I am going to play a wood elf moon druid, but I don't know which cantrips to take. I thought about primal savagery and shape water, but I don't know if primal savagery is useful because I can tank in the front while in beast shape. If I don't need combat cantrips, I think I am going to take guidance.
When you're not tanking, you probably want to be ranged, so I'd consider Create Bonfire or Thorn Whip over Primal Savagery. Shape Water is a fantastic utility cantrip, so many fun options for it. Guidance is... boring, but arguably the best utility cantrip in the game.
What I meant was, you may tank when you are wild shaped, but when you are not wild shaped, you probably do not want to be in melee combat, and so a ranged combat cantrip might be preferable.
If you are going to be on ice all the time... well then there's plenty of water for Shape Water, if only you could melt it, and maybe that's where a nice Bonfire comes in. :) Plus you might like that bonfire sometimes to keep warm. On the other hand, you will not be sorry if you have the Guidance cantrip, it comes in handy constantly, whereas Shape Water is occasional. But it's really fun to use when it comes up.
As much as this feels like a cop out response I would probably suggest going with cantrips and spells that suit the type of character you are playing rather than focus purely on combat utility, of course that is not to say don't pay any attention to combat utility as it can be a bit of a fine balance depending on how combat heavy the campaign is and how many RP options you have but sometimes it can be fun to pick a less ideal option that suits your character more, it really depends on how you use it.
That said having some sort of ranged combat cantrip like thorn whip is not a bad idea as generally as a druid you don't really want to be in close range combat outside of beast form and depending on how much your group stops for short or long rests and how many combat encounters you get in inbetween it may not be the best idea to go straight to wildshape for any combat encounters you get in as you only get 2 per short rest (until you reach level 20 that is and good luck with that) and wildshape can also have great utility outside of combat as well.
I am new, so I don't know if it is important to be both range and tank?
While wild shape does give the druid a larger health pool I am not sure they are the greatest tanks as beasts generally don't have particularly high AC, at level 2 the best you have got is the Direwolf at AC14 and at level 6 giant crayfish at AC15 (depending on whether or not your DM has access to the stat block and allows you to use it). It is not until level 9 you get access to giant snapping turtle which is AC17 and level 10 you get access to earth Elemental which is also AC17 but by that stage more specialized tanking classes will have better options for mitigating damage.
This is not to say that swapping to a tankier form to soak up some damage can't be a good tactic in the moment I just wouldn't make it the main focus or role for your character as a moon druid.
I am new, so I don't know if it is important to be both range and tank?
It's hard to answer questions like this without knowing what other classes the other players are using. That said, Moon Druids are really not ideal for tanking damage after level 4. Maybe as an off-tank, they are okay, but the primary party tank should be someone who has AC 18 or above and d10 or d12 hit dice.
A lot depends on the tpical adventuring day, how long the campaign is expected to last and the party composition.
Are you the only / main healer? if a party member goes down are you expected to come out of wildshape to heal them? You only get 2 wild shapes per short rest, if someone goes down to zero chaces are they, or someone else will need healing again so if you are the main healing it probably isn't worth you going into wild shape again (pre level 18). If you are only have 1 or two encounters a day you might be able to get by casting levelled spells but if you are the only healer you really need some way to be effective in combat while not wildshaped though you might decide a bow is sufficient.
A level 2 moon druid is far more powerful that the rest of the party but that reduces over time by level 5 your wild shape is pretty much the same but the spell casters have 3rd level spells (and much more spell slots) the martial characters have extra attack and everyone has several other features and more than twice as many hit points. By this point your wild shape is not as effective in combat as other party members. This is OK because you one your first turn you can summon a creature or creatures to fight alongside the party which makes up fror the difference. However if you lose concentration or it/they die you have to choose whether to just be not as effective as you should be or you come out of wild shape to cast another spell. Don't expect the increase at level 6 or 9 to CR2 or CR3 creatures the power of your wildshapes are not progressing at anything like on a par with player levels. At higher levels get to a point where you will find you are better off generally not wildshaping in combat, you might occasionally find it is a good idea to do so particularly elemental forms when you get them (e.g. Turn into an air elemental for a high fly speed). But your wildshapes wont last a combat. One of the best beast wild shapas from level 9-14 is a giant scorpian with 57 hit points, but you could be facing something like an adult white dragon who is likely to oneshot your wildshape with a single breath attack. Whether you need cantrips at this point depends on whether you have enough combat that you can not cast levelled spells every round. Druid cantrips generally don't do a huge amount of damage but have a nice little kicker like forced movement or making their next attack at disadvantage.
