In the AD&D® game, the druid PC class
has not always been taken seriously. The
advent of the expanded druidic experience
table and improved powers in Unearthed
Arcana has helped dispel this attitude
among players. It is hoped that this article
will improve the class's standing still further,
as this material expands the abilities
and skills of this class.

It is known that the druid may not use
metallic armor or shields; the only exception
to this rule is elven chain mail, as
elves have lived in peace and harmony
with nature for thousands of years ? long
enough to be able to craft metal in such a
way as not to spoil the druid?s special
magic. All other crafted metals for armor
negate the druid?s innate and spell-using
abilities.

Only a limited number of high-level
druids live in every druidic region. In each
woodland keep dwell no more than nine
12th-level druids, each of which is the
leader of a body of 3-30 druids of 3rd to
8th level, and an entourage of underlings
of 1st and 2nd level. No more than three
13th-level Archdruids are found at each
druid keep. At 13th level, the druid gains
1-8 10th-level druids. Only one 14th-level
Great Druid stays in any given druid keep,
and he attracts an additional 10-200 hit
dice of animals to do his bidding. These
animals can be replaced by others if slain.

Each druid keep is visited by an emissary
of the 15th-level Grand Druid once
each year. This emissary is usually an
Archdruid who serves directly under the
Grand Druid. In this position, the emissary
examines the lands under the keep?s protection
and receives a detailed annual
report from the keep?s Great Druid. The
Archdruid emissary may also take action
against woodland offenders, wielding the
will of the Grand Druid.

Druidic abilities
In connection with the druid's worship
of nature, innate powers are gained at
higher levels. At 3rd level, a druid gains
the following abilities:

1. Ability to converse in the common
tongue of all neutrally aligned woodland
creatures.

2. Ability to identify plant types.

3. Ability to identify animal types.

4. Ability to identify pure water and to
locate pure water within 1 mile + 1 mile/
level of the druid above 3rd level.

5. Power to pass through overgrown
areas without loss of movement and without
trace of passage.

6. Ability to brew poisons from natural
woodland materials. The druid also gains
the knowledge to create antidotes for his
poisons and gains an immunity to each
level of poison that he may brew, given a
familiar use of herbs and other components
of the poisons.

At 5th level, the following powers are
gained:

1. Immunity to charm and sleep spells,
and similar magical effects from woodland
creatures.

2. Ability to shape change at will into
one chosen form of woodland creature. At
5th level, the druid may shape change into
one type of bird, reptile, or mammal associated
with the wilderness; this creature
must be of the druids weight or less. The
druid hereafter gains the ability to choose
one new form every two levels, with the
ability to add 500 lbs. of mass to each new
form. For example, at 7th level, a druid
may have two shapes ? one his weight or
less, the other up to approximately 700
lbs. Archdruids may use each form two
times a day instead of just once. At 14th
level, the Great Druid may assume an
additional (third) form of any woodland
creature once per day.

3. Ability to regain from 10-60% of all hit
points in damage sustained upon resumption
of each animal form.

4. Empathy with plants.

Poisons
Druids have a special link with nature,
enabling them to identify plants by their
mystical and chemical properties. This
allows druids to brew natural poisons (see
Table 1). This art is well-guarded, and little
of it is known to nondruids. Druid poisons
and antidotes are made by using the herbs
and plants in common woodland surroundings.

The formula for the time it
takes to brew the poisons is as follows:
24 - (druid?s level) + [(poison level)/2] =
Number of hours required to brew one
vial of poison.

The druid may choose to make the poison
fast-acting (immediate) or slow-acting
(up to six hours delay). The druid?s player
must state this to his DM before brewing
begins. The brewing doesn?t have to be
continuous work; it need only be equal to
the number of hours calculated by the
formula. For the sake of reference, one
vial of poison is enough to coat six arrowheads,
four shuriken, eight darts, twelve
needles, or one dagger or spear point. Two
vials will coat twice as many small weapons
or one short-sword blade. Three vials
will coat a long-sword, scimitar, or broadsword
blade. Four will coat a bastardsword
blade, and five will coat a
two-handed-sword blade. Each coating of
poison on a blade or weapon lasts for two
successful hits on a target. The maximum
coats allowable is five. When swallowed,
one vial equals one dose.

Damage from slow-acting druid poison is
taken as follows. Half the total poison
damage is initial (shock); the character
poisoned takes damage immediately.
Remaining damage occurs gradually, doing
the poison?s minimum damage amount per
round. This damage is taken until the
accumulated damage equals the number
originally rolled on the damage dice. For
example, strength E poison that does 6d6
hp damage is used on an arrow. The user
rolls 26 hp damage. The victim takes
arrow damage plus 13 hp poison damage
the initial round. Unless the poison is
cured or slowed, the victim takes 6 hp
damage per round until death or until the
total damage rolled is reached.

