Druid Class Details
Holding high a gnarled staff wreathed with holly, an elf summons the fury of the storm and calls down explosive bolts of lightning to smite the torch-carrying orcs who threaten her forest.
Crouching out of sight on a high tree branch in the form of a leopard, a human peers out of the jungle at the strange construction of a temple of Evil Elemental Air, keeping a close eye on the cultists’ activities.
Swinging a blade formed of pure fire, a half-elf charges into a mass of skeletal soldiers, sundering the unnatural magic that gives the foul creatures the mocking semblance of life.
Whether calling on the elemental forces of nature or emulating the creatures of the animal world, druids are an embodiment of nature’s resilience, cunning, and fury. They claim no mastery over nature. Instead, they see themselves as extensions of nature’s indomitable will.
Power of Nature
Druids revere nature above all, gaining their spells and other magical powers either from the force of nature itself or from a nature deity. Many druids pursue a mystic spirituality of transcendent union with nature rather than devotion to a divine entity, while others serve gods of wild nature, animals, or elemental forces. The ancient druidic traditions are sometimes called the Old Faith, in contrast to the worship of gods in temples and shrines.
Druid spells are oriented toward nature and animals—the power of tooth and claw, of sun and moon, of fire and storm. Druids also gain the ability to take on animal forms, and some druids make a particular study of this practice, even to the point where they prefer animal form to their natural form.
Preserve the Balance
For druids, nature exists in a precarious balance. The four elements that make up a world—air, earth, fire, and water—must remain in equilibrium. If one element were to gain power over the others, the world could be destroyed, drawn into one of the elemental planes and broken apart into its component elements. Thus, druids oppose cults of Elemental Evil and others who promote one element to the exclusion of others.
Druids are also concerned with the delicate ecological balance that sustains plant and animal life, and the need for people to live in harmony with nature, not in opposition to it. Druids accept that which is cruel in nature, and they hate that which is unnatural, including aberrations (such as beholders and mind flayers) and undead (such as zombies and vampires). Druids sometimes lead raids against such creatures, especially when the monsters encroach on the druids’ territory.
Druids are often found guarding sacred sites or watching over regions of unspoiled nature. But when a significant danger arises, threatening nature’s balance or the lands they protect, druids take on a more active role in combating the threat, as adventurers.
Creating a Druid
When making a druid, consider why your character has such a close bond with nature. Perhaps your character lives in a society where the Old Faith still thrives, or was raised by a druid after being abandoned in the depths of a forest. Perhaps your character had a dramatic encounter with the spirits of nature, coming face to face with a giant eagle or dire wolf and surviving the experience. Maybe your character was born during an epic storm or a volcanic eruption, which was interpreted as a sign that becoming a druid was part of your character’s destiny.
Have you always been an adventurer as part of your druidic calling, or did you first spend time as a caretaker of a sacred grove or spring? Perhaps your homeland was befouled by evil, and you took up an adventuring life in hopes of finding a new home or purpose.
QUICK BUILD
You can make a druid quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the hermit background.
The Druid Table
Level |
Proficiency |
Features |
Cantrips |
—Spell Slots per Spell Level— |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
9th |
||||
1st |
+2 |
2 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
2nd |
+2 |
2 |
3 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
3rd |
+2 |
— |
2 |
4 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
4th |
+2 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
5th |
+3 |
— |
3 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6th |
+3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
7th |
+3 |
— |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
8th |
+3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
9th |
+4 |
— |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
10th |
+4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
11th |
+4 |
— |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
12th |
+4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
|
13th |
+5 |
— |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
— |
— |
14th |
+5 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
— |
— |
|
15th |
+5 |
— |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
— |
16th |
+5 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
— |
|
17th |
+6 |
— |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
18th |
+6 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
19th |
+6 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
20th |
+6 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Class Features
As a druid, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per druid level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per druid level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields (druids 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
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (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
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.
