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Message: <blockquote data-quote="doctorbadwolf" data-source="post: 7587510" data-attributes="member: 6704184">So, I want to make a subclass for the monk that combines Druidic tradition with monastic discipline and martial prowess. Obviously, Monk and Druid synergise better than Druid and almost any other class (Barbarian, I guess?), but I like the idea of subclasses that create a new facet of a class, that puts characters of a given type into the narrative space of another class, and create opportunities to play a concept that would otherwise be a multiclass, without messing with the MC rules, which I don't particularly like using as a player. So, what is the story of the Way of Tooth and Claw? Well, firstly, this narrative space is more prominent in my homebrew world than in other worlds, but it can fill similar roles to something like a Scout Rogue who is part of an enclave but gifted with no magical power, or a Paladin of The Ancients who serves the will of the same natural spirits as any Druid or Ranger. They could also simply be known in-world as a Ranger of a peculiar order. In the secluded groves and enclaves of the Druids and Rangers there are those whose lives are dedicated to the goal of attaining a perfect understanding of natural forms. These mystics seek to attain a malleable physical state that defies classification, moving fluidly between forms, and even permanently altering their "natural" form, and ultimately becoming a manifestation of nature itself. Next, what is the best mechanical side of the inspiration for this/the mechanical goal here? What I think this concept needs mechanically is simply a Monk with Wildshape, and perhaps Alter Self, and then some weird stuff? Like, the simple answer would be to just give it wildshape, Alter Self, and a CR progression in between the base Druid and the Moon Druid. Shorter duration than an actual druid, but able to use wildshape as a bonus action. The more interesting way to go might be to have a CR progression that doesn't blow, but instead of trying to add value primarily via higher CR, maybe the subclass could have some strange ability to change the nature of their beast form? Use Alter Self while in Beast Form, for a start, but then also stuff like becoming something like a treant or dryad? What about something like the ability to create a vine whip that counts as a monk weapon, with a 15 ft reach, that comes out of your physical body? Just, weird stuff, that blurs the lines between mortal and an avatar of the fantastical, magical, nature that exists in the dnd world.</blockquote>

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