What version or system allows for a simple, but effective Druid Class? Something that is also true to the theme?
Depends on what you think a Druid is.
Pocket Fantasy is the simplest game I have. Their Druid is a person with three abilities. They have wilderness lore, they can brew any magic potion twice a day, and they can tame a wild animal to accompany them.
https://youtu.be/qAXzzHM8zLw?si=tksouMfVedzvARut
In ancient times...
Hundreds of years before the dawn of history
Lived a strange race of people... the Druids
No one knows who they were or what they were doing
But their legacy remains
Hewn into the living rock... Of Stonehenge
Quote from: tenbones on January 31, 2025, 11:11:37 AMhttps://youtu.be/qAXzzHM8zLw?si=tksouMfVedzvARut
In ancient times...
Hundreds of years before the dawn of history
Lived a strange race of people... the Druids
No one knows who they were or what they were doing
But their legacy remains
Hewn into the living rock... Of Stonehenge
This forum needs a simple thumbs up or like button.
Spinal Tap 2 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20222166/) is coming, and not that dirty little tv special they did (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123278/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_cdt_t_38).
As might be expected, White Box RPG and Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy come to mind. OSE's is better, as the existing White Box version is pretty much just a neutral cleric. There will be actual druidic spells in the upcoming White Box Cyclopedia version. The Swords & Wizardry version is fine; like OSE it's basically a slightly stripped down version of the AD&D druid.
I think that the problem may have been, that there was a Stonehenge monument on the stage that was in danger of being crushed by a dwarf.
Also, my old bass player bears an uncanny resemblance to David St. Hubbins and was wont to quote the movie frequently.
Quote from: Persimmon on January 31, 2025, 01:36:35 PMAs might be expected, White Box RPG and Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy come to mind. OSE's is better, as the existing White Box version is pretty much just a neutral cleric. There will be actual druidic spells in the upcoming White Box Cyclopedia version. The Swords & Wizardry version is fine; like OSE it's basically a slightly stripped down version of the AD&D druid.
Honestly, the way BECMI handled druids is the best simple version in my opinion. White Box is too simple, OSE is basically just AD&D (i.e. more complex), as you stated.
But the OP asked about "true to the theme"; what theme? Richie Blackmoor, sorry, Elder Wizardman laid out the original druid, which is basically the AD&D druid. Is that the theme? Neutral cleric that has wilderness abilities? Is shape-shift a requirement? Need some more specifics or I'm gonna roll with BECMI.
If you're going on what little is known about Druids historically, then the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Bard class strikes me as the most faithful representation in a well known game. All we really know about them is that they were a priestly class that was responsible for keeping lore and oral traditions. A few viking-themed games have a "Skald" class which fits roughly the same role
Going with the "D&D Druid" concept, i.e. a nature themed magician with a clerical bent, I don't know. If memory serves, By This Axe I Hack has a druid class, and all the classes in that are very simple, so that might fit the OP quesiton.
Both Palladium and Dungeons & Delvers think a Druid is a weather control mage that can also shapeshift into a woodland animal.
Also, I think the better way to phrase this question is to not ask about the Druid.
It might help for us to list off rules lite RPG's that have the Druid as a playable class.
Again, my two recommendations for that are Pocket Fantasy with the Class Compendium (all of that is free), or Dungeons and Delvers Dice Pool.
Thanks for the feedback. Druid is a class that I don't have personal experience with. I'm trying to be more open minded about Druids. Perhaps as an alternative to standard Clerics?
I had a look at the Druid class from By This Axe I Hack (I was at work when I posted before). I seem to remember posting whole pages of a rulebook was against policy here, so I'll summarize. The class is described as:
QuoteDruids are practitioners of nature magic who focus their arcane studies on living things and natural forces. They are sometimes called White Wizards.
For class features, they get two different Lore abilities, Sense Magic, a magic defense ability, and can learn spells from the Divination, Herbalism, Natural Magic, Physical Laws, Transformation, and Transmutation spell lists.
I like this. I always like games that make it so cleric classes are magicians who practice a different school of magic, rather than using a whole different kind of magic. I also like the lore abilities. It taps into the idea of Druids as masters of history, law and custom, rather than just hippie clerics.
In my book they were for all intents and purposes... Foresters without magic. Druids were the upgrade from that and had access to elemental magic and could get more oomph out of that magic... and thats about it.
I do not recall the game. But there was one where they were for pretty much like D&D rangers. I think they took a cue or two from the old BBC Robinhood series that had Hern the Hunter as robins mentor.
Shadow of the Demon Lord has all of the core D&D classes represented as expert paths, and the DRuid is one of them. It is a spellcaster with nature-themed spells. If you want to add shapeshifting in as a master path, that's an option that opens up later. Note also that your Druid can come from the Priest basic path but doesn't have to; they could be Magicians, Warriors, or even Rogues (much like the 1e AD&D Bard).
