Another vote for Primal Savagery. The strike itself doesn't need to be from the magic acid claws. It can be delivered via magic acid bites, so you don't need an empty hand to use it.
Another vote for Primal Savagery. The strike itself doesn't need to be from the magic acid claws. It can be delivered via magic acid bites, so you don't need an empty hand to use it.
It has a somatic component, so technically you still do, according to the component rules. Many DMs would allow you to perform that somatic component with a hand that held a focus, even though that isn’t strictly RAW.
Some might let you use the motion of making the attack (the bite) count for the somatic component, but that will again depend on DM.
I’m a fan on guardian of nature, at least on paper (I had to leave the campaign before my Druid could get to that level). It is good, specifically for Moon Druids though. When combined with Elemental Wildshape, you can either start adding advantage and an extra 7 DPR to your Water or Earth Elementals with Beast Spirit, or become the ultimate battlefield pain-maker/controller as a Fire Elemental with Tree Spirit.
I am pretty glad that the Moon Druid I DMed for glanced over this spell (or just didn’t have the book when picking spells), or else he would have somehow been even harder to challenge. It’s also way better for Rangers, but it’s still good for Druids.
Guardian of nature can be situationally useful, but you have to be carful with it. The tree form seems prefect for casters, but the fact that it is concentration itself drastically limits that form’s utility, considering the rest of the Druid’s list.
With so many great druid spells to choose from, I've found that it works best to reduce the druid spell list to spells that truly fit one's character ... even if other spells might be known as powerful (in combat) or otherwise great spells. For example, I'm currently playing a Level 5 Sea Elf Circle of Stars Druid. I prepare spells to fit a water / sea plant / starlight theme. I reflavor certain spells as sea plants and others as starlight. I also prepare a few healing, buffing, and utility spells, which I flavor as: "You got this! I saw it in the stars!" or "We got this! I saw it in the stars!" As a sea elf, I avoid spells that deal fire damage (e.g., Produce Flame, Flaming Sphere, Heat Metal), as well as spells that focus on earth (e.g., Mold Earth, Earth Tremor, Dust Devil, Erupting Earth). I've found that my approach helps with not feeling as overwhelmed as I would be if I prepared spells from the *entire* druid spell list.
My go to spells for my Level 5 Sea Elf Circle of Stars Druid include:
CANTRIPS: Guidance (buffing), Shape Water (water), Shillelagh (for my trident - DM approved), Thorn Whip (sea plant)
1ST LEVEL SPELLS: Create of Destroy Water (water), Guiding Bolt (starlight), Healing Word (healing) Faerie Fire (starlight), Entangle (sea plant)
Moonbeam and poison spray were always personal favorites of mine. Moonbeam is super versatile, and has a lot of potential for damage. Poison spray does a decent amount of damage at higher levels, especially for a cantrip, so it's super useful when you're trying to conserve spell slots. I always enjoyed ice knife, because it does shrapnel damage to surrounding enemies, too, but it does mean you have to be mindful of friendly fire, so that's a double edged sword.
Also, Healing Word is super useful because it's a bonus action, so you can either use a higher level Cure Wounds AND Healing Word to heal up more damage if you need to, OR you can do damage AND heal on the same turn. Who doesn't love that?
Spike Growth is really strong if you have thunderwave or some other spell that moves enemies. Maybe even multiclass into warlock to get Eldritch Blast with Repelling Blast and Grasp of Hadar. It damages creatures without a saving throw.
Any summoning spell is useful because the summoned creatures can be used to absorb damage. Remember, any damage dealt to a summoned creature is damage that you and your allies haven't taken.
Heat Metal is nearly broken, but highly campaign-dependant. If your campaign features a lot of metal armor/weapon-bearing enemies, then you should take it. It's actually pretty balanced due to the possibility of rarely encountering a heavy-armored foe.
Flaming Sphere allows you to deal damage as a bonus action, just like heat metal. This saves your action for doing other useful things, like healing allies, making a melee attack in Wild Shape, or taking some other action (dash, disenage, dodge, help, etc).
Moonbeam deals hard-to-resist radiant damage, and uses your action for dealing damage. This way, you can use a bonus action to cast healing word, which allows you to heal allies from the backline.
Don't overlook Plant Growth. It does not require concentration, and imposes more movement restriction than difficult terrain. Use this to trap enemies in your insect plague for longer, dealing more damage. Just like heat metal, this is also campaign-dependant, as it requires to be casted on plants. Better in wilderness campaigns, not so good in dungeon campaigns.
