How To Do Wildshape

[CleverNickName]

The discussion in this thread has piqued my interest in the druid's wild shape ability, and how it should look in D&D Next. So I thought I would poll the masses, and see what everyone thought of it.

 

[Teataine]

On one hand, there's a pretty good argument in favour of Wildshape being the Druid's definitive mechanic (much like CS is the Fighter's or spell slots the Wizard's).

But on the other hand I think Wildshape being a family of spells would solve a lot of problems with it.

Of course there remains a question of how a Druid acquires and prepares/casts/whatever their spells...

But still, I voted for family of spells. So you could have Wildshape: Sparrow or Wildshape: Tiger etc. and each would have their own specific effect that doesn't break things. And the Druid could learn to turn into different animals depending on which spells they pick/know.

You can also make more thematic Druids that way: a swamp druid or a bird druid frex.

Plus if someone doesn't want to turn into an animal, they can simply not pick those spells.

 

[CleverNickName]

Personally, I prefer it to be a group of spells. Yes, I realize that this would reduce one of the druid's iconic abilities into a weaker version of polymorph, but I don't see that as a bad thing. It could use a good nerfing, IMO.

It should scale by spell level, too, like some of the other spells in the game already do. Cast it as a second-level druid spell, for example, and you can Wild Shape into a Medium animal...but cast it as a 3rd, 4th, or 5th level spell, and you can Wild Shape into larger or smaller animals, or plants, or elementals.

I also dislike the idea of druids actually turning into the animals they emulate. This is more like what I had in mind:

 

[Derren]

At will power which only allows for (up to) medium sized land animals. (Gills and flying becomes available later)

 

[slobster]

Making it a spell makes it a player choice. Some druids will be devoted shapechangers, some will never shift forms. It's also a built in balance check, because it takes resources that could be spent elsewhere.

I am a little worried, though, that wild shape may become the default option at spell levels where it is available. It is historically a powerful effect, and I don't want other spell choices to be suboptimal in comparison.

On a related note, wild shape should drop the mechanic of replacing your character's stats with something straight out of the monster manual. Those animal entries aren't balanced for us by PCs, nor should they need to be. Instead have every spell grant a couple of bonuses to ability scores, a few skill bonuses, and maybe a movement mode or special attack. Then your form shifts to look like the animal you are trying to emulate.

For example, a low level wild shape spell might grant +2 to one physical ability score and +1 to another. You choose, so if you were shifting into a puma you might get +2 dex, +1 str while shifting to an ox would give you +2 con, +1 str. You choose from either an improved movement mode (+10 feet movement for puma), +1 natural armor (for the ox), or enhanced senses (like +4 on checks involving sight for an eagle).

It's preliminary and messy, but even at this early stage I think it's preferable to the old 3.5 style shapeshifting, with all the system mastery, supplement hunting, and game slowing that it spawned.

 

[slobster]

You could also have an at-will version of wild shifting as a spell. Make it an orison (level 0 spell). It doesn't benefit your stats, maybe even imposes penalties. Maybe it's limited to one other form. It could give you abilities like scent, and it will obviously be a boon in stealth or wilderness situations, but it isn't a combat ability.

Just spitballin'.

 

[TwinBahamut]

Wildshape should be the central mechanic for the Druid class. All Druids should have wildshape, and there should be no alternatives to it within the Druid class. Basically, the 4E approach works.

Specializations within the Druid class could help mold and empower what that form is like, so a Druid could choose from the outset to take on a more brutish and powerful wild form (like a bear or lion or something), something more agile (like a wolf), or even something that can fly (like a hawk or raven). Basically, all Druids wildshape, and what they wildshape into is determined by Specialization rather than by chosen powers or whatever else.

"Druids" that don't wildshape can be a different class instead. I really like the 4E Shaman, for example, and I'd like to see it continue as its own class.

 

[Ahnehnois]

If you're going to have any class-specific mechancs at all, wild shape is pretty clearly part of the druid.

I don't think daily use limitations add anything here; I'd rather see a really basic version (medium and small animals to start with), and advancement as the druid levels. The advancement could include any number of options, an some druids might not improve it at all.

I also think each druid should have to pick certain forms he can change into or have some mechanically enforceable familiarity requirement to prevent monster manual browsing.

 

[Steely_Dan]

Nice, digging it, the majority so far is selfishly on my side, but yeah, when I play a Druid, I do not have to change into anything, or have my pet bear, polymorphing can be its own deal.

 

[slobster]

If wild shaping were to be the central mechanic of the druid class, I'd change my vote. So long as druids continue as casters/shape-changers/beastmasters/healers/warriors, though, there needs to be some give and take so that they don't dominate other classes or spread themselves so thin that nobody wants to play one.