Planar Extremist (Druid Archetype)
We’ve got something extra special today, for this entry is our first look at Ex-Class archetypes from Antihero’s Handbook!
So what, exactly, is an ex-class archetype? As the name implies, one must become an ex-member of a class to take one, choosing to diverge further from the path of such classes in favor of new abilities.
Believe it or not, this is not the first time we’ve seen a mechanic like this, as the heretic archetype for inquisitors had similar rules for ex-inquisitors embracing the heretical views that caused them to lose face with their god and the church. However, ex-class archetypes represent an even greater divergence from the philosophy of their former order, and requires double the atonement to make up for it, should the individual choose to.
Every one of these archetypes is different as the various classes that have such archetypes. In today’s case, planar extremists are those druids that have shifted too far away from neutrality in moral alignment, cutting them off from the natural world. However, instead of repenting and working to live a more balanced life, some druids choose to embrace that alignment, and the planes of lawful good, chaotic good, lawful evil, or chaotic evil, answer, allowing those energies to flow through them, as if that plane was the natural world to them, rather than the material.
This archetype is most common in areas where the barriers between planes are thin in wild places, where the presence of that plane’s energies and denizens might rub off on a guardian druid (either mundanely or supernaturally). However, others may take this path due to other reasons, such as getting too involved in extraplanar politics, or a dramatic event skewing the druid’s perspective towards a particular moral outlook.
Due to the nature of their source of power, it’s easy to see these druids behaving more cleric-like, firmly believing in their chosen philosophy, which can be good or bad depending on what sort of tenets they follow.
Though they still have access to most druid magic, their subverted connection dulls their magic somewhat, reducing the available amount of energy they can call upon for spells. Furthermore, they can no longer rely on summoned beasts of nature, and instead must summon extraplanar beings.
The connection that these ex-druids have with another plane manifests in one of two ways, though they are admittedly familiar, either gaining a domain, specifically one of the moral alignment domains matching theirs, or one of the appropriate subdomains. The other option grants them an outsider servitor of the appropriate subtype, though its power is progressive and grows with the druid. This is very similar to the eidolons of unchained summoners, but the planar extremist gains no pool of evolutionary potential to alter their ally.
Like ordinary druids, these mystics can channel their spells into summoning allies, though they are universally of an extraplanar and morally compatible nature.
Just as they have thrown in their lot with the powers of one alignment, these mystics utterly reject the opposition, resisting their magic most vehemently.
Rather than change form, these mystics can draw upon the energies of their favored plane to infuse their bodies, entering an enhanced battle state capable of a variety of mystical feats, similar to the bloodlines of bloodragers.
So what we’ve got is a druid that gives up on certain druidic staples like the nature bond and wild shape in favor of extraplanar equivalents, gaining bloodrage powers, a cleric domain or summoner eidolon, and the like. If that sounds appealing, give it a try. Keep in mind, however, that your summons are going to be much less versatile than an ordinary summoning specialist due to the limitations of the archetype. Regardless, you can build this archetype as either a casting druid or a more direct combatant, whichever suits your style.
As tragic as it is to see someone falter from the path, the fact that these druids can be goodly means that many may still be allies to the goodly world, though they still may be estranged from their druidic peers. Conversely, however, evil planar extremists are definitely a thing, and may indeed be a greater threat to the natural world than most.
The roads of the Forest of Mists have grown twisted as of late, doubling back on themselves and leaving travelers lost and confused. The reason behind this is twofold, but stems from the same source. A druidic guardian has become corrupted by the forces of chaos, and its twisting the landscape. What’s more, the dosojin kami that watch the roads are actively seeking to trap the planar extremist within, twisting them even further.
Not every planar extremist is tied to an outer plane. In the case of the wayang Ekkonsi, his bond is with the shadows, having been seduced by the promises of the kytons to further his personal path towards dissolution. Though he remains a druid, he utilizes his expertise to turn his coastal territory into a dim place full of death.
Rather than learn the druidic ways through an established circle like most, Bapri instead was taught by a being of good and freedom, a havoc dragon named Virphandivar. The combination if his origin and the extraplanar alteration to the landscape has given her a somewhat altered perspective on nature, but she is as devoted as any other.