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Nerdarchy > Player tips  > Player Tips – Adding more Class to your Class – Druid
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Player Tips – Adding more Class to your Class – Druid

Player Tips – Adding more Class to your Class – Cleric
Player Tips – Adding more Class to your Class – Monk

druidHappy Friday we made it through another week so that means it is time look again through the window and see what cool new ways that you can play your class in Dungeons and Dragons.  Last week we looked into adding more class to your class, Cleric, you can check out that article here.   Today we are going to get wild and talk about the Druid.

How do You Add More Class to Your Class – Druid?

The druid as is presented so far in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition has two distinct options.  The options are circle of the land and circle of the moon.  So far based on what I have seen the druids of the land tend to build their spellcasting characters and either rarely use their wild shapes if at all.  If they do use them it for exploration and or stealth.  The druids of the moon tend to walk around as people and use their wild shapes for combat.  Their spells then are used for healing and exploration.

These builds are just fine and there is nothing to say that with some role playing help that these archetypes won’t continue to work.  But all role playing characters need to have goals or a mission.  They need to have a focus, something to motivate them.

As a druid you are granted power by the very land itself.  Nature itself is your ally.  Are you afraid of this power?  Do you crave it and enjoy unleashing your destructive might upon the enemies of nature?  Are you a beautiful wild flower tame and shy with a soft voice, or are you the storm that comes every spring?  Big and bold with the voice of a lightning bolt or soft small and weak?  Either can be a druid or anywhere player tipsin between.

Our friend Art did an article on multi-classing with druid.  You can read it here.  I mention this as I did play a Barbarian druid in a campaign Nerdarchist Ryan ran many years.  he was one of my favorite characters that I have played over my rich history of over 20 years gaming.  So if you are stuck on ways to spice up your druid multi-classing can fix that but be careful of this as mixing classes tend to make you lose the most powerful abilities.

So if you want to play the shy and timid druid, let him boil in rage that the evil of the world does to the land and then come down with the power like Galadriel in the LOTR movies.  Never did they expect this weak little caster to bring the storms that will destroy that which destroys nature.

If you go in the other direction confidence can be your ally.  When an argument breaks out take the form of a bear and roar in their face.  If your DM is lenient see if you can do partial wildshapes to have an  impact during a conversation to unsettle the other side in a role playing situation.

So what ever direction you are looking to go have a strong character concept and be willing to back it up as Nature certainly will back you up.

Backgrounds –

Acolyte – As a member of a religion it is great to move towards a pseudo religious class.   But this would be an easy transition.  What if you were an acolyte to a god that in practice you saw the destruction of nature and it pulled at your heart strings too many times.  The God of fire watching the world burn or the goddess of war and the land is destroyed to create engines of war.  After too much of this you had to get away.  Nature hears your tears as it feels the same pain and welcomes you as their champion.

Charlatan – This is a tricky one as charlatans like to get the better of people and druids are natures champions.  So you can go the easy route and say that you have learned the error of your ways and became a druid to do right by the world.  Or if you are really wanting a challenge perhaps you did an amazing con at the right place at the right time and convinced the power of nature that you would serve its cause and have been granted power which you now abuse.  Be careful nature will get its balance back.  Lastly perhaps nature chose you and you have no idea why.

Criminal – I always see criminal as just slightly darker than charlatan.  So all of these options are possible. What about this instead.  What if you stole something that has changed you.  You could be running from your past as the thing you stole is now in you and you can’t give it back.

Entertainer – The joy in making others happy can be ever present in the beauty of nature and from that class to your classstandpoint it could be an easy hope from performer to druid.  But perhaps you did a performance that was just so transcendent that the powers chose you in way of payment for your performance.  Perhaps you do not know why you were chosen.

Folk Hero – This is another easy one but slightly harder for it to be different.  Clearly you did something heroic or you would not be a folk hero. Well what if you went in the other direction.  Instead of already doing something, what if you were foretold that you would be a hero, the whole chosen one scenario, and had destiny to be fulfilled.

Guild Artisan – Perhaps you were brought up in a family that were know for their creations and not only did you prefer to work in wood but you used already season wood that fell naturally.  This choice to take the beauty of nature and make something wonderful out of it showed a side of yourself that you never knew was there.

Hermit – As a hermit there is a reason why you were shut away from the rest of the world.  Were you different, did you discover a secret?  In my game we had a player who played a druid hermit who had discovered a dark magic item that he was trying to keep away from the rest of the world.

Noble – You were brought up taught that you were better then the rest of the world.  Perhaps you lost your wealth or you family in some great tragedy and it has changed you to the core.  You still know what you have been taught but you have vowed to make the world a better place so others will not suffer as you have.

Outlander – This is one that is too easy as it is a natural choice for any nature loving character, druid, ranger, oath of the ancient paladin or nature priest.  So how do we make it different?  From an early age you have been running from something.  It could be a dark secret, a spiteful parent or even a Faustian deal your parents have made.  You have  found yourself alone desperate and hungry in the wilderness.  It was either adapt and survive or die.  You lived.

Sage – You spent ours huddled indoors with barely any sunlight.  You felt closed in for years.  You delighted anytime your teacher/master asked you go outside and do anything.  When you service was over you fled and never looked back.  Nature it seemed was waiting ever patient a it is for you to return to its call.  It took you that day and now you have trepidations about enter large buildings where you can not easy escape out into the open air.

Sailor – You grew up on the waves being free to sail where you please and something of that called to you.  Now you are as comfortable on the land as you are on the waves as long as you are free.

Soldier – two ways to play this.  You can have seen the destructive side of battle and you turned from it, or perhaps you saw the savage side and realized that just as being a soldier is a struggle so too is the battle in nature.  The wolf has to kill to eat and this is the side of nature that you live and love.

Urchin – You grew up on the city streets.  No one knows the pangs of hunger like you do.  You have been chased away from meals and lost the few minor possessions that you held dear multiple times.  Chased out of the city one too many times for begging, your growling stomach looks to nature for sustenance.  And Nature answered in a way you never expected.

So there is some useful tips to Add more class to your class, druid.  Let me know what you think down in the comments below.  As always thanks for reading and remember, Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!

 

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Ted Adams

The nerd is strong in this one. I received my bachelors degree in communication with a specialization in Radio/TV/Film. I have been a table op role player for about 20 years 17 of which with the current group. I have played several itterations of D&D, Mutants and Masterminds 2nd and 3rd editions, Star wars RPG, Shadowrun and World of Darkness. I am an avid fan of books and follow a few authors reading all they write. Favorite author is Jim Butcher I have been an on/off larper for around 15 years even doing a stretch of running my own for a while. I have played a number of Miniature games including Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, Heroscape, Mage Knight, Dreamblade and D&D Miniatures. I have practiced with the art of the German long sword with an ARMA group for over 7 years studying the German long sword, sword and buckler, dagger, axe and polearm. By no strecth of the imagination am I an expert but good enough to last longer than the average person if the Zombie apocalypse ever happens. I am an avid fan of board games and dice games with my current favorite being Quarrios.

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