Druids in Krynn

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

zombiegleemax

Oct 05, 2003 9:31:52
I am finding all the information about the Druid Class to obtain a detalied descrption about this Class in the Dragonlance. If someone knows about any link or url to obtain detailed information about that, please post it.

In my finding, I've read this description of the Druid Class, and I am very amzed about that.

This is the fisrt Dragonlance Module to AD&D 1st. edition ,called Dragonlance Adventures (1987)
page 11, Estandard Classes:
"Clerics (heathen): Clerics who worship gods other than the True Gods are considered heathen clerics in the world of krynn. They are powerless and recieve no blessing from the Gods. This class of characters includes clercics from other universes who have somehow come to krynn by chance or design from those other realms"
"Druid (heathen): As with heathen Clerics, this refers to that class of druid that has come from beyond Krynn. They also lose their powers upon coming to krynn."

I had never read any similar description in others Modules. So, All the Druids in Krynn come from another worlds?
What is your opinion about that? is it wrong ? or is it true?

Thank you very much

Cheers
#2

Nived

Oct 05, 2003 10:03:59
*kicks on the reverb* Druids.... In.... SPACE!

sorry

Anyway that's an interesting description for the class. First time I ever recall seeing something like that... of course I have no desire to tell my Druid player that he's an alien... so I'll just go with the descrition of Druids from the 3E Dragonlance Campaign Setting.

Druids are more or less specialist clerics, sort of like how the Wizards of High Scorcery are technically 'Clerics' of Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari. As the Gods of magic have no Clerics, their worshipers are the Wizards.

Druids are sort of similar to the WoHS in this respect, they are specialized Clerics of the Nature Dieties, Habbakuk, Chislev, and Zeboim. Unlike the Gods of Magic, the Gods of Nature do have Clerics, but they are also the patrons of Druids (Meaning Druids get their spells from them). For the Gods of Nature their Clerics are for interacting with society... while their Druids are for watching out for the wilderness proper.
#3

Dragonhelm

Oct 05, 2003 11:01:26
Originally posted by Eldwe
I had never read any similar description in others Modules. So, All the Druids in Krynn come from another worlds?
What is your opinion about that? is it wrong ? or is it true?

Dragonlance Adventures is designed somewhat with the idea of importing characters from other worlds. IIRC, the original mad gnomes were gnomes from other worlds, who had a tendency to make things work. This concept has evolved into the thinker gnomes.

I think druids were thought of in a similar manner. I think this was done so that you wouldn't have characters gaining divine power from nature, in a world where divine power came from the gods. Cam, can you elaborate on this point?

Now, with third edition, we need to look through the "3e lens". The idea that adventurers in Krynn can come from other worlds is long past, so we have to approach DL from a 3e perspective. With the idea of incorporating all the PHB classes in DL, one has to ask how the druid fits. It just makes sense that the druid works as a "specialist cleric" of the gods of nature.

So a lot of it boils down to perspective, and what one wishes to accomplish in game design. Dragonlance Adventures was written in a time when DL was new. The DLCS is designed in a time when DL is well-established.
#4

cam_banks

Oct 07, 2003 8:47:31
Originally posted by Dragonhelm

I think druids were thought of in a similar manner. I think this was done so that you wouldn't have characters gaining divine power from nature, in a world where divine power came from the gods. Cam, can you elaborate on this point?

Any character who was a cleric or a cleric sub-class (which is how they organized things in 1st edition AD&D) who came from somewhere other than Krynn was considered a heathen priest. This meant that although they believed in and had faith in a god or gods, they didn't get any power on Krynn since only the Krynnish pantheon can do that.

DLA doesn't allow druids as a standard class, since this is apparently what clerics of Chislev are for. The charts in the back of the book which divide spells into spheres, which predates what eventually came to be used in 2nd edition, shows how this was accomplished - druid spells were sorted out into the other cleric spells and then assigned to spheres, and those spheres were assigned to various Krynnish gods.

In 3rd edition, since the spheres, speciality priests, etc rules of AD&D have been abandoned, druids have been re-introduced to reflect an alternative to a cleric of the nature gods, one whose power comes from the nature gods yet is supplied through nature. In other words, Chislev, Habbakuk and Zeboim are made manifest in the natural world to some degree due to their power over it, and in this way their divine power can be directed to their druids. I would also allow Morgion to have druids, who'd be dedicated to the ruin and decay of nature rather than its preservation.

Cheers,
Cam