Sindeloke
2015-09-09, 08:42 PM
Exactly what it says on the tin, this is an adjustment to Wild Shape and the Circle of the Moon subclass to make the system function in a more clean, effective, and balanced way.
It's based on three simple premises.
Premise 1: Moon Druid is a gish subclass
Premise 2: Wild Shape should be, like all 5e concepts, as simple as possible
Premise 3: Wild Shape should, to the degree that it does not interfere with satisfying the first two premises, make intuitive in-game sense
Well, premise 1 defines our balance point. If the Moon Druid is a gish, it should be comparable to the game's most functional gishes, like paladin, EK and bladelock. The theme of wild shape has always been the druid who goes so native he spends years as a bear and almost forgets what it is to be human, as he prowls his forests and protects them from orcs with nothing but his claws and teeth, so we need a wild shape that the druid can stay in for months and years and can effectively wrestle a paladin or barbarian while doing so. However, as a functional gish, that physical prowess must come at the cost of magical potency; like other classes spending spells to smite, Hex, or self-Haste, the Moon Druid should spend spells to make his Wild Shape competitive. And, like other gishes, magic weapons and armor should have a meaningful effect on the Moon Druid, so he's neither too powerful in a game without them nor too weak in a game where they're present.
Combining this with Premise 2 tells us that we need to go back to Pathfinder and 3.p Unearthed Arcana, and make Wild Shape a simple buff, with one or two simple, easily understood and implemented effects. 5e shied violently away from changing a character's core attributes (observe the Enhance Attribute spell), and for good reason - doing so means recalculating skill and attack values on the fly. If we simply replace a stat block with another one, we invalidate magic weapons and armor, screw up health tracking, and create a situation where players and DMs have to individually adjudicate every time just how much you add to your d20 when you attempt an Athletics check to climb (am I proficient? Is the animal? Do I add its strength to my proficiency? What if its proficiency is lower? What even *is* its proficiency, since it's not actually listed in the block). Not to mention the issue of digging through three different chapters of three different books to figure out what the most current version of an animal is, which ones live wherever you come from, which one is best, and what it does for you. Or the issue of new creatures being added in future splats with no real consideration for how any new abilities work for PCs.
As for Premise 3, that means hippogriffs need to be as valid as flying snakes, and gamist stuff like "well you can't fly until high level, because, um... balance" needs to be somehow justified in the fluff and dealt with in an organic way. Not really a big deal holistically, but it helped a lot to inspire a coherent system.
So! WILD SHAPE.
This feature lets you use your action to assume the physical form of natural creatures that you're familiar with. When you use this ability, you morph into the shape of a natural creature of your choice; this can be a normal animal, a plant creature, or any other non-sentient, natural member of a normal ecology (such as a rust monster or gryphon, but not a blink dog or beholder). Your attributes, class features, hit points, and other statistics do not change, except that you lose any special senses, movement types, or natural attacks your race grants you that your new form doesn't have. Your equipment shifts form with you, and with the exception of shields, remains active as normal; you retain the effect of any magical items or armor you are wearing, and any magical traits your weapon might have now apply to your natural attacks (if any). Any tools, wallets or similar are obviously inaccessible, but if such an item conveys an advantage for simply having it on your body, you retain that advantage. Essentially, you are exactly yourself, but wearing a very good disguise.
While in wild shape, you physically *are* the creature you have chosen. Your new shape is completely accurate, and possesses any intrinsic abilities or environmental adaptations that creature has (such as a giant spider's webbing, a wolf's warm fur, or a shark's ability to breathe water). Without generations of instinct or a lifetime of experience, however, it is difficult to properly use muscles you've never had before, interpret sensory information your brain has never tried to process, or even compensate for a vastly different leg length and center of gravity. The natural magic of wild shape can only overcome a few of these differences, allowing you to gain only a few specific benefits from any single use of wild shape, no matter how many exotic capabilities the animal you're copying has; see Wild Shape Options, below.
