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View Full Version : DM Help Angry Druid is upset with urban sprawl - what would happen?



Ozreth
2014-08-08, 03:16 AM
Ok, so, to be more clear: I'm thinking of a game where a Druid is at his wits end with the urban sprawl. Lets say, considering this is set in Faerun, he's tired of the damage Waterdeep (or any other Realms city/town) has caused to the nearby forests/rivers/etc. What would he do that could end up causing adventurers take up arms?

I was thinking he could start controlling or tainting the animals and making them attack local places? But would a Druid do that to animals? Probably not. But maybe he's actually controlled by a more powerful and sinister force who is actually just using him as a front for some other means. But what?

And if a Druid were doing this or something similar, what effect would this have with local communities both in and around the forest? Trying to think up some separate branches of this adventure.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Mr Beer
2014-08-08, 05:20 AM
Rampant plant growth? So grasses and small trees grow overnight, clogging main streets. Grains sprout in the stores, destroying supplies of food. Shambling mounds haunt the sewers and venture out at night to kill unwary humans, gradually growing bolder and more numerous.

awa
2014-08-08, 07:13 AM
evil druid using animals to attack civilians is a classic d&d thing.
The problem i see is forgotten realms is bloated with epic and near epic level characters water deep in particular is just to strong for a non epic character to even inconvenience the city as a whole.

Dorian Gray
2014-08-08, 12:21 PM
Storm of Vengeance to wreck the city? Earthquake to wreck the city? Control Weather to bring in seasonal hurricanes/monsoons/big storms to destroy the harbor? Earthquake out at sea to make tsunamis? Move Earth and Wall of Stone to thoroughly mess up buildings? Call Lightning Storm while Wild Shaped into a sparrow in the middle of the market square?

Really, Druids have massive potential for destruction. Without knowing what level the Druid is, I can't really accurately predict what he would be able to do.

Ozreth
2014-08-08, 01:39 PM
All awesome ideas! And Awa, good point about Waterdeep being powerful enough to withstand something like this. I might start it on the eastern end of the North and have them gradually work towards Waterdeep, at which point the Druid will have amassed enough power/minions to be a threat to Waterdeep. Well, if they don't stop him first.

I'm also looking for side-effects that aren't directly related to the party and their goal. One idea I had is having different tribes of elves thrown into conflict with each other because some support the druid while others don't. Etc. Etc. Any ideas along these lines?

Thanks all.

LunaLovecraft
2014-08-08, 02:32 PM
Maybe a more subtle approach?

They control weather to force it to be constantly gross above the town, making it a less attractive place to live, people stop living there, urban sprawl comes to a halt as people begin to think the town is cursed, someone finds out about the druid, town's tourism department offers adventurers cash money to take care of the "pest".

Lord Torath
2014-08-08, 05:21 PM
I'd like to recommend Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce. This is almost exactly the situation it addresses. The druid may be able to recruit the local wildlife, because they probably don't like the environmental damage any more than the druid does. And if he can tell them smart ways to fight (ie no confrontation with actual armed forces), there's a lot they can do. Stealing the lumberjacks' saws, spoiling supplies, damaging or destroying paper records, stealing small but important items, etc.

Sith_Happens
2014-08-08, 06:28 PM
Maybe a more subtle approach?

They control weather to force it to be constantly gross above the town, making it a less attractive place to live, people stop living there, urban sprawl comes to a halt as people begin to think the town is cursed, someone finds out about the druid, town's tourism department offers adventurers cash money to take care of the "pest".

Sorta relevant. (http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2936)

ibtfu
2014-08-09, 02:17 AM
For a low level game, the Druid forcibly evicts homesteaders from their booming ranches in a resource-rich area. The homesteaders band together to attack the druid, but they are defeated, at which point they enlist the pcs for help. The movie Shane (1953) is a source of inspiration, except instead of a ruthless free range cattle baron with hired pistoleros protecting his territory against homesteaders, you have a ruthless druid protecting his sprawling sanctum with his personal power and animal minions.

sleepyphoenixx
2014-08-09, 05:53 AM
A more subtle approach would be to cover the city in Fireward spells. No cooking, no heating, no smithing. It won't take long before people start leaving.
If you want to take a more destructive approach there's also Raise Volcano (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20031017a). Anything surviving that is unlikely to stick around.

