D&D 5E Mike Mearls Twitter Poll: "The druid gets one of the following: Spellcasting | Shapeshifting | Animal companions. Choose."

[Dannyalcatraz]

I don't remember druids being a class in 1e/2e. They where just nature clerics. Though they got shapeshifting at level 7.

They were introduced as a player class in Eldritch Wizardry, were a Cleric subclass in AD&D, and a distinct class in 2Ed, albeit with more mechanical similarities to 2Ed Clerics than they had in the prior editions. As 2Ed continued and allowed more customization of the Cleric class, the lines between them and Druids eroded further.

 

[Quickleaf]

Utter rubbish...as is the data collection method.

Haha, while I wasn't going to be that condemning, I'm surprised Twitter is used for polling.

Hopefully it's being used with an understanding of just who is represented by Twitter demographics. Namely, not older (at in not in their teens) American players.

https://blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-demographics/

 

[Staccat0]

To be clear...I don't think anyone is saying that druid's shouldn't have shapeshifting at all. It's just that the OP specifies that -for whatever Mearlsian reasons- they only can have "one."

In that vein, if you want a shapeshifting druid, you should STILL be voting for "spellcaster" as something like "Animal Form I-thru-VI" or some such could easily be integrated into a spell list and you could shapeshift to your heart's [and spell slots'] content.

Have you cake and eat it too, as it seems folks are so fond nowadays, versus "here's a fork."

I don't think that's the spirit of the question though right? That's kinda like wishing for more wishes or saying your favorite color is "rainbow" to me. I think if someone says "choose one" and doesn't include an "all of the above" option than we shouldn't assume spellcasting means "all of the above."

And honestly, when I imagine a Druid I imagine a nature cultist building cool stone structures and wearing elk skulls for crazy blood orgies becuase the stars are aligned. So honestly, 5e style spellcasting makes more/less sense than just turning into an animal thematically.

Not trying to change anyone's mind honestly. If you want another boring caster with boring spell slots casting goodberry instead of turning into a bear that's fine... no judgement... I swearZzz...

BUT I will kinda push back on this idea that I "should" want that.

 

[Eubani]

If I was to look at designing a Druid these days I would look at making a Shape changing focused 1/2 caster with some beast summoning or controlling ability. This allows for both balance and flavour.

 

[steeldragons]

If I was to look at designing a Druid these days I would look at making a Shape changing focused 1/2 caster with some beast summoning or controlling ability. This allows for both balance and flavour.

I kinda have something like that in my homebrew system, too. One of the defining traits about my "Priest" classes is that it is defined by its Channeling ability, rather than just a different kind of magic. So, cleric's channel divine (as we all know) and druid's channel "nature." That is, the natural primordial energies of the physical world -flora, fauna, elements, weather-related stuff, etc... Distinct from the "divine" energies which are directly siphoned off of deities/divine beings.

Their initial channeling effects are befriending animals, sensing "imbalance" (disturbances in the "Natural" Force, like undead, extraplanar energies, and power extreme [non-neutral] alignments), and countering "Nature's Charms" (faye, sylvan and elemental based charms & illusions, enchantments cast by other druids, etc...). Shapeshifting comes -as another channeling effect to choose from- a few levels later...in homage to my 1e/OSR sensibilities, I think it's 6th level.

All of this is a long-winded way of saying they don't get spellcasting until 3rd level and the spell progression trails those of the "Wizard" classes group by a couple of levels...so, not really a "half caster" in the 5e sense. But similar.

So, yeah. Given the options of 1 to choose from, the druid is a magic worker, i.e. spell caster or in the case of my homebrew "channeling" first, then spell casting), before and primary to "shapeshifting."

 

[Thurmas]

If I was to look at designing a Druid these days I would look at making a Shape changing focused 1/2 caster with some beast summoning or controlling ability. This allows for both balance and flavour.

See, I would imagine that as a Ranger subclass as being fantastic. Instead of getting an animal companion, you become the companion. Make the animal form you transform into level up as you level up, not just make you choose new, more powerful forms as you level. You already have the existing half caster format available.

I think the animal summons would be a different, cool to have subclass for the Druid.

 

[SkidAce]

Basically, this poll is a good reminder if you think of druids as a Celtic priest primarily, you're probably old.

Quoted for truth.

 

[Tony Vargas]

In 1e they didn't get it until 7th level...same, I think, in 2e. The "shapeshifting druid" is definitely something WotC did and reinforced with each of their editions.

I also believe the popularity it being a druid concept "archetype" (and I use the term loosely) has something to do with the "druid" class in the World of Warcraft MMO having some kind of shapeshifting ability.

Ah, right. I was going to point to Diablo 2 as the moment when the druid archetype started to pivot toward shapeshifting. But you're right, Warcraft was an even bigger cultural phenomenon. And the three druid subclasses in World of Warcraft were basically cat, bear, and tree. Druids spent almost zero time in their humanoid form. Shapeshifting was their whole shtick.

It's amazing how quickly archetypes can change. I'm sure this poll would have had completely different results 20 years ago.

The original D&D Druid got shapechange (as the 9th level spell), albeit into animal forms and with a mass limitation. The 2e Druid Handbook had a kit that shapeshifted from first level. So can't blame it on WotC.

What's more, shapechanging is a major theme in Celtic mythology, and, after prophecy, probably the supernatural power most often attributed to Druids. A Druid of legend could change his own form, or that of another, with a touch of an ogham wand, in some versions, for instance.

I consider animal companions more "druidy" than shapeshifting.

The animal companion started in 3e, for Rangers & Druids, in prior eds, the Druid got a spell called Animal Friendship that allowed him to, well, what it said on the tin, you could collect up to 2x you level in HD of animals. The Ranger also got Druid spells, but the Ranger's exotic followers at high level could also have been an inspiration.

In folklore, Druids were sometimes associated with ravens, but the whole Grizzly Adams thing has no particular foundation there.

Apropos of nothing the mistletoe thing that was such a big deal for the 1e Druid was pulled from the 18th century Druid revival in Wales and England, and might have been made up out of whole cloth at the time - a lot of stuff was.

 

[steeldragons]

Well, no. The original [A]D&D druid had a shapeshifting ability, which was not a spell. 3 times per day, beginning at 7th level. With those 3 times, they could ONLY turn into 1 mammal, 1 bird, and 1 reptile each day...and I want to say there was a mass/weight limit, but that might be conflating memories with the 2e stuff I was looking at a couple of days ago. I believe the healing during transition (either into or out of animal form) was also a factor of the shapeshifting ability in 1e. If they gained access to shapechange as a spell as well, that's just gravy.

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, I gotta pull against the current here. I've always thought of Shapechanging as THE defining ability of Druids. This was a 7th level ability in AD&D, in a game where you didn't get much in the way of class abilities. This was a BIG deal. The only other thing you got after that was followers (other than more spells).

Granted, in AD&D, because of the rules, it could be abused nine ways from Sunday, but, it was still there.

Follow that with 3e, where shapeshift was also a huge deal because you could take feats that would let you cast while wild shaped. To me, it's pretty obvious that wild shape is the defining characteristic of druids. I mean, pretty much everything else, someone else in the party can do. Healing? Blasting? Casting Spells? Lots of classes could do this. But, shape change? No one else can do that.

There's a reason that Moon Druid is a pretty darn popular option.