You do get extra cantrips at level 4 and 10 and their is an optional rule that you can change cantrips at ASI levels so you might be able ot get what you need as you need it.
I usually go thorn whip to pull enemies close and then i usually bonus action shift to bear if they run i usually get the opportunity attack and it can be paired with sentinel for good effect.
The other players are a Ranger with bad ability scores, a warlock and a rogue
Oooh, I see why the Moon Druid became the tank. I suggest the Ranger with bad ability scores be allowed to re-roll stats or just do point-buy. Assuming of course, that this is a semi-serious campaign and not just a jokey one-two-shot thing.
This party isn't built well. That's the main problem. Your only class with good potential heal abilities (the Druid) is in Wildshape much of the time just covering the butts of the Warlock and Rogue (unless we're talking a Swashbuckler). If Moon Druid tanks somebody else needs to do buffing and/or healing for the party most of the time. The Ranger could help with that, but with bad WIS, not much use as a caster and with bad CON or DEX, bad at helping the Moon Druid tank (not that Rangers are super great at tanking either). Assuming the Warlock is not built as a melee gish-type, that puts a LOT of burden on the Moon Druid character.
No, I don't think the Moon Druid needs direct attack cantrips if you are relying on the Warlock and Rogue for ranged damage. At least, that isn't the main issue with this party's overall ability to be greater than the sum of its parts. I hate to say it, but the best thing for this party is for someone else to make a new PC that can tank at least part-time or to make a Wizard who doesn't mind casting buff spells on the Wildshaped Druid.
But we just play for fun. Maybe some of us dies, but then he will get a new character. Our rogue is not very sure about his choice and will probably take a paladin or fighter when he dies. I actually don't wan't to be a healer...
In that case, just pick whatever you feel like picking. If it doesn't work out, just make another character or ask the DM to let you pick a different cantrip on level up.
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Hello everyone,
I am going to play a wood elf moon druid, but I don't know which cantrips to take. I thought about primal savagery and shape water, but I don't know if primal savagery is useful because I can tank in the front while in beast shape. If I don't need combat cantrips, I think I am going to take guidance.
So what cantrips should I take?
Thank you for your response!
With friendly greetings
Thrør Máthẳn Márbhådh
When you're not tanking, you probably want to be ranged, so I'd consider Create Bonfire or Thorn Whip over Primal Savagery. Shape Water is a fantastic utility cantrip, so many fun options for it. Guidance is... boring, but arguably the best utility cantrip in the game.
I am new, so I don't know if it is important to be both range and tank?
We will play in an ice map, so Create Bonfire is maybe not the best option I think.
With friendly greetings
Thrør Máthẳn Márbhådh
What I meant was, you may tank when you are wild shaped, but when you are not wild shaped, you probably do not want to be in melee combat, and so a ranged combat cantrip might be preferable.
If you are going to be on ice all the time... well then there's plenty of water for Shape Water, if only you could melt it, and maybe that's where a nice Bonfire comes in. :) Plus you might like that bonfire sometimes to keep warm. On the other hand, you will not be sorry if you have the Guidance cantrip, it comes in handy constantly, whereas Shape Water is occasional. But it's really fun to use when it comes up.
As much as this feels like a cop out response I would probably suggest going with cantrips and spells that suit the type of character you are playing rather than focus purely on combat utility, of course that is not to say don't pay any attention to combat utility as it can be a bit of a fine balance depending on how combat heavy the campaign is and how many RP options you have but sometimes it can be fun to pick a less ideal option that suits your character more, it really depends on how you use it.
That said having some sort of ranged combat cantrip like thorn whip is not a bad idea as generally as a druid you don't really want to be in close range combat outside of beast form and depending on how much your group stops for short or long rests and how many combat encounters you get in inbetween it may not be the best idea to go straight to wildshape for any combat encounters you get in as you only get 2 per short rest (until you reach level 20 that is and good luck with that) and wildshape can also have great utility outside of combat as well.
While wild shape does give the druid a larger health pool I am not sure they are the greatest tanks as beasts generally don't have particularly high AC, at level 2 the best you have got is the Direwolf at AC14 and at level 6 giant crayfish at AC15 (depending on whether or not your DM has access to the stat block and allows you to use it). It is not until level 9 you get access to giant snapping turtle which is AC17 and level 10 you get access to earth Elemental which is also AC17 but by that stage more specialized tanking classes will have better options for mitigating damage.
