You are a druid, a hermitic seer who calls upon the ancient power of blood and bracken to enter the minds of beasts and bend their bodies to your will. Some druids even dare to don the skins of men and monsters, earning the moniker of *abomination*. While druidism is strictly divine, it is a power that even the ancient gods of the wilds would rather be forgotten. As revered as you are feared, you were born with your third eye open, able to commune with sacred trees and the inscrutable hivemind that binds their roots together. This second sight grants you visions of what is, what was, and what may yet be. But wielding your power to become one with nature's children has a cost: the more time you spend within the skins of beasts, the more bestial you become, slowly losing touch with your mortality. **Key Attribute** Willpower **Hit Points** Equal to Con score + (Level x2). **Weapons** All melee [[weapons]]. **Armour & Shields** Light, Medium [[Armour|armour]], and shields (druids cannot use armour or shields made of metal). **Class Starting Gear** Spear (1d6+1), Leather Armour (+1), Shield (+1). **Skills** Animal Lore, Divine Lore, plus **roll 1d10** three times: (i) Apothecary, (ii) Arcane Lore, (iii) Athletics, (iv) Deception, (v) Detection, (vi) General Lore, (vii) Persuasion, (viii) Stealth, (ix) Watercraft, (x) Wilderness Lore. | Level | AB | Ability | | ----- | --- | ------------------------ | | 1 | 0 | Skinwalking, Sacred Tree | | 2 | +1 | New Skill, Primal Bond | | 3 | +2 | Unique Feature | | 4 | +2 | +1 AC | | 5 | +3 | New Skill, Wilderspeech | | 6 | +4 | Unique Feature | | 7 | +5 | Flesh Binder | | 8 | +5 | +1 AC, New Skill | | 9 | +6 | Unique Feature | ## Skinwalking As a druid, you possess the much-feared ability to skinwalk into the bodies of other creatures. You begin an adventure with **one use of this ability per level.** You choose a number of creatures equal to half your level (round up) within Far range that you can see and attempt to skinwalk them. Each creature must succeed on a ***Luck* (Will) check** or become under your control. Beasts make this check normally, humanoids have a +2 bonus, and monsters make it with advantage. If you successfully skinwalk at least one creature, a ***[[Dark and Dangerous Magic]]*** check must be made. If a DDM effect triggers, roll on the ***[[Primal Corruptions and Mortality|Primal Corruptions]]*** table. While skinwalking, the following rules apply: - You enter a **catatonic state** during which your eyes roll into the back of your head, rendering you incapable of speech and unable to perceive the world around you. You fall *[[Prone]]* and cannot take actions or move (but are not *[[Helpless]]*). - Each round after the first, you must succeed on a **Will check** (*Reroll* available) to maintain control of your skinwalked creatures. If you fail, you **lose control** of a random creature; on a Terrible Failure you lose control of all of them. - You simultaneously perceive all of your skinwalked creatures' senses. **All of their actions are entirely controlled by you.** - Your skinwalked creatures act **during your party's initiative order,** unless they have already taken a turn this round. They may not roll for initiative on the party's behalf. - If you attempt to make one of your skinwalked creatures **take an action that would directly harm or kill it** (i.e. attacking itself with a weapon, slitting its own throat, jumping into a chasm, etc.), the creature may make a Will check to attempt to free itself from your control. - You may make a *Luck* (Will) check to attempt to pry a **fragment of memory** from one of your skinwalked creatures' psyches. If you fail, the creature gets to make a *Luck* (Will) check, freeing itself from your control on a success. - Your creatures use your **Int, Will, and *Luck* scores** in place of their own. However, they use their original Will and *Luck* scores if rolling to free themselves from your control. - If you are rendered **unconscious** your skinwalked creatures are immediately freed from your control. ### A Second Life If you are killed while skinwalking creatures, you may live **a second life** by making a *Luck* (Will) check to skinwalk your entire soul inside one of your creatures at the moment your original body dies. As your second life dawns, you slowly begin to lose memory of your first life and become more alike the creature whose skin you now inhabit. You lose much of your past memories; any time you attempt to recall something from your previous life, there is a **50% chance** you have forgotten it and it is replaced by a memory from the creature you skinwalked. Your personality and wits also become more like the creature's; your **Int, Perc, Will, and Cha** scores become equal to an average of you and the creature's original scores. Living a second life **robs you of your druidic abilities.** If your new body is a mortal, choose an appropriate new class if it does not already have one, or continue in the creature's current class progress. If your new body is a beast or monster, confer with your GM for possible custom class options or other means of progression. ## Sacred Tree Beginning at first level, you have a mystical connection to a variety of sacred tree. A table of example trees is included below. You are encouraged to work with your GM to determine and/or create an appropriate sacred tree for your druid. | 1d3 | Sacred Tree | Appearance | Favored By | | --- | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | | 1 | **Orchid of Memory** | Glowing pink orchids sing dirges from atop this tree's branches. | [[Elves]] | | 2 | **Wailing Oak** | Dozens of forever-weeping skulls are fused into this tree's bone-white bark. | [[Men]] | | 3 | **Mother Birch** | Golden-leaved branches bloom from this tree's trunk, which is shaped into a plump Venus figure. | [[Dwarves]] | Regardless of which sacred tree you are connected to, they are rare in the world and often hidden within groves of mundane trees. If you find a sacred tree that you are connected to, you may hibernate beneath its boughs for **2d4 days.