The buzz around the new trailer for the Dungeons & Dragons movie includes much discussion of a scene in which the druid character transforms into an owlbear.
As far as I know there’s no RAW way for a druid to do this in fifth edition without access to the ninth-level spell shapechange, since an owlbear is a monstrosity, and Wild Shape and lower-level druid shapechanging spells all restrict the druid to transforming into beasts. (See also this question about the history of this ability.)
While allowing access to owlbear as a wild shape option at a level where they can access beast shapes of the same CR seems perfectly fine and balanced on its own, I’m interested in a broader allowance of fantastic creature options. This question makes clear the balance issues of just extending Wild Shape to access monstrosities as well as beasts, so I want to know: what is a simple, well-balanced option to allow a fifth edition druid to transform into at least some monstrosities, including an owlbear?
This might include some limitations similar to the usual Wild Shape restrictions on movement speeds (to rule out special powers like teleportation or petrification), a limited list of acceptable forms (which would need to include owlbears), and/or a specific cost or requirement, like a feat, a magic item or choice of a Druid Circle based on the idea. Ideally I would like this to be available at a relatively low level, perhaps 5 or 6, but a higher level restriction is fine if that’s appropriate for balance reasons.
There will be multiple possibilities; I would prefer the simplest, by which I mean the one with the fewest steps or choices for player and DM (i.e. a simple list of additional forms, or a single feat, spell or magic item, would be preferred over designing an entire subclass, but I’m open to any option if it is better).
As an example, I’ve found this homebrew “Monstrous Shapes” feat, but it feels like it might be a bit underpowered?
Best Answer
Adjust the Circle of the Moon Druid with DM guidance
The moon druid has a feature on level 10 called Elemental Wild Shape
The Elementals are all CR 5, and have interesting movement and other abilities (fast flying, moving through earth, setting things on fire etc.). In my experience, they have been used by our druid much more for those, than to just mash with them in combat.
You could agree on a list of four Monstrosities instead of Elementals for them, for Monstrous Wild Shape.
The total list of Monstrosities is very long, and includes a lot of weird stuff, so I think allowing any and trying to limit their abilities by exclusion would be unwieldy, and limiting by only including things like movement, vision, resistances and attacks would be a lot less fun -- then it is not really the creature. It would be very hard to claim this is balanced against the four elementals, if you allowed access to all, as you get access to a huge pool of unusual abilities.
Would limiting the CR help? Limiting the CR to top out at 3 would still allow you to pick many of the achetypcial creatures of D&D including Displacer Beasts, Rust Monsters, Carrion Crawlers, Mimics, and Owlbears.
Even with limiting the CR, I am not sure allowing to pick from all monstrosities is balanced unless you have a clause the DM can say "no" to ensure balance. For example, even CR 3 would include Basiliks, which give you unlimited, perpetual petrification (normally a sixth level spell, flesh to stone), Dopplegangers, which give you unlimited thought reading and excellent long duration impersonation, and Phase Spiders, which give you unlimited etherealness (normally a 7th level spell, etherealness).
If you limit it to purely "beast-like" monstrosities like the Owlbear that have no magical or supernatural special traits, resistances, damage or movement modes, then you also could just use the Circle of the Moon druids normal rules for beasts, and allow these. This would allow your druid to turn into an adult owlbear at level nine, as the rule for this (PHB p 69) is:
So in the end, this would likely come down to a pre-made list of OK creatures, or to just working it out on a case by case basis with your DM.