Druid Guide 5e: Wild Shape, Spells, and Complete Builds
A Druid controls where a fight happens. You can bind foes with roots, make a route too costly to cross, or become a beast to get through a gap your companions cannot. You prepare new spells for each expedition, but in a fight you usually have to choose one concentration spell and give it room to work.
This guide uses 2014 D&D 5e. The 2024 Druid uses a different Wild Shape system, covered separately below.
Druid quick build
Start as a wood elf with Dexterity 16 and Wisdom 16. Choose Guidance and Produce Flame. Prepare Entangle, Healing Word, Goodberry, and Detect Magic at level 1. Wear leather, carry a wooden shield and a sprig of mistletoe, and choose Circle of the Land at 2 for extra casting. Use Wild Shape to solve problems your spell slots cannot, such as slipping through a gap or following a scent.
How Wild Shape works
At level 2 you can spend an action to become a beast you have seen. You have two uses and recover both on a short or long rest. The form lasts up to half your Druid level in hours, rounded down. You can end it early as a bonus action, and it ends automatically if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.
| Druid level | Normal maximum CR | Movement limit |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 | 1/4 | No swimming or flying speed |
| 4–7 | 1/2 | No flying speed |
| 8+ | 1 | Swimming and flying forms allowed |
You take the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice and keep your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. When you return, you resume your previous hit points, with excess damage carrying over if the form dropped to 0. For example, if your wolf has 3 HP and takes 10 damage, 7 carries over to your Druid. Choose whether your equipment falls, merges, or stays worn if the form can practically wear it. Merged equipment has no effect.
You cannot cast in the form until Beast Spells at 18, but transforming leaves existing concentration in place. When you take damage, you still roll the save using the form’s Constitution, subject to the feature’s proficiency rules. You can still use an action granted by an ongoing spell, such as calling another bolt with Call Lightning. Moon changes when you can transform and what you can become.
Prepared spells, equipment, and concentration
Wisdom controls your spell DC and how many spells you can prepare. Prepare your Druid level plus Wisdom modifier from the Druid list after a long rest, with a minimum of one and within the levels you can cast. Circle spells can add to that list. You can use any appropriate slot to cast a prepared spell, and you can ritual-cast a prepared spell with the ritual tag. Slots return on a long rest unless a feature says otherwise.
Use Dexterity for AC and initiative and Constitution to help retain concentration. The 2014 class says Druids will avoid metal armor and shields. Leather and a wooden shield are straightforward starting choices. If your campaign has nonmetal medium armor, ask the DM what is available. Hold a druidic focus or use a component pouch for eligible materials. With a shield equipped, keep the other hand available for the focus or somatic components. Priced or consumed components still need to be supplied.
- Low-level control. Entangle is most valuable when enemies have already clustered. Spike Growth makes movement costly even if targets know the terrain is dangerous. Leave allies a safe route.
- Recovery and information. Healing Word gets someone back into the fight at range. Goodberry is for planned recovery and food. Guidance and Detect Magic both require concentration, so either ends a different spell you were already concentrating on.
- Third-level choices. Plant Growth can alter movement without concentration when vegetation is available. Dispel Magic is a flexible answer to hostile spells. Call Lightning can be efficient if the space can accommodate the cloud and you expect several rounds.
