Thread: Unleash Your Inner Beast: A Moon Druid Guide (5e)
My guide to the other Druid Circles is available here.
Table of Content:
Color Scheme:
Sky Blue : Amazing Blue : Good Black : Decent Purple : Bad Red : Horrible.
This distinguishes itself from the other Druid guides through the following:
Extensive Bestiary : My guide constitutes the largest collection of creatures for Wild Shape, Polymorph, & Conjure spells. It covers every AL Legal source, plus GGtR & WGtE. Every other list, app, and guide I've consulted is missing some of the creatures listed here.
Every Beast/Fey/Elementals Reviewed : Every creature listed has been reviewed, and the color of its name indicates how good I believe it is. This allows the viewer to rapidly zoom in on the most useful creatures.
Every Spell Reviewed : Every spell on the Druid's list has been reviewed, and the color of its name indicates how valuable I believe it is.
Extensive Analysis of Druid Features : The guide goes beyond the usual analysis of Races / Skills / Feats, and describes often ignored aspect of the Druid such as Languages, Communication while in Wild Shape, Party Synergies, and more.
The Circle of the Moon Druid is a powerhouse ˜ it combines the full spellcasting abilities of the Druid with the power & utility of the numerous beasts published in DM resources. Highly versatile and extremely resilient, the Moon Druid can fill numerous roles during combat: debuffer, tank, healer, summoner, grappler, etc.
The main limiting factor of the Moon Druid is that it requires a high level of knowledge. To perform optimally, a Moon Druid needs to be intimate with his spells, his Wildshape options, as well as the creatures it can summon through Conjure Animals, Conjure Woodland Beings and Conjure Feys. To keep track of the extensive list of creatures involved, I strongly recommend players consult the free Companions for D&D 5e app.
The Moon Druid has a strongly uneven growth curve. Widely considered broken at level 2, Wildshape does not improve until level 6, when CR2 forms become available. The next big jump occurs at level 10, with the new possibility to Wildshape into Elementals. Players who stick with the Moon Druid until level 18 will be happy to gain the ability to cast spells while Wildshaped, and those who reach level 20 can Wildshape every turn to become near unkillable.
Although Wildshape can deal immense damage at low levels, other martial classes easily surpass it starting at level 5. After this level has been reached, the Moon Druid will find itself relying on its spells more and more. This doesn˜t invalidate the use of Wildshape ˜ to the contrary, perhaps the optimal way to play a Moon Druid is to concentrate on a powerful spell (typically Summon Animals) before Wildshaping and entering the fray.
This guide is designed to lead players to maximize their Druid PC by helping them choose the right Wildshape form and to combine it with spells, feats, and racial abilities.
Druidic , 1: Knowing the language of the druids. For fluff.
Spellcasting , 1: The Druid spell list is excellent, but tends to rely heavily on Concentration.
Ritual Casting , 1: A few of your spells can be cast as rituals to save spellslots. Some such as Speak with Animals can be used almost every session.
Wild Shape , 2: Your Wildshape forms can grant you damage, utility, HP, and can inflict conditions on enemies. Later on, you'll almost always want to Concentrate on a spell before Wildshaping.
Combat Wild Shape , 2: Using a Bonus Action to Wildshape typically saves you a round of action, if you Wildshape during combat. Burning spellslots to heal is not efficient but can be occasionally helpful.
Circle Forms , 2: The max CR of beasts you can Wildshape into starts at CR1 and increase as you level up.
Wild Shape Improvement , 4, 8: You gain access to forms with an aquatic speed at level 4, and forms with a flying speed at level 8. Some of the aquatic forms (Giant Toad, Giant Octopus, Giant Constrictor Snake) are amazing when you get them, and the flying forms are helpful for scouting.
ASI / Feats , 4, 8, 12, 16, 19: Wisdom helps with spells, although some of your best options don't use DCs. Feats can be immensely helpful, both in caster form and during Wildshape.
Primal Strike , 6: Your attacks count as magical. Helpful if you want your forms to do damage instead of concentrating on inflicting conditions.
Elemental Wild Shape , 10: You get access to four powerful Elemental shapes with resistance to nonmagical weapons.
Thousand Forms , 14: You can cast Alter Self, a level 2 spell, at will. Awful.
Timeless Body , 18: You age at 1/10 the rate. A fluff ability, although potentially helpful for races with a short longevity.
Beast Spells , 18: You can now cast spells without material components while Wildshaped! Its now much easier to concentrate on a powerful spell while Wildshaped.
Can be cast with Beast Spells :
Cantrips : Control Flames, Create Bonfire, Druidcraft, Frostbite, Guidance, Gust, Magic Stone, Mold Earth, Poison Spray, Primal Savagery, Produce Flame, Shape Water, Thunderclap, 1st : Absorb Elements, Charm Person, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Earth Tremor, Entangle, Faerie Fire, Fog Cloud, Healing Word, Purify Food & Drink, Speak with Animals, Thunderwave 2nd : Beast Sense, Earthbind, Find Traps, Healing Spirit, Lesser Restoration, Protection from Poison, Skywrite, Warding Wind 3rd : Call Lightning, Conjure Animals, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Flame Arrows, Meld into Stone, Plant Growth, Protection from Energy, Speak with Plants 4th : Blight, Charm Monster, Conjure Minor Elementals, Dominate Beast, Elemental Bane, Giant Insect, Gasping Vine, Guardian of Nature 5th : Antilife Shell, Commune with Nature, Contagion, Control Winds, Geas, Mass Cure Wounds, Tree Stride, Wrath of Nature 6th : Bones of the Earth, Conjure Fey, Heal, Investiture of Flame, Investiture of Ice, Investiture of Stone, Investiture of Wind, Primordial Ward, Transport via Plants 7th : Fire Storm, Mirage Arcane 8th : Animal Shapes, Tsunami 9th : Storm of Vengeance.
Cannot be cast with Beast Spells :
A : Also can't be cast with Archdruid.
Cantrips : Infestation, Mending, Resistance, Shillelagh ( A ), Thorn Whip 1st : Animal Friendship, Beast Bond, Create/Destroy Water, Detect Poison&Disease, Goodberry, Ice Knife, Jump, Lonstrider, Snare( A ) 2nd : Animal Messenger, Barkskin, Darkvision, Dust Device, Enhance Ability, Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Gust of Wind, Heat Metal, Hold Person, Locate Animals/Plants, Locate Object, Moonbeam, Pass without Trace, Spike Growth 3rd : Erupting Earth, Feign Death, Sleet Storm, Tidal Wave, Wall of Water, Water Breathing, Water Walk, Wind Wall 4th : Confusion, Conjure Woodland Being, Control Water, Freedom of Movement, Hallucinatory Terrain, Ice Storm, Locate Creature, Polymorph, Stone Shape, Stoneskin ( A ), Wall of Fire, Watery Sphere 5th : Awaken ( A ), Conjure Elemental, Greater Restoration ( A ), Insect Plague, Maelstrom, Planar Binding ( A ), Reincarnate ( A ), Scrying ( A ), Transmute Rock, Wall of Stone 6th : Druid Grove, Find the Path ( A ), Heroes' Feast ( A ), Move Earth, Sunbeam, Wall of Thorns, Wind Walk 7th : Plane Shift ( A ), Regenerate, Reverse Gravity, Whirlwind 8th : Antipathy/Sympathy, Control Weather, Earthquake, Feeblemind, Sunburst 9th : Foresight, Shapechange ( A ), True Resurrection ( A )
Archdruid , 20: You can Wildshape an unlimited number of times, and you can ignore the verbal, somatic, and material (lacking a price) components of your spells. You can now cast almost all your spells in Wildshape, plus you can turn into a new form (with full HP) as a bonus action every round. Game breaking.
Moon Druid Guides :
Core Books : These three are the primarily books; most content listed here come from them. DMs will usually let you freely use material from these books.
Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG): Rules for crafting, and most magical items. Monster Manual (MM): Most Beasts, Fey & Elementals. Player's Handbook (PHB): The Druid class, plus most races, spells, feats, circles, & equipment.
Supplement Books : These five supplements are widely available but not as prevalent as the core books. Many DMs will let you use material from these sources but might ban some options.
