The only topic I can find on this is whether there should be Druids in Skyrim, as opposed to Mages - but no talk of actually building a Druid as a playable class...

Now let's get one thing straight, I've never really be all that enamoured by Druids in RPG's. Tree-huggers whose 'nature magic' pales in comparison to the forces that can be unleashed by a mage. But there's something about the setting of Skyrim, its promised wilderness and harsh conditions, that makes playing as a Druid seem quite appealing. A player that could harness the raw power of Nature to thwart his enemies. Problem is, I don't see how it'd be possible to play as one in Skyrim...

Spells - we don’t know if ‘summon bear’ or wolf will be in or not. I can’t think of any precedents in the TES spell list to date either. The only alternative would be to cast ‘charm’ on hostile animals, but this is not an ideal solution for Druids wanting an animal companion, one of the defining features of the class.

Another essential Druid skill is shape-shifting, but I can’t see Beth catering for polymorphs in the current spellbook. ‘Summon Lightning’ is another classic Druid spell, but TES games have always been about firing bolts of lightning out of yer fingertips, Sith-style, not beckoning nature to unleash its fury from the clouds above. Magically speaking, Druids in Skyrim look to be rather hamstrung, we haven’t even got an ‘entangle’ spell!

Weapons – quarterstaves and slings, the chosen arsenal of the Druid have never featured in any TES game to date, to my knowledge. Which leaves us with fisticuffs, great.

Armour – a Druid would be restricted to using light fur armour or robes (but is unarmoured one of the dropped skills?) A druid/shaman type character adorn with the trappings of dead animals, whilst looking great, would probably be going against the class a little too.

Alchemy is probably the only thing doable for a Druid in Skyrim. But has TES ever had a Druid as a playable class? I think it’d be interesting, but how on earth could we do it? (And you’d have to forget about indulging in the tree-chopping mini-game too)

You know there is a command creature spell, right?

Only if they can shapeshift into Cats and Bears and Cheetahs and Big Owls and Seals.
Wait.
Wrong game.

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I'd make a druid in Skyrim purely because my main on WoW is a druid. It'd be ossumsauce. Nature magic ftw, amirite?

Well, since you seem to be basing your idea of a Druid from the D&D Druid (which other RPG's have seemed to also use are their basis) you might be right that you won't be able to play one in Skyrim. But if you open your interpretation of a Druid you might be able to roleplay as one. Maybe being able to place a lightning rune on the ground that triggered when an enemy crossed it could have lightning rain down on it as a spell effect. But we don't know how this will be implemented.

Shapeshifting into animals is something Bosmer do in an event called the Wild Hunt. It's considered a very exceptional thing.

It depends on your definition of druids really. The classic fantasy "D&D" style would fit more in a Bosmer environment, especially with their Wild Hunt as Velorien mentions (which is ironically named after a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_hunt, though it differs). Druids in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druids, i.e. nature priests rather than nature mages (that is to say their connection with and desired influence over nature is of a religious rather than magical aspect), would be more apt for Skyrim; although probably best for rural High Rock. Keeping in mind of course the line between priest and mage in Tamriel can be blurred one.

The Skaal shaman are somewhat in keeping with real world druids so we may see similar in Skyrim; though of course that tribe's nature-worshiping is no way in keeping with mainstream Nord culture, indeed they migrated to Solstheim for this reason.

Erm, nature magic pales in comparison to forces unleashed by mages?
May I remind you that Japan got owned by that ''pale'' nature magic.
I personally love Druid class and would love to see magic that can invoke plants to entangle enemies, make earthquakes, rise floods and blow stuff with tornadoes.
Very sadly, it seem to me that we won't be able to play that class effectively since it doesn't seem that Bethesda will make spells like that (witch is bad since Druid type spellcasters are most fitting for Skyrim).
Still, let's hope that dragon shouts will save the day.

The World of Warcraft thread is that'a'way -------->
Seems to be exactly what you're describing, a WoW Druid, which doesn't fit in TES lore.

Some nature magic wouldn't hurt game or lore if I'm not wrong.

I'm simply talking about a "Druid" in the sense that he's describing, it's not been done in TES lore. Thus not lore friendly.
I mean, sure, you could RP it, and make it "your lore", but it's not canon.

Staffs are in, command creature was in, alchemy is in. All you need is a hat and you can call yourself Getafix. What more do you want?

