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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Orc in the Playground
     
    MindFlayer

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    Aug 2018

    Default Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    I was convinced to create a Circle of the Shepherd Druid to support the following party:
    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    My party consists of a level 3 (non-variant) Human Gloomstalker Ranger, a level 2 Tiefling Hexblade Warlock, a level 2 Half-Orc s&b Champion Fighter with heavy armor, and a level 2 (non-variant) Evoker Wizard.
    I have a few questions:
    1. Do I need to max Wis or should I get Feats/Con ASI's instead? If not, how much Wis should I have? How much Dex should I have with light armor? Should I start with 14 or 16? Should I raise it?
    2. What feats should I prioritize besides War Caster and Resilient: Con? Is Lucky a good choice for rerolling concentration saving throws?
    3. For Conjure Animals/Woodland Beings/Fey do I get to choose what I summon? If not, how can I be useful against flying enemies if my DM only chooses summons without a fly speed and/or ranged attacks?
    4. Can my summons attack diagonally?
    5. If I play an Elf and take Elven Accuracy and my summoned creatures have advantage, do they get to reroll the second die when they attack? If not, is there any reason for me to take the feat or play a Wood Elf?
    6. What is the most thematic race for a CoS Druid? What about the best mechanically?
    Last edited by Expected; 2019-12-11 at 03:38 AM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Aug 2017

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    So I don't have a lot of experience with druids but I am currently playing a shepherd in tomb of annihilation, and liking it a lot so far.
    I'm playing a hill dwarf for the wis and con bumps and extra hp (just barely the highest in the party) and took war caster at lv 1 per our dm's free feat at lv 1.
    Imo if you're going to be summoning more than casting save spells, i would focus on feats/con asis. We rolled stats, i got lucky and started with 18 con and wis, honestly prob isnt important to be higher than that, concentration would be more so.

    We play that the players choose what they summon. If the dm is choosing the player should have at least some input imo. Like if they want flyers, attackers, tanks, diggers, whatever. Work that out with the dm. If you do get to pick what they are be ready with their stats, minions can bog down the game but you can avoid that if you are ready and knowwhat they're doing ahead of time and roll all the attacks at once saves a lot of time.
    If players can attack diagonally your summons should too
    Elven accuracy is for you alone not your summons. I wouldn't take it as a druid but wood elf is very thematic for a druid. Anything that bumps wis is fine, there aren't any particularly thematic races for CoS. You're supposed to be out of place in barovia, it'd be more fun to be something different

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

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    Feb 2018

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Hi there! I think you made a great choice; Shepherd Druid is a very nice class to play.

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    I was convinced to create a Circle of the Shepherd Druid to support the following party:[*]Do I need to max Wis or should I get Feats/Con ASI's instead? If not, how much Wis should I have?
    About 16 WIS is probably what you'd want for most of your career. Wisdom helps some, especially with debuffs and cantrips, but your main concern should be to not lose Concentration.

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    For Conjure Animals/Woodland Beings/Fey do I get to choose what I summon? If not, how can I be useful against flying enemies if my DM only chooses summons without a fly speed and/or ranged attacks?
    I think you should talk to your DM. Some DMs do select the conjured creatures themselves.

    I think it would take a pretty evil DM to flat out deny you an useful creature, though.

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    Can my summons attack diagonally?
    They attack like everything else.

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    If I play an Elf and take Elven Accuracy and my summoned creatures have advantage, do they get to reroll the second die when they attack? If not, is there any reason for me to take the feat or play a Wood Elf?
    Nope, they don't benefit from your stats or feats.

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    What is the most thematic race for a CoS Druid? What about the best mechanically?[/LIST]
    Thematically, Druid works with any race really. Just have your Druid connect with his race's natural environment.