For Adventure League (AL), the "PHB + 1" rule says your character creation & advancement can only use material from the PHB plus one of these sources.
Elemental Evil (EE): Spells & races. Free PDF. The spells are reprinted in XGtE. Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (MToF): A few races options, and the Frost Salamander. Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (SCAG): A few races variants, new cantrips, & Spiked Armor. Volo's Guide to Monsters (VGtM): 12 races, and more Beasts, Fey & Elementals. Xanathar's Guide to Everything (XGtE): Two new circles, many spells, racial feats, and crafting rules.
Non-AL Legal WotC Sources : These are published by WotC but not AL Legal. Most of the races are not native to the Forgotten Realms.
Eberron: Rising From The Last War (ERLW): New races, Clawfoot, Fastieth, Dusk Hag, and three Valenars. Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica (GGtR): Five races, the Circle of the Spores, three Elementals and the Conclave Dryad. One Grung Above (OGA): The Grung race. Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron (WGtE): Four races, and the Clawfoot Raptor.
WotC Adventures : These contain magical items to find, and Beasts to observe for Wild Shape. Whether or not you are allowed to conjure the various Beasts, Fey & Elementals included in these adventures is up to the DM.
Curse of Strahd (CoS): Sangzor the Goat. Ghosts of Saltmarsh (GoS): Giant Coral Snake, Giant Sea Eel, Sea Lion, Giant White Moray Eel. Hoard of the Dragon Queen (HotDQ): Insignia of Claws. Lost Mine of Phandelver (LMoP): Staff of Defense & Snarl the Wolf. Out of the Abyss (OotA): Many new Beasts & Beast variants. Princes of the Apocalypse (PotA): Crystal Scale Mail & Stone Breastplate, & Elemental Myrmidons. Storm King's Thunder (SKT): Stone Breastplate, Ice Spiders, Hulking Crab, & Tressym. Tales from the Yawning Portal (TftYP): Six Beasts, and the Nereid & Siren. Tomb of Annihilation (ToA): Scorpion Armor, Chwinga, & Jaculi. Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (DotMM): Flying spider.
Guild Adept (AL Legal) : These third party supplements have been judged AL Legal through the Guild Adept program. They contain additional Beats, Fey, and Elementals to use for Wild Shape & for conjuring spells. Unfortunately, few DMs own them, so you might trouble getting them into play.
DDHC-TOA-2 - The Tortle Package (TTP): Tortle Race, & the Geonid DDHC-TOA-3 - Beasts of the Jungle Rot (BotJR): 12 extra dinosaurs DDHC-TOA-8 - Return of the Lizard King (RotLK): Krenshar, Giant Spitting Lizard, & 3 Mutated Beasts DDHC-TOA-14 - Xanathar's Lost Notes to Everything Else (XLNtEE): 3 Urban Dryads & 4 Gens DDHC-WDH-04 - Durnan's Guide to Tavernkeeping (DGtT): Alewife & Yeastling.
AL Adventures : These AL missions give you magical items as rewards. The Staff of the Woodlands is especially worth seeking out.
DDEX2-09 Eye of the Tempest : Giant Snow Spider. DDEX3-11 The Quest for Sporedome : Mushroom Half-Plate. DDAL05-13 Jarl Rising : Shroud of the Mourning Warrior. DDAL05-16 Parnast Under Siege : Young Mammoth. DDAL07-08 Putting the Dead to Rest : Staff of the Woodlands, & Awakened Giant Ape. DDAL08-11 Poisoned Words : Awakened Flying Snake.
1.3 (11/26/2019): Added races, beasts and fey from Eberron: Rising From The Last War.
1.2 (5/26/2019): Added beasts from Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
1.1.1 (4/21/2019): Added information about Wizard 2 multiclass.
1.1 (4/19/2019): Edited information for Korred, and added Conjure Elemental & Fey information.
1.0 (4/16/2019): First complete version.
Spoilers.
View Profile View Forum Posts.
Re: Unleash Your Inner Beast: A Moon Druid Guide.
Strength gets replaced by Wildshape. For melee combat in caster form, Shillelagh does a far better job. It˜s mainly useful for Athletics rolls, and multiclassing into Barbarian.
Dexterity gets replaced by Wildshape, but helps with Initiative, saving throws, and AC outside of Wildshape. Also helps with the Monk multiclass. Typically your 3rd most valuable attribute.
Constitution gets replaced by Wildshape, but helps with hit points and saving throws outside of Wildshape. If multiclassing Barbarian, can also improve AC. Your 2nd most valuable attribute.
Intelligence helps with some niche skills, and with saving throws against Mindflayers.
Wisdom helps with some spells as well as important skills (mainly Perception). If you multiclass into Monk, it can also provide a bonus to AC in all forms. Your most useful attribute.
Charisma helps with social interactions outside of Wildshape, and a few saving throws. Somewhat better if playing as Ghostwise Halfling because you can still socialize while Wildshaped.
While Wildshaping, the Moon Druid retains the benefit of any feature from its race and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. Since a Moon Druid spends a considerable amount of time Wildshaped, this puts a premium on races that provide such features. You have lot of room to be creative with your race choice here, as stats do not matter much to the Moon Druid.
Determining if a features carry over while Wildshaped requires close examination to the wording of the feature ˜ for example, the Dragonborn˜s Breath Weapon ability technically only requires a mouth and can thus be used while Wildshaped. When in doubt, ask your DM if the features of a race work with Wildshape.
Dragonborn : Element resistance is good and the breath can be used while Wildshaped.
Dwarf (Hill) : +2 Con, +1 Wis, +1HP/level, and Poison Resistance.
Dwarf (Mountain) : +2 Con, and Poison Resistance. Go Hill Dwarf instead.
Elf (Drow) : 2 Dex: Drow Magic is better taken from the Half-Elf Drow Variant.
Elf (High) : +2 Dex, the Wizard cantrip can be semi-useful out of combat, and bow proficiency is okay.
Elf (Wood) : +2 Dex, +1 Wis, 35' speed and improved stealth in natural settings. The later two can be used in Wild Shape.
Gnome (Forest) : +1 Dex, Gnome Cunning is amazing, minor illusion is one of the best cantrips, and Speak with Small Beasts works while Wildshaped.
Gnome (Rock) : +1 Con, Gnome Cunning is still amazing but the other features are of dubious utility.
Halfling (Lightfoot) : +2 Dex, Brave & Lucky are great but the Stout variant is much better.
Halfling (Stout) : +2 Dex, +1 Con, Brave & Lucky + Resistance to Poison are great.
Half-Elf : Alright stats, and decent features. The Drow variant is probably the best one.
Half-Orc : +1 Con, Savage Attacks work in Wildshape and Relentless Endurable makes you even more unkillable, but the rest is bad.
Human (Standard) : Awful choice. The extra stats are wasted on you, and you don˜t get any cool ability or feature.
Human (Variant) : Arguably the strongest choice as most feats will help you in Wild Shape form.
Tiefling : Resistance to Fire (the most common element) is quite helpful, and the spell are fine.
Aasimar : +1 Wis, the resistance & spells are great, but the options in Volo's are even better.
Elf (Eladrin) : +2 Dex, Misty Step 1/rest in elf form is rarely useful ˜ you˜d be better off using the bonus action to Wild Shape.
Aarakocra : +2 Dex, +1 Wis, 50' flying speed while wearing light armor, but contrarily to the Winged Tiefling no resistance or spells.
Genasi (Air) : +2 Con, +1 Dex, & Levitation 1/day is okay.
Genasi (Earth) : +2 Con, Earth Walk works while Wildshaped, and Pass with Trace 1/day is good but redundant with your spelllist.
Genasi (Fire) : +2 Con, fire spells & resistance.
Genasi (Water) : +2 Con, +1 Wis, resistance to acid, swim speed & some utility water spells. Decent.
Dwarf (Grey) : +2 Con, Duergar Resilience protects against multiple ailment & Duergar Magic is top notch. Sunlight Sensitivity doesn˜t apply while Wildshaped.
Gnome (Deep) : +1 Dex, Gnome Cunning is still amazing. Superior Darkvision & Stone Camouflage while awesome do not work with Wildshape.
Halfling (Ghostwise) : +2 Dex, +1 Wis , Lucky, Brave, plus the option to talk during Wildshape makes this one of the best options around.
