Wizards of the Coast’s current observe file for tinkering with Dungeons & Dragons hasn’t exactly been stellar, however credit score to the corporate, it hasn’t stopped making an attempt. After all, making an attempt to enhance the Druid character class is lots much less controversial than making an attempt to erase D&D’s beloved Open Gaming License, however these potential adjustments truly appear for the higher.
Druids, that are principally Clerics whose powers are over nature as an alternative of divinely given, are apparently D&D’s least-played character class of the alternatives within the sport’s main Participant’s Handbook. So in preparation for the upcoming OneD&D, WotC is playtesting new and rejiggered talents for the Druids that sound simpler to make use of and extra enjoyable, as described by rulesmaster Jeremy Crawford.
First off, Druids will be capable to Wildshape at stage one as an alternative of stage two, to border the power as a core software within the class’ identification. Extra considerably, the foundations for Wildshaping have been immensely simplified; as an alternative of needing to trace down the stats for the creature you wish to rework into, there are three easy classes: Animal of the Land, Animal of the Sky, and Animal of the Sea. Every class has one easy stat block irrespective of which particular animal you selected, relying in your Knowledge stat. Inside these classes, it sounds just like the sky (and land, and sea) is the restrict, as a result of Druids may even select to turn out to be animal hybrids, and at later ranges forged spells of their Wildshape varieties or not spend actions on speedy transformations out and in of them. There’s an excellent deal extra element, in addition to info on the Circle of the Moon subclass of Druids, on this video (by way of Polygon):
Crwaford doesn’t say that this improve was impressed by the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves film, whose first trailer included an immediately iconic scene of the Druid tiefling Doric Wildshaping into an owlbear, however contemplating he pointedly mentions that you just might shapeshift into an owl and bear hybrid, the film absolutely had one thing to do with it, proper? Technically, underneath the present D&D fifth Version guidelines, Druids can’t rework into owlbears as a result of they’re labeled as monsters, not animals, which the present type of Wildshape is restricted to. However the animal hybrid capability appears particularly designed to permit gamers to turn out to be owlbears (amongst different issues, like elementally-tinged animals like a Phoenix, or a thunder wolf). All that different stuff is good and enjoyable and doubtless good, however as traditional, they had me at owlbear.
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