D&D 5e: Five Relics for Moon Druids 4


Over in that Twitter thread, we were talking about the function of totems as 4e magic items. I suggested that they could be intended for druids, especially the Circle of the Moon, and might boost the stats of lower-CR Wild Shapes, so that if shapeshifting to a wolf or panther is your preferred style, you’re not missing out on the much better hit points and attacks of higher-CR shapes. Nathan Dowdell suggested that they might “grant specific, unique wildshape forms… this silver moon totem lets you transform into a specific type of magical wolf, rather than just a wolf, for example.” In this post, I’m seeing where that idea takes me.

In the middle of writing this post, I had a conversation on Twitter with the patient and kind @dzcoinfiltrator, who points out the ugly connotations around the word “totem” and several other options. For the moment, I’ve settled on “relic” as a term for “hand-portable item of religious significance that isn’t specifically a spellcasting implement.” If you don’t like that answer, please don’t fight me about it right now.

 

Silver Moon Relic

Rod, very rare

This two-foot-long wooden rod bears a silver wolf’s-head at the tip, and its length is inscribed with moon-sigils. If you hold this in your hand while you use the Wild Shape feature to adopt the shape of a wolf, you instead assume the form of the Greatmoon Hunter, a wolf of myth and legend. The silver moon relic can grant you this form once, and regains the ability to do so at moonrise.

If you belong to the Circle of the Moon and you’re at least 9th level, use the following statistics. Otherwise, use the dire wolf statistics.

Greatmoon Hunter

Large beast, unaligned

Armor Class  14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 67 (9d10 + 18)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 3 (-4) 13 (+1) 6 (-2)
Skills Perception +3 , Stealth +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Sylvan
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Keen Hearing and Smell. The Greatmoon Hunter has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Pack Tactics. The Greatmoon Hunter has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the Hunter’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t unconscious.

Under the Great Moon. When the moon is visible, the Greatmoon Hunter gains resistance to radiant and necrotic damage.

Actions

Multiattack. The Greatmoon Hunter makes two bite attacks.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

 

Well, right off, I feel like writing a new stat block for each item is going to be more than any of us really want to see for a magic item’s entry. Especially when it needs to be more involved than the baseline monster block. I’d suggest just releasing a monster supplement full of these alternate forms, but then Moon druids without the item could implicitly adopt that form. I can cordon it off by making its type Monstrosity rather than Beast (as with worgs, etc.), and the item is a specific exception to the rule that you can’t Wild Shape into monstrosity forms, but… I’m not thrilled with that either. There’s something to untangle here and I don’t have it yet. Let’s look at some other comparable implementations.

 

The Bronzewood Coil

Wondrous item, very rare

This wooden relic is carved from bronzewood, in the shape of a serpent, and adjusts to fit snugly around your forearm. It writhes occasionally, when you see it out of the corner of your eye. When you use Wild Shape to take the form of a constrictor snake or giant constrictor snake, you can use this relic to increase your maximum hit points in that form by 2d10 + twice your Wisdom modifier. You can add your Wisdom modifier to damage that you deal with your Bite and Constrict attacks. This snake form looks as if it is carved from bronzewood, and stories are carved into your scales. You can use this relic once, and regain use of it at sunrise.

 

Pouch of Nature’s Balm

Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

This small leather pouch is filled with strong-smelling healing herbs. If you use Wild Shape while holding this relic, it is subsumed into your form. When you spend spell slots to heal yourself with the Combat Wild Shape feature, you can choose one creature you can see within 10 feet. That creature regains hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + the level of the spell slot you expended.

 

Boar’s-Head Idol

Wondrous item, very rare

This carving of a boar is made of quartz and no longer than a person’s thumb. If you use Wild Shape while holding this relic, it is subsumed into your form. When you use Wild Shape to adopt the form of a creature with the Charge feature, you gain the following:

  • Your animal form appears to be made out of quartz.
  • Your maximum hit points in this form increase by 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier.
  • You can add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with a Charge.
  • The DC to resist being knocked prone is your spellcasting DC.

 

Cat’s Claw Talisman

Wondrous item, legendary

This talisman is carved from jet, in the shape of a panther’s claw. If you use Wild Shape while holding this relic, it is subsumed into your form. When you use Wild Shape to adopt the form of a lionpanthersaber-toothed tiger, or tiger, you gain the following:

  • Your maximum hit points in that form increase by 2d10 + your Wisdom modifier.
  • Your skill bonus for Dexterity (Stealth) is the form’s Dexterity modifier + double your proficiency bonus.
  • You can use a bonus action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide.

 

Design Notes

If nothing else, I think all of these would be interesting, fun things to receive as a druid. I’ve already said that I think the way I’ve handled the silver moon relic is a little clunky. My long game here is writing another 5-10 of these, possibly getting some other classes and subclasses in on the act, and releasing them as a PDF.

I think it’s possible I’ve given out too many extra hit points, for a subclass that is already about way too many hit points. I just think that those hit points are one of the key signifiers between a lower-CR creature and a higher-CR creature. Also, giving 16 or so extra hit points to the kinds of creatures that druids of other Circles turn into approaches the low end of actual combat viability, without (in my view) intruding on the Circle of the Moon’s edge there.