** When you begin your hibernation, you determine a specific event that you wish to receive a vision of: - The event may be **past, present or future,** but must have taken place / be taking place / will take place **within sight** of another sacred tree, or a creature spiritually connected to a sacred tree (most commonly beasts, but sometimes other creatures). - The GM determines whether the event **occurred / is occurring / is possible,** and therefore whether you are able to receive a vision of it. If the event is **past**, you receive a hazy but mostly discernable vision of it taking place. If the event is **present** / currently occurring, you receive a very clear vision. If the event is **future**, you receive a highly oneiric and symbolic vision that is not entirely comprehensible, along with a vague sense of how likely the event is to eventually take place (GM's call). At the end of the process, you must make a **DDM check.** ### Mantic Die After completing your hibernation and receiving a vision, you gain a number of **Mantic Die** equal to half your level (minimum of 1). You may expend these Mantic Die to cause *any roll* in the game to be rerolled once; you must accept the result of the new roll. At any given time you can only possess a number of Mantic Die equal to your level. ## Primal Bond At 2nd level you gain the ability to forge a primal bond with a beast that you have previously skinwalked. During downtime, you spend **2d4 days** forging a spiritual link between yourself and a beast that **you have previously successfully skinwalked.** This beast becomes your ally and follows you on your adventures. When they are not being skinwalked, your primally bonded beast will generally obey commands that they can understand, but they are sometimes prone to feral disobedience. A GM might call for a Cha (Animal Lore\*) check to convince a beast to obey. When you forge a primal bond, your beast gains the following benefits: - Does not make a ***Luck* (Will) check** when you skinwalk them, and you do not need to make Will checks to maintain control over them. - Increase **AC** and **HD** by 1. - Increase **damage** by one dice category (d4 becomes d6, etc). - Treated as a PC for (i) **Death saves,** (ii) **injuries,** and (iii) **healing.** - May access your ***Rerolls.*** You may end your primal bond at any point and forge a new one afterwards. > ### Legendary Beasts > Some beasts are apex predators, too powerful to be completely brought under the control of a druid. Examples include creatures with especially high HD, boss traits, or lethal features. A druid may still forge a primal bond with such a beast, but the GM might impose certain limitations on their use (can only be summoned twice per adventure, once per week, etc). ### Primal Feats In addition, while skinwalking your primally bonded beast, you can invoke **Primal Feats.** You begin an adventure with **one use of this ability per level.** Unless noted otherwise, you may expend a use of this ability as part of your beast's normal action, choosing one feat to apply. If an effect requires a Will check, you may use a *Reroll.* You may regain expended uses by taking Short or Long Rests. - **Ironhide.** Your beast's AC increases by 3 and it cannot be knocked *[[Prone]]* for 1d4 rounds. - **Savage Strike.** Before rolling for damage with an attack, you may make a Will check; if successful your beast's hit causes critical damage (max once per combat). - **Predatory Sense.** Your beast gains +2 on attack and damage rolls for 1d4 rounds. - **Bestial Vigor.** Your beast regains hit points equal to 1 of its HD + your Druid level. - **Vicious Ambush.** After attacking this round, your beast does not trigger free attacks due to its movement; it also gains advantage on its next attack. - **Gnashing Bite.** On a failed *Luck* (Con) save, your beast's target begins bleeding out (1d8 damage at the start of their turn, action staunches bleeding). ## Unique Feature At 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels, you gain a Unique Feature. ## New Skill At 2nd, 5th, and 8th level, you gain one new skill (the skill need not be on your class list). ## Wilderspeech At 5th level you have spent enough time communing with the inscrutable hivemind of the wilds that you are able to psychically communicate with flora and fauna. You begin an adventure with **one use of this ability per level,** and may expend a usage to cast *[[Bestial Communion]]* without making spellcasting or [[Dark and Dangerous Magic|DDM]] checks. Unlike the normal spell, you can use *[[Bestial Communion]]* to also speak with plants. ## Flesh Binder At 7th level, when a creature succeeds on their *Luck* (Will) check to resist your skinwalking attempt, you may spend a *Reroll* to have them reroll the check with a **negative modifier equal to your Will modifier (minimum -1).** ## Beyond 9th Level If you survive this long, you retire to a druid grove hidden deep within an ancient forest, slumbering for decades in a barrow den beneath the roots of your sacred tree. Novice druids undertake long and perilous journeys to seek your wisdom and tutelage.