Faerie Fire is a must-have, especially against invisible or evasive creatures. Improves the chances of a paladin or rogue landing a Smite or Sneak Attack, or a fighter or barbarian landing a GWM or Sharpshooter.
Healing Spirit is arguably the most overpowered healing spell in the game! Unlike Aura of Vitality, you don't need to use a bonus action to heal, you just need to use a bonus action to move it. This makes it one of the best out-of-combat healing spells, as your party can huddle together under the nature spirit. I saved my party from four mordenkainen's swords in Waterdeep: Dungeon of The Mad Mage using this spell.
Absorb Elements is useful for melee-focused druids.
Enhance Ability is a versatile utility spell. Like Guidance, it will help you get through any out-of-combat scenario.
Tidal Wave provides some non-concentration damage. It has a huge radius, and knocks enemies prone.
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Brains over brawn? Mind over matter? These canny warriors rightly answer, "Why not both?" - Tasha
Spike Growth is really strong if you have thunderwave or some other spell that moves enemies. Maybe even multiclass into warlock to get Eldritch Blast with Repelling Blast and Grasp of Hadar. It damages creatures without a saving throw.
Any summoning spell is useful because the summoned creatures can be used to absorb damage. Remember, any damage dealt to a summoned creature is damage that you and your allies haven't taken.
Heat Metal is nearly broken, but highly campaign-dependant. If your campaign features a lot of metal armor/weapon-bearing enemies, then you should take it. It's actually pretty balanced due to the possibility of rarely encountering a heavy-armored foe.
Flaming Sphere allows you to deal damage as a bonus action, just like heat metal. This saves your action for doing other useful things, like healing allies, making a melee attack in Wild Shape, or taking some other action (dash, disenage, dodge, help, etc).
Moonbeam deals hard-to-resist radiant damage, and uses your action for dealing damage. This way, you can use a bonus action to cast healing word, which allows you to heal allies from the backline.
Don't overlook Plant Growth. It does not require concentration, and imposes more movement restriction than difficult terrain. Use this to trap enemies in your insect plague for longer, dealing more damage. Just like heat metal, this is also campaign-dependant, as it requires to be casted on plants. Better in wilderness campaigns, not so good in dungeon campaigns.
Faerie Fire is a must-have, especially against invisible or evasive creatures. Improves the chances of a paladin or rogue landing a Smite or Sneak Attack, or a fighter or barbarian landing a GWM or Sharpshooter.
Healing Spirit is arguably the most overpowered healing spell in the game! Unlike Aura of Vitality, you don't need to use a bonus action to heal, you just need to use a bonus action to move it. This makes it one of the best out-of-combat healing spells, as your party can huddle together under the nature spirit. I saved my party from four mordenkainen's swords in Waterdeep: Dungeon of The Mad Mage using this spell.
Absorb Elements is useful for melee-focused druids.
Enhance Ability is a versatile utility spell. Like Guidance, it will help you get through any out-of-combat scenario.
Tidal Wave provides some non-concentration damage. It has a huge radius, and knocks enemies prone.
If you have summon beast, flaming sphere is subpar outside of nice situations. It can be good in cramped quarters. Unfortunately it's pretty bad for wildfire druids due to BA economy.
Moonbeam is great if you can optimize it's damage by you or your allies shoving/grappling enemies into the beam.
My biggest disagreement with what you said is Healing Spirit. HS is pretty trash after the update that limited the number of times it heals to 1+WIS. Between Goodberry and Healing Word, there just isn't much need for healing spirit. Goodberry is much better for out of combat healing, especially if you cast unused spell slots at the end of the day. Healing Word can bring up downed allies without using your concentration.
Absorb elements is great for every druid. The damage on melee attacks is pretty irrelevant.
I actually disagree with Healing Spirit being not worth using. It's certainly still worse than its previous unlimited USE per Duration/Casting.. but its still amazingly useful in certain situations, even out in combat. If your party is fighting that BOSS that knocks even your Barbarian or tank in 1 turn, keep Healing Spirit Floating above him at the end of your turn and ensure he gets up every round. Remember, they get the Heal at the BEGINNING of their turn... so that unconcious Barbarian or Fighter gets 1d6 Healing at the start of his/her turn, stands up, and goes back to it's regularly face-tank duties. If he goes down again before your turn, use your bonus action and place it back ontop of him
Yes, this feels like a niche-situation, but at higher levels or with really mean DM's, this is fairly common rinse and repeat combat cycle it feels.