    Mechanically, any race that gives you CON, WIS, and DEX is good, but some of the best races give you unique benefits. I think Goblin is really strong - bonus action disengage/hide can keep you safe while your beasts do the work. Variant human is excellent to grab Res(CON) + Warcaster early. Tortle/Loxodon are quite nice for the AC if you rolled poorly and don't have enough point to buff your DEX. And Hill Dwarf is a good choice for pure defense.
    Last edited by Merudo; 2019-12-10 at 10:31 PM.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Orc in the Playground
     
    MindFlayer

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    Aug 2018

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Thank you both. I've decided to choose Variant Human for War Caster at level 1. I will also ask the DM about how he rules it.

    I edited my original post and added these important additions to my questions if you don't mind answering them:
    1. Do I need to max Wis or should I get Feats/Con ASI's instead? If not, how much Wis should I have? How much Dex should I have with light armor? Should I start with 14 or 16? Should I raise it?
    2. What feats should I prioritize besides War Caster and Resilient: Con? Is Lucky a good choice for rerolling concentration saving throws?
    Last edited by Expected; 2019-12-11 at 03:42 AM.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    I was convinced to create a Circle of the Shepherd Druid to support the following party:


    I have a few questions:
    1. Do I need to max Wis or should I get Feats/Con ASI's instead? If not, how much Wis should I have? How much Dex should I have with light armor? Should I start with 14 or 16? Should I raise it?
    2. What feats should I prioritize besides War Caster and Resilient: Con? Is Lucky a good choice for rerolling concentration saving throws?
    3. For Conjure Animals/Woodland Beings/Fey do I get to choose what I summon? If not, how can I be useful against flying enemies if my DM only chooses summons without a fly speed and/or ranged attacks?
    4. Can my summons attack diagonally?
    5. If I play an Elf and take Elven Accuracy and my summoned creatures have advantage, do they get to reroll the second die when they attack? If not, is there any reason for me to take the feat or play a Wood Elf?
    6. What is the most thematic race for a CoS Druid? What about the best mechanically?
    Hello, I wrote a pretty comprehensive guide on the Shepherd Druid that has gotten some positive feedback, so i hope it helps you: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

    As for the questions:
    1. Your primary purpose past level 5 will be concentrating on summons, so Wisdom is not as important as taking feats like Resilient [Constitution]. Unlike other Druid circles, you should think of Con as your primary stat rather than Wisdom. That being said, Wisdom is still important and should be secondary. With point buy and a good race you can get 16 Wis for the +3 and that should be good enough for you until you can use ASI's toward Wisdom at higher levels. Dex should be +2. No more, no less. That is because the best armor you can wear (other than homebrew) is non-metal Spiked Armor which only allows up to a +2 dex for your AC. This caveat isn't the same for races that use natural armor, but for the majority of purposes, +2 is good.
    2. I've always liked Warcaster but recently I have learned that Resilient [Con] is slightly more efficient. So I would suggest Res [Con] first and then Warcaster (Though Aberrant Dragonmark is an excellent feat as well. I lay out the details in my guide)
    3. Technically the DM chooses the summons but it's not like you can't suggest summons and I have never had a DM that doesn't let you pick your own to a certain point. If the DM gives you non-flying summons against flying enemies, there isn't a whole lot you can do, but your DM would be a jerk if he made a flying encounter and neutered you since there are plenty of non-op flying beasts to choose from.
    4. Diagonally? I'm going to assume you can a diagonally adjacent square, in which case, yes. They are creatures and follow all the combat rules of creatures including being able to attack enemies within their reach regardless of being diagonal or not.
    5. Elven Accuracy does not work with your summons. That would be OP. That feat is more for martial classes. For races, I would say the best race for a Shepherd Druid is actually Warforged for a litany of reasons. I give breakdowns on most other races in my guide as well. If you want to pick for stats, races with +2 Con, +1 Wis are what you should look at.
    6. Blended the last question with this one. For thematic purposes, Firbolgs are built to be druids. Can't get much more thematic than them. Past that, I would refer you to the "Races" section of my guide.

