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

Druid video today. Where will wildshape land?

​

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]

Gonna need a full breakdown once we see everything so we know how well each species did in representation.

That's my plan, juat enjoying examining as we go!

I do fully expect we will see 6 reps per Species, probably pretty symmetrical gender representation, and we have already seen a wide diversity of other sorts of representation (glasses, skin tone, culture, etc).

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Gonna need a full breakdown once we see everything so we know how well each species did in representation.

That's a thread for next week when we get all of the classes.

 

[mellored]

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.

HP/THP, AC (for moon), bonus damage (for weapon and wild shape), and some saves all scale with druid level.

Which leaves to-hit and DCs as the big question.

Also, for the Monster Manual they specifically mentioned expanding CR ranges for already exsist monster. Higher level ooze, low level vampires. So I would say there is a good chance of higher CR beasts as well.

At very least it's better. And you can stay a wolf for more levels. But how much better i can't say.

 

[Gorck]

Which leaves to-hit and DCs as the big question.

Which I can easily see being equal to the Druid’s Spell Attack Bonus and Spell Save DC. Hopefully we’ll find out later this week when the article goes up on DDB.

EDIT: Oops, I was thinking of the Warlock article going up later this week

 

[sevenbastard]

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

Thinking about it druids are all about natural and undead are the most unnatural thing there is so them having a weapon against them would make sense.

 

[Undrave]

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.

Calling it 'Warden' feels like taunting us 4e fans... And why 'Magician' and not 'Shaman'?! That feels far more thematic. What's the point of the martial weapon proficiency for a druid? They already got Shilleleagh and Wildshape?

new cantrips: Starry Wisp (ranged spell attack in PT8) and Elementalism (PT6).

Interesting! I find the Druid has basically the most fun cantrips in the game so this'll be fun.

you choose your land type every long rest. Arid, Polar, Temperate, Tropical (as in PT6).

Ya know, I like flexibility but am I the only one who feel like everything being changeable on long rests feels very wishy washy? Like they don't want to commit to a thematic or stylistic design? Or lacking in confidence? Just a thought.

use wildshape at 3 to create "eruption of nature magic" (harms and heals). Expanded at 14 to include resitances.

Like alternate use for Wildshapes, it's a fun concept.

The "Aquaman Problem"

Or the 'Ranger Problem', where you have a character who's only good in one environment.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

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.

I always thought of them more as a Druid that can use a bow, even though it's probably more of a Ranger/Druid mix. I guess the "Seeker" is more a multiclass build, but Primal Strike as something that adds Fire, Cold, Lightning or Thunder to a Bow attack would be key to what I saw in that concept. But definitely there could be a subclass in either class that would fit that concept.

 

[Undrave]

My main Question would have been how they handle choosing your animals. Checking the MM for all the Beasts was horrible in the 2014 Edition. They played around with it in the UA with templates and limited number of animals, but I would have loved to know what the final Version will be.

But it seems that Druid wont change into Animals much anyway, except for the Moon Druid, since every Subclass leans heavily into using the Wildshapes for their main stick..

Biggest issue is they had split them into 'land/sea/air' instead of addressing the ACTUALY REASONS people use wild shape. What they needed is a separation based on purposes: Scouting (or infiltration), Travel, Tanking (with Moon druids getting a 'Predator' template for battle).

One thing they didn't mention that was in the playtest.

You need to prepare a few wild shapes at the start of the days.

You no longer have access to the full monster manual on at all times. Just a few at a time.

Which is what most people did anyway.

 

[Undrave]

I always thought of them more as a Druid that can use a bow, even though it's probably more of a Ranger/Druid mix. I guess the "Seeker" is more a multiclass build, but Primal Strike as something that adds Fire, Cold, Lightning or Thunder to a Bow attack would be key to what I saw in that concept. But definitely there could be a subclass in either class that would fit that concept.

Apparently Seekers made great hybrids with the Martial Ranger.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Calling it 'Warden' feels like taunting us 4e fans... And why 'Magician' and not 'Shaman'?! That feels far more thematic.

I would guess that it's for issues of cultural sensitivity.

What's the point of the martial weapon proficiency for a druid? They already got Shilleleagh and Wildshape?

As was said upthread, it's really for Medium armor proficiency (which they might also get as an origin feat from their background). Having Martial weapons means that you have an option, if you want to not use shillelagh, but you are right that it won't get used much (uness you want a longbow build, say).

Interesting! I find the Druid has basically the most fun cantrips in the game so this'll be fun.

Yes.

Ya know, I like flexibility but am I the only one who feel like everything being changeable on long rests feels very wishy washy? Like they don't want to commit to a thematic or stylistic design? Or lacking in confidence? Just a thought.

I understand what you're saying. For the Land druid, this helps make it viable -- if you know you are going up against a particular type of dragon, you can tailor your resistances to that, so rather than "wishy washy" it becomes tactical. It's not as wishy as the favoured enemy for Rangers, which is now completely rewritten.

Or the 'Ranger Problem', where you have a character who's only good in one environment.

Exactly.