D&D 5E Low Level Druids Are Super Powerful

[Mistwell]

I am playing a halfling (ghostwise) druid. We've just hit level three.

Holy cow this sucker is powerful!

They have the control and damage type spells of a wizard, such as entangle and faerie fire and flaming sphere. Produce flame is a fine offensive cantrip as well. Not as many spell slots, but still plenty of them.

They have the healing of a life cleric. Healing Spirit can heal the entire party during a minute out of combat. Goodberry can be cast with remaining spell slots before going to bed and used the next day. Healing word and Cure Wounds is there too if you need them.

They have the damage dealing of a rogue, barbarian, or other high-offense PC. In bear form, they do two attacks at +5/+5, 1d8+4/2d6+4.

They have the tank ability of your tank of choice. Hide plus shield plus decent dex puts my AC at second highest in the party, and with the extra 34 hit points of the bear form on top of my own 24 hit points I have the most hit points in the party.

And they're as good or better at the rogue at sneaking and other rouge-like abilities. I can turn into a giant wolf spider and have a +7 stealth, spider climb, darkvision and blindsight. Background can easily supply the thieves tools proficiency as well. And of course they also get Pass Without Trace.

A 3rd level druid can cover almost any role that a party might need...all in one character!

Now I know this levels out eventually. I know the animal forms will eventually level out in power and then drop-off relative to a fighter-type. And I know they lack some of the area effect spells a wizard can drop. And they cannot turn undead like a cleric, or keep up on AC with magic plate mail like a good tank. So eventually they won't be "as good as anyone else at their role".

But at these low levels? Wow. Very powerful abilities all wrapped up in one tiny halfling package (that can use telepathy to communicate with his fellow party members even when he's in bear form).

Is my experience pretty common? Are low level druids typically notably more powerful than a lot of other low level PCs? Is my guess that this levels off shortly correct? What are people's experience with druids from level 1 through around 9?

 

[Tony Vargas]

Yep, the 5e Druid really feels like the 1e, not just in covering all the bases, conceptually, itself quite a feat, but in being whack-tastic-crazy at 2nd & 3rd level, specifically.

(OK, in different ways: you're not casting Call Lightning at 3rd, and you are shapechanging - probably just a coincidence but still, it's pretty awesome.)

And yeah, you don't really keep up after that, (and 7th doesn't stand out quite the way it did in 1e, either... then again, you don't hit a brick wall after 11th.).

 

[ExploderWizard]

The low level druid is very powerful. After 5th, maybe 6th level, the shape changing powers level off. The power still remains useful in many situations but is no longer overpowering in combat.

 

[Satyrn]

In bear form, they do two attacks at +5/+5, 1d8+4/2d6+4.

How did I not notice this? My offense has been lousy as a giant spider.

Anyway, I'm a couple levels ahead of you and my experience hasn't been the same. For healing, there's no easy way to compare the two. When the party had a land druid we didn't have a cleric. And now that we do have a cleric, we have my moon druid instead, and I don't bother healing much because I never bother healing much even when I play a cleric.

My halfling druid, with a decent Dex and a shield, also has the lowest AC of the party (even compared to the sorcerer! ) and I have no chance of getting close to the AC of the party's tanks, since the cleric and paladin are armored up in both plate and shield. The wildshaping is great for stealth - and scouting will be awesome when I can fly next level - but since that would require just me and the warlock's familiar setting off alone, I don't ever really do that.

Where I do feel like a beast is wildshaping into a bag of hit points to soak up the damage - but the paladin with his Heavy Armor Mastery seems to be doing that better in his own way.

I'm finding the character fine, shining in the spotlight a good amount of time while not stealing it from anyone doing their schtick.

 

[neogod22]

I am playing a halfling (ghostwise) druid. We've just hit level three.

Holy cow this sucker is powerful!

They have the control and damage type spells of a wizard, such as entangle and faerie fire and flaming sphere. Produce flame is a fine offensive cantrip as well. Not as many spell slots, but still plenty of them.

They have the healing of a life cleric. Healing Spirit can heal the entire party during a minute out of combat. Goodberry can be cast with remaining spell slots before going to bed and used the next day. Healing word and Cure Wounds is there too if you need them.

They have the damage dealing of a rogue, barbarian, or other high-offense PC. In bear form, they do two attacks at +5/+5, 1d8+4/2d6+4.

