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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next The Symbiotic Druid Subclass



The4bestgame
2020-04-17, 09:56 AM
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you add Spare the Dying to your list of known cantrips.

Symbiotic Form
At 2nd level, whilst in a wild shape form of the same size or smaller than a willing target you can attach yourself to them in order to give them temporary hitpoints equal to your wildshape hit points as a bonus action. Whilst in this state you can still take your actions as if you were standing in the targets space but movement will end the effect. Upon the temporary hitpoints being broken the wildshape will end and you will take the remaining damage. You may at any point on your turn detach as a free action, but cannot re-attach to the same person with the same wildshape charge.

Whilst combined in this form the target will take on light animistic features, webbed feat, animal ears, gills, scales or other distinguishing features of the animal.

Spirit of Life
Beginning at 6th level, your natural magic can mend the wounds of those nearby you. Whilst in wildshape people of your choice within 10 feet of you will regenerate half your druid level at the start of each of your turns as long as they have at least one health. Additionally people under the Blinded Deafened Paralyzed or Poisoned conditions will have those effects halted whilst in range.

True Symbiosis
At 10th level, your ability to sustain people through your beast forms evolves. When attached to someone you may now shield them for one quarter of your base HP as temp HP on top of the wildshape HP and you may cast any healing spells you have, but only on the person you are attached too.

Gift of Life
Starting at 14th level, whenever you Reincarnation you may roll three dice and choose the new form someone takes from them. Additionally you can use this spell on those who are still alive in order to give them one of these features for 24 hours. This becomes permanent after one year of casting.

14+dex natural armour.

1D6 finesse natural weapons

60 feat darkvision

1 hp regen per round

5 ft reach

A flight,swim or climb speed of 15 feet

Resistance to one type of damage

Segev
2020-04-17, 10:26 AM
Interesting concept, though I'm a little puzzled by some of the implementation specifics.

When attached, it says you can take your own actions. But you're wild shaped, and not very big; are you lashing out with natural weapons from his back? I suppose if you're concentrating on call lightning you can still use that.

With True Symbiosis, it says you can "shield [the creature you're attached to] for 1/4 your hit points." What does that mean? You're already giving him your wild shape form hp as temp hp. What does "shield" mean in this case, that it's distinct from doing that?

I recommend sharing special movement, sensory, or breathing modes with the creature to whom the druid is attached, as well. Maybe all three, maybe having to pick between them; I'm not sure on that.

The4bestgame
2020-04-17, 11:39 AM
Interesting concept, though I'm a little puzzled by some of the implementation specifics.

When attached, it says you can take your own actions. But you're wild shaped, and not very big; are you lashing out with natural weapons from his back? I suppose if you're concentrating on call lightning you can still use that.

With True Symbiosis, it says you can "shield [the creature you're attached to] for 1/4 your hit points." What does that mean? You're already giving him your wild shape form hp as temp hp. What does "shield" mean in this case, that it's distinct from doing that?

I recommend sharing special movement, sensory, or breathing modes with the creature to whom the druid is attached, as well. Maybe all three, maybe having to pick between them; I'm not sure on that.


I was wondering about the movement sensory and breathing options but I didn't want to clutter the level 2 ability too much as its already rather wordy. The goal with taking your actions is its treated as your character is on the same hex as the person you have merged with if that makes more sense? And yeah the "Shield" should be said as temp HP, my mistake for unclear language.

Segev
2020-04-17, 01:01 PM
But you're already shielding him with all your hp. How does shielding him with 1/4 you hp work?

The4bestgame
2020-04-17, 03:03 PM
But you're already shielding him with all your hp. How does shielding him with 1/4 you hp work?

Your shielding them with all of your wildshape HP, the temp HP now adds 1/4 of your base hp. How should I make that clearer?

Segev
2020-04-17, 03:17 PM
That sounds...complicated.

The way you've got it written, and the way rules would normally work, when you hit 0 hp your wild shape breaks. Is this letting you stay wild shaped for 1/4 of your own hp, applying them to the wild shape? Is it adding 1/4 of your hp on top of the temporary hp, and passing the damage through to your underlying true form without breaking the wild shape?

