we are planning to do an Innistrad campaign and I really want to play a (moon) druid.
Unfortunately shapechangers in Innistrad are all werewolves. :(
We had the idea to reflavor the druids wild shape ability to a "totem aura" effect.
From a rule perspective most things would be the same: HP, speed, attack options would all change but you won't get special movement types like climbing, flying and swimming. On the other hand you would keep the ability to talk and interact with your environment in your human form.
I have two question:
1. From a rule balance point: Would these changes be fair and balanced?
2. (and more important): From a lore perspective, would this "totem armor" druid be playable in Innistrad?
Doesn't that mean you should retain your spellcasting too ? That would be a pretty big change. Not gaining the movement type also seems like a waste, but probably shouldn't be too bad.
Doesn't that mean you should retain your spellcasting too ? That would be a pretty big change. Not gaining the movement type also seems like a waste, but probably shouldn't be too bad.
Sorry, should have said that: no spellcasting in totem armor (wild shape)!
Ok, so, if I get it right, you're basically still in human form, simply with the stats of an animal ?
Then I don't see any problem, you lose a lot of the upsides of Wild Shape (turning into a mouse to get inside a house, for instance), but also gain a lot of other upsides.
This turn Wild Shape into a purely combat feature though.
If you're okay with that, I would say this is really just a straight nerf to Wild Shape, since I fail to see any point in using it outside of combat, it doesn't really matter all that much whether you can still interact or not (except to keep it up between encounters, I guess)
Ok, so, if I get it right, you're basically still in human form, simply with the stats of an animal ?
Then I don't see any problem, you lose a lot of the upsides of Wild Shape (turning into a mouse to get inside a house, for instance), but also gain a lot of other upsides.
This turn Wild Shape into a purely combat feature though.
If you're okay with that, I would say this is really just a straight nerf to Wild Shape, since I fail to see any point in using it outside of combat, it doesn't really matter all that much whether you can still interact or not (except to keep it up between encounters, I guess)
There are a few advantages: you can open doors, talk to people, use items (staffs and other magic items, with this you can actually cast spells via magic items, but not on your own).
But all in all it seems balance: scouting is heavily nerfed with this totem armor rule.
There are a few advantages: you can open doors, talk to people, use items (staffs and other magic items, with this you can actually cast spells via magic items, but not on your own).
I get that. What I don't get, is why would you ever wild shape outside of combat ? If this never happens, then opening doors and being able to talk seems like not as big a deal.
I agree that magic item use is a nice thing to have that I didn't think about, but it still a buff to the combat abilities of wild shape, with no impact on the appeal of wild shaping outside of combat.
There are a few advantages: you can open doors, talk to people, use items (staffs and other magic items, with this you can actually cast spells via magic items, but not on your own).
I get that. What I don't get, is why would you ever wild shape outside of combat ? If this never happens, then opening doors and being able to talk seems like not as big a deal.
I agree that magic item use is a nice thing to have that I didn't think about, but it still a buff to the combat abilities of wild shape, with no impact on the appeal of wild shaping outside of combat.
Would you think, it should be ok if you'd still get the special movement and senses but not the size and form?
You could fly and swim and climb and so on. But you could not spy as good as a spider or an owl.
I think it would be ok, yes. I must admit i'm not entirely clear on the concept of totem armor, but I assume there's still some shape changing going on ? Nails turning to claws, teeth sharpening to a bite attack, skin hardening for AC, and so on ?
If so, saying that you may gain palmed feet to get a swim speed, or sticky fingers/claws for a climb speed, and even wings at 8th level for a fly speed, seems reasonable to me (granted you still pick an animal who actually has those traits). And even though you're still generally humanoid, people might still react to your strange appendages.
If that's how it works, I would even say that it, in a way, makes even more sense than regular wild shape, where limiting animal forms based on their having certain speed sometimes felt very arbitrary.
I think it would be ok, yes. I must admit i'm not entirely clear on the concept of totem armor, but I assume there's still some shape changing going on ?
The "magic the gathering" totem armor is like this:
As an alternative I could think of some kind of "spirit warping" or "spirit possession" in which an animal spirit is melting with the druid, giving the druid new powers and altering his body in a small way.
