Me druid.

[Kromm]

I don't believe we've had a druid yet.

Hulda Tha'dun

249-point Half-Ogre Druid

Hulda is a shaman, not a druid – though her magic works the same way. A half-breed (half hobgoblin, she believes) in an ogre tribe, she was fated to be an outcast . . . until the elderly and surprisingly wise shaman, noting her intelligence and link to Nature, pointed out that the hardship she faced could be her path to spiritual awakening. That, and giving up meat. Hulda embraced this with a passion, and eventually replaced her mentor.

An ogre shaman is mostly expected to aid the tribe with magic, a task for which most ogres are too stupid and magic-resistant. This usually means combat magic. Other duties are feeding the tribe's pack of wolf-dogs, using herbs to heal injuries, and brain-hurting thinking – especially treating with members of other races, and figuring out where to roam for good hunting and fine weather.

Hulda did that for years, until her people strayed into warm southern forests claimed by elves. She did her best to resolve matters peacefully – but ultimately, her tribe's war-leaders violated the agreement. The resulting battle was horrific for both sides and led to a mutual retreat. Hulda went her own way in disgust, pausing only to use the last of her healing supplies to patch up some wounded elves.

Today, Hulda is a wanderer on a quest to find a higher level of enlightenment. She lends her magical talents and ogre-sized spear (a power item holding 5 FP) to whatever worthy causes come her way. Delving isn't of much interest in itself, but it offers chances to battle horrors that seek to destroy Nature – and to gain a deeper perspective on magic.

ST 15 [50]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 14 [40].
Damage 1d+1/2d+1; BL 45 lbs.; HP 15 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 18 [12].
Basic Speed 6.00 [-10]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Move 6.
Dodge 9; Parry 11 (Spear); Block N/A.

Advantages
Fearlessness 1 [2]
Green Thumb 1 [5]
Night Vision 3 [3]
Power Investiture 4 (Druidic) [40]
Tough Skin 1 [3]

Disadvantages and Quirks
Appearance (Ugly) [-8]
Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism) [-5]
Sense of Duty (Nature) [-15]
Social Stigma (Savage) [-10]
Vow (Vegetarianism) [-5]
Wealth (Poor) [-15]

Doesn't give townsfolk a chance to react to her heritage – stays the hell out of Dodge. [-1]
Favorite herb is spearmint. Get it? You will once she lectures for a bit. [-1]
Gives profession as "shaman," not "druid." [-1]
Loves elves and hopes to be named an honorary elf one day. [-1]
Takes joy in shattering stereotypes about ogre-kin being dim, flesh-eating maniacs. [-1]

Skills
Animal Handling (Canines)-12 [1]
Camouflage-13 [1]
Climbing-12 [2]
Diplomacy-11 [1]
Disguise (Animals)-12 [1]
Esoteric Medicine (Druidic)-13 [4]
Gesture-13 [1]
Herb Lore-13* [4]
Hidden Lore (Nature Spirits)-12 [1]
Hiking-13 [1]
Innate Attack (Projectile)-14 [4]
Mimicry (Animal Sounds)-11 [1]
Naturalist-13* [2]
Pharmacy-12* [1]
Religious Ritual (Druidic)-11 [1]
Spear-15/16† [12]
Stealth-12 [2]
Survival (Woodlands)-12 [1]
Teaching-12 [1]
Theology (Druidic)-11 [1]
Veterinary-11 [1]
Weather Sense-12 [1]

Spells‡
Create Animal-15 [1]
Detect Magic-15 [1]
Dispel Magic-15 [1]
Earth Vision-15 [1]
Fog-15 [1]
Frostbite-15 [1]
Hail-15 [1]
Hawk Vision-15 [1]
Instant Neutralize Poison-15 [2]
Lightning-15 [1]
Mystic Mist-15 [1]
No-Smell-15 [1]
Pollen Cloud-15 [1]
Protection from Evil-15 [1]
Recover Energy-15 [1]
Resist Cold-15 [1]
Resist Lightning-15 [1]
Sandstorm-15 [1]Darude
Sense Evil-15 [1]
Shape Earth-15 [1]
Sunlight-15 [1]

* Includes +1 for Green Thumb.
† Use higher skill with balanced spear.
‡ Includes +4 for Power Investiture.

Equipment

$700, 37.1 lbs. (No encumbrance)

Blanket. $20, 4 lbs.
Canteen, Full. 1 quart water. $10, 3 lbs.
Clothing. $0, 2 lbs.
Coins. 5 copper. $5, 0.1 lb.
Elven Rations, 6 meals. $30, 1 lb.
Light Leather Armor, Suit. DR 1 (total DR 2). $150, 18 lbs.
Long Spear, Balanced, Fine. 1d+5 imp (reach 2, 3*) in two hands. $420, 5 lbs.
Personal Basics. $5, 1 lb.
Small Backpack. Holds blanket, personal basics, rations. $60, 3 lbs.

[tbone]

Another fine character. I like the use of druid as a stand-in for shaman.

Is that spear meant to do cr damage?

[InfinitePudding]

She would be super fun to play!

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by tbone

Is that spear meant to do cr damage?

Heck, no! Fixed, and thanks for the catch.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by West_Winds

She would be super fun to play!

I created her to do two things:

1. More stereotype-busting. Why can't low-IQ races have casters? Why do druids always have to be either elves or fake Celts? And so on.

2. Be broadly useful rather than a specialist. Hulda is physically solid enough to be a respectable combatant. She is good at outdoor tasks. She can create tigers out of thin air. She can zap individual foes with Frostbite and Lightning, and also do modest crowd control with Hail, Pollen Cloud, and Sandstorm. She has some supporting buffs. And she isn't bad at general mystical knowledge.

And with a few character points or $, she has lots of options for growth. She has decent levels with all the stats used as skill bases. She has the FP and Power Investiture to go a lot deeper into casting. And with her ST, the armor-and-swung-weapon route is always an option . . . it just demands a few points in other weapon skills, and some better gear.

[Tom H.]

The online "Supporting Cast" is growing!

For all those posting characters, I would love to see a pronunciation key for the more exotic names if you feel so inclined to include it.