D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal: Shape of "New Druid"

Druid video today. Where will wildshape land?

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We saw three druids in the playtest, and each was meaningfully different. The most recent look at the class was in PT8 (UA Playtest document 8); with the Moon Druid in PT8, and Land Druid and Sea Druid in PT6, with the Stars Druid in Tasha's. What will change? What will be revealed? Will it be feasible to pick an combat animal shape and stick with it through 20 levels? Let's find out!

OVERVIEW

• "there is a ton of new in the druid": but it was all in the playtest materials. Very little to see here. "the final version has elements people didn't get to see" in the playtest, however everything they discuss was in the playtest documents.
• Primal order choice at level 1: Warden or Magician. Warden gives proficiency in Medium armor and martial weapons; Magician gives cantrip and nature checks (and so =PT8). Magician incentivizes not dumping Intelligence.
• no mention of metal armor; presumably any restriction is now gone.
• Druidic includes speak with animals prepared.
• Wildshape (as in PT8): as a bonus action; wild companion option from Tasha's for a familiar; you can speak; spellslot for another wildshift at 5.
• NO MENTION OF BEAST FORMS IN THE PHB.
• At level 7, Elemental Fury choice not determined by level 1 choice; you can mix-and-match. (would you want to?) Improved at level 15 -- extra range option works at range while flying, if you want.
• new cantrips: Starry Wisp (ranged spell attack in PT8) and Elementalism (PT6).

Overall, this is pretty disappointing in terms of a preview for people who have been invested in the playtest. No discussion of the beast forms in the PHB, no mention of distinctive Druid features (metal armor, though the silence is probably revelatory) or adjustements to canonical spells (any adjustments to Reincarnate so it might actually see play?).

Narrator: His questions would not be answered.

SUBCLASSES
Land

• Almost all as in PT6. This is "all about your spellcasting".
• you choose your land type every long rest. Arid, Polar, Temperate, Tropical (as in PT6).
• use wildshape at 3 to create "eruption of nature magic" (harms and heals). Expanded at 14 to include resitances.
• Two damage resistances at 10 (with flexibility: poison plus one determined by land type

Sea

• wanted to "make sure we don't have the Aquaman problem".
• NEW: Water breathing replaces Sleet storm on the subclass spell list.

Moon

• Almost everything exactly as in PT8: AC is "more reliable"; gain in temporary hit points instead of just taking over the creature's hit points. (a nerf, but a needed one). (Crawford ties it to abilities that activate when you get zero hp;
• NEW: subclass spell list given (it is different from PT8):
  • 3: cure wounds, moon beam, starry wisp (unchanged)
  • 5: conjure animals (replacing Vampiric touch)
  • 7: fount of Moonlight (new spell, as in PT8)
  • 9: mass cure wounds (replacing Dawn).

Stars

• like Tasha's, but starting now at level 3. Enhanced by core class, but no specific changes made.

 

[Parmandur]

Interestingly, it looks like two of those incidental pieces repeat thst main Iconic Druid, one with him hanging out with the Iconic Goliath Barbarian, and one exploring with the Iconic Gnome Warlock.

 

[Kobold Stew]

DnD Beyond article on the changes to Wild Shape: link

Still tells us nothing about the forms available, how they scale, etc., which is, let's face it, the crucial information for understanding how this class will play.

 

[Stalker0]

Still tells us nothing about the forms available, how they scale, etc., which is, let's face it, the crucial factor.

the biggest thing we know is that:

1) You do get a LOT of wildshapes when you factor in being able to replenish them with spell slots.
2) You can change a known form with a long rest. so between that and the number of forms you get, I think most druids will likely be happy with the selection.
3) they kept the temp hp = druid level (x3 for moon druids) rather than getting the animal hp. I still think its a good change but definately a nerf to lower level moon druids especially.

 

[Kurotowa]

Still tells us nothing about the forms available, how they scale, etc., which is, let's face it, the crucial factor.

If we take the words directly, the "Must be a creature you’ve seen before." limitation is gone. Now it's just "Pick the allowed number of Beast forms, up to the appropriate CR, as you please." Since they abandoned specific stat blocks for the forms, things like scaling is all down to creature stats, which is technically outside the Druid class. But they have said repeatedly they're reworking a lot of creature stats, and making many of them more fitting for their CR. So that's a promising sign.

 

[Baumi]

the biggest thing we know is that:

1) You do get a LOT of wildshapes when you factor in being able to replenish them with spell slots.
2) You can change a known form with a long rest. so between that and the number of forms you get, I think most druids will likely be happy with the selection.
3) they kept the temp hp = druid level (x3 for moon druids) rather than getting the animal hp. I still think its a good change but definately a nerf to lower level moon druids especially.

How do we know point 2 and 3? The UA might not be the final Version...

Edit: Ah I see, the Article has more Information.

 

[mellored]

I felt the Seeker class in 4e was unnecessary as a full class, but maybe picking "Warden" allows one to be more of a "Seeker", though they probably need some of those Ranger spells based on using arrows.

Yea. Seeker is just a ranger with a variety of "smite" arrows.

Something that could easily be added to their spell list. Or maybe a subclass.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Some more fun art:

View attachment 369443

When I first saw the picture of the moon druid in the middle of the crowd, it was of reduced size on my phone - so I mistook all those swords as violin bows (since the background is somewhat opera house like), and thought that this was an opera of some sort, with the druid as one of the performers, or the druid crashing the opera and attacking everyone!

 

[Kobold Avenger]

When I first saw the picture of the moon druid in the middle of the crowd, it was of reduced size on my phone - so I mistook all those swords as violin bows (since the background is somewhat opera house like), and thought that this was an opera of some sort, with the druid as one of the performers, or the druid crashing the opera and attacking everyone!

I think that's actually the picture of Turn Undead in action, because they keep re-using that one.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I think that's actually the picture of Turn Undead in action, because they keep re-using that one.

Yeah, it does look like turn undead, but weird it's in the druid section. Perhaps it's a druid spell that burns undead.

 

[Nikosandros]

I'm curious if D&D Beyond will support wildshape in an effective way. Like, you select the form and you get the attacks for the shape you've picked rollable on the sheets, for example.