cmack1028

Yeah, I'm not sure either. The way I see it right now, it won't ever even happen. I think it is just going to be a way for an extremely important person to kill off his character without, "He just died." I'm still open for opinions, though. It can be removed at any time. Edit: (February 20, 2013(2)) Added snakes, toads and squirrels to the personality fault list.

Edit: (February 20, 2013) Added the 'Recommended Transformations' area that has lists of animals for each race. These are only recommended animals, however. The Druid is not forced to follow this.

A good point was brought up by Rittsy in Skype. Cerridwen is a better choice since she is also known as the matron of change and transformation. (I just learned this, if you couldn't tell.) Edit: (February 18, 2013) Made it so the Druid must pray to Cernunnos to begin the Trials of Spirit, all other praying is directed at Cerridwen, including the prayer to transform the Druid and the prayer to make the transformation permanent. The 'Grotto of Cernunnos' has been renamed 'The Grotto of Cerridwen.'

You mean the Ritual of Departure? Well earlier I added that the Druid will only shift for about an hour until they are very experienced and then they will be able to shift longer and it fatigues them to give just them a bit of weakness. (It's basically just so if the Druids are spying or doing something like that, they would randomly shift back after awhile and be in no shape to fight from fatigue if they were caught, it's just for some negatives.) The Druid would only be able to shift forever if he does the ritual, but it will be very unlikely that it happens. I'm still all ears for suggestions, though, and I might increase the time Druids can shift later.

Due to the large player base wanting a permanent transformation, I've added lore on how it can be done. Edits: (February 13, 2013 (2)) Added the Ritual of Departure, a way to make the transformation permanent. Added Callax to the list of 'Other Contributors'. Again, please note that this permanent transformation will likely never happen, it's just there as an unlikely option.

Can't shapeshift into something that can fly.

I agree with my fellow Druids here. You just wouldn't see that happen.

Leader's RP and Forum Name: Callax: In-game Name: Arch Druid Callax Minecraft Name: 12werbles12 Forum Name: Callax Thudrin: In-game Name: Arch Druid Thudrin Treebeard Minecraft Name: cmack1028 Forum Name: Cmack Arik: In-game Name: Arch Druid Arik Minecraft Name: YifengZhong Forum Name: Song Druid Arik Guild / Group Name: The Druidic Order. Active? (Y/N) : Yes. Recruiting? (Y/N): Yes. Villain Application Requirement? (Y/N): No. Difficulty to Join ( 1-10 ) : 6. Guild Topic Link: http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/65004-the-druidic-order/#entry508029

Well, nobody, and I mean nobody will know about shapeshifting IC when they join the Order. If it is done right, nobody besides high-ranking Druids will know at all.

Thank you for clearing that up. And I had no idea about it when I posted this... would it interfere, do you think?

Okay, there was a big edit today! I'll start off by replying to each person. @Arik: I agree. I have added as part of the second task that you MUST bury the animal honorably. How it is done is completely up to the Druid. @Dave: I can't say manatees would be allowed. They can live underwater and stay under for extended periods of time which humanoids cannot do. (My apologies, I didn't make it clear that they can't live/breathe underwater.) @Lago: Really? I looked over each type of magic and didn't see it? @Evelyn: We gotta do what we gotta do. :P @Shoi: THANK YOU! I have changed everything you said you think should be changed! If you don't mind me using the personality faults in quotes in the original post then I will keep it there. Now, my edits: (February 17, 2013) Made it clear that flightless birds are allowed. Added on to the Task of Strength, the Druid must honorably bury the animal after it has been skinned. Added a 'Natural Instinct' area where it explains that some Druids' personalities may suffer from shapeshifting. Made it clear that wearing armor or clothing while shifting back will almost certainly kill you. Removed the ability to make the transformation permanent and instead added that the transformation will occur for about an hour each time for a novice shifter while a master one may stay shifted for up to a day. The master shifter would experience a terrible amount of fatigue as a result, though. Made it clear that tiny animals, such as mice would greatly struggle to lift or drag anything, such as a ring of keys. Shoi and Arik have been added to the 'Other Contributors' list.

This is funny, but I'll reply seriously. No, Cerridwen would know the druid murdered someone. I doubt any Hierophant would be crazy enough to even try the Ritual of Change with a human pelt. :P

You mean like if the druid was shunned? The druid would lose his connection to Cerridwen and therefor no longer be able to ask her to transform the druid.