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
Level |
Max CR |
Limitations |
Example |
---|---|---|---|
2nd |
1/4 |
No flying or swimming speed |
|
4th |
1/2 |
No flying speed |
|
8th |
1 |
— |
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 functions 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
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 your 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
The Circle of the Land is made up of mystics and sages who safeguard ancient knowledge and rites through a vast oral tradition. These druids meet within sacred circles of trees or standing stones to whisper primal secrets in Druidic. The circle’s wisest members preside as the chief priests of communities that hold to the Old Faith and serve as advisors to the rulers of those folk. As a member of this circle, your magic is influenced by the land where you were initiated into the circle’s mysterious rites.
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn one additional druid cantrip of your choice. This cantrip doesn’t count against the number of druid cantrips you know.
Natural Recovery
Starting at 2nd level, you can regain some of your magical energy by sitting in meditation and communing with nature. During a short rest, you choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your druid level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
For example, when you are a 4th-level druid, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level slot or two 1st-level slots.
Circle Spells
Your mystical connection to the land infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to circle spells connected to the land where you became a druid. Choose that land — arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or Underdark — and consult the associated list of spells.
Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.
Arctic
Druid Level | Spells |
---|---|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Coast
Druid Level | Spells |
---|---|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Desert
Druid Level | Spells |
---|---|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Forest
Druid Level | Spells |
---|---|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Grassland
Druid Level | Spells |
---|---|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Mountain
Druid Level | Spells |
---|---|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Swamp
Druid Level | Spells |
---|---|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Underdark
Druid Level | Spells |
---|---|
3rd |
|
5th |
|
7th |
|
9th |
Land’s Stride
Starting at 6th level, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.
In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the entangle spell.
Nature’s Ward
When you reach 10th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened by elementals or fey, and you are immune to poison and disease.
Nature’s Sanctuary
When you reach 14th level, creatures of the natural world sense your connection to nature and become hesitant to attack you. When a beast or plant creature attacks you, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your druid spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a different target, or the attack automatically misses. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
The creature is aware of this effect before it makes its attack against you.
At higher levels, wild shape becomes weak for combat but remains useful for the utility it brings. That's true in general, and I don't see a huge deal with the same happening to the wildfire spirit summon. It still has the ability to teleport multiple PC's. It can still deliver AOE and touch spells from itself. And if it's hanging around, it can do a little bit of damage and empower your healing/fire spells. Cool.
I don't think the wildfire spirit needs buffing because the wildfire druid seems to be very powerful overall. The wildfire spirit gets a very reasonable HP pool and immunity to fire. Keeping it alive to maximize its usefulness is part of the challenge of playing this subclass, and we are given plenty of options. Use your spells to give it higher AC or physical resistances or deflect ranged attacks. Make it play more defensively. Position it smartly. Rely on your teammates to present themselves as higher threats. And ultimately, if it is targeted by enemies and killed, that is still potential damage that could have been done to you and your party.
Hmm.... I already knew this was the case with Blazing Endurance and looking more closely at Flames of Life it does say "30 feet of you or your wildfire spirit..." It doesn't exactly say the spirit has to be manifested although they could of been a tad bit clearer. I suppose the only real ability affected by the spirit getting wiped out is the Enhanced Bond. Good catch on that. Still would like to see this thing have a bit more staying power. If not in toughness then in evasiveness so you can keep it out of the fight. I suppose the fly speed helps tho not particularly fast and it isn't going to help unless you are in very large open areas. I suppose you could have it hella far away from you if possible since the Enhanced Bond didn't specify it had to be any range from you for it to work. Heck you could literally leave the wildfire spirit summoned at home and get the benefits for an hour although you would lose out on the utility of casting spells through the spirit as a point of origin. Meh. Still kinda too situational for me. Invisibility could be handy if you are multiclassing. I also meant to bring up that Fire Seed is underpowered too. I mean.... At tenth level that kind of damage even with proficiency bonus is going to tickle any threat you meet. Again.... Feel this should scale with the Druid or have some option for the Druid to expend something to buff the wildfire spirit. Oh well. Guess it can make campfires for you to make smores.
