Unusual Wild Shape Optimizations

[ftafp]

i recently discovered wild shape allows you to keep your equipment if it makes sense for you to wear it, and that set me off trying to figure out if i could optimize a weapon-wielding baboon.

ultimately, the end results were a bit disappointing (pack tactics and climb speed are cool and all, but every build i came up with was weaker as a monkey than it was as a humanoid), but it brought me back to the very beginning of my current campaign when i tried to optimize an octopus familiar, and now im wondering what's possible.

anyone got any ideas?

[MaxWilson]

i recently discovered wild shape allows you to keep your equipment if it makes sense for you to wear it, and that set me off trying to figure out if i could optimize a weapon-wielding baboon.

ultimately, the end results were a bit disappointing (pack tactics and climb speed are cool and all, but every build i came up with was weaker as a monkey than it was as a humanoid), but it brought me back to the very beginning of my current campaign when i tried to optimize an octopus familiar, and now im wondering what's possible.

anyone got any ideas?

Armor-wearing ape is a pretty good way for a Shepherd druid to eke out HP. If you're a Changeling you can even shift your appearance back to look human. Nice way to pick up 38 free HP per short rest, especially in Tier 1-2.

[sambojin]

Firbolg could probably have disguise self carry over on Ape form, for some more hiding goodness.

Speaking of which, all druids get Ape form at lvl4. It's generally better in every way than a baboon. You can carry a shield and still use multiattack for instance, and you're medium sized, so normal sized armour could fit them after a bit of tailoring (you'll mostly be in studded leather or hide, so it's a seamstress or leatherworkers job, not a full-on armourer job).

There's a fair bit to be said about the ability of velociraptors, frilled deathspitters and deinonychi being able to carry shields and weapons. It might not be better than your natural armour AC, but you might have feats that improve your abilities with shields (or simply have a very good magic shield). Weapons probably won't be any better than their multiattacks, but there's also the possibility of carrying ranged weapons (slings and crossbows for instance. Stone pouches or bolt quivers aren't exactly hard to hang off nearly any form). They essentially have hands (or talons, anyway), and probably could use this stuff if they knew how. It just so happens that you know how when you're wildshaped into one. You only need one of the named limbs free to multiattack, so a deinonychus with a hand crossbow (if you snag martial weapons from somewhere) can still claw twice and bite once and pounce while carrying one.

Same for Shillelagh use. You have to cast it before you wildshape, but all of the above can have a magic attack if you want. You don't get much simpler to use than a club or a long stick. Could also probably be stacked with PAM if you wanted to get a bonus action magic attack while Shillelagh is going. The second part of PAM (AoO when entering your reach) triggers just by holding a quarterstaff, you can actually use any attack for the AoO by RAW, although a quarterstaff is usually as good as anything you've got. Stuff like pack tactics should still work too, for advantage on the reaction attack.


There's a few more, but that's it off the top of my head.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Air Genasi and pull an underwater rhinocerous on them.

[sambojin]

PAM and a giant octopus wielding a staff or spear (they've got plenty of tentacles, and could wield a stick if they were as smart as you). 15' reach attacks of opportunity where they only have to enter within 15' (not leave your reach) for it to proc. And those attacks grapple and restrain :)

PAM is just as much of a mindset in combat and training of how to hit people early with opportunity attacks, as it is about the weapons themselves (which is why it applies to so many weapons).

[sambojin]

If UA is allowed, take a level of fighter for a fighting style. Take the Mariner fighting style from UA: Waterborne Adventures. It gives you a swim and climbing speed when wearing light or no armour.

All your wildshapes now have a swim and climb speed equal to their movement speed :)

(if they'd be able to do so. Probably best to not expect your warhorse form to climb the rigging up to a crows nest on a ship. They do make pretty handy boats or submarines in-of themselves though)

[ForeverFlame]

If UA is allowed, take a level of fighter for a fighting style. Take the Mariner fighting style from UA: Waterborne Adventures. It gives you a swim and climbing speed when wearing light or no armour.

All your wildshapes now have a swim and climb speed equal to their movement speed :)

(if they'd be able to do so. Probably best to not expect your warhorse form to climb the rigging up to a crows nest on a ship. They do make pretty handy boats or submarines in-of themselves though)

On a related topic, I'm currently playing a Water Genasi Druid, which for some reason carries over a swim speed from the race :smallconfused: