mer.c
2016-03-23, 08:34 PM
Welcome to the second edition of Critique my Tweaks! This time, I'm looking at balancing Moon Druid in advance of one of my players picking up the kit for Princes of the Apocalypse. I'm a novice at DMing and at 5e, so I'd love any feedback the good folks at GitP could provide.
My goals are to encourage fun, balanced gameplay without adding too much additional complexity or making broad, sweeping changes to the fundaments of the ruleset. So in general, I prefer to introduce a new mechanic, ability, or tweak instead of rewriting an entire kit.
So, here's what I'm looking at. Also note that with these tweaks, I'd be ruling out Monk Martial Arts/Unarmored Defense/Ki abilities while shapeshifted, so no worries about overpowering Monk/Druid multiclass.
Circle of the Moon
Problem: Actually, there are several. At level 2, Moon Druids are absolute monsters, and can trivialize an encounter and/or other characters' contributions. At level 6, they seem to balance out. Past that point, they get weaker and weaker, until level 20, when they get pretty nuts again.
Alongside the level-to-level imbalance, Moon Druids have a few other troubles in my opinion. Namely, their enhanced wild shape doesn't give them much other than huge gobs of extra HP. The AC is generally pretty awful, the damage isn't very impressive, and you have no intrinsic way punishing your enemies from ignoring you (aside from maybe trying to knock Moonbeam off of you or something). So along with toning down the early-level supremacy, I'd look at giving them some new toys to play with across the board. My hope is that this would give them a smoother power curve that feels good from start to finish.
Tweaks
Circle Forms (changed): Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as 1/2. Starting at 4th level, you can transform into a beast with challenge rating as high as 1. Starting at 6th level, you can transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down. (You ignore the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the other limitations there.)
You can use your wild shape two times at 2nd level. This increases to 3 times at 5th level and 4 times at 17th level. You regain expended wild shape uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Natural Predator: Starting at 11th level, when you are under the effect of wild shape, you can expend a spell slot as a bonus action to gain one of the following effects. These effects end if you change shape for any reason.
Primal Fury: Target one creature per level of spell slot expended within 15 feet of you. Until your next turn, each affected creature has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you or another creature with this feature. A creature is immune to this effect if it can't see or hear you or if it can't be frightened.
Savage Might: Your wild shape form’s natural weapons deal an additional 1d6 damage on your first attack each turn per round and you give +1 to attack rolls for number of rounds equal to 1 plus the level of spell slot expended. If your wild shape is merged with a Druid weapon with a +2 or greater enchantment, the bonus to attack rolls becomes +2 instead of +1.
Wild Endurance: You gain +3 natural armor class for a number of rounds equal to 1 plus the level of the spell slot expended.
Reasoning
The first change (wild shape CR progression) means a lower jump in power at level 2, while leaving most of the progression intact and still making sure Brown Bear get its time to shine.
The second change (wild shape charge progression) does two things: it gives Moon Druids a little more flexibility/longevity early on, and it eliminates the imbalance of infinite Fast Healing 126 at level 20. It does this without fundamentally altering the way wild shape works, which I like to try to do when possible. I know some people address it by making the humanoid form take damage from wild shape damage, or by stunning a character on reverting, but I feel like the crux of the problem is more the unlimited uses than the mechanic itself. If people feel strongly that there should also be a stiffer penalty for taking damage in wild shape, I can consider that too.
Of course, this means Druids would need a new capstone, which I'm fine with. I don't intend to bring our group to level 20, but I'm working on some capstone ideas just in case (one for Land Circle and one for Moon Circle). They'd probably be pretty potent, since they're replacing one of the best capstones in the game. Personally I'd hope to make them a little less powerful (at least for Moon Druids with bonus-action wild shape), but more flashy and fun.
The third change (Natural Predator) is bigger in scope, definitely. But I think it makes sense, and it's not overly complicated. The purpose is to pad Moon Druids out in some places they're lacking while giving them an additional way to get use out of spellslots during wild shape. It also mirrors the Martial classes' level 11 damage bump (3rd attack, Improved Divine Smite, etc.). I think giving Moon Druids an equivalent permanent bump would send them over the top. So my hope is that by making them them expend an existing, limited resource for it, it will be fun, useful, and balanced. Also, while I'm not trying to balance one against the other, I really like the parallel between Natural Predator and Divine Smite. Finally, Savage Might means at least your enchanted weapon can do something while you're in wild shape, which is a nice bonus.
