PHB 2024. Do you keep your Species Traits when you go into Wild Shape?
No, only features and feats:
Game Statistics. Your game statistics are replaced by the Beast’s stat block, but you retain your creature type; Hit Points; Hit Point Dice; Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores; class features; languages; and feats. You also retain your skill and saving throw proficiencies and use your Proficiency Bonus for them, in addition to gaining the proficiencies of the creature. If a skill or saving throw modifier in the Beast’s stat block is higher than yours, use the one in the stat block.
So humans would keep their extra feat and proficiency, but would not be able to use Heroic Inspiration during Wild Shape? Dwarves would keep their extra hit points…
Wouldn’t that be an unfair advantage compared to all other species?
So if you finish a long rest in Wild Shape you don't gain heroic inspiration.
So other races have other abilities that balance things out. I think only gnomes, halflings and orcs are at a disadvantage since there primary abilities are combat oriented (rerolls, saves, dash, ferocity)
Aasimar, Dragonborn, Goliath and Tieflings have useful out of combat utility depending on choices, some of these can be used in place of wild shape to overcome an obstacle, thereby saving a wild shape which would give you more equivalent hp than a dwarf or human w/tough feat.
PHB 2024. Do you keep your Species Traits when you go into Wild Shape?
No, only features and feats:
So humans would keep their extra feat and proficiency, but would not be able to use Heroic Inspiration during Wild Shape?
Dwarves would keep their extra hit points…
Wouldn’t that be an unfair advantage compared to all other species?
If you got it after a Long Rest, I'd say it's available when you're in Wild Shape form.
Not sure. It depends on how you want to play your character based on their species, class and subclass, feats..
Heroic Inspiration is a state, you have it or you don't. The human ability isn't to have heroic inspiration its to gain it at the end of a long rest.
You gain Heroic Inspiration whenever you finish a Long Rest.
So if you finish a long rest in Wild Shape you don't gain heroic inspiration.
So other races have other abilities that balance things out. I think only gnomes, halflings and orcs are at a disadvantage since there primary abilities are combat oriented (rerolls, saves, dash, ferocity)
Aasimar, Dragonborn, Goliath and Tieflings have useful out of combat utility depending on choices, some of these can be used in place of wild shape to overcome an obstacle, thereby saving a wild shape which would give you more equivalent hp than a dwarf or human w/tough feat.
This is also how I understand the interaction/rules.
And I also agree with the rest of your reply, thanks!
Yes, D&D is not a balanced game. If you want to break it / exploit it there are many ways to do so.