3. Wildfire
Continuing the theme of druid subclasses not quite living up to their potential, we have the Circle of Wildfire .
Level 2 –
Circle Spells
The absence of Fireball is the most crying enchantment list omission since Armorer artificers were robbed of Shield. Without Fireball, this list is fully of subpar spells and options the druid already has access to. The Unearthed Arcana version of this subclass had Fireball, but it was dropped before the official release. A fire-based druid without the most iconic fuel spell in the game is a crime, and I don ’ t think the enchantment ’ s inclusion on this list would have pushed this subclass into being overpowered.
Level 2 – Summon Wildfire Spirit
As an action, you can expend one practice of your wild Shape feature to summon your wildfire spirit, quite than assuming a animal form .
The spirit appears in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you. Each creature within 10 feet of the spirit ( early than you ) when it appears must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your while save DC or take 2d6 fire damage .
The intent is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. See this animal ’ randomness game statistics in the Wildfire Spirit stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus ( PB ) in several places. You determine the emotional state ’ sulfur appearance. Some spirits take the shape of a android number made of gnarled branches covered in fire, while others look like beasts wreathed in displace .
In battle, the intent shares your inaugural count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. The only military action it takes on its turn is the Dodge carry through, unless you take a bonus military action on your twist to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat obstruct or some early carry through. If you are incapacitated, the spirit can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge .
The heart manifests for 1 hour, until it is reduced to 0 stumble points, until you use this feature to summon the spirit again, or until you die .
While we might not have Fireball, at least there ’ south a cute ardor heart to keep us party. Since druids don ’ t have a bonus action damage mercantile establishment like the cleric ’ randomness Spiritual Weapon, this is a welcome source of extra damage. The liveliness besides has a short-range group teleport, allowing for more movement options both in and out of combat .
Level 6 – Enhanced bond
Whenever you cast a spell that deals fire damage or restores hit points while your wildfire spirit is summoned, roll a d8, and you gain a bonus equal to the numeral rolled to one price or healing roll of the spell .
In accession, when you cast a spell with a range other than self, the spell can originate from you or your wildfire emotional state .
A decent promote to damage and healing spells exchangeable to early subclasses I ’ ve covered already. The total ability to cast through our spirit is a nice, if minor, bonus .
Level 10 – Cauterizing Flames
When a Small or larger creature dies within 30 feet of you or your wildfire spirit, a harmless apparitional flame springs forth in the dead creature ’ s space and flickers there for 1 minute. When a animal you can see enters that quad, you can use your reaction to extinguish the spectral flame there and either heal the animal or deal burn wrong to it. The curative or wrong equals 2d10 + your Wisdom modifier .
You can use this reaction a total of times adequate to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all use uses when you finish a long rest .
I love the idea of little ghost fire landmines littering the battlefield as creatures die. Given how deep this feature is received and the relatively low numbers involved, I think it would have been ticket to remove the custom limit, but flush with that limit, it ’ s a nice way to convert our chemical reaction into healing or damage .
Level 14 – Blazing revival
If the spirit is within 120 feet of you when you are reduced to 0 hit points and thereby fall unconscious, you can cause the heart to drop to 0 shoot points. You then regain half your hit points and immediately rise to your feet .
once you use this feature, you can ’ thymine use it again until you finish a long rest .
The necessity that your emotional state be alive for this feature to function does add some undesirable uncertainty to an ability that you truly want to work when it ’ second needed. revival abilities are most likely to be used in fights where players are getting knocked unconscious, and in such a conflict it ’ sulfur very possible that your heart will be dead before you are .
While no individual Wildfire feature is a massive standout, taken together they provide the druid with efficient sources of damage and healing through normally idle bonus and reactions. wildfire burns up in third base place .
2. Stars
The Circle of Stars is a considerable dance step up in power compared to earlier entries on this list. The tractability and strength granted to this subclass make for excellent damage and digest options .
Level 2 – Star Map
You ’ ve created a star chart as part of your celestial studies. It is a bantam object and can serve as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells .
While holding this map, you have these benefits :
- You know the guidance cantrip.
