Hey Peeps, I just started using DDB and wanted to start a thread about The Path of the Beast. I think the flavor potential is SUPER great! In my head I'm picturing a slight level dip into Druid for the shapechanges. You could shapechange into a big spider then rage and have the bite! Or a scorpion and the tail! Or a shark and the bite and swim! Or a crab and the swim and claws! Gods, the possibilities!!!

What are some fun ways you can reflavor the options to make awesome dire craziness?!

(I missed the feedback so my little mechanical 2 pence is to give the player the option to add another of the three natural weapon types at a certain level OR if they like just one, give them the option to go up in damage die size. Maybe at like.... idk, 9 and 14?)

RAW, you can only use a feature if the shape you are in has the feature. You couldn’t rage after Wild Shape, you would have to Rage first, but then the Wild Shape would replace your natural weapons with those that the animal has.

Rage is a class feature and would not be restricted by the being in wild-shape. https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/725175901198139394?s=20

Ah. So it’s only racial features that cannot be used in wild shape then.

Jeremy Crawford has at least an exception to racial features being used while a druid is shape changed: https://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/12/29/could-a-dragonborn-druid-use-breath-weapon-while-wildshaped-into-like-a-wolf/

From https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/druid#WildShape-167

• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.

So while a Dragonborn Druid can Wild Shape into a Moose for example, it can Rage because a Moose can Rage, and it can use a Breath Weapon because a Moose can breath. A Shark can Rage, but they do not exhale, so no breath weapon if they turned into a shark. But neither a Moose nor a Shark can do these things:

Form of the Beast

3rd-level Path of the Beast feature

When you enter your rage, you can transform, revealing the bestial power within you. (Their bestial nature is already revealed. "I'm already pulled over! I can't pull over any further man.") Until your rage ends, you manifest a natural melee weapon, choosing one of the following options each time you rage:

Bite. Your mouth transforms into a bestial snout or great mandibles (your choice). Your bite deals 1d8 piercing damage on a hit. Once on each of your turns when you damage a creature with your bite, you regain a number of hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point). (Their mouths are already bestial snouts" sooo.... Nothing to transform.)

Claws. Your hands transform into claws, which deal 1d6 slashing damage on a hit. When you take the Attack action on your turn and make an attack with your claws, you can make one additional attack using your claws as part of the same action. (Look ma, no hands!)

Tail. You grow a lashing, spiny tail, which deals 1d12 piercing damage on a hit and has the reach property. (They each already have a tail and are incapable of spontaneously growing a new one. This may be possible for some lizards theoretically.)

Yikes, This has solidly turned into a "what can't it do" thread. I was really hoping to get you guys excited about what this mix can do.

One more try. What kind of creative things can you come up with that would be pretty flavorful and badass? Obviously a shark wouldn't use a breath weapon, but it might use a bite!

Lay it on me! What combos would be FUN?

Sorry. My bad.