Religious Powers checks and non-deists

[Sathien]

So in one game I play in, we have a druid. While refreshing myself with what sort of acts prompt a powers check, I noticed the section about things like breaking vows, tenets, and oaths.

My question is, what would constitute what for a druid? Other than wearing prohibited armor (and what would that be considered)

[ewancummins]

So in one game I play in, we have a druid. While refreshing myself with what sort of acts prompt a powers check, I noticed the section about things like breaking vows, tenets, and oaths.

My question is, what would constitute what for a druid? Other than wearing prohibited armor (and what would that be considered)

It could be all sorts of things:

Killing a taboo animal

Violating a sacred grove

Wanton destruction of natural resources

[Dion of the Fraternity]

Using fur as toilet paper.

[ewancummins]

Using fur as toilet paper.

It won't get your bunghole clean, dude.

[HuManBing]

Moss?

[ewancummins]

Moss?

Sure, some varieties work really well.

This is slightly off topic, I think.

[HuManBing]

Wanton destruction of natural resources including moss, I meant.

...

Okay.

[MichaelTumey]

So in one game I play in, we have a druid. While refreshing myself with what sort of acts prompt a powers check, I noticed the section about things like breaking vows, tenets, and oaths.

My question is, what would constitute what for a druid? Other than wearing prohibited armor (and what would that be considered)

It could be all sorts of things:

Killing a taboo animal

Violating a sacred grove

Wanton destruction of natural resources

Building a dam, or allowing a dam to be built, and the same for irrigation canals, a road cut through the wilderness, the establishment of a permanent village/town/fort on otherwise pristine wilderness.

[MichaelTumey]

Other than wearing prohibited armor (and what would that be considered)

Somebody who could NOT practice druidism... would be considered a stupid druid is all, not a powers check.

[ewancummins]

Other than wearing prohibited armor (and what would that be considered)

Somebody who could NOT practice druidism... would be considered a stupid druid is all, not a powers check.

I'm not so sure. Powers checks can include breaking vows and tenets of faith.

Wearing prohibited armor does carry it's own punishment, though, does it not?

[ewancummins]

Building a dam, or allowing a dam to be built, and the same for irrigation canals, a road cut through the wilderness, the establishment of a permanent village/town/fort on otherwise pristine wilderness.

Maybe.

Then again, beavers build dams. People have to live someplace. Some developments, like canals located in the right place, are actually good for wildlife. Roads can act as firebreaks, keeping a healthy wildfire from sweeping out of control and destroying too much forest at once. Is the druid in question an enemy of farmers, towns, travellers, and so on? Does he see all development as wanton destruction?

I imagine there are a lot of druids who happily work with farmers, loggers, trappers, etc to maintain the 'balance of nature', in which human needs are a part.

[MichaelTumey]

Building a dam, or allowing a dam to be built, and the same for irrigation canals, a road cut through the wilderness, the establishment of a permanent village/town/fort on otherwise pristine wilderness.

Maybe.

Then again, beavers build dams. People have to live someplace. Some developments, like canals located in the right place, are actually good for wildlife. Roads can act as firebreaks, keeping a healthy wildfire from sweeping out of control and destroying too much forest at once. Is the druid in question an enemy of farmers, towns, travellers, and so on? Does he see all development as wanton destruction?

I imagine there are a lot of druids who happily work with farmers, loggers, trappers, etc to maintain the 'balance of nature', in which human needs are a part.

True, but I've always been more a fan of the Shadow Druid (if you recall from D&D 2e Druids Handbook), than any other kind of druid. "Civilization be damned, people should live in small rural villages only or as family owned cabin/farms only; no damns, roads, large constructions; even wildfires are natural - let them burn." It's better to work with the worst kind of humanoid, orcs say, then allow a town not to be razed - let's send the orc/dragon/other dark ally to destroy anything larger than a village.

Yes, he sees all development as wanton destruction of nature.

