Gray druid

Gray druids were a druid circle associated with the cavernous depths of the Underdark and the lifeforms that flourished in its sunless depths, including fungi, molds, slimes, and various other subterranean beasts like the purple worm. Above all other elements they were associated with elemental earth.The setting-neutral accessory The Complete Druid's Handbook presents a number of druid-derived classes called "branches", each specialized to a particular type of biome, and re-frames the druid of the 2-edition Player's Handbook as being the "forest branch". The branches are all stated to be part of a unified "Druidic faith". Seeing as there is no one unified druidic faith on Toril, the most sensible thing to do is to consider each of the branches as their own druid circle, much like how the subsets of 5 edition's Circle of the Land subclass are treated.
==Activities==
Gray druids typically made their homes in the various caverns of the Underdark, as well as Underdark ruins, though sometimes they lived above ground in areas that were abundant in fungal life. They preferred to make their sacred groves in areas rich in fungus.
Gray druids dedicated themselves to protecting and nurturing the various lifeforms that called the Underdark home. To that end they typically learned how to speak one or more languages of creatures that inhabited the Underdark, such as Troglodyte, Goblin, or Orcish.
==Culture==
Because of their dedication to protecting Underdark habitats, gray druids were typically opposed to dungeon delvers. They particularly had a mutual enmity with dwarves, viewing them as defilers and exploiters of their underground environments. They typically had far better relations with deep gnomes and at least passable relations with drow, for they felt that both races showed more appreciation for the Underdark's beauty than most other people.
Gray druids sometimes sought the help of adventurers from the surface, such as when outside forces encroached upon and harmed the delicate Underdark ecosystems of which they were stewards.
Prior to the Time of Troubles, some gray druids worshiped the deity Ibrandul. Following that event they stopped receiving spells from their reverence and turned instead to the worship of gods of the Dwarven pantheon, gods of the Gnome pantheon, and various other Underdark deities.
==Abilities==
The spheres typically accessible to a gray druid included the All, Animal, Divination, Healing, Plant, and Weather spheres, as well as the Elemental spheres of Earth and Water. However, any spells they cast from the Animal sphere could only affect subterranean animals.
Their wild shaping powers were limited to non-venomous giant spiders and mammals or lizards that lived underground, such as badgers or moles. They also uniquely had an ability to command all manner of fungi, oozes, and molds.
==Combat==
Gray druids typically wore leather armor, wielded wooden shields, and fought with such weapons as clubs, daggers, darts, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears, and staves. Out of these they were most often proficient with darts and scimitars.
==Notable Gray Druids==
* Vincin, a gray druid acquaintance of Elminster who lived in the Underdark beneath the High Moor.
* An unknown half-drow led a group of Ibrandul worshipers known as the Horgardin.
==Appendix==
===See Also===
* Underdark circle
===Notes===
===References===
Category:Classes
Category:Druid circles