Tiernon
22nd September 2004, 07:02 AM
Brine Druid
Brine druids are wonderful companions when exploring across the sea or simply traveling unfamiliar coastlines. Most will treat you on a neutral basis, but be forewarned like their brethren druids, they do not take to endangering their coastlines and waters. Retribution and revenge go hand and hand with these sea fellows, acting faster then most land druids. Now you know why whales-the most gentle creatures in the sea, become raging mammoth beast; all for the returned favor, they owe the brine druid. Their unusual abilities make them downright formidable to the right enemy and scoffed at as if nothing by others.
Brine Druids, Druids of the Deep, Keepers of the Waves; all are names given to the rare and elusive individuals who have heard the fainter but greater call of nature. The seas.
Where the waves crash and the brine foams, to forests of kelp and cold, lightless deeps they dwell. The woodlands and solid ground are for lesser folk to their minds. The oceans are what control the True Balance of the world, and it is this, which they strive to become a part of.
Very few class other then the druid himself vies for the Brine Druid. Barbarians, fighters, monks find the prestige class to restricted. Rangers supplement a few levels of the prestige class to help them understand oceans more, particularly those who live on seacoast. Paladins, with the exceptions of ex-paladins, even then the alignment factor for paladins, and again backs to the restrictions for the ex-paladins. Sometimes clerics take on the prestige class especially if their deity is attributed to the oceans in some way. Bards and Sorcerers, being what they are, take on the prestige class out of curiosity, Wizards who have sympathy for the ocean or want to be ocean explorers without accruing lots of magic items to go on such quest take a few levels if not more of the Brine Druid. The best candidate for the prestige class is naturally the druid.
NPC Brine Druids often seek to protect communities in the oceans from harm. Their cooperation with races that seek a like protection forms a formidable defense. Very powerful NPC Brine Druids protect and watch not only the ocean floors, but the surface and seagoing towns as well.
Hit Die: d8
Requirements: To qualify for a brine druid, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Neutral good, lawful neutral, neutral, chaotic neutral, or neutral evil
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: swim 12 ranks, knowledge (nature) 12 ranks, diplomacy 12 ranks
Feats: Iron Will, Endurance
Class Skills: The brine druid’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str) Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features: All the following are class features of the brine druid.
Weapon and Armor Proficiently: Brine druids are proficient with the following weapons: Dagger, dart, net, scimitar, sickle, short spear, spear and trident. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, sting, electric attack; eels and rays, etc) with any shape they assume with wild aquatic shape.
Brine druids are proficient with light and medium armor, the rare times they wear it, but though generally prohibited from metal armor, scale armor is allowed, as it is reminiscent of the natural armor of most fish. A druid may also wear leather/hide, and bone or coral armor. Wooden armor is not worn because of its uselessness underwater and for the desire of the brine druid to cut ties with the conventional land druids.
Table: 2-13 The Brine Druid
———————— Spells per Day ——–—————
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy, Aquatic swim 3 1 — — — — — — — —
2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Drink Ocean water 4 2 — — — — — — — —
3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Breathe Underwater, Fin Development Wakeless Passing 4 2 1 — — — — — — —
4th +3 +4 +1 +4 Resist nature’s lure, Wild aquatic shape (1 day) 5 3 2 — — — — — — —
5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Wild aquatic shape (2/day) 5 3 2 1 — — — — — —
6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Wild aquatic shape (3/day) 5 3 3 2 — — — — — —
7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Wild aquatic shape (Large 5/day) 6 4 3 2 1 — — — — —
8th +6/+1 +6 +2 +6 Venom Immunity, Wild aquatic shape (Tiny 5/day) 6 4 3 3 2 — — — — —
9th +6/+1 +6 +3 +6 Wild aquatic shape (elemental 1 day) 6 4 4 3 2 1 — — — —
10th +7/+2 +7 +3 +7 Ocean meld, Wild aquatic shape elemental (Huge 2 day) 6 4 4 3 3 2 — — — —
Spells: A brine druid casts divine spells, which are drawn from the druid spell list. Her alignment may restrict her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs; see Chaotic, Evil, Good and Lawful Spells, below. A druid must choose and prepare her spells in advance (see below).
