The Paladruidin: Where Nature and Good Intersect


Advice

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

As anyone who's seen my posts in the past before knows, I've been obsessed with Wrath of the Righteous and Sarkoris. Up until now, I've always looked to build some kind of paladin to play in it, as Wrath of the Righteous heavily caters to them and the class is kind of right there in my username.

My idea was for a Sarkorian-blooded Kellid lad raised in Kenabres to seek taking up the sword and taking back his homeland from the demons, uniting the remnants of the clans and becoming their High Clanliege in a King Arthury kind of way.

Lately though I've reread any lore on Sarkoris I can find, and I'm starting to wonder if I've been looking at this from the wrong perspective. Sarkoris and its culture looked much more strongly to its spiritual leaders in the form of the Council of Hierophants than it did to its clanlieges, so any kind of unifier would probably be more like a druid than a paladin. Plus, Wrath of the Righteous seems to have a very specific paradigm of paladin in mind that's much more in tune with Malory's version of King Arthur than with Monmouth's.

So I figured, why not retool the concept to create a druid who acts as close to a paladin as a druid can possibly get, still worshiping nature and seeking to restore the natural balance that the demons have so thoroughly wrecked, and heal the wound in the world?

I have a number of questions regarding how to go about such a character though, before even GETTING to mechanics. The first question is, to be honest, how to play NG as opposed to LG.

As my username suggests, I friggin' LOVE playing paladins. They're a class I'm very comfortable in and I love finding ways to make each paladin unique. So I know how paladins tend to think and behave, following a code and generally acting in an honorable boy-scouty way. Being good is relatively easy to figure out. It's being NEUTRAL that's the hard part for me. I've honestly never really tried it, and have a hard time separating Good from Law (especially since in the earliest editions of D&D they were essentially one and the same). Furthermore, I've never actually played the druid class before. Since he's a follower of the True Neutral Green Faith, I'm not sure how a NG alignment influences his interpretation of the philosophy, which is basically to respect and honor nature's laws and cycles, and defend the unspoiled wilderness from destruction. Nature isn't Good, which is why a paladin can't follow the Green Faith. So in essence I'm left clueless as to where Nature and Good can intersect in a character who wants to cast off the demonic taint that destroyed Sarkoris, and how to both be honorable and respect nature's cyclical patterns and natural "laws" without shifting into LG and thus not being eligible for being a druid.

If anyone can provide advice on how to even begin roleplaying such a character, I'd be very grateful. Thank you!


Being good is basically being actively altruistic for no personal gain and opposing evil even when you're not personally involved.

NG is less dogmatic than LG, especcially in how to relate to the concept of Law and/or Order. He just does what he feels right without actively going against restrictions.

Just add to that that you love squirrels and trees and you have an NG member of the green faith.

Paladins cannot be followers of the cult because are too concerned with morals to be enough invested in nature. Nature themed Paladins do exist, especially Paladins of Erastil.


Killoren from Races of the Wild make a good addition to this concept. It literally is a Fey creature that is capable of throwing smiting attacks once an hour.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Sheppard Book wrote:
Killoren from Races of the Wild make a good addition to this concept. It literally is a Fey creature that is capable of throwing smiting attacks once an hour.

Eh, I'd rather not introduce non-Golarion stuff for this. I'm pretty set on Human (Kellid) for this guy. That's who Sarkorians were.

Shadow Lodge

All living things deserve respect and care, and we should feel a sense of fellowship with and empathy for them. The idea we are separate from nature is destructive to us and to it. We should share nature's bounty, and not exploit it for personal gain. While we should learn from the suffering present in nature we should not seek to add to that suffering.


Also if you're goind Druid Planar Wild Shape would be a thematic choice

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

I'm looking more for roleplaying and personality advice here. Stats and such will come later, when I have a better idea of who this character is in my mind.


A Hunter (Divine Hunter), Ranger (Divine Tracker), or Inquisitor (Sacred Huntsman) might be more the sort of thing that lines up with what you're doing.

