In the first interview, I talked with Matthew Yarro of Home Brewed Games about this Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition project, Druids: Secrets of the Primal Circle. In this interview, I talk with Shamus Williams about the project, its mechanics, and why he joined in to help make this project happen.
EGG: An entire book focused on Druids for 5e. Let’s break down Druids: Secrets of the Primal Circle, what archetypes are you offering?
SHAMUS WILLIAMS (SHAMUS): As Matt mentioned [in his interview], there are plenty of character options in the book. We have 10 new druid archetypes, one new ranger archetype, and a new class… with 14 archetypes of its own! The new druid circles focus on one aspect of the class and really give a player the opportunity to dive deep into that part of playing a druid. I’ll give some examples here:
- Circle of the Primal Guardian. Do you miss having a companion as a druid? This subclass allows you to have an elemental, animal-like ally that grows with you as you advance in levels.
- Circle of Shadow. These druids accept the dark ecology of the Shadow World (our OGL version of Shadowfell) as their own natural protectorate. While the concept is alien to most, shadow druids see their path as perfectly natural in its own way.
- Circle of Elements. These druids dedicate their lives to understanding the elements in their purest form – the Elemental Planes.
There are more, but I don’t want to give away everything. If you ever wanted to focus on druidic magic, or non-combat features, or becoming an anthropomorphic druid, or on breaking the traditional druid mold entirely, there’s an archetype for you.
The new Dire Druid class turned out surprisingly well, I think. I admit I was against it in the beginning. I’m actually not a fan of creating new classes. I think a new class presents far more opportunity to cause imbalance in the game than if you create a new subclass. To avoid those problems, I advocated for making druid subclasses that filled the Dire Druid’s role, but Matt insisted the new class was worth the work. So, I poured effort and many hours into balancing the Dire Druid and its subclasses mechanically. In the end, I have to agree Matt was right – it does belong in the book. It turned out to be a great class, but not just for mechanical reasons. Dire Druid lore provides, right from the outset, the kind of direction the other classes have, and the kind of lore-driven direction the druid was missing up till now.
EGG: To many, shapeshifting is the core of the Druid class, what options are you offering to the players that just want more cool shape changing options?
SHAMUS: As we worked through the material, I knew that the moon druid is meant to be the pinnacle of Wild Shape, and that subclass has a distinct niche in the game. I was careful not to infringe on that territory, but we wanted to provide new options for players nonetheless. As Matt pointed out, perhaps the most unique addition to the Wild Shape feature comes through the Circle of Bloodlines. While changelings and wizards with a polymorph spell can look like a different race, Bloodline druids actually become the other race.
Druids of the Circle of Shadow have an alternative to Wild Shape. Instead of transforming into a beast, they shroud themselves in energy from the Shadow World, assuming a dark, menacing countenance that is appropriate for the dark plane they call home.
Another new addition to shapeshifting comes from the Dire Druid class. As they gain levels, they take on traits of their chosen animal, essentially permanently transforming into a humanoid-beast hybrid with the best features of both. I think players will be pleased with the new options.
EGG: What kinds of druid-specific monsters are you creating?
SHAMUS: To me, the most interesting enemies are the Shadow Court, the Gloomstar Council, and Dhurge, which are all intertwined as one vast enemy. When I design adventures, I do so from the top down, deciding what the antagonist’s plans are and what resources are available. How the players deal with the situation is up to them, of course. So, having a large-scale antagonist with multiple organizational levels and numerous opponents for all tiers of play makes designing a full campaign easy. The conflict has already been established, all players need is to encounter these villains and you can have as many sessions of adventure as you like.
EGG: It’s over 200 pages of GM resources and player options. How much of the book is for the GM versus how much is for the players?
SHAMUS: There’s a lot of overlap between what players use and what GMs use. We know players will be interested in the class and subclass options, while GMs will make use of the bestiary. Then, for example, there are spells, which can be used by both players and GMs. The lore of the Netherelm may seem more appropriate for GMs, but if PCs begin traveling there, the players will likely want to know more about it. The rules for eldritch foraging (i.e., searching out quasi-magical materials in nature) will be of interest to players as a way of augmenting their character, and to GMs who want to upgrade antagonists or provide new, unique rewards.
The organizational structure of druid Councils can be a tool for both players and GMs, since they will collaborate to create the story of the campaign. Players who are interested in pursuing advancement in the Council will want to understand what rewards that brings and how they go about increasing their reputation. At the same time, GMs will want to know who’s in charge of a Council, who will interact with the PCs, and who can provide services or information. So, several sections of the book offer useful material regardless of which side of the game table you occupy.
EGG: With all of the possibilities in the world of D&D, what inspired you to choose druids as the subject matter for this book?
SHAMUS: The concept for this book was Matt’s brainchild, for sure. As luck would have it, when we began working together, I had already been developing a setting to publish on DM’s Guild in which druids played a significant role. So, the wheels in my mind were already turning regarding druids, and that mindset transferred naturally to this project.
EGG: Who is working on this project with you?
SHAMUS: I should point out that Matt’s not only the director of this project, but also a talented artist. Through my work on DM’s Guild, I came to understand just how important artwork is. My focus on rules and mechanics simply wasn’t enough to draw attention to some of the products I published, regardless of the quality of the material. To do that, you need art, and it has to be high-quality stuff – as high quality as the words on the page. People want the visual cues from pictures before they’re willing to dive into the text. That being the case, it’s awesome having a partner who can produce good art. I know the pages won’t be bland.
EGG: Through this campaign, what stretch goal are you most looking forward to unlocking?
SHAMUS: For me, the real stretch goal is the art. As a writer, I want all types of artists to be paid what their work is worth. So, the more successful the Kickstarter is, the more artists we’ll be able to hire for more awesome pieces.
EGG: Thanks for talking with me. Beyond Druids: Secrets of the Primal Circle, what else are you working on?
SHAMUS: I still have that city project I was working on last year. I’m sure I’ll get back to it when this Kickstarter finishes. Before I was working on that, I was updating all spells from previous editions to 5th edition and publishing them on DM’s Guild in alphabetical order. That’s a staggeringly time-consuming project, though, which is why I took a break to develop a setting for a while. Sadly, neither of those projects have progressed. I’ve been devoting all my time to writing, editing, and the mechanics contained in this book.
Druids: Secrets of the Primal Circle, a 5th Edition Resource from Home Brewed Games
“200+ pages of archetypes, spells, magic items, monsters, variant rules, and more–all for the druid. A must-have for DMs and Players.”
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