I actually disagree with Healing Spirit being not worth using. It's certainly still worse than its previous unlimited USE per Duration/Casting.. but its still amazingly useful in certain situations, even out in combat. If your party is fighting that BOSS that knocks even your Barbarian or tank in 1 turn, keep Healing Spirit Floating above him at the end of your turn and ensure he gets up every round. Remember, they get the Heal at the BEGINNING of their turn... so that unconcious Barbarian or Fighter gets 1d6 Healing at the start of his/her turn, stands up, and goes back to it's regularly face-tank duties. If he goes down again before your turn, use your bonus action and place it back ontop of him
Yes, this feels like a niche-situation, but at higher levels or with really mean DM's, this is fairly common rinse and repeat combat cycle it feels.
Yeah, plus Healing Spirit is basically a healing spell you can move around to where it's needed, even after you Wildshape.
Nah, that's too niche of a situation AND even when it happens using HS in that way is just asking for the DM to KO and follow up with attacks to outright kill the barbarian before the healing spirit can revive him.
Concentration is your MOST powerful feature as a druid. It's not worth using on healing spirit. Spell preparations are also at a premium.
Don't get me wrong Zoltar, I don't think it's a Must Prepare spell in all games, but depending on the party lineup it does something that very few low level spells do, and thats Auto Heal on someone else's turn.
Another vote for Primal Savagery. The strike itself doesn't need to be from the magic acid claws. It can be delivered via magic acid bites, so you don't need an empty hand to use it.
It has a somatic component, so technically you still do, according to the component rules. Many DMs would allow you to perform that somatic component with a hand that held a focus, even though that isn’t strictly RAW.
Some might let you use the motion of making the attack (the bite) count for the somatic component, but that will again depend on DM.
I’m a fan on guardian of nature, at least on paper (I had to leave the campaign before my Druid could get to that level). It is good, specifically for Moon Druids though. When combined with Elemental Wildshape, you can either start adding advantage and an extra 7 DPR to your Water or Earth Elementals with Beast Spirit, or become the ultimate battlefield pain-maker/controller as a Fire Elemental with Tree Spirit.
I am pretty glad that the Moon Druid I DMed for glanced over this spell (or just didn’t have the book when picking spells), or else he would have somehow been even harder to challenge. It’s also way better for Rangers, but it’s still good for Druids.
Guardian of nature can be situationally useful, but you have to be carful with it. The tree form seems prefect for casters, but the fact that it is concentration itself drastically limits that form’s utility, considering the rest of the Druid’s list.
With so many great druid spells to choose from, I've found that it works best to reduce the druid spell list to spells that truly fit one's character ... even if other spells might be known as powerful (in combat) or otherwise great spells. For example, I'm currently playing a Level 5 Sea Elf Circle of Stars Druid. I prepare spells to fit a water / sea plant / starlight theme. I reflavor certain spells as sea plants and others as starlight. I also prepare a few healing, buffing, and utility spells, which I flavor as: "You got this! I saw it in the stars!" or "We got this! I saw it in the stars!" As a sea elf, I avoid spells that deal fire damage (e.g., Produce Flame, Flaming Sphere, Heat Metal), as well as spells that focus on earth (e.g., Mold Earth, Earth Tremor, Dust Devil, Erupting Earth). I've found that my approach helps with not feeling as overwhelmed as I would be if I prepared spells from the *entire* druid spell list.
My go to spells for my Level 5 Sea Elf Circle of Stars Druid include:
CANTRIPS: Guidance (buffing), Shape Water (water), Shillelagh (for my trident - DM approved), Thorn Whip (sea plant)
1ST LEVEL SPELLS: Create of Destroy Water (water), Guiding Bolt (starlight), Healing Word (healing) Faerie Fire (starlight), Entangle (sea plant)
2ND LEVEL SPELLS: Moonbeam (starlight), Pass Without Trace (buffing), Spike Growth (sea plant), Enlarge/Reduce (buffing), Summon Beast (sea creature or sea bird)
3RD LEVEL SPELLS: Tidal Wave (water), Dispel Magic (utility), Revivify (healing), Water Breathing (water/buffing), Aura of Vitality (healing)
Moonbeam and poison spray were always personal favorites of mine. Moonbeam is super versatile, and has a lot of potential for damage. Poison spray does a decent amount of damage at higher levels, especially for a cantrip, so it's super useful when you're trying to conserve spell slots. I always enjoyed ice knife, because it does shrapnel damage to surrounding enemies, too, but it does mean you have to be mindful of friendly fire, so that's a double edged sword.