To prepare or cast a spell, the druid must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a druid’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the druid’s Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a druid can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Brine druid. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. She does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.
A druid prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though she cannot lose a prepared spell to cast a cure spell in its place (but see Spontaneous Casting, below). A brine druid may prepare and cast any spell on the druid spell list, if she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.
Spontaneous Casting: A brine druid can channel stored spell energy into summoning spells that she has not prepared ahead of time. She can “lose” a prepared spell in order to cast any summon nature’s ally spell of the same level or lower.
Chaotic, Evil, Good and Lawful Spells: A brine druid cannot cast spells of an alignment opposed to her own or her deity’s (if she has one). Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good and law descriptors in their spell descriptions.
Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy: At first level, a brine druid gains these abilities and function as a druids abilities, animals are considered any type of fish/mammal that would be equivalent to a druids animal companion in hit dice. Refer to the PHB Chapter 3: Classes under the Druid for more information.
Aquatic Swim: Starting at 1st level, a brine druid may move through any ocean environment (such as kelp forests, groves of poisonous anemones, deep ocean vents, turbulent waves) at normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.
Drink Ocean Water: (Ex) at second level a brine druid can drink, pure saltwater with no ill effects for as long as they like at 2nd level. Therefore, while within the ocean they do not fear thirst.
Breathe Water: (Ex) At third level a brine druid has fully adapted to his new environment, and once submerged, gills open on the individual's throat or back. Once on dry land however they close up and are unnoticeable. This does no damage to the gills and when hydrated again are good as new. A brine druid may breathe water for 1 hour for each level, before have to surface for 10 minutes to recirculate the air in his lungs.
Fin Development: (Su) Fingers and toes develop webbing and large fins grow from the druid's sides, from armpits to hip. This is not the same as aquatic shape, taking about a week to develop. These webbing and fins do not dry up after going upon dry land but are noticeable if the brine druid shows them such as shaking hands, or is bare-chested.
Wakeless Passing: (Ex) This functions exactly the same at trackless step, but is renamed more fitting to a brine druid.
Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a druid gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.
Wild Aquatic Shape (Su): At 4th level, a brine druid gains the ability to turn herself into any Small or Medium fish or mammal and back again once per day. Her options for new forms include all creatures with the animal type. This ability functions like the polymorph spell, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per druid level, or until she changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
The form chosen must be that of an animal the druid is familiar with.
A brine druid loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but she can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as her new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)
A brine druid can use this ability more times per day at 5th, 6th and 7th, as noted on Table: The Druid. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a large fish or mammal at 7th level, a Tiny fish or mammal at 8th level, and a huge fish or mammal at 10th level.
The new form’s Hit Dice cannot exceed the character’s brine druid level.
At 9th level, a brine druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into an elemental creature with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. A brine druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) once per day. These elemental forms are in addition to her normal wild shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the druid gains all the elementals extraordinary, supernatural and spell-like abilities. She also gains the elementals feats for as long as she maintains the wild shape, but she retains her own creature type.
At 10th level, a brine druid becomes able to assume elemental form twice per day, and at 20th level. At 10th level, a brine druid may use this wild shape ability to change into a Huge elemental.
Venom Immunity (Ex): At 9th level, a druid gains immunity to all poisons.
Oceanic Meld (Su): At 10th level, with oceanic meld the brine druid becomes part of the ocean and feels all of it like his own body. He can discover other brine druids, ships, storms, schools of fish etc as long as it is within the body of water he has melded with. With oceanic meld the brine druid becomes part of the ocean and feels all of it like his own body. The brine druid can remain as the ocean for as long as he desires retaining his personality, memories, and turn back to his normal body at anytime. If two druids or more use advanced oceanic meld at the same time and place they share all they know, including their experiences and memories with one another.