Quote from: ForgottenF on February 01, 2025, 12:38:03 AMI had a look at the Druid class from By This Axe I Hack (I was at work when I posted before). I seem to remember posting whole pages of a rulebook was against policy here, so I'll summarize. The class is described as:
QuoteDruids are practitioners of nature magic who focus their arcane studies on living things and natural forces. They are sometimes called White Wizards.
For class features, they get two different Lore abilities, Sense Magic, a magic defense ability, and can learn spells from the Divination, Herbalism, Natural Magic, Physical Laws, Transformation, and Transmutation spell lists.
I like this. I always like games that make it so cleric classes are magicians who practice a different school of magic, rather than using a whole different kind of magic. I also like the lore abilities. It taps into the idea of Druids as masters of history, law and custom, rather than just hippie clerics.
That's an interesting way to view it. It stands to reason that there is only one magic, instead of everyone practicing different magic with different rules. It also makes it easier to create and follow the rules of the world. I would give it a bit of a different flavor, though, for example prayer instead of incantations or using only their bodies to channels their spells, without relying on a spellcasting focus.
Am I thinking what you really wanted was an OSR game with a simple Druid?
Shadowdark has an unofficial class for the Druid. It's found in a fan created supplement called The Codex Officium 1 written by The Wandering Mage.
It's pay-what-you-want, so you could get it for free.
Drivethru RPG - Codex Officium 1 (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/461053/codex-officium-i-new-classes-for-shadowdark)
They're weaker clerics that wear only leather, use only clubs, daggers, staff, spear, and sling weapons, with one unique ability to talk to animals.
Quote from: Man at Arms on January 31, 2025, 11:50:16 PMThanks for the feedback. Druid is a class that I don't have personal experience with. I'm trying to be more open minded about Druids. Perhaps as an alternative to standard Clerics?
AD&D (the real one) is the gold standard for the druid, I think. It pretty much defined the class, which is to be expected. Everything that followed was some sort of variation that tried to be different from AD&D in some superficial way. AD&D druids get unique spells, shape shifting, can talk to animals, and at super high levels are basically elemental demi-gods. They are also pretty decent in combat and have a ton of interesting abilities. Plus, bards are closely affiliated, which is more "historical" than some of the stuff out there.
Depending on what game you are gonna play, I'd just take the AD&D druid and shoehorn it into whatever your system of choice is.
Quote from: weirdguy564 on February 02, 2025, 07:41:05 PMAm I thinking what you really wanted was an OSR game with a simple Druid?
Just occurred to me you could make a BX druid using the build-your-own-race/class system from Dragon.
I'm working on a thing right now that has to do with "Druidy" type stuff.
In my setting I've drawn a line of distinction between "elemental magic" - weather, elemental forces etc. And "life magic" which has more to do with literal manipulation of "life" (with the latter making a HUGE but not inviolable assumption of 'natural life'* i.e. that which would appear naturally of its own accord in the setting).
So in my setting there are druids that can wield nature-magic or elemental magic. Elemental magic is powerful and dangerous *because* the forces (and spirits) of the elements don't give a flying fuck about "life" or "nature" for that matter. They're Elemental - they *are*. The mistake that Druids who go this path make, is they believe that Elemental forces are one and the same as Natural forces. Inversely, the Elemental forces channeling their power through Druids who take up their allegiance usually through ancient rites, as addicted to the vessel of the Druid as the Druid is to the power. And so most Elemental druids are dangerous because they're inhuman. In their own way they are representative of the forces that grinds things down without being fully entropic. They're the dynamic energy that paves the way for all things. They're not *meant* to be used willy-nilly by living things.
On the other side of that are Nature Druids. Who also make pacts with Nature spirits - be they plant, animal etc. They are representative of the (for lack of a better term) the forces of life itself. They recognize the cycles of world, as Elemental Druids do, but they are the shepherds of Life's adaptation to those cycles. Shapeshifting in this setting comes from ancients pacts with Animal spirits. I play around with some pseudo-scientific taxonomy - in that Druids in my setting do not shapeshift outside of their general "category" - at least not without having problems.
So for instance - Humans are mammals, and *generally* can shapeshift into other mammals. There *are* ways to go into other forms outside of that but it's considered taboo because of "issues".
There are old old spirits in the world - the Great Devourer Hhahrzz'uk - who is embodied as a Locust, which have insane human followers that have "dug too deep" into the Locust mindset. Likewise in the olden days there were Serpent Men (ala Hyborea) and Fishpeople (Mythos). I have some tribal humans that have pledged themselves to certain mammalian spirits - so their tribal totems effectively allow some of their elite warriors to be "were-creatures". Each of these tribes has their own "thing" they are responsible for, they're not "Nature-hippies" doing cumbaya in the woods either. In fact it's curiously noted in the setting that all the totems are seen as predatory in some fashion (Bat, Wolf, Bear, Wolverine, and Rat).
The distinction between Druids and Priests in my game are simple - the setting is monotheistic. So they look at all Druids very askew (at best).
So I want distinction as to why druids exist in any game aside from other casters, especially those of faith. I always assume there is some kind of spiritual element to their existence.