Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Is there a precedent for stone druids in the forgotten realms?

I'm imagining a monk/druid dwarf who is in harmony with "soul" of the mountains and rock formations of his home region and isolates himself to the mountains as a form of ascetic training.

Granted, I probably need another spell mod for more earth/oil based attacks.

From the old handbook, I could imagine a Dwarven riff on it maybe. Not Realms specific, but has some cool ideas



I thought it was interesting because it mentions a Wizard/Druid dual class which was not something you hear about too often in AD&D. Sadly the tome offered little on Dwarves, aside from a quick blurb about afinity with the stones and the earth, but it wasn't a class option back then. I think the Dwarven lore on the mountains and stones, the veins and underground aquifers is solid for this, and I like that they put the mushroom grove in the Underdark to help give the idea of alternative 'groves' some purchase. Something similar with the living stone or crystals could probably work well.

Anyhow, that idea of stone gates seems like it might be cool, maybe as a way to headcanon the netherese waypoints for this character, but without needing Gale's insight on that.

I appreciate the post, but I think that made me realize I'm not smart enough for tabletop lol

Got lost in that first full paragraph pretty quickly

Hehe I wouldn't sweat it. I should have cropped the page for you since it was the last full paragraph that had the cool part. The old class handbooks all sort of read like that and then throw a table at you somewhere to make it sure it looks sufficiently complex for Advanced D&D lol.

Basically they floated the idea of a druid travelling across far distances via the standing stones.

So using sacred stone formations to travel around like portals. Which is not too terribly disimilar to the waypoints we got in BG3. So maybe the Dwarven monk could periodically return to some kind of fortress of solitude to commune with the rocks and the mountains when using that feature.

I think you've probably already done the hard work here. The current edition is pretty free form, sorta anything goes in that way, and FR is the kitchen sink campaign setting, so whatever goes can go there too. We got the one Dwarf Druid for sure with Nettie and she's has some stone control flavor with her hidden chamber door, so it probably fits. The Dwarven monk part might take some more legwork I suppose, but seems like a pretty workable concept to me.

Also (and this has nothing to do with Dungeons and Dragons) but it is October! hehehe



The Nome king in that flick and all the evil Nomes there travel through the stone.

In many of the RL folklore traditions from which Dwarves are drawn in D&D, there is also that idea of primeval creation from stone and clay, or switching out stones in swaddling wraps for changelings. The myth of Rhea and Cronus would be the most well known for that. The Wechselbalg in germany, which was like a wicked mischievous sort of Dwarf was reputed to snatch away kinder by like travelling through stones and cracks and replacing them with stone changelings. Grim stuff of that sort, like in this painting by Fuseli... which sort of recalls the Nome king to me and others in similar stories.



But also the practice of exposure on mountain peaks, or having oracular temples situated there, vestal tombs etc. The old henges and tumulus barrows like small mountains. I don't think burrowing and delving is all that common for primates, but dogs certainly do it and they dig dens underground. Perhaps it's an idea we picked up from them early on in pre-history? They are the earliest animal domesticate and have a number of chthonic associations. The 3 headed hound for example, who guards the gates to the underworld. Porting that to the Fantasy realms, I feel like dogs and wolves might make good natural forms/companions for a Dwarven druid, since they definitely do the dig dug thing hehe.

Thinking of the Nome in Return to Oz and others in similar stories, or just that whole style/look of that oldschool stop motion clay, then recalls to mind this...



Again not dwarves or D&D per se, but check out that mountain cave in that Harryhausen flick - It's definitely got the look right hehe. I could picture a Dwarven monk/druid retreat with that sort of vibe.

In the Fairuza Balk flick from 1985 it's the Chicken technique that prevails in the end to defeat the wicked rock monsters. So perhaps those forms are worth exploring for a Dwarven monk as well. Assuming the monk is opposed to such malevolent forces heheh. But what monk wouldn't also need a good a nemesis too. One who's master was all trained in the dark arts on the stone stuff. As like an antipode for whatever a goodly Druid Monk, whose more in tune with the balance, might be trying to channel with their Ki or natural magic.