Are you looking to make your elf druid stand out among your Dungeons and Dragons group? Look no further! We’ve compiled eight ways to ensure your character stands out from the crowd. Whether through unique abilities, a distinct look, or a unique backstory, these eight tips will help ensure that your elf druid will be remembered by everyone at the table!
One of the most iconic features of a druid is its ability to commune with nature and command animals. A great way to make an elf druid more unique is to choose an animal companion that fits their personality and background. While wolves are a popular choice, there are many other animals to choose from! Consider animals representing their home region or culture, like foxes for forests or eagles for cities. Something like a homunculus could work if you want a more steampunk-style game. Work with your DM to find an animal companion as unique as your character. Though not a druid, we all remember Boo, the magical hamster. You could make something just as iconic.
Another great way to set your character apart is by focusing on specific aspects of druidic magic when they cast spells or use their class abilities. For example, you could concentrate on water-based magic instead of earth-based magic or specialize in healing spells rather than offensive ones. This allows you to create a unique flavor of druidic magic explicitly tailored to your character, making them stand out from other players’ characters. You could even add narrative flavor that they can’t cast spells outside their magic focus. When they do, things go wrong. That would be a great point of internal conflict for the character and spice things up for the entire table.
When creating an elf druid’s look, clothing and armor can be especially important! Try incorporating elements of nature into their wardrobe, such as leaves, fur, feathers, etc. In addition, armor made from wood or leather can give them an earthy feel without weighing them down with heavy metal armor. You could even go the other way and do entirely synthetic armor as an almost ironic twist to what the druid stands for.
Feats are another great way to give your character some extra pizzazz by granting them additional abilities beyond what their class provides. For example, with feats like Alert, you can give them heightened senses allowing them to spot trouble before it happens. These feats will help set their character apart from others who don’t have access to these abilities, making them all the more unique in combat situations where these feats come into play! When you give them extra feats, explain why they have that particular feat and how it manifests or displays. For example, it’s one thing to be a Skulker. It’s another thing to look like a half mountain lion and actually skulk.
In fact, your character’s physical appearance can be used to set them apart from other characters in the game. Consider giving them wild hairstyles or tattoos representing their connection with nature; even something simple like wearing flowers in their hair will go a long way toward making them look more distinct and memorable! Because everyone judges books by their cover, give your “book” a distinct cover that alludes to the story. Make your character unforgettable.
Some DMs may allow you access to homebrew content, which opens up exciting possibilities for further customizing your character. If allowed, try finding some unique powers such as summoning powerful elemental creatures like air elementals or fire elementals, gaining wings temporarily through shape-shifting, or even manifesting fairy-like wings permanently if they have enough levels under their belt! Allowing yourself access to these creative options helps ensure that no two elves are ever quite alike! Generally, DMs are usually open to this, but to support your negotiation, come to the DM with a bargain. For example, “Can my elf druid breathe underwater normally? Because of their backstory, it makes a lot of sense, and they can even have disadvantage on skill checks in hot and dry climates if that helps?” Of course, a trade like that will make it so your character isn’t over the top. Instead, it balances things out and still makes it fun for everyone.
Remember to flesh out the backstory of your elf druid too! Where did they come from? What was life like growing up? What drives them? Answering questions like this will help create depth for this particular character and other characters within the same world since the backstory often ties in with other NPCs (non-player characters) within the game. Therefore, your backstory should be the most significant focus for making your elf druid more unique. In addition, fleshing it out will help you make other decisions like spells to choose from or clothes to wear.
Finally, if homebrew subclasses are allowed, consider creating one tailored explicitly around the concept you create—this would give players access to new spellcasting options and new magical items used exclusively by your subclass. Access to this kind of content helps keep each campaign feeling fresh while still adhering closely enough to traditional D&D rules so everyone at the table knows what they’re doing (no matter how creative they get!).
Crafting a unique elf druid isn’t easy, but it’s definitely worth it—not only will it make playing this particular character much more fun, but it will also add flavor and excitement to each campaign thanks to its uniqueness compared to those created by other players at the table. By following our eight tips above, you can quickly tailor an elf druid to fit perfectly within any campaign while still having its own individual flair—making both you and everyone else at the table happy campers indeed!
If you’re looking for even more tips on how to spice up your D&D sessions, consider listening to our podcast, How to Be a Better DM. Every week, you’ll get tips, tricks, techniques, and anything else you’ll need to become the world’s greatest DM (hey, why couldn’t it be you?). So listen to the show and move to become a better DM.
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