Need help to make an adventure for a Druid

[Daniel Gray 572]

New GM here. I have about 4 sections under my belt now. Last night I GM the start of a homemade campaign with a new group. It went well and for the first time I think this group of players will stick together. Everyone had a lot of fun. But there is one small problem. I had a druid in the group and at several points he flips through his sheet and be like I got nothing that will help here. One time it was in reference to a locked door. I think I did a good job making the cleric, rouge and sorceress shine and feel important but failed with the druid. Part of the problem is I need to read up on the druid as this is the first time I had one.

But I was wondering if I could get some advice on how to create an adventure that would play to the druid. I am thinking of an over grown ruined city or something. Not caves, fortresses and temples like I did in the first session. But what kind of encounter can I create that makes the druid the star.

[Pizza Lord]

Hard to say, I assume they're all level 1 since you just started, but it kind of depends on the druid and the player. If he chooses certain spells or has a certain animal companion, it doesn't matter what you do. Druids get warp wood and stone shape I believe, so doors can't be much of a problem, but they have to prepare those spells (and be high enough level). Some druids have combat companions, some have spy companions. There's just not enough for anyone to go one to make an adventure to please your player.

So, basically, have some animals that he can use Handle Animal on or can use his abilities to influence or bypass instead of fighting. Have some plants, creatures, or encounters that call on his specific skills or knowledge. Have some Sylvan creatures he can converse with or Druidic lore or symbols he can decipher. Otherwise, we'd have to know specifically about the character and player.

[Tyrant Lizard King]

One good option for any Druid is taking advantage of their spontaneous summoning. I had one of my Druid players learn through a Knowledge: Nature check that Goblins go nuts in the presence of a Dog or Horse. The party was getting overwhelmed by too many little stabs and cuts and victory was starting to become questionable. The Druid used Summon Nature's Ally to summon a Dog and almost all of the Goblins broke combat with the heroes to charge and kill the poor mutt. This provoked many Attack of Opportunities and consequently resulted with fewer Goblins. The Druid got much approval from the party for their quick thinking that turned the tide of the combat.

Wild Empathy is pretty handy for gaining the aid of a wild animal to help haul something too heavy for the party. As well as making a hostile animal that would otherwise attack indifferent. Calm Animal and Charm Animals are both 1st level spells.

Quest ideas that could have favorable circumstances for a Druid could be...
-A very powerful Bear/Tiger killing people in a small village. Most people would sooner hunt the animal down but a Druid can offer better solutions.
-A long trek through the wilds offers a Druid a chance to be very useful when the party is in danger of dehydration and dying of thirst with Create Water. Same with starvation by way of the Purify Food and Drink orison or Goodberry 1st level spell.

[Daniel Gray 572]

Tyrant Lizard King wrote:

Quest ideas that could have favorable circumstances for a Druid could be...
-A very powerful Bear/Tiger killing people in a small village. Most people would sooner hunt the animal down but a Druid can offer better solutions.
-A long trek through the wilds offers a Druid a chance to be very useful when the party is in danger of dehydration and dying of thirst with Create Water. Same with starvation by way of the Purify Food and Drink orison or Goodberry 1st level spell.

Thanks for the ideas. And you gave me a thought. Wild animal turns out to be another druid who has been pushed to the edge of becoming an eco terrorist. Does the PC defeat the druid, join him, or reason with him. How do the rest of the group react. Yes the wheels are turning. I hope this can captivate him and show him what RPGs are about. Like to keep this group going.

Also i showed him the spell list and hope he will do some planing on his end. The warp wood spell would have been perfect.

[Pizza Lord]

Daniel Gray 572 wrote:

Thanks for the ideas. And you gave me a thought. Wild animal turns out to be another druid who has been pushed to the edge of becoming an eco terrorist.

If any of the party have tracking, they may find the animal tracks of the wildshaped druid, just remember that if they get a suitable distance from a settlement or out of the farm and fields into 'natural surroundings' the tracks will seem to end due to the druid's Trackless Step ability.

Then the players can be like, "Did we lose them? Keep looking."
"Did it fly away? They look like bear tracks but... a winged bear?"
"Maybe it was a summoned monster and just vanished. We're dealing with a caster!"
Or, maybe the druid player gets his chance to shine by going,
"Wait, maybe it's a druid!" (but obviously that will need to come to him on his own.)

[DalmarWolf]

One thing with Druids is that they are basically bad wizards at level 1 (especially if they choose to not have an animal companion), but once they hit level 4 and start to get wildshape they really start to come into their own as a very versatile class.

Need to see ahead in a forest? Sure someone could climb that tree but the druid can turn into a bird and scout.
Need to carry gear past guards? Load the druid up with stuff and watch it all meld together into a dog or a horse, who'd expert that the contraband is part of the horse and not hidden in that haystack in the cart?

There's tons of fun and creative ways to use wildshape, and your a full caster on top of that with a very diverse selection of spells. It just takes some levels to really become awesome.