By your Powers Combined: A Land Druid Handbook

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#1 Chameleon-X Jan 10, 2015 11:48:44	By Your Powers Combined: A Land Druid Handbook Though the Circle of the Moon Druid receives most of the attention (on account of being borderline broken), the Land Druid is still no pushover. With generally higher AC and the ability to cast more spells, as well as retaining access to Wild Shape for primarily utility purposes, the Circle of the Land Druid is an extremely versatile and effective magic-user. With a little bit of everything, it can fill nearly any role you want it to. Use this guide if you're looking to create a primary caster with both offensive and support capabilities, or if you just like the idea of summoning an army of wolves to devour your enemies! 1. Introduction This guide will use the following ratings: Red is crap. It is clearly worse than other options, or only useful in specific corner cases. Purple is below average; its only useful in rare instances, and even then it's just okay. Black is really meh. It can be good or bad, depending on your style, but there's definitely better stuff out there. Blue is good. It's an above-average choice for most builds. Sky Blue is great. It's better than most other options, and a solid choice for any Druid. Gold is excellent. This is the borderline broken stuff that you pretty much have to take unless you care more about flavor than mechanical advantage. 2. Class Features As a Land Druid, your class features are a bit sparse. However, you make up for this with an extremely versatile selection of spells, and the ability to cast more of them a day. Druidic: This is largely a throwaway feature that will rarely come up, unless there happens to be another Druid in your party, or you run into a bunch of NPCs who can speak this "secret" language. It's basically just... there.
#2 Chameleon-X May 09, 2015 19:07:51	4. Races Aarakocra: A home-game exclusive, and it's easy to see why. With a bonus to WIS and DEX and a Fly speed of 50ft. right out of the gate, this little gem soars right into the top spot right alongside Wood Elves and Variant Humans. They basically get no other class features (except their useless talons), but honestly, why would you need them when you can fly through the sky raining spells on people? Dragonborn: The Dragonborn, sadly, make very poor Druids. Though their Breath Weapon and elemental resistance is of more use to a Land Druid than a Moon Druid, it gives a boost to two dump stats, and has little else to make up for it. If your build places heavy emphasis on weapon combat, then this might be better. Dwarf, Hill: As in 4th edition, Dwarves make surprisingly good Druids, with a bonus to Wisdom and a quite useful boost to Constitution as well, and the extra HP make you just a bit tougher than the average Druid. Their resistance to Poison damage and proficiency with axes and hammers is not quite as useful to a Druid, but it does help to keep you safe from poison until Level 10. Darkvision is also a helpful thing to have, especially since you won't be using Wild Shape as much. Dwarf, Mountain: Pretty much the only thing they have going for them is a boost to Constitution. They have all of the weak points of the Hill Dwarf, but provide nothing as an incentive. As a Druid, you need neither a boost to strength, nor training in light or medium armor (especially considering the "metal armor" problem). Elf, Drow: Dark Elves offer little other than the standard bonus to Dexterity. Though you get a few spells, and superior darkvision, they key off Charisma, which is probably one of your dump stats. Add to that the Sunlight Sensitivity, and you have a recipe for a dead Druid. If your campaign takes place primarily underground, and your build focuses on a reasonably high Charisma, then this might be Okay, but still pretty niche. Elf, High: This is okay, but not spectacular. The bonus to intelligence is probably wasted, though the extra language and cantrip can be nice. If you have a decent Intelligence score, you might be able to make use of this, especially if you choose a Utility cantrip like True Strike or Light. Elf, Wood: Wonder of wonders, Wood Elves make fantastic Druids. Their ability scores are perfectly aligned, and their other features mesh extremely well to a sneaky scout-type Druid that patrols in front of the party in search of incoming threats. Genasi, Air: A bonus to DEX and CON is not bad, and the ability to cast Levitate once a day can be handy until you gain flying forms at level 8. Unending breath is really nice too. Definitely one of the better Genasi, but the lack of a WIS bonus and any other notable class features keeps this from being Sky Blue. Genasi, Earth: Easily the worst of the Genasi, for a Druid or otherwise. Pass Without Trace is a pretty nice spell, but it's already on your list, and seriously, how does being sneaky synergize with an Earth Elemental with a STR/CON boost? Even for the rare melee weapon Druid, you have much better options elsewhere. Genasi, Fire: Probably the best of the four, all things considered, but sadly not too great as a Druid. Getting Produce Flame and Burning Hands for free are great bonuses, but the lack of scaling and reliance on Constitution (which you have little reason to ever boost) really kills the usefulness of these features later on. That being said, it's not horrible, and for specific builds you could do worse. Genasi, Water : Now we're talking! A boost to Wisdom and Constitution, Acid Resistance, and two free spells (admittedly, not the best spells, but still). The ability to breathe underwater and the swim speed are also great benefits, especially if your campaign includes a lot of aquatic exploration. Overall, a fine pick for any Druid. Goliath: I was glad to see these guys return, and they are pretty good, overall. They do get a bonus to Constitution, but without the Wisdom bonus they are really only suited to the odd melee weapon-focused Druid (or maybe a Multiclass character). That being said, they get a lot of great features that can still make them useful for niche builds, so they're not totally horrible. Gnome, Deep:Largely equivalent to the Forest Gnome, with a few differences. Instead of free Minor Illusion and speaking with beasts, you get Superior Darkvision (without Sunlight Sensitivity attached) and Stone Camouflage, which is useful if you expect to be adventuring in rocky terrain a lot. The bonus to Dexterity is nice, too. If you take the associated feat this race becomes way better, obviously.. Gnome, Forest: Forest Gnomes are an interesting case. Their bonus to intelligence and small speed are of little use. However, they have a number of benefits that are useful to Druids, not the least of which is their blanket advantage against all mental magic! In addition, the Forest Gnome's bonus to Dexterity provides higher initiative, AC, and weapon attacks with ranged and finesse weapons, and their ability to speak with small beasts is, to say the least, appropriate for a Druid. Gnome, Rock: Rock Gnomes provide most of the same drawbacks and benefits as Forest Gnomes, but their unique traits are a bit lacking for a Druid. Though a boost to CON is nice, it isn't as useful as the Forest Gnome's traits. Half-Elf: Though the bonus to Charisma is usually wasted, the two variable boosts more than make up for it, and the rest of this race's traits combine to make a pretty appealing package. Two extra skills, an extra language, and Fey Ancestry make an exceptional party face.That being said, it's not as good as a pure Elf. Halfling, Lightfoot: Halflings are decent as Druids due to their bonus to dexterity, Lucky, and their ability to hide behind larger creatures. However, the speed penalty and boost to Charisma don't help your case. Can still be useful for a stealth-focused Druid that likes to play the party face. Halfling, Stout: A bit of toss-up, and largely equivalent to the Lightfoot. The resistance to poison is wasted after 10th level, but the bonus to constitution is more useful to most Druids than the Lightfoot's Charisma bonus. If you want to play a Halfling, the sub-race is largely a matter of preference. Half-Orc: Surprisingly, a Half-Orc can make a fairly decent weapon-focused Land Druid. Though the bonus to strength does nothing for your spellcasting, the CON bonus is helpful for the added HP. Darkvision and Relentless Endurance are also broadly useful to all Druids, while Savage Attacks can be an interesting benefit for a Druid armed with a Staff and the Shillelagh spell. Human, Default: As with most classes, the default human is lackluster. Most of those ability boosts will be of little use, and it has no other features. Human, Variant: Likewise, the variant human is just as useful to Druids as it is most other classes, raising the question of why this wasn't the default to begin with. The free skill, language, and feat at 1st level more than make up for the loss of a few superfluous stat bumps. Tiefling: The half-devil, unsurprisingly, doesn't make a good guardian of the natural world. It's ability boosts are both in likely dump stats, and its racial spells, while a nice addition, key off one of those dump stats. For a party face with the right ability scores, this might be slightly better, but you're still going to be a bit behind in your spell save DCs, AC, and Hit Points. Overall, still not an optimal choice.
