Runequest Druids

[Utgardloki]

While driving home, I was thinking of how to model a druid in Runequest. I don't mean how to convert a D&D druid into runequest rules, but how to make a Runequest character that is true to the original concept of the druid.

I don't have the Runequest Companion (yet, and I might not be able to get it before I need this concept to work), but I'm perfectly willing to add/change things to make druids work.

My thoughts so far is that a druid would use wizardry, but would not have the Read Magic skill (unless picked up from another type of wizard), and thus would be limitted to the spells that he was able to memorize and master. A druid could memorize a number of spells equal to his Intelligence.

A druid would also be able to learn the Shapechange skill, with which he could change himself into an animal three times a day.

I might want to make that a Legendary Ability, reflecting that only the greatest of druids would be able to shapechange. There could also be other Legendary Abilities to extend the shapechange abillity, or to be able to cast more spells or spells that are more powerful than he ordinarily could master without the ability.

Perhaps there could be a skill called Druid's Art which would enable supernatural wilderness feats such as walking across fresh snow without leaving tracks, or hiding in a forest with no chance of being seen.

I remember in one story called "Diedre", druids literally tore up the landscape. That gives me an indication that at the most powerful, druids should be able to wreak havok, but such abilities would not normally be brought into play, perhaps requiring casting times way beyond a normal combat, and draining the character's Power or entailing other costs. Also, only the most power druids would have access to such power, so it would be more than just making an uber-difficult spellcasting skill roll.

Any PC druids, of course, would have power levels in line with everybody else.

 

[Halfbat]

My thoughts so far is that a druid would use wizardry, but would not have the Read Magic skill (unless picked up from another type of wizard), and thus would be limitted to the spells that he was able to memorize and master. A druid could memorize a number of spells equal to his Intelligence.

Im a bit confused: what Read Magic skill? I don't recall seeing that. And by "wizardry" I'm assuming you mean sorcery, so apologies if that's not correct.

Sorcery allows for skills to be taught by a mentor, so the sorcerer does not have to read providing he apprentices himself to a boss-druid.

I'd have thought that for your idea a druid would more likely be a mix of a sorcerer plus nature/fertility worshipping priest with plenty of Divine Magic, possibly (if you use the spirit magic) also be a shaman and certainly shul dhave massive of woodland skills. Skills such as Lore(Animal), Lore(Plant), Lore(Law), Stealth would be really high as should the ability to brew assorted potions and lotions. First Aid and Heal should also be superbly high. For most of the build there is no real need to resort of Legendary Abilities. A druid would be a member of a loose cult (the Godfadd, or similar, perhaps) but there woul dbe very few massive temples, just a few small woodland glades which were dedicated to their gods.

Runes suggested: Plant, Fertility, Beast, Truth or Law, possibly Magic
Most likely 'cult' Rune Spells: Bestial Enhancement, Clear Path(!), possibly countermagic, ?Detects, Endurance, Heal, Oath of Ordeal (especially for the more accurate druids - they were keepers of the law), ?Vigour.

I'd be tempted to limit their Rune Spells outside that range as learning them would be a problem due to the lonely nature of being a druid.

The shapechange skill may be a divine version of the sorcerous ShapeChange(Human to wolf/bear/owl) but I suspect might be better modelled as the Sorcery spell/skill itself. Setting limits of "three times a day" sounds like a leftover from D20. The limits in RQ would be skill or commited POW from Divine Magic.

Form/Set(Substance) with a suitable amount of changed magnitude would allow for some ground to be churned up but not at the levels you mentioned - traditionally, though, druids weren't quite like the super-powerful people defined in d20. Cast Back and Damage Resistance would also be good Sorcery skills for a druid.

A few Rune Magic spells would also be useful, but probably expensive. One of the guardians in the "Mad Druid" (see S&P36) had a summoning spell to bring a small pack of animals to his aid.

It may be an idea to look at the capabilities of the Companion to build a druid when you get it, rather than resort of too many paste-overs from d20 (imho, of course).

Have fun

 

[Exubae]

You probably know this ready:
You could followed the RQ3 example of the Hykim/Mikyh cult, possibly not the best route:
RQ3 Hykim cult had three spells associated to each animal type with a fourth general spell (all where divine)

The Three governed localised changes to form:
Transform Head (changed...well the head to the chosen animal with bite, senses)
Transform Limb (Claws, pincers, flippers etc)
Transform Body (Hide armour, constitution etc)
When cast stacked togther they transformed the caster in to the chosen animal- the fourth spell enhanced the animal properties and duration if I remember correctly.

Allowing access to multiple animal forms could be end up very.. strange...

You could end up fish tailed, wolf bodied, duck headed creature (the Duck and Fish changes aren't strictly Hykim) :lol:

 

[simonh]

A druid would also be able to learn the Shapechange skill, with which he could change himself into an animal three times a day.

Perhaps a slightly off-topic comment, but I've seen this sort of (X times per day) thing a few times here.

