What spells should a high level druid be casting?

[KorvinStarmast]

I just want to reiterate Sunbeam, and I'm incredibly happy to see it so well recommended here by everyone else.

Its my absolute favorite spell in the game. So much so that I championed adding it to the Cleric list for Tasha's, and... One designer acknowledged to me that it honestly should've been there from the start.

I am going to lobby with my DM to get that as a mystic arcanum for my Celestial Warlock (she already has wall of light) but I am not sure if he'll go along with it.

[Azuresun]

And if you ever get a chance to choose the battlefield in advance or want to fortify a home base, Druid Grove is amazing. The whole area is now rough terrain and blinding.....but only for your enemies.

[jaappleton]

I am going to lobby with my DM to get that as a mystic arcanum for my Celestial Warlock (she already has wall of light) but I am not sure if he'll go along with it.

I might do the same, so I can play a Paladin that isn't a Paladin.

I do wish WOTC would explore more 'inherently good' aspects of Warlocks for 5e. Even aside from inherently good creatures that a Warlock could make a pact with, there's plenty of not-good creatures that can be associated with radiant. Evil gods and their exarchs, for example, and in 4th edition there was the star-like being Caiphon, whose followers specialized in Cold and Radiant damage.

Plenty of precedence for it. Should be on there. It'd instantly be my favorite Mystic Arcanum.

[KorvinStarmast]

I might do the same, so I can play a Paladin that isn't a Paladin.

I do wish WOTC would explore more 'inherently good' aspects of Warlocks for 5e. Even aside from inherently good creatures that a Warlock could make a pact with, there's plenty of not-good creatures that can be associated with radiant. Evil gods and their exarchs, for example, and in 4th edition there was the star-like being Caiphon, whose followers specialized in Cold and Radiant damage.

Plenty of precedence for it. Should be on there. It'd instantly be my favorite Mystic Arcanum.

Given how limited Mystic Arcanums (arcanae?) are for any warlock (and as I read RAW one is not allowed to change them at level up unlike spells, which seems a very strict rule of dubious value to me) I'd like to see each patron's list expand to include a few more choices based on patron.

Or is that getting too far off the feel of Warlock there?

[Eldariel]

Given how limited Mystic Arcanums (arcanae?) are for any warlock (and as I read RAW one is not allowed to change them at level up unlike spells, which seems a very strict rule of dubious value to me) I'd like to see each patron's list expand to include a few more choices based on patron.

Or is that getting too far off the feel of Warlock there?

Honestly? I think it feels more Warlockey. The whole concept of "Warlock spell list" is kind of absurd considering their power literally comes from an otherworldly being - different otherworldly beings have very different powers and many of them don't make sense on many Warlocks.

[jaappleton]

Honestly? I think it feels more Warlockey. The whole concept of "Warlock spell list" is kind of absurd considering their power literally comes from an otherworldly being - different otherworldly beings have very different powers and many of them don't make sense on many Warlocks.

Agreed.

The same argument could be made for Clerics Domain spells, I feel.

These two classes specialize in having power granted by something else. Whether an otherworldly being or a divine power, etc. Your special flavor of sugar daddy shouldn't stop at 5th level spells.

[Captain Panda]

Shapechange is the best spell in the game. Teleportation, scrying, etc. can make it pretty easy to expand your horizons but you don't need much to make it bonkers.

Best as in most fun, or strongest? Definitely isn't stronger than True Polymorph.

[Eldariel]

Best as in most fun, or strongest? Definitely isn't stronger than True Polymorph.

I think it's the strongest. True Polymorph can do some stuff Shapechange can't but Shapechange lets you combine spellcasting and arbitrary forms which is pretty sweet, and access over a 1000 forms per casting (Extended) while True Polymorph takes a casting per form. True Polymorph has some really absurd abilities like generating N wraiths off Atropal over a day or two, but Shapechange lets you like Teleport without Error, use almost unbeatable location abilities (e.g. Elder Brain mind radar and telepathy and such), various kinds of minionmancy (e.g. Retrievers off Drow Matron Mother), basically every level 5- spell in the game and most level 6+ ones too, and of course all sorts of absurd physical options and ability options (you can pick someone's mind, create copies off them, eat someone's brain, eat someone's soul, etc. - whatever needs doing).

