Druidic Heirarchy - Why?

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Posted by billion6
10/05/2023 8:55 pm
#1

What is the purpose of Druids needing to fight other Druids to gain the highest levels? I know it was ported over from D&D, but does anyone actually do it?

 
Posted by Blackadder23
10/06/2023 11:22 am
#2

I've never seen a druid reach high enough level (in either game) to need to do it.

I'm not sure what Gary's reasoning was, but possibly it was just to make druids different from other classes (apart from monks, who also had to do this in AD&D).
 


Michael Sipe 1979-2018
Rest in peace, brother.
 
Posted by BlackKnight
10/10/2023 10:09 am
#3

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)


-- 
BlackKnight, AKA Sausage
Older than Dirt, Crusty, and set in my ways. Been playing TTRPGs for over 45 years...
 
Posted by Jimm.Iblis
10/30/2023 9:46 am
#4

Just ditch it. Not every druid needs to conform to the stodgy Irish mystic stereotype and I don't know there's much evidence for druid fight clubs anyway. I ran a druid based on Sheena once and the class is perfect for that "foundling raised by the jungle" type trope.


"Role-playing isn't storytelling. If the dungeon master is directing it, it's not a game."  ~ Gary Gygax
 


 
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