|
Howdy guys!
I've got a bit of a problem: I'm stuck.
For my third character, my "just-in-case-all-my-other-characters-die-horribly" character, for the weekend of OwlCon 2014 I've decided to do something crazy like make a tengu druid. However, I can't decide what faction to put him in.
Now, this might not seem a significant problem to you but let me tell you- this has got me scratching my head. Why? Because Druids have been my absolutely least favorite base class for the last 15 something years. I just really can stand their motivation of kissing trees and hugging snails. Worst still their abilities (especially the wild shape and so annoying Mr. Fluffy Fluff animal companion) have always been so appalling and pathetic (in my super biased humble opinion). Well, that was until I saw what Pathfinder did with them. Now, they might actually be something to them.
I'm planning on going Storm Druid with a focus on Air and supernatural combat( think air bending from the animated series Avatar). I'm also not that familiar with the intricacies of the factions of PFS (yes, I've read their descriptions detailed on this website) but more importantly I am completely clueless as to why a Druid would even join an organization like the pathfinder Society.
So, where or where does a guy like me start picking a faction? Are their any druidic orders in the campaign setting that would directly benefit an adventuring druid of the Society? Do I have to kiss trees and hug snails as a Druid?
Oh... and seriously, loathe the concept of Wild Shape and everything that is an Animal Companion/Familiar. If I ever ended up with something like a horse for an Animal Companion I'd walk him straight across the street to the glue factory.
Nathan
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Oh... and seriously, loathe the concept of Wild Shape and everything that is an Animal Companion/Familiar. If I ever ended up with something like a horse for an Animal Companion I'd walk him straight across the street to the glue factory.
Just take a dinosaur AC and say that your tengu is just getting in touch with his roots.
|
Awww.. my favorite class.
LN: Appreciates the order inherent in nature. Might emulate wolf packs, murders of ravens, and ant colonies with a desire for a clear hierarchy. May become a pathfinder to catalog and study unique species. Cheliax might be a possibility but letting the demons loose into the world is probably more than a little off putting. Might go silver crusade and follow the orders a little literally. Would be a great fit in the grand lodge: clear hierarchy and no moral dimension. More likely to be an initiate.
CN: More fitting to a stormcrow. Wild, capricious, unbridled energy looking for a place to let loose. Probably stumbled onto the pathfinder society in some noodle incident and just said "Sure, why not...". More likely a field commission. He's there for the fun, the adventure, and people to hide behind when his lightning strikes hit the wrong target. he wants to stand on top of the highest mountain in a lightning storm while holding a big metal spear and taunting a giant.... and the society will PAY him to do that!
The shady dealings of scarzini might appeal to him. If he's has any personal experiences with slavery he might go andoran. Qadira should actively be recruiting druids after all the knowledge nature checks they wanted....
Take a Roc animal companion. he's your cousin. He doesn't talk much.
|
|
if your going storm druid, i would suggest either andoran, sczarni, or grand lodge.
Reasoning, the andoran's are known for the grey corsairs, a fleet of ships fighting slavery. This may or may not be your character's thing... if your character is NG, i suggest this.
for the more neutral you have the grand lodge, generally one of the most played factions.
I threw in sczarni because they are one of the least played factions... i would look at the factions of your other chronicles and try something different or what fits the best, i hope this helps.
Do I have to kiss trees and hug snails as a Druid?
No. Your druid doesn't have to kiss trees and hug snails to be a druid. He just has to revere nature and live by a few legacy rules carried from other editions(no metal armor/no teaching druidic). I just wouldn't go abusing animals and burning down forest for the fun of it.
Can be hard to pick a faction based on wanting to be with nature. None of the factions really have that as a focus. Might help to look at another motive or at what factions look like they might have missions you find fun.
I wonder if the OP merely dislikes Druids or just hates nature in general...
I wonder if the OP merely dislikes Druids or just hates nature in general...
Might be a bit hard to play a druid if you don't like one or the other. On the upside, leading your AC to the glue factory would make for a short career as a druid.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Okay, 'cos I really like Tengu.