You may remain in a wild shape indefinitely, and freely shift from one shape to another without returning to your native form in between, but you cannot speak, cast spells or recover expended spell slots while not in your native form (though you may continue to concentrate on spells you've already cast). You may revert freely whenever you could take an action or automatically upon your death. You cannot be forced to revert, however, even by antimagic or unconsciousness, and only your behavior or a true seeing effect can reveal your true nature to even the most knowledgeable observer.
Wild Shape Options
When you first gain this ability, you have two wild shape options:
Scout Shape. In order to explore or infiltrate an area, you sacrifice physical precision for a better mastery of a creature's special senses and broad mobility; when all you need to do is get from A to B, it doesn't matter if your flying is clumsy. When you take scout shape, you assume the form of a Tiny natural creature, such as a sparrow, hare or carp. In Scout shape:
You lose the ability to take actions other than Dash, as you do not have the fine motor control over your new form required to use objects or engage in combat
You have disadvantage on any Strength or Dexterity saves or checks, for the same reason
You gain one special movement speed: 20 ft burrow, 40 ft climb, 40 ft swim, 40 ft fly, or 40 ft walk
You gain one special sense: 60 ft blindsight, 120 ft darkvision, 30 ft tremorsense, or advantage on ability checks made with one sense of your choice
Beyond this, you gain no other new abilities. The features you gain must be consistent with the shape you take; blindsight is found on owls and bats, not squirrels, for example, and burrow is common to skunks, but unreasonable for trout or doves.
Hunter Shape. In order to make yourself more effective in combat, you focus yourself on gaining every lethal edge a powerful animal's strength and agility can provide; it doesn't matter if you can't properly interpret the vibrations in your tremorsense organs when you're mostly worried about capably dodging a fireball. When you take hunter shape, you assume the form of a Small or Medium natural creature, such as a lynx, crocodile or giant scorpion. In Hunter Shape:
You have one Strength-based natural weapon that deals 1d6 damage (if Small) or 1d8 damage (if Medium), and has a +1 bonus to attack. Its damage type is determined by the weapon (piercing for a bite or sting, slashing for a claw, etc)
Choose one of Acrobatics, Athletics or Stealth; you add your Wisdom modifier as a bonus on checks with that skill
You either gain a climb or swim speed equal to half your walk speed, or increase one speed you already have by 5 ft
You gain temporary hit points equal to your druid level upon first shifting into this form
Beyond this, you gain no other new abilities. The features you gain must be consistent with the shape you take; a bear does not have a sting attack, and a giant ant cannot swim.
We then make some adjustments at higher levels.
9th: You learn to mimic the most basic of magical gestures and utterances while in animal form. You can freely cast cantrips while in wild shape, provided those cantrips require no material focus.
18th: You increase your ability to make sophisticated sounds and gestures while in animal form, allowing you to cast spells of up to 6th level while in wild shape. You still cannot provide material components while wild shaped, or therefore cast spells that require them.
So have we satisfied our premises? Well, we've got premise 2. No more looking up stat blocks or comparing animals. You just pick a purely cosmetic shape, look at your own character sheet, and add a movement speed. If you're in hunter form often, you can add a 1d8 natural attack entry in your weapons section and its the only one you'll ever need. Your skills and ability checks are unchanged. This also helps with premise 1, since now we scale properly - no more bottoming out at level 8 when your own attack bonus and AC is higher than any animal's ever will be - and take proper advantage of magic weapons and armor. As for premise 3, there's now no irrational lock-out on flight; you can become a giant owl from day 1, it's just that you don't know how to fly and fight at the same time in an unfamiliar body. (Unless you already know how to fly; note there's essentially a built-in provision for aaracokra druids to choose a flying hunter form in the "add 5 feet to a current speed" bit).
Also important is a new nerf: we've limited spellcasting to the level 6 breakpoint, so the increased power of the wild shape doesn't permit barbarian-strength Meteor Storm Bears. There's still no way to compete with a real martial character, though, so let's make some adjustments to Moon Druid.
Circle of the Moon
Swift Wild Shape
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action, or as a reaction whenever you take damage.
