D&D: 10 Pieces of Gear Every Adventurer Should Have

Hey look, an article even for players who aren’t druids! This one’s universally-relevant no matter what class you’re playing. One of the most common mistakes I see even made by veteran D&D players is not filling their backpack with random cheap junk just in case it becomes useful later. There are a ton of tools, items, and resources gathered in the ‘equipment’ chapter of every D&D sourcebook. Don’t go wandering into the wilderness without bringing the common stuff that will likely become useful at some point. The items listed here are jokingly referred to as the ‘aabicus starter pack’ within… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D Druid: On Choosing Your Weapons and Armor

Generally in D&D, full spellcasters are squishy but powerful, and martial classes are chonkier but with less magical versatility. But then there’s druid (and cleric), who gets both! Druid’s equipment options are structured differently from most other classes. You’re only allowed to use a handful of weapon types, and you can’t wear armor/shields made of metal. But there are nevertheless some great options in your proficiencies. Today I wanted to discuss some common considerations/options available to you when you kit out your new druid. And before we can discuss anything, there’s an important question you need to ask your GM.… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D: Comparing Druid’s Healing Spells

Druid is the second-best healer in the game behind Cleric. This means you should be bringing at least one healing spell to the party. But which one should you prepare? Should you take more than one? Let’s find out! (As always, this guide is designed for early-level players, so we’re only covering the healing spells below 4th level.) (Author’s note: To read about the one shapeshift form that can heal teammates, check out this article. I would not consider it a meaningful source of healing compared to your spells.) 1. Goodberry Let’s start by talking about the most unique healing… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D: The 5 Best Races for Druids

I wasn’t originally going to write this article, as I don’t believe in choosing one’s race for stat reasons. Your character’s race is one of the most important parts of their characterization. Don’t go fishing for the right ability modifiers, pick something that calls to you for what it is. However, it’s likely that not everyone is so sentimental about choosing their character’s race. So, without further ado, here are some excellent choices for a druid character. Remember, Wisdom is your primary stat, with Dexterity and Constitution as distant seconds. Also, most of these are from tie-in sourcebooks, so I… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D Druid: The Oddest Shapeshift Form in the Game

Today we’re covering one of the weirdest wildshape options available to druids. This is (somehow) a CR0 monster, meaning every single druid can turn into it so long as they encounter one. (And honestly, that’s probably the primary thing stopping you from using it. You’ll likely need to go on a special side-mission with your GM’s permission to find a specimen. I recommend the locate animals or plants spell after you’ve learned its rough habitat from research.) We’re talking about the haungharassk. No, I don’t know how to pronounce it. What the Shell? The haungharassk is a giant snail originating… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D: Creative Uses for the “Minor Illusion” Spell

So minor illusion isn’t actually a druid spell, but it is one of my favorite spells in the game. I usually wind up with it due to constantly taking “Magic Initiate” as a feat. Find familiar is my goto for the 1st-level spell, so it only makes sense to grab minor illusion off the Wizard spell list as well. (Make the last one shape water and you’ve added a boatload of utility to any class in the game.) Today I wanted to discuss why it’s worth the steep cost of earning it. What minor illusion does Minor illusion’s main job… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D: 5 Good Feats For Druids

Every handful of levels, all characters get a chance to either increase their stats (an “ability score improvement,” aka ASI) or take a feat. Druids are in an interesting place when it comes to this choice for a couple reasons. In short, they only have one stat that really matters (Wisdom). You’re going to want to reach 20 Wisdom, but your best starting roll, racial bonuses, magic items, and maybe a single ASI is usually enough to do that. Because they’re always shapeshifting into animals (which overrides most of their base stats), druids don’t really need to worry about buffing… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D: Why Every Druid Should Have a Familiar

In D&D 5e, familiars are normally a wizard/warlock-only thing. You get one through the 1st-level “Find Familiar” spell, which nevertheless behaves pretty differently from most spells. Back in the day, the only way for other classes to obtain a familiar was through specific feats. This was how my druid obtained one, but there’s a new way as well. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced the “Wild Companion” alternate class feature, which every druid gets for free: First, I’d like to discuss why I consider familiars one of the best choices you can make in your personal build. Then, let’s go over the… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D: 5 Under-Used Druid Spells

Druids don’t have as versatile a spell list as some other casters, but there are nevertheless a ton of great options available. Spells like faerie fire, barkskin, and healing word are time-honored mainstays of any druid’s prepared spells. But today I wanted to discuss some of my favorite additional choices that many druids overlook. I should note that my philosophy when it comes to spells is “evergreen cantrips, situational leveled spells.” Since you can only cast them a few times, better to pick leveled spells that excel when needed and rely on your cantrips for all-purpose adventuring. As always, my… [Continue Reading]

Read more

D&D: 5 Lesser-Known But Versatile Combat Options for Druids

Everybody knows about the ‘typical’ druid combat forms, specifically wolves and bears. In a vacuum, these two options deal the most damage and have the most hitpoints for their level. Generally, these two can get your basic job done, and some druids never use anything else. And trust me, I understand where they’re coming from. But there are so many crazy options available if you expand your horizons! In this article, I wanted to discuss five alternate combat forms I like to use. Often I’m looking for environmental or situational opportunities where I can take maximum advantage of their unique upsides.… [Continue Reading]

Read more