This is not to say that swapping to a tankier form to soak up some damage can't be a good tactic in the moment I just wouldn't make it the main focus or role for your character as a moon druid.
It's hard to answer questions like this without knowing what other classes the other players are using. That said, Moon Druids are really not ideal for tanking damage after level 4. Maybe as an off-tank, they are okay, but the primary party tank should be someone who has AC 18 or above and d10 or d12 hit dice.
A lot depends on the tpical adventuring day, how long the campaign is expected to last and the party composition.
Are you the only / main healer? if a party member goes down are you expected to come out of wildshape to heal them? You only get 2 wild shapes per short rest, if someone goes down to zero chaces are they, or someone else will need healing again so if you are the main healing it probably isn't worth you going into wild shape again (pre level 18). If you are only have 1 or two encounters a day you might be able to get by casting levelled spells but if you are the only healer you really need some way to be effective in combat while not wildshaped though you might decide a bow is sufficient.
A level 2 moon druid is far more powerful that the rest of the party but that reduces over time by level 5 your wild shape is pretty much the same but the spell casters have 3rd level spells (and much more spell slots) the martial characters have extra attack and everyone has several other features and more than twice as many hit points. By this point your wild shape is not as effective in combat as other party members. This is OK because you one your first turn you can summon a creature or creatures to fight alongside the party which makes up fror the difference. However if you lose concentration or it/they die you have to choose whether to just be not as effective as you should be or you come out of wild shape to cast another spell. Don't expect the increase at level 6 or 9 to CR2 or CR3 creatures the power of your wildshapes are not progressing at anything like on a par with player levels. At higher levels get to a point where you will find you are better off generally not wildshaping in combat, you might occasionally find it is a good idea to do so particularly elemental forms when you get them (e.g. Turn into an air elemental for a high fly speed). But your wildshapes wont last a combat. One of the best beast wild shapas from level 9-14 is a giant scorpian with 57 hit points, but you could be facing something like an adult white dragon who is likely to oneshot your wildshape with a single breath attack. Whether you need cantrips at this point depends on whether you have enough combat that you can not cast levelled spells every round. Druid cantrips generally don't do a huge amount of damage but have a nice little kicker like forced movement or making their next attack at disadvantage.
You do get extra cantrips at level 4 and 10 and their is an optional rule that you can change cantrips at ASI levels so you might be able ot get what you need as you need it.
I usually go thorn whip to pull enemies close and then i usually bonus action shift to bear if they run i usually get the opportunity attack and it can be paired with sentinel for good effect.
The other players are a Ranger with bad ability scores, a warlock and a rogue
With friendly greetings
Thrør Máthẳn Márbhådh
Oooh, I see why the Moon Druid became the tank. I suggest the Ranger with bad ability scores be allowed to re-roll stats or just do point-buy. Assuming of course, that this is a semi-serious campaign and not just a jokey one-two-shot thing.
This party isn't built well. That's the main problem. Your only class with good potential heal abilities (the Druid) is in Wildshape much of the time just covering the butts of the Warlock and Rogue (unless we're talking a Swashbuckler). If Moon Druid tanks somebody else needs to do buffing and/or healing for the party most of the time. The Ranger could help with that, but with bad WIS, not much use as a caster and with bad CON or DEX, bad at helping the Moon Druid tank (not that Rangers are super great at tanking either). Assuming the Warlock is not built as a melee gish-type, that puts a LOT of burden on the Moon Druid character.
No, I don't think the Moon Druid needs direct attack cantrips if you are relying on the Warlock and Rogue for ranged damage. At least, that isn't the main issue with this party's overall ability to be greater than the sum of its parts. I hate to say it, but the best thing for this party is for someone else to make a new PC that can tank at least part-time or to make a Wizard who doesn't mind casting buff spells on the Wildshaped Druid.
But we just play for fun. Maybe some of us dies, but then he will get a new character. Our rogue is not very sure about his choice and will probably take a paladin or fighter when he dies. I actually don't wan't to be a healer...
With friendly greetings
Thrør Máthẳn Márbhådh
In that case, just pick whatever you feel like picking. If it doesn't work out, just make another character or ask the DM to let you pick a different cantrip on level up.