    Feel free to ask me more questions. Shepherd Druid is my favorite class and I love this stuff (as indicative of the 40+ page guide I wrote).

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    Thank you both. I've decided to choose Variant Human for War Caster at level 1. I will also ask the DM about how he rules it.

    I edited my original post and added these important additions to my questions if you don't mind answering them:
    1. What feats should I prioritize besides War Caster and Resilient: Con? Is Lucky a good choice for rerolling concentration saving throws?
    Oops sorry, I misread the original post. For other feats, Aberrant Dragonmark is excellent. +1 Con, Access to long ranged cantrips that you wouldn't otherwise have that actually use Con as the spellcasting ability, and a free level 1 spell once per rest (I suggest shield). Other than that and Lucky, Alert is also not a bad feat.

  7. - Top - End - #7

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    To get the most out of a Shepherd Druid you want to make them a true tank. Smart adversaries will try to take the fight to you rather than your summons. You want to defeat that power move on their part by becoming a true tank.

    True tanks have layered defenses and answers for most any attack vector. Beyond high AC you also want high saves, camouflage, deception, disguise, evasion, etc.

    Optimally you will take druid to level 17 ( for 9th level spells) since the druid capstone isn't as strong as what multi-classing allows. So you have 3 levels to apply to level dips to get to 20. Pick these up after level 5 or so after you unlock Conjure Animals.

    A level in Life Cleric is HUGE to pick up giving you a solid role in the party as a support class. Your out of combat healing abilities will become a huge power up for the party. Cleric scrolls like Revivify are unlocked. Sanctuary is also amazing for you.

    Picking up levels in some arcane caster class will drastically increase your cantrip utility belt and tactical options ( hello Shield!) and unlock arcane scrolls and Staff of Power and Staff of the Magi in tier 3 or 4 which are of course HUGE.

    Vhuman is a solid choice as always. Being a goblin will give you 75% of a 2 level dip in rogue without spending the levels. Yuan-ti is also another powerful option and tends to open you toward Warlocks and master of disguise brokenness.

    Embracing a support role is important since even though you can do amazing things as a Shepherd Druid and summons you want to refrain from saving the day all the time and taking the spotlight from other players. Chilling as support and clapping for other players is important. Save your novas for the mind flayers, archmages, and the like when the party will really appreciate you saving the day. Also, don't spam powerful responses lest the DM and other players grumble, but challenge yourself to find alternate powerful angles. Don't hog the spotlight and practice resolving summon combat as fast as possible!

    When building characters you also want to generaly build for the upper tiers. This is why Resilient Con paired with a high Con is better than Warcaster overall. Rerollable saves is something you can pick up later with magic items or Foresight and the more of a true tank you become the less overall broken concentration factors in to the equation as you will have forced adversaries down the road of going after your summons rather than you.
    Last edited by col_impact; 2019-12-11 at 10:52 PM.

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

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    Nov 2015

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    War caster is generally better for concentration at low levels but resilient con becomes better as proficiency increases but as a Shepherd Druid you don’t really need ASI so you can afford to get both.

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Orc in the Playground
     
    RangerGuy

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    Oct 2019

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    I was convinced to create a Circle of the Shepherd Druid to support the following party:


    I have a few questions:
    1. Do I need to max Wis or should I get Feats/Con ASI's instead? If not, how much Wis should I have? How much Dex should I have with light armor? Should I start with 14 or 16? Should I raise it?
    2. What feats should I prioritize besides War Caster and Resilient: Con? Is Lucky a good choice for rerolling concentration saving throws?
    3. For Conjure Animals/Woodland Beings/Fey do I get to choose what I summon? If not, how can I be useful against flying enemies if my DM only chooses summons without a fly speed and/or ranged attacks?
    4. Can my summons attack diagonally?
    5. If I play an Elf and take Elven Accuracy and my summoned creatures have advantage, do they get to reroll the second die when they attack? If not, is there any reason for me to take the feat or play a Wood Elf?
    6. What is the most thematic race for a CoS Druid? What about the best mechanically?
    Hey again ;)

