by abilities. Their abilities are about as similar or dissimilar as any other druid and cleric, if you keep alignment static between them.

[CyberThread]

According to source books, druids don't just worship nature, but worship usually an aspect of nature through a god.

[eggynack]

According to source books, druids don't just worship nature, but worship usually an aspect of nature through a god.
You are correct that it's possible to gain powers from a god, but it's certainly not a usual thing. Check out page 33 of the PHB which says, "Most get their spells from the power of nature rather than from deities." Even then, it looks like their call to nature is higher than their call to the deity they worship. I still don't understand what you mean by, "abilities," though. I usually think of abilities in a mechanical sense, and those are pretty clear cut.

[angry_bear]

Do you mean as far as game fluff such as overseeing followers and ceremonies go? That's an interesting question... I could see it ruled that clerics oversee the hands on religion aspect, tending to followers and ritual, whereas druids tend to nature itself. Or if you wanted to create an interesting setting, you could give the two classes a minor power struggle within the hierarchy to determine which really is "speaking" for Obad-Hai...

In game terms, the two classes are about equal to me. A cleric of Obad-Hai does potentially have the most turning capability in 3.5, but overall I'm not sure if I'd say that either one is more powerful than the other in terms of game mechanics... The cleric would have an interesting advantage considering it could probably turn or rebuke any elemental or animated plant the druid summoned though.

[CRtwenty]

In regards to Obad-Hai:

Clerics worship the deity first and his portfolio (Nature) second.
Druids are the opposite, they worship Nature and revere Obad-Hai as an example of it.

[Darth Stabber]

Clerics have more duties seeing to the laity, more bookkeeping, reading, and more non-field duties.

Druid see to the bears, see as the bears, summoning bears, hug trees, burn the cities, and make jokes about the clerics in druidic.

[Norin]

Clerics have more duties seeing to the laity, more bookkeeping, reading, and more non-field duties.

Druid see to the bears, see as the bears, summoning bears, hug trees, burn the cities, and make jokes about the clerics in druidic.

you made me spill my coffee. Thanks.

[Yora]

I would say a cleric is a scholar and healer, who is tending to the spiritual needs of a community.

On the other hand, a druid is more of a hermit who has isolated himself from the rest of society, either alone or in a small group of other druids.

Clerics hold services and perform important social rites. If druids work together with a settlement, they will help to have the plants grow and prevent troubles with the creatures of nature, but they do not perform any social role inside the community.

[Thrudd]

I think another good question to consider, for the D&D setting in general, is: how are druids considered "divine" casters? Is "mother earth" or somesuch actually a goddess which grants powers, and druids are simply her followers/clerics like all the others? How do you get spells "from the power of nature"? If druids do not gain spells and abilities in the same manner as clerics, why should they be considered "divine" casters? It would be its own category of magic separate from divine and arcane. Or do clerics only think they are getting their spells from deities, and really "divine" magic is just drawn from the power of their own beliefs/faith. Since druids have strong beliefs/faith in the power of nature, that's how they get spells. It would more accurately be called "faith" magic. Everyone can answer these questions however they want for their own setting, I just think it bears thinking about in the pursuit of a well developed world.

[Mystral]

Clerics tend to the faithfull of Obad-Hai first, the nature second. They will protect the creation of Obad-Hai when they sett it threatened, but will not actively tend to it on a day to day basis. That is the chore of the druid, who will also help those humans faithfull to this God, but he will be more concerned with natural balance, the creatures of the forest and so on.

[Drachasor]

I would say a cleric is a scholar and healer, who is tending to the spiritual needs of a community.

On the other hand, a druid is more of a hermit who has isolated himself from the rest of society, either alone or in a small group of other druids.

Clerics hold services and perform important social rites. If druids work together with a settlement, they will help to have the plants grow and prevent troubles with the creatures of nature, but they do not perform any social role inside the community.

Woah...what's with the stereotyping? It really depends on the druid, cleric, community, and society, I think.

In some communities, the Druid might be revered and a close part of the community. Nothing at all stops the druid from being a leader in a given community and helping them to live in harmony with nature. Heck, the people might view a Cleric of a nature god as someone who couldn't hack it as a druid. Or could hack it? Hacking gets fuzzy where druids are concerned. Unfuzzy? It's complicated.

Nothing inherently prevents clerics from being hermits either.

[Drachasor]

Btw, Wikipedia says:


Clergy and temples

Obad-Hai's priests favor russet-colored clothing and simple quarterstaves. They have no hierarchy; all members are treated as equals. They keep to the wilderness and to themselves, rarely getting involved with society and often living as hermits. Most get along very well with rangers and druids.

So I guess the main difference is that druids are cooler?

[Eldariel]

Druidic circles generally oversee and/or cultivate areas of land, much like e.g. Tolkien Elves in Rivendell and Laurelindorenan (well, much was the power of the ring of course). Obad-Hai would definitely be more on the "overseeing"-side. Wouldn't matter that much which deity the druids worship then; circles generally just share similar alignment.

[ArcturusV]

Thrudd: The reason it's divine, in my mind, is the difference between Divine Magic and Arcane magic at it's core doesn't really come from a God/dess.