That link is broken for me right now (site under maintenance apparently), but a quick google let me see what you were talking about, and since it can grant things like reach, I feel like this is thematically acceptable. Also, the card Eel Umbra seems to show someone using this totem armor to swim, so it seems like this actually SHOULD give you the corresponding speed.
Also, I really like the visuals of this, so thank you :)
That link is broken for me right now (site under maintenance apparently), but a quick google let me see what you were talking about, and since it can grant things like reach, I feel like this is thematically acceptable. Also, the card Eel Umbra seems to show someone using this totem armor to swim, so it seems like this actually SHOULD give you the corresponding speed.
Also, I really like the visuals of this, so thank you :)
Yeah, I think it's a visually cool and lore friendly way to play moon druids in Innistrad :)
I run an Innistrad DnD 5e campaign irl as well as a pbp here. My irl game has been going on for two years now.
The way I've handled druids in Innistrad is very simple.
- If they're affiliated with the church: They are a springsage, traditionally wearing all the trappings of the church. Then the only change made is that any creature they transform into is alabaster or white (albino) and silver-furred to denote their connection to Avacyn. This, I feel, is a very clear distinction for commoners of Innistrad and could easily be made general knowledge, since the traditional 'evil' shapechangers are typically only werewolves (human and human-wolf hybrid) and vampires (which only change from their humanoid form into bats or shrouds of mist).
- If the druid is NOT affiliated with the church: I made no change. However, they should be wary of where and in front of whom they transform. Druids not aligned with the church are called forcemages (whether they're friendly or not) which can be synonymous with 'witch' to commoners and even the clergy.
My games have gone well thus far. No intensive change had to be made. Just a small flavor sprinkling. Hope this helps. If you like your changed mechanics, by all means, stick with that. It's your game. Whatever you feel is best for your table.
we are planning to do an Innistrad campaign and I really want to play a (moon) druid.
Unfortunately shapechangers in Innistrad are all werewolves. :(
We had the idea to reflavor the druids wild shape ability to a "totem aura" effect.
I'm a little confused by the statement that all shapechangers in Innistrad are werewolves. Not sure where you are getting this from. The Planeshift 5E Innistrad PDF states the following about Druids:
'Druids can be found as springsages or as the “witches” known as forcemages, who make pacts with nature spirits.'
There is even a shapeshifter MTG card which is NOT a werewolf. Check out Evil Twin. In addition, the druid does not gain the 'shapeshifter' sub type. Wild Shape is a magical ability more akin to polymorph then anything else.
Given the flavor of Innistrad I could see common folk being afraid of someone who could change shape but I don't see why you need special rules for druids. You would just be regarded as a witch or shaman of some kind. Don't try to overthink this shapechanger thing.
Currently DM'ing a heavilly altered Innistrad campaign right now. Just about to do the Siege of Thraben... tomorrow actually. One of my PCs is a Barbarian that becomes a werewolf when he rages. Added a bite and claw attacks and the werewolf damage resistances are generally covered by raging already.
But that's not your question. From a MTG lore perspective, I get where you're coming from, but I don't recall Totem Armor being a thing in any of the Innistrad blocks (Zendikar, right?). If you've already gotta make your totem armor change, I guess my question to you would be why bother limiting the player in the first place? I have no clue if the Totem Armor stuff would be balanced, but since it feels like a major departure from the class I'd say there's a lot of room for error.
For that matter, I don't know that Druids AREN'T in Innistrad. I think I read something in the Art of Magic Book about them hanging out with spirits in the forest.
I guess I'd suggest getting a list of creatures that are on or reasonably would be on Innistrad and handing that to your PC. So... you know, no dinos (unless you plane shift to Ixalan :P).
If you want a MTG card for inspiration, check out Skinshifter from Magic 2012 set.
we are planning to do an Innistrad campaign and I really want to play a (moon) druid.
Unfortunately shapechangers in Innistrad are all werewolves. :(
We had the idea to reflavor the druids wild shape ability to a "totem aura" effect.
