Druid Animal Companions and Race Considerations?

Hi everyone! I’m exploring the Druid class and am curious about the animal aspect. Can someone explain how animal companions work for Druids, especially with Wild Shape? Also, does my race influence anything regarding animal features or abilities? Thanks!

Thanks for the reply! We’ll be using the 2024 rules for our game. I’d love to hear about how Wild Shape works under those rules!

Thanks for the clarification! That really helps me understand how Wild Shape and animal companions work. I’m curious, do you have any tips for choosing effective animal forms as I level up, especially in combat situations?

Thanks for the insights! It’s helpful to know that Circle of the Moon druids really shine in combat with those options. I love the idea of using Wild Shape for stealthy situations, like turning into a mouse to sneak around!

Do you have any favorite animal forms you've used in your campaigns? I’d love to hear more about your experiences! Also, the dire wolf sounds interesting!

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I love the idea of using a quirky form that fits the character's personality—it adds so much flavor to the game. The crocodile or alligator sounds like a fun choice for some unexpected moments!

The Pack Tactics feature with the dire wolf is a great point. I can see how that would create some interesting dynamics during combat. Have you had any memorable moments in your games using those animal forms?

Also, the cat and bat interest me. I could be sneaky with the cat, and scout out areas with the bat.

The best form for damage is the Lion as it has pack tactics and multi attack.  However it only has an 11 Con making concentration harder.

The bear has multiattack and can knock prone on claw attack and has a 14 Con so you can trade some damage for spell protection.

I like the Dire Wolf for setting up advantage for your melee allies by knocking prone with pack tactics even if it's damage is lower and has the same spell protection as the bear.

The utility of the giant spider makes it a great choice esp when you convert its poison damage to radiant at 6th.

I played 2 stars druids (one till 11 and one till 6). The level 6 was 2024 and chose wild shapes for utility since mostly he used starry forms. 

His wild shapes t level 6 were giant wolf spider (blindsight,  climbing, Darkvision, poison, 40' speed), giant centipede (better blindsight, climbing poison), riding horse (speed and take a passenger), giant badger (dig speed), giant sea eel (2nd choice would have been reef shark), and ape (couldn't find another option I liked at the Cr and at least it has hands and good athletics).

For animal companion, i just stuck with owl, but if i was a gnome or halfling, i might have taken something medium sized I could ride like vulture, boar, cheetah, deer, etc).

Also, what subclass are you taking?

Thanks for the Wild Shape advice! I really like the idea of using utility Wild Shapes like the giant wolf spider or giant centipede for blindsight and climbing, plus the poison aspect could be fun for some chaotic situations. I also like the ape for its athletics—hands and strength are always useful, and I think that could be fun in combat too! As for the animal companion, I’ll have to think about that more, but I’m considering something that would fit the Feywild and a playful vibe—maybe something like an owl or vulture.

As for the subclass, I’m still deciding! I was leaning towards Circle of the Moon for the combat versatility of Wild Shape, but Circle of Stars has some cool thematic connections with the Feywild that I’m really drawn to. Any thoughts on how the Circle of Stars might fit into a more chaotic trickster vibe versus something more combat-focused like Moon?

Well, the "wild companion" is a familiar and you can change its form every time you cast the spell (bonus action or ritual). I always make sure that even though players usually see Oxford as an owl, that he is NOT an owl, but a (fey) familiar, so he may be a bat or a deer or boar next time, as needed. 

I LOVE stars druid but sometimes it's a bit much for some DMs since the sub is so good at so many things. I'm always a back line spellcaster, so Stars works for me. Maybe even 2024 land.

Oh, I never played my stars druids chaotic or trickster. One was TN and one was NG and they were more like clever spellcasters. Only chaotic character I've ever had was a Satyr mage who acted like a rogue. :)

The great thing about Wildshape is that it lets you solve a lot of problems on the fly, so to speak. Does your small party need to get away quickly? Turn into a Horse and have everybody else get on your back. Do you need to investigate something in murky water?  Turn into a  Reef Shark for extra swim speed, Water Breathing and blindsight. Need to prepare a surprise birthday party in 10 minutes?  Take Giant Spider form and use webbing to make streamers or glue some color stuff together.