If a saving throw is made against poison
of strength AA through J, the victim takes
half the rolled damage, accumulating
further damage at the normal rate. A
successful save vs. X or XX poison causes
the victim to take damage equal to half of
his original (fully healed and rested) hit
points. A save vs. sleep poison acts as a
slow spell for three rounds, but creatures
immune to sleep (such as undead) are not
affected.

Poison may be applied only to nonmagical
iron or steel weapons, including
nonmagical alloys of metal that are ironbased,
well made, and have an advantage
not associates with magic (i.e., weapons of
quality.) Silver will not hold poison beyond
a single use. The process for treating
metal with poison gives a dark discoloration
to the blade; any character seeing
and recognizing this discoloration reacts
vehemently to the use of poison. Poison is
outlawed in most areas, and only thieves
and assassins use it regularly. Lawful-good
characters act with rage and may attack
the user or turn him in to authorities;
chaotic-evil characters may threaten the
PC if he doesn't share the poison.

Table 1
Druid Poison Chart

Level of druid	Poison level	Poison type	Poison strengths (maximum possible damage)
3rd	0	AA	6 hp (1d4, 1d6, etc.)
4th	1	A	12 hp (2d6, 1d12, etc.)
5th	2	B	18 hp (2d8, 3d6, etc.)
6th	3	C	24 hp (2d10, 2d12, etc.)
7th	4	D	30 hp (3d10, etc.)
8th	5	E	36 hp (9d4, etc.)
9th	6	F	42 hp (4d10, etc.)
10th	7	G1	48 hp (4d12, etc.)
11th	8	H	54 hp (5d10, etc.)
12th	9	I	60 hp (10d6, etc.)
13th	10	J	66 hp (3d20, etc.)
14th	11	X	1d6 hp/round until dead
15th-16th2	11a	Xa	Same as X + 1 hp/die
17th-18th3	11b	Xb	Same as X + 2 hp/die
19th-22nd4	12	xx	Instant death5
23rd6	13	Z	Catatonic poison7

1 Sleep poison is also made at this level. A successful saving throw
results in being slowed for 3 rounds; failure results in sleeping
for 1d10 rounds.

2 Brewing time is halved; 1s rolled on damage dice are rerolled.

3 Any 1s or 2s rolled on damage dice are rerolled.

4 Any 1s, 2s, or 3s rolled on damage dice are rerolled.

5 A successful saving throw results in a loss of one-half the victim?s
full hit points.

6 Brewing time is quartered, and poison damage is doubled.

7 A successful saving throw results in paralysis for 1d6 turns;
a failed saving throw
results in a catatonic state for 1d6 days.

Antidotes
Antidotes are always ingested and come
in strengths AA through X. These antidotes
deliver a set number of hit points of
poison protection per dose. Strength AA
antidote neutralizes 3 hp poison damage,
strength A neutralizes 6 hp, strength B
neutralizes 9 hp, strength C neutralizes
12 hp, and so forth, up to 33 hp
for strength J antidote. Strength G
antidote not only neutralizes sleep poison
but gives a +3 or saving throws vs. sleepbased
attacks for the next four turns.
The effects of sleep poison can also be
negated by drinking a type C or greater
antidote. Type X antidote acts as a
neutralize poison spell. Antidotes may act
before or after poisoning occurs.

The strength of the antidote taken is
subtracted from the number rolled for
poison damage. If the resulting number is
zero or less, the victim suffers no ill
effects. The effects of an antidote last for
four rounds after consumption. For example,
a victim is struck by a sword coated
with strength C poison, which does 5-30
hp damage; 15 hp damage is the result.
The victim is given a Type A antidote the
next round and ends up taking 5 hp actual
poison damage (10 hp were neutralized).
Two rounds later, the same victim is struck
again for 25 hp damage but ends up taking
only 15 hp as the antidote is still active.
This protection lasts for four rounds; any
damage taken before or after this period is
sustained in full.

Druids seldom use poisons outside their
forests (they could wind up in trouble
with any number of law agencies, assassins
? or thieves? guilds, or even a high-level
alchemist or paladin). Druids never sell
these poisons to anyone other than other
druids. In dire need, a druid may find it
necessary to coat a blade with such a
substance in order to guarantee the survival
of the party, but he will be wary of
his use of this material.

New druidic spells
Table 2 shows some new spells that may
be added to the druid?s repertoire at the
DM?s discretion. Many of these spells are
variations of magic-user or clerical spells,
although a few of them are strictly for use
by druids and are given here.

