Druid

“Life and Death, entwined as a braid.”

–Axel Three-Eyes

If ya talk to a druid they’ll tell ya they’re the guardians of nature and the ones who keep balance in all livin’ things. They’re empowered by their connection to the natural world to make sure nothin’ gets outta sorts. Stoppin’ poachers, protectin’ endangered animals from monsters, helpin’ rebuild after forest fires and whatnot. But that ain’t all. Heh, I’ve had my fair share of interactions with druids and they ain’t all the same. Most of the druids yer gonna see are initiates of nature who’re settin’ out to do all the stuff I mention before. They’re real attuned with the world around ‘em, can call on the forest to do all sorts of magical stuff, read the smallest signs in broken branches and bent grass to learn about intruders, and even make pacts with animals to help ‘em guide the wilderness. Then ya got yer sages. These are the druids who study the mystical arts and secrets of their circles. Also turns out they tend to be the ones who interact with other folk the most, heh. You’ll find ‘em actin’ as spiritual guides and counselors for backwoods communities. Tellin’ fortunes with rituals of blood and bones, and settlin’ disputes between all manner of folk. I hear the most powerful ones can even change their bodies to be more beast than man but I ain’t seen it. I suppose if ya live in the wild long enough and ya go seekin’ out all sorts of ancient knowledge it’s bound to have some effect on ya. Heh, the last ones are the ones city folk are most concerned about, the militant ones. Ya see, some druids get fed up with being peaceful all the time. Most folks couldn’t care less about nature long as they get theirs. Plus, ya gotta deal with all the damn monsters without a place in nature! These militant druids tend to designate an area as their sacred grove, usin’ the nature around ‘em to fend off loggers, poachers, and monsters; and if that fails, they’ll use their magic to grow a beast into a behemoth to run the invaders off.

–Rodolf Kazmer

Defining Skill	Skills	Gear (Pick 5)
Rite of Oak and Mistletoe	Awareness	100 crowns of components
Vigor Threshold	Endurance	Bedroll
2	First Aid	Belt Pouch
Magical Perks	Hex Weaving	Candles (x5)
2 Novice Invocations	Monster Lore	Cold Weather Clothing
2 Novice Rituals	Persuasion	Druid’s Sickle
2 Low Danger Hexes	Ritual Crafting	Numbing Herbs (x3)
Starting Coin	Spell Casting	Pipe and Tobacco
75 crowns x 2d6	Teaching	Smelling Salts (x2)
Average: 525	Wilderness Survival	Staff

Rite of Oak and Mistletoe (INT)
A Druid learns very quickly how to harvest magically potent plants and turn them into a powerful focus for their magic which connects them to the land around them. A Druid can take a day and make a Rite of Oak and Mistletoe roll against a DC specific to the area in which they find themselves to harvest the necessary ingredients. If successful, the Druid creates a Staff which works only for the Druid. This staff functions exactly as a Staff (Witcher Core Rule Book, pg. 74) but its Focus value rises as they improve their Rite of Oak & Mistletoe value. The Focus value begins at 1 at level 1 and raises by 1 every 2 levels to a maximum of 4 at level 7. At level 9, the Staff gains the Greater Focus Effect. Additionally, while the Druid is carrying their staff, they gain the following benefits based on their Rite of Oak & Mistletoe value. At level 2, the Druid ignores all environmental penalties in overgrown or swampy terrain. At level 4, the Druid ignores the penalties for snow and ice conditions. At level 6, the Druid ignores the penalties for extreme heat conditions. At Level 8, the Druid ignores all penalties from being underwater. At Level 10, the Druid can roll to create a new staff by taking a full round action rather than 1 day. The DCs to create a staff are 14 when in a forest, 16 when in swampy areas, 18 when in mountainous regions, and 20 when at sea.

