| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Sourcemaster2 |
Posted - 20 Jun 2004 : 23:45:22
If a druid who doesn't worship a deity travels to another plane, does he retain whatever druidic spells and abilities he posessed? Also, do all FR druids pray for their magic, or are there any who just revere nature? As I understand it, most settings have druids draw their magic from nature itself, but FR requires a deity. |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Lashan |
Posted - 23 Jun 2004 : 15:28:06
Perhaps it comes down to the "metagame" concept of "do you want to screw with your players?". Even if it makes sense in the cosmology of things, do you want to stick it to your druid players so that they can't cast spells? It might make interesting play, or it might just be annoying and nullify one character for that time on the plane. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 23 Jun 2004 : 14:20:56
You're certainly right about that Bookwyrm. In 2e there were clear rules as to how the abilities of certain classes were affected on the planes and, to a lesser extent, other worlds.
The 3e MotP does it's best to address these facts also, but I've always felt that the tome doesn't cover "everything" that can happen to a class on another world... especially the druid. For the most part, it's commonly accepted that a druid cannot assume the shape of a creature that is opposed to the element of the plane the druid currently resides. Bookwyrm's example is completely valid in that regard. As an additional, it should be noted that the druid cannot also summon (if you allow this) any type of creature or elemental to this same plane.
The Abyss however, is difficult to judge. The divine power of deities operates differently across the "worlds" of the Abyss. On some layers, PCs can have their access to their particular deities severed completely. On other layers, the very fabric of the plane has been so corrupted by the horror of the Blood War that casting any type of spell - whether arcane or divine - is impossible. There are even a few layers where a PC's connection to his/her god is boosted, and their spells operate as though they have been influenced by the various metamagic feats.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 23 Jun 2004 : 05:06:09
I'm with Sage. It ruins nature magic on non-Prime planes, but in most cases I can't see how it would work. There are some easy exceptions -- perhaps the Wild Shape ability still works in a limited fashion; but perhaps only in regards to the plane the druid is on. For instance, a druid on the Elemental Plane of Fire probably couldn't ever take the shape of a water elemental. And a druid in the Abyss might be only able to take on fiendish versions of animals (albeit ones of lesser stature, such as only Small animals if the druid can change into Medium ones). That could have problems for the druid, if the druid isn't already evil.
Some spells might work, such as those that don't "pull" as much natural power. Those are pretty few, though. Mostly, I'd say that druids shouldn't do too much planewalking. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 21 Jun 2004 : 07:47:26
In simple terms, no.
But then again, there are many (homebrew) rule variants on this. Most allow for the druid to be able to access the divine energy from the other setting's druidic gods (though at reduced capacity due to the difference in deity). Some put a cap on the number of spells known each day, or how many the druid can cast per day.
This all really comes down to cosmology though. The Great Wheel made these types of situations easier to explain and handle in regards to campaign usage.
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| Sarta |
Posted - 21 Jun 2004 : 00:33:16
From what I understand, in the Forgotten Realms, divine energy is channeled through dieties. However, this does not mean that a druid needs to worship the deity giving them spells. Silvanus (or possibly another nature deity) may very well reward a druid who reveres "nature" with divine spells whether druid worships him or not.
Ed touched on this briefly in the "Ask Ed" thread when asked whether all people who did not worship a god are put in the wall. His answer was that whichever god had the portfolio that that person seemed most attached to will usually claim them as a worshipper.
So, even though a druid doesn't believe in Silvanus, but instead just the concept of nature, this doesn't mean that Silvanus doesn't believe in them.
With regard to planar travel, I believe they are still able to draw power regardless of where they are (with the exception of some planes that sever divine ties).
Sarta |
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