Ozreth
2014-08-09, 01:54 PM
A more subtle approach would be to cover the city in Fireward spells. No cooking, no heating, no smithing. It won't take long before people start leaving.
If you want to take a more destructive approach there's also Raise Volcano (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20031017a). Anything surviving that is unlikely to stick around.

Holy crap! haha! Might have to implement that at some point. Loving this ideas. Still trying to think up more side story stuff that can be indirectly related to this druid.

Bulhakov
2014-08-09, 06:00 PM
My idea is along the lines of Egyptian plagues - the druid makes some specific demand (e.g. stop chopping down trees and hunting in his forest, or just leave the city) and then starts more and more severe magical plagues till the local ruler surrenders to the demand.

My idea for the scenario:

Phase I - typical rats/frogs/insects infestation
One type of animal in the city turns aggressive, good to get the attention of the city rulers and players

Phase II - big monster attacks
giant apes, bears, snakes - something for the heroes to fight and hopefully defeat with the help of the city watch

Phase III - big curse but no physical threat
no fire in the city and/or constant severe weather. People start leaving. Something that forces the players to seek out the druid and negotiate with him (maybe with secret alternate mission to assassinate him if possible)

Phase IV - finding the druid's lair
some forest encounters, maybe getting some background info on the druid to help with negotiations or locate his lair, finally getting to the druid and que boss fight (or maybe they talk and figure out who's pulling the druid's strings?)

Ozreth
2014-08-10, 03:06 AM
My idea is along the lines of Egyptian plagues - the druid makes some specific demand (e.g. stop chopping down trees and hunting in his forest, or just leave the city) and then starts more and more severe magical plagues till the local ruler surrenders to the demand.

My idea for the scenario:

Phase I - typical rats/frogs/insects infestation
One type of animal in the city turns aggressive, good to get the attention of the city rulers and players

Phase II - big monster attacks
giant apes, bears, snakes - something for the heroes to fight and hopefully defeat with the help of the city watch

Phase III - big curse but no physical threat
no fire in the city and/or constant severe weather. People start leaving. Something that forces the players to seek out the druid and negotiate with him (maybe with secret alternate mission to assassinate him if possible)

Phase IV - finding the druid's lair
some forest encounters, maybe getting some background info on the druid to help with negotiations or locate his lair, finally getting to the druid and que boss fight (or maybe they talk and figure out who's pulling the druid's strings?)

Dang! Nice little round up there. I really appreciate that and will use most if not all of it :)

LibraryOgre
2014-08-10, 09:11 AM
... leverage their 15 Charisma to discuss things with the nearby town, citing concerns for sustainability.

... contact their local Druid (the 12th level ones), and through them, the Grand Druid, hoping to bring political pressure through a network of allied faiths.

Coidzor
2014-08-10, 09:25 AM
All awesome ideas! And Awa, good point about Waterdeep being powerful enough to withstand something like this. I might start it on the eastern end of the North and have them gradually work towards Waterdeep, at which point the Druid will have amassed enough power/minions to be a threat to Waterdeep. Well, if they don't stop him first.

And go through Elminster's backyard? :smallconfused::smalleek: That's... kinda suicide, isn't it?

Demidos
2014-08-10, 10:37 AM
... leverage their 15 Charisma to discuss things with the nearby town, citing concerns for sustainability.

... contact their local Druid (the 12th level ones), and through them, the Grand Druid, hoping to bring political pressure through a network of allied faiths.

...to be fair, the OP did specify the action needed to be such as to make adventurers take up arms and that the druid was at his wit's ends.