#3 Chameleon-X Apr 16, 2015 11:25:57	5.1 - Ability Score Improvements +2 STR: Not needed for the vast majority of builds, unless you reallly want to wield two-handed weapons and be a Druid. +2 CON: Gives you more HP and better Concentration saves, but not strictly necessary for most Land Druids, who should be avoiding attacks rather than absorbing them. +2 DEX: This is likely the best choice for your ABI's once your WIS is maxed. Unless you convinced your DM to give you non-metal Medium Armor, you're going to be relying on this for your AC. Also gives you more Iniative, finesse/ranged weapon competence, and boosts to Stealth (important for scout Druids). +2 INT: Intelligence gives you basically nothing except boosts to knowledge skills and Investigation. Even with Nature being keyed off Intelligence, you can usually leave your 10 or 12 in this ability and be done with it. +2 WIS: You are a primary caster, and this is your casting stat. As you can see below, there aren't really any feats that you absolutely HAVE to take as a Druid, so most builds will be better off maxing their Wisdom A.S.A.P. +2 CHA: Most Druids aren't going to need this. If you didn't put your 10 in INT, you can safely put it here and be done with it. That being said, if you wanted to go the extra mile and take Inspiring Leader, then feel free to drop your 13 in here. 5.2 - Feats feats Alert: Especially with a control-focused Druid, higher initiative and the ability to avoid ambushes are good perks. In addition, if you regularly scout ahead far from the party, this feat could help protect you from hidden enemies getting the drop on you. Athlete: Though this provides you more mobility, much of the benefit is less useful to a Druid, especially once you gain the ability to wild shape into creatures with a fly speed. That being said, it can be more useful if your DM is a big fan of including Free Running into your battles. Actor: A waste of a feat. Performance and Persusion are invalidated by Charm Person, and if you want to mimic voices, just wild shape into a Raven. Charger As a Land Druid, the last thing you're going to want to do is get all up in a dude's grill. That being said, a weapon-focused Druid may find this feat marginally useful. Crossbow Expert: Good for a Druid that has proficiency with crossbows, but everyone else should avoid it. Defensive Duelist: You are not generally going to be wielding a weapon, as that would prevent you from casting spells unless you have a free hand, or also have War Caster . If you do, then this feat becomes quite good. Dual-Wielder: You have little reason to be wielding one weapon, let alone two. Dungeon Delver: For a Druid who doubles as the party Rogue, this feat can be very useful for scouting dangerous dungeon passages. Durable: Decent, but not as good as Toughness. Elemental Adept: The Druid has a fair selection of elemental spells available, and this feat can be helpful. That being said, it would've been much better if it simply allowed a reroll (like Great Weapon Fighting) instead of changing 1s into 2s. Grappler: If you are close enough to an enemy to grapple them, you have made a grave mistake. Great Weapon Master: One of the most OP feats available, it nevertheless doesn't serve a Druid terribly well, as carrying a two-handed weapon would preclude spellcasting without War Caster, and why would a Druid be walking around with a Greatsword anyway? That being said, it is noteworthy that the feat's first benefit does not apply only to heavy weapons. Healer: This feat makes turns the healer's kit from borderline useless to excellent. Though it doesn't provide much healing, being able to bring an unconscious ally up from 0 HP once per encounter is a great boon. If other party members have healing spells, you can bring them up to start a heal train that turns the tide of battle. The ten uses per kit limit is largely pointless, since they cost a mere 5gp a piece. Heavily Armored/Heavy Armor Master: Unless you can convince your DM to give you a suit of Scale Mail made out of horn or leather, both of these feats are about as useless as a Popsicle in Alaska. Inspiring Leader: For most Druids, this feat isn't going to be quite within your reach. If you put your 13 in Charisma, though, this feat is a great boost to your party's survivability. Being proactive makes it slightly more useful than Healer, in such cases. Keen Mind: An idetic memory is cool and all, but not at the price of a precious feat and bump to a dump stat. Lightly Armored: Need I specify why this feat is useless? Linguist: A few extra languages and the ability to write ciphers can be useful, but it's not really top priority. Lucky: This feat is good for almost any character, Druids included. Mage Slayer: This has some synergy with your beast form, since unnarmed strikes are technically melee weapon attacks. Advantage on spells is nice too. However, tanking it up in melee is really more of a moon druid thing. That being Magic Initiate: This is a hard feat to rate, since your mileage may very heavily based on your ability scores. If you focus on wisdom, your only real option is Cleric, but if you've got the points to spare you could branch out a bit. The once a day limitation is a little disheartening, but this feat becomes pretty useful if you can convince your DM that it lets you cast the chosen spell with your own slots. Martial Adept: This feat could actually be interesting for a Druid that likes to use weapons. It's worth noting that the majority of the Battlemaster's maneuvers don't specify Melee Weapon Attacks, so you could still hang in the back and shoot a bow/crossbow if you don't want to mix it up in melee. That being said, for most builds it won't be worth giving up your +2 to Wisdom. Medium Armor Master: If you have a Dexterity of 16 and have convinced your DM to give you a suit of Scale Mail that isn't made of metal, than this feat could be Worth it, but otherwise you should just stick to Light Armor like a good boy. Mobile: Just the first two benefits can go a long way toward keeping you out of harm's way, and it's worth noting that the Thorn Whip cantrip, as a melee spell attack, qualifies for the third benefit. With this combo, you no longer have to worry about being pinned down in melee. Moderately Armored: Useless. Mounted Combatant: If you want to be dragoon Druid, this is a good feat. But for most Druids, it's not too useful. Observant : Bumps your casting stat, and has some nice reconnaissance benefits for a stealthy scout-type Druid. Polearm Master: For a Druid, this feat takes a little more work to be borderline broken than for most classes. Use a Staff as your Druidic Focus, drop Shiellelagh on it, and pick up this feat. Now you can mix it up in melee to your heart's content, with the added benefit of incentivizing enemies not to get near you unless they want to eat an AoO. Resilient: You're already proficient in Wisdom saves, so the obvious choice here would be Constitution for your concentration spells. About as useful as it is to everyone. Ritual Caster": You get this for free, so why burn a feat for more? Savage Attacker: Might be okay for a weapon-focused Druid or one that likes to attack in beast form, but for most Druids this is largely useless. Sentinel : You are a primary caster effectively restricted to light armor and all of your best spells use concentration. Need I say more? Sharpshooter: Not too good for Druids, considering they don't get proficiency with bows or crossbows. For an Elf, this is Better, but unless you have some way of getting extra attacks, you're probably better off with Cantrips. Shield Master: This feat is actually pretty decent. The first benefit is probably wasted unless you're a melee weapon Druid, but the defensive benefits are generally useful for any Druid. Skilled: If you really, really want proficiency in a skill, and can't get it any other way. Alternatively, if you're subbing for a Rogue, and you'd like Theives' Tools prof. Skulker: Actually pretty decent for a stealthy scout-type Druid. Sniping a dude from cover without being discovered is a lot easier to do with a bow or crossbow than with a ball of fire. Then again, the easiest way to get proficiency in bows and crossbows is to be an Elf, for whom this feat is effectively useless.. Spell Sniper: Pretty nice benefits, and you get an extra cantrip. The only problem is that your only real choices are Produce Flame and Thorn Whip, since the other WIS-based options don't require an attack roll. Becomes a lot better if you invest in Charisma, as then your options are expanded to include Chill Touch, Fire Bolt, Eldritch Blast, and Ray of Frost. Svirfneblin Magic: Oh my... if this is a preview of what racial feats will be like in this edition, then sign me up! Not only are you effectively immune to divination magic forever, but they also throw in a once-a-day Blur, Blindness/Deafness , and Disguise Self, all without burning your spell slots. If you are Deep Gnome, this feat is probably why. Tavern Brawler : Not terrible, but generally pointless unless you have a very specific build. It's only rated purple because you could, potentially, use this to grapple enemies with unarmed strikes in beast form. Tough: A solid choice for any character, especially a squishy caster. War Caster: This feat would be worth taking just for the first and last benefit, but it's practically mandatory if you want to go sword and board and still cast spells. That being said, it's not strictly necessary for a pure caster Druid, as you can easily just wield a Shield in one hand and leave the other hand free for casting. Weapon Master: As with most characters, this feat's only real purpose is to pick up a weapon proficiency that you really want, but for some reason can't access otherwise. Honestly, though, if that's your problem, a one level dip into Cleric (War Domain) would be a MUCH better deal.
