Not sure of the utility in this, but maybe if a DM requires a nap for a short rest? Could be useful in that case to do so as a bat on a cave ceiling or a snake on a tree branch or something. New here, so I apologize if this is a redundant thread. Thanks!
The time is limited to a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down, apparently the designers don't believe in half-hours), so you can take a short rest in wild shape as soon as you gain the feature (although not much else). You'd have to be quite a high level in order to take a long rest (and still not get much done otherwise with only a few hours to spare) while wild shaped.
If you are high level, you can use your wild shape, take a short rest, and start the next part of your adventure in wild shape with uses to spare.
True enough, an action (or bonus for moon druids) certainly isn't an hour of strenuous activity (though a DM could call it *some* strenuous activity that might contribute to breaking up a long rest).
Wildshape ends if you fall unconscious (which is what sleeping is), so unfortunately napping as an animal is out. An Elf might be able to get around this, but you have quite a few hoops to jump through to get that to work, (regarding if Trance carries over to Wildshape, like a Dragonborn’s breath weapon, or not)
Respectfully disagree with you on that one, Flare. My understanding of unconsciousness is that it differs from sleep because sleep is voluntary and you still react to outside stimuli.
I searched for a definition to get a more structured response:
Loss of consciousness should not be confused with the notion of the psychoanalytic unconscious, cognitive processes that take place outside awareness (e.g., implicit cognition), and with altered states of consciousness such as sleep, delirium, hypnosis, and other altered states in which the person responds to stimuli, including trance and psychedelic experiences.
All of that aside, jsut think about how comfy a big cat or some fluffy dog could be compared to a humanoid. I'd take the trade "go to sleep as a fluffy pillow and wake up the old you"
Sleep does cause you to go unconscious but I would simply rule that for the purposes of Wildshape you lose the wildshape if you fall unconscious by any means except voluntarily going to sleep.
Because if I could turn into animals - getting to sleep like a cat would be a dream. They seem to be able to get comfy in all sorts of ways. I envy that. So much.
Respectfully disagree with you on that one, Flare. My understanding of unconsciousness is that it differs from sleep because sleep is voluntary and you still react to outside stimuli.
I searched for a definition to get a more structured response:
Loss of consciousness should not be confused with the notion of the psychoanalytic unconscious, cognitive processes that take place outside awareness (e.g., implicit cognition), and with altered states of consciousness such as sleep, delirium, hypnosis, and other altered states in which the person responds to stimuli, including trance and psychedelic experiences.
Ultimately, I'd say it's up to your DM to make the choice. Does sleep count as an end to wild shape, or for sake of flavour, and the rule of cool, can a druid stay in wild shape while sleeping?
For my players I allow wild shape to maintain. There has only been one occasion where this was an issue, and that was during a night raid by some local bandits who snuck into the party's camp not long after they had fallen asleep. They watched 5 'humanoids' enter a large magical tent and then made their attack. Boy did they get a shock when they found 4 humanoids and a tiger inside.
Short rests are fine in wild shape, as sleeping isn't necessary so that doesn't really matter. Requiring a nap seems like a rather silly ruling, considering a short rest is "a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds." Stopping for lunch is a short rest, for example. There's nothing specific that you have to be doing, such as napping, it just can't be strenuous activity.
As far as long rests go, wild shape ends if you go unconscious (including sleeping, as others have pointed out), but if you don't need to sleep (e.g. reborn nature) or if you don't fall unconscious while you "sleep" (e.g. trance or sentry's rest) then you can complete a long rest just fine in wild shape so long as you are able to stay in wild shape for that many hours.
When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.
My Warforged Moon Druid (Alpha) is Level 11 and can currently hold wild shape for 5 hours. Using a charge mid-rest I can take a long rest in my wild shape.
Can you burn hit die to heal during a short rest while in wild shape form? I cannot find anything that says you can't short rest, meaning you can get back your wild shape abilities, but since you can maintain this for several hours, you should have a couple of wild shapes and still be shape changed for some time.
Yes, although it only heals the wildshape form so you're better off just taking the short rest to re-up the wildshape to go back to max. But if you really wanted to, then yes.
If your a wood Elf that needs less time to short rest in wildshape form, does this mean after the rest you still are in wildshape with the rest of the hours and the full two charges back up too? Like turn to a bear before a fight, take a nap then you basically have 3 charges. Or no?
Not sure of the utility in this, but maybe if a DM requires a nap for a short rest? Could be useful in that case to do so as a bat on a cave ceiling or a snake on a tree branch or something. New here, so I apologize if this is a redundant thread. Thanks!