...to be fair to you, I also assume most people missed that :smallbiggrin:

Anyway, as a shadowy force behind the druid, look up the Killoren, a new (and active) race of fey.
As violent tactics for the druid (assuming at least 13th level, or at least 9th level and access to a scroll), Control Weather + Control Winds will devastate pretty much any city. Some small level boosting tactics (such as Karma beads + ioun stone + Ankh of Ascension + your choice of other methods) should make anyone without access to Greater Dispel Magic (and most with it) unable to dispel your spells. If an evil druid who likes screwing with opponents, Bonus points for making them invisible spells, though that probably wont do anything for the control winds. Still, having invisible raindrops start falling on you sounds....disconcerting.

Another_Poet
2014-08-10, 04:14 PM
Maybe he would calmly accept the city's actions, understanding that building cities and industry is in humanoids' nature just as building anthills and colonies is in ants' nature. Perhaps he would understand that, eventually, if they damage their surroundings too badly they will run out of resources and pay the price without his interference.

Sometimes it's nice to have fanatic eco-terrorist druids, but sometimes it's nice to have wise druids who actually get nature.

He could even make practical suggestions for how the city can improve its industry while also conserving its resources.... like how replanting timber forests costs more money today but earns even bigger profits tomorrow.

Braininthejar2
2014-08-11, 04:28 AM
Spread disease. It won't become an epidemic (priests and all) but it can make people start leaving and will probably kill someone.

Curse/damage crops (control weather, diminish plants, cold snap, insect plague)

for an open war approach - fire. Fires are horrible in wodden cities and a thoqqua can move through stuff at 1 meter per second, turning everything red hot.

For a big monster attack - an earth elemental earthgliding along the street, headbutting all the walls on its way.

Braininthejar2
2014-08-11, 04:30 AM
Oh, you can also go with BAldur's GAte 2 approach - a three side conflict between merchants, reasonable druids and extremist druids.

Ozreth
2014-08-11, 11:59 AM
Oh, you can also go with BAldur's GAte 2 approach - a three side conflict between merchants, reasonable druids and extremist druids.

Yeah that's kinda the direction I was going with the different elven tribes around his forest being for or opposed to his actions.

awa
2014-08-11, 12:13 PM
wild empathy works like diplomacy with some soul melds you can put the modifier through the roof at low level. It gives the druid lots of free minions both strengthening his forces and hurting the town. For example wild shape into an animal sneak into a pen and turn a whole herd of cows against their owners its quick easy and a cow is more then a match for a basic guards men. Even a low level druid with the right tricks could crush a small town economically if he avoids an open confrontation. If the druid is willing to take some time setting things up a herd warbeast livestock and birds (MM2) could devastate a small city in a straight fight let alone a war of attrition.

J-H
2014-08-11, 12:15 PM
Angry Forest Druid meets Urban Druid defending his city... Druid duel!

Yes, Urban druids are a thing. Any major city should have a couple of them.

Coidzor
2014-08-11, 01:15 PM
Oh, you can also go with BAldur's GAte 2 approach - a three side conflict between merchants, reasonable druids and extremist druids.

Considering that many of those crops that are being ruined would have had Plant Growth cast upon them by friendly Druids, that's just bound to happen.

Also, because the BBEG Druid will have to be taking animals and plant monsters from the forests and areas under the protection of other druids, so they'll either have to kill the other druids, seduce them to their POV, or avoid them and steal the biodiversity out from underneath them.


Angry Forest Druid meets Urban Druid defending his city... Druid duel!

Yes, Urban druids are a thing. Any major city should have a couple of them.

And then there's the urban-dwelling non-urban Druids who watch over and maintain the green corridors/buffer zones/parks/???. Though I can't remember if FR actually has cities with those.

Segev
2014-08-11, 02:46 PM
Bestow Curse is a cleric spell, not druid, sadly. Is there a druid spell that can inflict lycanthropy? If he starts turning homesteaders and farmers into were-creatures, and sends them moving inwards towards more civilized areas, spreading the infection...