#4 Chameleon-X Apr 16, 2015 11:26:42	6. Multiclassing multiclassing For most Druids, the ability to ignore components is quite a benefit, though it may still be worthwhile to multiclass if you don't mind losing out on your capstone features. You get your ninth level spell slot at level 17, and Beast Spells a level after that. This means that you can take up to 3 levels of another class without sacrificing your spellcasting abilities. In general, this guide will assume you chose to play a Druid primarily for the spellcasting, so it will focus on what you can get with a 3 level dip into each class. Barbarian There is not a lot for a caster Druid here. You will have to pump Strength and Constitution, as well as maintaining a high Dexterity and Wisdom, in order to make this MC work. In addition, your inability to cast spells (or even concentrate on them) during a rage and the class's heavy focus on Melee Weapon attacks make this a non-starter for all but the most niche builds. Bard The Bard is an interesting choice, but a difficult one to make work correctly. You would have to have a high Charisma as well as Wisdom to make the best use of it, which leaves little room for pumping Dex and Con. You would gain access to some nice control spells, and the benefits of the Bard Colleges, so all in all it's not that bad of a trade-off if you plan to be a back-row buff-bot and/or Mezzer. However, it's nothing the Druid can't already do effectively enough by itself, and a few levels of Cleric would probably work better overall. Cleric You probably all saw this one coming, but the Cleric is an excellent class to MC with Druid. Depending on your DM's ruling, you could even start as a Cleric to enable you to wear metal armor, and then take the rest of your levels in Druid. For the low, low price of a few levels in Cleric you get Channel Divinity, Domain spells, a bunch of amazing buffs (coughBlesscough), and it uses the same Spellcasting stat, so there's almost no MAD to worry about. That, and since Clerics are full casters, you don't even fall that far behind the curve in your spellcasting abilities. Fighter Access to War Caster is what makes or breaks this MC, as you won't be getting far without it. If you can pick it up from being a Variant Human or at level 4, then this build can be an interesting choice. Take a Light Armored Dex-Fighter and focus on Finesse Weapons or Archery, and you should have plenty of points left to bump your Wisdom enough to be an effective Druid. You get more HP, Second Wind, Action Surge, and (depending on your DM) the ability to wear metal armor if you start as a Fighter. If you've got the INT to spare, you can even go Eldritch Knight to poach some nice Wizard spells, though this starts to verge into MAD territory. In addition, your spellcasting is going to take a serious hit if you take more than a few levels of this class (which you're probably going to want to do for Extra Attack). Monk Who needs metal armor when you have Kung Fu? This class synergizes quite well with the Druid, especially if you use a Staff as your Druidic Focus. Either use Martial Arts to Finesse it, or cast Shillelagh to use your Wisdom, and take advantage of the free unarmed attacks and Flurry of Blows. Since you're going to want to keep your hand open anyway, this build also doesn't rely on War Caster to function. In addition, depending on how your DM rules the Martial Arts and Unarmored Defense features, these benefits also carry over to your Beast Form (how would you like to play as "Kung Fu Panda"?). Overall, a very solid MC choice for just about any Druid. Paladin You have to have pretty high Strength and Charisma to even attempt this MC, and at that point you're already drifting into MAD territory. Divine Smite and Lay on Hands are nice, but probably not worth it for most Druids. If you want a melee Druid, you're probably better off choosing a class that synergizes better (e.g. the Cleric). For niche builds, this could be an interesting choice, and especially flavorful if you choose Oath of the Ancients, but optimizers will want to steer clear of the Pally. Ranger The Ranger is generally a pretty lackluster class, but it can still be worth it for a melee Druid that doesn't want to take a major hit to their spellcasting. Though it's not the best MC option, it's also not a completely terrible choice; you get a Fighting Style at level two, and a couple of extra spells (including Hunter's Mark ), and the ability scores synergize perfectly. If you want to play a melee Druid that doesn't lose a lot of spell power, the Ranger is a good bet. However, be aware that your first level of Ranger is basically a dead level, since you don't really get anything worthwhile until level 2. Rogue Here's another amazing combination, especially for the sneaky scout type Druid. You get Expertise, Cunning Action, and Sneak Attack, all for just two levels of Rogue (allowing you to still pick up Beast Spells at Level 18). Prowl around in Beast Form and pounce on unsuspecting prey for the extra Sneak Attack damage (after all, an Unarmed Strike is still a weapon attack), then Cunning Action yourself back into the bush before they even know you're there. In humanoid form, you can use Cunning Action to maneuver around enemies and stay out of harm's way, or dart in, cast a spell, and dart away. All in all, a solid choice. Sorcerer Another sub-optimal choice which nevertheless has some potential. You would need to pump Charisma and Wisdom to make this work, but with the Dragon Sorcerer's AC bonus this may not be too much of a burden to bear. In exchange for a few levels of Sorc you get to poach some good blasting spells, and your spellcasting doesn't take that much of a hit either. That being said, if you really wanted to be a blaster, you probably should've just played a Wizard. Warlock The same problems as the Sorcerer, but a few more perks. If your DM rules that Eldritch Invocations scale with Character Level (not Warlock level), then you're free to have a blast (an Eldritch blast... get it?) with just a few levels of Warlock. You also gain a few good Mezzing spells, and a few bonus spell slots, but you'll have to be careful about spreading your ability scores too thin. Wizard Once again, a niche build that has some interesting options, but presents some serious drawbacks. First of all, your Intelligence will have to be pretty high to make use of the potent blaster spells the Wizard is known for, and that's going to put a big strain on your ABIs. Unlike the Sorc or Warlock, the Wizard has no method of counteracting this problem, other than to dump Dex and just constantly have Mage Armor going. Second, to really get the most out of being a Wizard, you're probably going to have to get at least to 3rd level spells, which is going to cut into your Druid spell levels. But, if you're okay with sacrificing some higher level slots to get access to Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Haste, and so forth, then by all means, take a night class at Hogwarts.
#5 Chameleon-X May 09, 2015 19:01:14	7.1 Spells The following ratings are based not only on the utility of the spell, but also how likely you are to want to have it prepared on a regular basis. In addition, ratings will also take into account whether or not you should spend a spell slot on such spells. This means that most ritual spells will have a low rating, since there's rarely any reason to burn a spell slot when you could just cast it as a ritual. Spells marked with a () are specific to the Elemental Evil adventure path. Thus, they may not be available to all Druids in AL settings. Level 0 Spells (Cantrips) Create Bonfire:* It's not horrible as an area denial spell, but the fact that it uses your concentration slot hurts this spell's utility. Better if you lock down the enemy so it has no choice but to stay in the bonfire and roast, but still not amazing. Control Flames: This is an interesting spell for the aspiring midnight arsenist. At face value, it would seem to be a simple flavorful elemental control spell with few practical uses, until you reread the first use and realize YOU CAN SET A DUDE'S WHOLE HOUSE ABLAZE IN UNDER FIVE MINUTES! Since the spell says nothing about the fire you spread burning out if you move it to a new square, you can recast this spell every six seconds to fill up to 10 squares with flame in one minute. Assuming the average two-story house is a 20 foot cube, you can have the whole place wreathed in flames before the owner even gets out of bed! Druidcraft:* This is the Primal equivalent to Prestidigitation and Thaumaturgy. As such, it is difficult