Half-Elf Variants : The Drow variant is rather strong ˜ the Darkness is good if you Wildshape into a form with Blindsight (Giant Spider).
Tiefling Variants : Fire resistance and some Fire spells. Feral gives slightly better stats, while Winged gives a flying speed.
Grung (OGA): +2 Dex, +1 Con, Poison immunity, & your piercing attacks do extra Poison damage. Sadly not compatible with Wild Shape or Shillelagh.
Tortle (TTP): +1 Wis, and Natural Armor provides good AC. Wildshape doesn't benefit from this race, though.
Aasimar (Protector) : +1 Wis, Healing Hands might work while Wildshaped, Celestial Resistance is always helpful, & you get a flying bear at level 3.
Aasimar (Scourge) : +1 Con, Healing Hands might work while Wildshaped, Celestial Resistance is always helpful, you can do extra damage with your ability.
Aasimar (Fallen) : The worst of the Aasimar, you don't get a useful stat boost or a good ability.
Bugbear : +1 Dex, Reach doesn˜t appear to work while Wildshaped. Surprise Attack is decent but doesn˜t scale.
Firbolg : +2 Wis, Speech of Beast and Leaf & Firbolg Magic are neat but don't work in most Wild Shape & are ultimately made obsolete. Hidden Step is an amazing use of a bonus action while Wildshaped but limited to 1/rest.
Goblin : +2 Dex, +1 Con. Nimble Escape is great to use while Wildshaped and is near broken when combined with forms with Charge/Pounce or the Fire Elemental. Fury of the Small is quite hard to use while Wildshaped but can work against Huge creatures.
Goliath : +1 Con, Good damage mitigation 1/rest but little else.
Hobgoblin : +2 Con & Saving Face are helpful but the rest isn˜t.
Kenku : +2 Dex, +1 Con, and interesting social abilities.
Kobold : +2 Dex, Pack Tactics is amazing for the Wildshape forms that don˜t have it. Grovel, Cower, and Beg can be used in Wildshape and combo extremely well with the summoning spells.
Lizardfolk : +2 Con, +1 Wis. Natural Armor helps a lot with the Druid˜s armor restriction, & Hungry Jaws can be used while Wildshaped. Natural Armor may work if Wild Shaped into a Beast with "tough scaly skin" such as the Deinonychus or Giant Constrictor Snake.
Orc : +1 Con, Aggressive is great to use while Wildshaped. The rest of the package isn˜t ˜ I˜d rather pick Goblin.
Tabaxi : +2 Dex, Feline Agility while Wildshaped is quite powerful but the rest of the race is mediocre for the Druid.
Triton : +1 Con, resistance to cold damage is helpful. The spells are okay, and Emissary of the sea can work in Wildshape. Good for a sea campaign.
Yuan-Ti Pureblood : Magic Resistance & Poison Immunity are almost broken, plus you get some spells.
Elf (Eladrin) : +2 Dex, the bonus action Fey Step is excellent while Wildshaped.
Elf (Sea) : +2 Dex, +1 Con, and Friends of the Sea can be used while Wildshaped. Better in an aquatic campaign.
Elf (Shadar-Kai) : +2 Dex, +1 Con, necrotic resistance, and a bonus action teleport that gives damage resistance.
Githyanki : Okay spells but not much else.
Githzerai : +2 Wis, advantage on charmed & frightened saving throws, and good spells.
Centaur : +1 Wis, but not much else. It's unclear to me if the Charge feature works while Wildshaped into a Giant Elk - if so, it could make this race great .
Loxodon : +2 Con and +1 Wis, advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and possibility to dump both strength and dexterity and keep good AC. Less good if your DM provides you with magical armor.
Minotaur : +1 Con, with nothing else useful.
Simic Hybrid : +2 Con and +1 Wis. Carapace gives +1 AC, but the enhancements go away while in Wild Shape.
Vedalken : +1 Wis and advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws is good.
Changeling : +1 Dex, some tools & skills proficiency and a shape changing ability. Sadly, the later doesn't synergize with the Druid's abilities at all, plus you can already Wild Shape.
Kalashtar : +1 Wis, +1 to something else, and you can use up your reaction to gain advantage on Wis saving throws. You also gain telepathy, one social skill, and you gain advantage on all checks using that skill. A strong alternative to the Ghostwise Halfling.
Shifter (Beasthide) : +2 Con, +1 Dex, proficiency in Athletics & Perception. You can shift 1/rest for Level + Con Mod + 1d6 THP and 1 AC, which works in Wild Shape.
Shifter (Longtooth) : +1 Dex, proficiency in Intimidation & Perception. You can shift 1/rest for Level + Con THP and the ability to do a 1d6 + Str Mod as a bonus action.
Shifter (Swiftstride) : +2 Dex, proficiency in Acrobatics & Perception, +5' speed. You can shift 1/rest for Level + Con THP and another +5' speed.
Shifter (Wildhunt) : +2 Wis, +1 Dex, proficiency in Survival & Perception, plus the ability to "mark" a target to find it more easily. You can shift 1/rest for Level + Con THP and advantage on Wisdom checks.
Warforged (Envoy) : +1 con, +1 to two abilities, resistance to Poison, plus an excellent AC.
Warforged (Juggernaut) : +1 con, resistance to Poison, plus an excellent AC.
Warforged (Skirmisher) : +2 Dex, +1 con, +5' speed, resistance to Poison, plus an excellent AC.
The Changeling, Kalashtar, Shifters, and Warforged are different from their Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron versions. The Orc is better than the Volo's Guide version.
Changeling : +1 to any stat, some skills proficiency and a shape changing ability. Sadly, the later doesn't synergize with the Druid's abilities at all; you can already Wild Shape.
Kalashtar : +2 Wis, and advantage on Wis saving throws. You also gain telepathy. A strong alternative to the Ghostwise Halfling.
Orc : +1 Con, +2 skills, Aggressive is great to use while Wildshaped. Better than the Volo version, but I˜d still rather pick Goblin.
Shifter (Beasthide) : +2 Con, proficiency in Athletics. You can shift 1/rest for Level + Con Mod + 1d6 THP and 1 AC, which works in Wild Shape.
Shifter (Longtooth) : +1 Dex, proficiency in Intimidation. You can shift 1/rest for Level + Con THP and the ability to do a 1d6 + Str Mod as a bonus action.
Shifter (Swiftstride) : +2 Dex, proficiency in Acrobatics. You can shift 1/rest for Level + Con THP and +10' speed, and an extra +10' as a reaction.
Shifter (Wildhunt) : +2 Wis, +1 Dex, proficiency in Survival. You can shift 1/rest for Level + Con THP and advantage on Wisdom checks + no one within 30' can make an attack roll with advantage against you. Of the Shifter, this gives the best stats and a rather good shift.
Warforged : +2 Con, +1 to something else, resistance to poison, +1 to AC in caster form, one skill proficiency. A good alternative to the Hill Dwarf.
Spoilers.
View Profile View Forum Posts.
Re: Unleash Your Inner Beast: A Moon Druid Guide.
Feats are extra valuable for the Moon Druid - they often offer substantial benefits, both when Wildshaped and when not.
Alert : Bonus to initiative is always useful for casters.
Athlete : A +1 to Dexterity and some minor movement bonuses.
Lucky : An excellent feat that can be invaluable. Using it right requires some skill and foresight, though.
Mage Slayer : With your movement and grappling you could be an okay mage slayer.
Magic Initiate: Find Familiar : The Owl can perform the Help action without triggering OAs, and it can feed your Goodberries to allies with 0HP. If you Wildshape into a tiny creature the Owl can carry you while it flies around. Fun, versatile and occasionally powerful.
Magic Initiate: Mage Armor : A 0-3 bonus to AC for beast & elemental forms - but hopefully you have a better way to get the spell.
Mobile : Highly useful for the Wildshape forms that charge. Can also help using hit and run tactics with the more fragile animals.
Observant : +1 Wisdom and a significant bonus to passive perception.
Resilient : Res(CON) is decent - you don't get the +1 con while Wildshaped but you do get a better proficiency bonus to concentration checks.
Ritual Caster : Lets you cast Find Familiar, as well as all the wonderful rituals available to the Wizard.
