What are the best core options for wildshape at each level.

[GnomeGninjas]

I believe that dire ape is the best not aquatic 5 hit dice creature for melee combat but I don't know for other levels or other purposes. My druid is about to reach 5th level and I want to know what to turn into.

[tyckspoon]

Big cats and dinosaurs are usually your best damage output (dinosaur forms possibly pending a DM ruling on whether or not they exist in his world.) Leopard and Deinonychus are your most dangerous forms at level 5- remember you don't actually get Large wildshape until level 8. Cats/dinosaurs remain tops for damage, bears are generally used for grappling when that's a good thing to do. Ape is handy if you want to use gear without arguing with your DM about it (you are clearly allowed to wear stuff in any form, but some DMs have a strong hangup about putting items on a non-humanoid body plan), especially using a weapon (a Dire Ape with a Shillelagh'd quarterstaff is still pretty decent for the level) and for getting reach. Drops off later, tho, because there's no obvious advanced form of Ape to move up to, unlike the Lion/Tiger/Dire Tiger progression.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Ninja animals. They're in core, they even exist in real life! But you can't see them, because they're ninjas. :smalltongue:

Anyway, cats, dinosaurs, wolves, birds (mainly eagles).

[GnomeGninjas]

Thanks for pointing out that I can't large wild shape yet. Deinonychus is large though:smallconfused:. Leopard looks good though.

[tyckspoon]

Thanks for pointing out that I can't large wild shape yet. Deinonychus is large though:smallconfused:. Leopard looks good though.

Deinonychus. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/dinosaur.htm#deinonychus) Errata'd down to Medium at some point, which made it indisputably the best core Medium Wildshape (out of core there is the infamous Fleshraker.) Pretty sure it was because they realized there wasn't a lot of practical difference between the Dein and the Megaraptor with both of them being Large.

[Gavinfoxx]

Level 5?

Baboon, Crocodile, Deinonychus (yes it IS medium; Megaraptor is Large), Leopard, Eagle, Squid, Medium Shark, Riding Dog...

[Hiro Protagonest]

Thanks for pointing out that I can't large wild shape yet. Deinonychus is large though:smallconfused:.

No it's not.

[Eldariel]

No it's not.

It's listed as such in the MM but it got errata'd into its proper Medium size, so this is an understandable misconception though.

[TroubleBrewing]

Ninjas upon ninjas!

[Tvtyrant]

So many ninjas!
Edit: Dang

[Mystify]

I played a druid with Deinonychus as my go-to combat form, and it is definitely an extremely strong choice. I will serve as a solid form up till megaraptor. 4 attacks+pounce = ownage. The megaraptor is the same thing, but bigger. Not sure where you would go from there, the campaign ended before I reached that point.