to rate, as it largely relies on how creative you are in its usage. That being said, it's definitely the least useful of the three, generally speaking. Frostbite:The Druid's answer to Vicious Mockery, it does slightly more damage in a slightly less useful type, with a slightly less useful effect keyed to a slightly less useful save. Overall, though, "not as good as Vicious Mockery" is a weak insult to give a cantrip. Guidance: An excellent spell if you remember to use it often. Also of note, it can apply to Initiative rolls. Gust: Basically a poor man's Mage Hand, it requires a bit of positioning to be useful, but it does have the added benefit of being able to push creatures. Magic Stone: Interesting, but the lack of damage scaling puts it seriously behind other cantrips. It's basically a way of giving nearby warrior types a decent ranged attack in a pinch, but since it uses your bonuses anyway, why not just use Produce Flame and let them throw a normal rock? Mending:* Borderline useless except in specific situations.Once Warforged get an official release, though, this might actually become useful if your DM translates "repair" into "heals HP." *Mold Earth: Another basic Elemental control spell that's big on flavor and light on in-combat utility. I suppose if you had time you could use this to fill a battlefield with difficult terrain, but other than that, there are better spells out there. Poison Spray: Wow, what a turd. Basically, the only thing going for this spell is that it's the most damaging cantrip available to Druids. However, it has no other effects, deals Poison damage (commonly resisted), and has a range of TEN FEET! At that range, wouldn't you just be better off picking up a reach weapon and smaking someone? Produce Flame: This will be the go-to cantrip for the majority of Druids. It does pretty decent damage, scales well, and also has a utility function by producing light. Essentially, it's like Fire Bolt and Dancing Lights rolled into one. Resistance: Not nearly as useful as Guidance, since you have to know you're going into a fight with a creature that has some nasty save-or-suck abilities, it only wards one person, and has to be reapplied after every save. In my opinion, this is a spell that really should've been a bonus action. *Shape Water: As you might have guessed, this is another flavor spell. I suppose you could try using it to redirect the flow of a 5-foot wide river to drown a village of Goblins, or something, or slowly making an ice bridge across a lake 2 squares at a time, but that's about it. Shillelagh: If you use a staff as a focus, you want this spell. Even if you don't plan on fighting in melee, it takes a single bonus action to use and lasts the whole fight. You'll not only have a backup weapon in case you're pinned in melee, but you also can take advantage of the odd Opportunity Attack that comes your way. As mentioned above, taking Polearm Master along with this spell can also be an extremely effective combination. Thorn Whip This is an interesting cantrip in that it allows you to make a melee spell attack at range, and it's your only cantrip that provides you with battlefield control. Combined with the Mobile feat, you can use this cantrip for all kinds of shenanigans. Pull up next to your Fighter or Barbarian, Thorn Whip an enemy to pull them toward you, and then run away to let your meat shield deal with him. *Thunderclap: New Thunderwave Lite, now with 30% less soft control! Seriously, though, it's a decent spell, and helps fill the painfully empty niche of AoE cantrips. Not a bad third pick for your bonus cantrip.
#6 Chameleon-X Jan 10, 2015 11:53:08	8. Reserved (You can post now)
#7 awaken_D_M_golem Jan 10, 2015 12:09:59	Thanks for taking this up. I like it, that Druids are no longer just a Celtic Mythos thing. Rather now a Druid Of The Wastes or Underdark is possible. Leugren has a Wildshape Conc and Non-Conc spell list here: http://community.wizards.com/comment/51251481#comment-51251481
#8 Ashrym Jan 10, 2015 13:01:22	Natural recovery isn't as good is indicated. It doesn't provide that many slots. A 20th level druid might, for example, recover up to 4 1st-level slots and 3 2nd-level slots if those had been used for 7 total slots instead of 10 total slots. 10 slots is misleading because it's usually 2 or 3 slots from 3rd-level to 5th-level spells because it's a combined level total. The spells within circle spells can make a difference, but the best thing about circle spells is they allow for more opportunity to prepare ritual spells and utility spells. Number of spells known or prepared has the most impact at lower levels and where clerics and land circle druids have a strong feature with fast progression of spells known. Say for early feedback.
#9 mellored Jan 10, 2015 13:51:12	You should talk about how to best make use of the spellcasting feature. Like when to swap spells and such.
#10 1eejit Jan 10, 2015 14:14:45	I have no idea how you can rate silence as purple. It's an amazing spell both in and out of combat. Also a martial/gish druid is certainly not interchangeable with playing a ranger add you imply when discussing dragon born. Ranger spells are very limited in comparison whereas you can make several land druid builds with certain races and particularly multiclassing who will retain excellent spell progression with passable martial proficiency.
#11 Leugren Jan 10, 2015 14:19:17	1eejit wrote:
#12 Chameleon-X Jan 26, 2015 18:57:59	I don't really know why I rated it so low. I fixed it, though, and also updated the MC section.
#13 biopsiNC Jan 29, 2015 0:25:42	Looking forward to seeing more of this. Currently playing an arctic druid and loving it! Lots of utility with wild shape and fun spells.
#14 RealSeolfor Mar 04, 2015 9:24:32	I have no idea why Natural Spell Recovery is SO under-rated. Take the Cleric as a comparitive and why just level 20, lets compare earlier levels, say, level 12. People are complaining about no. of slots regained by the ability - i say, lets just keep it to ONE slot regained, but the highest level slot available i.e. level 6 spell slot from class level 12 onwards (the max allowed is level 6th, not 5th as the above guide says). Every Short rest youre gaining back your level 6 slot (and a typical adventuring day should have two short rests, and about 6 encounters) . That means compared to the Cleric who gets ONE level 6 spell per long rest (safely assuming, once per adventuring day), the Land Druid gets THREE level 6 spell slots: Cleric - Land Druid One - Three, per day One 'Heal' - Three 'Heal', per day One 'Heroes Feast' - Three 'Heroes Feast' per day One 'Create Undead' - 'Three 'Conjure Fey' per day How is this NOT a Golden class feature? Lets even compare a level 6 case i.e. Cleric gets THREE level 3 slots per day v/s Land Druid who recovers back one level 3 slot per short rest i.e. FIVE level 3 slots per day. Assuming 6 Encounters per day, that would mean Cleric gets to use his level 3 slot once every alternate encounter, v/s Land Druid, who uses it every encounter except one. Tempest Cleric - Land Druid Three - Five, per day Three 'Call Lightning' - Five 'Call Lightning', per day Three 'Animate Dead' - Five 'Conjure Animals' per day At level 2 Cleric gets THREE level one spells per day, v/s Land Druid who gets FIVE level one spell slots (with the assumed 2 short rests) TLDR: More level1+ casts = more fun = less auto attack/cantrip spamming rounds. (And without multi-classing and dumping feats, both the Cleric and Land Druid, are quite bad at regular rounds. Land Druids are simply limited to scaling Cantrip casting, while some Cleric domains allow a slightly better than basic melee hit due to Divine Strike) The really juicy level 5 and level 6 slots, the slots that really give the Casting classes their true power, which are at a super premium from level 9 through to 20, the Land Druid gets double or triple the casting, unless you have a DM who opposes the suggest 2 SRest per adventuring day suggested by the DMG.
#15 Chameleon-X Mar 05, 2015 10:22:28	RealSeolfor wrote:
#16 RealSeolfor Mar 06, 2015 3:51:46	Ah, I totally misread that - so I guess two corrections to my above post/understanding of Natural recovery: A) max spell level slot is 5th B) you can recover only during one short rest and then the feature doesn't work until after a long rest, meaning it's not double/triple casting of level 6 spells. It's more like an additional 5th level slot, once per day. Not bad, but not nearly as good as I thought with up to 3 level 6 slots per day (vs 1 for the cleric)
#17 Yunru Mar 06, 2015 5:47:57	Considering I've basically abandoned it, feel free to rip apart Lunar Wilds for ratings on the low CR Wildshape forms (and thus the ones Land Druids can turn into).
(Reply to #17) Chameleon-X	Yunru wrote:
#19 Kalani Mar 19, 2015 22:03:24	Chameleon-X wrote:
#20 mellored Mar 20, 2015 5:06:26	Agreed. Deep gnome is pretty much on par with forest gnome. The feat is also blue. Since you really need to compair it to the other feats.
#21 Chakrum Apr 01, 2015 23:38:41	Any plans to update the spells in this guide? Thanks for the time you put in to it.
(Reply to #21) Chameleon-X	Chakrum wrote:
#23 mellored Apr 15, 2015 18:34:53	i would add +2 Wis, +2 dex, and +2 con to the feat list.
(Reply to #23) Chameleon-X	mellored wrote:

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Chameleon-X

Jan 10, 2015 11:48:44

Though the Circle of the Moon Druid receives most of the attention (on account of being borderline broken), the Land Druid is still no pushover. With generally higher AC and the ability to cast more spells, as well as retaining access to Wild Shape for primarily utility purposes, the Circle of the Land Druid is an extremely versatile and effective magic-user. With a little bit of everything, it can fill nearly any role you want it to. Use this guide if you're looking to create a primary caster with both offensive and support capabilities, or if you just like the idea of summoning an army of wolves to devour your enemies!

1. Introduction

This guide will use the following ratings:

Red is crap. It is clearly worse than other options, or only useful in specific corner cases.

Purple is below average; its only useful in rare instances, and even then it's just okay.

Black is really meh. It can be good or bad, depending on your style, but there's definitely better stuff out there.

Blue is good. It's an above-average choice for most builds.

Sky Blue is great. It's better than most other options, and a solid choice for any Druid.

Gold is excellent. This is the borderline broken stuff that you pretty much have to take unless you care more about flavor than mechanical advantage.

2. Class Features

As a Land Druid, your class features are a bit sparse. However, you make up for this with an extremely versatile selection of spells, and the ability to cast more of them a day.

Druidic: This is largely a throwaway feature that will rarely come up, unless there happens to be another Druid in your party, or you run into a bunch of NPCs who can speak this "secret" language. It's basically just... there.

Chameleon-X

May 09, 2015 19:07:51

4. Races

Aarakocra: A home-game exclusive, and it's easy to see why. With a bonus to WIS and DEX and a Fly speed of 50ft. right out of the gate, this little gem soars right into the top spot right alongside Wood Elves and Variant Humans. They basically get no other class features (except their useless talons), but honestly, why would you need them when you can fly through the sky raining spells on people?

Dragonborn: The Dragonborn, sadly, make very poor Druids. Though their Breath Weapon and elemental resistance is of more use to a Land Druid than a Moon Druid, it gives a boost to two dump stats, and has little else to make up for it. If your build places heavy emphasis on weapon combat, then this might be better.

Dwarf, Hill: As in 4th edition, Dwarves make surprisingly good Druids, with a bonus to Wisdom and a quite useful boost to Constitution as well, and the extra HP make you just a bit tougher than the average Druid. Their resistance to Poison damage and proficiency with axes and hammers is not quite as useful to a Druid, but it does help to keep you safe from poison until Level 10. Darkvision is also a helpful thing to have, especially since you won't be using Wild Shape as much.

Dwarf, Mountain: Pretty much the only thing they have going for them is a boost to Constitution. They have all of the weak points of the Hill Dwarf, but provide nothing as an incentive. As a Druid, you need neither a boost to strength, nor training in light or medium armor (especially considering the "metal armor" problem).

Elf, Drow: Dark Elves offer little other than the standard bonus to Dexterity. Though you get a few spells, and superior darkvision, they key off Charisma, which is probably one of your dump stats. Add to that the Sunlight Sensitivity, and you have a recipe for a dead Druid. If your campaign takes place primarily underground, and your build focuses on a reasonably high Charisma, then this might be Okay, but still pretty niche.

Elf, High: This is okay, but not spectacular. The bonus to intelligence is probably wasted, though the extra language and cantrip can be nice. If you have a decent Intelligence score, you might be able to make use of this, especially if you choose a Utility cantrip like True Strike or Light.

Elf, Wood: Wonder of wonders, Wood Elves make fantastic Druids. Their ability scores are perfectly aligned, and their other features mesh extremely well to a sneaky scout-type Druid that patrols in front of the party in search of incoming threats.

Genasi, Air: A bonus to DEX and CON is not bad, and the ability to cast Levitate once a day can be handy until you gain flying forms at level 8. Unending breath is really nice too. Definitely one of the better Genasi, but the lack of a WIS bonus and any other notable class features keeps this from being Sky Blue.

Genasi, Earth: Easily the worst of the Genasi, for a Druid or otherwise. Pass Without Trace is a pretty nice spell, but it's already on your list, and seriously, how does being sneaky synergize with an Earth Elemental with a STR/CON boost? Even for the rare melee weapon Druid, you have much better options elsewhere.

Genasi, Fire: Probably the best of the four, all things considered, but sadly not too great as a Druid. Getting Produce Flame and Burning Hands for free are great bonuses, but the lack of scaling and reliance on Constitution (which you have little reason to ever boost) really kills the usefulness of these features later on. That being said, it's not horrible, and for specific builds you could do worse.

Genasi, Water : Now we're talking! A boost to Wisdom and Constitution, Acid Resistance, and two free spells (admittedly, not the best spells, but still). The ability to breathe underwater and the swim speed are also great benefits, especially if your campaign includes a lot of aquatic exploration. Overall, a fine pick for any Druid.

Goliath: I was glad to see these guys return, and they are pretty good, overall. They do get a bonus to Constitution, but without the Wisdom bonus they are really only suited to the odd melee weapon-focused Druid (or maybe a Multiclass character). That being said, they get a lot of great features that can still make them useful for niche builds, so they're not totally horrible.

Gnome, Deep:Largely equivalent to the Forest Gnome, with a few differences. Instead of free Minor Illusion and speaking with beasts, you get Superior Darkvision (without Sunlight Sensitivity attached) and Stone Camouflage, which is useful if you expect to be adventuring in rocky terrain a lot. The bonus to Dexterity is nice, too. If you take the associated feat this race becomes way better, obviously..

Gnome, Forest: Forest Gnomes are an interesting case. Their bonus to intelligence and small speed are of little use. However, they have a number of benefits that are useful to Druids, not the least of which is their blanket advantage against all mental magic! In addition, the Forest Gnome's bonus to Dexterity provides higher initiative, AC, and weapon attacks with ranged and finesse weapons, and their ability to speak with small beasts is, to say the least, appropriate for a Druid.

Gnome, Rock: Rock Gnomes provide most of the same drawbacks and benefits as Forest Gnomes, but their unique traits are a bit lacking for a Druid. Though a boost to CON is nice, it isn't as useful as the Forest Gnome's traits.

Half-Elf: Though the bonus to Charisma is usually wasted, the two variable boosts more than make up for it, and the rest of this race's traits combine to make a pretty appealing package. Two extra skills, an extra language, and Fey Ancestry make an exceptional party face.That being said, it's not as good as a pure Elf.

Halfling, Lightfoot: Halflings are decent as Druids due to their bonus to dexterity, Lucky, and their ability to hide behind larger creatures. However, the speed penalty and boost to Charisma don't help your case. Can still be useful for a stealth-focused Druid that likes to play the party face.

Halfling, Stout: A bit of toss-up, and largely equivalent to the Lightfoot. The resistance to poison is wasted after 10th level, but the bonus to constitution is more useful to most Druids than the Lightfoot's Charisma bonus. If you want to play a Halfling, the sub-race is largely a matter of preference.

Half-Orc: Surprisingly, a Half-Orc can make a fairly decent weapon-focused Land Druid. Though the bonus to strength does nothing for your spellcasting, the CON bonus is helpful for the added HP. Darkvision and Relentless Endurance are also broadly useful to all Druids, while Savage Attacks can be an interesting benefit for a Druid armed with a Staff and the Shillelagh spell.

Human, Default: As with most classes, the default human is lackluster. Most of those ability boosts will be of little use, and it has no other features.

Human, Variant: Likewise, the variant human is just as useful to Druids as it is most other classes, raising the question of why this wasn't the default to begin with. The free skill, language, and feat at 1st level more than make up for the loss of a few superfluous stat bumps.

Tiefling: The half-devil, unsurprisingly, doesn't make a good guardian of the natural world. It's ability boosts are both in likely dump stats, and its racial spells, while a nice addition, key off one of those dump stats. For a party face with the right ability scores, this might be slightly better, but you're still going to be a bit behind in your spell save DCs, AC, and Hit Points. Overall, still not an optimal choice.

Chameleon-X

Apr 16, 2015 11:25:57

5.1 - Ability Score Improvements

+2 STR: Not needed for the vast majority of builds, unless you reallly want to wield two-handed weapons and be a Druid.

+2 CON: Gives you more HP and better Concentration saves, but not strictly necessary for most Land Druids, who should be avoiding attacks rather than absorbing them.