Table 2
Druid Spell Levels

1st level	2nd level	3rd level	4th level	5th level	6th level	7th level
Endure heat/cold 1	Dust devil 1	Continual light 1	Giant insect 1	Air walk 1	Conjure animals 1	Wind walk 1
Magic stone  1	Detect life 1	Create food & water 1	Lower water 1	Rainbow 1	Find the path 1	Heal 1
Resist cold 1	Messenger 1	Flame walk 1	Spike stones 1	Lightning strike 3	Part water 1	Aerial servant 2
Affect normal fires 2	Resist fire 1	Meld into stone 1	-	Raise dead animal 3	Stone tell 1	Calm earth 3
Mount 2	Snake charm 1	Water walk 1	-	-	Word of recall 1	-
Find woodland familar 3	Preserve 2	Wind wall 2	-	-	Transmute water to dust 2	-
-	-	Cloudburst 2	-	-	-	-
-	-	Animate dead animals 3	-	-	-	-

1 Clerical spell
2 Magic-user spell
3 New spell

Find Woodland Familiar
(Conjuration/Summoning)
Level: 1
Duration: Special
Range: 1-mile radius/level
Components: V,S,M
CT: 1-20 hrs.
ST: Negative
AE: As per range

Explanation/Description: This spell is
the same as the first-level magic-user spell,
find familiar, except with respect to spell
components. In the brazier, the druid
must add three leaves of mistletoe. Tables
3 and 4 should be used in determining the
result of the druid's summoning.

Table 3
Druidic Familiars

Roll on 1d20	Familiar	Sensory powers
1-4	Fox	60' night vision and superior hearing
5-6	Hawk	Highly superior distance vision
7-8	Raven	Excellent vision
9-10	Rabbit	40' night vision and superior sense of smell
11-12	Weasel	Superior hearing and sense of smell
13-14	Toad	Wide-angle vision
15-16	Wild cat	40? night vision and excellent hearing
17-18	Special (see Table 4)	-
19-20	No familiar in woodland area	-

Table 4
Special Druidic Familiars

Roll on 1d4	Familiar	Powers gained
1	Elven cat	Druid may move silently (50% chance); surprised only on a roll of 1 (on 1d12)
2	Pseudo-dragon	Night vision (60%) and infravision; + 10% to hide in natural terrain
3	Pixie	Invisibility once per day as spell; 25% magic resistance
4	Leprechaun	Invisibility once per day as spell; 30% magic resistance

Animate Dead Animals
(Necromantic)
Level: 3
Range: ½"
Duration: Perm.
Components: V,S,M
CT: 1 round
ST: None
AE: Special

Explanation/Description: This spell
creates skeletons and zombies from the
bones or remains of dead animals. The
effect causes the remains to become animated
and to obey the commands of the
caster. Animated creatures of more than
1 HD lose 1 HD due to deterioration. Animals
of 1 HD or less merely lose half their
normal hit-point totals, with 1 hp as a
lower limit. This spell animates the creatures
until they are destroyed or dispelled.
The druid is able to animate 2 HD of crea-
tures per level obtained, cumulative. The
material component for this spell is a fine
powder made of earth from a forest floor,
mistletoe, and powdered bone sprinkled
into the air.

Lightning Strike 
(Evocation)
Level: 5
Range: 4" + 1"/lvel. 
Duration: Instant
Components: V, S, M
CT: 3 segments
ST: 1/2
AE: Special

This spell is
the same as the third-level magic-user
spell, lightning bolt, except for the material
components: a piece of tree bark recently
struck by lightning, a handful of sand,
and three leaves of mistletoe.

Raise Dead Animals
(Necromantic)
Reversible
Level: 5
Range: Touch
Duration: Perm. 
Components: V, S, M
CT: 1 round
ST: None
AE: 1 animal

When a druid
casts a raise dead animal spell, he may
restore life to mammals without souls
(meaning all mammals except those that
assumed their mammal form by being
reincarnated). The druid may restore life
to mammals not more than one day dead
per level of the druid casting the spell
(e.g., a 9th-level druid could raise an animal
that had been dead for up to 9
days). The raised creature will have its full
hit points returned, has no need for rest,
and is not required to make a saving
throw. The reverse of this spell, slay living
animals, allows the victim a saving throw;
if successful, damage sustained by the
victim is 3-17 hp. Druids never use this
spell to slay neutral animals and usually do
not use this spell's reverse except in lifethreatening
circumstances. The material
component of this spell is an herbal paste
made of mistletoe, holly, tree sap, and a
drop of the druid's blood, which is rubbed
on the body of the spell?s recipient. In the
case of the reversed spell, the druid rubs
the paste on his own hands.

Calm Earth
(Alteration)
Level: 7
Range: 12" + 1"/lvl. 
Duration: Perm.
Components: V, S, M
CT: 3 segments
ST: None
AE: Sphere of radius = 12? + 1?/level

This spell
negates the seventh-level clerical spell
earthquake and instantaneously stops all
natural earthquakes, tremors, vulcanism,
and such within the area of effect. The
material component for this spell is a piece
of mistletoe within a lump of clay.