Type of Organization: a cabal Name of the Organization: The Brine druids Real Name: The Conclave of the Brine Druids
Brief Description: Other druids have their stone circles their holly and oak groves for the brine druid there’s the lonely promontory with its submerged grotto and artfully arranged kelp beds. Perhaps some coral reef with a huge brain corral dominating one area or simply a long sandy beach with a deep rock pool when the tide goes out, many and varied are the sacred places of brine druids and almost always in flux.
These most changeable and flexible of druids are not the kind to savor a strict hierarchical organization and so the brine druid’s are really little more than a loose confederation of like minded individuals who can contact each other when need arises to thwart major whaling concerns or to destroy the plundering fishing fleet of some uncaring nation.
The brine druid organization is dedicated to the seas and the many varied and beautiful ecologies and habitats it harbors. They seek to thwart commercial exploitation of the cetaceans and indeed fish, in addition as such concerns often over exploit without care to the impact on other wildlife or habitats such as rare deep sea corals that their anchors and net weights cause.
The brine druids usually have one high druid per sea and a circle of six hierophants below them, number of brother druids and mermen, triton or sea elf rangers that become affiliated or full druidic members varies from sea to sea.
Once a year the brine druids of each sea hold a great conclave and representatives of each high druid are sent to visit and confer at the conclaves of the other seas. During these conclaves grievances are settled and alliances are made, magic items given away as gifts and bestowed as prizes, contests are held, dancing and merrymaking, marriages ceremonies performed and the main business of life is taken care off before the far flung brethren once more depart to their own protected reefs and islets for another year.
All brine druids share the normal intentions and druidic outlook, they do not oppose a tribe of barbarians taking one whale for the tribe to see them through the winter and provide the necessary oil and bones to fish and live. They do however oppose fleets sailing from deepwater harbored cities to plunder whole pods and to discourage this they use any and all means even ally with evil dragons to end the slaughter.
Alignments: N, NG, NE, N, CN, LN. Purpose: to oppose the destruction of rare marine habitats and to promote the sustainable harvest of the seas bounty.
Reputation: Faint
Cult: These are groups about which very little is known, if anything at all. Knowledge of this group is by the select few. These groups tend to be very small and tightly knit in order to assure their secrecy. Gather information of impossible (DC40 and 1d4+1 months time yields all the pertinent information about the organization.
Faint: These secret organizations are larger than cults, and have some bit of knowledge about their activities accessible to the public. Often, this information is, in reality, disinformation and holds little to no truth. Sometimes, the organization itself spreads these rumors in order to further, or protect, its cause. Gather information of heroic (DC30) and 1d4+1 week’s time yields all the pertinent information about the organization.
Modern: these are not not not simply modern organizations that are not so obscure nor are they so publicly known that they are a household name. Gather information of challenging (DC20) and 1d4+1 day’s time yields all the pertinent information about the organization.
Public: These organizations are very well known, especially in their region
of operation. It does still have some secrets available only to a discrete membership. However, many of the group’s activities are public knowledge, and much information can be found on their activities by careful research or investigation. A gather information skill check of average (DC10) and 1d4+1 hours reveals all the pertinent information about the organization.
Pertinent information is essentially how much you made the gather information by. For every one you go above the DC, a piece of information starting with “Type of Organization” and working down is gathered giving players answers to all questions of the type of information or reading or paraphrasing the paragraph. A second gather information skill check and the appropriate time reveal more information. Should the player fail two gather information skill checks pertaining to organizations, no further information can be gathered on the organization until three times the normal allotted time has passed.
Location: The organization is sea borne mainly islands archipelagos and coastal shores.
Membership: Joining the organization is done on an ad hoc basis with a member in good standing vouching for an individual he has met and who he deems holds the ideals of the organization. Only those with at least one level of the brine druid may join the organization.
Common Members: druids and rangers are the commonest recruits but many clerics of nature deities and fighters or barbarians sickened by commercial enterprises despoiling the seas might join there are no banned classes.
Operations: the organization normally operates in units of I druid but for more serious situations they may call upon the entire weight of the organization or merely call upon well-known allies.