Sentinel : Lets you defend your teammates better, although if you concentrate on a spell you might not want to be damaged.
War Caster : Best way to keep concentrating on spells until the high levels. Also help with casting with hands full & for better OAs.
A Druid can cast spells with both Somatic & Material components while holding a druidic focus (such as a quarterstaff) and a shield.
However, by RAW, a Druid cannot cast a spell with Somatic components and no Material components unless either one hand is free or the Druid has the War Caster feat. In practice, this rule is ignored at most tables.
If you play by RAW, War Caster is required cast the following spells with your hands full:
Cantrips : Control Flames, Create Bonfire, Druidcraft, Frostbite, Guidance, Gust, Magic Stone, Mold Earth, Poison Spray, Primal Savagery, Produce Flame, Shape Water, Thunderclap 1st : Absorb Elements, Charm Person, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Earth Tremor, Entangle, Fog Cloud, Purify Food and Drink, Speak with Animals, Thunderwave 2nd : Beast Sensne, Find Traps, Healing Spirit, Lesser Restoration, Protection from Poison, Skywrite 3rd : Call Lightning, Conjure Animals, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Flame Arrows, Meld into Stone, Plant Growth, Protection from Energy, Speak with Plants 4th : Blight, Charm Monster, Conjure Minor Elementals, Dominate Beast, Elemental Bane, Giant Insect, Grasping Vine, Antilife Shell 5th : Antilife Shell, Commune with Nature, Contagion, Control Winds, Mass Cure Wounds, Tree Stride, Wrath of Nature 6th : Bones of the Earth, Conjure Fey, Heal, Investiture of Flame, Investiture of Ice, Investiture of Stone, Investiture of Wind, Primordial Ward, Transport via Plants 7th : Fire Storm, Mirage Arcane 8th : Animal Shapes, Tsunami 9th : Storm of Vengeance.
Although your conjured creatures can understand any verbal commands you issue them, you can't understand them back unless you know their own language.
Blink Dog : Blink Dogs could make okay scouts, but Giant Eagles/Owls are better.
Giant Elk : Pretty useless, unless the DM says its the only language you can speak while Wildshaped into a Giant Elk.
Giant Eagle : Decent if you plan on using them as scouts.
Giant Owl : Decent if you plan on using them as scouts.
Dragonic : For the GGtR Blistercoil Weird & Fluxcharger. Mainly used to spy on creatures including Kobolds and Dragons, but most of them also speak Common.
Primordial : To understand virtually all of the Elementals you can conjure. Crucial to work with the Invisible Stalker.
Sylvan : To understand Boggles / Pixies / Yestlings, and Darklings/Darkling Elders/Dryads if nobody knows Elvish.
DS : Disadvantage on Stealth checks.
Club : For Shillelagh use only. Lighter than a Quarterstaff, but less damage without Shillelagh.
Dagger : Darts are cheaper and lighter than Daggers.
Darts : If you really need Piercing ranged damage that uses Dex. Slings have better range and do Bludgeoning damage.
Javelin : Your best ranged option if you have good Strength.
Greatclub : The Quarterstaff is strictly better than this.
Mace : The Quarterstaff is strictly better than this.
Quarterstaff : Best option for Shillelagh or for Strength melee damage. Can also work as a druidic focus.
Scimitar : Best melee weapon that uses Dex, or of the Slashing type.
Sickle : Less damage than a Scimitar and without the Finesse tag.
Sling : Your best ranged option if you have good Dexterity. Less damage than a Javelin but cheaper to use.
Spear : Like a Javelin but heavier, twice as expensive, and with worse range.
Staff of Defense : Increases your AC by 1, and more importantly lets you cast Mage Armor. Found in LMoP.
Staff of Fire : Lets you cast Fireball, as well as Wall of Fire & Burning Hands. Druids get few direct damage options, so this can be wonderful. Found in HotDQ & SKT.
Staff of Frost : Lets you cast Cone of Cold, Fog Cloud, Ice Storm, & Wall of Ice. A good variety here. Cone of Cold is decent damage, and Wall of Ice is a Wizard-exclusive spell that is quite efficient. Found in CoS & TftYP.
Staff of Swarming Insects : The spells Giant Insect and Insect Plague are okay, but it's the unique ability "Insect Cloud" that is good here. Activating it is roughly equivalent to casting Improved Invisibility / Shadow of Moil on yourself, except (1) it doesn't take concentration and (2) it lasts 10 minutes instead of one. Definitely a nice buff to activate before Wild Shaping, or to combine with conjured animals with blindsight.
Staff of the Woodlands : Excellent staff for any Druid, although it does not help your Wild Shape. Found in DDAL07-08, DDEP07-01 & DDHC-TOA-13.
Druids cannot wear metal armor. A kind DM might allow you to buy or craft "natural" armor equivalent to metal armor, opening up options. By default though, you are only allowed to wear these few types of armor:
Shield , +2 AC: You can start with a shield and should always have it equipped.
Padded , DS , AC11 + Dex Mod: Awful, you should upgrade as soon as possible.
Leather , AC11 + Dex Mod: Decent if you are saving up for better armor.
Studded Leather , AC12 + Dex Mod: Your best choice if you have great Dex.
Hide , AC12 + Dex Mod (Max 2): If you have less than 16 Dex, this works like a cheaper, lighter Studded Leather.
Spiked Armor , DS , AC14 + Dex Mod (Max 2): Rare armor made by dwarves & costing 75gp, your best option for AC unless you have 18+ Dex. From SCAG.
Ring Mail , DS , AC14: Heavy armor, for which you don't get proficiency by default. Sadly your best option for AC if you have less than 14 Dex and don't have access to Spiked Armor.
Survival Mantle , DS , AC15 + Dex Mod (Max 2): Created by Mind Flayers, this non-magical carapace armor has the same AC as half-plate, allows the wearer to breath in any environment, and gives advantage on saving throws against gas. Excellent, but hard to come across and few DMs know about it. From VGtM p.81.
Crystal Scale Mail +1 , DS , AC15 + Dex Mod (Max 2): Found in PotA (p. 140)
Dragon Scale Mail , DS , AC15 + Dex Mod (Max 2): Bonus to Saving Throws against Dragon abilities, and Resistance to a type of damage.
Mushroom Half-Plate of Poison Resistance , DS , AC15 + Dex Mod (Max 2): Provides Resistance to Poison. From DDEX3-11.
Scorpion Armor , AC18: Cursed Heavy Armor made of Scorpion parts. Gives +5 to Initiative. Found in ToA.
Shroud of the Mourning Warrior , DS , AC15 + Dex Mod (Max 2). Functions as a +1 Scale Mail but is made of wood. From DDAL 05-13.
Stone Breastplate , DS , AC14 + Dex Mod (Max 2): Found in PotA (p.136) and SKT (p.103)
As seen in the previous section, Magical Armor not made of metal is extremely rare and outright absent from many published WotC adventures. Unless your DM tweaks the treasures in published adventures or runs homebrew, your best bet is probably to craft the armor yourself.
The DMG and XGtE both contain optional rules for crafting magical items - ask your DM if you can use them.
According to these rules (p.128 of both books), to craft a Magical Item you'll need:
A formula describing the item's construction Special materials, decided by the DM Gp, determined by the item's rarity Time, determined by the item's rarity A high enough level, determined by the item's rarity (DMG only) Spells, if the item will produce them (DMG only) Appropriate equipment, tools, & tools proficiencies (XGtE only)
The materials needed are up to the DM. To procure them, XGtE suggests that the PCs face a creature with a CR appropriate to the rarity of the item to be crafted.
The list of magical armor listed above suggest the following materials are suitable: Crystal, Scale, Petrified Giant Mushroom, Scorpion part, Stone, and Wood.
The Wood could be mundane such as Cedar, Ebony, Oak, or Yew, or magical such as Darkwood, Greenwood, Ironwood, or Wyroot.
Alternatively, other materials might be appropriate: Bone/Hide/Mane/Skin, Chitin/Shell, Bark/Cord/Leaf, Gem, Obsidian, Spidersilk, etc.
Most magical items do not help the Druid while in Wildshape. DMs may thus struggle to reward a Moon Druid PC with exciting loot. Here are a few ideas:
Animated Shield : Can be activated before Wildshaping to retain the +2 Bonus to AC.
