You might notice, if you're reading these posts in the order I publish them, that I skipped the Cleric. The thing is, the Cleric didn't really see a huge change from the previous playtest (there are changes, and I'll cover them) whereas I think we were all curious to see where the Druid was going.
Rather than go through an exhaustive list like I just did with the Bard, let me touch on the specific changes.
And Wild Shape is the one we're going to want to handle first.
Wild Shape is now more similar to its 2014 version, in that you can now choose from existing Beast stat blocks for your forms. However, there are some sanity-preserving elements and a power nerf.
Like preparing spells, the Druid will now prepare Wild Shape forms - a list of three, which upgrades to four and then five, and you can swap out one each long rest. The suggested starting options are Riding Horse, Spider, and Wolf, for example. You start with two uses per long rest and then eventually get four.
Everyone gets to shift forms as a bonus action. Swim speeds are now available from the start, though you still need to get to level 8 before you can take one with a fly speed. And for most Druids, you can start with a CR 1/4 beast and then get 1/2 at level 4 and 1 at level 8. (We'll cover Moon Druids' interaction with it in a bit).
Now, the big change is that you now retain your own Hit Points and Hit Dice, along with Int, Wis, and Cha, languages (and yes, you can speak while wild shaped, though you can't cast spells - at least at first. As before you can maintain concentration on spells and use post-casting functions of spells like bringing down more lightning with Call Lightning) along with class and species features, skills and saving throws (though if the creature has a better proficiency for a skill or saving throw, you can use it instead).
So, to take a breath here: the utility of Wild Shape is much closer to its original form - you no longer have to wait until level 11 to become a tiny bug. Indeed, for such tasks, this actually improves things as you won't be knocked out of your shape if you get stepped on.
That being said, there's not a huge defensive benefit - indeed, you'll probably be more vulnerable in these forms (again, we're going to cover Circle of the Moon in a bit) but I think the attitude is really to use these forms more for their utility like movement speed or special attacks (wolves being able to knock things prone, for example).
By limiting how many shapes you can have prepared, the hope is to let the player show up with a couple photocopied stat blocks rather than having to pore through every book every time they shift.
Now, let's talk about how Circle of the Moon interacts with this. But first, we need to talk about Primal Order.
Like Divine Order for Clerics (previously called Holy Order,) Primal Order lets you choose between one of two options at level 1. You can be a Magician, which gives you one extra cantrip and also lets you add your Wisdom modifier to Intelligence (Nature) checks - allowing your Druid to finally actually be good at Nature checks. The other option is Warden, which gives you proficiency in Martial Weapons and Medium Armor training.
So, Moon Druids are still going to be the only subclass that's really designed to use Wild Shape as your standard combat option. Here's how they then actually do that:
Once again, you get CR 1 stat blocks at the level you take the subclass, and by level 6, you get to take higher-CR stat blocks at the old rate (capping out at CR 6 at level 18).
Combat Wild Shape now gives you some extra benefits: The first is that you can keep the AC granted by your armor when shifting into the form (though oddly this doesn't allow the bonus from a shield). So, if you go with the Warden Primal Order, and by level 3 you're in, say, a Breastplate (and have +2 or more to Dex) you will have an AC of 16 even when you shift into a Brown Bear form. That's actually very respectable.
On top of this, you now also get temporary hit points equal to either the stat block's HP or three times your Druid level, which ever is lower.
So, while you can't slap on an extra 60 HP from some Cave Bear now, you'll at least boost your HP and keep a decent AC when you get into these melee-focused forms, which I think is a real step in the right direction.
The Moon Druid has some other new tweaks, which include allowing you to cast Moonbeam while transformed and giving you the ability to swap your normal damage for radiant.
The point is, this is definitely a nerf of the 2014 Wild Shape, but that's the whole point. However, what's different from the previous UA version of this is that I can, at the very least for Moon Druids, actually see how transforming would be beneficial. I do think it makes non-Moon Druids really want to use it only for non-combat purposes, but that's always been the case.
I will say I also found the introduction of "Channel Nature" to be more elegant than using "Wild Shape uses for other things," but I think this is in the name of not confusing people using backwards-compatible content (though if we're always concerned about that, we can't really ever clean up anything formatting-wise).
We haven't even covered other Druid features (well, other than Primal Order) or the new Circle of the Sea subclass. This is going to take a lot of posts.
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