[RPG] Druid that is by default in beast form

dnd-5edruidhomebrewhouse-rules

So I'm a fairly new DM but I try really hard to figure out some way for my players to create and play the characters that they want. One of my players really has his heart set on being a druid who is more comfortable in his wolf form (because the character was raised by wolves). Needless to say he was quite disappointed to learn that he could only be a wolf for 4 hours a day at level 4.

Is there a rules supplement covering such a Druid? If not, how would this be homebrewed?

Best Answer

1. Is there a rules supplement covering such a Druid (one who prefers to stay in animal form)?

No. As of the current material published, there isn't a supplement for Druids published for the 5th edition DnD. (Unlike previous editions, Wizards of the Coast hasn't published such source books yet. Whether or not they intend to remains to be seen).

2. Does this need to be homebrewed? Maybe not.

The rules (p. 66, PHB) allow the Druid to don Wild Shape twice per short or long rest, and recover expended uses during a rest. At 4th level, he can be a wolf for a bit longer than he thinks. :-)

2 hours per use times two uses per rest yields the following:

  • If your party takes 1, 2, or 3 short rests per adventure day, and your Druid recovers during the long rest from the previous night, your Druid can use this ability 2, 4, 6, or 8 times per day at fourth level. That means up to 4, 8, 12, or 16 hours per day in Wolf form. If the Druid sleeps for about 8 hours during the long rest, that can leave him in wolf form for most of the day, and longer as he progresses. (At level 20, his Archdruid class ability lets him Wild Shape as many times a day as he'd like, stay in beast form for up to 10 hours each time).

  • Does this use of the RAW help, or will that conflict with the pace of your adventuring day, or other party issues?

  • Note: time in wolf form will be reduced if he has to revert during a fight.

  • The game was designed with 2-3 short rests, and 6 - 9 encounters (not all of which are necessarily combat encounters)per adventure day.

3. How would this be homebrewed?

Wizards of the Coast has some suggestions at the DnD section of their site on the things to consider when modifying a class. The key considerations in the 5e DMG (Ch. 8) are:

  1. Will it improve the game?
  2. Will the players like it?

The other question you have to answer yourself if you make a modification is:

  1. Will this change the power or balance of this class compared to the others?

There are some mechanical benefits to Wild Shape that go beyond the story/role play your player desires. These include:

  • The additional Hit Points pool that the transition to and from beast shape represents
  • The improved Perception depending upon which form your Druid takes (Wolf? Advantage on hearing and smell Perception checks)
  • Speed. (40 compared to human 30, for example).
  • How arduous your adventure day is.
  • In wolf form, the Druid can't speak .. how does this influence group or party play? It could either be an obstacle or enrich game play through some interesting "role play as a canine" simulation. The whole table might need to get on board with this so that it's a good fit for the whole group.

The ability to alter at will is, as noted, a 20th level class ability. From that capstone ability we can infer that the Druid's Wild Shape options grow with the Druid as the Druid gains levels. This is a class design feature, some of it being game mechanics based on various efforts to balance skills between classes. (I realize that your PC isn't asking for the level 20 "at will" class ability).

When you try to vary this for your campaign, consider how many encounters the party typically handles during an adventuring day. You may find that in a level or two, you don't need to homebrew anything, per part 2 of this answer / skill resets on short rest.

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