Xanathar’s Guide to Everything contains a page of useful suggestions to help DMs adjudicate what beasts a druid may have seen at the start of a campaign, and you can keep track of the additional beasts you’ve seen over the course of play. A word of caution to DMs who allow multi-classing. Given the context, I assume this should be "lightning". Best Level 5 Druid Spell: Reincarnate. Like a cleric, you have your entire class spell list available to you whenever you prepare spells at the start of the day. I totally agree about the concentration! This feat goes a long way. At 10th level, you can expend two uses of Wild Shape at the same time to transform into an air elemental, an earth elemental, a fire elemental, or a water elemental. Druid - Circle of the Moon Build. The Circle of the Moon is a melee frontliner at heart. If you want more advice for building a druid, check out Druid 101. Circle of The Eldritch Moon Spells Blue: Fantastic options, often essential to the function of your character. At 4th level, you get to gain either an Ability Score Increase or a feat. Druidcraft is another good first choice, since it lets you perform all manner of minor, “druid-y” tricks. In general, land druids are full casters with an extra set of useful spells derived from their terrain of choice. Since you will be doing most of your fighting in beast form, at least for the first several levels of your adventuring career, you’re safe to focus on learning spells that are useful outside of combat. Druids have a lot of concentration control spells. It's a wonderful resource when I planned my "go to" shapes in the character builder. A tiny peal of thunder. Druids are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they ma… Circle of Moon druids are amazing at lower levels, decent at higher ones, but once you have infinite wild shapes, the class is broken. Barkskin into Brown Bear. Druids of the Circle of the Moon are masters of changing their form. The moon reflected off of the shimmering feathers on the back of her wings, and her beady eyes scanned the plains. 3rd Level - 2nd level spells Spike Growth and/or Healing Spirit. A shimmering cloud of silver mist shrouded her as she soared upward—then burst into faint wisps as a massive winged pterosaur, a quetzalcoatlus, emerged from within. Even when the moon hides from the sky, its power can always be felt. You can cast spells and transform as a bonus action infinite times. Their order gathers under the full moon to share news and trade warnings. in this and other magic-user focused articles. The only challenge here is that Moon Druids tend to need quick access to higher CR beasts to stay combt relevant, and dipping into fighter does slow that down. Transmutation. Even then, if you’re forced to rely on your humanoid form, you still have the spellcasting power of a druid to help you and your party. “But…” Without finishing her thought, the druid took off running. Produce flame is a good choice, since it can serve as both offense and utility. Unfortunately most wild shape forms have low AC and relatively low constitution scores, making maintaining concentration difficult without further investment (war caster, Resilient Constitution). With these abilities and a fierce commitment to protecting the natural world, these Druids are a powerful ally for any party! The druid gains access to four subclass features at 2nd, 6th, 10th, and 14th level. You can prepare any 1st-level spells from the druid spell list, but you can use this list of suggested spells to prepare an all-purpose spell loadout that will serve you in most circumstances. She extended her arms and struck the ground with both feet, and sprung into the air. RAI, I'd be inclined to allow war caster to work in wild shape since you can cast a concentration spell, assume wild shape, and maintain that spell while in wild shape unless you take damage and fail your concentration check. 4. 2. Please enable JavaScript to get the best experience from this site. Watch headings for an "edit" link when available. Try to limit the number of concentration spells you prepare to no more than 1/3 of your spell loadout on any given adventuring day. These spells, cast by a non-druid… Find out what you can do. And since you lose that ability in wild shape then, so the argument goes, you lose access to the feat. Since your Wild Shape lasts for a minimum of 1 hour (a number of hours equal to half your druid level, that is), you can likely stay in Wild Shape for multiple combats, unless your form runs out of hit points. By choosing this circle you will be able to shape into more powerful Wild Shapes like the Polar Bear. More hit points and being able to add your Constitution modifier to all Constitution saving throws (which includes concentration checks) has proven extremely useful. Great article as always. Try to choose one spell labeled SUPPORT and two labeled UTILITY. Here are a couple of suggestions to try and mitigate this: If you're in a campaign that uses multi class rules (Talk to your DM) Moon druid pairs very well with a level or two of Monk or Barbarian. Weapon and Armor Proficiency:Druids are proficient with the following weapons: club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, sickle, shortspear, sling, and spear. Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. That effect is that "Your speed increases by 10 feet" which any animal form should be physically capable of doing, so it should apply in Wild Shape. This is usually a sound idea, especially if your campaigns often only have one or two large encounters, rather than several small ones, in between rests. Click here to toggle editing of individual sections of the page (if possible). If you allow it and your Druidariam wants to take animal totem, you might think about a compromise where they only get the benefit of certain rage mechanics while wild shaped as that animal. I could have used this a month or two ago when I started playing my Moon druid :P It'd be even better if it suggested some go-to Wild Shape options. Increasing your ability scores makes you better at a wide variety of things; for instance, increasing your Wisdom score makes it harder for enemies to resist your spells, makes it easier for you to hit with your spells, and also makes you better at making Wisdom checks. Druid Circle of the Moon? As a 1st-level druid, you know two cantrips and can prepare a number of 1st-level spells equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier. Though all druids have access to elemental spells, The Circle of the Moon carries a primal ferocity. Monks unarmored defense will give most beasts increased AC (depending on your wisdom modifier), and the barbarians Rage feature helps mitigate damage you would take while in beast form. As you go on adventures and learn what dangers your character tends to face, you can personalize your spell loadout. Two typos: Detect Magic is concentration, and the Mobile feat is useless when wild shaped, since you replace your movement speed(s). The druid smiled to herself—not that her prehistoric beak allowed her to actually smile—and dove downward. The Circle of the Spirit looks to leverage the two core aspects of a Druid and make them work in harmony. You’ll not see the other Circles provide quite as much combat control while in animal shape. And then, a flash of light. You can make your own, too! This can make it tempting to focus entirely on your mental ability scores, and let Wild Shape pick up the slack for your physical scores. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, their respective logos, and all Wizards titles and characters are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. Not only does this give them incredible offensive power, but this transformation also comes with (essentially) 34 to 37 free hit points. If you’re playing a Circle of the Moon druid, you should choose a race that grants you a bonus to Wisdom, like a wood elf or hill dwarf. Once you hit 18th level (so maybe take the feat late in the game) you can cast a lot of spells in wild shape form. You can choose any feat you want to support your character concept, but there are some feats that may be more useful to your character than others. Even though they remain incredibly durable, they’re no longer tripling their hit point maximum twice per short rest. Below that level your point is solid. The cry rang like a bell, and then faded. Choosing an Ability Score Increase lets you increase one ability score by +2 (such as increasing your Wisdom score from 16 to 18) or increase two ability scores by +1 (like increasing your Wisdom from 15 to 16 and your Constitution score from 13 to 14). 2nd Level They use the art of Wild Shape, which all druids possess in some form, has been made into a weapon by these druids, who use the ferocity of beasts rather than the power of magic to defend the natural world. I think the DM has to plan ahead in terms of how to challenge a level 20 druid in combat, but that's probably true of all level 20 characters. The rules do actually say that if you lose a feat's prerequisite then you can't use the feat until you regain the prerequisite. Like all druids, those who gather in the Circle of the Moon protect the wilderness from those who would do it harm, or use it to harm others. Baldur’s Gate 3: Druid subclass information – The Circle of the Moon vs. the Circle of the Land. As mentioned in the article the class starts off with incredible staying power, but drops off in the higher levels. 4th Level - Take War Caster Feat. Changeable as the moon, a druid of this circle might prowl as a great cat one night, soar over the treetops as an eagle the next day, and crash through the undergrowth in bear form to drive off a trespassing monster. Her quarry was close. We’ve completed our first full rotation of the twelve classes, and exhausted all the content that the Basic Rules have to offer—as far as classes go, that is. Choose that land— Arctic, coast, Desert, Forest, Grassland, Mountain, or swamp —and consult the associated list of Spells. Moreover, you get to select a particular subclass. This use of Teleportation Circle is special. Moon druids are full casters with a limited but scaling form of the polymorph spell as their extra spells. Second wind and action surge are always fantastic to have around, but all Maneuvers function in wild shape forms and make for great fun things to do instead of just swinging. Conclusion – Our Take on the Circle of the Shepherd. Druid spells are powerful when cast by a trained and experienced Druid. Druids of the Circle of the Moon are fierce guardians of the wilds. There is always the drawback of slower spell and Wild Shape progression but I think it's definitely worth considering, especially if you want to go full Kung Fu Panda! Check out the other guides in the Class 101 series, like the broad overview of the druid class in Druid 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Channeling Nature’s Might, and Druid 101: Circle of the Land. The rites of your circle grant you the ability to transform into more dangerous animal forms. Light shines through the armor of a fallen companion as a mage prepares to help him to the next life. Something this article doesn't touch on much is the use of concentration spells while in wild shape. Check out how this page