+2 DEX: This is likely the best choice for your ABI's once your WIS is maxed. Unless you convinced your DM to give you non-metal Medium Armor, you're going to be relying on this for your AC. Also gives you more Iniative, finesse/ranged weapon competence, and boosts to Stealth (important for scout Druids).

+2 INT: Intelligence gives you basically nothing except boosts to knowledge skills and Investigation. Even with Nature being keyed off Intelligence, you can usually leave your 10 or 12 in this ability and be done with it.

+2 WIS: You are a primary caster, and this is your casting stat. As you can see below, there aren't really any feats that you absolutely HAVE to take as a Druid, so most builds will be better off maxing their Wisdom A.S.A.P.

+2 CHA: Most Druids aren't going to need this. If you didn't put your 10 in INT, you can safely put it here and be done with it. That being said, if you wanted to go the extra mile and take Inspiring Leader, then feel free to drop your 13 in here.

5.2 - Feats

feats

Alert: Especially with a control-focused Druid, higher initiative and the ability to avoid ambushes are good perks. In addition, if you regularly scout ahead far from the party, this feat could help protect you from hidden enemies getting the drop on you.

Athlete: Though this provides you more mobility, much of the benefit is less useful to a Druid, especially once you gain the ability to wild shape into creatures with a fly speed. That being said, it can be more useful if your DM is a big fan of including Free Running into your battles.

Actor: A waste of a feat. Performance and Persusion are invalidated by Charm Person, and if you want to mimic voices, just wild shape into a Raven.

Charger As a Land Druid, the last thing you're going to want to do is get all up in a dude's grill. That being said, a weapon-focused Druid may find this feat marginally useful.

Crossbow Expert: Good for a Druid that has proficiency with crossbows, but everyone else should avoid it.

Defensive Duelist: You are not generally going to be wielding a weapon, as that would prevent you from casting spells unless you have a free hand, or also have War Caster . If you do, then this feat becomes quite good.

Dual-Wielder: You have little reason to be wielding one weapon, let alone two.

Dungeon Delver: For a Druid who doubles as the party Rogue, this feat can be very useful for scouting dangerous dungeon passages.

Durable: Decent, but not as good as Toughness.

Elemental Adept: The Druid has a fair selection of elemental spells available, and this feat can be helpful. That being said, it would've been much better if it simply allowed a reroll (like Great Weapon Fighting) instead of changing 1s into 2s.

Grappler: If you are close enough to an enemy to grapple them, you have made a grave mistake.

Great Weapon Master: One of the most OP feats available, it nevertheless doesn't serve a Druid terribly well, as carrying a two-handed weapon would preclude spellcasting without War Caster, and why would a Druid be walking around with a Greatsword anyway? That being said, it is noteworthy that the feat's first benefit does not apply only to heavy weapons.

Healer: This feat makes turns the healer's kit from borderline useless to excellent. Though it doesn't provide much healing, being able to bring an unconscious ally up from 0 HP once per encounter is a great boon. If other party members have healing spells, you can bring them up to start a heal train that turns the tide of battle. The ten uses per kit limit is largely pointless, since they cost a mere 5gp a piece.

Heavily Armored/Heavy Armor Master: Unless you can convince your DM to give you a suit of Scale Mail made out of horn or leather, both of these feats are about as useless as a Popsicle in Alaska.

Inspiring Leader: For most Druids, this feat isn't going to be quite within your reach. If you put your 13 in Charisma, though, this feat is a great boost to your party's survivability. Being proactive makes it slightly more useful than Healer, in such cases.

Keen Mind: An idetic memory is cool and all, but not at the price of a precious feat and bump to a dump stat.

Lightly Armored: Need I specify why this feat is useless?

Linguist: A few extra languages and the ability to write ciphers can be useful, but it's not really top priority.

Lucky: This feat is good for almost any character, Druids included.

Mage Slayer: This has some synergy with your beast form, since unnarmed strikes are technically melee weapon attacks. Advantage on spells is nice too. However, tanking it up in melee is really more of a moon druid thing. That being

Magic Initiate: This is a hard feat to rate, since your mileage may very heavily based on your ability scores. If you focus on wisdom, your only real option is Cleric, but if you've got the points to spare you could branch out a bit. The once a day limitation is a little disheartening, but this feat becomes pretty useful if you can convince your DM that it lets you cast the chosen spell with your own slots.

Martial Adept: This feat could actually be interesting for a Druid that likes to use weapons. It's worth noting that the majority of the Battlemaster's maneuvers don't specify Melee Weapon Attacks, so you could still hang in the back and shoot a bow/crossbow if you don't want to mix it up in melee. That being said, for most builds it won't be worth giving up your +2 to Wisdom.

Medium Armor Master: If you have a Dexterity of 16 and have convinced your DM to give you a suit of Scale Mail that isn't made of metal, than this feat could be Worth it, but otherwise you should just stick to Light Armor like a good boy.

Mobile: Just the first two benefits can go a long way toward keeping you out of harm's way, and it's worth noting that the Thorn Whip cantrip, as a melee spell attack, qualifies for the third benefit. With this combo, you no longer have to worry about being pinned down in melee.

Moderately Armored: Useless.

Mounted Combatant: If you want to be dragoon Druid, this is a good feat. But for most Druids, it's not too useful.

Observant : Bumps your casting stat, and has some nice reconnaissance benefits for a stealthy scout-type Druid.

Polearm Master: For a Druid, this feat takes a little more work to be borderline broken than for most classes. Use a Staff as your Druidic Focus, drop Shiellelagh on it, and pick up this feat. Now you can mix it up in melee to your heart's content, with the added benefit of incentivizing enemies not to get near you unless they want to eat an AoO.

Resilient: You're already proficient in Wisdom saves, so the obvious choice here would be Constitution for your concentration spells. About as useful as it is to everyone.

Ritual Caster": You get this for free, so why burn a feat for more?

Savage Attacker: Might be okay for a weapon-focused Druid or one that likes to attack in beast form, but for most Druids this is largely useless.

Sentinel : You are a primary caster effectively restricted to light armor and all of your best spells use concentration. Need I say more?

Sharpshooter: Not too good for Druids, considering they don't get proficiency with bows or crossbows. For an Elf, this is Better, but unless you have some way of getting extra attacks, you're probably better off with Cantrips.

Shield Master: This feat is actually pretty decent. The first benefit is probably wasted unless you're a melee weapon Druid, but the defensive benefits are generally useful for any Druid.

Skilled: If you really, really want proficiency in a skill, and can't get it any other way. Alternatively, if you're subbing for a Rogue, and you'd like Theives' Tools prof.

Skulker: Actually pretty decent for a stealthy scout-type Druid. Sniping a dude from cover without being discovered is a lot easier to do with a bow or crossbow than with a ball of fire. Then again, the easiest way to get proficiency in bows and crossbows is to be an Elf, for whom this feat is effectively useless..

Spell Sniper: Pretty nice benefits, and you get an extra cantrip. The only problem is that your only real choices are Produce Flame and Thorn Whip, since the other WIS-based options don't require an attack roll. Becomes a lot better if you invest in Charisma, as then your options are expanded to include Chill Touch, Fire Bolt, Eldritch Blast, and Ray of Frost.

Svirfneblin Magic: Oh my... if this is a preview of what racial feats will be like in this edition, then sign me up! Not only are you effectively immune to divination magic forever, but they also throw in a once-a-day Blur, Blindness/Deafness , and Disguise Self, all without burning your spell slots. If you are Deep Gnome, this feat is probably why.

Tavern Brawler : Not terrible, but generally pointless unless you have a very specific build. It's only rated purple because you could, potentially, use this to grapple enemies with unarmed strikes in beast form.

Tough: A solid choice for any character, especially a squishy caster.

War Caster: This feat would be worth taking just for the first and last benefit, but it's practically mandatory if you want to go sword and board and still cast spells. That being said, it's not strictly necessary for a pure caster Druid, as you can easily just wield a Shield in one hand and leave the other hand free for casting.

