Build advice shepherd druid

[Spacehamster]

So to begin with I meant to play a heavily armored(feat from custom lineage) drakewarden but we used rolled ability scores
with no option for standard array or point buy and I rolled abysmally low 11/10/13/16/12/5 and those scores did not really
do it for my main option so I opted for a Tortle shepherd druid instead, ability scores after tashas flexible ability scores:
str 11, dex 13, con 13, int 10, wis 18, cha 5.
We are going to start new campaign(frost maiden) in January, idea is going single class so all 12 levels in druid.
My ponderings is what feats/ASI´s would the playground pick? My idea were in order I take them: Resilient CON, Skill expert or magic initiate(wizard for familiar spell
& two cantrips) and at last either max WIS or whichever of skill expert or magic initiate that I did not take at level 8.
His background is outlander & his skills are stealth, perception, survival, athletics & nature.

[tokek]

Druids have their own familiars now and Shepherd Druids don’t really need their wildshape for other things so I would skip magic initiate.

Resilient con looks like a great first pick

There are a few options to further protect your concentration. War caster is good. You might try lucky as an alternative - unless you are getting hit a lot it’s pretty decent and it’s far more flexible. In a skill focus session it can even help with your skills.

Any caster wants Alert feat and shepherd Druid is no different. Putting your wall of beasts between you and danger before the danger can act is clutch.

[Spacehamster]

Druids have their own familiars now and Shepherd Druids don’t really need their wildshape for other things so I would skip magic initiate.

Resilient con looks like a great first pick

There are a few options to further protect your concentration. War caster is good. You might try lucky as an alternative - unless you are getting hit a lot it’s pretty decent and it’s far more flexible. In a skill focus session it can even help with your skills.

Any caster wants Alert feat and shepherd Druid is no different. Putting your wall of beasts between you and danger before the danger can act is clutch.

Well I will have high AC for a druid so dont know if both resilient con and warcaster is nessecary, especially since I will be in the back and not on the frontlines I will rarely get hit,
also I get advantage on Con saves when I retreat into my shell so feels a bit like doubling down when I can just go shell defence after casting my summons(would ofc not retreat into shell with melee mobs close to me)
and command my beasts from the safety of 21 AC & disadvantage for range to hit me. :) Alert is probably a good idea, dont I need my wild shapes for infiltration & such?

[stoutstien]

Well I will have high AC for a druid so dont know if both resilient con and warcaster is nessecary, especially since I will be in the back and not on the frontlines I will rarely get hit,
also I get advantage on Con saves when I retreat into my shell so feels a bit like doubling down when I can just go shell defence after casting my summons(would ofc not retreat into shell with melee mobs close to me)
and command my beasts from the safety of 21 AC & disadvantage for range to hit me. :) Alert is probably a good idea, dont I need my wild shapes for infiltration & such?

I wouldn't really recommend using the Shell feature often. Being prone negates most of the benefits and even when you do come out of it you are still prone so just dodging or dropping prone is a better choice in most instances. Extra protection while you sleep I guess.

[Spacehamster]

I wouldn't really recommend using the Shell feature often. Being prone negates most of the benefits and even when you do come out of it you are still prone so just dodging or dropping prone is a better choice in most instances. Extra protection while you sleep I guess.

Will probably use it quite a lot just for amazing RP & hillarious mental image of muffled orders shouted from a turtle shell lying on the ground. ;)

[tokek]

Well I will have high AC for a druid so dont know if both resilient con and warcaster is nessecary, especially since I will be in the back and not on the frontlines I will rarely get hit,
also I get advantage on Con saves when I retreat into my shell so feels a bit like doubling down when I can just go shell defence after casting my summons(would ofc not retreat into shell with melee mobs close to me)
and command my beasts from the safety of 21 AC & disadvantage for range to hit me. :) Alert is probably a good idea, dont I need my wild shapes for infiltration & such?

The niche for when you need wildshape rather than a familiar does exist but I don’t think it will come up often enough to duplicate your find familiar ability. A feat is a huge investment

I see your point with war mage but I felt duty bound to mention it.

I would take resilient con first. Then take lucky and alert in whichever order feels best for the campaign as you are playing it

If you have high AC lucky is more powerful - if a high proportion of what gets through your AC are crits then lucky is all the better. It’s a very scarce resource but a very powerful one

[da newt]

#1 spend some time in session 0 type talks working w/ your DM to streamline conjure animals and their combat so that it doesn't negatively effect game play. I like to treat the conjures as a swarm using average damage and even normalized to hit %, and create a small list of creatures the caster can choose.

#2 Bear Totem and grapples/shoves can be VERY effective for your CA.

#3 maxing WIS isn't as important to a summoner so things like RES CON, ALERT, LUCKY etc are great choices.

[RogueJK]

Resilient CON at Druid 4 is a no-brainer, both to round out your 13 CON as well as to boost your Concentration to maintain your summoning spells. Definitely grab that.

From there, I'd either do Alert at 8 and 20 WIS at 12, or two WIS half-feats at 8 and 12 like Fey Touched (Gift of Alacrity) and Skill Expert. Either way, boosting your Initiative bonus beyond +1 will be worthwhile.

Don't bother with Magic Initiate Wizard or Find Familiar. Your 2x Wild Shapes recharge on a Short Rest, and your Druid Familiar lasts an hour per 2 Druid Levels. So by the time you hit Druid 8 to have an ASI to spend, your Familiar will be lasting 4 hours per Wild Shape charge. Therefore, even if you only get 1 short rest that day, you still have half your Wild Shapes available for actual Wild Shaping. You'll have plenty available throughout the day to both scout/infiltrate and have a Familiar. (And your Familiar can do a lot of the scouting anyway...)

(If you're dead-set on picking up the Find Familiar spell, it'd be better to do it via Ritual Caster Wizard anyway. This at least lets you grab all the other useful Wizard rituals as well, and could make your Druid an even better utility caster. Unless there's already a Wizard in the party, in which case it's redundant.)



#3 maxing WIS isn't as important to a summoner

That depends on whether you're using the Conjure X spells (which don't care about WIS) or the Summon X spells (which do for the creature's attack rolls and ability save DC).