Idea: Druids

[Yolan]

Along with witches, I would love to see the ability to play as a kind of druid character in this game. We do already have the druid helm, which looks sweet.
Here is one suggestion for a kind of druid-like ability...

---'Heart Trees'---

Using a special ritual, maybe one that requires a skill that is rare/difficult to learn (once quests are in for skills?), and takes say, full nature?, players can make a certain tree in the world their 'heart tree'. Heart trees contain the living, beating heart of the player. You can only have one heart tree at a time, and a tree cannot be the heart tree of more than one player. A heart tree looks like any other tree. It might be identifiable to the player involved however, by, say, making a beating noise when the player is near.

Suggested benefits:

Upon player death, the player does not actually die, but is 'resurrected' in a unique way. After a period of gestation, several IRL days? the heart tree rends open, and the player steps out of it, alive. The tree looks different during this period. Stat loss could pertain, but to a very minimal extent.

Suggested negatives:

Once a 'heart tree' has been created, the players life is intertwined with it, inseparably. If, at any point, a players heart-tree is cut down, the player dies. This might happen accidentally, if you simply make a tree in a forest your heart-tree, and somebody needs some wood. But then, a tree tucked away behind several strong walls might be a tempting target.

Last Thoughts:

I would like to see the possibility of players strongly tying themselves to a forest, beyond a simple exploitative relationship as with townliving/mining folk.
For a 'druid', or at least, a person with a heart-tree, full nature, certain skills, etc., (we have no concrete set 'classes' in H&H after all), a forest is more than a source of lumber, or of animals to hunt. Their life is inextricably tied to it. Imagine a group of druids, maybe half a dozen, all living in the same forest, to which they have given a name. These people would have their heart-trees probably clustered around the middle of the forest (unidentifiable to regular folk), and would be very agitated if anybody started cutting trees down! Their semi-immortality would allow them to be that bit more aggressive in defense.

[EveryTimeV]

Developing on this idea would also including certain classes or paths of which the player chooses to take with no option to return. Meaning less-sandbox gameplay. (Damn it you were going to say it if I didn't). Why not just make the heart trees have a health bar when they're being chopped down? Or in addition to that having the druid an ability to teleport somewhat to the tree. It is basically a spawn point after all.

[Yolan]

With apologies for the above wall of text. Here is a briefer additional idea.

A 'burrow'.

For those who want to live 'in' a forest, without intrusively cutting down a gazillion trees to make a cabin/walls/etc.

Burrows would work similar to the current cellar arrangement. Go up to a fir tree, and under build, select 'build burrow'. This will require a bit of wood, just like a cellar door. Subsequently, much rock must also be excavated.

When finished, a small door should appear, nestled amongst the roots of the fir tree. It should be just big enough for a person to squeeze through. A key would be provided to the builder. The door should therefore be destructable/replaceable somehow.

Make the interior the same as cellars, or, alternatively, make it a slightly different shape, like with the staircase in the middle, and with some graphics of roots in the wall.

A tree with a burrow in it could still be cut down, but the stump (with the door in it), would have to be destroyed as per cabins whenever that is made possible.

EDIT: The interior should also be claimable somehow, so as to avoid the necessity of a claim surrounding the tree above ground, hence affecting animal spawns in the forest.

[EveryTimeV]

With apologies for the above wall of text. Here is a briefer additional idea.

A 'burrow'.

For those who want to live 'in' a forest, without intrusively cutting down a gazillion trees to make a cabin/walls/etc.

Burrows would work similar to the current cellar arrangement. Go up to a fir tree, and under build, select 'build burrow'. This will require a bit of wood, just like a cellar door. Subsequently, much rock must also be excavated.

When finished, a small door should appear, nestled amongst the roots of the fir tree. It should be just big enough for a person to squeeze through. A key would be provided to the builder. The door should therefore be destructable/replaceable somehow.

Make the interior the same as cellars, or, alternatively, make it a slightly different shape, like with the staircase in the middle, and with some graphics of roots in the wall.

A tree with a burrow in it could still be cut down, but the stump (with the door in it), would have to be destroyed as per cabins whenever that is made possible.

I want to see this just for the sake of me being an utter dwarf fortress player. The ability to make underground forts would be an awesome ability, though you can given the right amount of candles for lighting and such - You could just dig it out and wall off the areas you wish not to be dug. Beds, barrels, underground distilleries...

Delicious.

[Yolan]

While I'm a DF fan myself, what I'm really thinking about here are ways for more minimalist players to live inside a forest.

Some people want to live inside a walled compound that contains every element of the current game. There is nothing wrong with this play style, if you have the time/social network. But, on the other end of the spectrum, some people might like to live very simply. If I could have a little lockable house, tucked away in a wood somewhere, that would suit me down to the ground. Hunters/druids/witches? might all like this kind of hermit setup.

[EveryTimeV]

While I'm a DF fan myself, what I'm really thinking about here are ways for more minimalist players to live inside a forest.

Some people want to live inside a walled compound that contains every element of the current game. There is nothing wrong with this play style, if you have the time/social network. But, on the other end of the spectrum, some people might like to live very simply. If I could have a little lockable house, tucked away in a wood somewhere, that would suit me down to the ground. Hunters/druids/witches? might all like this kind of hermit setup.

Sounds good, but in all honesty it doesn't really take "that" much trees to make a lodge. I made one from scratch, and the amount is surprisingly accurate to a hermit set-up in you were in the centre of the forest it's be a small opening. The burrow idea? It kind of reminds of the headless horseman from Sleepy Hollow,; And the witch who lived in such a cave. Would this be accurate?

[Yolan]

By all means, log cabins are great. But lets say you (and maybe a bunch of friends) decide to live 'in' the forest, without changing it from looking like a pristine forest? Get a few cabins together, and hey preseto, you have a village. (EDIT: Which means its hardly pristine anymore is it?)

On that note: Make burrows have no effect on civ census!

[EveryTimeV]

By all means, log cabins are great. But lets say you (and maybe a bunch of friends) decide to live 'in' the forest, without changing it from looking like a pristine forest? Get a few cabins together, and hey preseto, you have a village.

On that note: Make burrows have no effect on civ census!

Yeah, what kind of civilized culture would live in a dank burrow anyway? Shenanigans.

[Erik_the_Blue]

What happens if someone builds a burrow under every tree in a forest, then cuts down all the trees and builds cabins from them? It seems like someone could get a ton of interior space this way (though maybe they deserve it if they go through that much effort). Maybe large buildings shouldn't be buildable near burrows with the excuse that the ground might collapse. But then how would one destroy burrows? Stuff rocks and/or clay back into them?

I like the idea, despite trying to poke holes in it.

Also, the concept of druids killing trees to form a wall around trees seems bizzare. Druids using brick and metal in large quantities even worse.

[EveryTimeV]

What happens if someone builds a burrow under every tree in a forest, then cuts down all the trees and builds cabins from them? It seems like someone could get a ton of interior space this way (though maybe they deserve it if they go through that much effort). Maybe large buildings shouldn't be buildable near burrows with the excuse that the ground might collapse. But then how would one destroy burrows? Stuff rocks and/or clay back into them?

I like the idea, despite trying to poke holes in it.

Also, the concept of druids killing trees to form a wall around trees seems bizzare. Druids using brick and metal in large quantities even worse.

Soil surplus basically fills in holes, it would be like digging out massive amounts of clay with no where to put it. (Besides grinding urns or other useful stuff).

In the end? Just use enough clay on a burrow and it should be filled in. Or - "destroying" a burrow would basically translate as "Cave-in", because that's exactly how any normal person would go about it. (It's how I would to save a lot of time and effort).