Druidic Mage

Druidic Mages are fierce combatants in magic combat, but also have the capacity to will nature and the wilderness to assist them. Although druidic mages have little knowledge outside of the wilderness and have minimal skills interacting with "outsiders", they will seek to help those in need.

Abilities: Strength, Constitution and Intelligence are essential for the druidic mage’s  magic combat, both to deal significant damage and to be able to stand up to taking damage, as well. Wisdom is necessary for the druidic mage’s spellcasting, so a high Wisdom score would be recommended.

Races: Although members of any race may choose to follow the path of a druidic mage, they must have been raised in some form of wilderness. Elves, and humans, are most likely to become druidic mages. It is possible for skin changers and halflings to be druidic mages, as well. It is incredibly unlikely for a dwarf to become a druidic mage, as dwarves tend to live in civilized cities.

Alignment: Any non-evil. Druidic mages must also maintain a positive connection with nature.

Bonus Languages: A druid mage’s bonus language options include Sylvan, the language of woodland creatures. This choice is in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.

A druidic mage also knows Druidic, a secret language known only to druids, which she learns upon becoming a 1st-level druid. Druidic is a free language for a druid priest; that is, she knows it in addition to her regular allotment of languages and it doesn’t take up a language slot.  Druidic mages are forbidden to teach this language to nondruids.

Druidic has its own alphabet.

 

 

Level

Base
Attack Bonus

 

Saving Throws

Special

Fort

Ref

 

Cur

Will

 

1st

+1

+2

+0

+0

+2

Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy

 

2nd

+2

+3

+0

+0

+3

Woodland stride

 

3rd

+3

+3

+1

+1

+3

Trackless step

 

4th

+4

+4

+1

+2

+4

 

5th

+5

+4

+1

+2

+4

Wild Shape (1/day)

 

6th

+6/+1

+5

+2

+3

+5

 

7th

+7/+2

+5

+2

+4

+5

Wild Shape (2/day)

 

8th

+8/+3

+6

+2

+4

+6

 

9th

+9/+4

+6

+3

+5

+6

Wild Shape (3/day)

 

10th

+10/+5

+7

+3

+6

+7

Venom immunity

 

11th

+11/+6/+1

+7

+3

+6

+7

Wild Shape (4/day)

 

12th

+12/+7/+2

+8

+4

+7

+8

 

13th

+13/+8/+3

+8

+4

+7

+8

Wild Shape (5/day)

 

14th

+14/+9/+4

+9

+4

+7

+9

 

15th

+15/+10/+5

+9

+5

+8

+9

Wild Shape (Large)

 

16th

+16/+11/+6/+1

+10

+5

+8

+10

 

17th

+17/+12/+7/+2

+10

+5

+9

+10

Wild Shape (Tiny)

 

18th

+18/+13/+8/+3

+11

+6

+9

+11

 

19th

+19/+14/+9/+4

+11

+6

+9

+11

Wild Shape (Huge)

 

20th

+20/+15/+10/+5

+12

+6

+9

+12

Nature's Power

 

 

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)
Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex).

Class Features

Druidic mages all utilize the same basic strategy: call for aid from nature and attack the enemy head-on. Druidic mages are very flexible in combat, due to their large amount of spellcasting prowess. They can either be on the front lines next to fighters and tank-like clerics, or they can be on the back line supporting, next to the sorcerer and bard. All of the following are class features of the druidic mage.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Druidic mage are proficient with all simple weapons plus the sap, the great club, the whip, and the net. Druidic mages are proficient with light armor, hide armor, bucklers, light wooden shields, and heavy wooden shields.

Spells: A druidic mage casts divine spells, which are drawn from the druidic mage spell list below. They also can cast arcane spells, as long as they are in a nature sphere.  A druidic mage does not need to prepare her spells in advance and can cast her spells spontaneously. To learn or cast a spell, the druidic mage must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a druidic mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the druidic mage's Wisdom modifier. Like other spellcasters, a druidic mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. NOTE: The druidic mage may only have one "summon" spell active at a time (i.e., only one Summon Nature's Ally or Summon Swarm); if the druidic mage attempts to cast a second "summon" spell, any creatures called by previous spells are teleported back to their home planes as if a banishment spell that allows no saving throw had been cast upon it/them. Druidic mages choose their spells from the following list:

0—Create Water, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Guidance, Know Direction, Light, Purify Food and Drink, Resistance

1st—Calm Animals, Charm Animal, Detect Animals or Plants, Detect Snares and Pits, Detect Undead, Endure Elements, Entangle, Hide from Animals, Obscuring Mist, Pass without Trace, Shillelagh, Speak with Animals, Summon Nature's Ally I