Just to make things clear and to start this off, I am not ripping off any ideas from previous topics that are based around this theme in particular. Ideas will be similar since the base concept is the same. I don't have any intention of stealing ideas from one topic or another. Thank you. Hello everybody! I am proposing a new type of Druid magic, shapeshifting. Let's start off with some basic questions. What is shapeshifting? Shapeshifting is when a Druid leaves his current humanoid (Elf, Human, Dwarf, etc.) form to enter the form of an animal. Who can shapeshift? This lore solely relies on Druidism. It has to do with all Druidic beliefs. Only exceptionally powerful Druids with an exceptionally strong connection to the Aspects (Druid god-like creatures) can switch their form. (The link from Druid to the Aspects is strengthened over time after attunement, or officially becoming a Druid.) Hierophants, or very highly respected and powerful Druids will decide who will be told about shapeshifting in-character. No Druid can start the Trials of Wisdom without being informed about it by a Hierophant. Why does this exist? I will go more in-depth about this in the actual lore below. To be very basic, it gives the Druid the ability to do things as an animal that others will greatly struggle to do. Cerridwen created shapeshifting to give her Druids a strength that cannot be obtained by anyone but her devout protectors of nature. The Druid, however, cannot do things that are physically impossible for other humanoid-like creatures. For clarification on the subject: The Druid can't take on the form of a fish since none of the five main races can breathe and/or live underwater. The Druid can't take on the form of a flying bird since none of the five main races can fly. (Flightless birds are allowed.) The Druid can take on the form of a 'big cat', such a lion or cheetah because Kharajyr can run at cheetah-like speeds when on all fours. In other words, the Druid can't do anything while shapeshifted that isn't physically possible for the other five main races to do. Can you turn into something small such as a rat? Absolutely. In fact, most Druids will take on the form of rat-like creatures since it will allow them access to places that they couldn't normally reach. They could easily escape imprisonment, sneak into places they aren't allowed, etc. The possibilities are endless. This seems way too easily powergamed. What are the obvious disadvantages as shapeshifter? I explained what a Druid could do as a rat, yes? Well, what if the rat is caught or trapped? He is defenseless. The Druid cannot wield any weapons, open doors or wear armor when shapeshifted for obvious reasons. The Druid is very limited by his choice of which animal he switches to. The animals that are allowed do not have opposable thumbs, meaning they can't hold on to anything. Animals such as mice would struggle to bear any weight, for example a ring of keys. Armor on the Druid would be extremely uncomfortable and limit agility and running speed. Shapeshifting with armor on would certainly strangle the Druid during the process. OK, but what else? The Druid will suffer from all injuries in his humanoid form that he acquires while shapeshifted. This means that if the Druid takes on the form of a rat and is nicked by an arrow, the wound will be in the same spot on his body and set to scale with his body once he shifts back to humanoid form. This makes shapeshifting a risky choice sometimes. The Druid could shrug off a minor blow of a war hammer while still humanoid, but would instantly be squashed if he was a rat during the time. The Druid cannot communicate verbally with other humanoids while the Druid has shifted. The Druid also can't use any other type of Druid magic while he is in a shifted form. The Druid will stand out when he has shifted forms because the Druid will always have visible Druidic tattoos or dyed fur on all four limbs. Is shapeshifting physically dangerous or harmful? I will elaborate more below, but yes and no. Depending on the animal, the Druid's stature, the Druid's experience with shapeshifting and the Druid's physical health, the amount of pain and danger of it will vary greatly. What is the main thing to note about a shapeshifting Druid? Shapeshifting Druids can only take on one animal form throughout their entire life. The form they choose is the only one that they can ever shift to. A Druid who shifts to a rat will never be able to shift to a lion. Alright, with that part out of the way, let's get on to lore. Shapeshifting was a secret among the Druids since the Druidic Order was formed. Only the most powerful Druids knew about shapeshifting, and they never dared to tell others of it. The only known lore about shapeshifting is in a book, an old damaged tome that was thought to be junk because of the poor condition. The only readable parts of the tome are in Elven and translate as follows: "Shapeshifting was discovered by the earliest Druids of the Order's time. Unnamed Druids learned and never cared to share knowledge with their fellow members of the Order. Only rumors are spoken of, and they read like so. Cerridwen herself gave