Help me finish my Druid Tank crafting

[Anime Squirrel]

SO here is basicly what i m going for. A big mean animal running into mobs to keep them off my super squishy mage pal. I'm planing on 18 druid for mammoth . Already looking at sentinel.
For the last 2 levels (or first 2 idk) im looking at monk or barb. If im right both should net me some free AC in beast form.

mnk nets me 2 ki point, Free extra d4+ attack, x2 d4+ attack with point, a dash dodge or disengage. as well as +10 speed

barb gets me 2 rages/day for +2 dmg and half damage from "PSB".

Both using point buy for stat base

Wood Elf Race, Hermit background

I'm personally leaning more twords monk and would like to know what i have over looked.

[CaptAl]

Not all DMs will be amenable to allowing an animal form to use martial arts for the bonus action. The argument is between natural weapons vs unarmed. A bear, for example, is never unarmed and therefore can't make an unarmed (martial arts) strike. Nor are natural weapons, strictly speaking, monk weapons. You'd still be able to burn Ki points on patient defense, and possibly get your wisdom to AC, again DM fiat.

The general agreement seems to be that rage works while shifted, making you a true bearbarian, and massively extending your HP buffer. Your CON score changes with form, though. Probably will be DM fiat on the unarmored defense there as well.

If you're not starting at level 3, you'll want to start as either Barbarian, or Monk, because level 1 of Druid will be weak as a "tank" concept.

[bid]

The main interpretation of "natural armor" seems to be that it works like light or heavy armor. For instance, draconic sorcerers have 13+Dex AC because of their natural armor. Since mammouth have a negative Dex, it prolly uses the heavy armor static value.

Unarmored allows you to use a different formula:
- barbarian mammouth has 10 + -1 + 5 = AC14
- monk mammouth has 10 + -1 + 5 = AC14 (assuming you have Wis20)

Using this interpretation, you must pick a single way to calculate and cannot mix and match pieces. I guess you're still better using barkskin.

[Anime Squirrel]

I believe my DM is under the impression that unarmored defense works differently than mage armor mechanics because it adds not changes. He believes class features that dont glaringly clash with the animal form are usable in animal form.

natural weapons are odd. Because there weapons but, is a bear holding a traditional weapon. No but its a "natural weapon" so...yes? Im not so worried about that though 1d4+ w/e is nice but not worth haggling over IMO.

[RickAllison]

The main interpretation of "natural armor" seems to be that it works like light or heavy armor. For instance, draconic sorcerers have 13+Dex AC because of their natural armor. Since mammouth have a negative Dex, it prolly uses the heavy armor static value.

Unarmored allows you to use a different formula:
- barbarian mammouth has 10 + -1 + 5 = AC14
- monk mammouth has 10 + -1 + 5 = AC14 (assuming you have Wis20)

Using this interpretation, you must pick a single way to calculate and cannot mix and match pieces. I guess you're still better using barkskin.

It seems that the Monk dip is a better option than barbarian because the mammoth is one of the few creatures that has sufficient Con to bring Barbarian's UD to par with 20 Wisdom. Barkskin is very potent for a single-class Druid (though maybe not the best option for concentration) but Monk could outpace it on several. Monk is better than Barkskin for the following forms: Ape, Baboon, Bat, Blood Hawk, Cat, Constrictor Snake, Deer, Dire Wolf, Eagle, Flying Snake, Giant Centipede, Giant Bat, Giant Constrictor Snake, Giant Crab, Giant Eagle, Giant Elk, Giant Hyena, Giant Owl, Giant Rat, Giant Poisonous Snake, Giant Sea Horse, Giant Wasp, Giant Weasel, Giant Wolf Spider, Hawk, Jackal, Lion, Mastiff, Octopus, Panther, Poisonous Snake, Quipper, Raven, Saber-tooth Tiger, Spider, Tiger, Weasel, and Wolf. It seems as though the best options for a monk MC are lower CR creatures. Now, if you rolled stats or otherwise ended up with a massive Intelligence, going two levels of Bladesinger get the Int modifier no matter what.

By the way, according to the MM, natural armor explicitly functions like light armor if it's not a bonus (which is debatable by looking at the sum total of references to it). Mammoths just have that high of a natural armor :smallwink:

EDIT: AnimeSquirrel, natural armor as a calculation method versus a bonus is a debated issue. On the one hand, it functions like UD where it cannot be used with armor (though that could be a case where if it's able to get past the better, it can get past the weaker armor just as well), but on the other it is referred to as a bonus throughout the MM and several parts of the DMG and the language of the Armor Class heading in the introduction to the MM said AC is based on Dex and natural armor rather than equaling such as is used in the PHB for UD for both barbarians and monks.