Druid

The Circle of Seasons has determined the lives of all living beings from time immemorial. For nearly as long have druids been watching and maintaining this circle, which they view as the eternal conflict between the four Overseers Lilianthe, Scorsheth, Memnos and Fraeyal as seen and formed within the land. Now, this includes the new Overseers Niomae and Medius. On Eramere, druids are most common amongst the non-human races, as the path of a cleric is seen as more "civilized" within Halmorian society. However, the centuries-old tradition is still practiced by some humans as well, particularly those from outside of Halmoria itself.

A druid serves only one of those six Overseers and sees Him or Her, as well as the others, incorporated in nature. The druid always strives to strengthen the influence of their Overseer where necessary, but knows that all power must decline to make room for new things as well, thus keeping the Circle of Seasons in balance. Many think of a druid as a hermit living alone in the wilderness, caring more for lands and animals than their own folk; and while this states true for the bulk of them, quite a few druids live in secrecy in the midst of any society, having realized that the impact of their people on the world is too large to leave them unguided and uncontrolled.

Druids receive divine aids similar to those that clerics can call upon, but are more oriented towards manipulating the land and animals. In critical situations, druids can unleash the wrath of nature itself on their enemies, summoning animals to their aid, or even turning themselves into terrifying beasts. They detest anything that is not part of the natural circle, such as undead or aberrations.

The refusal of any metal armor is deeply rooted within druidic culture, as their ethos dictates that surrounding oneself with dead material diminishes the relationship to nature and the Overseers. In fact, even carrying weapons with iron blades can make some druids feel uncomfortable, which lead many to prefer staffs and wooden clubs instead. However, many others dismiss such as being overly traditional.

_____________________________

Hit Die: d8

Base Attack Bonus: Medium

High Saves: Fortitude and Will

Weapon Proficiencies: Druids are proficient with the following weapons: club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, sickle, shortspear, sling, and spear. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite and so forth) of any form they assume with wild shape.

Armor Proficiencies: Light armor and shields (except tower shields) at level 1, medium armor at level 2. [note: heavy armor progression over four levels for those who use heavy armor]

Skill Points: 4 + Int modifier per level, x4 at first level.

Class Skills: Diplomacy, Heal, Listen, Parry, Spellcraft, Survival, Knowledge Nature.

Spells: A druid casts divine spells, which are drawn from the druid spell list. A druid must choose and prepare her spells in advance. To prepare or cast a spell, the druid must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10+ the spell level (Wis 10 for 0-level spells, Wis 11 for 1st-level spells and so forth).
Please see Spellcasting Progression.

Animal Companion: A druid begins the game with an animal companion.

Nature Sense: A druid gains a +2 bonus to Survival and a +2 bonus to Search and Spot while in wilderness areas.

Woodland Stride: Starting at 2nd level, a druid gains +10% movement increase when in outdoor, natural environments.

Trackless Step: At 3rd level, a druid gains a +4 competence bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks when in wilderness areas.

Resist Nature's Lure: Starting at 4th level, a druid gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against all Fear spells and effects.

Wild Shape: At 5th level, a druid gains the ability to turn herself into an animal and back again once per day. A druid can use this ability more times per day at 6th, 7th, 10th, 14th and 18th level.

Venom Immunity: At 9th level a druid gains immunity to all poisons.

Elemental Shape: At 16th level, a druid becomes able to wild shape into an elemental (air, earth, fire or wather) once per day. These elemental forms do not count against her normal wild shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the druid gains all the elemental's extraordinary, supernatural and spell-like abilities. At 18th level a druid becomes able to assume elemental form twice per day, and at 20th level she can do so three times per day.