Regalia: the brine druids rarely wear anything
Benefits: the organization gives you a resource of spells and spell casters of more power than you have, allowing a druid who has come upon a situation beyond him to call upon this resource in need.
Restrictions: there are certain commercial fishing fleets and whalers who place bounties on the heads of their hated foes the brine druids.
Rules: the brine druids are a druidic organization and as such only willingly despoiling the seas is a crime worthy of note and any druid so doing without a great reason finds himself a hunted fugitive.
Enemies: the enemies of the brine druids are those who care only for maximizing their profits from looting the seas riches, the brine druids tirelessly seek to undermine and wreck these peoples industries and reputations by stealth and skullduggery as well as forthright opposition.
Allies: Rangers and land druid organizations are often close allies as are nature clerics and clerics with sea patrons sometimes allies can be found in stranger places. Many pirates find brine druids more than willing to aid them for aid in destroying a whaling ship and even thieves guilds have been know to enjoy the aid of brine druids in plundering certain offices and warehouses.
History: the brine druids were founded by the first brine druid a sea elf called Shoniel Llyranosal this elf and his tribe suffered after their pod of Orcas guards slaughtered by whalers, sahaugin raiders fell upon their village afterwards. Shoniel vowed to find the whalers and bring them to justice. He traveled to the homeport of the whalers and appalled to find the ship not alone, but just one of over fifty such. After he saw that, he left and began a guerrilla war using any means to sink the ships of the whalers, over the centuries several like minded individuals joined the crusade and the organization grew it still keeps its original aims but there has grown a large and varied organization and membership, and the groups aims have become codified.
Prestige Class: The brine druid is necessary for membership.
Tie-In: The group could easily be brought into an existing campaign either as a non evil opponent to be dealt with through appeasement or negotiation or it could be used as a springboard and background for an entirely sea borne adventure for merman triton and sea elf player characters with human as a possibility too. In an existing campaign, a brine druid NPC could be used to rescue a party shipwrecked in storms and then aid him to save a precious coral atoll from pirates or anglers.
Brine druids are wonderful companions when exploring across the sea or simply traveling unfamiliar coastlines. Most will treat you on a neutral basis, but be forewarned like their brethren druids, they do not take to endangering their coastlines and waters. Retribution and revenge go hand and hand with these sea fellows, acting faster then most land druids. Now you know why whales-the most gentle creatures in the sea, become raging mammoth beast; all for the returned favor, they owe the brine druid. Their unusual abilities make them downright formidable to the right enemy and scoffed at as if nothing by others.
Brine Druids, Druids of the Deep, Keepers of the Waves; all are names given to the rare and elusive individuals who have heard the fainter but greater call of nature. The seas.
Where the waves crash and the brine foams, to forests of kelp and cold, lightless deeps they dwell. The woodlands and solid ground are for lesser folk to their minds. The oceans are what control the True Balance of the world, and it is this, which they strive to become a part of.
Very few class other then the druid himself vies for the Brine Druid. Barbarians, fighters, monks find the prestige class to restricted. Rangers supplement a few levels of the prestige class to help them understand oceans more, particularly those who live on seacoast. Paladins, with the exceptions of ex-paladins, even then the alignment factor for paladins, and again backs to the restrictions for the ex-paladins. Sometimes clerics take on the prestige class especially if their deity is attributed to the oceans in some way. Bards and Sorcerers, being what they are, take on the prestige class out of curiosity, Wizards who have sympathy for the ocean or want to be ocean explorers without accruing lots of magic items to go on such quest take a few levels if not more of the Brine Druid. The best candidate for the prestige class is naturally the druid.
NPC Brine Druids often seek to protect communities in the oceans from harm. Their cooperation with races that seek a like protection forms a formidable defense. Very powerful NPC Brine Druids protect and watch not only the ocean floors, but the surface and seagoing towns as well.