2nd—Animal Messenger, Animal Trance, Delay Poison, Fog Cloud, Gust of Wind, Hold Animal, Reduce Animal, Soften Earth and Stone, Summon Nature's Ally II, Summon Swarm, Warp Wood, Wood Shape

3rd—Call Lightning, Daylight, Diminish Plants, Dominate Animal, Neutralize Poison, Plant Growth, Remove Disease, Snare, Speak with Plants, Summon Nature's Ally III, Water Breathing, Wind Wall

4th—Air Walk, Anti-plant Shell, Blight, Command Plants, Control Water, Freedom of Movement, Giant Vermin, Repel Vermin, Summon Nature's Ally IV

5th—Animal Growth, Awaken, Baleful Polymorph, Call Lightning Storm, Commune with Nature, Control Winds, Insect Plague, Summon Nature's Ally V, Transmute Mud to Rock, Transmute Rock to Mud, Tree Stride, Wall of Thorns

6th—Contingency, Find the Path, Ironwood, Liveoak, Move Earth, Repel Wood, Spellstaff, Stone Tell, Summon Nature's Ally VI

7th—Animate Plants, Changestaff, Control Weather, Creeping Doom, Summon Nature's Ally VII, Sunbeam, Transmute Metal to Wood, True Seeing, Wind Walk

8th—Control Plants, Earthquake, Repel Metal or Stone, Reverse Gravity, Summon Nature's Ally VIII, Sunburst, Whirlwind

9th—Antipathy, Elemental Swarm, Shambler, Storm of Vengeance, Summon Nature's Ally IX, Sympathy

You may add other druid or ranger spells to the druidic warrior's spell list at your DM's discretion.

 

 

 

 

 

Table: Druidic Mage Spells Known

Level

Spells Known

 

0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

 

1st

5

3

 

2nd

6

5

 

3rd

7

7

3

 

4th

8

8

5

 

5th

8

9

7

3

 

6th

8

9

8

5

 

7th

8

9

9

7

3

 

8th

8

9

9

8

5

 

9th

8

9

9

9

7

3

 

10th

8

9

9

9

8

5

 

11th

8

9

9

9

9

7

3

 

12th

8

9

9

9

9

8

5

 

13th

8

9

9

9

9

9

7

3

 

14th

8

9

9

9

9

9

8

5

 

15th

8

9

9

9

9

9

9

7

3

 

16th

8

9

9

9

9

9

9

8

4

 

17th

8

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

5

3

 

18th

8

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

6

4

 

19th

8

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

7

5

 

20th

8

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

7

6

 

Animal Companion: A druidic mage may begin play with an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. If the DM’s campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the DM may add the following creatures to the druid’s list of options: crocodile, porpoise, Medium shark, and squid. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the druid on her adventures as appropriate for its kind. A 1st-level druidic mage’s companion is completely typical for its kind except as noted in the Player's Handbook entry for the druid's ability of the same name. As a druidic mage advances in level, the animal’s power increases as shown in that same entry. If a druidic mage releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion that has perished. A druidic mage of 4th level or higher may select from alternative lists of animals (see the sidebar in the Druid Priest). Should she select an animal companion from one of these alternative lists, the creature gains abilities as if the character’s druidic mage level were lower than it actually is. Subtract the value indicated in the appropriate list header from the character’s druidic mage level and compare the result with the druid level entry on the table in the sidebar to determine the animal companion’s powers.  If this adjustment would reduce the druidic mage’s effective level to 0 or lower, she can’t have that animal as a companion.

Nature Sense: A druidic mage gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge nature and Survival checks.

Wild Empathy: A druidic mage can use body language, vocalizations, and demeanor to improve the attitude of an animal such as a bear or a monitor lizard. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The druidic mage rolls 1d20 and adds her druidic mage level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the druidic mage and the animal must be able to study each other, this means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. A druidic mage can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2 such as a basilisk, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check.

Woodland Stride: Starting at 2nd level, a druidic mage may move through any sort of undergrowth, such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.

Trackless Step: Starting at 3rd level, a druidic mage leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Wild Shape: At 5th level, a druid gains the ability to turn herself into any Small or Medium animal and back again once per day. Her options for new forms include all creatures with the animal type. This ability functions like the alternate form special ability polymorph spell, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per druid level, or until she changes back. Changing form is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. Each time you use wild shape, you regain lost hit points as if you had rested for a night.

Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the druid reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the druid's feet.

The form chosen must be that of an animal the druid is familiar with.  A druid loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but she can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as her new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)

A druid can use this ability more times per day at 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, as noted on Table: The Druidic Mage. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a Large animal at 15th level, a Tiny animal at 17th level, and a Huge animal at 19h level.  The new form’s Hit Dice can’t exceed the character’s druid level.

