D&D 5E [GUIDE] Thy Fearful Symmetry: A Circle of the Moon Handbook (original)
Z. H. Darkstar
Explorer
"When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action, rather than as an action."
It doesn't replace the Wild Shape that you get as a Druid regardless of circle, just gives Moon Druids an extra option for the sake of action economy.
False. Volo's gives two new races Unarmed Strikes with their natural weapons.
As does Alter Form, and the transition between NPC Aarakocra and PC Aarakocra. There is no evidence against them being one and the same, and at least four points of them clearly being defined as the same.
Natural weapons make Unarmed Strikes. That's all that relevant features care about: whether it's an Unarmed Strike.
There's no transitive property of rules; they either exist or do not. The monsters in Volo's guide have a specific rule that lets them make unarmed strikes with their natural weapons. Alter Self has a similar such rule. There is no general rule about the actions provided to monsters.
Aside from it being completely unsupported by the rules, 2-3xing druid damage by giving wild shape forms access to Martial Arts and Flurry of Blows bonus actions would increase their damage absurdly.
Aside from it being completely unsupported by the rules, 2-3xing druid damage by giving wild shape forms access to Martial Arts and Flurry of Blows bonus actions would increase their damage absurdly.
So what you're saying is despite every single other instance of a PC getting natural weapons resulting in an alteration of Unarmed Strikes, they must all be the exception?
Sure, that's believable
Without clear rules we must go by precident, and the precident has been set.
Sure, that's believable
Without clear rules we must go by precident, and the precident has been set.
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That's how rules work.
Except that the rules already were clear, and were made more clear by explicit exceptions being added for these new cases.
I understand that you want this to work a certain way, and you're allowed to run it however you like at your tables, but the rules we have don't back up how you want it to work.
Except they weren't clear. There is exactly 0 information on how Natural Weapons work with making attacks.
Except, of course, for the examplrs you label "exceptions". Except if every instance is a exception, then they're not an exception.
I understand you don't want this to work a certain way, and you're allowed to run it however you like at your tables, but the rules we have don't back up how you want it to work.
The parallel structure is hilarious, but the reality is that 5e is an exception-based rules system. Natural weapons don't count for unarmed stikes because there's no general rule that says they do. That's just how the game works.
The important thing to realize is that the designers aren't sloppy with their words. If they intended something to work a certain way, they'd have text to that effect. Or they'd errata it. Or do a Sage Advice on it.
I think it makes sense to allow druids in wild shape to make unarmed strikes, but to allow natural attacks to be used with flurry of blows both isn't supported by the rules and would be an absurd damage boost for one level.
If you can quote a source that explicitly says otherwise, that would change my mind.
The important thing to realize is that the designers aren't sloppy with their words. If they intended something to work a certain way, they'd have text to that effect. Or they'd errata it. Or do a Sage Advice on it.
I think it makes sense to allow druids in wild shape to make unarmed strikes, but to allow natural attacks to be used with flurry of blows both isn't supported by the rules and would be an absurd damage boost for one level.
If you can quote a source that explicitly says otherwise, that would change my mind.
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