Hit Die: d8
Requirements: To qualify for a brine druid, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Neutral good, lawful neutral, neutral, chaotic neutral, or neutral evil
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: swim 12 ranks, knowledge (nature) 12 ranks, diplomacy 12 ranks
Feats: Iron Will, Endurance
Class Skills: The brine druid’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str) Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features: All the following are class features of the brine druid.
Weapon and Armor Proficiently: Brine druids are proficient with the following weapons: Dagger, dart, net, scimitar, sickle, short spear, spear and trident. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, sting, electric attack; eels and rays, etc) with any shape they assume with wild aquatic shape.
Brine druids are proficient with light and medium armor, the rare times they wear it, but though generally prohibited from metal armor, scale armor is allowed, as it is reminiscent of the natural armor of most fish. A druid may also wear leather/hide, and bone or coral armor. Wooden armor is not worn because of its uselessness underwater and for the desire of the brine druid to cut ties with the conventional land druids.
Table: 2-13 The Brine Druid
———————— Spells per Day ——–—————
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy, Aquatic swim 3 1 — — — — — — — —
2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Drink Ocean water 4 2 — — — — — — — —
3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Breathe Underwater, Fin Development Wakeless Passing 4 2 1 — — — — — — —
4th +3 +4 +1 +4 Resist nature’s lure, Wild aquatic shape (1 day) 5 3 2 — — — — — — —
5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Wild aquatic shape (2/day) 5 3 2 1 — — — — — —
6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Wild aquatic shape (3/day) 5 3 3 2 — — — — — —
7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Wild aquatic shape (Large 5/day) 6 4 3 2 1 — — — — —
8th +6/+1 +6 +2 +6 Venom Immunity, Wild aquatic shape (Tiny 5/day) 6 4 3 3 2 — — — — —
9th +6/+1 +6 +3 +6 Wild aquatic shape (elemental 1 day) 6 4 4 3 2 1 — — — —
10th +7/+2 +7 +3 +7 Ocean meld, Wild aquatic shape elemental (Huge 2 day) 6 4 4 3 3 2 — — — —
Spells: A brine druid casts divine spells, which are drawn from the druid spell list. Her alignment may restrict her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs; see Chaotic, Evil, Good and Lawful Spells, below. A druid must choose and prepare her spells in advance (see below).
To prepare or cast a spell, the druid must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a druid’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the druid’s Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a druid can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Brine druid. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. She does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.
A druid prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though she cannot lose a prepared spell to cast a cure spell in its place (but see Spontaneous Casting, below). A brine druid may prepare and cast any spell on the druid spell list, if she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.
Spontaneous Casting: A brine druid can channel stored spell energy into summoning spells that she has not prepared ahead of time. She can “lose” a prepared spell in order to cast any summon nature’s ally spell of the same level or lower.
Chaotic, Evil, Good and Lawful Spells: A brine druid cannot cast spells of an alignment opposed to her own or her deity’s (if she has one). Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good and law descriptors in their spell descriptions.
Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy: At first level, a brine druid gains these abilities and function as a druids abilities, animals are considered any type of fish/mammal that would be equivalent to a druids animal companion in hit dice. Refer to the PHB Chapter 3: Classes under the Druid for more information.
Aquatic Swim: Starting at 1st level, a brine druid may move through any ocean environment (such as kelp forests, groves of poisonous anemones, deep ocean vents, turbulent waves) at normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.
Drink Ocean Water: (Ex) at second level a brine druid can drink, pure saltwater with no ill effects for as long as they like at 2nd level. Therefore, while within the ocean they do not fear thirst.
Breathe Water: (Ex) At third level a brine druid has fully adapted to his new environment, and once submerged, gills open on the individual's throat or back. Once on dry land however they close up and are unnoticeable. This does no damage to the gills and when hydrated again are good as new. A brine druid may breathe water for 1 hour for each level, before have to surface for 10 minutes to recirculate the air in his lungs.
Fin Development: (Su) Fingers and toes develop webbing and large fins grow from the druid's sides, from armpits to hip. This is not the same as aquatic shape, taking about a week to develop. These webbing and fins do not dry up after going upon dry land but are noticeable if the brine druid shows them such as shaking hands, or is bare-chested.
