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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gadget" data-source="post: 7094988" data-attributes="member: 23716">I agree that the 'Fantasy Cultural Image', if you will, of the Druid has changed.  I personally never really saw Druid as primarily a shape shifter, but I'm probably closer to the old guard in that area.  I also think this points to what others have mentioned as the proliferation of spell casting in 5e, which serves to differentiate the class less as well.  I would add that in Traditional D&D, there where much tighter restrictions, and thus differentiation, between spell lists (as well as armor & weapon proficiency) that served to make classes feel more unique.  Druids, Clerics, and Wizards seemed to have many more spells that were unique to them and gave them their own distinct flavor, now there seems to be a lot more overlap between spells used by the various classes in 5e, leading to a more polyglot spellcaster feel, no matter what the class.  Every class has pew, pew, pew cantrips now; most classes have methods to raid other classes' spell lists with domain, land circle, magical secrets, patron, Book of Ancient Secrets, bloodline, etc.  A cleric can feel very much like a 'White Mage', a Druid like a 'Green Mage', a Bard like an Enchanter/ whatever, even the Eldritch Knight is offered a few choices outside the two allowed schools of magic.   All of this puts more pressure on the other features granted by a Class to give it a unique feel and flavor, so I can see the new importance of shape changing, even if I do miss Chariot of the Sustarre.</blockquote>

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