Also, Healing Word is super useful because it's a bonus action, so you can either use a higher level Cure Wounds AND Healing Word to heal up more damage if you need to, OR you can do damage AND heal on the same turn. Who doesn't love that?
Spike Growth is really strong if you have thunderwave or some other spell that moves enemies. Maybe even multiclass into warlock to get Eldritch Blast with Repelling Blast and Grasp of Hadar. It damages creatures without a saving throw.
Any summoning spell is useful because the summoned creatures can be used to absorb damage. Remember, any damage dealt to a summoned creature is damage that you and your allies haven't taken.
Heat Metal is nearly broken, but highly campaign-dependant. If your campaign features a lot of metal armor/weapon-bearing enemies, then you should take it. It's actually pretty balanced due to the possibility of rarely encountering a heavy-armored foe.
Flaming Sphere allows you to deal damage as a bonus action, just like heat metal. This saves your action for doing other useful things, like healing allies, making a melee attack in Wild Shape, or taking some other action (dash, disenage, dodge, help, etc).
Moonbeam deals hard-to-resist radiant damage, and uses your action for dealing damage. This way, you can use a bonus action to cast healing word, which allows you to heal allies from the backline.
Don't overlook Plant Growth. It does not require concentration, and imposes more movement restriction than difficult terrain. Use this to trap enemies in your insect plague for longer, dealing more damage. Just like heat metal, this is also campaign-dependant, as it requires to be casted on plants. Better in wilderness campaigns, not so good in dungeon campaigns.
Faerie Fire is a must-have, especially against invisible or evasive creatures. Improves the chances of a paladin or rogue landing a Smite or Sneak Attack, or a fighter or barbarian landing a GWM or Sharpshooter.
Healing Spirit is arguably the most overpowered healing spell in the game! Unlike Aura of Vitality, you don't need to use a bonus action to heal, you just need to use a bonus action to move it. This makes it one of the best out-of-combat healing spells, as your party can huddle together under the nature spirit. I saved my party from four mordenkainen's swords in Waterdeep: Dungeon of The Mad Mage using this spell.
Absorb Elements is useful for melee-focused druids.
Enhance Ability is a versatile utility spell. Like Guidance, it will help you get through any out-of-combat scenario.
Tidal Wave provides some non-concentration damage. It has a huge radius, and knocks enemies prone.
Brains over brawn? Mind over matter? These canny warriors rightly answer, "Why not both?" - Tasha
My Homebrews: Monsters, Magic Items, Spells, Races
Rhulg- Hobgoblin Gunsmith
If you have summon beast, flaming sphere is subpar outside of nice situations. It can be good in cramped quarters. Unfortunately it's pretty bad for wildfire druids due to BA economy.
Moonbeam is great if you can optimize it's damage by you or your allies shoving/grappling enemies into the beam.
My biggest disagreement with what you said is Healing Spirit. HS is pretty trash after the update that limited the number of times it heals to 1+WIS. Between Goodberry and Healing Word, there just isn't much need for healing spirit. Goodberry is much better for out of combat healing, especially if you cast unused spell slots at the end of the day. Healing Word can bring up downed allies without using your concentration.
Absorb elements is great for every druid. The damage on melee attacks is pretty irrelevant.
I actually disagree with Healing Spirit being not worth using. It's certainly still worse than its previous unlimited USE per Duration/Casting.. but its still amazingly useful in certain situations, even out in combat. If your party is fighting that BOSS that knocks even your Barbarian or tank in 1 turn, keep Healing Spirit Floating above him at the end of your turn and ensure he gets up every round. Remember, they get the Heal at the BEGINNING of their turn... so that unconcious Barbarian or Fighter gets 1d6 Healing at the start of his/her turn, stands up, and goes back to it's regularly face-tank duties. If he goes down again before your turn, use your bonus action and place it back ontop of him
Yes, this feels like a niche-situation, but at higher levels or with really mean DM's, this is fairly common rinse and repeat combat cycle it feels.
Yeah, plus Healing Spirit is basically a healing spell you can move around to where it's needed, even after you Wildshape.
Nah, that's too niche of a situation AND even when it happens using HS in that way is just asking for the DM to KO and follow up with attacks to outright kill the barbarian before the healing spirit can revive him.
Concentration is your MOST powerful feature as a druid. It's not worth using on healing spirit. Spell preparations are also at a premium.
Don't get me wrong Zoltar, I don't think it's a Must Prepare spell in all games, but depending on the party lineup it does something that very few low level spells do, and thats Auto Heal on someone else's turn.