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.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Elephants aren't actually that strong compared to their body mass.

Yes, but Str22 is peak human only. I think you'd assume them to be a step stronger than humans.

Which is why 'I need official stats for my animal' doesn't really hold merit when the official numbers are silly anyway.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes, but Str22 is peak human only. I think you'd assume them to be a step stronger than humans.

Which is why 'I need official stats for my animal' doesn't really hold merit when the official numbers are silly anyway.

Nonhumanoid stat blocks probably shouldn't even use the six stats. Many just aren't relevant to a lot of monsters.

 

[Stalker0]

my people....this is a 2024 druid thread. for the 2024 druid, templates ARE DEAD.

doesn't matter how you feel about them....they are gone. why are we wasting page space talking about them in a thread previewing the 2024 druid? go make some new homebrew druid threads if you want to bring templates back.

 

[WanderingMystic]

Since we will have no information about monsters yet they might have reintroduced things like the dire template for beast which would allow some scaling for people who wanted to play the same (similar) animal at different tiers of play.

 

[Staffan]

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Templates do not fit the class fantasy of druid for a lot of people. It's not about what is more convenient or what is "better," it's about being able to shapeshift into a specific animal, not into a generic bundle of stats that you can call an animal if you want.

I think the solution is to have more templates. Look at PF2 for an example. The spell animal form (which forms the basis for wild shape) gives you a level-based AC, some temporary hp, a fixed attack bonus and Athletics skill, low-light vision, and imprecise scent. You also choose a generic form: ape, bear, bull, canine, cat, deer, frog, shark, or snake. Each of these forms have different attacks and speed, and the shark form also lets you breathe underwater (but not air). Higher-level versions keep the same types of animals, but bigger/stronger/tougher. IMO, this is enough to feel like I'm turning into, say, a panther (or tiger at higher levels), even if I don't have the exact same stats and special abilities of the panther (or tiger) monster.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Not to sound like a jerk but that’s modern D&D. They can’t cover everyone’s desires for how or why their character is that specific class so now it’s all flavorless.

Meanwhile most of us don't miss the flavours of soil, grit, and pesticides. And if we want something a little spicier than modern D&D offers adding hot source is easy. It's harder to wash the vegetables after they are already on the plate.

Clerics don’t even gods anymore.

95% of them do. But a lot of them do so in a more polytheistically accurate way, for the pantheon with a primary rather than exclusive god.

And of the 1% that don't? Either in practice they wouldn't have before or they are weirdnesses like a Cleric of the Blood of Vol, thoroughly believing in their cult.

Druids don’t need to commune with nature.

But most of them do. However Stars and Wildfire druids might do other things.

Warlock can just happen to fall into a power source.

The warlock has only been around since late 3.5 when they bloodlined into a power source. Pacts and Patrons have only been a thing in D&D since 2008

Meanwhile the most iconic warlock in D&D history is probably Raistlin Majere, with his Undying Patron Fistandantilus. Unfortunately old school D&D was short on variety of ingredients so the Wizard class had to carry Raistlin meaning that all the mechanical flavour he got was about memorizing spells. Modern D&D has more flavour even replicating old characters.

Paladins can believe in themselves so much they get magic.

And talking of vegetables that weren't washed properly we reach the paladin. The paladin that created arguments rather than interesting roleplaying opportunities because they wouldn't associate with evil characters. The paladin whose mechanics meant that if you suspected they had fallen you could test whether they could Lay on Hands.

And the Paladin that was pretty much forced to behave like a self righteous unbending jackass because if they made one mistake and let their hair down once they risked losing their powers permanently. (And even that wasn't necessarily enough; a paladin mind controlled into an evil act explicitly lost their powers in, I think, 2e).

Lack of flavor / Shades of grey. Which I suppose is better that way anyone can be anything without feeling pigeon holed by lore.

Especially when the lore was bad (alignment with supernatural consequences). Good lore is empowering, not pigeon holing and doesn't force you to follow it under dire mechanical threat.

But the flip side is a class and subclass are just text and numbers. IMO that’s boring.

Meanwhile back in the day most classes were text and numbers - and didn't have subclasses (fighter and thief being case studies). And even when wizards had a subclass it just told them they got more spells of one type and fewer of another.

To each their own though.

Indeed

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I don't see how a template can reflect

• massive Str and gentile trunk of an elephant
• grasping claws of a poison sting of a giant scorpion.
• Graceful and stealthy cat.

In the same block.
Your going to need 3 blocks.
And you already have 3 blocks for the Monster.

As for MM shopping. Druids need to prepare their wild shape list at the start of the day. Which will at least prevent them from pulling out the monster manual in the middle of combat.

It's IMO pretty simple. You have three or four templates based on the sort of things that the Druid player is going to use that form for - Scout, Skirmisher, & Brute, for example, and then give ~ 3 customization points for each of those. The difference mechanically between a Bear and a Buffalo is near non-existent as it is.

But it's fine - we lost that fight during the playtest.

 

[Staffan]

And the Paladin that was pretty much forced to behave like a self righteous unbending jackass because if they made one mistake and let their hair down once they risked losing their powers permanently. (And even that wasn't necessarily enough; a paladin mind controlled into an evil act explicitly lost their powers in, I think, 2e).

As I recall, a 2e paladin that was forced into committing an evil act lost their powers, but that was fixable with an atonement spell. If they voluntarily committed an evil act, they'd be gone forever.

 

[Undrave]

my people....this is a 2024 druid thread. for the 2024 druid, templates ARE DEAD.

doesn't matter how you feel about them....they are gone. why are we wasting page space talking about them in a thread previewing the 2024 druid? go make some new homebrew druid threads if you want to bring templates back.

SIGH I guess you're right...

I think the solution is to have more templates. Look at PF2 for an example. The spell animal form (which forms the basis for wild shape) gives you a level-based AC, some temporary hp, a fixed attack bonus and Athletics skill, low-light vision, and imprecise scent. You also choose a generic form: ape, bear, bull, canine, cat, deer, frog, shark, or snake. Each of these forms have different attacks and speed, and the shark form also lets you breathe underwater (but not air). Higher-level versions keep the same types of animals, but bigger/stronger/tougher. IMO, this is enough to feel like I'm turning into, say, a panther (or tiger at higher levels), even if I don't have the exact same stats and special abilities of the panther (or tiger) monster.

It's not like the 5e monsters in 2014 had much variety in their abilities... You could turn a base template into a wolf by adding Pack Tactics and that ability to know people prone when attacking with advantage. The rest is just numbers. I dunno if the new ones will be more interesting.

 

[Neonchameleon]

If this is the case, I hope that Beastmaster Rangers also get the option to choose a 'real' animal companion. I have some ranger characters who HATE the idea that their companion is a spirit animal instead of one they found in the wilderness and trained.

If you do this there needs to be robust levelling up for the companion. Otherwise the game becomes an escort mission, trying to avoid turning the wolf into dragon appetisers or ogre food.