What is a Druid?

[JustAnotherGuy]

While many things in RP are objective, quite a bit is subjective; left to interpretation of either a player or a DM. This thread is started with the intent of codifying some of the lore surrounding druids, and getting a discussion going on them. How to RP them, what they are, tips for playing one, things like that.

Obviously, my thoughts and opinions on the matter are not final. They are simply that. Thoughts and opinions, along with my interpretation of lore. But as I've had several people ask me for my advice and/or resources on learning the druidic class lore, I figured I was in a position to write down my thoughts.

Firstly, I get my lore from the second edition "The Complete Druid's Handbook". It is my opinion that this is the best and most complete source for druidic lore. Unless otherwise noted, any quotes will be taken from that handbook.

I'm going to start off this thread by firstly explaining what a druid is NOT. Help to clear up misconceptions.

Firstly, a druid does not necessarily hate towns, cities, etc.

As a druid, your character can act as (or work to become) counselor to a ruler-- perhaps a local knight or a high king. Think of Merlin, whom older tales cast as a druid.

An Adviser . . . tries to make himself indispensable to his lord. The class's well-known neutrality makes a ruler perceive his advice as nonpartisan

As evident in this quote, druids can seek out towns, cities, and even kingdoms to attempt to become their advisors. In our setting, a druid could still be druid-like and live inside Baldur's Gate, working as an advisor to a house Lord/Lady, or even the Dukes themselves.

Many play druids that absolutely hate civilization. Some play druids that are ok with small villages and towns that aren't too big. Both of these are ok to play. However, there are druids who are not this way. It will be based on the toon's teachings, and also even what kind of druid they are (which branch they belong to).

Secondly, a druid does not necessarily hate any hunters, any fire, or any chopping down of trees.

Only a very few druids oppose hunting or raising animals for food, skins, or fur. In fact, many druids hunt animals for food and clothing themselves.
…
Druids have nothing against most forms of farming, even if it means clearing woodlands or draining swamps to create new fields. Although druids feel a special reverence for trees, crops are plants too, and civilized races have a right to practice agriculture.

The druid may object to destroying a wilderness area for a farm extension that is strictly for profit.

...

Druids act much as game wardens do, letting woodcutters know which trees they may cut and which they must leave standing, and telling hunters which species they may hunt and which are protected.

Most druids understand that death is a part of life. They do not view a hunter killing a deer to survive as any different than a wolf killing a deer. The quote does go on to say that most druids would oppose the clearing if it endangered the local eco system, or if there were a protected species within the borders of where the clearing would be. They also would be against the over hunting of an area.

Thirdly, druids are not fanatics. Druids can be fanatics. It's one of the archetypes. However, not all druids are. In fact, their balanced nature tends towards not being a fanatic. Which leads us to the next point, which I'm sure will be hotly contested. . .

Druids are not beholden to their god.

Druids serve the force of Nature and its inherent natural cycles, such as that of birth, growth, death, and rebirth. Though some druids do choose to worship Nature embodied in a particular god, Nature, as a force, has no specific form or personality.

However:

Not all druids worship Nature as a force. Some see it personified by a great deity of Nature, often either formless or possessing many forms.

Druids worship nature above all. Including deities. Even though they may hold to a particular deity, it is because they see that deity as typifying nature. They may see the peacefulness of Eldath, or the vengeance of the storm in Talos. But whatever deity they turn to, it is balance and nature above all.

Many druids differ on how they see the gods. Some believe that Nature is a god equal to all others. Some see it as higher than the gods themselves. Some say that the gods don't even exist. And yet others see gods as threats to the balance.

Because of this, druids of all faiths join druidic circles together. The Mielikkian will sit down next to a Malarite. The Sylvanite will sit down with the Talossian. They disagree with each other on the aspect of their deities. They likely even dislike each other. But they each know that the other will place nature first and foremost before their own personal wants and desires; and so they work together.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Now we get to another hotly contested area. What is the balance?

The biggest issue with explaining the balance, is that it is actually easy to define, yet harder to RP.

Druids have seen that a balance between the forces of good and evil, law and chaos, best fosters the continuance of life from one generation to the next. This druidic duty is not so much a personal matter as the ethical responsibility of the entire Order.

Simply put, balance is balance. It is a scale of order and chaos, good and evil. An attempt to bring everything together towards neutrality. But:

Only an event or threat of considerable magnitude can cause the balance to tilt toward one alignment or another--a matter that could affect the destiny of nations. Deciding that a menace of this degree exists and how best to handle it is traditionally left to those of archdruid or higher rank, or the High Council of the Moot.

In character, I have had my druid explain that “The balance is both one of the hardest things to break, yet one of the most fragile things that exist”. In other words, it takes a giant event to break the balance on the large scale. Yet the balance can be upset locally with smaller events.

A family moving from one area to another upsets the local balance. Suddenly there are more mouths to feed. So game must be hunted. Game that didn’t need to be hunted before. However, such a small imbalance will correct itself on its own without much input. An entire army or village suddenly uprooting, moving, and hunting may cause an imbalance that will take years to correct, however.

Because of their view of the balance, a druid is just as likely to seek help from those seen as evil as they are those seen as good. Even orcs, goblins, and such are usually not a target for druids.

The druid knows these evil humanoid races make up a natural part of the world and have a right to struggle for existence. As a result, druids will not act against orcs, goblins, or the like simply because of their race or "evil" nature. In fact, in the eyes of the druids, these races represent less of a threat to the wilderness than do humans or dwarves: Few humanoids organize beyond the tribal level, they rarely build big cities above ground, and they prefer hunting and gathering to extensive farming.

A druid may cultivate relationships with paladins on one hand, and the thieves’ guild on the other. They may work with Banites and then turn around and work with Lathanderites.

But, to boil down the balance into the most simplistic terms, balance is conservationism. Doing what must be done to protect the further propagation of nature and those that live within it.

[JustAnotherGuy]

So now that we’ve looked at what a druid is not, and what the balance is, we can get to the question, “What is a druid?”

Mysterious guardian of a sacred grove, wise counselor to monarchs, cunning master of many shapes, friend of animals, and terrible defender of unspoiled Nature: This is the druid

Well. There you have it! Although, of course, this leaves many things up to the imagination. So we’ll go through some of the finer points of playing a druid.

First, as has been noted, a druid worships nature. Nature is the primary thing that they are concerned with. When it comes to all their decision making, this is first and foremost in their mind.

However, druids typically live a long time, too (they can slow down their aging to 1/10th normal speed) and they usually take a “long term” approach in their thinking. So when they decide what is best for nature, they look down the road and try to foresee consequences beyond the “here and now”. Because of this, druids usually do not act in haste, either. They are thoughtful, gathering as much information as they can before taking action.

Second, there are many different kinds of druids. I will leave you all to look them up, but here is a short list of druidic branches. These are the types of terrain that the druid prefers. They usually (but not always) correspond to where the druid is from:
Arctic
Desert
Gray
Forest
Jungle
Mountain
Plains
Swamp

Beyond that even, there are different personality types listed in the book. For example, the diplomat seeks to resolve conflict between others through negotiation. The gardener treats the balance like a garden; they cultivate it and “cut out” the weeds. The idealist thinks they alone can save nature. A nurturer seeks to help and heal those around them. Then of course there are fanatics.

So as you can see, druids can be very diverse. And these are just the ones listed in the book. There are, of course, many others. For me, I try to typefy the “Forest, Totemic, Diplomat”. I used that as a basic guide when creating my druid.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give when playing a druid, is don’t be scared of changing them! As your personal knowledge of druids grows, don’t be afraid of letting your druid grow and change with it. I’ve learned a lot about them as I’ve played mine, and mine has changed quite a bit during this time. He used to be much more impetuous and quick to act, for example. Now he is more laid back and gathers information before acting.