Initiate	Mystic Sage	Militant
Nature Attunement	Lore Keeper	Beast Healer (CRA)
A Druid can become more in tune with nature, gaining 1 point of Vigor threshold per level in Nature Attunement up to level 9. At the 10th level in Nature Attunement, the Druid’s Vigor Threshold rises by 5 to a total of 16. Nature Attunement can be trained like any other skill.	Part of the initiation into a Circle is to memorize a plethora of topics that can come in handy to the Druid. They can roll their Lore Keeper Ability in place of any Wilderness Survival, Monster Lore, Human Perception, or Education checks.	Working often with animals in defense of nature, a Druid can tend to grievous wounds in their beastly companions. A Druid can roll Beast Healer to treat Critical Wounds inflicted on Beasts. This roll works exactly like the Doctor’s Healing Hands ability.
Read Nature (INT)	Blood and Bones (WILL)	Sacred Grove (WILL)
When in a purely natural environment, a Druid can roll Read Nature at a DC set by the GM. On a success, the Druid reads the signs around them to learn everything that passed through that area within the last week and what each creature did in the area. Read Nature renders a very localized picture and cannot track things but gives a very detailed description of what happened in the area..	By casting bones in a bowl filled with blood drawn from a person, the Druid can alter the fate of that person. The Druid rolls Blood and Bones against a DC:10 + the target’s WILL. On a success, the target can add half the Druid’s Blood and Bones value to one check made before the next sunrise. On a failure, the target cannot benefit from this ability for 1 week. A single target can only benefit from this ability once per session.	A Druid can turn an area of nature into a sacred grove. This takes 1 hour, and covers an area with a 20m radius. The Druid takes the value of their Sacred Grove check and uses those points to add protections to their sacred grove. The Druid and anyone they specify are immune to these protections. This grove lasts for 3 months and the Druid can maintain a number of groves equal to their Sacred Grove value.
Animal Compact (WILL)	Bestial Form	Grove Guardian (WILL)
A Druid adds their Animal Compact value to any Wilderness Survival rolls they make to handle animals. The Druid can also make a compact with an animal. By taking a full round and rolling an Animal Compact check at a DC set by the GM, they can make one Beast or animal their ally for a number of hours equal to their Animal Compact value. Monsters are unaffected.	Unlocking ancient rituals allows the Druid to incorporate animal aspects into their body, transforming into a hybrid form without taking an action. For each 2 levels the Druid has in Bestial Form, they can add a new animalistic aspect to their hybrid form. Additionally, while in their hybrid form, the Druid can speak with animals of a type they have incorporated, and become Feared & Hated by non-druids.	By using an ancient ritual, the Druid can empower an animal or beast. By taking one full round and rolling Grove Guardian against a DC:10 + the creature’s BODY, the creature grows to twice its size, its BODY increases by 5, and gains a +5 bonus to damage. This bonus affects the creatures Derived Statistics as well. The creature also becomes highly aggressive to enemies of the Druid. This lasts for 24 hours and during that time the druid’s Vigor threshold is reduced by 5.

Social Standing
Druids are considered Equal in Skellige and in rural communities but are Tolerated by all other groups and Hated and Feared by those who hate magic.

Sacred Grove

Protection	Cost
Overgrown Environment The plants of the area grow wildly out of control, imposing a -2 to Dodge/ Escape and Athletics checks.	2
Lost A magical fog settle around the grove which forces anyone entering it to make a Resist Magic DC:16 to enter the area. Targets who fail are turned around and immediately exit the grove.	10
Poisoned Harvest Deadly magic suffuses the plants of the grove causing crops grown in the area inflict the poison effect when eaten.	6
Miracle Harvest The plants of the grove grow a bountiful harvest doubling the number of plant-based ingredients gathered from each gathering check.	4
Thorns A wall of thorny vines sprouts at the edge of the grove and anything that passes through it must make a DC:16 Athletics check or suffer the Bleeding condition.	10

Bestial Form

Animal	Effect
Boar	The Druid’s skin thickens and grows bristles. The Druid gains +3 SP on all body locations.
Bear	The Druid’s hands grow claws. The claws deal 4d6 slashing damage and have 10 REL. If damaged, these claws regrow at a rate of 1 REL per day.
Wolf	The Druid’s ears grow to a point and their mouth and nose change into a snout. They gain the benefits of enhanced senses, granting a +1 to Awareness and allowing them to track things by scent alone.
Panther	The Druid’s legs become digitigrade and furry allowing them to leap twice their Leap distance by using your move action from a standing start. This leap can be made horizontally or vertically.
Serpent	The Druid grows poisonous fangs. They gain a bite attack that deals 3d6 damage and has a 100% chance to inflict the Poison Effect.
Owl	The Druid’s eyes grow large and feathers sprout around their face. They gain Superior Night Vision.
Crow	The Druid’s body sprouts black feathers and their mind sharpens granting a +1 to INT which can raise their INT above 10. Additionally, whenever they Reposition they can move their full SPD rather than half.