D&D has magic abilities you can use "X times per day" because it's magic isn't fueled by a finite resource, so it's the only way D&D can limit re-use of magic abilities. RuneQuest has Magic Points that regenerate on a daily basis, and Divine Magic that is renewable at temples and shrines. If you want to have a limited re-use magic ability, give it an MP cost or make it a Divine Magic spell. These are the RQ way to go about this sort of thing, unless you have a very specific reason for doing it differently.

 

[Carrotix]

D&D has magic abilities you can use "X times per day" because it's magic isn't fueled by a finite resource, so it's the only way D&D can limit re-use of magic abilities. RuneQuest has Magic Points that regenerate on a daily basis, and Divine Magic that is renewable at temples and shrines. If you want to have a limited re-use magic ability, give it an MP cost or make it a Divine Magic spell. These are the RQ way to go about this sort of thing, unless you have a very specific reason for doing it differently.

Very good observation ;-)

 

[Utgardloki]

D&D has magic abilities you can use "X times per day" because it's magic isn't fueled by a finite resource, so it's the only way D&D can limit re-use of magic abilities. RuneQuest has Magic Points that regenerate on a daily basis, and Divine Magic that is renewable at temples and shrines. If you want to have a limited re-use magic ability, give it an MP cost or make it a Divine Magic spell. These are the RQ way to go about this sort of thing, unless you have a very specific reason for doing it differently.
_________________
Simon Hibbs

Actually, the "three times a day" limit to shapechanging is something that I remember hearing in a literature class, without any reference to D&D rules. The rule of 3 was a very powerful force in the Celtic mythos.

I also heard the limitation "Three times a day: a mammal, a bird, and a reptile" indicating a further limitation of type. This would make it more non-D&D'ish since the D&D rule does not say each form has to be different (although that rule was in the original D&D treatment of the Druid class).

I'd like to make the druid different from a Runepriest, since as far as I know the Druids didn't use runes. Various foci such as staves could serve a similar purpose, of course, with a consecration of a sacred item taking the place of "tuning" to a rune.

 

[Utgardloki]

Im a bit confused: what Read Magic skill? I don't recall seeing that. And by "wizardry" I'm assuming you mean sorcery, so apologies if that's not correct.

My apologies for referencing a half-finished set of ideas.

In other threads about magic, I brought up the topic of "wizards" who are different from "runecasters". My current thinking on this is that "wizards" have two skills -- Read Magic, and Wizardry. (Wizards can also specialize in different schools, such as conjuration, or elemental magic.) Read Magic is used to read and learn a spell from a spell book. Wizardry is used to cast the spell.

A "druid" could have the Wizardry skill with a Nature Magic specialization, but not gain the Read Magic skill from his profession. He'd therefore have to memorize all his spells (limits set by his Intelligence). A "wizard" would be able to read a spell directly out of a spellbook, although it would take longer to cast that way.

Another confusion is that I am both talking about Druid as a "Profession", and about rules for druids, which would support a druid profession. A profession could support multiple kinds of magic (such as the very early D&D treatment of Druids as multiple class cleric-magic users). I conceive of a druid as being somewhat like a cleric/wizard except the concept is much more integrated than a multi-classed character in D&D would be.

 

[Exubae]

The problem with 'real world' Druids is they're not exactly well documented, apart from a few notes from Julius Ceasar cursing them, little is recorded about their practases.

Sacred triarchies occur in most religions, Christian, Hindu, and in Celtic mythology with aspects of the Daughter, Wife, Crone.

The closest analogy to druid is possibly a shaman - but one specialising in nature and earth spirits.

A couple of ideas:
Spirit integration, allow the Druid to integrate or control a number of spirits equal to his( POW+CHA)/6
The Spirits bieng animal or plant spirits, allow the spirits to flavour the magic - treat the Spirit as a rune.
A fox spirit may allow the character to transform into a fox or move through undergrowth without leaving trace, each action the spirit perform costs MPs

Not sure how well it fits with the new spirit rules though

The other thought is to use Oghmic script to replace Runes.

 

[Utgardloki]

A lot of this is interpretation based on various sources that I've looked at, including the D&D rulebooks as well as an anthropology course I once took.

I think one distinction between druids and shamans is that the shaman is seen as commanding spirits, while the druid works with the spirits. So things like binding spirits and commanding spirits may not be suitable for druids, but druids would excell at negotiating with nature spirits.

One thought is to have legendary druid spells, each of which would be a separate legendary ability, made available to druids who meet the prerequisites, complete a quest, and give their hero points to a nature spirit willing and able to teach them the spell. (The idea of legendary spells can be generalized to other casters as well; druids would get them from nature spirits, while other casters would have other sources.)

Druids can really be almost anything you want to be. An issue of Dragon Magazine once described something called "an urban druid," which I thought was very well done and a fascinating concept. (City spirits and city runes in runequest?)