You're misreading how the class works. You create a bond with a wildfire spirit. The bond exists as a permanent part of your character. It's the flavor of the class. You get a specific feature that allows you to summon the wildfire spirit as a creature and use it in combat. The other skills that reference your bond with the wildfire spirit do not require you to have the SUMMONED version, except for the Enhance Bond feature. Note that it specifically say
Whereas the other abilities make no mention of a requirement that the wildfire spirit be summoned. Note that for even the cantrip and the "always prepared" spells that are part of the class, it says that those spells are granted by your link to the wildfire spirit. But again, the link with the wildfire spirit is part of who the wildfire druid is and is separate from the ability to summon it.
I still respectfully disagree. Not sure how you can say it is false when the 6th and 10th level abilities are tied to the wildfire spirit which makes the wildfire spirit a big part of the class and the use of wild shape. The teleport is not as useful as you think as many modules and game sessions will place you in small caves, narrow passageways, and crowded rooms. Also, if I am reading this correctly you MUST teleport the allies within 10 feet of the wildfire spirit or they are going to get crispy. The range of thirty feet will definitely not get you out of harms way of almost every ranged spell and weapon in the game unless you have cover handy. The teleport would be handy to escape a melee attack, something that has a dangerous touch, or to get over an obstacle. I didn't mean to imply there isn't any other use of the class although I do think you lose of fair chunk of utility at the loss of the spirit. My main argument is that the wildfire spirit is not going to last at high tier gameplay and does not properly scale. I still stand by that. Wildfire Druid is an awesome concept but I find the wildfire spirit lacking. Not in ability or function but in survivability at the high end tiers. Does access to Fireball balance out a critter that is going to get KOed in the first round of a high tier fighting? Only you as a player can make that decision. My impression is the wildfire spirit will get used a lot at low and mid levels and almost never at high levels. This would be due to a vulnerable AC which will often and easily be hit by high CR creatures but a player may overlook this flaw because you will have a nice arsenal of spells at those higher levels to compensate that your spirit is going to often be knocked into the dirt. I believe the spirit needs to scale in power as the Druid levels but to be fair something might have to be sacrificed depending how it playtested. Maybe use spell slots to buff the wildfire spirit?
I'm sorry, but this is very much false. The wildfire spirit summon is only a small part of what the Circle of Wildfire adds. This subclass gets some of the best features of any circle at higher levels, features which have nothing to do with the wildfire spirit summon. At level 10, you get 2d10+WIS healing 4-5 times per long rest. Fantastic. And at level 14, you get one of the best death prevention features in the game. Furthermore, at the lower levels you also get a very nice list of always-prepared spells, including scorching ray and the OP fireball which Druids can't normally get.
Even if we limit the discussion to the wildfire spirit and assume that it dies super easy (which I don't), you can still use it as an on-demand teleport once per day without having to worry about it dying. Summon the wildfire spirit with your action, then command it to teleport you or your party members with your bonus action. It takes its turn after you, so there's nothing enemies can do to stop it, unless you're dumb about running it past a horde of enemies with opportunity attacks.
What I find surprising is that you don't see how the wilfire spirit is leaps and bounds more durable than a CR 1 beast at high levels. Because that's what every circle except moon gets. Even if you compare to circle of the moon (which DOES invest the whole subclass into boosting their wild shape), it's actually not bad. You brought up the ability to shift into an elemental. So lets compare the wildfire spirit to the fire and earth elementals.
Fire Elemental- HP 102 and AC 13
Earth Elemental- HP 126 and AC 17
Wildfire Spirit @ lvl 10 (when Moon gets Fire Elemental)- 59 HP and AC 13
Wildfire Spirit @ lvl 20 - 109 HP and AC 13
The main thing the elementals have going for them is resistance to non-magical physical damage. And they do start out tougher, even though the wildfire spirit catches up. But don't forget that it takes BOTH wild shape charges to shift into an elemental. So, the wildfire spirit compares pretty well IMO, especially at later levels where it has significantly more HP per wild shape charge used. Can you make the argument that the elementals are better on the whole? Sure, but remember that that's the ENTIRE focus of the moon druid, and the wildfire spirit is a small part (IMO) of the wildfire druid.