Potential Pitfalls
These numbers are untested and unrefined. If I keep these mechanics, they'd need some tuning. So there's that to consider. I realize that adding +1 enchantment at +1d6 is a lot, as is adding +3 AC. But at 1 turn per level of spell expended, and with wild shapes' generally poor damage and AC, that felt like a good place to start. Also remember that we can't just compare to, say, Shield or Divine Smite because the entire class has to be factored into the balancing equation.
Further, this could represent just too much utility on Moon Druids. Giving them the potential to exchange resources for extra tanking power, extra defense, or extra damage might give them too much flexibility, letting them fill too many rolls at a whim. I doubt they'd be able to parallel a focused build (they're not getting the damage resistance + extended disadvantage of Bear Barbarians, or the resilience of a Defense martial class, the sustained damage of a Rogue, the nova ability of a Paladin…), but getting those abilities on top of being a full spellcaster is quite a bit. I'd hope that tying the abilities to an existing long-rest-limited resource will keep things in check.
Finally, while I hope these changes would average out to being balanced against other classes, I don't know what that would do to Moon Druid vs. Land Druid balance. As I understand it, it's generally thought that Land Druids are fine if not extraordinary full casters, but lacking a bit compared to what Moon Druids get with their gobs of HP supported by concentration spells for DPR. Shoring up some of Moon Druids' weaknesses might put Land Druids in a bad spot in comparison, even if the former has some of its strengths brought back into line. If people feel like that's the case, I'll consider a few tweaks for Land Druids too.
––––––––––
My hope is that these changes would smooth out the Moon Druid's power curve, which currently starts high and peaks very early, then tapers off, then jumps way up again at level 20. I'd love to hear what people think on numbers, balance, aesthetic, rules consistency, etc. Does Natural Predator go too far? Does it come at the right time?
Thanks for reading – looking forward to seeing what people have to say!
Previous Critique my Tweaks
Avatar Monk and Beast Master Ranger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?481195-Avatar-Monk-and-Beast-Master-%96-Critique-my-Tweaks&highlight=critique+my+tweaks)
My goals are to encourage fun, balanced gameplay without adding too much additional complexity or making broad, sweeping changes to the fundaments of the ruleset. So in general, I prefer to introduce a new mechanic, ability, or tweak instead of rewriting an entire kit.
So, here's what I'm looking at. Also note that with these tweaks, I'd be ruling out Monk Martial Arts/Unarmored Defense/Ki abilities while shapeshifted, so no worries about overpowering Monk/Druid multiclass.
Circle of the Moon
Problem: Actually, there are several. At level 2, Moon Druids are absolute monsters, and can trivialize an encounter and/or other characters' contributions. At level 6, they seem to balance out. Past that point, they get weaker and weaker, until level 20, when they get pretty nuts again.
Alongside the level-to-level imbalance, Moon Druids have a few other troubles in my opinion. Namely, their enhanced wild shape doesn't give them much other than huge gobs of extra HP. The AC is generally pretty awful, the damage isn't very impressive, and you have no intrinsic way punishing your enemies from ignoring you (aside from maybe trying to knock Moonbeam off of you or something). So along with toning down the early-level supremacy, I'd look at giving them some new toys to play with across the board. My hope is that this would give them a smoother power curve that feels good from start to finish.
Tweaks
Circle Forms (changed): Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as 1/2. Starting at 4th level, you can transform into a beast with challenge rating as high as 1. Starting at 6th level, you can transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down. (You ignore the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the other limitations there.)
You can use your wild shape two times at 2nd level. This increases to 3 times at 5th level and 4 times at 17th level. You regain expended wild shape uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Natural Predator: Starting at 11th level, when you are under the effect of wild shape, you can expend a spell slot as a bonus action to gain one of the following effects. These effects end if you change shape for any reason.
Primal Fury: Target one creature per level of spell slot expended within 15 feet of you. Until your next turn, each affected creature has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you or another creature with this feature. A creature is immune to this effect if it can't see or hear you or if it can't be frightened.