Additionally, you have the ability to customize your wild shape forms to create distinctive and unique features; an orc druid could preserve her tattoos and ritual scars in the form of scale patterns, for example, or a tiefling could become a bear with curling ram's horns. You may impersonate a specific existing creature as well, such as an enemy general's loyal hound, although a successful Disguise or Deception check would still be required to fool an attentive mark.
Strength of the Moon
The rites of your circle allow you to empower your wild shape forms by drawing upon your primal magic. When you use your wild shape ability to take hunter shape, you may expend a number of spell slots at the same time to grant that form extra abilities. You cannot spend a spell slot of a higher level than your highest level druid spell, and you cannot spend more total spell slots on one transformation than your druid level. Whatever features you add must also be compatible with the creature you become; a dire hawk does not use poison, nor does a giant scorpion cast a web. See the sidebar for a list of abilities and their spell slot cost (or speak with your DM about new features you want, to work out a balanced cost).
Additionally, while you are transformed, you may use a bonus action to expend one spell slot, regaining 1d8+your Wisdom modifier hit points per level of the spell expended.
Burn a first level spell to gain any one of the following.
Augmented Weapon: Your natural weapon deals 2 bonus damage.
Burrow: You gain a burrow speed equal to half your walk speed.
Charge: If you move at least 20 feet before attacking, you may 1d6 to the damage roll for that attack.
Darkvision: You gain darkvision out to 60 feet.
Keen Sense: Select one sense (such as vision or scent). You have advantage on ability checks that rely on that sense.
Quills: You have quills, spines or thorns that you can fire at an enemy as a ranged attack. These deal 1d6 damage, have a range of 30/60, and are otherwise a normal natural attack for you.
Surefooted: You are not slowed or unbalanced by snow, ice, sand, or loose scree.
Burn a second level spell to gain any one of the following.
Blindsight: You gain blindsight out to 30 feet.
Constrict: When you successfully grapple a creature, you may deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage to it as part of the grapple. You may use a grapple attempt to restrain a creature, and are not considered restrained yourself when you do so.
Knockdown: When you make a successful natural attack, you may spend a bonus action to attempt to shove your target.
Lightning Speed: You do not provoke opportunity attacks on your turn from any creature you make an attack against on that turn.
Spider Climb: You gain the spider climb ability. Your form must already have a climb speed.
Tremorsense: You gain tremorsense out to 30 feet.
Web: As an action, you may shoot a sticky web, forcing a single creature to make a Dexterity save or be immobilized as though in the area of a web spell. This ability recharges on a 5 or 6.
Burn a third level spell to gain any one of the following.
Grab: When you make a successful natural attack, you may spend a bonus action to attempt to grapple your target.
Increase Size: You may take the form of a Large creature. This increases your natural weapon damage by one die size.
Multiattack I: Instead of one natural weapon, you have two natural weapons, which deal either 1d8 and 1d8, or 1d6 and 1d10 damage (if Medium; adjust up or down for Large or Small forms). When you take the Attack action, you may attack once with each weapon (or substitute a Shove or Grapple attempt for either, as normal).
Poison: When you make a successful natural attack, you may spend a bonus action to deal an additional 1d4 poison damage. The target must make a Constitution save or suffer the poisoned condition until the beginning of your next turn.
Trample: You may move freely through the space of a prone enemy, and provoke no opportunity attacks from that enemy for doing so. You may make a single natural attack against such an enemy as a bonus action.
Burn a fourth level spell to gain any one of the following.
Earthmover: You gain a burrow speed equal to your walk speed, and can even carve through rock and wood while digging.
Flight: You gain a fly speed equal to your walk speed.
Burn a fifth level spell to gain any one of the following.
Multiattack II: Instead of one natural weapon, you have three natural weapons, which deal 1d6, 1d6, and 1d10 damage (if Medium; adjust up or down for Large or Small forms). When you take the Attack action, you may attack once with each weapon.
Primal Strike
Starting at 6th level, your attacks while in wild shape become magical. Additionally, while you are transformed, when you hit a creature with a natural attack, you may expend one spell slot to deal cold, fire, or lightning damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d6 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each two spell levels higher than 1st (so 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th), to a maximum of 5d6.
Elemental Forms
By 10th level, you have learned to take the forms of the most powerful and primal of nature's creatures. You gain a new use of Wild Shape, called Primal Shape. A primal shape can be that of a medium or large dragon, draconic creature, or elemental. In this shape, you gain immunity (if an elemental) or resistance (if a dragon) to one damage type. You gain a bite or slam attack that deals 2d6 damage (either piercing if you are a dragon, or of the same element as your immunity, if you are an elemental), and you gain either a 15-foot cone, 30-foot line, or 10-foot radius burst that you may use as an action, which deals 5d6 damage of the same damage type as your immunity/resistance and recharges on a 5 or 6. Creatures in the area of your attack may attempt a Dexterity save to take half damage.
You may also spend spell slots to add features to your primal shape just as you would your hunter shape, using the same table and the same conditions (it would be a rare fire elemental that could swim). You may also spend a 4th level spell slot to add a second immunity/resistance (such as becoming an air elemental that is immune to both cold and lightning damage); if you do so, your area attack may deal damage of either type.
And level 14 is fine as is, it doesn't really interact with Wild Shape at all, so there's the properly-gish Moon Druid.
And how are we doing with our premises? Looks good to me. This is a beast who can't anywhere near keep up with pallies and fighters for at-will damage without resources, but can stay competitive by giving up spellcasting to add multiattacks and poison, and spending its high number of spell slots on Primal Strike if burst is really needed. It has a lot of versatility with both in and out of combat utility, but can't have all of it at once because of the slot cap restriction and the requirement to match a specific animal. It can't pull an onion druid despite infinite shape uses, because it's only useful in combat if it burns spell slots on augmenting itself, and it doesn't get those spell slots back without dropping shape and taking a long rest. It makes intuitive sense that you'd have to spend more magic to better inhabit and take advantage of an animal the more alien it is, and you don't have to keep track of anything or have any resources on hand beyond a single sheet of paper with all possible buffs on it. Laminate it and mark it with dry erase check marks to remember what abilities you have at any given moment, if you need. The balance can't be broken by new animals, because you don't automatically get any new abilities just by becoming a new animal, you have to pay for them.
And it's still less complicated than spellcasting or zeusdamned warlocks. :smallcool:
It's based on three simple premises.
Premise 1: Moon Druid is a gish subclass
Premise 2: Wild Shape should be, like all 5e concepts, as simple as possible
Premise 3: Wild Shape should, to the degree that it does not interfere with satisfying the first two premises, make intuitive in-game sense
Well, premise 1 defines our balance point. If the Moon Druid is a gish, it should be comparable to the game's most functional gishes, like paladin, EK and bladelock. The theme of wild shape has always been the druid who goes so native he spends years as a bear and almost forgets what it is to be human, as he prowls his forests and protects them from orcs with nothing but his claws and teeth, so we need a wild shape that the druid can stay in for months and years and can effectively wrestle a paladin or barbarian while doing so. However, as a functional gish, that physical prowess must come at the cost of magical potency; like other classes spending spells to smite, Hex, or self-Haste, the Moon Druid should spend spells to make his Wild Shape competitive. And, like other gishes, magic weapons and armor should have a meaningful effect on the Moon Druid, so he's neither too powerful in a game without them nor too weak in a game where they're present.
Combining this with Premise 2 tells us that we need to go back to Pathfinder and 3.p Unearthed Arcana, and make Wild Shape a simple buff, with one or two simple, easily understood and implemented effects. 5e shied violently away from changing a character's core attributes (observe the Enhance Attribute spell), and for good reason - doing so means recalculating skill and attack values on the fly. If we simply replace a stat block with another one, we invalidate magic weapons and armor, screw up health tracking, and create a situation where players and DMs have to individually adjudicate every time just how much you add to your d20 when you attempt an Athletics check to climb (am I proficient? Is the animal? Do I add its strength to my proficiency? What if its proficiency is lower? What even *is* its proficiency, since it's not actually listed in the block). Not to mention the issue of digging through three different chapters of three different books to figure out what the most current version of an animal is, which ones live wherever you come from, which one is best, and what it does for you. Or the issue of new creatures being added in future splats with no real consideration for how any new abilities work for PCs.
