Druidic Priest

Druidic Priests are followers of The Old Faith, a religion whose origins stretch back to the time before written history. They have strong associations with many ancient sites, such as barrows and stone circles, whose significance has long been forgotten by others.

To become Druidic Priests, characters must first have fully completed the Druid Basic Career. Because Druidic Priests depend on their deity for spells, characters do not progress automatically from Druid to level 1 Druidic Priest; when the Druid career has been fully completed, the character must accumulate the 100 Experience Points necessary to change careers and then appeal to the deity. The character goes to a sacred grove and prays for guidance, exchanging the 100 EPs for one roll on the Druid Advance Table. Only Humans may become Druidic Priests.

Druidic Priests, as their name implies, form the priesthood of the Old Faith and players of Druid characters should be familiar with the information contained in that section. In many ways, they are similar to Clerics, as they advance through four levels of power and gain certain magical abilities by following a strict code of life. They tend to be reclusive and sometimes live as hermits in the depths of the forests. Some Druidic Priests tend the sacred groves which serve the Old Faith as temples and shrines, while others travel through the countryside, furthering the interests of their faith as they see fit and protecting the natural world as well as they are able.

Druids And The Old Faith[]

The basic career of Druid has the same relationship to the Druidic Priest career as Initiate has to Cleric. All would-be Druidic Priests must fully complete this career first (taking all advances and all available skills). Only in this way can they learn the ways of the Old Faith.

The origins of the Old Faith stretch back to the time before written history. It still has strong associations with many ancient sites, such as barrows and stone circles, whose significance has long been forgotten by others. Druids must be Human, but there are no other restrictions on entry to this career. A character who has been a Druid, but has taken another career, keeps all druidical abilities provided that he or she does not become a follower of another religion; if a Druid changes religion, all abilities are lost and the character can never become an Initiate or Cleric of the new faith.

Details of the Strictures that apply to all Druids, as well as some example Trials and Blessings can be found under The Old Faith. This topic also provides a table for the random selection of a Spirit Familiar - which all Druids acquire on advancing to level 1 of the Druidic Priest career.

Becoming A Druidic Priest[]

Even though a character may have completed the Druid basic career and amassed enough experience to progress to the career of Druidic Priest, the progression is not automatic. The Druid has a set of strictures which must be followed and disregarding or deliberately violating these strictures will have the same results as described in the Wrath Of The Gods.

Druids are not absolutely committed to becoming Druidic Priests; they are the followers of the religion and not all of them will aspire to, or achieve, Priesthood. A Druid character may leave the career at any time by accumulating 100 EPs and choosing a new career from the options given. To become a level 1 Druidic Priest, the Druid must have fully completed the basic career and have accumulated 100 Experience Points. Then, the character must go alone into the forest and spend a week in fasting and meditating in seclusion. The player then exchanges 100 experience points for one roll on the Druid Advance Table. Druids have only one chance of becoming a Druidic Priest and the result of the roll on the table must be obeyed; failure to do so will lead to the character becoming the subject of the Wrath Of The Gods.

The GM may modify the roll according to how well the character has behaved, following the tenets of the Old Faith, keeping its strictures and so on. Characters who have followed exemplary lives according to the beliefs of the Old Faith should be allowed a modifier of +10%; conversely, those who have paid only lip service should be penalised by -10%. You should consider any other relavant modifiers when a character attempts to move to another level. For example, a Druid or Druidic Priest who has painstakingly protected an area of natural woodland may receive an additional +5% modifier.

The GM is also free to ignore the results of any dice roll - characters who constantly refuse to follow strictures or who abuse their familiar could be considered to have invoked the Wrath Of The Gods automatically. Conversely, characters who are the living embodiment of the Old Faith could receive a Blessing automatically.

When a Druidic Priest completes a level, the same procedure is used; the character goes to a sacred grove and communes with nature, exchanges 100 EPs per level for a roll on the Druid Advance Table. Again, the GM should modify the roll according to the character's behaviour.

Druid Advance Table
10 or less	The character is judged unworthy to become or continue as a Druidic Priest and must move to a randomly-determined Ranger career. If the character has followed this career before and completed the Advance Scheme, then any career from its career exit options may be chosen except for Druid. There is no further Experience Point cost for entering this new career, but the character may never again become a Druid or attempt to become a Druidic Priest.
11-25	The character must undertake a trial in order to be proved worthy to become a Druidic Priest or to advance to next level. The Old Faith section of religions contains a number of possible trials.
26-40	The character is found worthy, but is not yet considered ready for advancement. Once another 100 Experience Points have been accumulated, the character may try again.
41-80	The character is found worthy and may advance to next level. Players with characters becoming Druidic Priests should note down the advance scheme for level 1 and take steps to obtain the Trappings. The Druidic Priest is also granted a spirit familiar; roll once on the Familiar Table and gain the first skill listed for the familiar type (at no EP cost).
81-95	The character is not only found worthy but is also granted a gift; advances as above and gain D10 x 10 Experience Points as a mark of divine favour. New Druidic Priests also gain both skills listed for their familiar type.
95-104	As well as advance, the character receives a special gift; gain D10 x 10 Experience Points, plus both skills listed for the character's familiar type (if not already gained) and 1 Fate Point.
105 and more	The character is blessed and advances to next level as above, gaining D10 x 10 Experience Points, both skills listed for the character's familiar type (if not already gained), 1 Fate Point, and a Blessing.

Advance Scheme[]

Advance Scheme - Level 1
M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
					+2	+10						+10

Advance Scheme - Level 2
M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
	+10	+10	+1	+1	+3	+20		+10	+10	+10	+10	+20	+10

Advance Scheme - Level 3
M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
	+10	+10	+1	+1	+4	+20		+20	+20	+30	+20	+20	+20

Advance Scheme - Level 4
M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
	+10	+10	+1	+1	+4	+30		+30	+30	+30	+30	+30	+30

Skills - Level 1

Skills - Level 2

Skills - Level 3

Skills - Level 4

Magic Points

+2D8 points per level

Strictures

See section on the The Old Faith

Trappings

Hand Weapon
White robes

Career Exits

Druidic Priest - of next level