Wakeless Passing: (Ex) This functions exactly the same at trackless step, but is renamed more fitting to a brine druid.
Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a druid gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.
Wild Aquatic Shape (Su): At 4th level, a brine druid gains the ability to turn herself into any Small or Medium fish or mammal and back again once per day. Her options for new forms include all creatures with the animal type. This ability functions like the polymorph spell, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per druid level, or until she changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
The form chosen must be that of an animal the druid is familiar with.
A brine druid loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but she can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as her new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)
A brine druid can use this ability more times per day at 5th, 6th and 7th, as noted on Table: The Druid. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a large fish or mammal at 7th level, a Tiny fish or mammal at 8th level, and a huge fish or mammal at 10th level.
The new form’s Hit Dice cannot exceed the character’s brine druid level.
At 9th level, a brine druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into an elemental creature with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. A brine druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) once per day. These elemental forms are in addition to her normal wild shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the druid gains all the elementals extraordinary, supernatural and spell-like abilities. She also gains the elementals feats for as long as she maintains the wild shape, but she retains her own creature type.
At 10th level, a brine druid becomes able to assume elemental form twice per day, and at 20th level. At 10th level, a brine druid may use this wild shape ability to change into a Huge elemental.
Venom Immunity (Ex): At 9th level, a druid gains immunity to all poisons.
Oceanic Meld (Su): At 10th level, with oceanic meld the brine druid becomes part of the ocean and feels all of it like his own body. He can discover other brine druids, ships, storms, schools of fish etc as long as it is within the body of water he has melded with. With oceanic meld the brine druid becomes part of the ocean and feels all of it like his own body. The brine druid can remain as the ocean for as long as he desires retaining his personality, memories, and turn back to his normal body at anytime. If two druids or more use advanced oceanic meld at the same time and place they share all they know, including their experiences and memories with one another.
Type of Organization: a cabal Name of the Organization: The Brine druids Real Name: The Conclave of the Brine Druids
Brief Description: Other druids have their stone circles their holly and oak groves for the brine druid there’s the lonely promontory with its submerged grotto and artfully arranged kelp beds. Perhaps some coral reef with a huge brain corral dominating one area or simply a long sandy beach with a deep rock pool when the tide goes out, many and varied are the sacred places of brine druids and almost always in flux.
These most changeable and flexible of druids are not the kind to savor a strict hierarchical organization and so the brine druid’s are really little more than a loose confederation of like minded individuals who can contact each other when need arises to thwart major whaling concerns or to destroy the plundering fishing fleet of some uncaring nation.
The brine druid organization is dedicated to the seas and the many varied and beautiful ecologies and habitats it harbors. They seek to thwart commercial exploitation of the cetaceans and indeed fish, in addition as such concerns often over exploit without care to the impact on other wildlife or habitats such as rare deep sea corals that their anchors and net weights cause.
The brine druids usually have one high druid per sea and a circle of six hierophants below them, number of brother druids and mermen, triton or sea elf rangers that become affiliated or full druidic members varies from sea to sea.
Once a year the brine druids of each sea hold a great conclave and representatives of each high druid are sent to visit and confer at the conclaves of the other seas. During these conclaves grievances are settled and alliances are made, magic items given away as gifts and bestowed as prizes, contests are held, dancing and merrymaking, marriages ceremonies performed and the main business of life is taken care off before the far flung brethren once more depart to their own protected reefs and islets for another year.
All brine druids share the normal intentions and druidic outlook, they do not oppose a tribe of barbarians taking one whale for the tribe to see them through the winter and provide the necessary oil and bones to fish and live. They do however oppose fleets sailing from deepwater harbored cities to plunder whole pods and to discourage this they use any and all means even ally with evil dragons to end the slaughter.
Alignments: N, NG, NE, N, CN, LN. Purpose: to oppose the destruction of rare marine habitats and to promote the sustainable harvest of the seas bounty.
