druids and guns

[King of Nowhere]

I have industrial-tech guns in my campaign (not the pf rules, I did some homebrewing there), and i was thinking about druids.
Guns at high level aren't any better than swords - as should be expected; you're superhuman, you knock down walls with your fists, a bullet will barely pierce your skin. But at low level, they are very powerful - again, as expected: you are a regular human, and if guns made swords obsolete in our world, there's a reason.

druids, by their vows to not use metal, should be forbidden from using guns. Also to use the thick armor plates that do some good against them. At high level, with their magic, it's not an issue. But I am afraid of what happens to druid at low level.
You have an animal companion that will go down to bullets easily. and you will try to charge and club people who will shoot at you. and you will do that because somehow you are convinced that guns are unnatural and should be avoided :smallconfused:.
I'm not much worried for balance, it's only for low levels and they have plenty of supporting power, but it makes the druids look like dumbasses. Like flat earth conspiracy people. Or maybe religious zealots who will refuse modern technology*.
I'm sure there is some magical wood that would be suitable for making guns, but that, again, would be a thing of high levels. when you are a regular low level druid, you must choose between using a regular gun, or not using it.
I really think druids should use guns, because i don't want them to look dumb. But how can I justify it?
(one thing that comes to mind is natural selection, "if it works, keep it", but that would also be a reason to give up on the metal limitations entirely, and i would not want that if possible)


* do notice that while there are religious people refusing modern technology, this is not meant to be disparaging, because they go at it in a sensible way. They do not put their lives at risk by it, like the druid using a wooden club against guns would be

[Venger]

Druids are allowed to use spears, which have a bunch of wood on them. Give your druids guns with a bunch of wood on them, like rifles, and they'll be fine.

[Pinkie Pyro]

Not sure about your homebrew world, but the origin of the metal armor thing is specifically armor, as wearing too much would interrupt their bond with nature due to synthetic materials. Druids have been able to use metallic weapons no problem, therefore guns shouldn't pose any special issue.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Pinkie Pyro
Druids have been able to use metallic weapons no problem, therefore guns shouldn't pose any special issue.

Indeed, a glance at druid weapon proficiency shows scimitar, spear, dagger and of course sickle, all of which are metal. The only prohibitions actually mentioned are against metal armor and shields, not weapons.


Originally Posted by King of Nowhere
I really think druids should use guns, because i don't want them to look dumb. But how can I justify it?

This would be up to each druid’s personal preference, and I could imagine a variety of philosophical approaches.

And there’s no reason to assume that a druid with any knowledge of firearms would charge blindly towards a firearm swinging a club, which as noted is hardly a druid’s only option. Note also that elves receive proficiency in longbows, so even a low-level elven druid has ranged options that may well be equal or superior to firearms, depending on how well firearms perform in your world.


Originally Posted by King of Nowhere
...and you will do that because somehow you are convinced that guns are unnatural and should be avoided....

This seems to be another assumption, and again this will depend on the individual and perhaps the faction involved. To some druids, guns will simply be another tool, to be used when necessary for what they consider the greater good, or at least the greater balance.

Others may well consider guns to be unacceptable, for any number of reasons, but there’s no cause to believe that all druids would automatically have this attitude.

[Darg]

Druids can use natural materials to make heavier armor like dragon/ankheg plate/ironwood. Take wild talent with deflective armor to apply armor ac to touch. 3 feats though. You can also use the shape-shifting armor property that turns your armor bonus into a deflection bonus while wild shaped. Dragon updated it to be less useful, but dragon is always only optional.

You can build an arcane hierophant to thematically get the spell scintillating scales which is exceptional for companion familiars with their large natural armor bonus. It converts natural armor bonus into a deflection bonus.

[Falontani]

I could see druids easily adopting a mentality of using equal force. Against most mundane animals forgo powerful weaponry, use the old weapons of tradition. Against powerful dire beasts pull out a bit more tricks. A spellcaster gets you using spells. And a gunslinger gets whatever the druid feels is appropriate, probably spells, but perhaps gun.

[Morty_Jhones]

Personaly i think this is going to come down to a religus question that only you can ansear

Is this gunpowder/smokepowder/propelant an NATERAL phernomina.

A Druid worships nature and genraly prtraied as turnning there back Cities and there resultant technolagy.

personaly i do not se a druid using a firearm of any sort.. they genraly reliy on refined materals and advance forging to make, however, exsplosivs, yes simple blasting charges of blackpowder i can se them using in the right sercemstances.

Its ok to use the gifts of nature to do things its the waste involved in industral processing of that resorce that druid object to, hence why they hate Cities, they reliy on this to function.

Also druids are not stupid a druid in a figt verses somone with a gun will use his knolage and the obvuse weakness of fire arms against his aponnent.

even the best firearm is usless if the owner can't SEE or MOVE. too things a druids spell list is espeshaly good at.
heck with a bit of prep a druid can make a CR12 monster appear on demand anywhere within 100 ft of himself.

so yes i don't think a druid would use a gun but any person with a gun better not get cocky.

[Scowlbear]

I say you have your druid take the guns, loudly announce to all the other druids that you're going to keep the guns, and see what happens.

What are they going to do about it? They don't have guns! :smallbiggrin:

[Ashtagon]

Never bring a sickle to a gunfight.

Sure, a druid bringing his club or sickle to a gunfight is going to look stupid. But a druid using a club or sickle isn't bringing his best to the table.

Never bring a gun to a bear-riding-bears-summoning-bears fight.

And that's before you even get into the fact that a druid is a top-tier caster. He has about as much use for a gun as a wizard does (ie none). Less, really, since he has more options.

[gijoemike]

Guns are manufactured. Druids wouldn't use them because they reek of civilization and breaking from the traditional old ways of spears/javelins.

Guns also outpaced bows and crossbows because they are easier to use but produce practically the same result. There are many gunshot survivors that were shot 2 or 3 times. Sometimes even in the head. Guns don't do as much real damage as people think. A half decent sword stab leaves a massive wound easily 2 or 3 times the entry wound of a bullet. It takes months to become a decent archer and your arm gets tired quickly.

Also, think of the current flow of the game rules. Range does less damage than melee. You can make an archer on the run that fires 10 shots a round but those shots are tiny plinks compared to a standard 2 handed weapon build.


On one side of the battle you have magic, hidden forest groves, tradition, flocks of bird spies, bears, spear, sickle, and hide armors and on the other you have castles, swords, tech, cavalry on armored horses, ballista, guns, plate mail. If you blend the 2 sides together its just a giant melting pot of the same dudes fighting the same dudes.