Redesign Goals
- Make Wild Shape more dependant on the Druid's own attributes and build choices
- Keep Wild Shape useful for non-Moon Druids while evening out the scaling curve for the Moon Druid
- Enable synergies with other character options, such as feats and multiclassing
- Keep the higher-level Druid features that improve Wild Shape intact
- Decouple player design from monster design and remove the need to reference the Monster Manual
An updated version of Wild Shape, and a redux version of the Circle of the Moon. In this version, the Moon Druid becomes a versatile Strength/Wisdom gish.
Level 2: Wild Shape
You can use a bonus action to magically take on the form of a beast. You can use this feature twice. You regain one expended use when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all uses when you finish a Long Rest. You gain additional uses as you level up, as shown in the Wild Shape column on the Druid table.
You can stay in this form for a number of hours equal to half your Druid level, rounded up. You can also change back to your normal form using a Bonus Action.
While transformed, All your game statistics and features are retained, with the following exceptions:
- Creature Type: Your form is a Beast (Shapechanger).
- Armor Class: The AC of your new form equals 10 + your Wisdom modifier.
- Size: You choose if your new form is Small or Medium. At level 4, you can choose Tiny, and at level 8 you can also choose Large.
- Bestial Strike: When you hit with Unarmed Strikes in your beast form, you can deal Bludgeoning damage equal to 1d8 plus your Strength modifier instead of the normal damage.
- Wildshape Trait: Choose one of the traits from the list below. If you are a level 10 or higher Druid, you can choose two traits. If two traits conflict, you decide in which order they are applied, and your appearance while wildshaped does not necessarily have to be chimeric. For example, if you turn into a form with Bear Pounce and Equine Speed, you could just be an especially fast bear.
- Equipment: Any equipment you are wearing melds into the new form, and is unable to be used, unless it specifically says otherwise. You can only interact with other objects if the anatomy of your form allows it.
- Limited Spellcasting: You cannot speak or cast spells in this form. You can still concentrate on spells you cast before entering the form, and you can still take actions that are part of a spell, such as the one granted by Call Lightning.
- Appearance: You decide what your Wild Shape looks like, but your capabilities and traits should be represented in its appearance. For example, if your form can fly, it probably should have wings. The names of the traits offer suggestions as to what type of creature you might base your appearance on.
Wildshape Traits
Some of the traits have a druid level prerequisite you must meet. If a trait forces a target to make a saving throw, the DC equals your spell save DC.
- Equine Speed: Your walking speed is doubled.
- Simian Limbs: You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and you can use weapons you are proficient with to make attacks.
- Arachnid Legs: You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and you can climb vertical and inverted surfaces without issue.
- Deep Rothé Eyes: You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already had darkvision, its range is doubled.
- Keen Senses: You have advantage on all Perception checks you make.
- Pack Tactics: You have advantage on attacks against any target that is adjacent to one of your allies.
- Feline Leap: Your jump distance is doubled, and you have resistance to falling damage.
- Tiger's Agility: Your Bestial Strikes gain the Finesse property, and you have advantage on Stealth checks.
- Pack Tactics: You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally doesn't have the Incapacitated condition.
- Puppy Eyes: You gain the effects of the Speak with Animals spell, and you have advantage on Animal Handling checks and all Charisma checks.
- Strength of the Ox: You can carry, push, or pull double your normal capacity and you have advantage on Athletics checks.
- Constrictor Strike: Once per turn when you hit with Bestial Strike, you can also attempt to Grapple the target.
- Bear Pounce: Once per turn, if you move 20 feet in a straight line toward a creature and hit it with a melee Bestial Strike, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, you can make a Bestial Strike attack against it as a bonus action.
- Boar Bristles: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage you take is reduced by your proficiency bonus.
- Turtle Shell (req level 4): You have advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on your spells and can hold your breath for 15 minutes.
- Scorpion Stinger (req level 4): As a bonus action when you hit with Bestial Strike, you can expend a spell slot to deal 7 (2d6) poison damage. This damage increases by 1d6 for each level of spell slot above 1st, up to a maximum of 17 (5d6) damage.
- Porcupine Quills (req level 4): Your Bestial Strike gains the Range(20/60) property and deals piercing damage, but the damage die is reduced to 1d6.
- Elephant Trunk (req level 4): Your Bestial Strike gains Reach.
- Dolphin Flippers (req lvl 4): You gain a swimming speed equal to twice your walking speed and can hold your breath for 15 minutes.
- Shark Fins (req level 4): You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed and can breathe both air and water.
- Bat Wings (req level 8): You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed, and you gain Blindsight within 30 feet while you are not not deafened.
- Hawk Wings (req level 8): You gain a flying speed of 60 feet and have advantage on all Perception checks that rely on sight.
- Owl Wings (req level 8): You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed, and you do not provoke opportunity attacks when you fly out of an opponents reach.
Circle of the Moon
Her tiger form had caught the poacher's scent long before she had spotted the man. He had wandered too close to the sacred grove - and with a weapon in hand no less. He knelt down to set a snare between two bushes, blissfully unaware of her presence. This was the part of the hunt she enjoyed the most. Pressing herself lower to the ground, she could feel her striped belly fur running over stone, root, and twig as she silently stalked through the lush undergrowth. The great tiger was a second skin to her, almost more so than her elven visage.
Soaring high over the village through the still night in the form of a great horned owl, he could see the flickering orange pin points of firelight below him. Under his watchful gaze, the villagers would sleep safely this night. The people who he protected did not know their guardian, but that did not matter to him - seeing them safe was all the reward he needed.
Just as the moon has many phases, druids of this circle have many forms. They are masters of their own shapes, leaping across cliffs as a mountain goat one day, soaring over the fields as a bird of prey the next, before playing with a pod of dolphins in the ocean.