Druid progression by class level
| Level | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1 | Druidic and Spellcasting |
| 2 | Wild Shape and Druid Circle |
| 3 | 2nd-level spells |
| 4 | Ability Score Improvement or optional feat, third cantrip, and CR 1/2 forms without flying |
| 5 | 3rd-level spells |
| 6 | Circle feature |
| 7 | 4th-level spells |
| 8 | Ability Score Improvement or optional feat, CR 1 forms, and flying forms |
| 9 | 5th-level spells |
| 10 | Circle feature and fourth cantrip |
| 11 | 6th-level spells |
| 12 | Ability Score Improvement or optional feat |
| 13 | 7th-level spells |
| 14 | Circle feature |
| 15 | 8th-level spells |
| 16 | Ability Score Improvement or optional feat |
| 17 | 9th-level spells |
| 18 | Timeless Body and Beast Spells, with material component limits |
| 19 | Ability Score Improvement or optional feat |
| 20 | Archdruid grants unlimited Wild Shape and relaxes spell components under its conditions |
Choosing a Druid Circle
| Circle | Choose it for | Tradeoff | 2014-compatible source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | Extra cantrip and slot recovery at 2, with additional prepared spells by terrain from 3 | Your combat plan still depends on positioning and protecting concentration | SRD 5.1 |
| Moon | Bonus-action transformations and CR 1 forms from 2, then higher-CR forms from 6 | You need approved stat blocks and a reason to be in melee. Spellcasting is usually unavailable in beast form | 2014 Player’s Handbook |
| Stars | A constellation form for ranged attacks, extra healing, or steadier concentration | Uses the same Wild Shape pool as your beast forms, and the Archer option competes for later bonus actions | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything |
At Land 2, Natural Recovery restores expended slots after a short rest once per long rest. Their levels can total up to half your Druid level, rounded up, and none can be 6th level or higher. At 5 that could restore one 3rd-level slot or a 2nd- and a 1st-level slot. Coastal Land adds Mirror Image and Misty Step at 3, then Water Breathing and Water Walk at 5. Those spells stay prepared and sit outside your normal count.
A Moon Druid can transform as a bonus action and spend a slot as a bonus action while shaped to heal the form for 1d8 per slot level. The usual movement restrictions still apply. A brown bear is a legal CR 1 combat form at Moon 2 if you have seen one. At Moon 6 the CR cap becomes one-third your Druid level rounded down, and its attacks count as magical for overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks. At Moon 10 you can spend both uses for an eligible elemental form.
Three complete 2014 Druid builds
These builds use 27-point buy and list Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. All start with leather armor, wooden shield, quarterstaff, an explorer’s pack, and a sprig of mistletoe, plus the listed background equipment. Level-5 HP uses fixed increases. All have slots 4/3/2. The 2014 Player’s Handbook is needed for wood elf and Circle of the Moon.
| Level | Shared spell plan |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cantrips Guidance and Produce Flame. Prepare Entangle, Healing Word, Goodberry, and Detect Magic |
| 3 | Add Spike Growth and Lesser Restoration |
| 4 | Add the Thorn Whip cantrip, or retain it as your Land bonus cantrip and choose Resistance at 4 |
| 5 | Prepare the six spells above plus Dispel Magic, Plant Growth, and Pass without Trace, subject to the swaps below |
Wood elf coastal Land controller
- Scores. Start 8, 14, 13, 10, 15, 12. Wood elf adds two Dexterity and one Wisdom for 8, 16, 13, 10, 16, 12. Raise Wisdom by two at both 4 and 8.
- Skills and spells. Outlander grants Athletics and Survival. Take Nature and Insight from Druid and Perception from wood elf. Choose Thorn Whip as the Land bonus cantrip at 2. At 5 use the shared nine spells and the four coastal circle spells.
- At 5. AC 16 with leather and shield, HP 33, spell save DC 15, spell attack +7, and Natural Recovery for three combined slot levels. Produce Flame deals 2d8 on a hit within 30 feet.
- Turn. Cast Spike Growth between advancing foes and the party, then stay out of melee. On later turns, if you can reach a target with Thorn Whip, pull it through the hazard. The build depends on suitable terrain and concentration.
Hill dwarf Moon front-liner
- Scores. Start 8, 14, 15, 10, 15, 8. Hill dwarf adds two Constitution and one Wisdom for 8, 14, 17, 10, 16, 8. Raise Wisdom by two at both 4 and 8.
- Skills and spells. Acolyte grants Insight and Religion. Take Perception and Survival from Druid. At 5 prepare the shared nine spells but exchange Plant Growth for Call Lightning. Keep a brown bear stat block ready if you have seen the beast.
- At 5. AC 15 in leather with shield and HP 48 including Dwarven Toughness. Spell save DC 15 and spell attack +7 in Druid form. The bear has AC 11, 34 HP, and +5 to hit with its attacks.