That said, I've always found LN a more fun alignment than NG, especially for someone who acts as a sort of "knight of the wild"—you're concerned with fighting abominations and undead, but lack the Paladin's obnoxious need to save every person he meets or travels with.

The big question is whether you want someone who travels with/rides an animal companion or not—and then whether or not you want to be driven by a specific deity/religion or just general nature awareness.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

I do want to be able to ride a horse like a paladin might, or (if I can get away with it) ride a chariot into battle like the ancient Iceni. As for religion, as I said I want the character to follow The Green Faith, seeking to resurrect the Circle of Hierophants as the first true Grand Druid since the Worldwound opened. The Green Faith Acolyte prestige class appeals to me for this reason. He's trying to recover and restore what the demons took from his people, but respects the gods of the crusaders and sees that he and his people can't stand against the demons alone. He sees a certain poetic awesomeness in the oldest faith in the world (The Green Faith) fighting alongside the youngest (Iomedae) to purge the demons and heal the almost literal injury the world has suffered at their hands.


Note that Divine Hunter does not have to be "Any Neutral" alignment unless you worship something True Neutral like the Green Faith. So you could be a Lawful Good Divine Hunter of Iomedae or (more likely) Erastil.

I wish Druid had an archetype like this -- it would really make sense for nature-themed corner alignment deities like Erastil, Desna, and Lamashtu (not sure which Lawful Evil deity would count as nature-themed).


Doesn't a lot of Carrion Crown take place underground? I'd also consider something like a dog/pony-riding halfling.

Of course, a horse isn't the most druidic animal. Personally, my favorite companion is the Megaloceros (dire elk) from Bestiary II, which is what Thranduil rides in the Hobbit. It's as mystical as you can get, and its antlers deal double damage on a charge.

I'm not a huge fan of any PrCs, but it's a great flavor to go with whether or not you take that class.

The next decision you want to think about is whether you're more interested in fighting side-by-side with a companion, while using wild shape to attack (or tactical feats as a hunter or inquisitor might) or ride something around, dealing spells and lance strikes from horseback.

One other class to consider might be the oracle, with either a Lunar or Nature mystery. Charisma-casting gives you more of a paladin flavor than wisdom, and both of those mysteries let you use +charisma to AC instead of dexterity, which has a cool "shield of faith" flavor to it. They also both give you animal companions (nature gives you a horse/dog, lunar gives you a bear/tiger), while lunar lets you wild shape at level 1 if you so choose and nature lets you spontaneously summon animals like a druid, only bolstered. The nature oracle's horse also gains an intelligence score, as a paladin, and you get a potentially more useful set of spells than the druid.

An oracle curse (or dual-cursed) could also fit well with the spooky flavor of Carrion Crown, as you worship an older world with deeper, more confusing laws.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

The guy would likely have to confront the fact that the Green Faith dropped the ball and ironically the only nature-related force that has any success in fighting demons is a band of deranged NE undead druids.


UnArcaneElection wrote:
(not sure which Lawful Evil deity would count as nature-themed).

Zon-Kuthon druids have specific options

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
thunderbeard wrote:

Doesn't a lot of Carrion Crown take place underground? I'd also consider something like a dog/pony-riding halfling.

Of course, a horse isn't the most druidic animal. Personally, my favorite companion is the Megaloceros (dire elk) from Bestiary II, which is what Thranduil rides in the Hobbit. It's as mystical as you can get, and its antlers deal double damage on a charge.

I'm not a huge fan of any PrCs, but it's a great flavor to go with whether or not you take that class.

The next decision you want to think about is whether you're more interested in fighting side-by-side with a companion, while using wild shape to attack (or tactical feats as a hunter or inquisitor might) or ride something around, dealing spells and lance strikes from horseback.

