I believe that Gary put it into the original D&D because it's an Order based on Hierarchy, and there are only a certain amount of Druids at each level. Not unlike the Catholic Church. One also has to think of the fact, when one movees up, there is a vacancy below that would need to be filled, Could the upper level one drop down? or would a new lesser one move up to fill?

Catholic Example:
Decons: MANY, MANY! :Lay people that are working with the church and carry out minor functions MANY
Arch Decons: Many, typically only in bigger parishes, A decon that manages other Decons
Priests , Many, Assigned to a local church, Manages Arch Decons and Decons below them.
Bishops, Smaller number, Associated with small Regions, and has dominion over the lower priests
Cardinals and ArchBishops: Smaller amounts (Cardinals 200 something, not sure ArchBishops) Manage Larger Regions, Larger amount of parishioners, More Regional
Pope: One and Only one, but may retire before death allowing more than one, but only one active, God's representative on Earth, Voted in by the Cardinals, of which there are small numbers.

Where Druids are considered a smaller number at each level, Like the Monks of old also...
also Driuds have many more levels of Tiers than the Catholic example (12+ I think?)
so making it a limited hierarchy probably seemed like a cool idea, and make them different than "normal" priestly classes...

If a GM wanted to, he could probably apply the same methods the Priestly classes. If I remember correctly, the Old books had "Titles" for the priest classes, one would think that the title could then be tracked to an actually assignment or regional assignment. And then towards the highest levels, the priests would either vote it out, be placed by appointment of a Higher authority, or fight it out for the position...

Bob

Last edited by BlackKnight (10/10/2023 10:18 am)