- Turn. Cast Entangle, then use Combat Wild Shape to become a bear and approach without blocking an ally’s route. You can use the bear’s Multiattack on a later turn. Save your second form for when the party needs it. In melee, damage can end concentration and the form’s low AC makes hits likely.
Human forest Land scout
- Scores. Start 8, 13, 15, 9, 15, 11. Standard human raises every score by one for 9, 14, 16, 10, 16, 12. Raise Wisdom by two at both 4 and 8.
- Skills and spells. Folk Hero grants Animal Handling and Survival. Take Perception and Nature from Druid. Use the Land cantrip plan. At 5 exchange Spike Growth for Speak with Animals and Dispel Magic for Protection from Energy. Your forest circle spells add Barkskin, Spider Climb, Call Lightning, and Plant Growth. Because Plant Growth is already a circle spell, prepare Water Breathing in its place on the regular list.
- At 5. AC 15 in leather with shield, HP 43, spell save DC 15, and spell attack +7. Natural Recovery can restore a 2nd- and a 1st-level slot after one short rest.
- Turn. If a patrol approaches across an overgrown path, use the action version of Plant Growth to slow that route while leaving your own escape lane. It preserves concentration on Pass without Trace if you already have it running. The tactic needs normal plants in the area.
Feats, multiclassing, and exploration
An early Wisdom increase improves your spell DC and preparation count. If you keep losing important spells, War Caster (2014 Player’s Handbook) helps with concentration saves caused by damage. Resilient (Constitution) from the same book is worth considering with an odd Constitution score, particularly if you want proficiency for other Constitution saves too. Check your current form and proficiency rules when resolving a save while transformed.
Druid multiclassing requires Wisdom 13 plus the other class’s prerequisite. A Cleric level can add prepared options and domain features, but delays your circle progression and higher-level Druid spells. Determine each class’s prepared spells separately even if shared multiclass slots let you upcast them. Moon Druids also delay higher-CR forms by taking levels in another class.
A spider can get through a narrow gate opening if the route is physically possible. Before scouting, agree where to meet and what will signal danger. You may be unable to speak in the form, and a mundane spider’s senses and speed still apply.
2024 Druid changes
| Topic | 2014 Druid | 2024 Druid |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass and training | Circle at 2 | Primal Order at 1 and circle at 3. Warden grants martial weapon and medium armor training |
| Transformation | Usually an action, with available forms based on beasts seen | Bonus action for every Druid, with a limited roster of known forms. Swimming forms are available at 2 |
| Hit points and Moon | Beast HP replaces yours, with excess damage carrying over | Keep your HP and gain temporary HP equal to Druid level. Revised Moon gets three times Druid level instead |
| Uses | Two, fully restored on short and long rests | Two at 2, three at 6, and four at 17. Recover one on a short rest and all on a long rest |
| Resource conversion | Circle features handle special uses | Wild Resurgence at 5 exchanges spell slots and Wild Shape uses under its own limits |
| Spellcasting and progression | Preparation depends on Wisdom plus level, with an ordinary improvement at 19 | Fixed preparation counts, Wild Companion at 2, Elemental Fury at 7 with an improvement at 15, and an Epic Boon at 19 |
The revised class drops the 2014 metal armor wording. Use the revised spell and beast stat blocks if you convert a build. Revised Moon can also cast certain circle spells while shaped before the base class gains Beast Spells.
Druid FAQ
Can I concentrate while Wild Shaped? Yes. You can maintain a spell you cast before transforming, but damage still calls for a concentration save.
Can I speak in Wild Shape? In 2014 your speech depends on the capabilities of the beast form. The revised rules let you speak in Wild Shape.
Can a level-2 Moon Druid become a giant eagle? No. The level-2 CR increase leaves the movement limits in place. A flying form normally waits until Druid 8.
Rules sources. The 2014 rules and options use SRD 5.1, the 2014 Player’s Handbook, and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. The comparison uses SRD 5.2.1 and the official revised Wild Shape and Moon overview. Builds and examples are original.