I never play druids as my protagonist... the idea of having to spend all my time getting people to sign petitions, linking hands and singing around a campfire, letting bears rip me in half, being so insane that I think spiders are a part of a healthy planet, eating tofu burgers...

ooh I was having a nightmare

I remember back in the old days of PnP AD&D. The first time we had a druid in our party, none of the players knew how to play a druid. The player who had the druid character were almost afraid of walking, because he imagined that it would be a bad thing to squash any insects [img]smile.gif[/img]

Later we found out how to play a druid. We played the druid much like the description in the druids handbook as Vedran quoted.

It is something like:

Everyone is free to use the woods and the animals as long as it is for personal use only and not just for fun or for getting rich. Animals must be killed as quickly and painless as possible. Trees must be cut without damaging other trees. The use of the woods/animals must not lead to extermination of any kind (ie. do not kill the rare paradise bird if you are hungry (eventhough it tastes delicious) kill some rats to eat instead, there are plenty of them). Animals that are hostile can be killed (but not if they are rare or special in any other way) if they cannot be calmed down. Foreign fauna and flora that endangers the native fauna and/or flora must be exterminated. This also applies for mutated and magic caused animals or plants.

The druid lives in symbiosis with the nature. He will therefor like to plant new trees, where he has cut down old ones. He likes to help breeding animals where he has killed some to his own survival (meat, clothes etc.).

The druid likes to preserve status quo in his/her wood.

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Insane

I have been inspired to buy the 3rd Edition 'Masters of the Wild' Druids, Ranger & Barbarians supplement so if I get any insights I'll let you know (and if I start speculating about playing PnP again you'll know I'm a lost cause ;) )

Playing Neutral is to vague/hard I think unless I make lots of (convenient) assumption about the state of the world to justify any action - for example at the moment I'd probably be claiming something like "the whole Sword Coast is overrun with evil so my ( ~Chaotic Good?) actions are justified") - so I won't worry about that just now.

On the animal thing I won't worry too much about killing hostile Winter Wolves anymore (they also seem a bit on the magical/monstrous side with the breath attack) but I will resist the temptation of saving / sleeping / revisiting areas to try to spawn lots of them to make money/XP - something that had crossed my mind . . . . .

Similarly there seems to be loads of normal wolves around so I'm not too worried there.

I think I'll try to charm Bears and move them out of range.

Thanks again [img]smile.gif[/img]

Or you could use th.. Erh - I mean persuade them to help you with attacking your enemies ;)

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Insane

thanks for that - i really hope you didn't have to type all that - or you're a very fast typist - or something [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]LOL. You think I am a fanatic?
I have about twenty of those books in .doc format on my disk.

i tried that last night and I must say those big old bears pack a hell of a punch against the non-plate-mailed and i liked the feel of me and my furry friend butt-kicking for, er . . . neutrality

less good was the charm expiring a bit later with my former companion padding along behind Dynahier and a dualed-to-mage Imoen!

if i (and my rangers) have the skills though it must be the thing to do i reckon - i feel an honourable compromise ;)

Vedran - I am very relieved - thanks again