Venom Immunity: At 10th level, a druidic mage gains immunity to all poisons.

Nature's Power: At 20th level, a druidic mage has become the epitome of nature's strength, and becomes rewarded as such. Using any of the druidic mage's "Summon" spells, i.e. Summon Nature's Ally, Summon Swarm, and Elemental Swarm, does not count against her spells per day. In addition, when casting any "Summon" spell, the druidic mage may summon an additional creature of the same type as the other creatures summoned.

Ex-Druidic Mage

If a druidic mage falls to evil ways or foregoes her connection with nature, she loses many of her powers. She loses the ability to cast any druidic mage spells, and loses all extraordinary abilities gained through the druidic mage class. Furthermore, she will never be welcomed by her tribe, or any other druidic tribe, again.

Epic Druidic Mage

Table: The Epic Druidic Mage

Hit Die: d8

Level

Special

21st

Captain of the Guard 1/day

22nd

23rd

Captain of the Guard 2/day

24th

25th

Captain of the Guard 3/day

26th

27th

Captain of the Guard 4/day

28th

29th

Captain of the Guard 5/day

30th

Nature's Absolute Power

4 + Int modifier skill points per level.

 

Captain of the Guard: Starting at 21st level, the druidic mage is recognized as an exemplar among her people, and is able to call other druidic mages and druid priests to her aid. Once per day at 21st level, and an extra time per day at every odd-numbered level thereafter, the druidic mage can call two 10th-level druidic mages or druid priests to aid her. She must be within a mile of the wilderness to use this ability. The druidic mages or druid priests will serve her for up to one hour or until they perish, whichever comes first.  However, the druidic mages and druid priests will not abandon their Captain in the middle of a battle.

Nature's Absolute Power: Upon reaching 30th level, the druidic mage becomes the embodiment of nature's wrath itself. She gains +5 to her natural armor bonus to AC. In addition, when casting any of her "Summon" spells, she may choose to summon 3 extra creatures of the same type.

Human Druidic Mage Starting Package

Weapons: Quarterstaff.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Skill

Ranks

Ability

Armor
Check
Penalty

Handle Animal

4

Cha

Knowledge (nature)

4

Int

Ride

4

Dex

Survival

4

Wis

Feat: Improved Initiative.

Bonus Feats: Toughness.

Gear: Leather armor, 5 torches, flint & steel, nature holy symbol.

Gold: 12 gp.

 

 

Playing a Druidic Mage

Religion: Druidic mages, for the most part, do not believe in a specific deity, but rather worship nature as a whole. If a druidic mage does believe in a deity, it must be a deity that is somehow positively connected with nature.  This could be any of the six Nature Goddesses of Saivryth, Gia, Terys, Nijia, Eiliah, Aitrissa, or Arkadin. 

Other Classes: Druidic mages work very well with druid priests and rangers, who also believe in nature the same way they do. They often won't form friendships with fighters or barbarians, but will happily work with them and respect their combat ability. Druidic mages do not like sorcerers and wizards, as they view their magic as unnatural and against the natural flow of the world.

Combat: Most druidic mages will begin combat by calling for help in the form of casting "Summon" spells, and then will follow that up with employing their magic combat ability. Druidic mages are not meant to absorb damage like barbarians and some clerics, but are meant to deal damage alongside fighters..

Druidic Mages in the World

Druidic mages are, for the most part, located in the wilderness. They fiercely defend their homeland as well as any wilderness or being of nature that is threatened. They only leave their homelands when exiled or when they are presented with a quest to defend nature that occurs outside of their homeland.

Daily Life: Druidic mages spend much of their free time in training, preparing for the next time they must defend their home. What time they don't spend in combat or preparing for combat, they spend in appreciation of nature and reflection.

Organizations: Druidic warriors live together in tribes, and only meet with members outside of their tribes if they must do so to defend nature or to set up necessary trade between the tribes.

NPC Reactions: Druidic mages aren't well-known outside of their tribes and the surrounding tribes. When seen in the "civilized" world, people are likely to regard them with suspicion, as they appear primitive and not particularly sociable.

 

 

 

Druidic Mage Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge nature, can research druidic mages to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (nature)

DC

Result

5

Some primitive tribes in the wilderness have unusual mages to protect them.

10

Mages in the wilderness learn to manipulate nature to supplement their combat prowess.

15

Druidic mages often pray to no god in particular, but rather to nature as a whole.

20

Druidic mages protect nature as well as good beings, who are in need.

 

Druidic Mages in the Game

Druidic Mages serve as utility casters within the party. They are most powerful in the wilderness, but are still effective elsewhere, and will always fight for nature, as well as often fighting for good.

 

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