Baleful Polymorph also is a decent start, though won't "grow" with time. He'd just be one-by-one turning people who move further into the wilderness to start taming it into animals.

Coidzor
2014-08-11, 03:17 PM
Bestow Curse is a cleric spell, not druid, sadly. Is there a druid spell that can inflict lycanthropy? If he starts turning homesteaders and farmers into were-creatures, and sends them moving inwards towards more civilized areas, spreading the infection...

Wait, how does he gain control of lycanthropes?

Segev
2014-08-11, 03:57 PM
Wait, how does he gain control of lycanthropes?

Who needs to control them? They're cursed, so they shift to their cursed alignment under a full moon. Make sure he uses Werewolves and Wererats and he should be able to ensure the anti-social behavior of psychopaths and tyrants keeps it spreading and tears down the society. I think Wild Empathy might work on them, too, but don't quote me on that.

Coidzor
2014-08-11, 04:31 PM
Who needs to control them? They're cursed, so they shift to their cursed alignment under a full moon. Make sure he uses Werewolves and Wererats and he should be able to ensure the anti-social behavior of psychopaths and tyrants keeps it spreading and tears down the society. I think Wild Empathy might work on them, too, but don't quote me on that.

Sure, Werewolves are *****, so they'll help sow chaos just by existing, and if the druid can create some Natural Werewolves so they'll go and infect entire villages so they can try to recreate the events leading up to the Lycanthropic Purge in Eberron via sheer brute force.

I'm not aware of anything in the druid's arsenal to get specific organized cooperation out of them, though. Wild Empathy is a bit vague but with discussion of animals and magical beasts it probably means the respective Types.

Wererats are already kind of an urban problem though, so they'd probably just bugger off for the cities and join the native were-rats after they finished their alignment/personality transformation.

Maybe if the Druid captured enough peasants and kept them captive for long enough that they all fully transformed into weaselly wererats in body and mind, letting them go so they'd go to the city would help foment unrest there because if enough wererats are introduced at once it might start up a turf war...

Angelalex242
2014-08-11, 06:09 PM
The Lords of Waterdeep tend to be 20th level+ characters...

Well, then again, an epic druid can make even Waterdeep pay attention once Crown of Vergadis gets up and running.

Fable Wright
2014-08-11, 07:58 PM
If I were to try this with a druid, here's what I would do.

1. Prevent further growth/expansion. This is something that even a low-level Druid could attempt. First, cast Plant Growth every day on routes to local lumber yards, then use Wild Empathy to make friends with some local Murders of Crows. It takes local lumberjacks roughly 8 minutes to cross a Plant Growth patch of undergrowth, or 4 minutes with a wagon, and during this entire time, they're being pecked to death by crows. If they start bringing in Wizards with AoE fire effects to get rid of the undergrowth and swarms, cast/get a scroll of Fireward. Eventually, it's simply going to be economically unfeasible to harvest wood from local forests; when it gets to this point, cast a few more Plant Growths to ensure they can't easily reclaim the roads after you've left, and move onto stage 2.

2. Destroy local infrastructure. To do this, turn once again to Wild Empathy, but this time with rats. Get a few Dire Rats to chew the locks off grain storage, and encourage a few regular rats to take a bath in local wells. Filth Fever will spread like wildfire, when substantial fractions of the food reserve are destroyed, the remainder is contaminated, and the wells transmit it to people. This creates a manpower shortage, wreaking havoc with the city's ability to deal with the damage that's been caused, and any further damage that might be done. At this time, get some Feather Token: Trees and a few shrubberies, and plant them within the city to qualify them for a Plant Growth effect. The roads will become untraversible. At this point, people are dying of disease, resources are scarce and expensive, people are starving, and trade and transportation are grinding to a halt.

