DavyGreenwind
Just some guy
Though I do not like the templates very much, I agree that needing to refer to the monster manual is a chore. Here is my take on how they could fix Druid's Wildshape:
"At level one, your connection to nature allows to change into beasts, or wildshapes. As an action, you can transform into a wildshape. You know a number of wildshapes equal to your Wisdom modifier plus your druid class level, chosen from the beast appendix in the player's handbook. The beast must have a Challenge Rating equal to or lower than half of your druid class level, rounded down. Whenever you finish a long rest, you may replace one wildshape you know with another. If you meet a beast in the wild for which you have the prerequisite level, you may choose to learn that beast's form, replacing a wildshape that you know.
You can wildshape [or channel nature] a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, and must finish a long rest before you may do so again. Your wildshape lasts for 1 hr, or until you end it as a bonus action.
While in your wildshape, your gain the beast's statblock, except that:
Your Dexterity and Strength scores equal your Wisdom score, and you maintain the rest of your ability scores;
You maintain your hit points, except that when you wildshape you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier plus your druid class level;
Your attacks use your spell attack modifier in place of any attack bonus; and
You maintain your proficiency bonus."
The beast appendix would probably have 40 or 50 beasts from CR 0 to 10. Enough to fill all the niches.
Moon Druid would keep combat wildshape, using spell slots for healing, and all the cool elemental stuff. To make them pop, instead of upping the CR, I would give them the ability to freely change between animals during the one hour their wildshape is active without expending additional uses of wildshape (but getting the temporary hit points only on the first time they use it) in order to really live that Doric from the movie Druid fantasy.
This way, there is no endless searching through the monster manual, because they are all in the PH, and you only know a limited number. The CR is a little higher on the beasts available, but I feel this is balanced by knowing less beasts, having THP instead of full HP, and by replacing some stats with your own.
Thoughts?
"At level one, your connection to nature allows to change into beasts, or wildshapes. As an action, you can transform into a wildshape. You know a number of wildshapes equal to your Wisdom modifier plus your druid class level, chosen from the beast appendix in the player's handbook. The beast must have a Challenge Rating equal to or lower than half of your druid class level, rounded down. Whenever you finish a long rest, you may replace one wildshape you know with another. If you meet a beast in the wild for which you have the prerequisite level, you may choose to learn that beast's form, replacing a wildshape that you know.
You can wildshape [or channel nature] a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, and must finish a long rest before you may do so again. Your wildshape lasts for 1 hr, or until you end it as a bonus action.
While in your wildshape, your gain the beast's statblock, except that:
Your Dexterity and Strength scores equal your Wisdom score, and you maintain the rest of your ability scores;
You maintain your hit points, except that when you wildshape you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier plus your druid class level;
Your attacks use your spell attack modifier in place of any attack bonus; and
You maintain your proficiency bonus."
The beast appendix would probably have 40 or 50 beasts from CR 0 to 10. Enough to fill all the niches.
Moon Druid would keep combat wildshape, using spell slots for healing, and all the cool elemental stuff. To make them pop, instead of upping the CR, I would give them the ability to freely change between animals during the one hour their wildshape is active without expending additional uses of wildshape (but getting the temporary hit points only on the first time they use it) in order to really live that Doric from the movie Druid fantasy.
This way, there is no endless searching through the monster manual, because they are all in the PH, and you only know a limited number. The CR is a little higher on the beasts available, but I feel this is balanced by knowing less beasts, having THP instead of full HP, and by replacing some stats with your own.
Thoughts?