best creatures for shapechange

[elfinboy]

my lv17 druid recently got shapechange what are the best creatures to turn into that deal damage but allow me to do good DPR while being the party healler

[Neknoh]

What circle are you? Have you checked any of the build guides on this forum?

[elfinboy]

i've looked at the guides and they were only a little helpful


grassland circle but how would that affect shapechange

[MaxWilson]

my lv17 druid recently got shapechange what are the best creatures to turn into that deal damage but allow me to do good DPR while being the party healler

Adult Red Dragon is pretty good. High mobility, no trouble keeping concentration due to +13 on Con saves and legendary resistances in a pinch, good built-in AoE. Damage is a little bit anemic compared to a real dragon due to not getting the legendary actions for tail slaps, but overall it's still good for a druid.

Shadow Dragons are even better, usually, if you can manage one, due to the Stealth Expertise + bonus action Hide + damage resistance to almost everything. Obviously they're not better in sunlight but they're way better than standard dragons in e.g. a dim, danky dungeon context.

Remember though that the key restrictions on Shapechange are "The creature can't be a construct or an Undead, and you must have seen the sort of creature at least once." It's no good us telling you to Shapechange into something that is illegal for you. Think of the toughest creature you've seen and try to shapechange into one of those.