This has nothing do with WoW. I'm pointing out the absence of a classic rpg character type in TES games. As other posters have pointed out, there is some precedence for Druid-types in TES lore, with the wild hunts. It does speak volumes for Skyrim's design decisions to date that players wont be able to play effectively as as Druid. Skyrim as a landscape has scope for a 'wild mage' type character to fully utilise his connections with Nature. But the ability to craft such a sophisticated character has been hobbled somewhat by Beth banging on about dragon shouts etc. I take my inspiration from D&D not Blizzard's MMO - and the omission of Druids from TES is a puzzling issue, and one that deserves further exploration.

Actually, they were saying that the idea of transforming for druids should not happen, because on the occasion that it happens to a Bosmer at this special event, it is considered very unusual and a rare thing to happen. I'm pretty sure that's what they were saying anyway.

I'm not too sure on the precedents of shapeshifting in Tamrielic lore beyond the rare Wild Hunt but the inclusion of nature magic (beyond "command creature") generally would be perfectly fitting, though sadly probably not going to happen in this particular game. Did not the Telvanni use magic to manipulate mushrooms to grow into wonderful shapes to use as buildings? Then why can't magic be used to make roots tangle enemies feet, for example?

I don't know if the Nordic atmosphere is the most natural (geddit) place for this kind of druid; as I said before I think the spiritual style rather than magical style druid is more fitting (i.e. the Skaal shaman). However, your character may not necessarily be a product a Nordic culture, nor will all the NPCs, so why know allow them to play as a nature-mage of some variety?

Bethesda didn't include Druids in TES lore because they don't want it in TES lore. There's no other explanation needed.

I think shape shifting would add a lot of fun to the conjuration school, which feels a bit dead with just bound armor, turn undead, and one summon at a time; but then again I usually like any idea that adds replayability and doesn't seem too far-fetched. Destruction magical "traps" will definitely allow for more diversity in the way you play, and you can also hold the magic button with a lightning spell for a "flamethrower" effect. Together with a creature you keep re-commanding and maybe a poisoned club or something this might work as long as you're not too narrow-minded about what a druid is (magical druids aren't real, so why narowly limit your conceptions of them instead of just goofing off with a variety of skills that resemble the archetype?).

I think this is wrong. Bethesda has always adjusted to lore when needed to fit their game design - I just doubt that shapeshifting was ever really high on the priority list and thus didn't get included. I don't believe for a minute that if Beth decided it was high on the list that they would hesitate to release a new "lore" entry and justify it. Because the content is similar people often compare the TES lore to stuff like Tolkien which never gets adjusted - TES Lore is purely product driven.

So..you're attempting to say that you know more about why Bethesda didn't include a Druid class in TES more than Bethesda themselves? If they wanted it in there, they would have added it. I don't see how it can go any other way. If they cared about it, they would have included it. Especially in the sense the OP is talking about. NO WHERE in the lore of The Elder Scrolls has that ever been prevalent. It's not lore friendly.

Since there aren't any classes in Skyrim, if you wanna think you're a Druid, be a Druid.

Really though, this is just what results from decentralizing player classes, as these were traditionally the means through which the character's abilities were defined and enabled. Remember that it's also nearly impossible to play a traditional D & D type priest/cleric, due to the lack of a distinct "divine" magic. In order to really make a Druid for Skyrim that actually felt like a Druid and not just a Mage in pelts, you'd have to create yet another skill for "nature magic".

All in all, it just seems incongruous given what we know of Skyrim's mechanics. You'll just have to rationalize that a Druid is just a mage who lives out on the heath.

Polymorph was a *skill* in Daggerfall, there is a witch in Morrowind who could become a raven. Wood Elves can become animals (rare). The ability to change into a creature is very lore friendly.

Druids in TES, are equivalent to High Rock witches.

Edit: spell, by bad.

I LOVE THUNDERCHICKENS!

The question of a "druid" class in The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is moot as there will not be character classes, but a reduced number of skills. As far as a "Conjure Bear" type spell goes, the Spriggan from Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion could conjure a black bear (as a once per day power). Depending upon the level of enemies to engage, such a conjuration would have limited usefullness.

I had a female Bosmer Druid in oblivion called Hanging Moss. She used lots of illusion and 'nature spells' which I had to create.

When the Elder Scrolls VIII: Valenwood comes out in 20 years they'll be in