Dancing Sword : Can be activated before Wildshaping to gain an extra attack as a Bonus Action. Only lasts four turns, though.
Ioun Stones : These can orbit your head while Wildshaped. Among other things, they can provide a +1 bonus to AC, a +2 to a stat, and Regeneration.
Insignia of Claws (HotDQ): Can be worn while in Wildshape and provides +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls.
Scarab of Protection : Gives advantage on Saving Throws against Spells. The medallion only needs to be "on your person" to work, so carrying it is enough.
Stone of Good Luck : Provides a +1 bonus to Ability Checks & Saving Throws. The stone only needs to be "on your person" to work, so you could make a pendant out of it or something.
Amulets/Belts/Bracers/Capes/Gloves/Handbands/Lenses/Medallions/Rings/etc.: "The GM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment".
Barding Armor: Can dramatically increase the AC of some Wildshape forms. However, some DMs may claim that the Druid is not proficient in Barding Armor and thus has disadvantage on ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls involving Strength or Dexterity while wearing Barding.
Saddle of the Cavalier: Attacks have disadvantage against the Moon Druid so long as they are wearing this and have a rider. It's unclear under which form(s) a PC qualifies as a mount.
Spoilers.
View Profile View Forum Posts.
Re: Unleash Your Inner Beast: A Moon Druid Guide.
DG: Expected damage if all attacks are non-critical hits.
These forms are generally terrible at combat, and that's the point: by looking non-threatening, you can infiltrate and spy on others. The best form is probably one that is inconspicuous: a cat in a city, a frog in a marsh, a weasel in the forest, etc. Still, a few forms provide benefits that may not be obvious:
Ape , AC12, 19HP, 13 DG: Has a ranged rock attack for 6.5DG, hands to manipulate objects, and Athletics +5 for Grappling.
Badger , AC10, 3HP, 1 DG: 5' burrow speed.
Cranium Rat (VGtM), AC12, 2HP, 1 DG: Telepathy, immunity to divination & mind read effects.
Giant Badger , AC10, 13HP, 10.5 DG: 10' burrow speed.
Giant Centipede , AC13, 4HP, 15 DG: 30' Blindsight.
Mastiff , AC12, 5HP, 4.5 DG: An extremely fragile Medium size mount that can knock Prone (DC11).
Pony , AC10, 11HP, 7 DG: A fragile Medium size mount.
Spider , AC12, 1HP, 3.5 DG: Has Spider Climb.
Weasel , AC13, 1HP, 1 DG: +5 stealth, and less conspicuous than the Almiraj.
War Horse , AC11, 19HP, 11 DG: 60' speed mount.
Almiraj (ToA), AC13, 3HP, 5.5 DG: 50' speed, advantage on Sight/Hearing checks, +5 stealth.
Cave Badger (OotA), AC12, 13HP, 10.5 DG: 15' burrow & 60' Tremorsense. Variant of the Giant Badger.
Giant Riding Lizard (OotA), AC12, 19HP, 6.5 DG: 30' speed, but 30' climbing speed and Spider Walk. An excellent mount for vertical travel.
Jaculi (ToA), AC14, 16HP, 9 DG: 30' Blindsight.
Brown Bear , AC11, 34HP, 19.5 DG: 40' speed. Good HP and damage, but terrible AC.
Deinonychus (VGtM), AC13, 26HP, 19.5 DG: 40' speed. Pounce attack to knock Prone and give extra attack (DC12), but low HP. Outdamages the Brown Bear if Pouncing every round - works amazingly with the Mobile feat. Medium size.
Dire Wolf , AC14, 37HP, 10 DG: 50' speed, Pack Tactics. Excellent defensive form. Relatively weak damage but can knock Prone (DC13).
Giant Hyena , AC12, 45HP, 10 DG: 50' speed. If Rampage procs, can be as damaging as the Brown Bear.
Giant Spider , AC14, 26HP, 16.5 DG: Spider Climb, 10' Blindsight, good Poison damage (DC11), a Web attack that auto-restrain on a hit (no saves).
Lion , AC12, 25HP, 7.5 DG: 50' speed. Has Pack Tactics and a Pounce attack (DC13). Weak damage and defense.
Tiger , AC12, 37HP, 8.5 DG: 40' speed. Has a Pounce attack (DC13), but unlike the Lion doesn't have Pack Tactics.
Crag Cat (SKT), AC13, 34HP, 8.5 DG: 40' speed, Nondetection, Spell Turning, and a Pounce attack (DC13).
Clawfoot (ERLW), AC13, 19HP, 15 DG: 40' speed, Pack Tactics, and a Pounce attack (DC11). Amazing offense, but extremely vulnerable.
Dilophosaurus (BotJR), AC13, 26HP, 6.5 DG: Has a ranged spit attack that does no damage but can Blind and Paralyze an enemy (DC12).
Female Steeder (OotA), AC14, 30HP, 16.5 DG: Crazy 90' jump, Spider Climb, 120' darkvision, good Acid damage (DC12).
Giant Rocktopus (OotA), AC11, 52HP, 10 DG: A variant of the Giant Octopus that evolved to live on land. Has a 20' speed on land & advantage on stealth checks, but no swim speed.
Mutated Hunting Dog (RotLK), AC14, 39HP, 9 DG: 40' speed. Its attack can knock the target Prone (DC12). Has Pack Tactics. Can do 1 extra damage as a BA if it had advantage on the attack roll. Immune to Cold but Vulnerable to Fire. Roughly as good as the Dire Wolf.
Sangzor (CoS), AC11, 33HP, 8 DG: 40' speed. Resistance to nonmagical attacks. Has a Charge attack that does 5 extra damage & knocks Prone (DC13). Has advantage against most Prone effects. Excellent at defense but poor offense. Unique variant of the Giant Goat. Unfortunately, by the time you encounter Sangzor you'll likely have access to CR2+ creatures.
Spider (Giant Snow) (EotT), 14AC, 26HP, 16.5DG: A variant of the Giant Spider with Cold resistance and Ice Walk.
Spider (Ice) (SKT), AC14, 26HP, 16.5 DG: A variant of the Giant Spider with Cold resistance. Its Webbing does 1 cold damage per turn but is no longer immune to bludgeoning damage.
Spider (King) (OotA), AC14, 44HP, 16.5 DG: Unique variant of the Giant Spider with Proficiency in Perception, Constitution & Wisdom saving throws. Advantage on Perception checks, and against many debuffs.
Troodon (BotJR), AC13, 22HP, 7.5 DG: Has Pack Tactics & Improved Critical. Pretty much strictly inferior to the Dire Wolf.
Giant Octopus , AC11, 52HP, 10 DG: 10' speed, 60' swim. Its 15' range tentacles auto-restrain enemies on hit (escape DC16). Low mobility on land, but can be improved with the Mobility feat or Longstrider.
Giant Toad , AC11, 39HP, 13 DG: 20' speed, 40' swim. A Bite that auto-restrain (escape DC13). Can Swallow the grappled enemy to inflict 10.5 acid damage but the process is very slow (takes 3 turns minimum for the acid to kick in).
Allosaurus , AC13, 51HP, 15 DG: 60' speed. Has a Pounce attack (DC13). Okay form, but much inferior to the Zealoraptor.
Aurochs (VGtM), AC11, 38HP, 14 DG: 50' speed. Has a Pounce attack (DC15) for 9 extra damage. Has offensive & defensive capacities close to the Brown Bear, which is pretty outdated by now.
Giant Boar , AC12, 42HP, 10 DG: 40' speed. Has a Charge attack (DC13) for 7 extra damage. Relentless 10. About as bad as the Aurochs.
Giant Constrictor Snake , 12AC, 60HP, 13 DG: 30' swim Amphibian, 10' Blindsight. Has auto-restrain attack (escape DC16). Slightly better than the Giant Octopus in almost every way, and has much better mobility on land.
Giant Elk , AC14, 42HP, 11 DG: 60' speed. Can Ram an enemy from 10' away, then retreat. If Charging, can knock the target Prone (DC14) and do 7 more damage. You can speak while in this form.
