Reflections From The Pond

No, seriously, why can’t a gnome be a druid?

There is one immediate and profound question -- what size bear would she be?

But apart from that, is there something inherent that prohibits a gnome from studying hard and learning the tricks and become a shapeshifting druid or is it plain old discrimination?

Tauren and Night Elves are the only races that can become druids, but although both are very old races as opposed to the younger race of the gnomes, there does not seem to be any physical or  spiritual criteria for becoming a druid, only the racial one. And if Night Elves can become druids, why can’t Blood Elves? After all, they share the same heritage.

Maybe it’s something taught?

The druids learned their ways from Cenarius, the son of Elune, the Moon Godess and Malorne, the White Stag. Cenarius was brought up by Ysera, the Green Dragon Aspect and Protector of the Emerald Dream and he taught the druids to be the keepers of the world, to heal and nurture it and to keep the delicate balance of nature. The druids’ powers come from nature itself and their affinity with nature is strong enough to let them change their shapes.

Now, the druids do not rely on Nature exclusively, because some of their offensive abilities like Moonfire and Starfire actually uses Arcane powers, but the absolute majority of the spells at their disposal are of the Nature school (or the Physical variety when they are in Cat or Bear form).

Is it maybe so that gnomes can’t use Nature spells at all, maybe it is impossible for them to learn how to tap into the forces of Nature and shift into a tiny teddy bear?

Well, actually none of the classes available to the gnomes (Warlocks, Mages, Warriors and Rogues) uses Nature damage spells of any kind (Rogues’ poisons are Nature damage I believe, but that is something applied from without), and if you are to believe Gearmaster Mechazod the gnomes were originally created by “The Grand Architect”, a Titan keeper from within the halls of fabled Ulduar.

According to the Gearmaster, life is “a condition that eventually befalls all of the creations of the Titans!” 

In other words, the gnomes supposedly started out as robots of some kind, and, over thousands of years, slowly turned into fleshy beings!

(The Gearmaster is busy reverting this condition in the quest The Mechagnomes in Borean Tundra atm, go there and help Fizzcrank stop him!)

So, given the gnomes’ possible un-natural creation, born from cogwheels and metal and tinkering and far from the lush green forests of the Emerald Dream, maybe they are barred from tapping into the energies of Nature and thus truly unable to become druids.

(Although it would not be too unreasonable to assume that during their long historical transformation from fleshless to fleshy they would have approached the natural ways somewhat, and that it would not be impossible for a determined gnome to go the whole way and totally embrace Nature, would it?)

But what about the other races? Hunters use Nature spells, Shamans use Nature spells, and you can find Hunters or Shamans of every race there is, except gnomes (edit: or humans or undeads). So it seems all most other races can tap into Nature powers, why can’t they become druids then? Is Blizzard oppressing us?

I say we should start up a rebellion! Let’s all join in the People’s Front of the Emerald Dream and fight Blizzard for our right to be druids!

Even if we can’t be druids we can have the right to be!

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