Wild Shape and Druid familiarity

[Tetsubo]

The new Wild Shape ability limits a Druid to what animal forms they are familiar with.
I'm assuming for the moment that means animals from their home terrain type, i.e.
temperate forest, arid plains, tropical swamp, etc. Most adventurers wonder out of their
home terrain to explore the world. How do you determine when a Druid is familiar with
a new animal type? One that they can now wild shape into? Is just seeing it enough?
Touch? Consumption?
I'm thinking of having Druids use a medicine bag focus. The Druid adds a part of an
animal (bone, nail, claw, fur, etc.) to this bag and works a minor ritual over it. Once this
ritual is complete the animal form is added to the Druids "database" of known wild shape
forms. I would require the player to keep a list of known animal forms for reference.
Does this sound too limiting? How are others handling this?

 

[Moon_Goddess]

If you've ever seen such an animal or have any believable way that you could have heard at least a description of one, works for me.

I like it lax, some will be more strict.

I'd disallow penguins if they live on the other side of the planet, but if a few generations ago someone invaded with elephants and you've heard the stories despite the elephants being all gone, you can become an elephant.

 

[Dark Dragon]

IMHO, a contact with an unknown living animal would be enough to give the druid the possibility to wild shape into that animal. But the idea with the focus and the ritual sounds also good.

 

[Zhure]

I like the medicine bag focus idea. I used something years ago for a Fantasy Hero shapeshifter. He had a limitation on his Shapechange that it would only alter him into animal types for which he had "parts."

It certainly seems reasonble, although I'd make sure they Druid wasn't completely screwed if he was bereft of his medicine bag. Perhaps give him a number of forms that are native to the region from which he hails that he can assume without the focus.

Druids are a bit underpowered when compared to Clerics. Wildshape not requiring a DF (and the medicine bag you're talking about is essentially a DF) is one of the few things that makes a Druid comparable in a scenario where everyone is without their gear.

Greg

 

[Pielorinho]

So here's some followup questions for those of you that require actual contact with a critter before wildshaping into it:

1) Can you summon a creature that you've not seen before?
2) If so, can you wildshape into a creature if you've only seen it when you summoned it?
3) If so, is this a cheesy tactic?

My DM agrees that you can only wildshape into creatures with whom you've had contact. He also thinks the answers to all three questions is "yes." I'm inclined to agree .

Daniel

 

[CRGreathouse]

I agree with your DM: all three are "yes" (though the last one's not too strong a "yes").

 

[nharwell]

Personally, I feel that Wildshape is limited enough (animals only, size restricted by Druid level) without adding the "familiarity" requirement. While in theory this restriction isn't too bad, in practice, I fear, it would nerf Wildshape -- the DM can all too easily limit what animals the druid has contact with.

 

[Pielorinho]

Personally, I feel that Wildshape is limited enough (animals only, size restricted by Druid level) without adding the "familiarity" requirement. While in theory this restriction isn't too bad, in practice, I fear, it would nerf Wildshape -- the DM can all too easily limit what animals the druid has contact with.

Yeah, in the hands of a mean DM, this could be awful; it'll also encourage people to write in their character backgrounds something like, "I traveled all over the world for several years before becoming a druid," or, "When I was six, my mum took me to the Royal Zoo, where I saw a wide variety of fearsome animals."

But it's worth noting that WOTC is including this requirement in the revised wildshaping rules, and that other than this rule they're making wildshaping MUCH more powerful than it was before. So if your DM is reasonable, it's not a bad restriction.

Plus, it makes a lot of sense.

Daniel

 

[Crothian]

We just limit it to what is reasonible depending on the places the Druid has been. Maybe he can't wildshape into a tiger, but he could a couger. There are many similiar animals of different climates, it should be easy to find one that is close to what you want.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

It'll also encourage people to write in their character backgrounds something like, "I traveled all over the world for several years before becoming a druid," or, "When I was six, my mum took me to the Royal Zoo, where I saw a wide variety of fearsome animals."

LOL! I'm planning on playing a wizard in a campaign, whose parents were fishermen. My DM will likely just say yes, grin faintly that I'm not a "munckin" and won't even wonder why I keep asking questions like "how deep have I ever gone?"

Then I'll take polymorph other. I'll turn my victims into jellyfish, dolphins and deep sea fish. (Gotta love the DSFEE!) And I'll carry a glass bowl full of water and some bits of meat and bread (fish food) in case I want to keep prisoners. And learn the detect thoughts spell so I can sort of commuicate with them.