Changing things up as you learn is a good and easy way to have character growth. In my case, I blamed his impulsiveness on him being a totemic druid; and he gave into the wolf. Now he has learned to grow beyond that and think a bit more before acting.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that druids do not always agree on things. It’s ok to deviate from the norm a bit. In my case, my druid leans heavily towards the good alignment. His personal belief is that “If there were perfect balance, evil would not exist”. However, he’s sat down with the evilest of evil people on the server and shared a meal with them. Because all druids look to the long term, and try to maintain a balance.

So, hopefully this guide helps people out. If anyone wants the link to a downloadable PDF of the handbook I was speaking of, don’t hesitate to PM me. And now that my wall of text is posted, let the discussion begin!

[LivT]

Given the changes coming to the dragon shape, and dragon druids, I’m expecting we will see a LOT more on the server soon, so this is pretty useful to have with the source cited. But since this was open to being a discussion thread, my two cents...

I’ve come to view Druids as... a weird sort of cleric, in that, in order to maintain their connection to the Force of Nature, they have to live in a way nature suggests, and use their magic in service to nature before all else. To do otherwise would be like a cleric of Ilmater asking someone to carry their crap or take the blame for something. Like a paladin of Torm running away from a fight to defend the helpless.

I think this is where “city druids” become problematic because the line can be really fuzzy- is their connection weakening because they are not living in the usual way of a Druid, or maybe their connection is strong enough to deal with stone walls and city life.

In these cases the god you pick out for a Druid helps flavour them. Mielikki and chauntea are easier with towns and cities (Rowan for instance is essentially a farmer, but being a Druid of chauntea it works really well).

As to maintaining the balance, I guess people lean towards “good” characters so often, as there is a lot of evil in a TTRPG world trying to screw everything up. As iolanna usually says, “there’s enough violence in this world without me inviting more in”

EDIT: to add in defence of predators / what the Balance is, I usually go to the example of the wolves being dropped in Yellowstone and how they ended up transforming the land with that cascading effect.

[Planehopper]

A couple of notes on circles, from realms-specific sources

Druids
(from Revised Campaign Box Set, p. 17)

Druids, the most common type of specialty priest, tend to worship outside of standard temple complexes, and instead wander the land, collecting into loosely affiliated circles throughout the Realms. The term circle serves to illustrate the unending cycles of natural processes, and to emphasize that no one creature is intrinsically superior to another. These druid circles fill the same requirements as church hierarchies do within the clerical faiths, but are much smaller. Among druids the distinction between the hierarchy-bound priest and the mission priest becomes almost meaningless because of the loose nature of circles and the roving tendencies of druids who are the caretakers of large regions.

In the northern Realms from the Sword Coast to Impiltur, druids in lightly settled areas have tended to gather in small groups, often with rangers and other allies, for mutual protection, defense of key areas or resources, and in order to accomplish their common goals more easily. These groups, usually consisting of a dozen or fewer druids and 20 or fewer others, vary widely in prominence and working relationships. In some, the druids live together in a woodland grove, and in others, they are widely scattered, with other group members serving as go-betweens. In some groups the druids and rangers deal with each other as equals, and in others the druids are revered by those who work with them.

In the Realms at large, these circles make up a network of communication and aid among those who venerate Chauntea and similar powers, such as Mielikki and Eldath. In general, the druids of the Realms seek balance between the needs of people (especially civilized peoples) and the needs of the natural world at the expense of neither.

Druid Circles
(from 3rd Edition Campaign Guide, p. 24)

In places where the veneration of wild nature (particularly forests) is threatened, druids abide, working to purge living things of disease, to protect their breeding and feeding, and to slow or halt woodcutting, burning, and the growth of roads. Druids often meet or dwell in clearings, and from that custom has come the name and habit of working together in circles.