Hunter Shark , AC12, 45HP 13 DG: 40' swim. Blood Frenzy gives advantage very often, but the damage is lackluster and it lacks the restraining ability of the Giant Constrictor Snake & Giant Octopus.
Plesiosaurus , AC13, 68HP, 14.5 DG: 20' speed, 40' swim. Great defenses but little else.
Polar Bear , AC12, 45HP, 21.5 DG: 40' speed, 30' swim. Slight upgrade to the Brown Bear, but by now there are much better forms. The Cave Bear variant has 60' Darkvision.
Rhinoceros , AC11, 45HP, 14 DG: 40' speed. Has a Charge attack (DC15) for 9 extra damage. Another mediocre charging/pouncing form.
Saber-Tooth Tiger : 12AC, 52HP, 12 DG: 40' speed. Has a Pounce attack (DC14). Yawn.
Giant Crayfish (TftYP), AC15, 45HP, 14 DG: 30' swim, 30' Blindsight. Has two claw attacks that can auto-grapple.
Giant Spitting Lizard (RotLK), AC12, 45HP, 13.5 DG: A ranged attack that can hit two adjacent creatures for 13.5 damage, and a melee grapple attack. Oh, and a reaction that pushes enemies away, knocks them prone, and ends their movement. What!?
Giant White Moray Eel (GoS), 12AC, 60HP, 13DG: 40' swim, 10' Blindsight, can only breath underwater. A variant of the Giant Constrictor Snake that can't breath air or constrict, but with a +4 to stealth checks. The constrict attack is the main draw of the Giant Constrictor Snake, so this variant is pretty useless.
Ice Spider Queen (SKT), AC14, 44HP, 16.5 DG: A variant of the Giant Spider. Its webbing does 2.5 cold damage per turn. Resists cold damage, and does 5 cold damage to creatures that start their turn near it.
Krenshar (RotLK), 13AC, 28HP, 14DG: 40' speed. Has a 60' Frightening Roar (DC11 Charisma) that knocks enemies Prone and Frighten them. A creature making the saving throw becomes immune - use this before combat until your team is immune. Beside its roar, the form is mediocre.
Pachycephalosaurus (BotJR), AC13, 68HP, 8.5 DG: 40' speed. Has a Charge attack (DC14) for 5 damage. Great defenses but its damage is a joke at this point.
Zealoraptor (BotJR), AC15, 52HP, 19 DG: 50' speed. Has a Pounce attack (DC13) and Pack Tactics. Excellent at offense and defense.
Bat (AC12, 1HP, 1 DG): 30' fly & 60' Blindsight, Keen Hearing Bat (Giant) , AC13, 22HP, 5.5 DG: 60' Fly & 60 Blindsight', Keen Hearing Owl , AC11, 1HP, 1 DG: 60' fly & 120' Darkvision, Keen Hearing & Sight, Flyby Owl (Giant) , AC12, 19HP, 8 DG: 60' fly & 120' Darkvision, Keen Hearing & Sight, Flyby Raven , AC12, 1HP, 1 DG: 50' fly, can speak through Mimicry.
Giant Eagle , AC13, 26HP, 16.5 DG: 80' fly speed. The main draw is that you can speak while in this form.
Giant Vulture , AC10, 22HP, 16 DG: 60' fly speed, with Pack Tactics. Can do decent damage, but fragile.
Quetzalcoatlus (VGtM), AC13, 30HP, 12.5 DG: 80' fly speed. Dive Attack is easy to trigger and can do 10 extra damage. Has both Flyby and Reach 10 to keep it out of trouble. By far the best flying form so far.
Flying Monkey (ToA), AC12, 19HP, 13 DG: 30' fly, and has hands.
Nemicolopterus (BotJR), AC12, 1HP, 1 DG: 50' fly, adv. to hide in the Jungle/Forest.
Tressym (SKT), AC15, 3HP, 1 DG: 40' Fly and 50' Detect Invisibility .
Flying Spider (DotMM), 14AC, 26HP, 16.5 DG: 40' Fly, good damage, a Web attack that auto-restrain on a hit (no saves), and Blindsight 10'. Variant of the Giant Spider.
Mutated Giant Vulture (RotLK), AC10, 37HP, 16 DG: 60' fly speed, with Pack Tactics. Can do 2 extra damage as BA. Much more durable than the Giant Vulture.
Ankylosaurus , AC15, 68HP, 18 DG: 10' Reach attack that can knock creatures Prone (DC14). Works similarly to the Giant Elk but more durable.
Giant Scorpion , AC15, 52HP, 42.5 DG: 40' speed, 60' Blindsight. Multiattack with 2 claws that auto-grapple, and a stinger that does poison damage (DC12). Great offense but poor defense.
Killer Whale , AC12, 90HP, 21.5 DG: 60' swim, 120' Blindsight. Has tons of HP.
Amphisbaena (TftYP), 12AC, 60HP, 24 DG: 30' swim Amphibian, 10' Blindsight, and its attack auto-restrains (escape DC16). A variant of the Giant Constrictor Snake that can attack twice.
Giant Lightning Eel (TftYP), AC13, 42HP, 29 DG: 5' speed, 30' swim. Blindsight 60'. Only to be used underwater, where its Lightning Jolt can stun multiple creatures (DC12).
Giant Snapping Turtle (ToA), AC17, 75HP, 18 DG: 40' swim. By far the most defensive form yet.
Mutated Crocodile (RotLK), AC12, 60HP, 11 DG: 30' swim. Its attack auto-restrain (DC13), and it can reduce the HP of the restrained enemy by 3 as a Bonus Action. Worse than the CR2 Giant Constrictor Snake.
Elementals can speak and resist nonmagical weapons.
Air Elemental , AC15, 90HP, 28 DG: 90' fly. Arguably the worst of the Elementals for combat, it has bad HP and a weak Whirlwind ability (DC13). It does make for an excellent scout, and it can fight well against flying enemies or highly maneuverable opponents..
Earth Elemental , AC17, 126HP, 28 DG: 30' burrow, 60' Tremorsense. No-nonsense elemental with excellent defense and good offense. With Earth Glide, it can burrow at the end of its turn to be fully protected against AoE and other attacks. Works wonderfully with abilities that obscure vision.
Fire Elemental : AC13, 102HP, 20 DG: 50' speed. Set enemies on fire, by walking into them or touching them. An enemy on flame takes 5.5 damage per turn unless an action is spent to douse the flame. With such low AC, it may be preferable to take the Disengage action & just walk through them. Works amazingly for a Goblin Moon Druid because they can Disengage as a Bonus Action.
Water Elemental : AC14, 114HP, 26 DG: 90' swim speed. Its Whelm ability is its main feature. It can restrain up to two creatures and has a relatively high DC (15). Cold damage destroys its mobility.
Elephant , AC12, 76HP, 19.5 DG: 40' speed. Trampling Charge (DC12) to knock Prone & attack again for 22.5 DG. Sadly, the DC is too low to work reliably.
Stegosaurus (VGtM), AC13, 76HP, 26 DG: 40' speed. Similar to a Ankylosaurus that doesn't knock enemy prone but does a tad more damage.
Giant Coral Snake (GoS), AC13, 90HP, 8DG: 30' swim. On a hit, stuns for a round and inflicts a short-term madness (DC12), most of which are incredibly debilitating. Unfortunately, the low DC and damage makes this beast highly unreliable.
Giant Subterranean Lizard (TftYP), AC14, 66HP, 28 DG: 50' swim. Multiattack with a Bite that auto-restrains and a Tail with Reach that knocks Prone (DC15). Can also Swallow a grappled creature for 16 damage immediately and 10 Acid damage every round. Good but barely an improvement over the Amphisbaena.
Mammoth (Young) (PUS), AC11, 90HP, 14DG: 40' speed, 10' Reach. Charge attack to knock Prone (DC16) & do a BA attack (21.5 DG). Compared to the Elephant, this has 14 more HP, a slightly weaker attack, better reach, and a much better Charge.
Brontosaurus (VGtM), AC15, 121HP, 32 DG: 20' reach. Also has alternative tail attack that does 27.5 damage but knocks enemies Prone (DC14).
Giant Crocodile , AC14, 85HP, 35.5 DG: 50' swim. Multiattack with a Bite that auto-restrains and a Tail with Reach that knocks prone (DC16). Good amphibian animal.