the first Druids the ability to shift into an animal. She told them of the process that must be completed by the Druid to gain her blessing and gain the ability to transform. A Druid after attunement must prepare his body and mind to shapeshift. He must survive two daunting tasks and go through a ritual while being looked over by the Aspects themselves. The process is called the Trials of Spirit, as it is a spiritual journey. The first task, called the Task of Acceptance, is started by the Druid when he prays to Cernunnos, the protector of the wilds. The Druid must ask him to watch over the Druid as he begins the Trials. The Task of Acceptance forces the Druid to survive in the animal of choice's environment for weeks on end. This task is finished only when the Druid can communicate and is welcome in the animal's society as one of their own. The time required and difficulty of this task will vary greatly, as some animals are more welcoming than others. The second task, called the Task of Strength, can be started by the Druid once he has completed the Task of Acceptance. This task forces the Druid to stalk the exact animal he wishes to turn into most. The Druid will know which he wishes to shift into at first sight of it. Once the Druid has chosen his target, he will pick a quarrel with it. If the Druid is the victor and successfully kills the chosen animal, the spirit of the animal will become an aura around the Druid. He must then skin the animal and take its pelts to wear for the ritual. For the last part of the task, the Druid must perform a proper burial for the animal to honor the animal. The Druid will decide how this is done. There is no third task. Instead, it is actually a ritual called the Ritual of Change. This ritual must take place inside the current Druid Grove where the Order resides at the time. It will be in a secret cave that only shapeshifters know of, called the Grotto of Cerridwen. The ritual requires the Druid seeking the ability to shapeshift along with one Hierophant who can shapeshift. Although it is an odd ritual, it consists of the Hierophant laying the pelt over the Druid. Once this is done, the two will bow their heads and wait. If Cerridwen wishes to share her gift by blessing the Druid, the Druid will begin to transform. The pelt of the animal will be absorbed into the Druid's skin during the transformation process. The first transformation will last for one whole day. Once the Druid has waited the time, he will shift back into humanoid form and the pelt will have completely merged with the Druid's skin, making him look as he did before the process of transformation. After the Ritual of Change, the Trials of Spirit have been completed. The Druid is able to shapeshift whenever he wishes. He must simply mutter a prayer to Cerridwen, and she will transform the Druid into the animal that he has chosen from the Task of Strength. Cerridwen will always keep a close eye on her blessed Druids as she holds them most dear. She will always be ready to transform them when they ask." "There have been rumors that some of the most powerful Druids may make the transformation permanent. This is a choice made by the shapeshifting Druid when he is ready to depart from his humanoid life and to officially leave the Order. Only the most powerful and most renowned Druids, only Druids that have done extraordinary things for the Order are able to make the transformation permanent. It is a fairly simple process, requiring nothing but the Druid in the Grotto of Cerridwen. The process is another ritual, called the Ritual of Departure, named so as the Druid departs from his humanoid form and Druidic life forever. It is a choice for the Druids who no longer wish walk the land as men or women, but instead another form of nature. For the ritual, the must Druid kneel his head once more in this sacred place, the same place where he first transformed. The Druid will pray to Cerridwen, asking her to transform the Druid once again, but this time forever. If Cerridwen deems the Druid worthy of this new life, if Cerridwen believes that this particular Druid has made a major positive impact in the Order's history, if Cerridwen believes that the Druid has a keen enough relation with nature, she will give the Druid a permanent transformation. What if the Druid isn't transformed? Then it is a sign from Cerridwen herself. It can mean many things, and the Druid may never know the true meaning. However, the two most common meanings of no transformation are as follows. Cerridwen does not believe the Druid is worthy of this honor, or that the Druid is far too important to leave the Order in its current state." (Please note: it would be an extremely rare occurrence for a Druid to make the transformation permanent. The requirements are beyond difficult to achieve and it will likely will never even happen. I am only providing lore in case there is one situation where it is necessary.) This basically explains the process that you must undergo to gain the ability to shapeshift. The book will be found in-character and transcribed into readable vernacular by three Hierophants if this lore is accepted. I will briefly go