Savage Might: Your wild shape form’s natural weapons deal an additional 1d6 damage on your first attack each turn per round and you give +1 to attack rolls for number of rounds equal to 1 plus the level of spell slot expended. If your wild shape is merged with a Druid weapon with a +2 or greater enchantment, the bonus to attack rolls becomes +2 instead of +1.
Wild Endurance: You gain +3 natural armor class for a number of rounds equal to 1 plus the level of the spell slot expended.
Reasoning
The first change (wild shape CR progression) means a lower jump in power at level 2, while leaving most of the progression intact and still making sure Brown Bear get its time to shine.
The second change (wild shape charge progression) does two things: it gives Moon Druids a little more flexibility/longevity early on, and it eliminates the imbalance of infinite Fast Healing 126 at level 20. It does this without fundamentally altering the way wild shape works, which I like to try to do when possible. I know some people address it by making the humanoid form take damage from wild shape damage, or by stunning a character on reverting, but I feel like the crux of the problem is more the unlimited uses than the mechanic itself. If people feel strongly that there should also be a stiffer penalty for taking damage in wild shape, I can consider that too.
Of course, this means Druids would need a new capstone, which I'm fine with. I don't intend to bring our group to level 20, but I'm working on some capstone ideas just in case (one for Land Circle and one for Moon Circle). They'd probably be pretty potent, since they're replacing one of the best capstones in the game. Personally I'd hope to make them a little less powerful (at least for Moon Druids with bonus-action wild shape), but more flashy and fun.
The third change (Natural Predator) is bigger in scope, definitely. But I think it makes sense, and it's not overly complicated. The purpose is to pad Moon Druids out in some places they're lacking while giving them an additional way to get use out of spellslots during wild shape. It also mirrors the Martial classes' level 11 damage bump (3rd attack, Improved Divine Smite, etc.). I think giving Moon Druids an equivalent permanent bump would send them over the top. So my hope is that by making them them expend an existing, limited resource for it, it will be fun, useful, and balanced. Also, while I'm not trying to balance one against the other, I really like the parallel between Natural Predator and Divine Smite. Finally, Savage Might means at least your enchanted weapon can do something while you're in wild shape, which is a nice bonus.
Potential Pitfalls
These numbers are untested and unrefined. If I keep these mechanics, they'd need some tuning. So there's that to consider. I realize that adding +1 enchantment at +1d6 is a lot, as is adding +3 AC. But at 1 turn per level of spell expended, and with wild shapes' generally poor damage and AC, that felt like a good place to start. Also remember that we can't just compare to, say, Shield or Divine Smite because the entire class has to be factored into the balancing equation.
Further, this could represent just too much utility on Moon Druids. Giving them the potential to exchange resources for extra tanking power, extra defense, or extra damage might give them too much flexibility, letting them fill too many rolls at a whim. I doubt they'd be able to parallel a focused build (they're not getting the damage resistance + extended disadvantage of Bear Barbarians, or the resilience of a Defense martial class, the sustained damage of a Rogue, the nova ability of a Paladin…), but getting those abilities on top of being a full spellcaster is quite a bit. I'd hope that tying the abilities to an existing long-rest-limited resource will keep things in check.
Finally, while I hope these changes would average out to being balanced against other classes, I don't know what that would do to Moon Druid vs. Land Druid balance. As I understand it, it's generally thought that Land Druids are fine if not extraordinary full casters, but lacking a bit compared to what Moon Druids get with their gobs of HP supported by concentration spells for DPR. Shoring up some of Moon Druids' weaknesses might put Land Druids in a bad spot in comparison, even if the former has some of its strengths brought back into line. If people feel like that's the case, I'll consider a few tweaks for Land Druids too.
––––––––––
My hope is that these changes would smooth out the Moon Druid's power curve, which currently starts high and peaks very early, then tapers off, then jumps way up again at level 20. I'd love to hear what people think on numbers, balance, aesthetic, rules consistency, etc. Does Natural Predator go too far? Does it come at the right time?
Thanks for reading – looking forward to seeing what people have to say!
Previous Critique my Tweaks
Avatar Monk and Beast Master Ranger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?481195-Avatar-Monk-and-Beast-Master-%96-Critique-my-Tweaks&highlight=critique+my+tweaks)