Druid circles can even be found in Waterdeep and other large cities,meeting in temples, parks, or in cellars if they can find one that has running water or a natural spring-fed pond or pool, or an earthen floor, or both. Some circles very seldom ever gather all in one place, but communicate by magic or by means of one or more members who travel extensively, serving as go-betweens to their fellows.

The concept of the circle refers also to natural cycles, and to the fact that creatures of varying races, ranks, and capabilities can and should work together. Circles have no official ranks beyond Speaker (spokesperson), though members always have an unofficial pecking order based on age, wisdom, and druidic power. Persons may leave a circle if they disagree with its policies, but the circle as a whole decides on its activities. Many circles include rangers, elves of the forest, and even dryads and treants in their ranks. Most include less than a dozen druids. Hunters, woodcutters, and steaders intending to clear land or expand existing settlements are advised to consult local clergy of Silvanus, Eldath, Mielikki, and similar deities, or rangers, to learn if a circle is active locally. It is better to work with such a circle than to blunder into its path and end up at war with it.

The Moonshae Isles and the Emerald Enclave lands about the mouth of the Vilhon contain the strongest concentrations of druids. In both places, druids act openly, wielding much power of governance as well as influence, and meet in sacred groves. In contrast, druidic power has been largely shattered in the Dales, where the Circle of Shadowdale and the Battledale Seven were both destroyed in recent decades, and the Circle of Yeven fell long ago.

I only know of a few active circles. The Watchers of Sevreld, who meet in Old Mushroom Grove in the High Forest northeast of Secomber, work to prevent logging roads being cut into the forest. The High Dance, druids who dwell in hidden high valleys of the Thunder Peaks and wander that range, aids the sylvan creatures who tend and guard the Dancing Place. The newly founded Ring of Swords works to cleanse and rejuvenate Neverwinter Wood, drive out gnoll, bugbear, and hobgoblin bands sheltering there, and turn away those seeking tombs and ruins in the leafy heart of the forest. The Flamenar (“Hands Against Flame”) works
in Amn to recloak its rolling hills in stands of newly planted trees and to drive down the dust storms that have begun to plague the land east of Crimmor and Purskul. And the Starwater Six (named for the tranquil pool where they often meet) are now at work in the northern Forest of Mir, where floods of monsters and strange twisted beasts have been raiding the lands south of the River Ith. These are but a handful among many, many circles. Some dismiss them with a sneer as “flower lovers,” but I warn such scoffers that few herbs or plant medicines would aid us today were it not for the lore and work of the druid circles of Faerûn.

—Beldrith Tarlelntar, Sage of the Old Ways
House of the Leaning Gate, Scornubel

[Planehopper]

A couple notes on gods and their views on such:

Druids
(revised campaign setting, p. 17)

Druids of the same circle may worship different deities, though in general, druids of the same circle tend to worship the same god. Common powers venerated by druids are Eldath, Silvanus, Chauntea (in places), and the elemental lords, in particular Grumbar and Kossuth (earth and flame, respectively). Player character druids do not begin the game as members of a circle, but may form such circles if they find other druids and either accept them or are accepted into their ranks

Druids
(3rd edition campaign setting, p. 23)

Like clerics, the druids of Faerûn receive their spells from a particular patron deity, always a deity of nature or animals. However, druids do not necessarily see a clear division between nature and the divine forces that run through nature.

Nature deities include Chauntea, Eldath, Gwaeron Windstrom, Lurue, Malar, Mielikki, Nobanion, Shiallia, Silvanus, Talos, Ubtao, Ulutiu, Umberlee, Anhur, Isis, Osiris, Sebek, Set, Thard Harr, Aerdrie Faenya, Angharradh, Deep Sashelas, Rillifane Rallathil, Baervan Wildwanderer, Segojan Earthcaller, and Sheela Peryroyl.

Mielikki, who is famous for the number of druid/rangers who worship her, has more lenient spiritual oaths than most deities that druids worship in the Realms. Druids of Mielikki can use any of the standard armor or weapons that rangers normally use (all simple and martial weapons, all light and medium armor, and all shields) without violating their spiritual oaths.