I’ve also repeatedly gone for benefits from the druid’s Wisdom. The Moon druid has such a weird relationship with ability scores – while they’re Wild Shaped, their physical stats get replaced, and many of the functions of mental stats aren’t usable. If you Wild Shape enough, you can play a low-Wisdom druid, in principle – so I wanted to thrust some more emphasis onto Wisdom.

The Pouch of Nature’s Balm is intended to ease (though not resolve) some of the tension around needing to drop Wild Shape to heal other party members. It’s the only one that requires attunement, because it’s the only one that doesn’t care about what beast form you adopt. It’s a lot like Blessed Healer (the Life domain feature), but +Wis instead of +2. My thought is that it needs to be those few points better than Blessed Healer because Combat Wild Shape healing is those few points worse than casting cure wounds, and because sustaining the hit points of a Wild Shape form is a kind of fundamental waste (i.e., you lose all remaining hit points when the Wild Shape ends).

The cat’s claw talisman is directly inspired by how cat druids in World of Warcraft play like Rogue-lites. All of the big cats are quietly statted with Expertise in Stealth (CR 2 and below, so proficiency +2; Dex of +2; total bonus +6 – I smell Expertise), so I wanted that to scale with the druid. I wanted them to play just a little more like rogues, so I gave them Cunning Action. I strongly considered giving them +Xd6 Sneak Attack that they can use with their claws, but Pounce is so good that I decided not to make that part of the item’s first draft.

If it wouldn’t make the magic item writeups unbearably complicated, it would fit theme for these relics (well, everything but the pouch of nature’s balm) to also be useful to Beast Master rangers and Totem Warrior barbarians.

 


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4 thoughts on “D&D 5e: Five Relics for Moon Druids

  • Ray

    I absolutely love this idea! Please let me know when a draft PDF is available for purchase!

    The Greatmoon Hunter and Cat’s Claw Talisman have some great flavor. Also, I like what you’re trying to accomplish with making Wisdom relevant in wildshape.

    I see where you’re coming from with the whole monstrosity vs. beast argument, but I think that might be a bit in the weeds for some campaigns/groups. For example, I could see these totems easily fitting into a setting with heavy shamanism or heavy druiditic culture where the masters of the Beasthold are venerated and revered. The PCs could embark on a mission to seek out the wisdom of the Ursoc the Great Bear Spirit, etc. or perhaps they cleanse a foul corruption from a moon elf forest and are rewarded with the Silver Moon Relic. I guess my point is that I see these kinds of magical items as easily folded into lore and so I think it’s reasonable to expect players to agree that even though mechanically a Circle of the Moon druid could wildshape into the Greatmoon Hunter right now that for the sake of roleplay they shouldn’t. Or I guess if the DM/PCs are really hung up on it, you could be extra cheeky and say, “Ah, but these are Spirit Beasts and you can only wildshape into beasts…shucks…”

    I haven’t given too much thought to how this might work with Beast Master rangers but lord knows that 5e Beast Masters need some TLC so eager to see what you draft up there. Regarding Totem Barbarians though, I could see (and bear with me…unintentional pun I swear…because I haven’t fully fleshed out this idea yet) a potential opportunity to weave together totems with the revised grappling rules/maneuvers you shared over on Tribality. For example, a Bear Totem barbarian with Ursoc’s totem (I have a suspicion that I’m stealing that name from warcraft) could expend a use of the totem on a melee attack hit to grapple the target in a bear hug (i.e. your proposed Grappling Attack). From an RP sense, I like to picture bristling fur and claws temporarily growing on the barbarian’s muscle-rippled arms and hands as Ursoc’s strength courses through their veins to grab the target. I could see Sleeper Hold playing into a great bear totem nicely as well. As the other 5e barbarian totem spirit features are fairly well-rounded and flavorful, I think you’d have better luck focusing on magic totems for beasts outside the PHB repertoire of available barbarian totem spirits – e.g. the constrictor snake idea you had or an ape/monkey magic totem could probably swing a long way for you (okay that pun was intended…).

    So anyways, eager to see this develop and I’d definitely buy a PDF to support this!

    • Brandes Stoddard Post author

      I’d like to work up 5-15 more items, probably including something for Beast Masters and Totem Barbarians. But oh man, do I have a lot of projects sitting at 75% done because I just had a few more things I wanted to create for it…

      Thinking about it a little more, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with writing a creature trait that says “you can’t Wild Shape/polymorph into this form unless you have X magic item.” I feel like that’s the straightest line from where I am to where I want to be, and so probably the best.

      I like your thoughts on Bear Totem content! I’ll be taking this into account as I go forward.

      Thank you so much!

      • Ray

        Of course. Something I just realized though with regard to barbarian grapplers – 2handed weapon preference. Though I think if any class were able to roid rage grapple a target while wielding a battle-axe, it would be a barbarian.

        And I completely hear you on the 75% finished feeling. I have had multiple pieces of my first fully homebrewed setting and campaign at 75% for at least a year now, and I’m beginning to think that only translates to about 30% overall, haha. However, I’ll be getting back into DMing with Dragon Heist in 2019 so I’m hyped up for that bridge the gap until my own work is ready to see the light of day.

  • Craig Cormier

    These are all super fun. I have yet to have a druid player in anything other than a one-shot, but I would like to give these a try.

    Should the cat’s claw talisman affect all feline forms, not just combat ones? If the druid wants to be an alley cat or some other relatively non-threatening cat for stealth related missions I think that fits with the theme.