Underdark General Discussion Thread

[Rainbow Prism]

So far I would like to see what was the meeting of the members. Perhaps big party in Gloura's?

By the way, was that mistype on entering through Mystra fixed?

[wuha]

Just wanted to touch base on the druid/ranger deities for an UDer. Discussed in this thread but not fleshed out.

Though we are forced to choose an official nature diety, can we RP that we actually follow someone from the drow pantheon? Playing around with a ranger and taking a spider companion and being true to Lloth. Or would this be considered wrong from both from a lore and character creation perspective?

[Rainbow Prism]

Just wanted to touch base on the druid/ranger deities for an UDer. Discussed in this thread but not fleshed out.

Though we are forced to choose an official nature diety, can we RP that we actually follow someone from the drow pantheon? Playing around with a ranger and taking a spider companion and being true to Lloth. Or would this be considered wrong from both from a lore and character creation perspective?

As far as I know, DMs' response to that was "RP what is on your character sheet". Does Lolth even allow rangers as a worshippers?

[wuha]

I was thinking because of the spider angle. It doesn't matter, I've canned the idea anyhoo.

[Psyike]

Does anyone have a quote from a 3.5 book saying druids must worship a deity to receive spells? I'm a lore noob, but Complete Divine explicitly says that a druid doesn't need a deity. If that were the case, I don't see a problem with a Llothite druid.

[Rainbow Prism]

The book was for DnD, while we talk about specific campaign setting of Forgotten Realms. The rule with worshipping the nature and the ideas are not in the setting.

[Mammothtruk]

While I myself believe druids and clerics both should be able to get spells without a patron deity (see Ur'Priest PRC for the clerical version of this) according to the FR campaign setting book around page 22 it states the following

Like clerics, the druids of Faerun 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. While many people think only of forests when they think of druids, druids care also for the mountains, deserts, lakes, and even the swamps of Faerun.

Also since this is a druid related question Id like to also quote the next bit over the much debated metal armor business in another thread

Mielikki, who is famous for the number of druids/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 matrial weapons, all light and medium armor, and all shields) without violating their spiritual oaths

Ill have to search through some of the UD specific books here to find out about drow gods that accept druids/rangers for spells. Im sure they have one that does.

[Mammothtruk]

bit of digging turned this up on page 58 of Drow of the Underdark

Druids are rare amoung drow communities. Most drow spell casters pursue either the faith of lolth or one of a variety of arcane paths. However, a rare few exist who seek a different, more natural connection between themselves and their subterranean environment. Drow druids forgo the ability to assume animal forms, preferring the shape of their revered totem: the spider

Witch would lead me to believe Lolth does in fact accept druids. Maybe not directly, but as a totem of a spider.

[Blackman D]

there is a drow PrC called Arachnonmancer who is obsessed with spiders and gains spider shape that allows them to change into a variety of different sized spiders, by 8th level they can shift into any spider from tiny to gargantuan, the ability itself act just like wild shape and enables them to pick natural spell after getting it, so there is a type of drow "druid" i guess you can say but yea its a very spider heavy class and obviously worship Lolth

[wuha]

And Lloth is a trickster godess, often posing as other gods to gain more followers. Even if she doesn't accept druids, I wouldn't put it past her to pretend to.

[Rainbow Prism]

Yet it is arcane... It is favored by Lolth because of spiders, but it is still arcane and technically I doubt it would count as 'druidic'.

I am not sure if the druids of Lolth are aplicable for the Forgotten Realms.

[Mammothtruk]

Yet it is arcane... It is favored by Lolth because of spiders, but it is still arcane and technically I doubt it would count as 'druidic'.

true the PRC is arcane and isnt a true druid, however spider shape does function as wildshape. Also the drow druid in Drow of the Underdark can forgo wildshaping as a druid and gain Spider Shape identical to the PRC.

I am not sure if the druids of Lolth are aplicable for the Forgotten Realms.

Being the quotes I posted are from FR source books I think they very much are acceptable and applicable.

Unless you have a better explanation of why drow druids would be worshipping a Spider totem and be getting spells? Some other deity maybe?

[Rainbow Prism]

If you about 'drow of the UD' guide, it is centered on DnD, it has special notes about usage in the various world settings, including FR.

[Mammothtruk]

I was unaware there was underdark in other campaign settings? Im now confused as to why the book would say underdark and not be FR... Goes to show you I have played very little outside of the FR settings right? Only a bit of Ravenloft really.

[Blackman D]

i honestly see no reason why it wouldnt be, granted if the PrC was IG it would be a lot easier but i would think it would be safe to say that if you are playing a druid that you would have to worship lolth for it to make any sense, would be cool if there were spider shapes beside that from polymorphs blade spider and the epic shape magical beast i think it is that has phase spider shape, with those two being the only ones it does limit the RP however you look at it