D&D 5E Magic items for a moon druid

Tobold · Nov 16, 2017

When handing out magic items in my campaign, I want them to feel useful and special, not random and occasionally useless. Thus for example I check what types of weapons my players can use before putting a magic weapon in a treasure hoard. And if one of my players is a lot weaker than the rest of the group, it becomes more likely that the magic weapon I put in is one that he can use.

Currently I’m experiencing an issue with that approach with my level 4 group in Princes of the Apocalypse. One of the players is a moon druid, and he is underperforming compared to the others. That is mostly due to the weird power curve of the moon druid: From level 2 to level 5 he is fighting as the same animals, and while they are quite powerful at level 2, they become relatively less powerful at level 4, and really weak at level 5 when everybody else gets a big power boost.

So I was wondering what magic item I could give my druid which would increase his combat performance while in animal form. Magical weapons or armor don’t work, nor do items like magical staves or wands. I don’t want to force the druid to remain in human shape and cast spells, because the group is short on tanks. So, what magic would boost him in wild shape? What magic items would be good to great for a moon druid in animal form?

pukunui · Nov 16, 2017

I ran across a similar problem when I ran Tyranny of Dragons. There just aren't a lot of good magic items for any kind of druid, let alone a shapeshifting one. At least not in the DMG. There is, however, a pretty darn good one in Hoard of the Dragon Queen. When the druid in my game came across it, I let him use some downtime to reverse engineer it and create his own one, since the item in question was tied in with the Cult of the Dragon.

Anyway, the item is the insignia of claws, and it's an uncommon wondrous item that grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with unarmed strikes and natural weapons (and they count as magical).

How does that sound?

EDIT: Another option might be to give him something that lets him use wildshape a third time per rest. Or that lets him speak while wildshaped into a creature that can't normally talk (but still not cast spells).

EDIT 2: Here's my old thread on the subject: nature-themed magic items

Fanaelialae · Nov 16, 2017

You could give him a magic item that is designed to work while wild shaped. Bonus points if it's cool.

For example, maybe a cloak of displacement that the druid can choose to gain the benefits from even in wild shape. When doing so, it alters the beast form to look like a displacer beast hybrid.

Another option would be special tweaks to wild shape. I had a DM who, after my moon druid dueled a wolfwere and spared him, had the wolfwere teach my character a special maneuver in any wolf form that allowed him to attempt to parry an attack as a reaction. When my character encountered the spirit of the constellation Ursa Major, he learned the ability to do a short range teleport when assuming any bear form and, additionally, could choose to deal radiant damage as he woild appear to be a bear made of starlight. Obviously for that to be a viable option it needs to be a form that is competitive (or the buff needs to be enough to make it competitive).

Croesus · Nov 17, 2017

One item I used is a belt made of troll skin. If worn and attuned, it allows a druid to spend both wildshape uses to wildshape into a troll. It gives the druid a more powerful form, but at the expense of only being able to wildshape once per short/long rest. Given that you're running a PotA campaign, you could create a similar item that is elemental-themed.

GMMichael · Nov 17, 2017

Tobold said:
When handing out magic items in my campaign, I want them to feel useful and special, not random and occasionally useless. Thus for example I check what types of weapons my players can use before putting a magic weapon in a treasure hoard. And if one of my players is a lot weaker than the rest of the group, it becomes more likely that the magic weapon I put in is one that he can use.

Currently I’m experiencing an issue with that approach with my level 4 group in Princes of the Apocalypse. One of the players is a moon druid, and he is underperforming compared to the others. That is mostly due to the weird power curve of the moon druid: From level 2 to level 5 he is fighting as the same animals, and while they are quite powerful at level 2, they become relatively less powerful at level 4, and really weak at level 5 when everybody else gets a big power boost.

So I was wondering what magic item I could give my druid which would increase his combat performance while in animal form. Magical weapons or armor don’t work, nor do items like magical staves or wands. I don’t want to force the druid to remain in human shape and cast spells, because the group is short on tanks. So, what magic would boost him in wild shape? What magic items would be good to great for a moon druid in animal form?

Should we assume that "underperforming" means "not causing as much damage as the other characters," or does that player suffer from role-playing or poor-rolling underperformance?

I didn't read peep about Exploration or Socializing in that plea. Are Moon Druids a combat class? Maybe the Moon Druid just needs some variety in his encounter types.

ClaytonCross · Nov 17, 2017

Well since you said the group is low on tanks, I would recommend "bracers of defense". Where wild shape differs from the polymorph spell is that it can choose to keep gear on so a +2AC to with any wild shape or elemental from is great for Moon druids beginning to end. Just describe how the bracers morph to his front dog legs or bands near the body of eagle, etc. Similarly, ring of defense and clock of defense both add +1 not great on their own but together you are adding +4 to all wild shape forms for the player.

Since the player takes the con/dex/str and HP of the creature they become the AC boost is the best tank thing that comes to mind.

Tobold · Nov 17, 2017

DMMike said:
Should we assume that "underperforming" means "not causing as much damage as the other characters," or does that player suffer from role-playing or poor-rolling underperformance?

I didn't read peep about Exploration or Socializing in that plea. Are Moon Druids a combat class? Maybe the Moon Druid just needs some variety in his encounter types.

Socializing is a problem for moon druids. They only have a limited number of times they can use wild shape, so they often stay in animal form between combat encounters. And in animal form they can’t speak.

Tobold · Nov 17, 2017

Would a magic item that allows a druid in wild shape to talk and cast spells be completely overpowered?

pukunui · Nov 17, 2017

Tobold said:
Would a magic item that allows a druid in wild shape to talk and cast spells be completely overpowered?

Talk? Probably not. Cast spells? Yes. A druid doesn't normally get to cast spells while in beast form until 18th level.

Fanaelialae · Nov 17, 2017

Tobold said:
Socializing is a problem for moon druids.

You can socialize any druid, you just need to get them around people at a young enough age.

D&D 5E Magic items for a moon druid

Tobold

Explorer

pukunui

Legend

Fanaelialae

Legend

Croesus

Adventurer

GMMichael

Guide of Modos

ClaytonCross

Kinder reader Inflection wanted

Tobold

Explorer

Tobold

Explorer

pukunui

Legend

Fanaelialae

Legend

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