They have the tank ability of your tank of choice. Hide plus shield plus decent dex puts my AC at second highest in the party, and with the extra 34 hit points of the bear form on top of my own 24 hit points I have the most hit points in the party.

And they're as good or better at the rogue at sneaking and other rouge-like abilities. I can turn into a giant wolf spider and have a +7 stealth, spider climb, darkvision and blindsight. Background can easily supply the thieves tools proficiency as well. And of course they also get Pass Without Trace.

A 3rd level druid can cover almost any role that a party might need...all in one character!

Now I know this levels out eventually. I know the animal forms will eventually level out in power and then drop-off relative to a fighter-type. And I know they lack some of the area effect spells a wizard can drop. And they cannot turn undead like a cleric, or keep up on AC with magic plate mail like a good tank. So eventually they won't be "as good as anyone else at their role".

But at these low levels? Wow. Very powerful abilities all wrapped up in one tiny halfling package (that can use telepathy to communicate with his fellow party members even when he's in bear form).

Is my experience pretty common? Are low level druids typically notably more powerful than a lot of other low level PCs? Is my guess that this levels off shortly correct? What are people's experience with druids from level 1 through around 9?

What kind of druid are you?

 

[jaelis]

What kind of druid are you?

He's turning into a bear, so I think he must be a moon druid

 

[Mistwell]

What kind of druid are you?

Circle of the Moon. It's a weak halfling who dreamed of turning into a strong bear

 

[jgsugden]

Moon druids are known to be strong at lower levels when wildshape is available - but they fall off rapidly.

Common counterpoints:

1.) You can't cast spells in wildshape at low levels, so saying you can benefit from the bear form and the spells is a bit off the mark.
2.) Their animal forms have limitations. AC is low (11 without spells - 16 with barkskin if you can maintain concentration). You also can't speak. This is a disadvantage that the DM should enforce! Make them player gesture and growl.
3.) Bears don't have great initiative.
4.) Bears tend to feel real strong in combat until 5th level. Then, other classes catch up and pass you as a melee force.
5.) You only get 2 wildshapes - and that is a total of two hours, at most. That means that you will sometimes - maybe even often - will not have a wildshape available.

 

[Hjorimir]

Yep, druids are fantastic at low levels. Really, they're always great. Sure. the raw combat power of wild shape drops off, but it tends to transform itself into a general utility (i.e. problem solving) power. Such fun characters with a little creativity!

 

[Mistwell]

Moon druids are known to be strong at lower levels when wildshape is available - but they fall off rapidly.

Common counterpoints:

1.) You can't cast spells in wildshape at low levels, so saying you can benefit from the bear form and the spells is a bit off the mark.

It's not off the mark. You can benefit from bear form and the spells. There is nothing about bear form which prevents you from healing the entire party out of combat with a single spell. Nothing about bear form existing prevents you from casting any of those spells prior to turning into a bear and maintaining concentration on them as well. I didn't ever argue you could both cast spells and be a bear simultaneously, so if I had said that it would have been off the mark. But I neither said nor implied that.

2.) Their animal forms have limitations. AC is low (11 without spells - 16 with barkskin if you can maintain concentration). You also can't speak. This is a disadvantage that the DM should enforce! Make them player gesture and growl.

I am a ghostwise halfling. I can telepathically communicate while in animal form. It's an ability which, as a racial ability, it carries over to my other forms.

3.) Bears don't have great initiative.

They don't roll for initiative. Not sure why you thought I'd be a bear walking around a dungeon, but I'm a ghostwise halfling. I can turn INTO a bear as a bonus action. But, obviously, most of the time when not in combat I am a halfling. With a decent initiative. And a decent AC. And a good perception.

4.) Bears tend to feel real strong in combat until 5th level. Then, other classes catch up and pass you as a melee force.

I get more powerful forms as my levels increase. I am a bear right now because it's a CR One beast. It becomes a beast of CR = Druid Level Divided By Three at 6th.

5.) You only get 2 wildshapes - and that is a total of two hours, at most. That means that you will sometimes - maybe even often - will not have a wildshape available.

It recharges on a short rest so two per short rest is the same as "most combats". And....I am a potent spellcaster with decent armor and hit points even when not in beast form. Last session I only used wildshape once. The rest of the time I was casting spells...really quite good spells. It won't be long until I start betting those Conjure spells, which are incredibly powerful. 8 wolves for one spell, all attacking with advantage!