    1. No class ever *need* to max any stat. You often simply want to do so because it affects resources (like for Bards or some Cleric's features).
    For a Druid that will spend much time delegating actions to conjurations, it's even less important.
    For a Druid that would be an Elf and as such could play with a bow, it's even less important.
    However, many of your spells, with conjurations prime, require concentration, so you want good constitution.
    Also, since you have a Wizard in your party, it would be fair that he provides you with Mage Armor at the beginning if it can make a higher AC.
    So you have the following options.

    a) Balanced: 16 DEX, 15 CON, 16 WIS, pick Resilient: Constitution ASAP then whatever you want.
    b) DEX (mainly for AC and Initiative because your weapon damage won't ever scale): 17 DEX, 15 CON, 15 WIS, pick Resilient Constitution, bump both DEX and WIS by 1.
    c) WIS: 14 DEX, 15 CON, 17 WIS.
    Honestly though, I don't think b) is a great choice: high DEX + Mage Armor will get you at most a +2 AC compared to druid armor. Honestly won't make any difference from 2nd tier onwards: either you play safe or you die. As for the Initiative, picking Alert will boost much more.
    I don't think the "WIS focus" is worth it either, because of what I said first: you have enough spells that don't care about WIS to contribute, and one more spell prepared won't make a difference most days.

    So I'd go for a) IF you plan on getting Medium Armor Master for another +1, and otherwise I'd stick with starting 14 DEX, 15 CON and 16-17 WIS (allowing me to avoid negative modifiers on other stats), and rack up feats, just leaving one "slot" to get WIS 18 by level 16 max.
    Resilient:Constitution is enough. Pick Warcaster because you don't want any other feat more, or because by experience the backline of party is exposed to threat much more than you'd want.
    Alert, Observant, Ritual Caster (Cleric/Wizard/Bard), Defensive Duelist (late), or even racial feats if you go Elf/Dwarf/Dragonborn can be great. :)

    Exemple of a Shepherd Druid you're sure will be reliable: Hill Dwarf, starting stats 8 / 14 / 17 / 8 / 16 / 10
    Pick Resilient: Constitution at 4, Durable at 8, Dwarven Fortitude at 12 (or simply max CON at 8 and go wild on other feats after that if you don't care about rolling Hit Die because you expect to heal yourself with Healing Words or simply bear with hurt until fight is finished).
    At level 5 when you get Conjure Animals your bonus to concentration saves will be 4+3 = 7. You'll already have roughly same or better chance to save concentration than with Warcaster against anything below 21 damage (confer https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.e...e-probability/ if you want to check for yourself ;)). And considering you should rarely suffer direct attacks, it should be fine for the large majority of fights.
    Past level 8 it's simply better than Warcaster. Of course you can also stack both, but just with Resilient and max CON at level 12 you're "immune" to saves below DC 12

    In addition to that, you'll get a crazy HP pool compared to another race that went with 15 CON and picked Warcaster, Resilient CON and CON: extra 1 (race) + 2 (CON mod difference).
    You're basically a d12 guy with guaranteed average, and guarantee to heal himself for 13 HP as an action (possibly overkill to be honest ^^).

    2. Depending on your starting stats and your playstyle, Inspiring Leader *may* be a good choice, albeit not an obvious one (it would probably be as simple if Warlock took it instead ^^).
    The best of all for you is certainly Alert: higher chance to act first, either to land a Sleet Storm (protect melee and you from archers), Plant Growth (isolate small groups of melee, or prevent archers from fleeing while melee pals catch up with them), Conjure Animals obviously...
    Next, considering there is no obvious spy in your group, Observant combined with Wild Shape or Beast Sense is the second best.
    Besides that, honestly, pick what you like. Ritual Caster is always useful (you can pick Cleric rituals AND/OR you can use rituals you get as Druid without needing to keep them prepared), Defensive Duelist is decent as a defensive mechanism if taken late, Medium Armor Master gives a small but worth AC boost if taken at level 8 at most...