The time is limited to a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down, apparently the designers don't believe in half-hours), so you can take a short rest in wild shape as soon as you gain the feature (although not much else). You'd have to be quite a high level in order to take a long rest (and still not get much done otherwise with only a few hours to spare) while wild shaped.
If you are high level, you can use your wild shape, take a short rest, and start the next part of your adventure in wild shape with uses to spare.
True enough, an action (or bonus for moon druids) certainly isn't an hour of strenuous activity (though a DM could call it *some* strenuous activity that might contribute to breaking up a long rest).
Thank you- I feel like Resting in 5e is alternately very specific and very vague, and the PH doesn’t mention sleep in the Druid Wild Shape section.
Flynnbarr normally falls asleep in wild shape and wakes up halfling.
Wildshape ends if you fall unconscious (which is what sleeping is), so unfortunately napping as an animal is out. An Elf might be able to get around this, but you have quite a few hoops to jump through to get that to work, (regarding if Trance carries over to Wildshape, like a Dragonborn’s breath weapon, or not)
Respectfully disagree with you on that one, Flare. My understanding of unconsciousness is that it differs from sleep because sleep is voluntary and you still react to outside stimuli.
I searched for a definition to get a more structured response:
Loss of consciousness should not be confused with the notion of the psychoanalytic unconscious, cognitive processes that take place outside awareness (e.g., implicit cognition), and with altered states of consciousness such as sleep, delirium, hypnosis, and other altered states in which the person responds to stimuli, including trance and psychedelic experiences.
Haven't managed that one yet, but thanks for bringing it up. No doubt at some point I'd have done something like it.
All of that aside, jsut think about how comfy a big cat or some fluffy dog could be compared to a humanoid. I'd take the trade "go to sleep as a fluffy pillow and wake up the old you"
Sleep does cause you to go unconscious but I would simply rule that for the purposes of Wildshape you lose the wildshape if you fall unconscious by any means except voluntarily going to sleep.
Because if I could turn into animals - getting to sleep like a cat would be a dream. They seem to be able to get comfy in all sorts of ways. I envy that. So much.
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Sleep does inflict Unconscious, according to Sage Advice (See the following link): https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sageadvice.eu/2017/05/24/does-sleep-impose-the-unconscious-condition/amp/
Thank you for being respectful in your disagreement, and your perspective on unconscious vs sleep is an interesting idea.
Ultimately, I'd say it's up to your DM to make the choice.
Does sleep count as an end to wild shape, or for sake of flavour, and the rule of cool, can a druid stay in wild shape while sleeping?
For my players I allow wild shape to maintain. There has only been one occasion where this was an issue, and that was during a night raid by some local bandits who snuck into the party's camp not long after they had fallen asleep. They watched 5 'humanoids' enter a large magical tent and then made their attack. Boy did they get a shock when they found 4 humanoids and a tiger inside.
Short rests are fine in wild shape, as sleeping isn't necessary so that doesn't really matter. Requiring a nap seems like a rather silly ruling, considering a short rest is "a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds." Stopping for lunch is a short rest, for example. There's nothing specific that you have to be doing, such as napping, it just can't be strenuous activity.
As far as long rests go, wild shape ends if you go unconscious (including sleeping, as others have pointed out), but if you don't need to sleep (e.g. reborn nature) or if you don't fall unconscious while you "sleep" (e.g. trance or sentry's rest) then you can complete a long rest just fine in wild shape so long as you are able to stay in wild shape for that many hours.
Play a Warforged, Reborn, or Elf:
My Warforged Moon Druid (Alpha) is Level 11 and can currently hold wild shape for 5 hours. Using a charge mid-rest I can take a long rest in my wild shape.
With Elf races (or any other race that trances), you 100 percent can
Can you burn hit die to heal during a short rest while in wild shape form? I cannot find anything that says you can't short rest, meaning you can get back your wild shape abilities, but since you can maintain this for several hours, you should have a couple of wild shapes and still be shape changed for some time.
Yes, although it only heals the wildshape form so you're better off just taking the short rest to re-up the wildshape to go back to max. But if you really wanted to, then yes.
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Spells | Magic Items | Feats
Need help with Homebrew? Check out this FAQ/Guide thread by IamSposta
See My Youtube Videos for Tips & Tricks using D&D Beyond
If your a wood Elf that needs less time to short rest in wildshape form, does this mean after the rest you still are in wildshape with the rest of the hours and the full two charges back up too? Like turn to a bear before a fight, take a nap then you basically have 3 charges. Or no?