D&D (2024) How should Healing Blossoms and Wild Companion be improved, if they were alternatives to Wildshape?

[mellored]

Healing blossom leaves behind a lingering zone. Creatures you choose who start their turn in the zone gain temporary hit.

 

[Clint_L]

Hmmm…I don’t want to step too much on Rangers toes with the companion and trying to stay ahead of damage by healing is a sucker’s game in 5e.

So I’d probably take the companion in an elemental direction. And maybe take healing blossoms in a shamanistic direction by doing a Druid subclass that could channel various group effects through it. Like maybe the flowers release scents that offer additional enhancements, like haste for one round.

Actually, the more I think about it the more I like the idea of a druid who is a flower specialist. And their animal companion would be a giant bee, of course.

 

[MarkB]

We're equating these effects to wild shape, but they're also comparable to Channel Divinity effects, so we should take those into account too. This is something that's sharing the same design space as Twilight Sanctuary, and it feels much, much weaker.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Healing blossoms to be seems like it's best used as out-of-combat healing, to top up HP when you don't have time for a short rest before the next fight. So to buff it I'd increase the casting time and also the amount of healing.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Healing blossom leaves behind a lingering zone. Creatures you choose who start their turn in the zone gain temporary hit.

Oooh, now THIS I like. I'd want to make the AOE larger, but the idea of an immediate heal, then next turn get some temp hp is a good one. It is distinct from the clerics immediate burst, but could end up being just as or a little more effective over a series of turns.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Healing blossoms to be seems like it's best used as out-of-combat healing, to top up HP when you don't have time for a short rest before the next fight. So to buff it I'd increase the casting time and also the amount of healing.

I don't like this, because that means none of a normal druid's Channel Nature effects are really usable in combat.

Creating a Familiar? Not a combat ability.
Wildshape as an Action? Not really a combat ability.

So this one HAS to be a combat ability to my eyes.

 

[Horwath]

Wild shape should be weaker, but an at-will ability.
Moon druid should get various bonuses in wild shape.

 

[VenerableBede]

Ideas around this have been shared already, but I think, if we want to try and put Wild Shape and these other features on the same level, Healing Blossoms should provide whatever healing you roll equally to all creatures within radius—you're healing 10HP? Now everyone in range gets 10HP. It is a significant boost to the feature, but perhaps a significant boost is needed for it to be worth your action. (Although it still most likely will get used to up fallen allies rather than provide a significant amount of healing.)

I would personally love if Wild Companion took a note from the Wildfire Druid and provided a summonable, scalable companion... Weaker than Wildfire, so that subclass could be an example of "Directly improving and building on X feature," still more focused on utility and scouting (like what it currently provides by casting Find Familiar), but striking the middle ground in toughness and options between the two.