Preventing or stopping shapeshift

[Mandrake]

Hello!

I am a DM and one of my players is a Druid. Now, do not get me wrong, I don't want to stop the guy from using his abilities, I am just wondering in which circumstances can shapeshifting be stopped or prevented? The BBEG knows he can transform, and is quite smart, so he would probably try to find a way to stop him... For example, if you put a Druid in chains or a small cage for example, does it prevent shifting?

Thanks!

[Flashy]

Since Wild Shape requires an action to activate any condition that prevents the Druid taking actions (stunned, paralyzed, petrified, unconscious) would work. Apart from that the only thing I'm aware of would be an anti-magic field. Chains and cages would not prevent the druid shapeshifting, unless you wanted to homebrew a magic item with that specific effect.

[rollingForInit]

IIRC the Moonbeam can force a shapeshifter to revert back to its original form.

[Daishain]

Aside from the options listed above:

As the DM, don't forget that the spells, potions, abilities, and magic items available to the players represent only a tiny fraction of the same available to you. The world of D&D is a mystical place chock full of variety, and three books do not even begin describing the things that can be done.

In the interest of fairness, you don't want to abuse this too much, but if you want your BBEG to have a druid counter? Make up a spell for him that forces the target to revert to natural form on a failed save. Or perhaps a magic item that emits an aura to the same effect, or a potion that can be shoved down a shapshifter's throat that prevents shifting for a time, or enchanted manacles that prevent shifting. Hell, you could make up a material that causes significant burn damage to a shifted creature. Stuff a shifter into a straight jacket made of the same. The sky is the limit in that regard

[WampDiesel]

Hello!

I am a DM and one of my players is a Druid. Now, do not get me wrong, I don't want to stop the guy from using his abilities, I am just wondering in which circumstances can shapeshifting be stopped or prevented? The BBEG knows he can transform, and is quite smart, so he would probably try to find a way to stop him... For example, if you put a Druid in chains or a small cage for example, does it prevent shifting?

Thanks!

In a previous campaign we played that if the shifted animal was the sucessful target of a sleep spell it would revert him back to a sleeping humanoid. Only worked once the hit points were whittled down a bit though as brown bears are tanky.

[illyrus]

Assuming you're thinking of a capture situation. Once he's expended his shapeshifts the druid will need a short rest to be able to do it again. So just have a minion walk by and interrupt his short rest every half hour.

If the BBEG is worried the druid is going to have a shapechange left then he has some prisoners he throws in the room also chained up. The druid is chained to the wall on a pressure plate. If the pressure plate detects a significant shift in weight a hail of darts fires from the ceiling onto the druid and the prisoners. It also triggers an alarm. The BBEG explains this to the druid. So it is possible for the druid to escape (though if he switches to a small form that has low hp he might be immediately dropped out of the form due to the darts). He'll be sacrificing the other prisoners to get out that way.

[Vogonjeltz]

You could say he has a supply of wolfsbane or some other herb known to interfere with shape shifting, try to introduce this to the Druid in an earlier setting (like, he sees some bushes and recognizes them as wolfsbane, an herb that Druids know to inhibit transformation from wildshape, polymorph, and other similar abilities.)

Then, later on, have the BBEG slip the Druid a Mickey, in his drink saying: you notice an unusual flavor, the musky scent of wolfsbane!

[Shining Wrath]

PHB explicitly states that the spells listed therein are only the most common spells; it is not exclusive.

DMG actually gives rules for creating your own artifacts; if you can create artifacts, you can create magic items.

I think big cities and nobles would have shackles which shut off shapeshifting and / or drained spell slots from the person within them. Once you put them into play, though, that means the PCs can ask "Where can I get one of those?" and you may find your BBEG shackled with magic shackles by a stealthy Rogue.

Which is, in fact, a good thing. Players making use of the world as you describe it means immersion and fun.