[In some campaigns, transforming and taking the shape of a beast or wild animal may not be the ideal iconic ability for a druid to possess.]
Using this variant, you may gain the Druid's Familiar feature at 2nd level.
■ Druid's Familiar
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to call upon a loyal beast to guide you.
When you use your Wild Shape feature, you may summon that beast, instead of transforming. When you do so, you gain the effects of a *find familiar* spell, except your druid level determines the animal forms the familiar can take, as shown in the Beast Shapes table. The familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, and gains temporary hit points equal to your current hit points. Additionally, when you take the attack action, you can forgo one of your attacks to allow your familiar to make one attack of its own. The familiar remains for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down). The familiar disappears, leaving behind no physical form, unless you expend another use of Wild Shape. As long as your familiar is summoned, the following rules apply: ▪ You can't cast spells. ▪ Any features from your class, race, or other source that refer to while you are transformed by Wild Shape, using Wild Shape to transform, or beast form instead refer to while your familiar is summoned, using Wild Shape to summon your familiar, or your familiar itself respectively. ▪ You are able to provide material components for spells with the Beast Spells feature.
So, besides basic feedback, I'd really like to hear where this falls when it comes to more or less effective than normal Wild Shape (hopefully almost the same) and whether the option to "temporarily dismiss your familiar" and bring it back should keep the remaining time limit in mind, or if it should reset the time limit.
I think that this sort of resembles the Beast Master subclass that the ranger has, but better. And while the Beast Master subclass needs improvement, I think that your Druid's Familiar, should maybe more resemble the drawbacks that the Beast Master subclass has.
[In some campaigns, transforming and taking the shape of a beast or wild animal may not be the ideal iconic ability for a druid to possess.]
Using this variant, you may gain the Druid's Familiar feature at 2nd level.
■ Druid's Familiar
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to call upon a loyal beast to guide you.
When you use your Wild Shape feature, you may summon that beast, instead of transforming. When you do so, you gain the effects of a *find familiar* spell, except your druid level determines the animal forms the familiar can take, as shown in the Beast Shapes table. The familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, and gains temporary hit points equal to your current hit points. Additionally, when you take the attack action, you can forgo one of your attacks to allow your familiar to make one attack of its own. The familiar remains for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down). The familiar disappears, leaving behind no physical form, unless you expend another use of Wild Shape.
As long as your familiar is summoned, the following rules apply:
▪ You can't cast spells.
▪ Any features from your class, race, or other source that refer to while you are transformed by Wild Shape, using Wild Shape to transform, or beast form instead refer to while your familiar is summoned, using Wild Shape to summon your familiar, or your familiar itself respectively.
▪ You are able to provide material components for spells with the Beast Spells feature.
So, besides basic feedback, I'd really like to hear where this falls when it comes to more or less effective than normal Wild Shape (hopefully almost the same) and whether the option to "temporarily dismiss your familiar" and bring it back should keep the remaining time limit in mind, or if it should reset the time limit.
I think that this sort of resembles the Beast Master subclass that the ranger has, but better. And while the Beast Master subclass needs improvement, I think that your Druid's Familiar, should maybe more resemble the drawbacks that the Beast Master subclass has.
Published Subclasses