|
Greetings! Firstly let me thank you all. I've only recently came into Pathfinder and it is truly been an amazing experience thus far. My questions are this: I'm looking into creating a Druid however I want to base it in Celtic culture/lore. Any suggestions for armor, equip, companions? Any important feats for a JoAT druid?
And anyone have an opinion on Pack Lord archetype? Experiences?
Thanks again!
Well IF you went Pack Lord with a celtic theme then a couple of irish wolf hounds as your lads would be the best way to do. Those would be best as reskinned wolves.
you get to split your wolf levels between the two lads.
so for example at 7th level you could have a 4/3 spilt on your ACs.
team work feats and flanking will help tons here.
With the pack lord you will lose some wild shape, but you should be going for divine gish anyway, sword and board, call lightening etc. Along the lines of master of the hunt.
A thing to streamline your turn might be to have both wolf-hounds act as similarly as possible. For example, they'll almost always gang up on the same target, most likely.
common tactics scenarios. Wolf hound a breaks right, hound b goes left. Go for flank, druid casts spells or goes up the center.
Have several sets of tactics (3-5) written on a flash card hand them to the DM. the Dm could roll dice (or use a random dice generator) before the game starts maybe 10 rolls for each dog for each tactic, he could check them off as you go.
Round 1, druid what do you do?
I use the lads with tactic A:
Dm looks at the card, checks off the pre-rolls and quickly tell you what happens, and you roll yur dice for your own action...
poof. streamlined.
Have your "Wolf"-Hounds use Pack Tactics and Teamwork Feats if you can. You can decrease the Paperwork by having them be copies of each other or at least as near as you can.
I actually am in a Low-WBL game were we are mostly fighting Mobs of weaker Humanoids like Orcs and Hobgoblins. So I have 4 EDL 5 Wolf Companions.
We are a small group of 3. We have a Halfling Paladin of Erastil, a Human Cleric who follows Erastil but isn't one of his clerics, then my Halfling Druid. We all ended up getting an Animal Companion or Mount.
Contributor
|
The Celtic Druids were highly learned ritualists and seers, whose associations with animals only extended as far as animals were symbolic creatures in their religion or used for sacrifices. I'd actually use an Lore Oracle for a closer representation of a historical Druid (with a liberal use of bestow curse and geas). The Druid, as it evolved in 3.0 to PF is more of a shamanic figure. Now, admittedly, Merlin/Myrddin overlapped into both categories - and was a shapeshifter, but the notion of a shapeshifter Druid seems more characteristic of Gwydion and him than the real thing.
Well, one thing to consider might be designing your own archetype, and integrating elements of the Bard class. Things to consider:
-Perform/Poetry or Storytelling for inspire/counter spell, etc.
-Some skill or ability that uses memory/memorization(possibly Eidetic?)
-Maybe even reworking spell list to include more divination? Less focus on shape changing?
Anyway, just brainstorming. It's always puzzled me that the Bard class has so much in common with what we know of the Celtic Druid.
I'd love to see what you finally come up with.
I think you may need a complete re skin of the druid if you want anything Celtic. You can write up a archetype with a Celtic base for your game. Finn McCool was know to shape change but only into a wolf, and he had two hound companion. I think that can be worked up in to a good idea.
Now, that I see it, the Lore Oracle has a lot to recommend it, too.
|
Contributor
|
Well, one thing to consider might be designing your own archetype, and integrating elements of the Bard class. Things to consider:
-Perform/Poetry or Storytelling for inspire/counter spell, etc.
-Some skill or ability that uses memory/memorization(possibly Eidetic?)
-Maybe even reworking spell list to include more divination? Less focus on shape changing?
Anyway, just brainstorming. It's always puzzled me that the Bard class has so much in common with what we know of the Celtic Druid.
I'd love to see what you finally come up with.
This is because the Celtic Bard was originally a lay or lower-ranking member of the Druid caste. That's why the Bard was tied into the Druid in its original 1e form - as a sort of uber-prestige class. Druid as a prestige class would be more accurate, if one wanted a Celtic style class, but shapeshifting would be more of a spell than a class ability -as you suggest, memorisation, divination, and (I'd venture) sacrificial rituals like the wicker man would be the abilities.
The more I think about this, the cooler it could be. One could make something pretty unique and fun.
Depends on which Celtic Druid you are talking about. There are the Nomadic Forest Wardens and then there are the stationary Druids.
The Pack Lord fits the Wardens as would a Ranger (I even think there is a Ranger Archetype that would work better). A Cleric or Bard fits the Stationary.
The Wardens were one of the Higher Ranking Members.
Quick note, the Druid class is already heavily based in ideas of Celtic lore. Or at least, a 15th century folklore about them.
Quick trick: a free club + Shelleighlah spell carries you through the early levels. It is basically a +1 greatclub for the fight.
Large Size Club w/ Shillelagh:
3d6 +1 (x2) Blunt
0 gp
6 lbs
-2 to hit, not sized for you.
amazingly fun if you take at least 14 Str.
Quick trick: a free club + Shelleighlah spell carries you through the early levels. It is basically a +1 greatclub for the fight.
Literally, making a Shillelagh into a Shillelagh...
|
|
Celtic Druid?
Anyone who tells you anything about 'celtic druids' or 'historical druids' is speculating: your celtic druid can be a half-troll fleshwarper who breathes poison and farts comic songs and will have as much historic veracity as anything else.