After all, you can be a divine cleric "of a cause" and be mechanically exactly the same. And Paladins are usually just "Chosen champions of (some alignment)", with any faith to a God incidental to their status as divine crusaders. I only use "usually" there as I think Forgotten Realms actually does require all Paladins to follow a divine being, but that's the exception, rather than the rule.

So Divine Magic doesn't really have to do with a God/dess. It often does. But even in divine magic's premier class, the Cleric, it really doesn't. In fact in my games I tend to see more "Clerics of a Cause" because people want to mix and match domains that they would not otherwise get. :smallannoyed:

So, to me, the difference is that Divreine Magics are not "From a God" but "From faith/belief". They are a boon, or a reward I suppose you could say, from a driving belief in something greater than yourself. A god, the immutable forces of Good, Evil, Law, Chaos, philosophies, nature, etc.

Arcane magic however is basically Science in DnD. It has measurable results based on scientific observation, able to be replicated and predicted reliably (barring Wild Magic of course). It requires no sort of personal connection to another force, or divine bargain, etc. Nor does the power care what you do after you have obtained it.

Thus, divine magic is your dad giving you a gun and telling you he'll take it away if you don't behave. Arcane magic is finding a gun lying on the ground and taking it back home.

OPness:

Honestly it's splitting hairs. I mean character wise, the only real difference between Druids and Clerics that I can think of is the following. Clerics are just whoever was faithful enough to be given shiny powers. Druids had to learn the secret handshake, go through Rush Week at the Tau Alpha Sigma Druid Fraternity, and got branded as a member for life.

I find it kinda funny that people are pegging the Cleric with the "responsibilities" and such in this split. As I kinda see it the other way. Any schmuck who wants to run out into the woods and get close to nature could become a Cleric of Obad-Hai. It actually requires dedication and joining a super secret club to be a druid.

[Drachasor]

Thrudd: The reason it's divine, in my mind, is the difference between Divine Magic and Arcane magic at it's core doesn't really come from a God/dess.

After all, you can be a divine cleric "of a cause" and be mechanically exactly the same. And Paladins are usually just "Chosen champions of (some alignment)", with any faith to a God incidental to their status as divine crusaders. I only use "usually" there as I think Forgotten Realms actually does require all Paladins to follow a divine being, but that's the exception, rather than the rule.

So Divine Magic doesn't really have to do with a God/dess. It often does. But even in divine magic's premier class, the Cleric, it really doesn't. In fact in my games I tend to see more "Clerics of a Cause" because people want to mix and match domains that they would not otherwise get. :smallannoyed:

So, to me, the difference is that Divreine Magics are not "From a God" but "From faith/belief". They are a boon, or a reward I suppose you could say, from a driving belief in something greater than yourself. A god, the immutable forces of Good, Evil, Law, Chaos, philosophies, nature, etc.

By the rules:


Unlike arcane spells, divine spells draw power from a divine source. Clerics gain spell power from deities or from divine forces. The divine force of nature powers druid and ranger spells. The divine forces of law and good power paladin spells. Divine spells tend to focus on healing and protection and are less flashy, destructive, and disruptive than arcane spells.

It's kinda vague since "divine source" isn't defined at all.

Arcane spells don't really have a definition in the core rules beyond "not divine."

[Thrudd]

By the rules:



It's kinda vague since "divine source" isn't defined at all.

Arcane spells don't really have a definition in the core rules beyond "not divine."

Exactly, the details will be left up to the DM and the setting. I can definately see a good argument for "divine source" equalling "strong faith". Whether or not gods really exist and/or grant powers, they or their heirarchy aren't really handing out magic spells on request daily. Some clerics and paladins may think that is how it works, but actually it is the power of their own faith/will. Druids likewise may think the power is in nature, but it is actually just their faith and devotion to nature which generates the magic. Maybe the "divine source" is extra-planar in nature, but it is the same for all clerics and palandins and druids, no matter what their faith or religion actually is. however, if this is the case, why would druids get such different spells and powers?
However, if you want divine magic to actually be divine in your setting, IE being given out by the gods or godlike beings of the outer planes to their representatives on the material plane, then druid's magic either needs to be classified as something else or the "nature" they worship is actually some type of conscious being that can grant spells just as other gods do.
It is not strictly necessary to really figure out these things, the game works perfectly fine if you never think about it at all. But sometimes these questions do come up, and can actually become an issue if your players become high enough level, so I think it is worth considering for a long-term game world.
I agree with equating arcane magic with science, to some extent, at least in the way wizards use it. Ultimately, both arcane and divine magic are doing the same thing, bending the fabric of reality in some way. Wizards do it by actually figuring out how the fabric of reality works. Sorcerers have an innate understanding of how reality works, like savants of some sort. Divine casters do it by force of will, or through a connection to a powerful being, without needing to know exactly why it works. Of course you can create whatever explanation you want. In Forgotten Realms, even arcane magic basically comes from or is regulated by a deity.

[Trunamer]

One wears plate mail, the other has a pet that wears plate barding.

:smallwink: