D&D 5E Plant Shape for Druids?

[Maxperson]

I'm adding the plant creature type to druids to go along with beast type for wild shapes.

An additional benefit is: If you remain in plant shape for a short rest, you benefit from a half ration of food and water gained from nutrients in the ground. The DM can rule you cannot benefit from this feature if the terrain is unsuitable.

I've looked at the plant creatures and don't see any problems, myself. Any thoughts or issues with this?

I don't see any particular problem with it. You don't even get to do CR 1 creatures until you are 8th level, so things like Treants are not going to be on the list of things you can change into. I'd also personally require the druid to be higher level, perhaps 10th since turning into a plant changes physiology. Something akin to the Circle of the Moon's elemental wild shape ability. You could even make it level divided by 3 for plant creature CR and still not have to worry about Treants.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I suppose that might be an issue, but CR 2 RAW isn't allowed (I allow it at level 12 for our homebrew, and CR 3 at 16th level) unless you are a Moon Druid, which when it comes to wild shaping is already a bit OP.

I could see it as an interesting role-play, though... Might make a good adversary.

Id assumed Moon Druid. Yeah, for land or whatever let em turn into twig blights or violet fungi hah.

 

[GMMichael]

I've looked at the plant creatures and don't see any problems, myself. Any thoughts or issues with this?

Besides humans' penchant for cutting down trees? No, it sounds like fun!

 

[Thunderfoot]

See there was a time that wild shape was for 'normal creatures' only, so badger, bear, hippo. Things like Dragon, Unicorn, Pegasus etc. were off limits. There were no special abilities to deal with just claw claw bite and HD/ Nat AC....

If that was used here, any plant creature that would have a special ability would be off limits. I don't think that applies here, though.

I think you have a solid handle on what you want, and a good layout. I would work with your PC druid to make sure that if any 'hiccups' do happen, that you can both call a 'no foul but no more'. I had a lot of success with this policy. Kept broken rules from ruining the game and allowed everyone a chance to fix it or flush it.

 

[jgsugden]

For rule changes like these, I suggest not rushing into it. Instead, test it. Give your druid some potions that allow them to gain this ability for a month. That lets them test it and see if it works. If not, the potions end and the experiment is over. If it works, they can figure out how to make the potions on the cheap and have the ability whenever they want it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The big one is Myconid Sovereign, at CR 2, with 3/day animate dead on up to large humanoids/beasts that lasts multiple weeks in duration. At will incapacitation spores too.

You could probably abuse Gas Spores, particularly with the druid's interaction with dropping to 0HP. Granted, low level druid shapeshifting as a whole is sort of busted with the onion druid thing and all.

Vegipygmy CR 1/4, regeneration;
Vegipygmy chief CR 2, regeneration and poison spores;
Yellow Musk Creeper: CR2 mass crowd control;
Assassin Vine: CR 3, hits like a brick outhouse if you can bypass it's mobility issues, which I'm sure players would;
etc

And you could have a spore servant version of any monster in the game.

 

[Baldurs_Underdark]

For rule changes like these, I suggest not rushing into it. Instead, test it. Give your druid some potions that allow them to gain this ability for a month. That lets them test it and see if it works. If not, the potions end and the experiment is over. If it works, they can figure out how to make the potions on the cheap and have the ability whenever they want it.

Sometimes someone else has all the good ideas and there's nothing to add.

But this is a forum on the internet, so rather than keeping quiet, I will still post. * Hides behind a potted plant *

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I like the idea because it lets the the druid shapeshift into something that enforce the ''controller'' role of the druid rather than a striker/defender role.

Yes, some have strong control or damage, but most of it comes from poisons or charms, which tend to be easily resisted and the shape themselves have low mobility and somewhat low hit points.

I'd maybe make a restriction to plants with an Intelligence of 6 or less, to avoid the myconoids problem. It does remove the awakened tree form, though.

 

[Thunderfoot]

'controller, striker, defender'... shudder

 

[DND_Reborn]

* Hides behind a potted plant *

Why are you hiding behind one of our druids???

I'd maybe make a restriction to plants with an Intelligence of 6 or less, to avoid the myconoids problem. It does remove the awakened tree form, though.

I considered this, but there are beasts with higher INT, such as the Giant Eagle (INT 8), which is commonly chosen for wild shape IME. If I did limit it, I would have to review all the creatures in question first, but perhaps an INT 8 would be ok...

The only creatures I found with INT greater than 8 (ruling out the Treant due to high CR) is:

Only Giant Eagle and Giant Owl have INT 8.

The different beasts and plants are INT 6-7...

So, from all that I would have to keep at least INT 8.