If this were a summoning spell like a Paladin summoning a steed then I'd agree but it is not. It is something that a Druid has to sacrifice very important wild shape charges for. The whole class is centered around a spirit that is easily killable. That nerfs you as a Druid compared to all the other Druids especially those Druids and can change into a full blown elemental with wild shape. If they want to change it to expending a spell slot or a number of spell slots to summon the spirit then yeah... The AC is fine. But.... It is not. The exchange and utility you get for the sacrifice of wild shape and druid abilities are not worth a very sacrificial pet that all your Druid abilities are tied into. Buffing your pet is also situational and often not viable especially if we are talking high level content. It is only going to take one mage or a high CR creature with AOEs or breath weapons to ruin your day. If you are in a group of players who are all 10th level then I'd find it very surprising that you'd think the creatures you encounter won't have the capability of wiping your spirit out in a single turn of play as the wildfire spirit is written now. You need to think long term with companion creatures for encounters like.... Mind flayers, beholders, drow priests, wyverns, and things with legendary abilities. I'm not suggesting that the wildfire spirit be some OP pokemon but it should be something that scales in toughness and abilities with the Druid. I'd also apply this to Ranger beast companions or any class that ties all or most of their abilities into a companion beast or spirit. I play home games and a DM can alter rules how he sees fit but I'd really like to see the subclasses (not just Druid subclasses) become more competitive so those who only play in AL can benefit.
The AC and HP it has naturally compare very well to the CR 1 animals you could shape into. Id say it's significant better actually. It will have almost 60 HP at level 10, which is enough to take a couple of hits. It can fly. It can dodge. It can use cover. You can buff it with barkskin. You can always cast something like warding wind or wind wall to make ranged attacks against it (and yourself) less effective.
Resistance(s) could help. Give it things similar to a Fire Elemental so that even if it is still easy to hit, it can potentially take more hits. At least then it'd be akin to using Conjure Elemental by exchanging a wild-shape for a 5th level spell slot at higher levels.
Maybe summon more of them similar to the Artilerist Artificer? Or perhaps change up the Action economy of it or involved with it?
I agree. Considering that the Druid has to sacrifice their wildshape this is going to be a very poor return in higher levels of gameplay. If they were smart they'd give the spirit some kind of resistance when the Druid reaches say.... 13th level.
That Circle of Wildfire (UA) summon is gonna get beat down SOOOO hard at higher levels because of that 13 AC. Especially because, unlike a Ranger familiar or similar, it is made of fire... try putting additional armor on fire and see how it works out.
Don't disagree with any of this although it sorta makes the wildfire spirit more like a familiar in some ways when it is played this way. Nothing wrong with that. I'd picture the spirit significantly smaller in size in that case. (Fire bats, Fire pixies, Fire fairy dragons, or a humanoid looking like the skyrim flame atronachs.) It would be nice to summon a large spirit like a huge fire bear made out of flaming gnarled branches but considering how fragile the wildfire spirit is I don't think that would be appropriate. I suppose conjuring a full sized fire elemental is more in that vein. Still wish it had a bit more potential to survive high level encounters when the druid reaches high level but I guess we get what we get.
But you can manage how much of a threat the wildfire spirit appears to be. Maybe don't fly it into a crowd of enemies and start casting thunder clap if it's going to cause the spirit to get obliterated. If it's just hanging back and using it's flame seed attack, it isn't going to appear as much of a threat compared to the rest of the party. Even if they recognize that it could potentially cast your spells, I have a hard time thinking they would target it for that reason if it isn't doing it yet. Having it hang back should allows you to keep him alive to take advantage of the lvl 6 bonus where you get 1d8 added to fire or healing spells. Then, when you really need it, he will be available to swoop in and deliver a spell or teleport someone.