[Steve]

Considering the context of the Server, it is important to highlight the Shadow Druids (which I’m sure everyone is familiar with as mobs, but they could just as well be PCs, and actually have been, in the history of BGTSCC).

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Shadow_Druids

The Shadow Druids were a militant sect of druids that operated throughout the Sword Coast and Amn during the 14th and 15th centuries DR.

Organization
The druidic circle as a whole was led by the Shadow Archdruid, while "First Druids" served as the leaders of individual groves.

Activities
Their guiding belief was that there was a long and endless struggle between people and nature.

Tactics
They used extreme methods and violence to drive away civilization, using the ferocious powers of nature.

[Hoihe]

A couple of notes on circles, from realms-specific sources

Druids
(from Revised Campaign Box Set, p. 17)

Druids, the most common type of specialty priest, tend to worship outside of standard temple complexes, and instead wander the land, collecting into loosely affiliated circles throughout the Realms.

Druid Circles
(from 3rd Edition Campaign Guide, p. 24)

The newly founded Ring of Swords works to cleanse and rejuvenate Neverwinter Wood, drive out gnoll, bugbear, and hobgoblin bands sheltering there, and turn away those seeking tombs and ruins in the leafy heart of the forest.

—Beldrith Tarlelntar, Sage of the Old Ways
House of the Leaning Gate, Scornubel

Druids
(3rd edition campaign setting, p. 23)

Nature deities include Chauntea, Eldath, Gwaeron Windstrom, Lurue, Malar, Mielikki, Nobanion, Shiallia, Silvanus, Talos, Ubtao, Ulutiu, Umberlee, Anhur, Isis, Osiris, Sebek, Set, Thard Harr, Aerdrie Faenya, Angharradh, Deep Sashelas, Rillifane Rallathil, Baervan Wildwanderer, Segojan Earthcaller, and Sheela Peryroyl.

These bits I feel cannot be stressed enough.

Forgotten Realms is not Greyhawk or Dragonlance, and our druids are drastically different.

As explained in the source material - they are speciality priests.

What does this mean?

That they are priests. Meaning - their first order loyalty is to their patron deity. If not pushing the boundaries of heresy, they will consequently share their patron's allies and enemies.

This has the consequence that a druid's concept of balance will change drastically depending on who they worship - after all, the enemies of their patron clearly try to upset balance.

Furthermore, to retain their power they must not act in heretical ways. Meaning, they must not go against the portfolio of their deity. This is especially important for druids of racial deities, as these deities often include protection of their races (Winged Elves for Aerdrie, all elves for Angharradh for instance). Consider: Why would a deity grant power to someone who uses their name and divinity to violate their promises and duties?

Now, being speciality priests rather than typical clergy, druids do not share the same duties as normal priests. They can afford to NOT actively campaign towards enacting the deity's will over all portfolios, but they CAN NOT act in a way that goes against their patron's will. Small infractions are atonable, but to do them constantly is not a good idea.

What " They can afford to NOT actively campaign towards enacting the deity's will over all portfolios" means is that they can specialize in the nature aspect of their patron. Like - a druid of Angharradh can focus on just instructing elven settlements on how to feed themselves without harming nature, on ensuring spring arrives without magical obstruction, on population control of animals, perhaps focus on Aerdrie's birds or Hanali's "beauty in nature" - they can afford not to be millitant warriors defending elven homelands or presiding over funerals or marriages. However, they are not allowed to go and attack a forest's elven settlement since "they outnumber orcs and thus orcs need to be favoured", nor are they allowed to assists the Furies in spreading their faith (in fact, Angharradh's concept of balance requires the Furies to be pushed out of lands where she's worshipped (see: The Gathering at the Dancing Place, Code of Harpers and Demihuman Deities entries on Angharradh and her 3 constituent deities)).

[LivT]

This has the consequence that a druid's concept of balance will change drastically depending on who they worship - after all, the enemies of their patron clearly try to upset balance.

