PDA

View Full Version : Looking for ideas for a druid character



Rfkannen
2017-03-27, 05:48 PM
So a new campaign is going to be starting in a while, and im having trouble fleshing out one character.

The basics I know, the character has to be between (the equivalent of a human aged) 11-15 (all the characters will be), they are from a completely normal common village with nothing interesting and magic is rare, they haven't done anything extraordinary yet, they are a druid, and im not sure on this but I like the idea of the character not being trained but just getting magic from an innate connection with nature. I think he will be focused on support. (Though I also do like the idea of him being either a party face or scout)

The other thing is I want this character to be very different from my current character. My current character is a low ranking prince, obsessed with gaining power for him and his people, who does not care about anyone that gets in the way of his goals, hates everyone not from his kingdom and thinks all commoners are essentially puppies (cute, should be protected, but pretty stupid). also he is a book smart idiot with 8 wisdom and 17 int who constantly rushes into horrible situations head first and does not know what subtlety is. He spends all his down time in a lab cutting up monsters to learn from their corpses or studying in libraries, also he tries to steal the blood from magical creatures so that he can use it in experiments to give people sorcerer powers. And even his own retainer shudders when he hears his name (the retainer has been forced to get a lot of monster blood). He has also made a deal with an ancient primal evil.

So you have any ideas for the character?

hymer
2017-03-28, 04:58 AM
Sounds like you want a character who becomes highly apolitical. The winds and the wolves don't recognize the borders of human kingdoms, and ruin is the fate of all cities and fortresses. Nothing should be judged by affiliation or pretty speeches, and laws and customs of humans must bend to the unstoppable grind of the seasons and the changes of climate. What works now and in the future is important, not shiny or selfish principles or grand dreams that will turn into so much dust even if somehow they are achieved. Respect nature and obey the laws of balance, or you are undermining what is keeping you alive. Act with minimal force as a rule and wear the enemy down with your patience and deeper understanding of how the world works. You will have companions full of energy and vim. Let them do the heavy lifting, and when they can't quite make it, add a little extra push to make it happen. Never judge or try to persuade with passion.

Herobizkit
2017-03-29, 08:13 PM
Sounds like you want a salt-of-the-earth Folk Hero (background) type who sticks up for the little people. Neutral Good fits the concept well, if you're playing D&D.

Being "chosen by nature" is one of several ways a Druid could receive magic, but check with your DM to see if they have any specific information regarding their world's cosmology. If magic is Rare, Player Characters are almost always the exception - but might not be, in your case.

If you know what system you're using, that would be helpful, too. :)

Pauly
2017-03-29, 08:50 PM
Huck Finn archetype works for me.
Brought up by neglectful parents.
Spends his time going into the woods alone. Knows all the woodland critters by heart. Knows what plants are useful and which ones are poisonous, and can tell you what the weather will be in 3 days time by the shape of a cloud. Alternatively he could be a river rat or beachcomber with a more aquatic focus.
Has a need for love, but is inherently distrustful of people in general and authority figures in particular. Will make a few close friends with whom he will be insanely loyal, but the rest of the world can go hang itself.
Gets along with the lowest levels of society, but is a fish out of water dealing with the lower middle class, let alone the upper classes. Although some higher class people will find his honesty and straightforwardness refreshing, most will find him disrespectful and presumptuous.
Speaks with a broad uneducated accent which hides a sharp mind.
Views luxury and book learning as things for soft unpractical people.
Knows more human vices than any 11 year old should know about

Pauly
2017-03-29, 09:31 PM
Mowgli/Tarzan archetype.
A foundling raised by non humaans in the woods. In fantasy maybe dryads, nymphs or centaurs.
Has learned about nature magic from his mentors.
He has recently had to return to human society. Maybe the mentor died, or it is time for you to return to your own kind or it is too dangerous for you know as the enemy is pursuing you.
Socially awkward despite natural charisma.
Over reacts wildly to any form of dishonesty or treachery.
Views morality through the lense of natural predator/prey lense. If the soft thing cannot outrun the sharp stabby thing it deserves to die. Extreme measures to protect the pack are totally justified. Some people see this ruthlessness as evil.

Pauly
2017-03-30, 01:30 AM
So a new campaign is going to be starting in a while, and im having trouble fleshing out one character.

The basics I know, the character has to be between (the equivalent of a human aged) 11-15 (all the characters will be), they are from a completely normal common village with nothing interesting and magic is rare, they haven't done anything extraordinary yet, they are a druid, and im not sure on this but I like the idea of the character not being trained but just getting magic from an innate connection with nature. I think he will be focused on support. (Though I also do like the idea of him being either a party face or scout)

So you have any ideas for the character?

Thinking about this some more. The main question for you to ask yourself is why is your character more in tune with nature than with human (or equivalent) society?

If it is just someone who spends a lot of time in the woods like a hunter or woodsman that leads more to the path of ranger/barbarian than to a druid. For me what works is that the character is an outsider to human society for some reason.

for example
Half caste archetype
He is an X-Y blend. The mother (an X) loves him, but he is rejected by X society. His father (a Y) is absent, a sailor or traveller for example. and Y society will not accept him so he is trapped between both societies. After the mother dies when the character is 5 or 6 the active rejection/bullying from X society causes him to spend more and more time in the woods communing with nature.
He has learned to be silent and an observer of society.
He has become deeply cynical because of the gap between the stated values of X and Y societies and the way he has been treated. He will insist other characters live up to their proclaimed standards and will mock them savagely if they choose what is convenient/practical over what is right.
A kindly good cleric has provided shelter and nourishment, so he understands that not all Xs or Ys are hypocrites.
May be very vulnerable emotionally if another character can penetrate his shell.

redwizard007
2017-04-01, 11:06 AM
The normal village, and nothing interesting parts are tough to work in.

The boy could be an orphan taken in by the local old crone. She's more than a little crazy but at least she won't beat him or stuff his head with all that religious garbage. In fact, the old woman sees the boy as more of a pet. When he's around, she feeds him. When he's off in the woods he gets to fend for himself. They live in the woods near the village, but aren't really part of it. The woman has shown the child how to identify plants and animals. What is safe to eat and what is medicinal. Well, she has sort of shown him. More accurately, he followed her around the woods as she rambled to herself. Still, they do care for one another. It's just different.

That's how the villagers see them as well. Different. They come to the crone for medicine and curses, but they never associate with her publicly, and gods forbid that their children play with her wild ward. That's actually how you met the other children. After they were told no, the other children just had to meet you. Some of them were jerks and you easily lost them in the woods, but a few became good friends. They don't always understand how or why you do things, but they trust and support you, just as you trust and support them.