    3. Speak with your DM: normally DM choose, but as long as you are reasonable, you have a fair chance DM will either follow your suggestion or straight up let you choose (just don't ask, like, Giant Octopus in desert).

    4. Probably? We rarely use square maps so I'm not sure, but I don't see any reason not to really.

    5. No and no. Unless you multiclass into something that could give you several ranged attacks and a decent way to get advantage, Elven Accuracy is simply not worth it.

    5. Thematic imo would be Elf ("animal lover"), Shifter ("morphing is my nature"), Loxodon ("Ent descendant"), Human ("we are everywhere").
    Mechanically? Dwarf, Loxodon, Wood Elf, and more generally anything giving boost to CON and WIS first, DEX and CHA second.
    Last edited by HiveStriker; 2019-12-12 at 09:14 AM.

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Orc in the Playground
     
    MindFlayer

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    Aug 2018

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Thank you so much for all of your help! I just have one more question: Was there ever a time when you could specifically choose what was summoned with Conjure Animals/Conjure Fey before it was errata'd? My DM plays strict RAW and I'd be able to justify choosing my own summons if so. Otherwise, the random summons I'd get is definitely a downside.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Orc in the Playground
     
    RangerGuy

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    Oct 2019

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    Thank you so much for all of your help! I just have one more question: Was there ever a time when you could specifically choose what was summoned with Conjure Animals/Conjure Fey before it was errata'd? My DM plays strict RAW and I'd be able to justify choosing my own summons if so. Otherwise, the random summons I'd get is definitely a downside.
    Well, imo, it's because the RAW was kinda ambiguous that WoTC felt necessary to precise how to "structurate" the wording.

    Besides that though, I don't feel like there should be any problem, unless your DM likes to prank you.
    Otherwise, just discuss with him in session 0 how both of you see Conjure Animals work, picking a few concrete environments as examples.

    If you both agree that DM follows your suggestion as long as you make reasonable demands (like Wolfs or Bears in a forest, Scorpions in a Desert), it's great!
    If your DM says he will always be the one choosing, ask him to give you some indications on how he would pick. If it's purely random, you may end frustrated at times. If however it's "the most iconic or common beast(s) for your current environment", then it's perfectly workable. Just ask him to give some subtle hints as to which creature that may be when you are in an environment and/or actively inform yourself on that topic whenever your party can grab some non-pressure time (it should be easy enough to do so: just Wild Shape to "go around" or use rituals to directly asks the animals you encounter).

    Food for thought: in theater, the possibly very first thing any comedian learns is that "creativity is born from constraints (limits if you prefer)". :)

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Dec 2017

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    In terms of summoning, the Druid specifies how many creatures and what CR they will be as per the spell. The DM can then decide the shape that the spirits take.

    However, it is important for the DM to note that, like find familiar, conjure animals and several other “summoning” spells do NOT summon actual creatures of the specific type, the spells conjure fey, fiend or celestial spirits (type chosen by the caster) that take on the form and stat block of the specific species.

    There is no requirement that the form of the conjured creature actually exists in the local environment somewhere. The DM has latitude in what form the spirits take because it is possible that the game world doesn’t contain all possible beasts, fey or other forms. However, whether or not the creature exists locally is not a requirement for the spell or what forms the spirits take.
    Last edited by Keravath; 2019-12-13 at 07:39 AM.

  13. - Top - End - #13

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    Thank you so much for all of your help! I just have one more question: Was there ever a time when you could specifically choose what was summoned with Conjure Animals/Conjure Fey before it was errata'd? My DM plays strict RAW and I'd be able to justify choosing my own summons if so. Otherwise, the random summons I'd get is definitely a downside.
    According to RAW, the player chooses what appears. The DM does not have permission to choose. The DM is merely providing the sources for the stat blocks, e.g. Monster Manual or Volo's. Conjure Animals is written in such a way that it is open ended to what sources are allowed in the campaign by the DM (the DM is officially expected to be able to supply campaign resources upon player request). Provided the animals are broadly considered legal in the DMs campaign, you can choose to summon them per the wording of Conjure Animals.