Giant Shark , AC13, 126HP, 22.5 DG: 50' swim, 60' Blindsight, Blood Frenzy gives advantage against the wounded.
Triceratops , AC13, 95HP, 24 DG: 50' speed. Like the Elephant, has a Trample attack that knocks Prone (DC13) & gives extra attack. The Brontosaurus has better stats overall.
Hulking Crab (SKT), AC17, 76HP, 41 DG: 20' speed, 30' swim, 30' Blindsight. Multiattack with two claws that auto-grapple (DC15), and an interesting Camouflage ability. The Crocodile inflicts better debuffs.
Large Subterranean Lizard (TftYP), AC14, 85HP, 35.5 DG: Multiattack with a Bite that auto-restrains and a Tail with Reach that knocks prone (DC16). This variant of the Giant Crocodile has no swim speed, a 30' climb speed, and 60' darkvision.
Therizinosaurus (BotJR), AC14, 104HP, 35 DG: Okay damage and defense but no abilities.
Mammoth , AC13, 126HP, 25 DG: 40' speed. Has a Trampling Charge with Reach and a wonderful DC18 that knocks an enemy prone & allows an additional 29 damage attack.
The level 9 spell Shapechange works similarly to your Wild Shape, letting you adopt the form of a creature you have have seen. The CR of the creature can't exceed your level, and the creature can˜t be a construct or an undead.
This section heavily depends on what creatures you have seen through your adventuring career, but here are a few ideas:
Aboleth : To enslave other creatures.
Adult Dragon : 60' Blindsight, excellent mobility, legendary resistance, Frightful Presence, and a powerful long range Breath weapon. Best used to harass enemies with the Breath while staying out of their range.
Androsphinx : Has 3 Roars that affect everyone hearing them within 500 feet, immune to nonmagical attacks.
Beholder : 150' Antimagic cone.
Chwinga (ToA): Magical Gift lets you give a charm to one of your allies.
Couatl : Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration & Greater Restoration, immune to nonmagical weapons.
Death Slaad : Regeneration 10 & Plane Shift.
Neothelid/Ulitharid/Elder Brain : Sense every creature within 1/2/5 miles.
Pit Fiend : Amazing in combat.
Planetar : 120' True Sight, 120' fly, resists nonmagical attacks, magic resistance, Divine Awareness (lies detection), & Healing Touch.
Rakshasa : Immune to nonmagical attacks & Limited Magic Immunity, Plane Shift.
Cranium Rat (VGtM), AC12, 2HP, 1DG: 30' speed. Makes your target immune to divination, in case its allies try to locate it. Sadly, this also gives your target Telepathy & immunity to mind Read the Full Report effects.
Frog , AC11, 2HP, 0DG: 20' speed & 20' swim, & can jump well. Can't attack.
Killer Whale : AC12, 90HP, 21.5DG: Can't move on land but can breath air, & decent HP in case someone attacks it.
Rat , AC10, 1HP, 1DG: 20' speed and 1HP attack.
Scorpion , AC11, 1HP, 5.5DG: 10' speed (slowest), but it can do some damage.
Sea Horse , AC11, 1HP, 0DG: 20' swim, & can't attack. Great for underwater battles.
Brontosaurus (VGtM), AC15, 121HP, 32DG: 20' Reach. Also has alternative tail attack that does 27.5 damage but knocks enemies Prone (DC14). Inferior to the CR6 Brachiosaurus.
Giant Ape , AC12, 157HP, 45DG: 40' speed, 10' Reach. Has a ranged attack for 30.5 damage. May be your best CR7 bet if you don't have access to BotJR.
Giant Crocodile , AC14, 85HP, 35.5DG: 50' swim. Multiattack with a Bite that auto-restrains and a Tail with Reach that knocks prone (DC16). Decent aquatic animal if you can't get the Sarcosuchus.
Giant Shark , AC13, 126HP, 22.5DG: 50' swim, 60' Blindsight, Blood Frenzy gives advantage against the wounded. Decent aquatic animal if you can't get the Sarcosuchus.
Mammoth , AC13, 126HP, 25DG: 40' speed. Has a Trampling Charge with Reach and a wonderful DC18 that knocks an enemy prone & allows an additional 29 damage attack. If you can use its Charge well, its a good alternative to the Giant Ape.
Triceratops , AC13, 95HP, 24DG: 50' speed. Like the Elephant, has a Trample attack that knocks Prone (DC13) & gives extra attack. Get the CR6 Mammoth instead.
Brachiosaurus (BotJR), AC16, 145HP, 40DG: 20' reach. Also has alternative tail attack that does 34.5 damage but knocks enemies Prone (DC15). Gargantuan size. Better version of the Brontosaurus. If you have access to this, get the Titanosaurus instead.
Hulking Crab (SKT), AC17, 76HP, 41DG: 20' speed, 30' Blindsight. Multiattack with two claws that auto-grapple (DC15), and an interesting Camouflage ability. Decent aquatic animal if you can't get the Sarcosuchus.
Large Subterranean Lizard (TftYP), AC14, 85HP, 35.5DG: Multiattack with a Bite that auto-restrains and a Tail with Reach that knocks prone (DC16). This variant of the Giant Crocodile has no swim speed, 30' climbing speed, and 60' darkvision. Low HP. For battles on land, there are better options.
Sarcosuchus (BotJR), AC15, 137HP, 47.5DG: Reach 10'. 40' speed, 50' swim. Reach 10'. Multiattack with a Bite that auto-restrain and a Tail that knocks Prone (DC17). Good impact on the battlefield, and arguably the best aquatic form.
Therizinosaurus (BotJR), AC14, 104HP, 35DG: If you have access to this, get the Titanosaurus instead.
Titanosaurus (BotJR), AC17, 201HP, 45.5DG: 20' reach. Has a Stomp attack for 40 damage and knocking Prone (DC16). Good offense and excellent durability. Sadly, you can't use the Legendary Actions.
Tyrannosaurus Rex , AC13, 136HP, 53.5DG: Has a Bite attack with auto-restrain (DC17). Better than the Mammoth & the Giant Ape, but the CR7 Titanosaurus is more durable.
Huge Giant Crab (TftYP), AC15, 161HP, 27DG: 30' swim. 10' reach. Has a Claw attack that grapples (DC14). A variant of the Giant Crab that is weaker than CR7 creatures.
Mosasaurus (BotJR), AC13, 159HP, 33DG: 50' swim. Can't move or breath outside water. Has a Bite attack with auto-restrain (DC17), and can Swallow. An alternative to the CR7 Sarcosuchus for a strictly aquatic adventure.
Spoilers.
View Profile View Forum Posts.
Re: Unleash Your Inner Beast: A Moon Druid Guide.
Existence : The first requirement of Polymorph, Wild Shape and the Conjure spells is that the target form must exist in the game universe. The existence of dinosaurs is typically the primary concern here - dinos are among some of the most powerful and versatile Beasts available, but some DMs exclude them from their world.
AL : If you play in Adventure League (AL), the creatures available are those listed in AL legal sources. These include the MM, most WotC supplements, published WotC Adventures, and content from the Guild Adept program such as BotJR.
All of the creatures I list in this guide are AL legal, except for those in GGtR and WGtE.
Additional restrictions : Beside the existence of the creature, there are some additional restriction on the target form:
Polymorph : your character must know about the creature. Wild Shape : your character must have seen the creature before. Conjure Animals / Minor Elemental / Fey : the creature(s) are selected by the DM. Conjure Elemental : the elemental is appropriate for the area you choose, and selected by the DM.
Polymorph has the least restrictive requirement: having heard or read about the Beast is sufficient. The DM could reasonably ask for a Nature or History check if the Beast is rare or foreign.
For Wild Shape, observing a polymorphed or conjured Beast may be enough to let you Wild Shape into the form.
With the Conjure spells, you can request specific creature(s), although the DM is free to ignore your suggestions. Some DMs may also be more likely to oblige if your character knows about or has seen the creatures before, or if they are native to the land you are visiting.
DM Courtesy : Not a requirement, but if you wish to use a creature from a source your DM doesn't own, it is common courtesy to show him a picture or printed copy of the relevant stat block.