As for Premise 3, that means hippogriffs need to be as valid as flying snakes, and gamist stuff like "well you can't fly until high level, because, um... balance" needs to be somehow justified in the fluff and dealt with in an organic way. Not really a big deal holistically, but it helped a lot to inspire a coherent system.
So! WILD SHAPE.
This feature lets you use your action to assume the physical form of natural creatures that you're familiar with. When you use this ability, you morph into the shape of a natural creature of your choice; this can be a normal animal, a plant creature, or any other non-sentient, natural member of a normal ecology (such as a rust monster or gryphon, but not a blink dog or beholder). Your attributes, class features, hit points, and other statistics do not change, except that you lose any special senses, movement types, or natural attacks your race grants you that your new form doesn't have. Your equipment shifts form with you, and with the exception of shields, remains active as normal; you retain the effect of any magical items or armor you are wearing, and any magical traits your weapon might have now apply to your natural attacks (if any). Any tools, wallets or similar are obviously inaccessible, but if such an item conveys an advantage for simply having it on your body, you retain that advantage. Essentially, you are exactly yourself, but wearing a very good disguise.
While in wild shape, you physically *are* the creature you have chosen. Your new shape is completely accurate, and possesses any intrinsic abilities or environmental adaptations that creature has (such as a giant spider's webbing, a wolf's warm fur, or a shark's ability to breathe water). Without generations of instinct or a lifetime of experience, however, it is difficult to properly use muscles you've never had before, interpret sensory information your brain has never tried to process, or even compensate for a vastly different leg length and center of gravity. The natural magic of wild shape can only overcome a few of these differences, allowing you to gain only a few specific benefits from any single use of wild shape, no matter how many exotic capabilities the animal you're copying has; see Wild Shape Options, below.
You may remain in a wild shape indefinitely, and freely shift from one shape to another without returning to your native form in between, but you cannot speak, cast spells or recover expended spell slots while not in your native form (though you may continue to concentrate on spells you've already cast). You may revert freely whenever you could take an action or automatically upon your death. You cannot be forced to revert, however, even by antimagic or unconsciousness, and only your behavior or a true seeing effect can reveal your true nature to even the most knowledgeable observer.
Wild Shape Options
When you first gain this ability, you have two wild shape options:
Scout Shape. In order to explore or infiltrate an area, you sacrifice physical precision for a better mastery of a creature's special senses and broad mobility; when all you need to do is get from A to B, it doesn't matter if your flying is clumsy. When you take scout shape, you assume the form of a Tiny natural creature, such as a sparrow, hare or carp. In Scout shape:
You lose the ability to take actions other than Dash, as you do not have the fine motor control over your new form required to use objects or engage in combat
You have disadvantage on any Strength or Dexterity saves or checks, for the same reason
You gain one special movement speed: 20 ft burrow, 40 ft climb, 40 ft swim, 40 ft fly, or 40 ft walk
You gain one special sense: 60 ft blindsight, 120 ft darkvision, 30 ft tremorsense, or advantage on ability checks made with one sense of your choice
Beyond this, you gain no other new abilities. The features you gain must be consistent with the shape you take; blindsight is found on owls and bats, not squirrels, for example, and burrow is common to skunks, but unreasonable for trout or doves.
Hunter Shape. In order to make yourself more effective in combat, you focus yourself on gaining every lethal edge a powerful animal's strength and agility can provide; it doesn't matter if you can't properly interpret the vibrations in your tremorsense organs when you're mostly worried about capably dodging a fireball. When you take hunter shape, you assume the form of a Small or Medium natural creature, such as a lynx, crocodile or giant scorpion. In Hunter Shape:
You have one Strength-based natural weapon that deals 1d6 damage (if Small) or 1d8 damage (if Medium), and has a +1 bonus to attack. Its damage type is determined by the weapon (piercing for a bite or sting, slashing for a claw, etc)
Choose one of Acrobatics, Athletics or Stealth; you add your Wisdom modifier as a bonus on checks with that skill
You either gain a climb or swim speed equal to half your walk speed, or increase one speed you already have by 5 ft
You gain temporary hit points equal to your druid level upon first shifting into this form
Beyond this, you gain no other new abilities. The features you gain must be consistent with the shape you take; a bear does not have a sting attack, and a giant ant cannot swim.