has evolved in the past. Fortunately, your spell selection is more important to your continued survival than your equipment selection, so just choose whatever tools you think would be useful. Starting at 6th level, your attacks in beast form count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Later on, able to … Gathering only occasionally under the cloak of darkness to discuss news or pass on warnings, Druids of the Moon often went weeks without seeing another druid or even simply another humanoid. Druids have great synergies with wizards, especially Circle of the Moon Druids. Additionally, while you are transformed by Wild Shape, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to regain 1d8 hit points per level of the spell slot expended. Green: Good options. By 14th level, you have learned to use magic to alter your physical form in more subtle ways. Red: Bad, useless options, or options which are extremely situational. Circle Spells. Circle of the Moon – This Druidic Circle helps Druids focus on transformation via Wild Shape. Druid: Circle of Dreams. It's been said quite a bit, but not here: Circle of the Moon is the best class for characters who have suboptimal rolled stats. If you gain access to a spell that doesn't appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you. You can read all of the Circle of the Moon features in the Player’s Handbook. Circle of Moon druids are amazing at lower levels, decent at higher ones, but once you have infinite wild shapes, the class is broken. Unlike the Circle of the Land, the Circle of the Moon provides much less variety and focuses on the Wild Shape feature instead of boosting a druid’s spellcasting roster and ability. Sentinel. Circle of the Moon Features The Circle of the Moon draws upon the magical and transformative powers of the moon itself to allow druids to take on powerful forms. I'm not convinced this is broken. As soon as your Druid reaches degree 2, you’ll be capable of add an additional degree 1 spell. Nevertheless, players wanting to play a druid purely because they can shape-shift would be silly not to choose the Circle of the Moon. Moreover, you get to select a particular subclass. All of the following are classfeatures of the druid. Baldur’s Gate 3: Druid subclass guide – The Circle of the Moon vs. the Circle of the Land. Remember; you can only transform into beasts that you’ve seen. They haunt the deepest parts of the wilderness, where they might go for weeks on end before crossing paths with another humanoid creature, let alone another druid. Once your Druid reaches level 2, you’ll be able to add an extra level 1 spell. Use your mastery of transformation to change your humanoid form’s features. A great write up as always! If you turn into a creature with a multiattack, you can even try to fish for crits, then double your smite damage when you use it. “I had hoped to save this for the battle,” she mused. Since Wisdom is your key ability score, this +1 can help. You ignore the Max. The strength of a bear, the speed of a tiger, and the eyes of an eagle… This Druid takes the form of whatever beast is most helpful at the moment. Have you ever played a Circle of the Moon druid? They haunt the deepest parts of the wilderness, where they might go for weeks on end before crossing paths with another humanoid creature, let alone another druid. Nevertheless, when playing a druid, I like to have a typical spell list that my druid always has prepared—unless I specifically choose otherwise. View wiki source for this page without editing. As a DM, I would probably allow it anyway, but I have to admit that RAW suggests you can't use War Caster in wild shape. If you find yourself going into dungeons a lot, this feat can save your life. This week, we delve into the forest primeval and howl at the moon, issuing a prayer to Selûne in the tongue of beasts. Append content without editing the whole page source. Something does not work as expected? Perhaps you were a street urchin who fled from the streets of Waterdeep and were saved by a druidic master and taken to the heart of the High Forest where you were trained in the druidic arts—or so on. View and manage file attachments for this page. Odds are, your Wisdom modifier will be either +2 or +3 right now, so you’ll be able to choose either three or four 1st-level spells whenever you complete a long rest. Your mystical connection to the moon infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. Anyway, great article! James Haeck is the lead writer for D&D Beyond, the co-author of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, and the Critical Role Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, a member of the Guild Adepts, and a freelance writer for Wizards of the Coast, the D&D Adventurers League, and other RPG companies. She strode across the salt flats, tasting the frigid air as it scoured the cracked ground beneath her feet. Note that this list only includes some spells from the Player's Handbook, so if you want to choose more unusual spells, or have other sources like Xanathar's Guide to Everything, you'll have to do a little self-directed research. Firstly, Druids of the circle are able to Wild Shape as a bonus action rather than a full action, allowing it to be accessed much more flexibly. Druids of the Circle of the Moon are fierce guardians of the wilds. The Circle of the Shepherd is far from bad, but is semi-reliant on an ability that comes up only on rests. :P It'd be even better if it suggested some go-to Wild Shape options. I am actually playing a moon druid myself in a game and, being fortunate enough to start with an 18 wisdom, decided to take the Resilient