Druids of the Moon are fierce guardians of nature, and most consider any attack on the wilderness or its inhabitants an attack on their very essence, and will protect it with all their might. Some of these druids assume the same form every time, perhaps even preferring it to their normal self. Others adapt to fit the situation at hand, never changing into the same form twice.
Level 3: Combat Shapes
You have specialized in fighting while transformed into a beast. You gain the following improvements to Wild Shape:
- Multiple Traits: The number of Wild Shape traits you can choose becomes equal to your proficiency bonus.
- Temporary Hit Points: When you assume your new form you gain temporary hit points equal to three times your Druid level. If you revert to your original form, any remaining temporary hit points are lost.
- Lunar Protection: The AC of your new form equals 13 + your Wisdom modifier.
- Fluid Forms: You can use a bonus action to change directly from one form to another, as if you had reverted to your original form first (this still expends a use of Wild Shape).
Level 3: Circle of the Moon spells
You always have certain spells prepared after you reach the Druid level shown in the following table.
Druid Level | Spell |
---|---|
3rd | Cure Wounds, Moonbeam |
5th | Conjure Animals |
7th | Fount of Moonlight |
9th | Commune With Nature |
Level 6: Primal Strikes
While in Wild Shape, you can attack twice with Bestial Strike when you take the Attack action.
Level 10: Circle Forms
You unlock special traits for your Wild Shape. Choose between the Elemental, Monstrous, and Draconic traits. You cannot change this choice later.
If you choose one of these traits for your Wild Shape, your Bestial Strike deals an additional die of damage, and you retain your ability to speak when in your form.
Elemental traits
You can only apply one of these traits when you use Wild Shape, and your creature type becomes Elemental when you do so.
- Fireshape: You gain the following features:
- Blazing Core: You gain resistance to fire damage, and you radiate bright light within 30 feet and dim light for 30 feet beyond that.
- Burning Strikes: The damage die of your Bestial Strike becomes a d10, and their damage type becomes fire. They also deal a critical hit on a 19.
- Aquashape: You gain the following features:
- Amphibious: You gain a swim speed equal to twice your walking speed, you can breathe both air and water, and you have resistance to poison and acid damage.
- Whirlpool: As an action, you can expend a spell slot to conjure up a swirling mass of water around you. You force each target within your reach to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage per level of the spell slot and are knocked prone. On a success, they take half damage and are not knocked prone.
- Earthshape: You gain the following features:
- Stonehide: You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and your Bestial Strike deals double damage to objects and structures.
- Boulder Roll: As an action, you can expend a spell slot to turn yourself into a boulder and surge forward 30 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. You force each target in a 30-foot line that is as wide as you are to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage per level of the spell slot and are knocked back 5 feet per level of the spell slot. On a success, they take half damage and are not knocked back.
- Windshape: You gain the following features:
- Swift Gale: You gain a flying speed equal to twice your walking speed, and you gain resistance to thunder and lightning damage.
- Storm Strikes: Your Bestial Strike becomes focused blasts of air. It gains the Range(30) property, and targets are pushed back 5 feet on a hit.
Monstrous traits
Your creature type becomes Monstrosity when you apply any of these traits.
- Displacer Hide: You project a magical illusion that makes it hard to pinpoint your precise location, causing attack rolls against you to have disadvantage. If you are hit by an attack, this effect is disabled until the start of your next turn.
- Crag Cat Pelt: You have advantage on saving throws against magical effects, and you cannot be detected by divination magic or scrying sensors.
- Hydra Heads: While you have more than half hit points, you can attack an extra time with Bestial Strike when you take the Attack action.
- Remorhaz Core: You gain resistance to cold and fire damage, and all creatures that touch you or hit you with a melee attack take 7 (2d6) fire damage.
- Owlbear Feathers: You have advantage on Stealth checks and can Hide as a bonus action.
- Strigoi Proboscis: If you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with Bestial Strike, you regain hit points equal to the damage of the attack.
- Ankheg Acid: As an action, you expend a spell slot and eject a stream of acid in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take 7 (2d6) acid damage per level of the spell slot, or half as much on a success.
- Ice Yeti Breath: As an action, you expend a spell slot and exhale frigid air in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the cone to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, they take 7 (2d6) cold damage per level of the spell slot and their movement speed is halved until the start of your next turn. On a success, they take half damage and are not slowed.
- Bulette Leap: As an action, you expend a spell slot to leap to an unoccupied space within 30 feet. All creatures within 5 feet of where you land must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage per level of the spell slot and be knocked prone.
- Basilisk Eyes: As an action, you expend a spell slot and focus your gaze on a creature within 30 feet of you. It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or take 5 (1d10) necrotic damage per level of the spell slot and be paralyzed until the end of your next turn. On a successful save, it takes half damage and is not paralyzed.
Draconic traits
Your creature type becomes Dragon when you apply this trait.
- Dragonshape (counts as 2 traits): Pick either fire, cold, poison, acid, or lightning to be your dragon element. You gain the following benefits, which use the element you chose.
- Scaled Wings: You gain a flight speed equal to twice your walking speed, and you gain resistance to your dragon element.
- Infused Strike: Once per turn when you hit a creature with Bestial Strike, you deal an extra 4 (1d8) damage of your dragon element.
- Breath Weapon: As an action, you expend a spell slot and exhale elemental energy in a 30-foot cone or 60-foot line. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take 7 (2d6) damage of your dragon element per level of the spell slot, or half as much on a success.
Level 14: Lunar Jaunt
As a bonus action, you can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied location you can see, disappearing and appearing in a flash of moonlight. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all uses when you finish a long rest. If you do this while in Wild Shape, you also gain advantage on your next Bestial Strike until the end of your turn.
Additionally, you can choose to become Huge when using your Wild Shape.