    The Sage Advice Compendium breaks with RAW to impose that the design intent is that the DM choose. It would be best to firm up with the DM before investing in a Shepherd Druid how exactly they will let you resolve Conjure Animals and Conjure Woodland Beings. Negotiate with the DM before playing. Let them know you are deciding between a Shepherd Druid and a Nuclear Wizard and it depends on how they rule on certain interactions. Find out what the DM thinks is fair player use of those spells. DMs generally just want that you don't break the power balance of the game. They may have had a player abuse the spells in question in the past. Just because you can be OP and a spotlight hog doesn't mean you should be OP and a spotlight hog in a social game like D&D.
    Last edited by col_impact; 2019-12-13 at 11:02 AM.

  14. - Top - End - #14
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Dec 2017

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by col_impact View Post
    According to RAW, the player chooses what appears. The DM does not have permission to choose. The DM is merely providing the sources for the stat blocks, e.g. Monster Manual or Volo's. Conjure Animals is written in such a way that it is open ended to what sources are allowed in the campaign by the DM (the DM is officially expected to be able to supply campaign resources upon player request). Provided the animals are broadly considered legal in the DMs campaign, you can choose to summon them per the wording of Conjure Animals.
    As far as I know this is not RAW.

    "CONJURE ANIMALS
    3rd-level conjuration
    Casting Time: 1 action
    Range: 60 feet
    Components: V, S
    Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
    You summon fey spirits that take the form of beasts and appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what
    appears:
    • One beast of challenge rating 2 or lower
    • Two beasts of challenge rating l or lower
    • Four beasts of challenge rating 1/2 or lower
    • Eight beasts of challenge rating 1/4 or lower
    Each beast is also considered fey, and it disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends. The summoned creatures are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned creatures as a group, which has its own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don't issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.
    The DM has the creatures' statistics."

    The player chooses the number and CR of the beasts. The DM has the creature's stats. However, the spell does not say that the player selects the beasts summoned. That is up to the DM to decide. Some DMs choose for the player and others let the player choose. RAW does not give this option to the player ... only the number and CR. This means that RAW, the creatures that appear are up to the DM whether by choosing or allowing the player to choose.

  15. - Top - End - #15

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Keravath View Post
    As far as I know this is not RAW.

    "CONJURE ANIMALS
    3rd-level conjuration
    Casting Time: 1 action
    Range: 60 feet
    Components: V, S
    Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
    You summon fey spirits that take the form of beasts and appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what
    appears:
    • One beast of challenge rating 2 or lower
    • Two beasts of challenge rating l or lower
    • Four beasts of challenge rating 1/2 or lower
    • Eight beasts of challenge rating 1/4 or lower
    Each beast is also considered fey, and it disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends. The summoned creatures are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned creatures as a group, which has its own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don't issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.
    The DM has the creatures' statistics."

    The player chooses the number and CR of the beasts. The DM has the creature's stats. However, the spell does not say that the player selects the beasts summoned. That is up to the DM to decide. Some DMs choose for the player and others let the player choose. RAW does not give this option to the player ... only the number and CR. This means that RAW, the creatures that appear are up to the DM whether by choosing or allowing the player to choose.
    The spell gives the option of choice to the player. From the options provided the player chooses e.g. "eight wolves" which satisfies the template provided. At no point is the DM given permission to choose; he or she simply has the statistics handy based on what the player chooses.

    At any rate, it is less important how you the player interpret a spell and more important how the DM interprets it. The best time to negotiate with the DM about spell interactions is before you choose that character for play. That is the moment you negotiate and firm up how the DM will play it out and you can hold him or her to it.
    Last edited by col_impact; 2019-12-13 at 11:32 AM.