Feat instead for Constitution. Unfortunately, the incredible staying power that Circle of the Moon druids possess at low levels drops off as they grow in level. Low level free ride :). CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the other limitations there. Their order gathers under the full moon to share news and trade warnings. I had the opportunity to play a Tortle Moon Druid in a ToA campaign and I had a blast with it. Adopt a combat wild shape, allowing you to use the Wild Shape feature more quickly and adopt stronger forms, and even magically heal yourself while in this form. A single use of Wild Shape (and don’t forget, a druid can use Wild Shape twice between short rests) essentially triples the druid’s maximum hit points. I will use the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks, which is simple to understand and easy to read at a glance. A spell gained from a Circle requires a spell slot to cast, but it counts as a Druid spell and is always prepared The Circle Spells feature is similar for each subclass of Druid and below I will quote the one from the Circle of the Land Druid Your mystical connection to the land infuses you with the ability to … If your gaming group owns a copy of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, what kind of biome your druid grew up in could play a role in what Wild Shape forms you know from the beginning of the game. Click here to edit contents of this page. Their mission was not to protect a copse of trees from the woodsman, their mission was to protect the entire world from the threats beyond the Sphere. Since you can use this feature twice per short rest, most druids will be able to stay in beast form at almost all times during combat. Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under, Help and references for the Smallworld Community. Much like Wicca, Druidism is a way of life, and all of its philosophy and teachings inform the associated spell work. How dare you stand where Robert Jordan stood. Notify administrators if there is objectionable content in this page. This is a great article. Once you’ve increased your Wisdom score to 20 (its maximum value), or even just to 18 (a pretty good value), you may want to choose a feat. But the power lies mostly in the spell caster. Discussion. So that by RAW then goes out the window at high levels, assuming the campaign goes that high. A tiny crackle of lighting on the surface of the ground. The druid—now in a beast form with a wingspan over thirty feet wide and a beak longer than her humanoid form was tall—soared over the salt flats. Beasts have huge pools of HP but they're easy to hit. Be warned that many druid spells require concentration, and you can only concentrate on one spell at once. Class is back in session. I'm currently playing a Moon Druid / Battlemaster Fighter combo. Nevertheless, choosing a race that improves your Dexterity and Constitution isn’t a bad thing—there will be times in your adventuring career that you find yourself in combat with all your Wild Shape uses exhausted, so you can only rely on your own Armor Class and hit points to survive. Wisdom is your most important ability score, since it governs your spellcasting abilities. A tiny peal of thunder. Think of wild shape being similar to temp hp and you'll get a better picture of how much damage you have to dish out. Nevertheless it's still an option to keep in mind, especially given the amount of powerful concentration spells the druid has. Changeable as the moon, a druid of … Druid: Circle of the Moon Read More » A character who tugs on her braid in annoyance? If you’re interested in playing other classes, check out the entire Class 101 series. This saves me the trouble of having to re-select all my spells at the start of each day. Favored by those who preferred a more solitary path, the Circle of the Moon was an ancient association of druids devoted to the mastery of the Wild Shape. If you don’t own this book, you and your DM can simply discuss what Wild Shape options you have access to starting at 2nd level. . As long as the target creature has not been dead longer than 10 days, the spell forms a new body for the creature’s soul to enter. I'm pretty sure the Mobile Feat still applies when Wild Shaped. Create BonfireEEPC / XGtE: This spell is fantastic for the Druid. This feat is essentially half a feat, since its effects are minor, and you also gain a +1 bonus to Wisdom when you choose it. You can cast the Alter Self spell at will. The wild is in the druid's blood. See pages that link to and include this page. View/set parent page (used for creating breadcrumbs and structured layout). If you’re playing the Circle of the Moon druid, you can spend some of those spell slots on more damage instead of spells. Her strides grew wider, first two, then four, then six, even ten feet apart as she bounded across the desert. Druid 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Channeling Nature’s Might. You don’t choose your subclass until 2nd level, but you can still carve out your role in the party through your spell selection before you officially join the Circle of the Moon. Overcome your foes’ resistance to nonmagical damage while in Wild Shape. Do Druid Spells actually work? The druid gains access to four subclass features at 2nd, 6th, 10th, and 14th level. I'd personally say that single-classed characters without feats are … 1 Circle Of The Moon While the majority of Druidic Circles focus on the spells being cast by a given druid, Druids of the Moon prioritize their Wild shaping. There's a little bit of controversy here (so I've seen), since the War Caster feat has a prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell. It's a lot harder to make this type of druid feel the pain of combat compared to the other members of the party. Starting at 6th level, you can transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down. 1. Selecting EQUIPMENT when building a 1st-level druid will make your life easier, as most druids don’t have to worry too much about what equipment they carry. If you have a high Wisdom score and can prepare additional spells, choose others of your choice. To aid in this, all concentration spells on this list are listed as such. I assume you're talking combat, specifically (correct me if I'm wrong). Moon Circle Druid Wood Elf Druid. Great guide! I haven't seen all the builds in 5e or played with many system optimizers (people I play with make what sounds fun even if it's not the "best" build) but the high CR wild shape plus full caster class seems very powerful. Features that were incredibly useful, like being able to spend spell slots for hit points, dissolve into only having niche application—especially as high-level spells tend to be far more useful than simply dealing and taking damage. Your druid’s environment is described in chapter 1 of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and you can choose from any of the options listed. Some beast forms make great use of grappling, especially at low levels. “They use the art of Wild Shape, which all druids possess in some form, [???] She opened her enormous beak and released a shrill, shuddering cry into the evening air. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to Circle Spells connected to the land where you became a druid. And then, a flash of light. Abilities like Primal Strike and Elemental Wild Shape help ensure that your transformations remain relevant, even as your enemies grow more challenging. Using Wild Shape to provide massive health barriers and choosing forms that lock enemies down, the Moon Circle is by far the best Wild Shaper. According to the section in the PHB on wild shape "You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so." What advice would you give to players that want to make a character like this? ©2021 D&D Beyond | All Rights Reserved | Powered by Fandom Games. Feats, on the other hand, give you a special ability that could be more helpful in a specific circumstance, as opposed to the broad improvement that an Ability Score Increase could give you. Both of these races already have a natural connection to the land itself, and thematically match the class, making them a perfect fit! Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Human Druid. Throwing one down before becoming an animal and then keeping up while in best shape is really helpful! Similar to a cleric, druids know all of the spells on their spell list, but can only prepare a certain number of them per day. If you want to discuss contents of this page - this is the easiest way to do it. Wikidot.com Terms of Service - what you can, what you should not etc. But not all druids are the same. Are they OP? has been made into a weapon by these druids, who use the ferocity of beasts rather than the power of magic to defend the natural world.”. Since you’re a melee fighter while in Wild Shape, you can take this feat to become a powerful defender. Silence reigned. This next wave of the Class 101 series will appraise every subclass within the Player’s Handbook and break down each subclass’s strengths, weaknesses, thematic elements, and everything else a player would want to know before playing that subclass. A look at the fun - but overpowered- Circle of the Moon Druid, with revised Wild Shape table, and other suggestions for your 5e D&D gaming table. A 2nd-level druid can transform into beasts with a challenge rating of 1 or lower, such as a brown bear or a dire wolf. Ah you beat me to it, Thrack! It's probably for the ability to not provoke opportunity attacks, allowing higher level druids to get in and out of striking range without risking too much damage to their wildshape. She stopped and slowly looked all around, seeing nothing but flat earth around her, and the tiny silhouettes of mountains encircling the plains in all directions. Their order gathers under the full moon to share news and trade warnings. While in Wild Shape, you adopt the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of the creature you transform into. The Circle of the Moon draws upon the magical and transformative powers of the moon itself to allow druids to take on powerful forms. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with wild shape (see below). A character with a background studying animals, such as an entertainer that performed in the circus, could have an interesting reason to be familiar with many different types of animals. While a Circle of the Moon embodies the power of Wildshape and a Circle of the Land druid fleshes out their spell casting, Circle of the Spirit seeks walk … Likewise, races with bonuses you can assign to any trait, such as a variant human or a half-elf, also allow you to allocate your ability score bonuses as you see fit, while also letting you get some other useful traits, too, like extra skill proficiencies. At 2nd level, a druid with 14 (+2) Constitution has about 16 hit points. 20th level circle of the moon druids are broken. Check out the following link: it has a massive breakdown of all beasts from a wild shape perspective, and grades them! At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to circle spells … Beyond this, your cantrips are simply a matter of preference, and almost any will serve you well. Is there any reason why a Feat would not be an "other source"?