Learn all about barbarians and how to use them in our guide to this aggressive class
Druids are wielders of ancient magics arising from nature itself. They show devotion to nature and have the ability to shapeshift into animal forms. It’s their ability to shapeshift and to cast spells that make them one of the more versatile classes in D&D 5e.
How to play as a druid
Druids can be played in a variety of ways and can easily adapt to a given situation. They have a range of spells that can be used for buffs, healing or damage (though the damage output of their spells is more limited than that of other spellcasters like wizards, sorcerors and clerics). This is in part made up for with their wild shape ability which allows them to transform into another creature. These have obvious uses in combat (who wants to fight against a brown bear!) but also give you lots of options outside of combat. What’s more discrete and stealthy than a spider or a rat? Just make sure you don’t get stepped on!
A druid’s spellcasting ability is wisdom so you’ll want to make sure you make this strong. Druids are capable of getting into the thick of combat so decent stats around Constitution and Strength or Dexterity are also helpful (Dexterity in particular to beef up that AC as druids are limited to non-metal forms of armour).
Druid Strengths
Wild shape is a huge boon for druids. Not only can they benefit from the stats and abilities of a whole other creature, but this stacks with their HP so if they lose all their HP in their brown bear form, it’s OK, they just transform back into their humanoid form. As a full spellcaster, druids have access to spells that go all the way up to 9th level, and there’s variety here from healing, buffs and damage to out of combat spells as well.
Druid Weaknesses
To compensate for the great wild shape ability, the creatures druids transform into tend to have a low AC. And while they do have a strong repertoire of spells, these tend not to be high damage dealers making them reliant on their wild shape ability to dole out the damage. Oh, and don’t forget, druids don’t get to wear metal armour so you best make sure you beef out that Dexterity.
Druid class features
| Party Role | Utility, Support Caster, Control, Healer |
| Main Ability | Wisdom |
| Saving Throws | Intelligence, Wisdom |
| Hit Dice | 1d8 + Consitution modifier per level |
| HP at 1st Level | 8 + Constitution Modifier |
| Spell Casting Ability | Wisdom |
| Armour Proficiency | Light armour, medium armour, shields (druids will not wear armour made of metal) |
| Weapon Proficiency | Clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears |
Druid Abilities
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Druidic, Spellcasting | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2nd | +2 | Wild Shape, Druid Circle, Wild Companion (Optional) | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3rd | +2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 4th | +2 | Wild Shape improvement, Ability Score Improvement, Cantrip Versatility (Optional) | 3 | 4 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5th | +3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 6th | +3 | Druid Circle feature | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7th | +3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 8th | +3 | Wild Shape improvement, Ability Score Improvement, Cantrip Versatility (Optional) | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 9th | +4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| 10th | +4 | Druid Circle feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| 11th | +4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Cantrip Versatility (Optional) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 13th | +5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | |
| 14th | +5 | Druid Circle feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| 15th | +5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement, Cantrip Versatility (Optional) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 17th | +6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 18th | +6 | Timeless Body, Beast Spells | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement, Cantrip Versatility (Optional) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20th | +6 | Archdruid | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Druid subclasses in D&D 5e
| Druid Subclass | Subclass Abilities | Source Book | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circle of the Land | Bonus Cantrip, Natural Recovery, Lnad’s Stride, Nature’s Ward, Nature’s Sanctuary | Player’s Handbook | Your power is derived from a specific location in nature. |
| Circle of the Moon | Combat Wildshape, Circle Forms, Primal Strike, Elemental Wild shape, Thousand Forms | Player’s Handbook | Have powers that come from changing forms. |
| Circle of Dreams | Balm of the Summer Court, Heart of Moonlight and Shadow, Hidden Paths, Walker in Dreams | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything | Blessed with the powers of the Feywilds to be able to heal. |
| Circle of the Shepherd | Speech of the Woods, Spirit Totem, Mighty Summoner, Guardian Spirit, Faithful Summons | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything | A protector of animals. |
| Circle of Spores | Halo of Spores, Symbiotic Entity, Fungal Infestation, Spreading Spores, Fungal Body | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything | Uses mycelium for its many powers and abilities. |
| Circle of Stars | Star Map, Starry Form, Cosmic Omen, Twinkling Constellations, Full of Stars | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything | Look to the stars for power and guidance. |
| Circle of Wildfire | Summon Wildfire Spirit, Enhanced Bond, Cauterizing Flames, Blazing Revival | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything | View wildfire as a catalyst to change and even enhancement. From the ashes of the old comes a stronger new. |
