Class Feature Friday: Wave Order (Pathfinder Second Edition Druid Order)
(art by Brett-Neufeld on DeviantArt)
The last of the currently-available elemental druidic orders, the order of the waves is naturally the order of the oceans themselves, and the element of water.
Life as we know it could not exist without water. After all, the oceans are the birthplace of the first life on earth, and water is such an important part of biological processes that it’s no surprise that the water element is associated with healing and cleansing.
However, like all elements, water has it’s violent and destructive aspects as well. Crushing waves, violent storms, mysterious depths hiding unknown dangers, or even the simple danger of drowning are all in the playbook of water as an element. Add in it’s somewhat downplayed association with the cold as well, and you can add in freezing and hypothermia as well.
Indeed, much like every element, water is capable of destruction and constructive aspects, and must be respected even as it is venerated.
Such druids of the waves might belong to ancestries able to swim and/or breathe underwater with ease, or they might be members of species that have a history as mariners, living by the sea and coming to understand it as aquatic peoples do.
Either way, they are likely to act as protectors of the ecology of the oceans, as well as potentially hiring themselves out as navigators and magical problem-solvers on vessels, guiding the winds and dealing with the hazards and creatures of the water as needed.
So with all that in mind, let’s see what they offer to players!
Due to the association between water and healing, these druids gain an affinity for treating wounds.
Futhermore, they find that shallow water does not impede them, giving them an advantage in such environments.
These druids also gain a spell to conjure a wave to ride on, allowing them to travel over rough terrain and lift themselves up at high speed.
Of course, there are also feats associated with the order, including Natural Swimmer to enhance their mobility in water, Advanced Elemental Spell to hammer foes with a wave of water, and Purifying Spell to wash away corruption and disease.
Other feats they may find useful include Order Explorer, Elemental Summons, Current Spell, Misty Transformation, Steady Spellcasting, Heart of the Kaiju, and other feats that could give them mastery in the water and on land.
This order is a natural choice if your game takes place with a lot of sea travel or aquatic dungeons, or in highly waterlogged areas, granting enhanced mobility in such areas while giving them plenty of options for turning the environment against foes. They may focus on summoned aquatic beasts or aquatic battle forms of their own, or partner up with an aquatic animal companion, or simply make full use of the debuffing and controlling side of the primal spell list. All are good options. However, outside of such aquatic environments, it might be difficult to justify playing one, both mechanically an in-universe.
While the name suggests that these druids are all found by or in the ocean, remember that water’s reach is hardly contained to it’s largest bodies. Lakes, rivers, marshes, and the like are all places where water is just as important, and can be brought to bear, and each one has it’s own cultural associations for you to take inspiration from with your character.
Kashira’s Bluff is named for the strange, inhuman hermit that lives there. While he appears mostly human-like, he has persisted for hundreds of years, a fixture of the region almost like the cliff itself. Some suspect dark magic or strange secrets of immortality, but in truth, the old man is a yaksha who has guarded the region since his formation, boasting great primal druidic power over the sea below to calm them for friendly ships and bring terrible storms upon invading armadas in kind.
The Circle of the Wild Sea has long believed that the seas should not be controlled, and those that dare to sail them should do so fearfully, at it’s mercy. As such, they’ve long campaigned against other casters joining said vessels to lend their magical aid, but recently their newest advisor, an imentesh protean, has been urging more drastic measures, ostensibly to make their chaotic vision of the sea com true, but mostly to cause as much conflict as possible.
The Black Thorn is a horrible spire of corruption, the fragment of an elder god turned dungeon that churns out horrible monsters. Making headway is hard enough, but there may be a secret way in, less guarded, in the seaside cliffs, but navigating the choppy waters will require someone who understands the waves like no other.