We then make some adjustments at higher levels.
9th: You learn to mimic the most basic of magical gestures and utterances while in animal form. You can freely cast cantrips while in wild shape, provided those cantrips require no material focus.
18th: You increase your ability to make sophisticated sounds and gestures while in animal form, allowing you to cast spells of up to 6th level while in wild shape. You still cannot provide material components while wild shaped, or therefore cast spells that require them.
So have we satisfied our premises? Well, we've got premise 2. No more looking up stat blocks or comparing animals. You just pick a purely cosmetic shape, look at your own character sheet, and add a movement speed. If you're in hunter form often, you can add a 1d8 natural attack entry in your weapons section and its the only one you'll ever need. Your skills and ability checks are unchanged. This also helps with premise 1, since now we scale properly - no more bottoming out at level 8 when your own attack bonus and AC is higher than any animal's ever will be - and take proper advantage of magic weapons and armor. As for premise 3, there's now no irrational lock-out on flight; you can become a giant owl from day 1, it's just that you don't know how to fly and fight at the same time in an unfamiliar body. (Unless you already know how to fly; note there's essentially a built-in provision for aaracokra druids to choose a flying hunter form in the "add 5 feet to a current speed" bit).
Also important is a new nerf: we've limited spellcasting to the level 6 breakpoint, so the increased power of the wild shape doesn't permit barbarian-strength Meteor Storm Bears. There's still no way to compete with a real martial character, though, so let's make some adjustments to Moon Druid.
Circle of the Moon
Swift Wild Shape
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action, or as a reaction whenever you take damage.
Additionally, you have the ability to customize your wild shape forms to create distinctive and unique features; an orc druid could preserve her tattoos and ritual scars in the form of scale patterns, for example, or a tiefling could become a bear with curling ram's horns. You may impersonate a specific existing creature as well, such as an enemy general's loyal hound, although a successful Disguise or Deception check would still be required to fool an attentive mark.
Strength of the Moon
The rites of your circle allow you to empower your wild shape forms by drawing upon your primal magic. When you use your wild shape ability to take hunter shape, you may expend a number of spell slots at the same time to grant that form extra abilities. You cannot spend a spell slot of a higher level than your highest level druid spell, and you cannot spend more total spell slots on one transformation than your druid level. Whatever features you add must also be compatible with the creature you become; a dire hawk does not use poison, nor does a giant scorpion cast a web. See the sidebar for a list of abilities and their spell slot cost (or speak with your DM about new features you want, to work out a balanced cost).
Additionally, while you are transformed, you may use a bonus action to expend one spell slot, regaining 1d8+your Wisdom modifier hit points per level of the spell expended.
Burn a first level spell to gain any one of the following.
Augmented Weapon: Your natural weapon deals 2 bonus damage.
Burrow: You gain a burrow speed equal to half your walk speed.
Charge: If you move at least 20 feet before attacking, you may 1d6 to the damage roll for that attack.
Darkvision: You gain darkvision out to 60 feet.
Keen Sense: Select one sense (such as vision or scent). You have advantage on ability checks that rely on that sense.
Quills: You have quills, spines or thorns that you can fire at an enemy as a ranged attack. These deal 1d6 damage, have a range of 30/60, and are otherwise a normal natural attack for you.
Surefooted: You are not slowed or unbalanced by snow, ice, sand, or loose scree.
Burn a second level spell to gain any one of the following.
Blindsight: You gain blindsight out to 30 feet.
Constrict: When you successfully grapple a creature, you may deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage to it as part of the grapple. You may use a grapple attempt to restrain a creature, and are not considered restrained yourself when you do so.
Knockdown: When you make a successful natural attack, you may spend a bonus action to attempt to shove your target.
Lightning Speed: You do not provoke opportunity attacks on your turn from any creature you make an attack against on that turn.
Spider Climb: You gain the spider climb ability. Your form must already have a climb speed.