One other class to consider might be the oracle, with either a Lunar or Nature mystery. Charisma-casting gives you more of a paladin flavor than wisdom, and both of those mysteries let you use +charisma to AC instead of dexterity, which has a cool "shield of faith" flavor to it. They also both give you animal companions (nature gives you a horse/dog, lunar gives you a bear/tiger), while lunar lets you wild shape at level 1 if you so choose and nature lets you spontaneously summon animals like a druid, only bolstered. The nature oracle's horse also gains an intelligence score, as a paladin, and you get a potentially more useful set of spells than the druid.

An oracle curse (or dual-cursed) could also fit well with the spooky flavor of Carrion Crown, as you worship an older world with deeper, more confusing laws.

Carrion Crown? This is for Wrath of the Righteous.

Gorbacz wrote:
The guy would likely have to confront the fact that the Green Faith dropped the ball and ironically the only nature-related force that has any success in fighting demons is a band of deranged NE undead druids.

Oh believe me, that is high on my list of roleplaying priorities. I wanna go explore the idea that Sarkoris planted the seeds of its own destruction with things like its lax attitude towards fraudulent gods (allowing Deskari's cult to thrive not just once, but TWICE) and its oppressive treatment of arcane spellcasters (which created the monster that is Areelu Vorlesh), and confront the possibility that maybe the southerners were right that his people were little more than savages whose ignorance doomed the world. Crises of faith FTW! *evil grin*


Entryhazard wrote:
UnArcaneElection wrote:
(not sure which Lawful Evil deity would count as nature-themed).
Zon-Kuthon druids have specific options

Yes, although they're required to be Neutral Evil rather than matching Zon-Kuthon's alignment (although from what Zon-Kuthon does, he sounds more Neutral Evil anyway).


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I think an interesting idea for your character might be the idea that he has no idea what he's doing. He knows he wants to reestablish a centralized green faith, but he has no clue how to get there.

That said, he always tries to LOOK like he has a master plan that he's following. And who knows? He might actually develop some plan later on. But at the start, he's winging it while trying to make everyone believe that he meant to do what he's done.

Shadow Lodge

Nature Oracle is not a bad idea if you want a "chosen one" feel. They are charismatic by nature and are given magical powers in a mysterious manner.

I remember a really great dryad oracle NPC who was all about nurturing - she wanted to see all living things reach their full potential. Sometimes that meant tough lessons, but she was always ready to help us overcome obstacles. She was a bit mysterious but struck my character (a LG inquisitor of Sarenrae) as a redemptive figure.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Ventnor wrote:

I think an interesting idea for your character might be the idea that he has no idea what he's doing. He knows he wants to reestablish a centralized green faith, but he has no clue how to get there.

That said, he always tries to LOOK like he has a master plan that he's following. And who knows? He might actually develop some plan later on. But at the start, he's winging it while trying to make everyone believe that he meant to do what he's done.

That does mesh well with the fact that this character (Bren, by name) has bigger concerns in the present than restoring the Green Faith, given that the demons are making their final push and he's been caught up in it (i.e. granted mythic power), he sees it as a chance to finally wreak vengeance on the demons, heal the land, and give Sarkoris a chance for a new beginning.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps Subscriber

Keep in mind that druids tend to color there view of nature by their alignment. This means a CN might view nature as random elements fighting for survival a LN druid might constantly serve the laws of nature while true neutral druids tend to view everything through na ture colored glasses, what is good for nature is good what is bad for nature is evil and so forth.

I could imagine a LN druid dedicated to restoring the natural order in the world wound a d working with others to fight the unnatural threat.

Radiant Oath

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

I'm more going for NG than LN. Enforcement of tradition was a role in Sarkorian druidism, but I feel like NG would mesh more readily with paladins and redeemed fiends and such. In a sense he wants to redeem Sarkoris in the eyes of the world, as he'd likely have faced prejudice in Kenabres as a kid being the descendant of refugees, since people generally view the Worldwound as "all Sarkoris' fault" in a sense.

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