  16. - Top - End - #16
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Oct 2019

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    I was convinced to create a Circle of the Shepherd Druid to support the following party:


    I have a few questions:
    1. Do I need to max Wis or should I get Feats/Con ASI's instead? If not, how much Wis should I have? How much Dex should I have with light armor? Should I start with 14 or 16? Should I raise it?
    2. What feats should I prioritize besides War Caster and Resilient: Con? Is Lucky a good choice for rerolling concentration saving throws?
    3. For Conjure Animals/Woodland Beings/Fey do I get to choose what I summon? If not, how can I be useful against flying enemies if my DM only chooses summons without a fly speed and/or ranged attacks?
    4. Can my summons attack diagonally?
    5. If I play an Elf and take Elven Accuracy and my summoned creatures have advantage, do they get to reroll the second die when they attack? If not, is there any reason for me to take the feat or play a Wood Elf?
    6. What is the most thematic race for a CoS Druid? What about the best mechanically?
    1. For your straight summon spells, Wisdom isn't needed, but I'd recommend having decent Wisdom for the sake of cantrips. Constitution is a good idea. Dex is fine, but you're going to be sticking in the back anyway.
    2. No other feats needed than the two you listed.
    3. RAW, no, you only choose the CR. But some DMs will let you choose.
    4. Yes, just like a player.
    4. No. No reason in particular for elf or Elven Accuracy.
    5. Thematic would be Eladrin (Feywild focus), Firbolg (Innately druids and a big community), or Forest Gnome (Love talking to small critters). Mechanic would be Hill Dwarf (Boosts both stats you want, plus bonus HP) or Kobold if your DM lets you choose (Focus on wolves/pack tactics creatures)

  17. - Top - End - #17
    Orc in the Playground
     
    MindFlayer

    Join Date
    Aug 2018

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    I have a solid build now thanks to all of your advice!

    About the ruling on the DM choosing the creatures for Conjure spells: What is the ruling in AL? Just like how you can switch classes until level 5, how are Conjure spells handled in AL; Do the DM's or the players choose?

  18. - Top - End - #18

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Expected View Post
    I have a solid build now thanks to all of your advice!

    About the ruling on the DM choosing the creatures for Conjure spells: What is the ruling in AL? Just like how you can switch classes until level 5, how are Conjure spells handled in AL; Do the DM's or the players choose?
    There is no official ruling in AL, except that the DM ultimately has the say about how spells are implemented. Simply ask the DM ahead of time how they implement a rule. DMs may vary on their implementation of the spell due to how play warping the spell can be power-wise and time-wise for inexperienced DMs. For your part, come fully prepared to resolve combat as fast as possible with lots of dice! Everyone will grumble at you if combat grinds to a halt if you are not prepared to play lightning fast.

  19. - Top - End - #19
    Orc in the Playground
     
    RangerGuy

    Join Date
    Oct 2019

    Default Re: Help me build a Circle of the Shepherd Druid

    Quote Originally Posted by Keravath View Post
    In terms of summoning, the Druid specifies how many creatures and what CR they will be as per the spell. The DM can then decide the shape that the spirits take.

    However, it is important for the DM to note that, like find familiar, conjure animals and several other “summoning” spells do NOT summon actual creatures of the specific type, the spells conjure fey, fiend or celestial spirits (type chosen by the caster) that take on the form and stat block of the specific species.

    There is no requirement that the form of the conjured creature actually exists in the local environment somewhere. The DM has latitude in what form the spirits take because it is possible that the game world doesn’t contain all possible beasts, fey or other forms. However, whether or not the creature exists locally is not a requirement for the spell or what forms the spirits take.
    Very true. :)

    With that said, I found several DM still using that "constraint" on the premises that since you're calling spirits to take the form of animals, it should be affected a bit by the environment.
    Agreed that this is a totally personal point of view though.

    Nothing prevents DM from allowing pteranodons appearing above ocean. ^^

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