Druid (Class)

Druids, much like rangers, tend to live on the outskirts of civilization. However rather than wandering nature out of a sense of isolation from society, druids choose this way of life in order to protect and understand the forces of nature and the wilderness. Basically, they are the hippies of the D&D world.

Across the world of Lumither there are various congregations of druids referred to as Circles. Each Circle acts as a council of protectors of the nature of that region, whether it be fire, air, water, or earth. Then within those circles, there are different specialists: those who focus on nature as a whole, and those who focus on the domain of animals.

Druids either live together in isolated societies, or they live in isolation. Rarely do druids find their way to cities or civilization, favoring the company of nature and other druids.

DM NOTE = While Druid's can be the most versatile and powerful class to play (also the most fun, next to Bards, in my opinion), the caveat is that they are the most difficult to play. They have a lot of spells and different aspects that need to be managed. If this is your first time playing, I would recommend being cautious playing a Druid until you have a better sense of the game.

## **Quick Build Tips**

Make Wisdom your highest ability score, with the second being Constitution.

## **Traits**

### **Hit Points**

* **Hit Dice:** 1d8 per druid level
* **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 8 + Constitution modifier
* **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per druid level after 1st

### **Proficiencies**

* **Armor:** Light armor, medium armor, shields (druid will not wear armor or use shields made of metal)
* **Weapons:** Clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears
* **Tools:** Herbalism kit
* **Saving Throws:** Intelligence, Wisdom
* **Skills:** Choose two from Arcana, Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, and Survival

### **Starting Equipment**

* (a) a wooden shield OR (b) any simple weapon
* (a) a scimitar OR (b) any simple melee weapon
* Leather armor, an explorer's pack, and a druidic focus
* OR starting gold of 2d4 x 10 gp

### **Druidic**

You know Druidic, the secret language of druids. You can speak the
language and use it to leave hidden messages. You and others who know
this language automatically spot such a message. Others spot the
message’s presence with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check but can’t decipher it without magic.

## **Features**

### **Spellcasting**

Drawing on the divine essence of nature itself, you can cast spells to shape that essence to your will. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the druid spell list.

#### ***Cantrips***

At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the druid
spell list. You learn additional druid cantrips of your choice at higher
 levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Druid table.

#### ***Preparing and Casting Spells***

The Druid table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your
druid spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these druid spells,
 you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all
expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of druid spells that are available for you to
cast, choosing from the druid spell list. When you do so, choose a
number of druid spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your druid level
(minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 3rd-level druid, you have four 1st-level
and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of
prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any
combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can also change your list of prepared spells when you finish a
long rest. Preparing a new list of druid spells requires time spent in
prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

#### ***Spellcasting Ability***

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your druid spells, since your
 magic draws upon your devotion and attunement to nature. You use your
Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In
addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC
for a druid spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

**Spell save DC** = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

**Spell attack modifier** = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

#### ***Ritual Casting***

You can cast a druid spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

#### ***Spellcasting Focus***

You can use a druidic focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells.

### **Wild Shape**

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to
 magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You
can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a
short or long rest.
Your druid level determines the beasts you can transform into, as
shown in the Beast Shapes table. At 2nd level, for example, you can
transform into any beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower
that doesn’t have a flying or swimming speed.

#### ***Beast Shapes***

 4th
 8th

You can stay in a beast shape for a number of
 hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down). You then revert to
 your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can
 revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your
turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.
While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

* Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.

* When you transform, you assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the

 excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious.

* You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.

* You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.

* You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment function as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must either fall to the

ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

### **Druid** **Circle**

At 2nd level, you choose to identify with a circle of druids: the Circle of the Land detailed at the end of the class description or one from the Player's Handbook or other sources. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

### **Wild Shape Improvement**

At 4th level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before of challenge rating 1/2 or lower that doesn't have a flying speed. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

### **Ability Score Improvement or Feat**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice
 by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

### **Wild Shape Improvement**

At 8th level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before of challenge rating 1 or lower. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

### **Timeless Body**

Starting at 18th level, the primal magic that you
 wield causes you to age more slowly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.

### **Beast Spells**

Beginning at 18th level, you can cast many of your druid spells in any shape you assume using Wild Shape. You can perform the somatic and verbal components of a druid spell while in a beast shape, but you aren’t able to provide material components.

### **Archdruid**

At 20th level, you can use your Wild Shape an unlimited number of times.Additionally, you can ignore the verbal and somatic components of our druid spells, as well as any material components that lack a cost and aren’t consumed by a spell. You gain this benefit in both your
normal shape and your beast shape from Wild Shape.

## **Druid Circles**

Though their organization is invisible to most outsiders, druids are
part of a society that spans the land, ignoring political borders. All
druids are nominally members of this druidic society, though some
individuals are so isolated that they have never seen any high-ranking
members of the society or participated in druidic gatherings. Druids
recognize each other as brothers and sisters. Like creatures of the
wilderness, however, druids sometimes compete with or even prey on each
other.

At a local scale, druids are organized into circles that share certain perspectives on nature, balance, and the way of the druid.

* Circle of the Land
* Circle of the Moon
* Circle of the Shepherd
* Circle of Dreams
* Circle of Spores
* Circle of Twilight