For consolidating power, True Polymorph is probably stronger and of course you want both, but Shapechange is nuts for actually doing things.

[sambojin]

Another thing I mentioned, but probably not enough: Conjure Woodland Beings. Yes, they're spell batteries, but they're so much more and there's a tonne of fun things to do, no matter the encounter or campaign type.

These days, there is just so much there, that with a somewhat permissive DM, you can do a lot with that one spell prep choice. And they're smart, and most of them have hands, can use equipment, and can talk. You're also conjuring them from the Feywild, so there's none of the "there's none of that animal type in this terrain" stuff to not give you the type you choose, they're all there, all the time. It's where they live, when they're not helping out with druid shenanigans.

Brigganock: have minor illusion x8 and silence and faerie fire. It can tunnel through solid rock and meld into it. And 8x1 hours of work done in six seconds(!). Why, yes, I'd like an underground fortress for the little people next turn. Or a fortress wall demolished. Or a pretty damn major illusion, or all spellcasters shutdown, or hit'n'hope faerie fire barrages, or all the animal buddies (give them a day of free training while you're at it). So much to do....

Mite: you just got Mass Bane, but better, and there's no DC for the effect. The -d6 simply works. It doesn't stack, but welcome to masses of bounded inaccuracy and ineptitude 🤭. Dex disadvantage and -d6 to Dex saves is brutal. Legendary saves do not apply to this effect, but they'll have to blow through them as all of your spells land. Or just restrain-on-hit with the certainty that they're never leaving that condition.

Alseid: a couple of extra plant growths will ail them while it cures you. Stack difficult terrain on top of it with your own spells to be sure.

Screaming Devilkin: constantly repeating incapacitation, at DC10 Wis, with a free AC17 dodge action. It's lockdown Jim, but not as we know it.

Quickling: disadvantage against AC16 is about AC19-20. 2x Three attacks with unlimited daggers at +8to-hit is about "better than Animate Dead will ever be". Sure, they die quick, but boy do they move quick as well.

Satyr Thornbearer: for when you get bored of summoned beasts/ fey, have a crappy archer with a pierce damage cone. It'll help you get used to the dragons when you just want a cheap taste of one (it can ride around on you in wildshape if you'd like).

Sea Hag: A DC11 Wis instant death spell, that is repeatable for an hour the moment something is frightened. In some parties, this happens pretty regularly. Things whiffing rolls and dying to Sea Hags that is.

This is on top of all the standard "I want all the Pixies" stuff from the spell. It's really versatile, and once you DM knows you'll choose all kinds of random stuff, they may even give you what you want sometimes, including Pixies.

[Psyren]

Honestly? I think it feels more Warlockey. The whole concept of "Warlock spell list" is kind of absurd considering their power literally comes from an otherworldly being - different otherworldly beings have very different powers and many of them don't make sense on many Warlocks.

Agreed.

The same argument could be made for Clerics Domain spells, I feel.

These two classes specialize in having power granted by something else. Whether an otherworldly being or a divine power, etc. Your special flavor of sugar daddy shouldn't stop at 5th level spells.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here with a small dissent - general spell lists exist for "entity-granted power" because the patron and deity are not the be-all and end-all for your character's powers, rather they are also granting you access to a common source available to other practitioners of your particular class. Obviously this has gamist reasons - balance and ease of play are both improved if there is a solid core of common spells that the player, their party, and the DM can expect to be there no matter which warlock or cleric they're working with - but there can be an in-universe, simulationist explanation too.

To wit, the designers gods, when forming the world and the rules of magic, designated a number of spells as being available to all clerics as a compromise amongst them - thus letting every cleric, say, be able to deal with disease or raise the dead instead of only the ones who worship deities with influence over those particular spheres of reality. And Patrons, since they are not deities, have their hands tied even more in terms of the power they can grant - so they would welcome a common source of power they can all dip into to entice more mortals to pact with them even moreso, one which contains boons that they'd have a much harder time granting by themselves. (How else would a unicorn get access to spider climb for instance?)

Now where I might agree is that the general list contains some spells that should be pact-specific. A fey or celestial pact warlock shouldn't really be granting summon undead or summon lesser demons for instance, and while I don't think Hunger of Hadar is out of reach for them, a name change to fit with their version wouldn't be remiss - but I think those kinds of minor tweaks can be separated from the idea of removing a general list entirely.