All of the best druid spells seem to require concentration. What do you find as the best use of your actions while you're already concentrating on a spell?
Spells that don't require concentration, cantrips are a good start. Druids can maintain concentration while wildshaped, turn into a bear and maul something.
I know mechanically what you are able to do; this was a question more of opinion/tips/tactics. Do you spend spellslots on the (not greatest) instantaneous damage spells or do you mostly use cantrips?
I don't play a moon druid, so turning into a bear is an option of quite limited use.
I get what you are saying, the "ranged" cantrips they do have are within 1 movement of most everything. Are people wading into melee combat and fighting there or is everyone an elf with a bow? Druids have not been a popular class in my game groups so i have no frame of reference.
My party is mostly ranged casters, with just one barbarian tank, so I'm building my druid as an area-control off-tank and hanging out near melee range. Right now when concentrating on things I either Thorn Whip or just take a swipe with my weapon. In one more level I'll take Primal Savagery and use that; for now I've got Ice Knife to throw in occasionally too.
It depends on the specific situation, what circle I am, and what the rest of the party is doing.
If playing moon, I'l wild shape into a combat form (brown bear or dire wolf) and attack while concentrating. If in a narrow hallway with lots of ranged attackers, I'll move to the front, wildshape to a bear and dodge each round to be a human shield.
If not playing moon, I might wildshape into something small or something that burrows so I can hide and maintain concentration.
It may be better to do the help action to give a rogue or paladin advantage because sneak attack/smite does more damage than a cantrip -- especially if it crits.
There's a lot of options, and it depends on what Circle you are and what spell you're concentrating on.
Circle of Moon it's generally obvious; cast a Concentration spell as an Action, and then Wild Shape. There's a lot of combinations that can be effective here, but my favorite is Flaming Sphere as you can ram it into enemies turn after turn with your bonus action. Particularly effective if you turn into something like a Giant Scorpion since you can grapple your enemy to keep them next to the Sphere, causing them to take damage from it at the end of their turn as well as when you ram them with it.
The only other type of Druid I have experience with so far is Circle of Dreams, as my girlfriend plays one in the game I DM. She is the parties main healer, and typically her strategy is to start combat with Call Lightning or Conjure Animals. With Call Lightning active she uses her action turn after turn to activate it. With Conjure Animals going she'll typically hang back and throw Produce Flame as her action. Either way, she'll use Balm of the Summer Court as a bonus action to heal when necessary.
When the party gets hurt enough/her concentration gets broken/her summoned animals all (or mostly) get killed, she'll often switch to casting Healing Spirit, and since it's a bonus action to cast she'll typically take her action on the turn she casts it to Wild Shape into a Bear (at first Black Bear and past level 8 a Brown Bear.) Come third tier she might be better off staying in normal form and using cantrips, but for now the extra HP and damage of those wild shapes goes a long way so long as she's careful to not lose concentration through damage (War Caster or Resilient(Con) help a lot with this)
I had never really thought of doing this before for some reason, but past level 8 for any type of Druid, turning into a creature with Flyby - such as a Giant Owl or Quetzalcoatlus - while you are concentrating on a spell would be a fantastic way to harrow your opponents and Help your party. Would be most effective if you have a party member such as a Cavalier who can keep enemies focused on them so they don't snipe you out of the air.
Unrelated, but man do I miss summoning a boatload of Giant Owls and granting near-constant advantage against everything. Sure puts Faerie Fire to shame.
I get what you are saying, the "ranged" cantrips they do have are within 1 movement of most everything. Are people wading into melee combat and fighting there or is everyone an elf with a bow? Druids have not been a popular class in my game groups so i have no frame of reference.
As far as the "within 1 movement of everything" goes, you can always move up a bit and cast and then move back, to stay at 40-45 feet from enemies.
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All of the best druid spells seem to require concentration. What do you find as the best use of your actions while you're already concentrating on a spell?
Spells that don't require concentration, cantrips are a good start. Druids can maintain concentration while wildshaped, turn into a bear and maul something.
I know mechanically what you are able to do; this was a question more of opinion/tips/tactics. Do you spend spellslots on the (not greatest) instantaneous damage spells or do you mostly use cantrips?
I don't play a moon druid, so turning into a bear is an option of quite limited use.
I get what you are saying, the "ranged" cantrips they do have are within 1 movement of most everything. Are people wading into melee combat and fighting there or is everyone an elf with a bow? Druids have not been a popular class in my game groups so i have no frame of reference.
2 of my favorite cantrips are thorn whip and produce flame, but frostbite, infestation, or magic stone also work at range, and primal savagery, shillelagh, and thunderclap work for close range.
As for leveled spells: ice knife and thunderwave are just about it actually.
My party is mostly ranged casters, with just one barbarian tank, so I'm building my druid as an area-control off-tank and hanging out near melee range. Right now when concentrating on things I either Thorn Whip or just take a swipe with my weapon. In one more level I'll take Primal Savagery and use that; for now I've got Ice Knife to throw in occasionally too.
It depends on the specific situation, what circle I am, and what the rest of the party is doing.
If playing moon, I'l wild shape into a combat form (brown bear or dire wolf) and attack while concentrating.
If in a narrow hallway with lots of ranged attackers, I'll move to the front, wildshape to a bear and dodge each round to be a human shield.
If not playing moon, I might wildshape into something small or something that burrows so I can hide and maintain concentration.
It may be better to do the help action to give a rogue or paladin advantage because sneak attack/smite does more damage than a cantrip -- especially if it crits.
Otherwise, just cantrip damage.
There's a lot of options, and it depends on what Circle you are and what spell you're concentrating on.
Circle of Moon it's generally obvious; cast a Concentration spell as an Action, and then Wild Shape. There's a lot of combinations that can be effective here, but my favorite is Flaming Sphere as you can ram it into enemies turn after turn with your bonus action. Particularly effective if you turn into something like a Giant Scorpion since you can grapple your enemy to keep them next to the Sphere, causing them to take damage from it at the end of their turn as well as when you ram them with it.
The only other type of Druid I have experience with so far is Circle of Dreams, as my girlfriend plays one in the game I DM. She is the parties main healer, and typically her strategy is to start combat with Call Lightning or Conjure Animals. With Call Lightning active she uses her action turn after turn to activate it. With Conjure Animals going she'll typically hang back and throw Produce Flame as her action. Either way, she'll use Balm of the Summer Court as a bonus action to heal when necessary.
When the party gets hurt enough/her concentration gets broken/her summoned animals all (or mostly) get killed, she'll often switch to casting Healing Spirit, and since it's a bonus action to cast she'll typically take her action on the turn she casts it to Wild Shape into a Bear (at first Black Bear and past level 8 a Brown Bear.) Come third tier she might be better off staying in normal form and using cantrips, but for now the extra HP and damage of those wild shapes goes a long way so long as she's careful to not lose concentration through damage (War Caster or Resilient(Con) help a lot with this)
I had never really thought of doing this before for some reason, but past level 8 for any type of Druid, turning into a creature with Flyby - such as a Giant Owl or Quetzalcoatlus - while you are concentrating on a spell would be a fantastic way to harrow your opponents and Help your party. Would be most effective if you have a party member such as a Cavalier who can keep enemies focused on them so they don't snipe you out of the air.
Unrelated, but man do I miss summoning a boatload of Giant Owls and granting near-constant advantage against everything. Sure puts Faerie Fire to shame.
As far as the "within 1 movement of everything" goes, you can always move up a bit and cast and then move back, to stay at 40-45 feet from enemies.