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View Full Version : Help needed making a much more sage oriented druid class.



Duke Malagigi
2007-09-07, 05:49 PM
The ancient druids were priests, sages, scientists after a fashion, philosophers and legal and political counselors to the Celts. Druids also served as lore masters and historians, chronicling and retaining their tribe's history. To make a long story much shorter I, would like to make a druid class that fits the Celtic druid's role better than the current one. I already want to get rid of wild shape and rename the core druid class. What else should I do? Should I give them more Knowledge skills? I have some very basic ideas but I still need more help. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Foolosophy
2007-09-07, 05:53 PM
for a quick-and-dirty solution take the cloistered cleric variant from unearthed arcane, give it druid fluff and limit the choice of domains to the elemental domains, renewal, balance, sun, plant, animal and the like

Fax Celestis
2007-09-07, 05:53 PM
You could try using the Savage Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) class, and replacing their spell list with Druid spells. At the very least, it'd be a good starting point.

EDIT: Also, is that a Redwall avatar?

The_Snark
2007-09-07, 06:11 PM
I'd start with this (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druid) variant, as it removes armor and wild shape without crippling the character in an actual game.

Drop inappropriate features; Track, perhaps, or fast movement. Keep favored enemy, because it applies to social interaction skills. (Possibly re-do the skills it applies to, as well, adding Intimidate and Diplomacy in place of Spot and Listen).

Lower the HD to a d6 and the base attack bonus to poor. Drop any martial weapons from their proficiences and add the shortbow (which, really, ought to be on the druid list anyway). Increase skills to 6+Int modifier, and expand their skill list (Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (history), Sense Motive).

Give them the ability to select two domains from the following list (they gain a bonus domain spell slot of each level and the granted power, same as a cleric): Air, Animal, Balance, Earth, Fire, Knowledge, Moon, Oracle, Plant, Sun, Weather, and any terrain-appropriate ones (Ocean, Sand, Thirst, Cold, and such). You could also add Community, Nobility and similar if you want to reinforce the impression of an advisor-type druid.

And I'd drop the animal companion, too.

Or, as said above, you could use a cloistered cleric who draws from the druid spell list... it'd be a lot less complex.

Duke Malagigi
2007-09-07, 07:12 PM
You could try using the Savage Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) class, and replacing their spell list with Druid spells. At the very least, it'd be a good starting point.

These are all very good ideas, but I will have to pick one of them for use.


EDIT: Also, is that a Redwall avatar?

No, it's an avatar of Barthold Dhemer, deathslayer and marshal of liberty, a character I made. His plate armor is crafted from the bones of his murdered father; his arm and leg greaves from the hide of a green dragon necromancer and his pike point is made form the same dragon's right top-most eyetooth. Barthold is also attempting to train a younger generation of responsible non-Evil necromancers like him.

TheThan
2007-09-07, 07:30 PM
I homebrewed one of these once. I haven’t posted it here, I’m not sure if I will or not.

Overlard
2007-09-07, 07:50 PM
Try the spirit shaman from Complete Divine. No wildshape or animal companion, and it has a very definite "communing with ancient spirits" vibe. The knowledge skills are probably the ones you'd want, and it has access to all druid spells (although the spellcasting mechanic is a little different). Very spirit focused though, but if you think of those abilities as a bonus to your full spellcasting, then that's fine.

Biggest drawback: MAD. Wis and Cha are casting stats.

Biggest advantage: being able to concentrate on 2 spells at once at level 10.

Duke Malagigi
2007-09-07, 11:54 PM
Thank you for the help, I've finished my druid variant. I'll post it tomorrow in the Homebrew forum and include the link in this thread.

Duke Malagigi
2007-09-08, 10:59 PM
I just finished my variant druid class and I would like to thank every one who helped out on the project. My druid class variant can be found here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3165642). Any and all comments about this class should be directed to its thread in the Homebrew forum.

Duke Malagigi
2007-09-10, 07:10 PM
I added several spells to the list including alignment based additions. Other than saying that and waiting for Fax_Celestis' reply about my avatar, this thread is no longer needed. To everyone who give me advice making my variant, whether or not I actually took it, I say thank you.