If you would like a sense of just how little we know about ancient druids then you could try hearing what Barry Cunliffe (Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Oxford), Miranda Aldhouse-Green (Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University) and Justin Champion (Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London) have to say in a well-presented 45-minute discussion here.
The reading list includes a book title which I think neatly sums up the 'idea of druids': "Ancient Britons and the Antiquarian Imagination".
Druids were just Shamans of the Celts.
I'm currently playing in a Celtic flavored sandbox campaign. We use this file for inspiration, but you'll need to adjust for Pathfinder.
The difference is:
Shamans deal with Spirits.
Priests deal with Deities.
Back then there was a difference between them.
Also Shamans were also healers.
Advice about making your druid Celtic: Think about what that means to you, and make appropriate decisions. As you can see from previous posts, there's a lot of room for interpretation! Personally, I'd do it by choosing Celtic names for myself and my animal companions, painting myself with woad for important occasions, adopting a slight accent when speaking in character, and choosing animal companions native to the British Isles (badger, bear, boar, fox, hawk, owl, wildcat, and wolf).
YMMV
Advice about making your Pack Lord awesome: Boon Companions!
I would take the feat Boon Companion twice, treating two animal companions as if your level is four higher.
At 3rd level: 3rd level boar, 3rd level boar, 1st level owl.
At 6th level: 6th level boar, 6th level boar, 2nd level owl.
Advice about making your druid Celtic: Think about what that means to you, and make appropriate decisions. As you can see from previous posts, there's a lot of room for interpretation! Personally, I'd do it by choosing Celtic names for myself and my animal companions, painting myself with woad for important occasions, adopting a slight accent when speaking in character, and choosing animal companions native to the British Isles (badger, bear, boar, fox, hawk, owl, wildcat, and wolf).
YMMV
Advice about making your Pack Lord awesome: Boon Companions!
I would take the feat Boon Companion twice, treating two animal companions as if your level is four higher.
At 3rd level: 3rd level boar, 3rd level boar, 1st level owl.
At 6th level: 6th level boar, 6th level boar, 2nd level owl.
It's obviously up to your GM, but I don't think this works. Boon Companion increases your Druid level up to your Character Level. With Pack Lord your Druid level already equals your Character level you're just dividing your levels up.
You'll probably want to have a look at the "Eye for Talent" human racial trait since it will advance all of your animal companions.
"Eye for Talent Humans have great intuition for hidden potential. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Sense Motive checks. In addition, when they acquire an animal companion, bonded mount, cohort, or familiar, that creature gains a +2 bonus to one ability score of the character's choice. This racial trait replaces the bonus feat trait."
|
The difference is:
Shamans deal with Spirits.
Priests deal with Deities.Back then there was a difference between them.
Also Shamans were also healers.
I'd say that's a pretty darn accurate.
Speaking of shamans, if you'd like to play one in Pathfinder, you could always check out New Paths #2: The Expanded Shaman from Kobold Press.
In fact, back to the original poster's question, I think the above class would actually make a great celtic themed druid type of class
|
Greetings! Firstly let me thank you all. I've only recently came into Pathfinder and it is truly been an amazing experience thus far. My questions are this: I'm looking into creating a Druid however I want to base it in Celtic culture/lore. Any suggestions for armor, equip, companions? Any important feats for a JoAT druid?
And anyone have an opinion on Pack Lord archetype? Experiences?
Thanks again!
Sounds neat.
I'm currently playing a druidic avenger - which is kind of like a barbarian/druid multiclass - pretty fun.
Recommendations on adding a "Celtic" feel to your character:
-be able to turn into a boar, bear, salmon or swan
-eat the "salmon of knowledge" to gain extra wisdom, lol (if you've ever read Irish fairy tales, you know what I'm talking about)
-say the odd bit of poetry now and then. Here are some good ones:
http://www.northernway.org/school/onw/prayers.html
-carry a spear/quarterstaff and know the spell "shillelagh":
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/spells/shillelagh.html
-consort with elves, faeries and the wild fay folk in general
I'm currently playing in a Celtic flavored sandbox campaign. We use this file for inspiration, but you'll need to adjust for Pathfinder.
Wow thats bad but at least they are honest "All the
content of this document is intended for game purpose only, and has no historical / literacy value"
Advice about making your druid Celtic: Think about what that means to you, and make appropriate decisions. As you can see from previous posts, there's a lot of room for interpretation! Personally, I'd do it by choosing Celtic names for myself and my animal companions, painting myself with woad for important occasions, adopting a slight accent when speaking in character, and choosing animal companions native to the British Isles (badger, bear, boar, fox, hawk, owl, wildcat, and wolf).
YMMV
Advice about making your Pack Lord awesome: Boon Companions!
I would take the feat Boon Companion twice, treating two animal companions as if your level is four higher.
At 3rd level: 3rd level boar, 3rd level boar, 1st level owl.
At 6th level: 6th level boar, 6th level boar, 2nd level owl.
Has their been any sort of ruling, FAQ or errata on Boon Companion?
I too was thinking of rolling up a Pack Lord and taking this feat twice, but I feel like from the RAI on it that is more intended to bounce up a Ranger's low-level companion or a late mount arrival for other classes than to immediately rank up splits from Archetypes like Pack Lord, Beast Master etc.
painting myself with woad for important occasions,
Take a look at this
the problem of the woad