There is a good amount to this subclass that doesn't rely on the wildfire spirit itself. You get the extra spells always prepared, you get free heals or damage when creatures die (wisdom mod / long rest), and you get protection from fatal blows. I think it will be fine even if the wildfire spirit only lasts a handful of rounds at higher levels.
Thanks on the feedback and these are good ideas. However, if this class ever becomes official for AL games that will never work. AL consistently puts you in situations of close combat in narrow corridors and closed off areas where there is nowhere for you or your wildfire spirit to go. A bow is going to target AC 13 really easy not to mention combat cantrips and if the enemy knows this fella can cast spells via you then he is going to become a target of priority due to being a spellcaster. If a companion is going to be the main focus of a subclass then it needs some survivability at high levels since the loss severely gimps the character once the companion is gone. Druids sacrificing their wildshape is kinda a big deal not just for combat but also for utility. (Spying, scouting, getting to hard to reach spots.) Also, one hour is not very long so those wildshape uses are going to get burned up really quick in a 24hr period especially when you can't get rest. I understand them wanting to balance beasts/spirits at low levels as to not overpower the class but that just isn't going to work at high levels when you are facing beholders, mind flayers, aboleths, elementals, devils, or any number of high CR creatures. Having a wildfire spirit cowering in the background because it is fragile like glass just doesn't seem to fit the personality of Fire to me.
I think the intent is for you to make use of it's ability to fly and hover. It shouldn't be taking melee attacks or AOE's very often. And if enemies are using their actions to make ranged attacks against your wildfire spirit... then they aren't making them at YOU or your party.
At higher levels, the damage it puts out on its own does fall behind. But it's up to you to find ways to use your kit to maximize its usefulness. For example you can do things like have a warlock/wizard (or multiclass yourself to get it) cast Dragon's Breath on your Wildfire Spirit, allowing it to breath 3d6 fire damage in a cone repeatedly. Are you going to do that all the time? No, but in some cases it can be super effective and efficient in the action economy.
I think the wildfire spirit needs a melee attack or something where if a melee attack is made against it then they take fire damage. I mean.... It is handy that you can have fire spells originate from it but I think a fire elemental would be much more useful in combat considering the resistances it has to normal weapons which makes Circle of the Moon a bit more attractive. At higher levels of DnD this thing is just going to get wiped especially with certain AoEs and by normal attacks due to a pitiful AC. So... good HP but it is gonna get hit a lot. Unlike cantrips which get considerably powerful this thing really doesn't deal much damage at high levels. Blazing endurance is cool but a long 14 levels away and that's if you are not multiclassing. The only thing that makes the wildfire spirit powerful is if you become an archdruid at level 20. Thing dies then you simply bring it back since you have unlimited wildshapes which pretty much makes it immortal as long as you are alive. Rangers have the same problem with their beasts and I looked at the upcoming Unearthed Arcana for 2020 and those animal companions are going to get wiped too. Animal and spirit companions need survivability at high levels so I wish they would scale them better as you level or give them individual combat actions of their own at high levels. I like the concept of the Wildfire Druid and the wildfire spirit is a cool concept but not sure the tradeoff of using your wildshape to use it is worth it.
It's in the Player's Handbook. You can buy the whole book, but if you just want Circle of the Moon, you can get individual subclasses for $2 each.
I believe you have to purchase the 5e book in the store, to be able to access the Circle of the Moon option, or you can simply ignore it and have a hard copy with all the information on it. Which is what I did.
If you go to Homebrew content someone might have added it there or you can create a Homebrew sub class and just copy everything of moon druid in it. When creating a character make sure Homebrew content is allowed in the settings and then it'll show up.
The free options for dndbeyond only includes one archetype for each class. You have to buy the other options.
how do I add circle of the moon to my druid on this? I'm only getting land options and it doesn't show circle of the moon.