I think this has also been where contention and confusion about the role of Furies in the 'Balance' sits. As has been well established, destruction and death is an accepted part of the cycles and balances of nature, however, the sentiments of the Furies themselves can contradict or even oppose the Balance. Talos, for instance, is an enemy of Silvanus (who is true neutral, not good) and "...hated deities that promoted building, learning, nature, and the altering of weather."

I honestly don't have an answer where this is concerned, just figured that Silvanus was the True Neutral fulcrum around which the other nature gods balanced.

All that said, Druids may be specialty priests, but they are still Druids, not clerics or paladins no matter how similar in some relations to their gods they might be. A follower of Malar for instance might indulge in the torturous and bloody methods of killing, of over-hunting, over-killing, establishing strength by destroying the perceived weak. A Druid of Malar though would filter this dogma through their understanding of Nature. Maybe focus more on the law of 'not killing the young or pregnant', of knowing to target the sick or elderly, culling where herbivorous populations had gotten too large, or turning thirst thirst for blood on enemies of the wilderness. Follow the 'evil' doctrine, but in a way that keeps their place in the proverbial Circle Of Life.

I suppose the trouble is, since it's such a large community we won't always start on or end up on the same page where this is concerned. You'll have N or G characters always suspicious that a Fury druid will end up obeying the God before the Balance, or arguing that a character needs to more strictly adhere to the teachings of their God, when realistically it's a very personal thing for those characters.

Iolanna is very devout for a Druid, because... that's who she is, and who Eldath is to her. She fits more with the 'specialist priest' sort of Druid (I could argue she sometimes acts more like a cleric than Avery does), but I wouldn't expect all others to be the same way, if only because that's not how people are.

[Planehopper]

I noticed, Hoihe, that you removed this piece of the referenced quote:

Like clerics, the druids of Faerûn receive their spells from a particular patron deity, always a deity of nature or animals. However, druids do not necessarily see a clear division between nature and the divine forces that run through nature.

I think that less-than-clear division opens doors to roleplay more akin to LivT's interpretation, while also leaving room for your more god-centric roleplay ideas.

The beauty of playing pre-ToT is that mortals should not know nearly as much of the gods, and the gods care much less about their worship-base, than after the ToT. It was not until after the ToT that worshipper numbers played into strength of deity.

So, IMO, both ways of viewing things are in bounds. I see druidic faith as a full spectrum from devout worshipper, to token/acknowledgement of a patron with 'nature' as the object of faith.

To say one way is more 'right' than another goes against source materials and examples of NPCs (given in the 1st edition box set).

[Hoihe]

I noticed, Hoihe, that you removed this piece of the referenced quote:

Like clerics, the druids of Faerûn receive their spells from a particular patron deity, always a deity of nature or animals. However, druids do not necessarily see a clear division between nature and the divine forces that run through nature.

I think that less-than-clear division opens doors to roleplay more akin to LivT's interpretation, while also leaving room for your more god-centric roleplay ideas.

The beauty of playing pre-ToT is that mortals should not know nearly as much of the gods, and the gods care much less about their worship-base, than after the ToT. It was not until after the ToT that worshipper numbers played into strength of deity.

So, IMO, both ways of viewing things are in bounds. I see druidic faith as a full spectrum from devout worshipper, to token/acknowledgement of a patron with 'nature' as the object of faith.

To say one way is more 'right' than another goes against source materials and examples of NPCs (given in the 1st edition box set).

ToT only really affects human gods though in change in behaviour. Racial deities have been described as always taking a keen interest in their charge, with fairly frequent manifestations and interventions even before Dale Reckoning, much less before ToT. Consider as proof the mention of "Code of Harpers", where after the fall of Myth Drannor and the influx of humans from the Moonsea region had the Seldarine, a number of nature deities and some others convene publicly to agree on founding and funding a group whose job is to eradicate/push back the faiths the Moonsea peoples brought into Vilhoon reach and other areas previously ruled by these gods.