I'm a little confused by the statement that all shapechangers in Innistrad are werewolves. Not sure where you are getting this from. The Planeshift 5E Innistrad PDF states the following about Druids:
'Druids can be found as springsages or as the “witches” known as forcemages, who make pacts with nature spirits.'
There is even a shapeshifter MTG card which is NOT a werewolf. Check out Evil Twin. In addition, the druid does not gain the 'shapeshifter' sub type. Wild Shape is a magical ability more akin to polymorph then anything else.
Given the flavor of Innistrad I could see common folk being afraid of someone who could change shape but I don't see why you need special rules for druids. You would just be regarded as a witch or shaman of some kind. Don't try to overthink this shapechanger thing.
But being a druid and having access to wild shape is a dnd related thing. "Druid" as a fantasy term doesn't always include shapechanging or wild shape.
And the evil twin card is more of a "doppelganger", a changeling and not a shapeshifter in the term of being able to change shape to specific beasts.
I recall a podcast in which a planeshift author stated that some magic universes like zendikar and innistrad don't have druid shapechangers. But I don't have a link... :(
I was genuinely surprised when my search only turned up 1 totem armor enchantment that grants flying. But there was one that granted flying.
And do you know if totem armor is a thing in Innistrad?
Totem armor is not a mechanic in innistrad, no.
I also couldn't find any reference to transforming into animals (aside from werewolves) in card effects. (Though I didn't go through every card, so there could be one).
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Hi there,
we are planning to do an Innistrad campaign and I really want to play a (moon) druid.
Unfortunately shapechangers in Innistrad are all werewolves. :(
We had the idea to reflavor the druids wild shape ability to a "totem aura" effect.
From a rule perspective most things would be the same: HP, speed, attack options would all change but you won't get special movement types like climbing, flying and swimming. On the other hand you would keep the ability to talk and interact with your environment in your human form.
I have two question:
1. From a rule balance point: Would these changes be fair and balanced?
2. (and more important): From a lore perspective, would this "totem armor" druid be playable in Innistrad?
Thanks to all your feedback.
Doesn't that mean you should retain your spellcasting too ? That would be a pretty big change. Not gaining the movement type also seems like a waste, but probably shouldn't be too bad.
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Sorry, should have said that: no spellcasting in totem armor (wild shape)!
Ok, so, if I get it right, you're basically still in human form, simply with the stats of an animal ?
Then I don't see any problem, you lose a lot of the upsides of Wild Shape (turning into a mouse to get inside a house, for instance), but also gain a lot of other upsides.
This turn Wild Shape into a purely combat feature though.
If you're okay with that, I would say this is really just a straight nerf to Wild Shape, since I fail to see any point in using it outside of combat, it doesn't really matter all that much whether you can still interact or not (except to keep it up between encounters, I guess)
Click to learn to put cool-looking tooltips in your messages!
I was genuinely surprised when my search only turned up 1 totem armor enchantment that grants flying. But there was one that granted flying.
And do you know if totem armor is a thing in Innistrad?
There are a few advantages: you can open doors, talk to people, use items (staffs and other magic items, with this you can actually cast spells via magic items, but not on your own).
But all in all it seems balance: scouting is heavily nerfed with this totem armor rule.
I get that. What I don't get, is why would you ever wild shape outside of combat ? If this never happens, then opening doors and being able to talk seems like not as big a deal.
I agree that magic item use is a nice thing to have that I didn't think about, but it still a buff to the combat abilities of wild shape, with no impact on the appeal of wild shaping outside of combat.
Click to learn to put cool-looking tooltips in your messages!
Would you think, it should be ok if you'd still get the special movement and senses but not the size and form?
You could fly and swim and climb and so on. But you could not spy as good as a spider or an owl.
I think it would be ok, yes. I must admit i'm not entirely clear on the concept of totem armor, but I assume there's still some shape changing going on ? Nails turning to claws, teeth sharpening to a bite attack, skin hardening for AC, and so on ?
If so, saying that you may gain palmed feet to get a swim speed, or sticky fingers/claws for a climb speed, and even wings at 8th level for a fly speed, seems reasonable to me (granted you still pick an animal who actually has those traits). And even though you're still generally humanoid, people might still react to your strange appendages.
