Druid options

[Epinephrine]

Hi all,

I'm playing a druid at the moment who is a fervent defender of the woods, and will do anything to keep his woods inviolate.

I'm toying with the idea of using darker magics (necromancy, for example), if the threat gets severe enough. His woods are being invaded by orcs, driven south by lack of food and some other threat - orcs aren't bad (he could care less), but they aren't careful to respect nature and already were felling trees in large areas to make clearings/set up villages.

He's already shown himself to be practical and somewhat of the "nature red in tooth and claw" style. I'm toying with the idea of slowly devoting him to the dark side of nature (disease, death, vermin, decay, fungi) and possibly from there into necromantic magic (it's a short step away).

Is there a PrC that's somewhat appropriate, or a way of getting at that type of power/specialization as a druid? Blighter is not wholly appropriate, as he'd never destroy his woods for power, though the animate dead animals, undead wild shape, contagious touch and so on fit the idea pretty well. I suspect he'd be looking at a way to continue the fight after his death as well, he wouldn't let a little thing like dying stop him from defending his lands.

Is there a way to go about this through existing materials, or will I have to try to rewrite the Blighter and get it passed by the DM? Surely there are druids who aren't all happiness and flowers; those who acknowledge that death is a part of life, that decay, disease, and erosion are unstoppable forces, and that just as they serve to strengthen the woods (culling the weak from herds, revitalising the soil with the dead) they can be used to defend nature.

[bosssmiley]

There's the Child of Winter druid variant from Eberron. They have the 'death druid'/'druid of Darwinian selection' thing going for them in spades. Heck, they even get giant vermin as animal companions.

[mostlyharmful]

There's nothing you've said that isn't straight down the line druid, even the undead riff. Ok, a bit more hardcore than your standard stock treehugger PC but eminantly Druidable within fluff, rules and playability.

[Saint Nil]

I'd be careful about using undead animals and necromancy, most druids agree that death is part of nature, but majority agree that undeath ISNT.

[Epinephrine]

I'd be careful about using undead animals and necromancy, most druids agree that death is part of nature, but majority agree that undeath ISNT.

I agree, and I'm not certain he will go that far (undead), but I was thinking ahead.

[monty]

A druid doesn't need options. They already have "win" and "win faster;" what more do you want?

[Azerian Kelimon]

"Win a la Pun Pun?"

[FlyMolo]

"Win by being so damn awesome"?

Seriously, just play up the huge bear tearing people apart. That's about as red in tooth and claw as it gets.

Seriously, a cool idea.