Hi I'm a new player and for some reason I can't seem to find any where how many wild shapes the druid is limited to per level. I have found several charts on what creatures there are but I've heard people using a limited pool of creatures they've chosen. Any help would be of great use thank you.
Not what I'm asking. When you are selecting a creature to turn into I've heard mention of there being a restricted size of the pool of beasts rather than just any beast that you want in the relevant CR. Where would I find that number or what is it?
There is no such limitation. The only limitation in regard of the beasts you can shape into is that you must have seen those beasts at least once.
That limitation is at the DM's discretion. You may say "I've seen every dinosaur (which are generally the most powerful beasts)" and your DM might feel that doesn't make sense for their setting.
Xanathar's Guide to Everything has some charts that suggest creatures you would have been likely to see based on where your druid is from. You could also just talk with your DM ahead of time and make sure they're comfortable with the type of creature you're trying to turn into. Maybe your dm says "pick any creature you can find with a CR appropriate, I don't care" or maybe they work with you to create a list that fits their game. There's no hard and fast rule here, it's a case by case basis for each DM.
Hi I'm a new player and for some reason I can't seem to find any where how many wild shapes the druid is limited to per level. I have found several charts on what creatures there are but I've heard people using a limited pool of creatures they've chosen. Any help would be of great use thank you.
Grouping parts of other posts into one place, the limits on Wild Shape are:
1) You can use Wild Shape twice per short rest (except that shifting into Elemental form (which you can do starting at level 10) uses up both charges).
2) You may Wild Shape only into beast forms (or the four elemental forms you get at level 10).
3) You may choose any beast form you wish, provided that you have seen that beast before and subject to the limits set out below. DMs frequently don't care about the "seen it before" rule for the sort of mundane beasts that we all assume you've seen before. No one's going to demand that you show that you've seen an ordinary house cat before, or a horse, or a wolf, before you Wild Shape into one. Generally, the more exotic the beast, the more likely the DM will wonder how you would have seen that beast before. And "beast form" means the creature must be classified as a beast. That means no monstrosities, no aberrations, no fey, no fiends etc., even for creatures of those types that seem sort of beast-like. So you can't use Wild Shape to turn into a blink dog, because the blink dog is classified as a fey, even though it seems sort of beast-like.
4) You are limited to beasts that have a maximum challenge rating as set out in the Players Handbook, Druid section, under "Wild Shape," that is CR 1/4 to start out, then CR 1/2 at level 4, then CR 1 at level 8. If you are a Moon Druid, then you have a different maximum CR, as set out in the Moon Druid section of the PHB. In addition, you cannot use beast forms that have a swim speed or a flying speed initially. At level 4 you can use beast forms that have a swim speed, and at level 8 you can use beast forms that have a fly speed.
At low levels, Wild Shape can be pretty effective in combat even for non-Moon druids, but beyond level 5 or so, Wild Shape in combat is effectively really only for Moon Druids because they can assume more powerful (i.e. higher CR) beast forms, they can Wild Shape as a bonus action, instead of a regular action and they can burn their spell slots to heal themselves while in beast form. But even for non-Moon druids, Wild Shape remains very effective, even at higher levels, for stealth, for scouting and for escape.
Is there a limitation on size of beast that you can wild shape in to? Eg: if I am medium shape, can I still wild shape into a large beast?
Yes. So long as you meet the pre-reqs (correct CR/if you're high enough for one with swimming and/or flying) you can turn into any beast that you have seen. Like others have said, check with your DM if it makes sense in the setting.
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Hi I'm a new player and for some reason I can't seem to find any where how many wild shapes the druid is limited to per level. I have found several charts on what creatures there are but I've heard people using a limited pool of creatures they've chosen. Any help would be of great use thank you.
The limited use for Wild Shape is 2 times per short rest, until you get the Archdruid feature at level 20.
The time for Wild Shape is half the druid level rounded down.
Not what I'm asking. When you are selecting a creature to turn into I've heard mention of there being a restricted size of the pool of beasts rather than just any beast that you want in the relevant CR. Where would I find that number or what is it?
There is no such limitation. The only limitation in regard of the beasts you can shape into is that you must have seen those beasts at least once.
That limitation is at the DM's discretion. You may say "I've seen every dinosaur (which are generally the most powerful beasts)" and your DM might feel that doesn't make sense for their setting.
Xanathar's Guide to Everything has some charts that suggest creatures you would have been likely to see based on where your druid is from. You could also just talk with your DM ahead of time and make sure they're comfortable with the type of creature you're trying to turn into. Maybe your dm says "pick any creature you can find with a CR appropriate, I don't care" or maybe they work with you to create a list that fits their game. There's no hard and fast rule here, it's a case by case basis for each DM.
Thank You.
Grouping parts of other posts into one place, the limits on Wild Shape are:
1) You can use Wild Shape twice per short rest (except that shifting into Elemental form (which you can do starting at level 10) uses up both charges).
2) You may Wild Shape only into beast forms (or the four elemental forms you get at level 10).
3) You may choose any beast form you wish, provided that you have seen that beast before and subject to the limits set out below. DMs frequently don't care about the "seen it before" rule for the sort of mundane beasts that we all assume you've seen before. No one's going to demand that you show that you've seen an ordinary house cat before, or a horse, or a wolf, before you Wild Shape into one. Generally, the more exotic the beast, the more likely the DM will wonder how you would have seen that beast before. And "beast form" means the creature must be classified as a beast. That means no monstrosities, no aberrations, no fey, no fiends etc., even for creatures of those types that seem sort of beast-like. So you can't use Wild Shape to turn into a blink dog, because the blink dog is classified as a fey, even though it seems sort of beast-like.
4) You are limited to beasts that have a maximum challenge rating as set out in the Players Handbook, Druid section, under "Wild Shape," that is CR 1/4 to start out, then CR 1/2 at level 4, then CR 1 at level 8. If you are a Moon Druid, then you have a different maximum CR, as set out in the Moon Druid section of the PHB. In addition, you cannot use beast forms that have a swim speed or a flying speed initially. At level 4 you can use beast forms that have a swim speed, and at level 8 you can use beast forms that have a fly speed.
At low levels, Wild Shape can be pretty effective in combat even for non-Moon druids, but beyond level 5 or so, Wild Shape in combat is effectively really only for Moon Druids because they can assume more powerful (i.e. higher CR) beast forms, they can Wild Shape as a bonus action, instead of a regular action and they can burn their spell slots to heal themselves while in beast form. But even for non-Moon druids, Wild Shape remains very effective, even at higher levels, for stealth, for scouting and for escape.
Is there a limitation on size of beast that you can wild shape in to? Eg: if I am medium shape, can I still wild shape into a large beast?
Yes. So long as you meet the pre-reqs (correct CR/if you're high enough for one with swimming and/or flying) you can turn into any beast that you have seen. Like others have said, check with your DM if it makes sense in the setting.