If that's how it works, I would even say that it, in a way, makes even more sense than regular wild shape, where limiting animal forms based on their having certain speed sometimes felt very arbitrary.
Click to learn to put cool-looking tooltips in your messages!
The "magic the gathering" totem armor is like this:
https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&output=spoiler&method=visual&sort=abc ,abc &text= [totem]+[armor]&subtype=+["Aura
As an alternative I could think of some kind of "spirit warping" or "spirit possession" in which an animal spirit is melting with the druid, giving the druid new powers and altering his body in a small way.
That link is broken for me right now (site under maintenance apparently), but a quick google let me see what you were talking about, and since it can grant things like reach, I feel like this is thematically acceptable. Also, the card Eel Umbra seems to show someone using this totem armor to swim, so it seems like this actually SHOULD give you the corresponding speed.
Also, I really like the visuals of this, so thank you :)
Click to learn to put cool-looking tooltips in your messages!
Yeah, I think it's a visually cool and lore friendly way to play moon druids in Innistrad :)
Thanks for your input and help
I run an Innistrad DnD 5e campaign irl as well as a pbp here. My irl game has been going on for two years now.
The way I've handled druids in Innistrad is very simple.
- If they're affiliated with the church: They are a springsage, traditionally wearing all the trappings of the church. Then the only change made is that any creature they transform into is alabaster or white (albino) and silver-furred to denote their connection to Avacyn. This, I feel, is a very clear distinction for commoners of Innistrad and could easily be made general knowledge, since the traditional 'evil' shapechangers are typically only werewolves (human and human-wolf hybrid) and vampires (which only change from their humanoid form into bats or shrouds of mist).
- If the druid is NOT affiliated with the church: I made no change. However, they should be wary of where and in front of whom they transform. Druids not aligned with the church are called forcemages (whether they're friendly or not) which can be synonymous with 'witch' to commoners and even the clergy.
My games have gone well thus far. No intensive change had to be made. Just a small flavor sprinkling. Hope this helps. If you like your changed mechanics, by all means, stick with that. It's your game. Whatever you feel is best for your table.
I'm a little confused by the statement that all shapechangers in Innistrad are werewolves. Not sure where you are getting this from. The Planeshift 5E Innistrad PDF states the following about Druids:
Current Characters I am playing: Dr Konstantin van Wulf | Taegen Willowrun | Mad Magnar
Check out my homebrew: Items | Monsters | Spells | Subclasses | Feats
Currently DM'ing a heavilly altered Innistrad campaign right now. Just about to do the Siege of Thraben... tomorrow actually. One of my PCs is a Barbarian that becomes a werewolf when he rages. Added a bite and claw attacks and the werewolf damage resistances are generally covered by raging already.
But that's not your question. From a MTG lore perspective, I get where you're coming from, but I don't recall Totem Armor being a thing in any of the Innistrad blocks (Zendikar, right?). If you've already gotta make your totem armor change, I guess my question to you would be why bother limiting the player in the first place? I have no clue if the Totem Armor stuff would be balanced, but since it feels like a major departure from the class I'd say there's a lot of room for error.
For that matter, I don't know that Druids AREN'T in Innistrad. I think I read something in the Art of Magic Book about them hanging out with spirits in the forest.
I guess I'd suggest getting a list of creatures that are on or reasonably would be on Innistrad and handing that to your PC. So... you know, no dinos (unless you plane shift to Ixalan :P).
If you want a MTG card for inspiration, check out Skinshifter from Magic 2012 set.
But being a druid and having access to wild shape is a dnd related thing. "Druid" as a fantasy term doesn't always include shapechanging or wild shape.
And the evil twin card is more of a "doppelganger", a changeling and not a shapeshifter in the term of being able to change shape to specific beasts.
I recall a podcast in which a planeshift author stated that some magic universes like zendikar and innistrad don't have druid shapechangers. But I don't have a link... :(
Totem armor is not a mechanic in innistrad, no.
I also couldn't find any reference to transforming into animals (aside from werewolves) in card effects. (Though I didn't go through every card, so there could be one).