Tremorsense: You gain tremorsense out to 30 feet.
Web: As an action, you may shoot a sticky web, forcing a single creature to make a Dexterity save or be immobilized as though in the area of a web spell. This ability recharges on a 5 or 6.
Burn a third level spell to gain any one of the following.
Grab: When you make a successful natural attack, you may spend a bonus action to attempt to grapple your target.
Increase Size: You may take the form of a Large creature. This increases your natural weapon damage by one die size.
Multiattack I: Instead of one natural weapon, you have two natural weapons, which deal either 1d8 and 1d8, or 1d6 and 1d10 damage (if Medium; adjust up or down for Large or Small forms). When you take the Attack action, you may attack once with each weapon (or substitute a Shove or Grapple attempt for either, as normal).
Poison: When you make a successful natural attack, you may spend a bonus action to deal an additional 1d4 poison damage. The target must make a Constitution save or suffer the poisoned condition until the beginning of your next turn.
Trample: You may move freely through the space of a prone enemy, and provoke no opportunity attacks from that enemy for doing so. You may make a single natural attack against such an enemy as a bonus action.
Burn a fourth level spell to gain any one of the following.
Earthmover: You gain a burrow speed equal to your walk speed, and can even carve through rock and wood while digging.
Flight: You gain a fly speed equal to your walk speed.
Burn a fifth level spell to gain any one of the following.
Multiattack II: Instead of one natural weapon, you have three natural weapons, which deal 1d6, 1d6, and 1d10 damage (if Medium; adjust up or down for Large or Small forms). When you take the Attack action, you may attack once with each weapon.
Primal Strike
Starting at 6th level, your attacks while in wild shape become magical. Additionally, while you are transformed, when you hit a creature with a natural attack, you may expend one spell slot to deal cold, fire, or lightning damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d6 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each two spell levels higher than 1st (so 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th), to a maximum of 5d6.
Elemental Forms
By 10th level, you have learned to take the forms of the most powerful and primal of nature's creatures. You gain a new use of Wild Shape, called Primal Shape. A primal shape can be that of a medium or large dragon, draconic creature, or elemental. In this shape, you gain immunity (if an elemental) or resistance (if a dragon) to one damage type. You gain a bite or slam attack that deals 2d6 damage (either piercing if you are a dragon, or of the same element as your immunity, if you are an elemental), and you gain either a 15-foot cone, 30-foot line, or 10-foot radius burst that you may use as an action, which deals 5d6 damage of the same damage type as your immunity/resistance and recharges on a 5 or 6. Creatures in the area of your attack may attempt a Dexterity save to take half damage.
You may also spend spell slots to add features to your primal shape just as you would your hunter shape, using the same table and the same conditions (it would be a rare fire elemental that could swim). You may also spend a 4th level spell slot to add a second immunity/resistance (such as becoming an air elemental that is immune to both cold and lightning damage); if you do so, your area attack may deal damage of either type.
And level 14 is fine as is, it doesn't really interact with Wild Shape at all, so there's the properly-gish Moon Druid.
And how are we doing with our premises? Looks good to me. This is a beast who can't anywhere near keep up with pallies and fighters for at-will damage without resources, but can stay competitive by giving up spellcasting to add multiattacks and poison, and spending its high number of spell slots on Primal Strike if burst is really needed. It has a lot of versatility with both in and out of combat utility, but can't have all of it at once because of the slot cap restriction and the requirement to match a specific animal. It can't pull an onion druid despite infinite shape uses, because it's only useful in combat if it burns spell slots on augmenting itself, and it doesn't get those spell slots back without dropping shape and taking a long rest. It makes intuitive sense that you'd have to spend more magic to better inhabit and take advantage of an animal the more alien it is, and you don't have to keep track of anything or have any resources on hand beyond a single sheet of paper with all possible buffs on it. Laminate it and mark it with dry erase check marks to remember what abilities you have at any given moment, if you need. The balance can't be broken by new animals, because you don't automatically get any new abilities just by becoming a new animal, you have to pay for them.
And it's still less complicated than spellcasting or zeusdamned warlocks. :smallcool: