D&D 5E 5E Survivor - Subclasses (Part V: Druids)

[CleverNickName]

Do you want to remove your last vote? I can post updated current totals.

Or maybe just don't vote tomorrow?

Either works for me. @CleverNickName what do you think?

I'll just remove the early vote from the current scores. You can vote again once the timestamp of your last valid vote says "Yesterday." Hopefully that makes sense.

It's perfectly legal (if a bit underhanded) to wait until 11:55 p.m. on Tuesday to vote, so that you can vote again in 10 minutes later at 12:05 a.m. on Wednesday. It's legal because technically, you last voted "yesterday."

Anyway. The score now stands at:

Circle of the Land 17
Circle of the Shepherd 12
Circle of Stars 17
Circle of Wildfire 12

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Oh no, the noble 12s vs the sus 17s!

I just cannot get with the stick figure with glowing joints life style.

 

[Gammadoodler]

I assume the main criteria for playing a Stars Druid (besides the cool powers), is..

"How easily could my character art be amimated?"

With this in mind..All Stars Druids should be modrons.

Hell, it's even kinda thematic.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

It is OP IMO, and a causality of powercreep in that respect. I think it is too strong to allow your choice of healing or damage when you use those features.

Doesn't that mean every Cleric and Paladin is OP for being able to choose whether to heal or harm with spell slots? I don't get your reasoning here.

Also, it would have more interesting if the fluff wasn't just fire, but any of the four elements: air, earth, fire, or water.

To me that would completely destroy its flavor...or should I say "water down and muddy" it? Because then it would just be a generic elemental druid...which is what the druid already is. Not only that, but it would actually make it more powerful, not less, because you would have the flexibility to choose different elements in different contexts. Being locked into fire means you need to be strategic, need to prepare and possibly even seek non-magical solutions because hey, guess what, these things are immune to fire and your non-fire options are a lot more limited!

 

[DND_Reborn]

Doesn't that mean every Cleric and Paladin is OP for being able to choose whether to heal or harm with spell slots? I don't get your reasoning here.

No, because you prepared either Cure Wounds or Inflict Wounds. You don't have ONE spell with the flexibility to heal or harm, which is what the wildfire features can do.

To me that would completely destroy its flavor...or should I say "water down and muddy" it? Because then it would just be a generic elemental druid...which is what the druid already is. Not only that, but it would actually make it more powerful, not less, because you would have the flexibility to choose different elements in different contexts. Being locked into fire means you need to be strategic, need to prepare and possibly even seek non-magical solutions because hey, guess what, these things are immune to fire and your non-fire options are a lot more limited!

If I wasn't clear, I meant you choose your element when you select the subclass. Being able to change elemental types would be too powerful.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

No, because you prepared either Cure Wounds or Inflict Wounds. You don't have ONE spell with the flexibility to heal or harm, which is what the wildfire features can do.

So...you prepare literally two spells...and can then use literally all of your spell slots to either heal or harm.

How is that different? Druids always have preparation access to every spell on their spell list, remember. So as long as you have at least 12 Wisdom, you can prepare two spells and thus use every single slot to either deal damage or heal. I don't see how that is in any way different from the wildfire spirit. Particularly since the heal-or-harm effects don't actually come online until later on. (And until 10th level, their only effect is +1d8 damage or healing. Such a terrible unbalanced benefit!!!)

If I wasn't clear, I meant you choose your element when you select the subclass. Being able to change elemental types would be too powerful.

I mean that isn't really better? You'd still be blanderizing it down to "elemental caster," which is just what the druid already is by default. Much better to make actually distinct elemental subclasses, no? That way they can actually have different features, rather than being palette swaps.

 

[CleverNickName]

@DND_Reborn @EzekielRaiden @fluffybunbunkittens and others:
I'm not complaining about the discussion, I think it's awesome and I want it to continue. But could I ask you to hide your posts inside SPOILER tags, so that they don't flood the page? It'll help people find the right text block for voting. Thanks!

 

[Smythe the Bard]

Circle of the Land 17 + 1 = 18
Circle of the Shepherd 12
Circle of Stars 17 - 2 = 15
Circle of Wildfire 12

 

[Smythe the Bard]

Spoiler: Druid Discussion

DND_Reborn: I wish the core class had a bit more features because some of the circle features seem underwhelming to me.

Yea, like a choice of spirit companions that would give you some nice buffs when you were on that type or similar kind of land. Sorry don't know that spoiler trick yet...

 

[DND_Reborn]

Spoiler: to EzekielRaiden

So...you prepare literally two spells...and can then use literally all of your spell slots to either heal or harm.

How is that different? Druids always have preparation access to every spell on their spell list, remember. So as long as you have at least 12 Wisdom, you can prepare two spells and thus use every single slot to either deal damage or heal. I don't see how that is in any way different from the wildfire spirit. Particularly since the heal-or-harm effects don't actually come online until later on. (And until 10th level, their only effect is +1d8 damage or healing. Such a terrible unbalanced benefit!!!)

Well, for one thing you don't have unlimited prepared spells?

But that is neither here nor there. The point is it would be like the Paladin's Lay on Hands being about to heal or harm, player's choice, every time it is used. It would be better if when the wildfire spirit (when created) was either "aggressive" (harming) or "passive" (healing) in what it could do. Having it be "whichever, whenever" is too powerful IMO.

True, it isn't until later, but so what? Options are power, at any level.

I mean that isn't really better? You'd still be blanderizing it down to "elemental caster," which is just what the druid already is by default. Much better to make actually distinct elemental subclasses, no? That way they can actually have different features, rather than being palette swaps.

No, it isn't better, it just gives more options and thus more flavor to the subclass.

And no, for the love of Pete, do NOT make even more subclasses...

Sorry don't know that spoiler trick yet...

This starts it: (only use the ="xxxx"" if you want a title for it).

and this ends it: