I like playing them but I have run into a few DMs that do not allow them in their games. And I have seen a lot of hate for them here as well, with a few also saying they are not allowed in their games either.
So what is wrong with a druid? Why do DMs ban them?
Ask the GMs banning them.
If I had to guess though it'd be because people think druid means zophile.
Because furfags ruin everything
What system? In 3.5, Druids basically get to do everything other classes do at the same time at no cost. They're not the absolute most broken class at high optimization levels, but they're probably the most idiot-proof, and the most likely to break the game by accident.
Other systems may or may not have other problems, so you should specify.
Because in 3.5 they where too stonk
From my experience, it's because people think Druids are hippies, and have never met any actual mountainmen or Wildlife Researchers, who tend to have more in common with rednecks than with hippies
It does give players the excuse to be obnoxious treehugger assholes and get in the way of the game half the time.
Mountainman druids and rangers are hype as shit
Something something magical realm
>transformation fetish
>animal pal fetish
class has no other worthwhile features to speak of
Speaking for 5e,
Mechanically, Circle of the Moon (combat transformation aka "onion" druid) is incredibly combat potent, and honestly allows you to generally outclass martials between level 2 (when you can turn into a bear) and 5 (when martials finally get their second attack) as well as be incredibly tanky. The onion nickname refers the the layers of HP that must be peeled back before getting to the druid; one must essentially plow through the health bars of two animals and the druid before disabling them, made harder by their ability to burn spell slots to restore HP to their animal form, while mama grizzly is also ripping your face off.
As far as roleplay goes, it can be hard to fit druids into many campaigns, as they are a class that requires relatively strict adherence to their fluff, which disencourages the activities of many campaigns like traveling, acting for their own benefit, stepping on insects by accident, etc.
This. A fully optimized high level wizard breaks the game more, but druid is basically playing on easy mode. You don't need to wait to get to high level to break things because at the time the fighter can stand in one place and do full attack and the wizard is still limited by spell slots, the druid is three bears.
Just have her play as Desert or Prairie Druids. That way instead if being tree huggers they become tree haters due to large tree being unnatural to them and evidence that the local area's natural fire regime has been surpressed for far too long.
I can talk only about 3/3.5 D&D druids because I don't know how they behave in other editions and I'm not familiar with other games that have them.
They're kind of broken. Like clerics and wizards, they're pure and powerful casters in the game that defined caster supremacy, so in a few levels they get spells to trivially solve problems where other classes that would be supposedly dedicated to take care of that kind of problem would have to roll and risk failure. They have spells to resolve encounters and situations in one cast and to become insanely hard to kill.
In addition to that, they get animal companions, they can summon animals, and they can turn into fucking bears just to out-tank the tank (and keep casting).
As said, they don't have the same potential for over-optimized madness as wizards and, secondarily, clerics, but on the other hand they're just foolproof. You can't fail with them.
>>animal pal fetish
That's a thing?
Having an animal friend is a common enough fetish that you'd mention it like that?
>"Friend"
>Fetish
Semantical mixup pal?
I think you meant "Lover".
It is natural and beautiful than an elf should love his wolf.
At level 5 the Druid can cast Conjure Animals. If your DM lets you summon whatever, you can summon eight Giant Poisonous Snakes which make a mockery of the mere martials. You could also summon eight Giant Owls which is also pretty bad.
At level 7 a Druid can bring about the Pixiepocalpse vis Conjure Woodland Beings, and also cast Giant Insect and harvest Giant Scorpion Poison for the archers.
At level 9 a Druid can summon an Earth Elemental, order it to "submerge" with earthglide/burrow and attack from below the earth.
At level 9 a Druid can cast Awaken. If they somehow get a Staff of the Woodlands, they can cast Awaken twice every three days or so. This allows for something like 150 Awakened Trees per year, and provides incentive for the party to go to the Dinosaur Jungle and awaken a bunch of T-Rexes.
At level 10 the Moon Druid can drop a Conjure Elemental and then Wildshape into an Earth Elemental, so TWO submerged Earth Elementals are attacking.
At Level 11 a Druid can Conjure a fey Mammoth.
I'm still pretty sure the DMs are just that damn tired of magical realm bullshit and now take steps to avoid it at all costs.
Not allowing druids is a huge step in that direction.
>at the time the fighter can stand in one place and do full attack and the wizard is still limited by spell slots, the druid is three bears.
It's like you don't want a party full of Bear Druids running around solving crimes. Why do you hate fun, user?
Because the always turn into Mr. T.
I've met mountain men, and they are 95% ranger 5% Druid.
>t. Guy who lived in the bush Alaska
On my end because the players I have had always want to destroy nature for their own gain.
Not saying that a druid cannot be in an adventure for their own gain, but I prefer that they at least revere nature as their class fluff would suggest.
CSI: Jellystone Park
I'd watch that show and I'd play that campaign
I see a lot of hate on Veeky Forums for them, but not in my game. Though do be fair, I'm brand fucking new to TTRPGs so this is my first group ever. And I'm roleplaying him more like said. He's essentially an ecologist and I try to make practicality his watchword. Though we're currently helping a mine and I made sure to ask about their environmental impact practices. Actually not bad.
as a new person playing 5e, our lvl 4 druid in our party is pretty powerful
>transforms to bear
>multi hits
>PC doesnt take damage if enemy attacks druid
>If bear goes down, transform into a bear again next turn
>repeat
My druid was a Brendan Fraser type that used to be a successful author but lost everything and decided to run away into the forest in a mid-life crisis.
He's actually really pathetic, but in a lovable kind of way. Like a lost puppy dog.
>Conjure Animals
ooooooooh shiiiiit I forgot all about that! I remember I tricked my DM into saying that sperm whales were level 0, so I could summon like, five of them at once.
I eventually just turned into a murderhobo who just dropped whales on top of people. Shit was jokes.