Wizards of the Wood
By: B.J. Guest
Hidden deep in the lush Ardeep Forest, wandering the dry hot sand of the Anauroch desert, carefully navigating the swamplands of the Mere of Dead Men; druids are everywhere in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. In this How to Build guide, We will go over what makes druids (my favorite D&D class) different from other classes and which races would make great druids!
The Eye of the Tiger- Druid Wild Shape
The key feature that makes druids unique from other classes is the ability to wild shape. Wild shape is a druid feature where druids can transform into different animals. This feature has been the cornerstone for nearly all of my favorite roleplaying moments in my personal D&D games. One of my Druid characters had a bird as an animal companion and got into an argument with a bartender about not allowing animals in the bar. My druid (who loved to drink as much as he loved his bird) in his belligerent rant turned into a seagull, squawked at the bartender, defecated on the bar, and flew away. The party was banned from ever returning to the bar but I got a coin of inspiration from my DM!
Character Creation
When building a druid, the highest score should be Wisdom since that is their spellcasting ability which is brought from the druid’s connection with nature. The second highest ability score should be constitution to boost your hit points during level up. Below is a list of races that can make a good druid for your next D&D campaign.
Firbolg
Found in Volo’s Guide to Monsters, firbolgs are cow-like creatures that live in small communities deep within the forests of the world. Firbolgs who become druids serves as leaders of their small community groups. These creatures have a racial feat where they can speak with plants and animals and be understood but the animals and plants cannot communicate back. Firbolgs have a racial bonus increasing two for wisdom and one for strength making them an optimal choice for a druid.
Lizardfolk
The cold, calculating mind of the lizardfolk can create awesome roleplay opportunities for your table. Sporting a racial bonus of two for constitution and one for wisdom, Strategically, lizardfolk make great druids. For roleplay, I think playing a druid lizardfolk who’s never left their swamp before can amazing. Lizardfolk see the world without emotions, if someone dies they do not feel sadness or mourn the loss, they see an opportunity to harvest the body for fresh meat or the bones for tools. I think this thought process of life and death would be very interesting in-game.
Tortle
Another reptilian race is the tortle people. Slow and steady, the tortles have natural armor due to their sturdy shells. They have a racial bonus for strength (plus two) and wisdom (plus one). Tortles live either alone or in very small groups much like firbolgs. They are born off of the coastline and are always moving viewing life as an opportunity to see new sights.
Whichever race you choose to serve as a protector of nature, remember the most important aspect of this wonderful game of make-believe is to have fun!
*Dungeons and Dragons and their content is the property of Wizards of the Coast. Norse Foundry makes no claim to ownership to any of the things discussed in this article, this article is a helpful opinion guide on to how to play the game.