Weapon Master: As with most characters, this feat's only real purpose is to pick up a weapon proficiency that you really want, but for some reason can't access otherwise. Honestly, though, if that's your problem, a one level dip into Cleric (War Domain) would be a MUCH better deal.

Chameleon-X

Apr 16, 2015 11:26:42

6. Multiclassing

multiclassing

For most Druids, the ability to ignore components is quite a benefit, though it may still be worthwhile to multiclass if you don't mind losing out on your capstone features. You get your ninth level spell slot at level 17, and Beast Spells a level after that. This means that you can take up to 3 levels of another class without sacrificing your spellcasting abilities. In general, this guide will assume you chose to play a Druid primarily for the spellcasting, so it will focus on what you can get with a 3 level dip into each class.

Barbarian

There is not a lot for a caster Druid here. You will have to pump Strength and Constitution, as well as maintaining a high Dexterity and Wisdom, in order to make this MC work. In addition, your inability to cast spells (or even concentrate on them) during a rage and the class's heavy focus on Melee Weapon attacks make this a non-starter for all but the most niche builds.

Bard

The Bard is an interesting choice, but a difficult one to make work correctly. You would have to have a high Charisma as well as Wisdom to make the best use of it, which leaves little room for pumping Dex and Con. You would gain access to some nice control spells, and the benefits of the Bard Colleges, so all in all it's not that bad of a trade-off if you plan to be a back-row buff-bot and/or Mezzer. However, it's nothing the Druid can't already do effectively enough by itself, and a few levels of Cleric would probably work better overall.

Cleric

You probably all saw this one coming, but the Cleric is an excellent class to MC with Druid. Depending on your DM's ruling, you could even start as a Cleric to enable you to wear metal armor, and then take the rest of your levels in Druid. For the low, low price of a few levels in Cleric you get Channel Divinity, Domain spells, a bunch of amazing buffs (*coughBlesscough*), and it uses the same Spellcasting stat, so there's almost no MAD to worry about. That, and since Clerics are full casters, you don't even fall that far behind the curve in your spellcasting abilities.

Fighter

Access to War Caster is what makes or breaks this MC, as you won't be getting far without it. If you can pick it up from being a Variant Human or at level 4, then this build can be an interesting choice. Take a Light Armored Dex-Fighter and focus on Finesse Weapons or Archery, and you should have plenty of points left to bump your Wisdom enough to be an effective Druid. You get more HP, Second Wind, Action Surge, and (depending on your DM) the ability to wear metal armor if you start as a Fighter. If you've got the INT to spare, you can even go Eldritch Knight to poach some nice Wizard spells, though this starts to verge into MAD territory. In addition, your spellcasting is going to take a serious hit if you take more than a few levels of this class (which you're probably going to want to do for Extra Attack).

Monk

Who needs metal armor when you have Kung Fu? This class synergizes quite well with the Druid, especially if you use a Staff as your Druidic Focus. Either use Martial Arts to Finesse it, or cast Shillelagh to use your Wisdom, and take advantage of the free unarmed attacks and Flurry of Blows. Since you're going to want to keep your hand open anyway, this build also doesn't rely on War Caster to function. In addition, depending on how your DM rules the Martial Arts and Unarmored Defense features, these benefits also carry over to your Beast Form (how would you like to play as "Kung Fu Panda"?). Overall, a very solid MC choice for just about any Druid.

Paladin

You have to have pretty high Strength and Charisma to even attempt this MC, and at that point you're already drifting into MAD territory. Divine Smite and Lay on Hands are nice, but probably not worth it for most Druids. If you want a melee Druid, you're probably better off choosing a class that synergizes better (e.g. the Cleric). For niche builds, this could be an interesting choice, and especially flavorful if you choose Oath of the Ancients, but optimizers will want to steer clear of the Pally.

Ranger

The Ranger is generally a pretty lackluster class, but it can still be worth it for a melee Druid that doesn't want to take a major hit to their spellcasting. Though it's not the best MC option, it's also not a completely terrible choice; you get a Fighting Style at level two, and a couple of extra spells (including Hunter's Mark ), and the ability scores synergize perfectly. If you want to play a melee Druid that doesn't lose a lot of spell power, the Ranger is a good bet. However, be aware that your first level of Ranger is basically a dead level, since you don't really get anything worthwhile until level 2.

Rogue

Here's another amazing combination, especially for the sneaky scout type Druid. You get Expertise, Cunning Action, and Sneak Attack, all for just two levels of Rogue (allowing you to still pick up Beast Spells at Level 18). Prowl around in Beast Form and pounce on unsuspecting prey for the extra Sneak Attack damage (after all, an Unarmed Strike is still a weapon attack), then Cunning Action yourself back into the bush before they even know you're there. In humanoid form, you can use Cunning Action to maneuver around enemies and stay out of harm's way, or dart in, cast a spell, and dart away. All in all, a solid choice.

Sorcerer

Another sub-optimal choice which nevertheless has some potential. You would need to pump Charisma and Wisdom to make this work, but with the Dragon Sorcerer's AC bonus this may not be too much of a burden to bear. In exchange for a few levels of Sorc you get to poach some good blasting spells, and your spellcasting doesn't take that much of a hit either. That being said, if you really wanted to be a blaster, you probably should've just played a Wizard.

Warlock

The same problems as the Sorcerer, but a few more perks. If your DM rules that Eldritch Invocations scale with Character Level (not Warlock level), then you're free to have a blast (an Eldritch blast... get it?) with just a few levels of Warlock. You also gain a few good Mezzing spells, and a few bonus spell slots, but you'll have to be careful about spreading your ability scores too thin.

Wizard

Once again, a niche build that has some interesting options, but presents some serious drawbacks. First of all, your Intelligence will have to be pretty high to make use of the potent blaster spells the Wizard is known for, and that's going to put a big strain on your ABIs. Unlike the Sorc or Warlock, the Wizard has no method of counteracting this problem, other than to dump Dex and just constantly have Mage Armor going. Second, to really get the most out of being a Wizard, you're probably going to have to get at least to 3rd level spells, which is going to cut into your Druid spell levels. But, if you're okay with sacrificing some higher level slots to get access to Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Haste, and so forth, then by all means, take a night class at Hogwarts.

Chameleon-X

May 09, 2015 19:01:14

7.1 Spells

The following ratings are based not only on the utility of the spell, but also how likely you are to want to have it prepared on a regular basis. In addition, ratings will also take into account whether or not you should spend a spell slot on such spells. This means that most ritual spells will have a low rating, since there's rarely any reason to burn a spell slot when you could just cast it as a ritual.

Spells marked with a (*) are specific to the Elemental Evil adventure path. Thus, they may not be available to all Druids in AL settings.

Level 0 Spells (Cantrips)

Create Bonfire: It's not horrible as an area denial spell, but the fact that it uses your concentration slot hurts this spell's utility. Better if you lock down the enemy so it has no choice but to stay in the bonfire and roast, but still not amazing.

*Control Flames: This is an interesting spell for the aspiring midnight arsenist. At face value, it would seem to be a simple flavorful elemental control spell with few practical uses, until you reread the first use and realize YOU CAN SET A DUDE'S WHOLE HOUSE ABLAZE IN UNDER FIVE MINUTES! Since the spell says nothing about the fire you spread burning out if you move it to a new square, you can recast this spell every six seconds to fill up to 10 squares with flame in one minute. Assuming the average two-story house is a 20 foot cube, you can have the whole place wreathed in flames before the owner even gets out of bed!

Druidcraft: This is the Primal equivalent to Prestidigitation and Thaumaturgy. As such, it is difficult to rate, as it largely relies on how creative you are in its usage. That being said, it's definitely the least useful of the three, generally speaking.

*Frostbite:The Druid's answer to Vicious Mockery, it does slightly more damage in a slightly less useful type, with a slightly less useful effect keyed to a slightly less useful save. Overall, though, "not as good as Vicious Mockery" is a weak insult to give a cantrip.

Guidance: An excellent spell if you remember to use it often. Also of note, it can apply to Initiative rolls.

*Gust: Basically a poor man's Mage Hand, it requires a bit of positioning to be useful, but it does have the added benefit of being able to push creatures.