Awaken : The Awaken spell (level 5) can "awaken" a Beast of size Huge or smaller, increasing its Intelligence to 10 and allowing it to speak one language.
By RAW, there is nothing preventing a PC from using Wild Shape or Polymorph to turn into an Awakened Beast, or to conjure Awakened Beasts. Of course, some DMs may object to this.
Benefits : Choosing an awakened version of a Beast instead of the regular yields the following benefits.
Wild Shape: you retain the ability to speak while Wild Shaped. Polymorph: the target's intelligence becomes 10 (instead of the usual 1-2), and it can understand (but not speak) a language. Conjure Animals/Fey: the conjured Beasts obey your orders more intelligently, and can report verbally to you.
Wild Shape Requirement : To Wild Shape into the awakened version of a Beast, you must have seen such awakened Beast before. If you are level 9+, the most straightforward way to do so is to awaken a member of the specie yourself.
The following adventures feature Awakened Beasts:
Ghosts of Saltmarsh : Giant Crab (Barnacle Bess). Poisoned Words : Flying Snake (Zsoksia). Putting the Dead to Rest : Giant Ape. Tomb of Annihilation : Giant Constructor Snake (Azi Mas). Waterdeep Dragon Heist : Draft Horse (Maxeene), Giant Shark (Obliteros), & Rat. Waterdeep Dungeon of the Mad Mage : Brown Bear, Elk, and Giant Wasp.
Polymorph Requirement : I assume you need to know about a specific awakened Beast; knowing that a given beast could be theoretically awakened is not sufficient.
Some Beasts have a name and unique stats. By RAW, these Beasts are legal forms for Wild Shape, Polymorph, and the Conjure Animals / Fey spells.
In practice, the DM is unlikely to conjure these creatures, and some may even prohibit Wild Shaping and Polymorphing into them.
The following adventures feature unique Beasts:
Curse of Strahd : Sangzor the Giant Goat (p.160). Lost Mine of Phandelver : Snarl the Wolf (p.40). Out of the Abyss : The Spider King (p.74). Tales from the Yawning Portal : Guthash the Giant Rat (p.21), Huge Giant Crab (p.103)
Some Beasts do not have their own stat block, but are instead variants of existing monsters with some changes. By RAW, there is nothing stopping you from using these altered forms for Wild Shape, Polymorph, & conjuring spells.
The MM & VGtM have the following variants:
Monster Manual : Cave Bear, Diseases Giant Rat, Giant Lizards (Swiming/Climbing), & Satyr (Pipe) Volo's Guide to Monsters : Ox, Rothe, & Stench Kow.
Additionally, some easily missed monster variants are described in the middle of an adventure:
Out of the Abyss : Cave Badger (p.96), Fiendish Giant Spider (p.97), Giant Rocktopus (p.28) Storm King's Thunder : Ice Spider (p.127), Ice Spider Queen (p.128) Tales from the Yawning Portal : Amphisbaena (p.83), Four-Armed Gargoyle (p.129), Large Subterranean Lizard (p.176) Waterdeep Dungeon of the Mad Mage : Flying Spider (p.150)
While looking for creatures for the summoning spells, I've decided to exclude the following:
Encounters in Port Nyanzaru : Cursed Water Elemental (p.19, unique). Chelimber's Descent : Stone Mephit (p.22, obscure & too powerful). Giant Diplomacy : Oblivillish (p.23, unique). Szith Morcane Unbound : Azer Acolyte & Priest (pp. 26-27, weak & obscure forms). The Iron Baron : Ironmonger (p.41, unique Earth Elemental Myrmidon), Vigorel (p.43, unique). Uneasy Lies the Head : Wobbles (p.36, magically enhanced). Waterdeep Dragon Heist : Lady Gondafrey (p.152, unique). Waterdeep Dungeon of the Mad Mage : Big Xorn (p.51, unique), Haungharassk (p.258, magically enhanced), Poison Weird (p.127, dies out of brew).
When Wild Shaped, your ability to speak is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. This means you generally can't speak as a Brown Bear, as a Wolf, etc. However, there are some workarounds that allows you to communicate while in Wild Shape:
Telepathy : Telepathy is the most straightforward method of communicating while Wild Shaped. Most Telepathy effects are one-way and only work with a single person.
Races: Ghostwise Halfling, Kalashtar Beast: Cranium Rat Item: Helm Of Telepathy Class: GOO Warlock (Awakened Mind) Spells: Telepathic Bond, Telepathy Find Familiar: You can communicate telepathically with a Raven familiar, and have it say your words through Mimicry.
Understanding Beasts : While Wild Shaped, you qualify as a Beast. Features & effects that let someone understand Beasts will work on you, allowing you to be understood.
Class: Shepherd Druid (Speech of the Woods) Spell: Speak with Animals Races: Forest Gnome (small & tiny beasts only)
The Giant Eagle, Giant Elk and Giant Owl all speak their own language; the Druid can thus communicate to some extend while Wild Shaped into them.
However, there is some ambiguity regarding what language(s) you can speak while Wild Shaped into these forms:
Can you speak their native language? : By RAW, you automatically learn the Giant Eagle/Elk/Owl's language while Wild Shaped, because Languages are part of a Beast's statistics. Your DM might disagree. Are you prohibited from talking with their "can't speak" languages? : The three Giant Beasts can understand, but not speak, Common and either Elvish&Sylvan or Primordial. If it's because they just don't know how, then these Beasts can be assumed to be capable of talking, and you'll be able to speak these languages while Wild Shaped into them. If they can't speak these languages because they physically can't, you won't be able to either. Can you speak other languages? : If these Beasts cannot vocalize properly, then they likely won't be able to speak other languages as well.
Under the harshest interpretation, you'll only be able to speak the native tongue of these Beasts and only if you learnt them beforehand. Under the most related interpretation, you can speak any language you knew before and you even temporarily learn an extra language.
How it works is really up to the DM.
Note that if you are a Firbolg or a Forest Gnome, you'll be to use your racial ability to be understood by beasts if your wild shape is capable of speak at least one language.
A simple communication method is to make a physical list of frequently words such as "Danger", "Treasure", "Fight", etc. While Wild Shaped, you point at the correct word(s) to communicate.
Examples of lists: a wooden board, a large scroll, a series of flash cards with words of them, shield engravings, embroidered words in a cloak, etc.
The main advantage of this method is that it doesn't require any extra work from other players; you just say "I point at the words "Danger", "Traps", and "Ahead" and everyone will get what you meant.
The main problems is that the list itself may have to be physically large (especially if you become a Huge or larger Beast) and that you need to be physically close to the list. The later makes it near impossible to communicate this way during combat.
Here are examples of words to use.
Yes No I You They Thanks Sorry Numbers 0-9.
Danger Enemy Friend Door Traps Treasure.
Fight Retreat Scout Search Listen Go Get Hide Heal Rest.
Ahead Behind Above Under Left Right.
At the most basic, you can have your Druid attempt to communicate through Charades. Although Charades can be hilarious, they can be quite imprecise and inefficient; after a few, your party risks getting bored & may start ignoring you.
At the other extreme, you and your friend could learn the Morse language; you'd then be able to communicate freely regardless of the Beast form. The commitment for this is substantial, though.
An alternate approach is to come up with a rudimentary "language" making use of the signs & sounds a Beast can make. For example, moving a right paw to the ground could mean "Watch for Traps", while a Growl could mean "Let's attack".
The advantage of the pseudo-language approach is that the Druid can communicate at any time (including combat) with his allies.
The disadvantage is that it requires some work to come up with the language & memorize it. Also, it may be difficult to make up a language for Beasts with unusual appendages (Giant Spider, Constrictor Snake, etc)
A kind DM might assume the characters themselves memorize the language, so you can just say "My character does the sign for Danger".
Example: Bear Communication.
Yes : Nod. No : Shake head. I / You / They : Point one paw at person. Thanks : Bow Sorry : Paws cover both eyes. Numbers : Clap paws.
Danger : Put a paw around head with mouth open (as if scared). Enemy : Punches in front. Friend : Paw over heart. Door : Make the outline of a door with a paw. Traps : Stomp paw on ground. Treasure : Lick lips.
Fight : Punch both paws together horizontally. Retreat : Wave