- You have the guiding bolt spell prepared. It counts as a druid spell for you, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can have prepared.
- You can cast guiding bolt without expending a spell slot. You can do so a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
If you lose the map, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to magically create a refilling. This ceremony can be performed during a short-circuit or long rest, and it destroys the previous function .
guidance is one of the best cantrips in the game, then not having to take it as one of our two starting cantrips is very courteous. Alongside this cantrip, we get Guiding Bolt, an excellent low-level damage spell normally restricted to clerics. not alone do Star druids add the spell to their list, but they besides cast Guiding Bolt for free between two and six times per day. At level 2, this gives Star druids effectively five spell slots compared to the base act of three. While this feature does lose its power at late levels when Guiding Bolt is relatively weaker, its early and mid-game forte can ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate be ignored .
Level 2 –
Starry Form
As a bonus legal action, you can expend a practice of your wild Shape feature of speech to take on a starry shape, rather than transforming into a beast .
While in your starry shape, you retain your game statistics, but your body becomes aglow ; your joints glimmer like stars, and glowing lines connect them as on a headliner chart. This shape sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an extra 10 feet. The shape lasts for 10 minutes. It ends early if you dismiss it ( no action required ), are incapacitated, die, or use this feature again .
Whenever you assume your starry shape, choose which of the play along constellations glimmers on your soundbox ; your choice gives you certain benefits while in the shape :
Archer. A configuration of an sagittarius appears on you. When you activate this kind, and as a bonus natural process on your subsequent turns while it lasts, you can make a range spell approach, hurling a aglow arrow that targets one creature within 60 feet of you. On a hit, the attack deals beaming damage equal to 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier .
Chalice. A constellation of a life-giving goblet appears on you. Whenever you cast a go using a spell slot that restores hit points to a animal, you or another creature within 30 feet of you can regain reach points equal to 1d8 + your Wisdom changer .
Dragon. A configuration of a wise dragon appears on you. When you make an intelligence or a Wisdom determine or a Constitution saving confuse to maintain concentration on a spell, you can treat a seethe of 9 or lower on the d20 as a 10 .
Another great ability, each option granted by Starry Form is herculean in its own direction. At early levels, the damage generated by Archer gives a goodly price choice to the druid, exchangeable to the Wildfire Spirit we covered earlier. For healing purposes, Chalice adds a ball of extra healing per spell that is elastic in who it targets. now rather of bringing one ally back with heal password, the Stars druid can revive two .
finally we have Dragon, which becomes increasingly mighty as concentration spells increase in importance. With this option, the druid needs to take at least 22 damage before failing concentration checks is even possible .
Level 6 – Cosmic Omen
Whenever you finish a long pillow, you can consult your Star Map for omens. When you do sol, roll a die. Until you finish your next long rest, you gain access to a extra reaction based on whether you rolled an even or an odd count on the die :
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Weal (even). Whenever a creature you can see within 30 feet of you is about to make an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability assay, you can use your reaction to roll a d6 and add the number rolled to the full .
Woe (odd). Whenever a creature you can see within 30 feet of you is about to make an attack roll out, a keep open give, or an ability check, you can use your reaction to roll a d6 and subtract the number rolled from the total .
You can use this reaction a number of times peer to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all use uses when you finish a long remainder .
Another great feature. You will find uses for these features regardless of which solution you receive. Like I ’ ve mentioned with Bardic Inspiration, the best rolls in 5E to influence are saving throws, as they much mean the remainder between powerful effects being applied or nothing find. My one issue with this feature is the randomness, but thankfully there are only two options and they ’ ra both big .
Level 10 – Twinkling Constellations
The constellations of your Starry Form improve. The 1d8 of the Archer and the Chalice becomes 2d8, and while the Dragon is active, you have a flying speed of 20 feet and can hover .
furthermore, at the start of each of your turns while in your Starry Form, you can change which constellation glimmers on your body .
The already great Starry Form becomes even better. At this luff Dragon will probably be your go-to, as level-5 assiduity spells are quite herculean, but no matter which form you pick you ’ ll feel the impact of this upgrade, and if you do wish to switch, you can do so every twist .
Level 14 – Full of Stars
While in your Starry Form, you become partially incorporeal, giving you immunity to club, acute, and slashing damage .
What this feature lacks in complexity it makes up for in strength. resistance to the most common types of damage is always bang-up, and I ’ thousand never mad about receiving it .
lap of Stars is a capital subclass and my recommendation for anyone looking to focus on the caster side of the druid class. No matter what function you take on, this subclass has second base place written in the stars .
1. Moon
a good as stars are, we need to look a little closer to home for the best druid, the Circle of the Moon. Another subclass published in the Player ’ sulfur Handbook, I ’ molarity surely most of you are aware of what makes Moon druids good : becoming a big ol ’ hold .
Level 2 – Combat Wild Shape
You gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your sour as a bonus action, quite than as an legal action .
additionally, while you are transformed by Wild Shape, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to regain 1d8 murder points per degree of the go slot expended .
While newer druid subclasses allow for Wild Shape charges to be used in new ways, Moon druids get to do it faster and better. The ability to transform as a bonus natural process frees up the druid ’ s action to either attack in their fresh form or cast a spell prior to transforming. The ability to heal is very ineffective and something of a ambush .
Level 2 –
Circle Forms
The rites of your circle grant you the ability to transform into more dangerous animal forms. You can use your raving mad form to transform into a animal with a challenge rat a high as 1 ( you ignore the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the other limitations there ) .
Starting at 6th level, you can transform into a animal with a challenge evaluation angstrom high as your druid flat divided by 3, rounded down .
Circle of the Moon Beast Shapes Level Max. CR Limitations 2nd 1 No flying or swimming speed 4th 1 No flying speed 6th 2 No flying speed 8th 2 — 9th 3 — 12th 4 — 15th 5 — 18th 6 —
Alongside travel rapidly, this expanded table grants power. The ability to turn into a brown hold at charge 2 makes Moon druids the undisputed sovereign of early-level toy. This ability does lose a lot of its dominance at late levels as other classes come on-line, but its scale does ensure that it is always useful regardless of level. even at its worst, the extra hit points granted by this feature makes the Moon druid a decent tank while they concentrate on a knock-down spell .
While not technically a part of the subclass, the druid classify capstone Archdruid upgrades this ability from estimable to incredible. nowadays, rather of becoming a gigantic twice per short rest, you can do so infinite times. I already mentioned this was good with the Spore druid, and it ’ s evening better for Moon druids. now you can set your hit points to 126 every round as a bonus natural process. As with any level-20 feature of speech, I don ’ thymine weight this interaction excessively heavy, but it ’ s decidedly something to look forward to for any high-level druid .
Level 6 – Primal strike
Your attacks in animal phase count as charming for the function of overcoming resistance and unsusceptibility to nonmagical attacks and damage .
An necessity feature for any druid that plans to fight in beast kind. This ability will entirely get bettor as you level up and resistance to nonmagical wrong becomes more prevailing .
Level 10 – elemental Wild Shape
You can expend two uses of raving mad Shape at the lapp time to transform into an air elemental, an earth elemental, a fire elemental, or a water elementary .
When you get this feature at flat 10, it ’ s a great alternate to beast forms, particularly if your campaign has fewer encounters per day. however, as you gain entree to stronger beasts, the elemental options and their miss of scaling become less appeal .
Level 14 – Thousand Forms
You can cast the interpolate self spell at will .
At-will 2nd-level spells aren ’ thyroxine very what I look for in a 14th-level ability. This is well the weakest separate of the subclass, and I fair pretend Moon druid capstone is the 20th-level Archdruid feature .
Moon druids not only benefit the most from taking levels in their own class, but they besides have some of the better multiclassing options. A 2-level dim into Moon druid plus 5 levels of peasant results in an incredibly good early on and mid-level build. Druid multiclassing options hush aren ’ metric ton great, but it ’ s a nice boost to an already great subclass .
That wraps up druids. Tune in next time as I look at fighter subclasses to see how many different ways Wizards of the Coast could flavor “ I hit the thing. ”
I have besides created a tier list for those of you who are interested .
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