*Magic Stone: Interesting, but the lack of damage scaling puts it seriously behind other cantrips. It's basically a way of giving nearby warrior types a decent ranged attack in a pinch, but since it uses your bonuses anyway, why not just use Produce Flame and let them throw a normal rock?

Mending: Borderline useless except in specific situations.Once Warforged get an official release, though, this might actually become useful if your DM translates "repair" into "heals HP."

*Mold Earth: Another basic Elemental control spell that's big on flavor and light on in-combat utility. I suppose if you had time you could use this to fill a battlefield with difficult terrain, but other than that, there are better spells out there.

Poison Spray: Wow, what a turd. Basically, the only thing going for this spell is that it's the most damaging cantrip available to Druids. However, it has no other effects, deals Poison damage (commonly resisted), and has a range of TEN FEET! At that range, wouldn't you just be better off picking up a reach weapon and smaking someone?

Produce Flame: This will be the go-to cantrip for the majority of Druids. It does pretty decent damage, scales well, and also has a utility function by producing light. Essentially, it's like Fire Bolt and Dancing Lights rolled into one.

Resistance: Not nearly as useful as Guidance, since you have to know you're going into a fight with a creature that has some nasty save-or-suck abilities, it only wards one person, and has to be reapplied after every save. In my opinion, this is a spell that really should've been a bonus action.

*Shape Water: As you might have guessed, this is another flavor spell. I suppose you could try using it to redirect the flow of a 5-foot wide river to drown a village of Goblins, or something, or slowly making an ice bridge across a lake 2 squares at a time, but that's about it.

Shillelagh: If you use a staff as a focus, you want this spell. Even if you don't plan on fighting in melee, it takes a single bonus action to use and lasts the whole fight. You'll not only have a backup weapon in case you're pinned in melee, but you also can take advantage of the odd Opportunity Attack that comes your way. As mentioned above, taking Polearm Master along with this spell can also be an extremely effective combination.

Thorn Whip This is an interesting cantrip in that it allows you to make a melee spell attack at range, and it's your only cantrip that provides you with battlefield control. Combined with the Mobile feat, you can use this cantrip for all kinds of shenanigans. Pull up next to your Fighter or Barbarian, Thorn Whip an enemy to pull them toward you, and then run away to let your meat shield deal with him.

*Thunderclap: New Thunderwave Lite, now with 30% less soft control! Seriously, though, it's a decent spell, and helps fill the painfully empty niche of AoE cantrips. Not a bad third pick for your bonus cantrip.

Chameleon-X

Jan 10, 2015 11:53:08

8. Reserved

(You can post now)

awaken_D_M_golem

Jan 10, 2015 12:09:59

Thanks for taking this up.

I like it, that Druids are no longer just a Celtic Mythos thing.

Rather now a Druid Of The Wastes or Underdark is possible.

Leugren has a Wildshape Conc and Non-Conc spell list here:

http://community.wizards.com/comment/51251481#comment-51251481

Ashrym

Jan 10, 2015 13:01:22

Natural recovery isn't as good is indicated. It doesn't provide that many slots. A 20th level druid might, for example, recover up to 4 1st-level slots and 3 2nd-level slots if those had been used for 7 total slots instead of 10 total slots. 10 slots is misleading because it's usually 2 or 3 slots from 3rd-level to 5th-level spells because it's a combined level total. The spells within circle spells can make a difference, but the best thing about circle spells is they allow for more opportunity to prepare ritual spells and utility spells. Number of spells known or prepared has the most impact at lower levels and where clerics and land circle druids have a strong feature with fast progression of spells known. Say for early feedback.

mellored

Jan 10, 2015 13:51:12

You should talk about how to best make use of the spellcasting feature. Like when to swap spells and such.

#10

1eejit

Jan 10, 2015 14:14:45

I have no idea how you can rate silence as purple. It's an amazing spell both in and out of combat. Also a martial/gish druid is certainly not interchangeable with playing a ranger add you imply when discussing dragon born. Ranger spells are very limited in comparison whereas you can make several land druid builds with certain races and particularly multiclassing who will retain excellent spell progression with passable martial proficiency.

#11

Leugren

Jan 10, 2015 14:19:17

1eejit wrote:

#12

Chameleon-X

Jan 26, 2015 18:57:59

I don't really know why I rated it so low. I fixed it, though, and also updated the MC section.

#13

biopsiNC

Jan 29, 2015 0:25:42

Looking forward to seeing more of this. Currently playing an arctic druid and loving it! Lots of utility with wild shape and fun spells.

#14

RealSeolfor

Mar 04, 2015 9:24:32

I have no idea why Natural Spell Recovery is SO under-rated. Take the Cleric as a comparitive and why just level 20, lets compare earlier levels, say, level 12. People are complaining about no. of slots regained by the ability - i say, lets just keep it to ONE slot regained, but the highest level slot available i.e. level 6 spell slot from class level 12 onwards (the max allowed is level 6th, not 5th as the above guide says).

Every Short rest youre gaining back your level 6 slot (and a typical adventuring day should have two short rests, and about 6 encounters) . That means compared to the Cleric who gets ONE level 6 spell per long rest (safely assuming, once per adventuring day), the Land Druid gets THREE level 6 spell slots:

Cleric - Land Druid

One - Three, per day

One 'Heal' - Three 'Heal', per day

One 'Heroes Feast' - Three 'Heroes Feast' per day

One 'Create Undead' - 'Three 'Conjure Fey' per day

How is this NOT a Golden class feature?

Lets even compare a level 6 case i.e. Cleric gets THREE level 3 slots per day v/s Land Druid who recovers back one level 3 slot per short rest i.e. FIVE level 3 slots per day.

Assuming 6 Encounters per day, that would mean Cleric gets to use his level 3 slot once every alternate encounter, v/s Land Druid, who uses it every encounter except one.

Tempest Cleric - Land Druid

Three - Five, per day

Three 'Call Lightning' - Five 'Call Lightning', per day

Three 'Animate Dead' - Five 'Conjure Animals' per day

At level 2 Cleric gets THREE level one spells per day, v/s Land Druid who gets FIVE level one spell slots (with the assumed 2 short rests)

TLDR:

More level1+ casts = more fun = less auto attack/cantrip spamming rounds. (And without multi-classing and dumping feats, both the Cleric and Land Druid, are quite bad at regular rounds. Land Druids are simply limited to scaling Cantrip casting, while some Cleric domains allow a slightly better than basic melee hit due to Divine Strike)

The really juicy level 5 and level 6 slots, the slots that really give the Casting classes their true power, which are at a super premium from level 9 through to 20, the Land Druid gets double or triple the casting, unless you have a DM who opposes the suggest 2 SRest per adventuring day suggested by the DMG.

#15

Chameleon-X

Mar 05, 2015 10:22:28

RealSeolfor wrote:

#16

RealSeolfor

Mar 06, 2015 3:51:46

Ah, I totally misread that - so I guess two corrections to my above post/understanding of Natural recovery:

A) max spell level slot is 5th

B) you can recover only during one short rest and then the feature doesn't work until after a long rest, meaning it's not double/triple casting of level 6 spells. It's more like an additional 5th level slot, once per day.

Not bad, but not nearly as good as I thought with up to 3 level 6 slots per day (vs 1 for the cleric)

#17

Yunru

Mar 06, 2015 5:47:57

Considering I've basically abandoned it, feel free to rip apart Lunar Wilds for ratings on the low CR Wildshape forms (and thus the ones Land Druids can turn into).

(Reply to #17)

Chameleon-X

Yunru wrote:

#19

Kalani

Mar 19, 2015 22:03:24

Chameleon-X wrote:

#20

mellored

Mar 20, 2015 5:06:26

Agreed. Deep gnome is pretty much on par with forest gnome.

The feat is also blue. Since you really need to compair it to the other feats.

#21

Chakrum

Apr 01, 2015 23:38:41

Any plans to update the spells in this guide? Thanks for the time you put in to it.

(Reply to #21)

Chameleon-X

Chakrum wrote:

#23

mellored

Apr 15, 2015 18:34:53

i would add +2 Wis, +2 dex, and +2 con to the feat list.

(Reply to #23)

Chameleon-X

mellored wrote: