Druid 5eClass Guide & NPC Generator
Circles, the spell list and slots, the Wild Shape table and the stats that matter — then forge a finished druid NPC, portrait and all, without typing a thing twice.
A druid prepares from the whole list every morning, controls the ground you are standing on, and — when the conversation stops going well — becomes a bear. Wisdom does the casting; the bear does the rest.
Choose your subclass
Druid Subclasses — The Circles
Six circles — and the circle decides whether Wild Shape is your whole plan or a side door. Choose one; the forge follows.
The shapeshifter
Circle of the Moon
Wild Shape as a bonus action into a CR 1 bear at level 2. A second health bar that punches. The reason people play druid.
Full Circle of the Moon guide →The Forge
Forge Circle of the Moon Druid
Everything you have chosen travels with you and arrives pre-filled. Nothing to type twice — just press Generate.
Circle of the Moon · level 5 · pre-filled for you
Role in party
The Shape of Nature
Druid = the party’s Swiss army knife — terrain control, real healing, summons and a second health bar with claws, all off one stat.
You want to answer every kind of problem — heal, control the battlefield, scout, or wade in as a bear — without ever committing to just one.
Forged this morning
The Forest Warden
Circle of the Moon · Level 8 · Neutral Good
Elowen Dawnbranch
Speaks for the old wood and occasionally becomes a very annoyed bear about it. Mostly it does not need to — most people take the first hint.
Chosen lineage
Best Races for a Druid
Wisdom drives the casting and Constitution holds your concentration — so the best lineages raise those, or hand you a trick nature forgot.
Wood ElfGUIDE →
Wisdom, extra speed, Mask of the Wild for hiding, and Fey Ancestry — the textbook scout-caster druid.
Hill DwarfGUIDE →
Constitution and Wisdom together, plus an extra hit point per level — the sturdiest druid for holding a concentration spell.
FirbolgGUIDE →
Built for the class: Wisdom, innate Detect Magic and Disguise Self, and a talk-to-animals-and-plants vibe that is pure druid.
Variant HumanGUIDE →
Resilient (CON) or War Caster online at level 1 — your concentration never breaks and the build comes together immediately.
Ghostwise HalflingGUIDE →
Wisdom, Brave against fear, Lucky to reroll 1s, and silent telepathy — a slippery, hard-to-pin caster.
The other half of the class
Wild Shape — Becoming the Beast
The druid’s signature: a whole second body you can spend, on a curve set by level and circle. Here is how it scales, and why Moon druids play a different game.
The mechanic
Turn into any beast you have seen, up to a CR limit. Your hit points are replaced by the beast’s — when they run out you pop back to your own, having lost nothing. It is effectively a free second health bar.
The CR curve
A standard druid climbs from CR 1/4 at level 2 to CR 1 by level 6, and unlocks swimming and then flying beasts as the levels come. At 18 Beast Spells lets you keep casting while shaped.
Circle of the Moon
The shapeshifter’s fast lane: shape as a bonus action into a CR 1 bear at level 2, then follow a steeper CR track (level ÷ 3) all the way to CR 6 — a genuine front-line brawler, not a scout trick.
Where the points go
Druid Builds — Where the Points Go
Even the bear build wants Wisdom — beast form replaces your physical stats entirely, so there is no build that skips it.
Caster (Land / Stars)
Wisdom is your save DC and every heal. Constitution holds Conjure Animals and Moonbeam through being hit.
Moon (shapeshifter)
In bear form your physical stats are replaced by the beast’s — so you still build Wisdom and Constitution, not Strength.
Shillelagh melee
Shillelagh lets your club use Wisdom. The rare melee build that needs no Strength or Dexterity at all.
Top picks
Best Feats for a Druid
A druid wins by keeping a big concentration spell up all fight — so the best feats protect concentration and widen a short list of options.
Multiclass combos
Best Druid Multiclass Combos
The druid’s full list and Wild Shape make a strong base — a small dip covers durability or adds a second engine.
Druid / ClericGUIDE →
Both cast off Wisdom, so nothing is wasted — armour, a healing domain and a fistful of extra spells bolted onto the nature list.
Druid / BarbarianGUIDE →
Rage while Wild Shaped: resistance to physical damage on top of the beast’s hit points makes the Moon druid nearly unkillable in melee.
Druid / SorcererGUIDE →
Font of Magic and Quicken/Twin Metamagic bending the druid’s control and summon spells. High ceiling, high skill floor.
Armory
Best Druid Equipment by Tier
What to carry as you level — and note the class rule: druids will not wear metal armour, so hide and studded leather do the work.
The Old Speech
Spell List
Druids prepare from the whole list each morning, so nothing is ever permanently missed. Spellcasting is online from level 1 — collect utility and swap to fit the wilderness ahead.
Full caster
Spell Slots by Level
| Druid level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Level 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Level 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| Level 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Level 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Level 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Level 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Level 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Level 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Level 17 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Level 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Level 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Level 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
The Long Season
Features by Level
From the forge
Druids Made Here
Six circles, six wildernesses. Take any one — the whole build travels with it.
Elowen Dawnbranch
Speaks for the old wood and occasionally becomes a very annoyed bear about it. Mostly it does not need to.
Use this build →
Hollis Fenn
Knows which ground holds and which does not. Has never once been wrong, and has never once explained how.
Use this build →
Mother Vess
Never travels alone. The wolves are not hers, exactly — they simply agreed to come, and keep agreeing.
Use this build →
Aster
Reads a constellation nobody else can see, then shoots you with it. Insists this is normal.
Use this build →
Corrow
Believes decay is just another season. The halo around him is not dust, and it is very slowly spreading.
Use this build →
Sylla Nightbloom
Nobody who sleeps under her hut has ever been found. She considers that the whole point.
Use this build →Counsel
Frequently Asked
What is a druid in D&D 5e?
A full nature caster who can turn into animals. Druids prepare from the entire druid list each day, heal, control terrain and summon — and Wild Shape gives them a second body to spend. Wisdom powers all of it.
How does Wild Shape work?
Twice per short rest you become a beast you have seen, up to a CR limit set by level and circle. Your hit points are replaced by the beast’s — when they run out you pop back to your own, having lost nothing. It is effectively a second health bar.
What is the best druid circle?
Moon is the famous one — a bonus-action CR 1 bear at level 2 is absurd early. Stars is arguably better overall: consistent ranged damage or healing without burning Wild Shape. Shepherd is the strongest if your DM allows Conjure Animals.
Why can’t druids wear metal armour?
It is a class rule with no mechanical penalty attached — the class simply “will not” wear it. It is flavour, widely house-ruled, and has caused more forum arguments than any other line in the book. Studded leather or hide is the normal answer.
What spells should a druid take?
You prepare from the whole list daily, so nothing is permanent. Staples: Goodberry and Faerie Fire at 1st; Pass Without Trace, Spike Growth and Moonbeam at 2nd; Conjure Animals and Call Lightning at 3rd; Polymorph at 4th.
What are the best stats for a druid?
Wisdom first — spell save DC, heals, everything. Constitution second for concentration; you will be holding Moonbeam or Conjure Animals all fight. Dexterity third for armour class. Even Moon druids build this way, since beast form replaces your physicals.
Is the Moon druid still good at high levels?
It front-loads hard — CR 1 at level 2 is dominant — and falls off relative to casting later, since a CR 6 beast at level 18 does not compete with a 9th-level spell. Most Moon druids end up casting more and shaping less, which is fine.
Become the Bear
Read the rules, choose your circle, and forge the druid — all on one page. Your first is free.
Forge a Druid NPC