Reputation: Faint
Cult: These are groups about which very little is known, if anything at all. Knowledge of this group is by the select few. These groups tend to be very small and tightly knit in order to assure their secrecy. Gather information of impossible (DC40 and 1d4+1 months time yields all the pertinent information about the organization.
Faint: These secret organizations are larger than cults, and have some bit of knowledge about their activities accessible to the public. Often, this information is, in reality, disinformation and holds little to no truth. Sometimes, the organization itself spreads these rumors in order to further, or protect, its cause. Gather information of heroic (DC30) and 1d4+1 week’s time yields all the pertinent information about the organization.
Modern: these are not not not simply modern organizations that are not so obscure nor are they so publicly known that they are a household name. Gather information of challenging (DC20) and 1d4+1 day’s time yields all the pertinent information about the organization.
Public: These organizations are very well known, especially in their region
of operation. It does still have some secrets available only to a discrete membership. However, many of the group’s activities are public knowledge, and much information can be found on their activities by careful research or investigation. A gather information skill check of average (DC10) and 1d4+1 hours reveals all the pertinent information about the organization.
Pertinent information is essentially how much you made the gather information by. For every one you go above the DC, a piece of information starting with “Type of Organization” and working down is gathered giving players answers to all questions of the type of information or reading or paraphrasing the paragraph. A second gather information skill check and the appropriate time reveal more information. Should the player fail two gather information skill checks pertaining to organizations, no further information can be gathered on the organization until three times the normal allotted time has passed.
Location: The organization is sea borne mainly islands archipelagos and coastal shores.
Membership: Joining the organization is done on an ad hoc basis with a member in good standing vouching for an individual he has met and who he deems holds the ideals of the organization. Only those with at least one level of the brine druid may join the organization.
Common Members: druids and rangers are the commonest recruits but many clerics of nature deities and fighters or barbarians sickened by commercial enterprises despoiling the seas might join there are no banned classes.
Operations: the organization normally operates in units of I druid but for more serious situations they may call upon the entire weight of the organization or merely call upon well-known allies.
Regalia: the brine druids rarely wear anything
Benefits: the organization gives you a resource of spells and spell casters of more power than you have, allowing a druid who has come upon a situation beyond him to call upon this resource in need.
Restrictions: there are certain commercial fishing fleets and whalers who place bounties on the heads of their hated foes the brine druids.
Rules: the brine druids are a druidic organization and as such only willingly despoiling the seas is a crime worthy of note and any druid so doing without a great reason finds himself a hunted fugitive.
Enemies: the enemies of the brine druids are those who care only for maximizing their profits from looting the seas riches, the brine druids tirelessly seek to undermine and wreck these peoples industries and reputations by stealth and skullduggery as well as forthright opposition.
Allies: Rangers and land druid organizations are often close allies as are nature clerics and clerics with sea patrons sometimes allies can be found in stranger places. Many pirates find brine druids more than willing to aid them for aid in destroying a whaling ship and even thieves guilds have been know to enjoy the aid of brine druids in plundering certain offices and warehouses.
History: the brine druids were founded by the first brine druid a sea elf called Shoniel Llyranosal this elf and his tribe suffered after their pod of Orcas guards slaughtered by whalers, sahaugin raiders fell upon their village afterwards. Shoniel vowed to find the whalers and bring them to justice. He traveled to the homeport of the whalers and appalled to find the ship not alone, but just one of over fifty such. After he saw that, he left and began a guerrilla war using any means to sink the ships of the whalers, over the centuries several like minded individuals joined the crusade and the organization grew it still keeps its original aims but there has grown a large and varied organization and membership, and the groups aims have become codified.
Prestige Class: The brine druid is necessary for membership.
Tie-In: The group could easily be brought into an existing campaign either as a non evil opponent to be dealt with through appeasement or negotiation or it could be used as a springboard and background for an entirely sea borne adventure for merman triton and sea elf player characters with human as a possibility too. In an existing campaign, a brine druid NPC could be used to rescue a party shipwrecked in storms and then aid him to save a precious coral atoll from pirates or anglers.