My favorite NPC druid, was a shadow druid who went to a great walled city to rail against the depredations of urban life, was arrested for being a rabble rouser, thrown in jail and forgotten for 2 years. When he was released he was quite mad, psychotic really, and became a homeless wino, anti-social living in the squallid parts of the city - abandoned buildings, rooftops, sewers, etc. He cared for vermin, strays, feral pets, lost and runaway children - anyone else, he spews expletives, throws rocks at or runs away, like some crazy old man. He was too low in level to shapechange an escape from jail, at the time.

If I'm not playing a Celtic themed campaign with more normal druids, then the above druids are the only kind in my games - though the urban wino type is very rare.

Michael

[ewancummins]

Sounds cool to me!
Wino druids rule.

I have notes on an urban druid NPC, but the PCs in the campaign for which he was created barely had contact with him.

[Five]

So in one game I play in, we have a druid. While refreshing myself with what sort of acts prompt a powers check, I noticed the section about things like breaking vows, tenets, and oaths.

My question is, what would constitute what for a druid? Other than wearing prohibited armor (and what would that be considered)

That would really depend on what vows, tenets, and oaths the druid has made. Some druids are pro-Nature, and as previously mentioned in this thread, would oppose any non-essential (to life) development of the land. This may or may not include anything bigger than a hut for shelter for the individual/small family. I guess it would go hand-in-hand with the need for shelter, or, the danger the surrounding area poses to the inhabitant(s). And, more importantly to the druid, perhaps the reason why those squatters feel the need to settle into that area. Factor in the mouths to feed and the abundance or scarcity of consumable plants and wildlife, and the judgement to confront or allow becomes even more problematic. I like to think of that type like hawk-eyed landlords, interviewing potential renters. Not all people are suitable for such a lease of the land.

Other druids focus more on balancing nature. Settlement isn't a problem, but the ecological impact needs to be watched very carefully. Garbage and sewage, water source levels, and things of that nature are the focus of the druid and/or his/her followers (if any). They might find a political position to help them enforce their wisdom, or they might just take on an independent role. Some might prefer to keep their druidic nature private (the public figure might be a meticulous charade), others wear it like a badge. I doubt many would in Ravenloft, but that's really up to your game.

Other druids fall somewhere inbetween, so it muddies the waters here a bit more.

Here's a generic breaking of oath, vow, and tenet (that plays off of the killing of taboo animals suggestion made earlier): Sitting by, smoking your pipe while watching Lord Goldfingers and his Brownnose Posse go about with an extermination hunt of the local wolf population. Sure, there have been some unusual wolf attacks on the humans of late, which has struck you as odd, but is the extinction of the wolf species an appropriate response? Meh. They look like they won't listen to you. And you have to go look after your plants; you don't have the time to go confront these guys, let alone investigate the odd behaviour of the wolves themselves. Shag it. Just finish your pipe and move on. You really should go clean your hemp breeches, sometime today. Maybe.

Anybody who has seen the film "Brotherhood of the Wolf" can probably recall a nice visual of such a hunt.

Sathien, more specifics about your druid might help those trying to help you. Otherwise you're only going to end up with definitions of druids in general, and other generic breakings of vows, tenets, and oaths. Which isn't a bad thing (at all!). Just saying. Hopefully you get what you need...

[Five]

Tenet: The druid has sworn to the members of its order/circle that they would plant 365 trees a year.

Breaking that tenet: The druid plants 250 and uses the rest of the saplings for kindling.

Vow: The druid in question has made a vow to whatever it is that granted them their druidic powers that they would never interfere with the course of nature (in regards to the animal kingdom).

Breaking that vow: Upon seeing a pride of lions attacking a baby elephant, the druid blasts them with chain lightning in the hopes of giving the elephant a chance to escape back into the safety of its herd.

Not the best examples, but there's two regardless.

Obviously the player needs to let the DM know of any tenets, vows, or oaths that their druid has made, regardless of whether or not they roleplayed them or wrote them out in a backstory. Otherwise, these powers checks are fundamentally useless.