#road keeper

Whether it is a devotion to protecting travelers, or perhaps minimizing their effect on the environment, there are some druids that serve as guardians of the roads and highways.

On the one hand, they keep travelers from taking overmuch from the environment as they travel, not to mention preventing attempts to despoil nature, or even accidental spreading of disease from far away places that local flora and fauna have no protections against.

On the other, these druids know the wilds are dangerous to the unwary, and also seek to protect those travelers in turn, watching out for bandits, predators, and monsters alike that would seek to use the roads as their hunting grounds. Places with volatile or dangerous weather might even go as far as to make sure travelers have shelter when needed.

I imagine that such druids know the value of roads in interconnecting civilization, even if such is not their charge. That being said, these druids are much more socially-oriented than most, and may offer stewardship over important roads, either those with a lot of traffic, or those that connect distant settlements together.

 Focused as they are on travel, these druids pick up certain spells not normally associated with their traditions, such as those that enhance land speed, improve one’s abilities to pick up a trail, curse a foe so nature turns against them, ward against entrapment, travel long distances instantly through plant life or to a predetermined location, magically discern the best path to a location, or travel long distances as a being of air or along a rolling wave of earth.

Those of these druids that choose mastery over a divine domain gain access to powers of Community, Liberation, Protection, Travel, or Weather, or perhaps one of the subdomains of those.

Surrounded by an aura of fleetness, these mystics cause swift travel along a road to be even faster and less taxing than it would be otherwise, extending this to fellow travelers nearby.

Veterans of travel, these druids not only can spot even the most hidden of paths, but also recognize changes in the weather with ease.

True to their nature as guardians of both travelers and of the nature they pass through, these mystics can place a minor curse on others to make roads or the wilderness nearby seem off limits, foliage seeming thicker and impassible, or roads seeming unnervingly open and uneven to the targets. While this does not outright prevent them from traveling to areas they have been warded against entering, their movements are hampered.

Interested in a druid capable of making travel downtime all the safer? This archetype is certainly useful in that regard, protecting the party and hampering foes. While their unique domain options are tempting for the rare build potential, if one were to turn away from that for an animal companion, I would pick either an animal associated with civilization, a flying critter, or something agile and mobile. Beyond those choices, I recommend a support build focused on battlefield control.

 As one might expect, most road keepers are more cosmopolitan than most other druids, which I know I’ve said about both the urban druid and indeed the river druid we covered two weeks ago. Their association with travel also means they likely have a greater appreciation with domesticated animals used for riding or pulling loads.

  In Ironbark wood, it is important to never stray off the path, and the road keepers patrol it regularly. This is due to the sheer number of malicious fey in the forest, including the ego-sapping calpina, which swarm in the spring to find prey to feed their hatching young.

 Far from his home, the trox druid known as Old Shell knows the trials and tribulations of his people, but rather than bitterness, he seeks to guide others along safe journeys. So he wanders the trails, eagerly greeting fellow travelers as long-awaited friends.