Andoran: The character learnt their storm magic from the capricious and often violent fey tied to the Verduran Forest. The character doesn't actually like Andoran, but realises that the nation is home to the fey masters, so it is a vested interest.
Cheliax: The Chelish navy captured and interrogated the character. Realising the magical air powers could be utterly devastating in naval combat, they forcibly recruited the character and are funding them to become even more powerful, with the hopes to use their magic on the high seas.
Osirion: Something something tomb. Something something a sphinx riddle. Something something curse of the pyramid. Something something Billy Zane in eyeliner.
Qadira: The character is training with Sylph elemental blooded magi, who are found in the Keleshite Empire. Although the Tengu is not sylph kin, they have recognised a mutual bond and test their wind abilities against one another.
Grand Lodge: The Decemvirate have a number of artifacts and tomes relating to the great Shory sky cities. This intrigues the Tengu. The Decemvirate will allow access based on trust. Thus, Grand Lodge missions ensue.
Sczarni: Travelling Tengu family ties have nestled the Tengu in with the Varisian organised crime families. The character has Tengu pirate kin in Riddleport, the Shackles and across the eye of Abendago.
Silver Crusade: The character believes that wind magic is holy magic. With that in mind, it makes sense to join all the holy magic users. The tengu is confused and surprised to see a bunch of forward-eyes healing one another and praying. Where's the holy wind magic? Time to teach these forward-eyes a few things...
Taldor: There's an evil Viscount with a good dozen Tengu slaves cooped up in an aviary in Oppara. You can't touch this Viscount in his manor until you have Emperor Stavian the Third's blessing to KICK HIS ASS. You are adventuring in order to gain the favour of the Royal Court so you can enact some Tengu family-freeing justice.
|
|
Awww.. my favorite class....
Thanks for the view points! Makes the Alignment choices a little clearer.
I wonder if the OP merely dislikes Druids or just hates nature in general...
Actually, neither. Perhaps it's because I'm a bit jaded? As it so happens in my favorite Steampunk Fantasy table top miniature war game my primary faction is a wild bunch of evil militaristic dogmatic druids. Because really, a NE Druid makes one of the best villains around! I think I have it in my mind that those types of druids are the "real McCoys" and that the Pathfinder (primarily the 3.5 Druid) are lame compared to the destructive awesome goodness of that other civilization toppling druid sect that I play in that particular war game.
If you hate tree-huggers, why not go Blight Druid?
I really wouldn't mind that kind of druid but I have my heart set on a Tengu Storm Druid.
Okay, 'cos I really like Tengu...
Wow! Perfect! Thank you so much!
|
Your class is only one part of your character motivations.
My tengu druid is a sea captain. He joined the Pathfinder Society mainly as a cover for his smuggling and in order to get lots of contacts for later. He is Andoran partly because he can become a captain in their navy (which opens up all sorts of possibilities) and partly because he owes them a debt.
Almost none of this comes up on screen, unfortunately. But it let's me play a somewhat atypical druid who would join the society.
|
|
I had a similar problem when I started playing that none of the factions really correspond well with the typical Druid ethos. I would suggest the following:
Grand Lodge - I find this one to work out well since it focuses more on the overarching goal of the society as a whole, exploration. I have played druids since 1st Edition of another game and invariably my druids tend to be explorers, wandering the world with an adventuring party to explore nature in all its glory.
Qadira - Despite its mercantile focus exploration is also a key interest for Qadirans. While your superiors are interested in establishment of new trade routes, you travel to new and exotic natural locations and if you set up some deals on the way its worth seeing new places.
Remembering Druid is only one part of your character any of the faction can be useful, a Scarzni Gypsy who turned to nature for escape,
One of my favorite ideas, if you read much on Cheliax, is that Druids there are accepted more than other religions. There natural focus is considered non-threatening by the government and there skills are useful to the population, giving them a place in society, not a high one but one. Imagine a Chelaxian druid that was contacted by the Society for some mission via Society druids and forced to run because of that connection, fun times.