3. Drive them out. At this point, people without deep family ties have probably cut their losses and run, but there will be a few obstinate people who will stay, and given time, will reclaim the city. Dealing with them is mostly a function of how powerful your spellcasting is. At the low level? Warp Wood to destroy doorways and windowsills, and lead a few primary predators into the city. The survivors are now dealing with exposure and predators. At the mid-level? Control Weather to make people miserable, Move Earth and Stone to destroy buildings' foundations, etc. At high level? Earthquake, Storm of Vengeance, Fimbulwinter, etc. When you're done, the city is an abandoned husk, unlikely to be reclaimed in the near future.

For cities like Waterdeep, you may need to scale up tactics, but the basic strategies remain. When the city can't sustain itself, the people leave. All the druid has to do is make sure the city can't sustain itself.

Angelalex242
2014-08-11, 08:29 PM
How does any of that prevent a team of equal leveled adventurers from going on a seek and destroy mission vs. the obviously evil druid? Given most teams of adventurers contain a cleric and a wizard, he can't rely on his tier 1 status to save himself either.

Because somewhere in phase 1, people just put a bounty on the druid, and then he's just somebody's XP for their next level up. If the druid is genre savvy, he knows a team of adventurers will be coming for his head and XP the minute he starts making a nuisance of himself.

Cikomyr
2014-08-11, 08:31 PM
If you want just an evil plot that the PCs are going to thwart, then go with the above examples. Very good cases.

But if you want a more.. pragmatic setting for worldbuilding, then how about the Druid gets savvy and manage to organize some sort of.. covenant with the City Council/local lord? The city will have natural parks and areas that would be under the protection of selected rangers in order to house some wildlife, and in exchange the druids always provide their services to limit vermin infestation and disease control; both problems that commonly plagued Middle-Age cities.

Certain provisions might be made for times of famines (where a certain number of the park's wildlife may he used to provide for food), etc.. You could create an entire culture around that Urban Druid covenant.

Coidzor
2014-08-11, 10:31 PM
How does any of that prevent a team of equal leveled adventurers from going on a seek and destroy mission vs. the obviously evil druid? Given most teams of adventurers contain a cleric and a wizard, he can't rely on his tier 1 status to save himself either.

Because somewhere in phase 1, people just put a bounty on the druid, and then he's just somebody's XP for their next level up. If the druid is genre savvy, he knows a team of adventurers will be coming for his head and XP the minute he starts making a nuisance of himself.

Unless I misread the OP, the intention was to get a team or teams of adventurers out chasing after the Druid.

Fable Wright
2014-08-12, 12:59 AM
How does any of that prevent a team of equal leveled adventurers from going on a seek and destroy mission vs. the obviously evil druid? Given most teams of adventurers contain a cleric and a wizard, he can't rely on his tier 1 status to save himself either.

Because somewhere in phase 1, people just put a bounty on the druid, and then he's just somebody's XP for their next level up. If the druid is genre savvy, he knows a team of adventurers will be coming for his head and XP the minute he starts making a nuisance of himself.

As Coidzor said, the plan was to run this so that adventurers do get involved. And as to why no one's managed to kill him yet? Trackless Step as a class feature, Wild Shape to shake pursuit and grant anonymity, a daily loadout of battlefield control spells to allow for escape, and sticking to small towns that wouldn't have the funds to hire a scry & die kill team. If he does hit larger towns, the druid just sticks in lead-lined bunkers or hijacked Private Sanctums while he's not in the field, and in the field he has a constant Tree Stride up and stays in Crow form in the midst of a Murder of Crows. Scry & die is much less effective when you have to hit your target with AoE spells and they can teleport away to an unscryable tree at a moment's notice.

sleepyphoenixx
2014-08-12, 01:41 AM
Scry & die is also pretty unreliable if all your scrying shows is a patch of forest. And that's assuming you can reliably get past the druids high will save to succeed at scrying in the first place.
Catching a properly paranoid druid in the forest is incredibly hard. The DM pretty much has to hand him the idiot ball for a party to have a chance unless they find something he needs to defend.