Driud magic - only where plants can grow

[swobeas]

Hi folks!

I have got a litte problem and wanted to hear how other GMs deal with the limitation on wood&plant magic "Only where plants can grow -1/4".

In my oppinion if you say this means no magic at all indoors, then a -1/4 limitation is ridicolous, cause how high is the percantage of monsters you encounter if you are acually indoors???

If you say indoors, in a cellar for example there can grow plants through little cuts in the stones, so where then can no plant grow?

To put it a little bit further, is there a must that there is earth in "reach" for plants? Just think of this small green stuff just growing on rocks where is basicly nothing...

Or dos this mean that there must be no atmosphere and light and then no plants can grow?


thanx
swobeas

[Old Man]

It kind of depends on the setting and the special effects of the spells. If the campaign is always played in the forest or jungle, then there should be no limitation.

[Ternaugh]

I seem to picture a druid walking around in a dungeon with a little bonsai tree, just so he can cast magic. Of course, if he's any good, he should have a little light spell and perhaps a small raincloud spell, just to keep it happy.

JoeG

My wife adds, "Is that a lichen in your pocket...?"

[Markdoc]

I have always taken that to mean "where they can grow" rather than where they are growing - and I don't count slime moulds or lichens!

That means on the ground floor of most buildings - OK. On the 12th floor of the wizard's stone tower, not OK. In a street -even a cobbled one - in the town, OK. In a deep cavern, OK, but if it has a solid stone floor, not OK.

In short, there has to be something for the plant to grow out of. Generally, spells with this limitation involve some sort of miraculous growth. I don't require light, and regular water and all the rest - if that were the case. it should be -1/2 or -3/4.

Look at it as the limitation for OIF vs IIF. If the limitation was -1/2, then it's the same as a suit of armour. It should be pretty easy to remove the power, out of combat. In a medieval society, that's not too easy to do with "only where plants can grow" - it essentially means putting the guy either in a specially constructed prison, or high up in the air.

Sounds like -1/4 to me.

cheers, Mark

[MarkusDark]

To me, the limitation makes sense when it is applied to the character class it is meant for. Druids are supposedly foresty folk - the shaman and others that live out in the woods, commune with nature and surround themselves with things of the earth. They would not want to go dungeon delving or spend any time in a town. To me, a Druid going on a dungeon crawl is akin to Aquaman accompaning the Justice League on any land only adventure.

[Michael Hopcroft]

I don't know if there are ANY places on earth (or in any fantasy world, for that matter) where plants cannot grow. People grow plants in tall buildings with concrete floors all the time.

A better limitation for a druid would be "Not outside forests". He needs a full, living forest around him to be able to cast his spells. Definitely a -1/2 at least; druids with enemies venture into cities at their peril, and dungeons are out of the question.