over the Trials of Spirit and the Ritual of Departure now. The Trials of Spirit The Druid must pray to Cernunnos and ask him to watch over the Druid as he begins the Trial of Spirit. The Druid must complete the Task of Acceptance by living with the species of animals the Druid has chosen. He must eat what they eat, hunt how they hunt and overall live how they live. Once he can communicate with each individual animal and is generally accepted into their society, he is ready for the next task. (It will take much less time and be much less difficult to complete this trial by doing it with less dangerous animals, such as rats. The Druid would have extreme difficulty doing the task with tigers, obviously.) The Druid must complete the Task of Strength by killing one of the animals he has lived with. Once he has killed the animal, he must skin it for the Ritual of Change. The spirit of the animal will engulf the Druid and linger around him forever. Cerridwen will use the spirit aura of the killed animal along with the pelt to transform the Druid into a replica of the killed animal once the Druid has completed the ritual. The last part of the task is to bury the animal in an honorably manner which is decided by the Druid to fully respect the animal. The Druid must complete the Ritual of Change. The ritual is started by entering the Grotto of Cerridwen, a hidden place in the Druid Grove. The Druid must have a Hierophant that has already been blessed with the power of shapeshifting with him, along with the pelt of the animal he has killed. The Hierophant will lay the pelt on top of the Druid and the two will bow their heads. Cerridwen will decide if she should bless the Druid with her gift. If Cerridwen does bless him, the Druid will go through the transformation process. After a day, the Druid will shift back into his original humanoid form and the pelt gone. The Ritual of Departure ​ The Druid must enter the Grove of Cerridwen again, ideally when he feels that his services as a Druid are no longer required and he has made a positive impact in his life as a Druid. The Druid must bow his head once again, praying to Cerridwen. This time, the Druid would be asking specifically to make a permanent transformation. The Druid will either be transformed or remain a humanoid. If the Druid is transformed, it is permanent. If the Druid isn't, it could mean several things, such as the Druid hasn't made enough of an impact in Druid history yet or the Druid is currently too important to the Order and his service is still required. Choosing an Animal The Druid must choose his animal before he starts the Trials of Spirit. The choice is completely up to the Druid, but there are very specific rules when choosing one. The animal cannot do anything that a humanoid cannot do. This means that the Druid cannot choose a flying bird or an aquatic animal. Why? Because Cerridwen knows that the type of power she'd be giving to the Druid can be abused. What if the Druid became corrupt? What if the Druid secretly has evil intentions? Since the Druid would be able to survive far out in the sea or high up in the skies where nobody can reach him, he could become unstoppable. The Druid must also take into account that the animal could kill him during the Task of Acceptance. This is why most Druids will decide that they would like to turn into a rat over a lion or tiger. Recommended Transformations Here is a list of some safer shapeshifting choices for each race/halfbreed. Human/Adunian/Elf - Wolf, dog, cheetah, leopard, tiger, panther Orc - Bear, gy'waka, wild boar, bull Dwarf - Squirrel, chipmunk, wolf, dog, toad Kharajyr - Gy'waka, cheetah, tiger, leopard, panther Halfling - Rat, mouse, squirrel, chipmunk, toad, snake, rabbit, ocelot ​ It is likely that the Druid will not follow these, but they are probably the safest transformations for each race/halfbreed. ​Shapeshifting The process of transforming from humanoid to animal is a complicated and inexplicable process. It will vary between each race, animal spirit, physical health and how experienced the Druid is with shifting shape. However, once the Druid has completed the process once, the process will be repeated each time he asks Cerridwen to transform him. This means that the Druid's body will become more resistant to the pain of transformation over time. The transformation normally takes between fifteen and twenty seconds to complete, with the exception of first-time shifters taking up to a minute. The Druid will grow or shrink in size depending if the animal he is transforming into is larger or smaller than the Druid. The Druid will then begin to rapidly grow fur over his skin and claws, again depending on the animal. The amount of pain delivered by transforming will greatly vary, mostly depending on the scale of the transformation. An adult, full-grown Orc transforming into a rat or squirrel would likely kill the Orc instantly. Transformations of that scale are not safe because of the possibility that organs and major arteries could be moved around or deformities can happen. A Halfling turning into a rat would be a very safe and near-painless transformation since the change is so minor. That being said, it's recommended that Druids morph into an animal similar to their stature. But wait, is it possible for an Orc to become a rat? Of course it is. It would just be an extremely painful and possibly lethal process. If the Orc is willing, physically strong and well health-wise, it can definitely happen. (The main reasoning for this is so it is less powergamed. Obviously an Orc that transforms into a bear won't experience the true capability of shapeshifting like an Orc who transforms into a rat would. Orcs are already tall, strong and can be great fighters, so ideally the Orc would want to transform into something small and agile. I am trying to limit this.) Natural Instinct In some cases, Druids that have been blessed by Cerridwen and have been able to shapeshift for years will sometimes experience a sort of trauma where they have developed characteristics of their spirit animal in their personality. Depending on how severe the trauma is, the Druid may sometimes believe he has shapeshifted when he is still humanoid. Other characteristics such as these listed could also be adopted from their spirit animal: Snake - Often paranoid and hateful, sometimes speak in a lisp which exaggerates the letter 's'. Squirrel - Scared at the sight of danger, often longing the feeling of freedom or to climb. Toad - Tend to jump when trying to move swiftly, sometimes speak in a deeper voice. Rabbit - Very aware which may cause fatigue, often use legs to kick as a weapon rather then fists, may chitter while eating or during long conversations. (Thank you, Shoi.) Any similar animals to those listed above would likely suffer from the same characteristics. Why Druids? Druids have always only used divine, nature-based magic. It just doesn't make sense to me why it would be considered part of arcane, shamanic, clerical or dark art magic. Transforming into an animal is 100% nature-based since both the humanoid and the animal are natural organisms. Possible Problems There will always be issues with new magic lore, but I've tried to make them as minor as possible or fix them completely. Let's address them. People powergaming by transforming during combat​. I've tried to fix this by increasing the time it takes to fully transform. At first I thought maybe five seconds, but fifteen to twenty would give the opponent more than enough time to get a lethal strike in while a Druid is transforming. All powerful characters, for example an Orc who can transform into a mouse so he can always be either tall and muscular or tiny, agile and quick, or a Halfling that can transform into a tiger. I've tried to fix this by making large scale transformations lethal and painful. I've also stated that the Task of Acceptance can be very difficult to complete depending on what type of animal you chose. Tigers, for example, would likely maul the Druid on sight and it would be very hard to gain their trust. You cannot choose a flying animal or an aquatic animal. Magic. I've tried to fix this by making Druids in a shapeshifted form unable to verbally communicate. Druids draw their power by praying to the Aspects, and those with the closest connection to them can do the greatest things. If you cannot speak, you cannot use any Druid magic. ​​​ Extra Information The Druid will remain shapeshifted for about one hour each time. After the Druid has shifted back to his humanoid form, he will feel extremely tired and fatigued. As time goes on with the gift, the Druid will become more experienced and adaptive to it. Master shifters would be able to stay shifted for even up to a day, but once they shift back they would likely fall into a deep slumber instantly. The Druid can make the change permanent only after he's made a major positive impact on the Order. If Cerridwen believes the Druid is worthy of the honor, she will allow the Druid to make the transformation permanent through the Ritual of Departure. However, this is a very difficult feat and will likely never even happen. It is more of an honorable way to walk away from the Order rather than just perma-killing your character. (Think of Druids like Saviticus and Respiren. Those two are probably the only ones worthy of doing this and I doubt they would.) The Druid's body will remain in shapeshifted form if he dies while shapeshifted. The Druid will have at least one green tattoo on each limb to stand out while shapeshifted. Each tattoo can vary in shade and shape. Other Contributors I just wanted to give a special thanks to these people who helped me come up with ideas and improve the lore: Rittsy Saviordude Matt011011 Shoi Arik Callax Levirad Snowshovel Comments? Questions? Concerns? If you have something you'd like to for me to add or elaborate on, please post a comment! Thank you for reading.

(( Excellant. Also, the music was an awesome addition. ))

For Mac, you need to hit FN + F2. :)

^ Lol. Yeah, I'd love to see an event like this happen in the Vale. Only issue is that usually there aren't more then 3 or 4 Halflings in the Vale at a time. Arethor on the other hand, has lots of people and is a hotspot for RP. Maybe an event like this will draw more Halflings and players to the Vale?