As for the quoted part, I see that as equating their deity with nature itself. Malarites will consider Malar's ways to be what nature truly is. Rillifaneites will end up believing the exact opposite.

[bharring]

In my reading on Talos, and druids, it seems to me that Talos plays a necessary part in the Balance as the god of Destruction. No druid should reject his *portfolio*, or the purpose of destruction. However, he himself is more concerned with power and his whims than in destruction itself. And openly hates balance.

This would mean that a druid that respects the whole cycle might respect Talos's place in the Balance, but not his goals. The destruction is necessary, and so there should be a god of Destruction. But Talos's aims should be opposed, as his actual goals usually run counter to Balance. I *think* this would mean the druid would respect Talos, but not revere him.

In Faerun, all druids get their power from gods. But it's not necessary that the druid perceive that the power comes from a god specifically apart from nature itself. So it's possible a druid would revere Talos as the god of destruction, but get their power from another god. Or that a druid would revere Talos, and get their power from him, but think of that power as from nature (probably less common, because Talos likes to be praised).

(Note that that is *not* Ceir. Ceir is very misguided. He thinks Talos is a force for balance, due to his upbringing/history. At some point, he'll either find out the truth, or he'll go a little too heretical. At that point, he'll lose all magical capabilities (and whether he'll still be a druid is debatable).)

Thanks for writing this all up. I enjoy playing a druid. Especially the interactions between druids with very different beliefs and viewpoints (beyond Balance and the Cycle).

[bharring]

It's also useful to remember that druids are paragons of Balance. It is not only possible to revere both creation and destruction at the same time, but is necessary as a druid (Because both are part of The Cycle).

Similarly, a druid may revere both Talos and Eldrath, as natural and necessary parts of Balance.

In fact, Ceirinohr, as a druid, promotes death and destruction so that life and growth may come.

[Deathgrowl]

First: I want to drop this in here, because it is relevant. This bit isn't from the druid text of the FRCS, but it is about how one aquires divine magic (including the supernatural abilities that aren't spells, such as Lay on Hands or Wild Shape):

It's also useful to remember that druids are paragons of Balance. It is not only possible to revere both creation and destruction at the same time, but is necessary as a druid (Because both are part of The Cycle).

Similarly, a druid may revere both Talos and Eldrath, as natural and necessary parts of Balance.

Druids aren't paragons of "balance". Druids are priests of nature. Indeed, a lot of druids are violently anti-balance, as they strive to destroy civilisation in favour of nature.

And divine favour works very specifically in Forgotten Realms. You'll find some very clear differences between a druid of Chauntea and a druid of Mielikki, for example, even if they are both Neutral Good. Chauntea, as a goddess of argiculture will have druids more in line with civilisation than Mielikki, a goddess of the forest.

Eldath and Talos are enemies, and so are their followers. That is how divine favour works in Forgotten Realms. If you go against the dogma of your god, you lose favour, and then you fall.

[Planehopper]

Here is a funny aside from Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast, that lends a little flavor to druidic RP and shows how even the good guys disagree..

The Running Stag
(in Berdusk, p. 171)

I'm told this is the place in town to hire guides, and it is famous as the site of a duel some 10 years ago between two druids. A druid of Silvanus disputed a matter of forest management with a nonlocal druid (a hierophant, it turned out, dedicated to Eldath). Before they were done, the tavern had experienced a full-blown storm, an earthquake, wild plant growth and trees wrestling with each other, a snarling, snapping, goring and charging stampede of woodland beings locked in combat with each other, and fungi growing on and out of everything with bewildering speed. At the end the devotee of Silvanus was in serpent form, helplessly entangled in a ball of roots, and gasping in the full torrent of the spring. All traces of the mess were cleaned up long ago, and theres now a sign on the door: No druidic duels today/The Management. (Underneath, someone has scrawled: Not even a little one?

Sounds like the Eldath hierophant didn't take the RP-out on that one!