Maybe draw on it differently: when you attach to a creature, you may spend and roll up to 1/4 your own hit dice, and add your own Constitution modifier to them, and increase the temp hp granted by attaching by that amount.

I still don't like it, though, because it's referencing your underlying form, and the whole point of the way shapeshifting mechanics work in 5e is to let you refer only to the form you're wearing at any point in time.

I'm guessing the purpose is to help out the fact that small and tiny forms have relatively few hp, right?

Maybe make it a true symbiotic thing by asking something of the host? "When you attach to the creature, it may spend and roll up to 1/4 its hit dice, adding its constitution modifier to each. Increase the number of temporary hp you grant him by the amount rolled." This costs him a resource he could use during short rests, but gives him that resource up front and protects your attachment.

The4bestgame
2020-04-17, 04:23 PM
That sounds...complicated.

The way you've got it written, and the way rules would normally work, when you hit 0 hp your wild shape breaks. Is this letting you stay wild shaped for 1/4 of your own hp, applying them to the wild shape? Is it adding 1/4 of your hp on top of the temporary hp, and passing the damage through to your underlying true form without breaking the wild shape?

Maybe draw on it differently: when you attach to a creature, you may spend and roll up to 1/4 your own hit dice, and add your own Constitution modifier to them, and increase the temp hp granted by attaching by that amount.

I still don't like it, though, because it's referencing your underlying form, and the whole point of the way shapeshifting mechanics work in 5e is to let you refer only to the form you're wearing at any point in time.

I'm guessing the purpose is to help out the fact that small and tiny forms have relatively few hp, right?

Maybe make it a true symbiotic thing by asking something of the host? "When you attach to the creature, it may spend and roll up to 1/4 its hit dice, adding its constitution modifier to each. Increase the number of temporary hp you grant him by the amount rolled." This costs him a resource he could use during short rests, but gives him that resource up front and protects your attachment.

So the idea here is that when the host takes temp hp damage its not dealing damage to your wildshape, letting you jump off and keep your hp for wildshape but you can't jump back onto the same person. to give them the same temp HP, the idea is you should try avoid them loosing all their temp hp by jumping on and off people.

Segev
2020-04-17, 04:47 PM
So the idea here is that when the host takes temp hp damage its not dealing damage to your wildshape, letting you jump off and keep your hp for wildshape but you can't jump back onto the same person. to give them the same temp HP, the idea is you should try avoid them loosing all their temp hp by jumping on and off people.

Oh. Okay, while I can see that that's in the mechanics now that you spell it out, that's not what I picked up at all.

...that's actually very powerful. I'm not sure giving a bunch of temp hp from the same resource to as many party members as you like is a good idea, mechanically. But now I understand better the limitation on attaching to a person only once.

On the other hand, it's rapidly-diminishing utility as you go to characters less likely to be hit.

On the third hand (since we're shapeshifting druids, here), it's also giving YOU those temporary hp, effectively multiplying the number of hp your wild shape has by the number of people you can attach to without quite hitting the limit.

Have you done a survey of valid shapes that this power can be used with, considering CR and size together, and how well the hp actually stack up? A lot of low-CR tiny beasts are really low-hp, so the ability to hop off after taking a hit may rarely, if ever, come up. I guess that's what the 1/4 your hp thing was meant to help with. But even then, you're basically going for "I provide a free hit to my ally, at possibly no cost to me" is ... questionable.

Is the hp tanking thing the primary idea behind this, the thing you're envisioning as the impetus for the design? If not, I would consider what you think would be cool things to do instead of ways to manipulate your wild shape's hp for multiple hit-negations (or one mitigation).

The4bestgame
2020-04-17, 05:44 PM
Is the hp tanking thing the primary idea behind this, the thing you're envisioning as the impetus for the design? If not, I would consider what you think would be cool things to do instead of ways to manipulate your wild shape's hp for multiple hit-negations (or one mitigation).

Sort off? The idea comes from a few things - the cool visual of forming animal hybrids with your party members, having a druid based fully around support (think life cleric for druids) and being able to tank and ash around people protecting them. I wanted the disengage mechanic so encounters didn't become "I attach to the tank and spam cure wounds" I want a reason for you to keep helping the team rather than feeling locked to one till it breaks.