Low Level Builds - Circle of the Moon Druid
As we continue the conversation about low level builds, this week we will focus on one of the most discussed low-level OP builds in 5th edition, the Moon Druid (I fibbed last week when I said we would be looking at multi-class builds). Most character builds come online around the 5th level, but The Circle of the Moon Druid explodes onto the scene at the 2nd level. It is ridiculous at 2nd level. Becoming a CR 1 beast that early in the game puts the Druid on a higher tier compared to a majority of the other classes. The rogue comes to mind about another class that is powerful at lower levels in terms of damage, but that’s just one aspect of gameplay. The Moon Druid can have damage, AC, spell abilities, battlefield control, etc all under its direct influence depending on how you play it. Our shape-shifting nature lover falls off around the 5th level and most characters will catch up, so if you can bite your tongue and wait it out, you can show off your level 7 Bard’s incredible abilities. Just remember, no matter how you want to use Vicious Mockery on the stupid bear, they are part of your party!
Does this make this a bad build? That question gets a variety of passionate answers from both sides of the argument. People throw around the term “broken build” a great deal when talking about the Moon Druid. But is it broken just because it’s extremely powerful for approximately 5 levels? Is it that OP during those first 5 levels? People much smarter than me have discussed this at length and everyone has and is entitled to, their own opinions.
That said, below is what I think is one of the more powerful Moon Druid builds for levels 1-5. Being a bear by itself makes you strong, but there are several other items with this class that shouldn’t be overlooked. I believe that if you are going to play the class, you should try to make it as strong as possible. Let’s take a look and see if it is that overpowered for those first few levels when you’re fighting those CR 1/2 creatures.
Druid - Circle of the Moon Build
Human Druid
1st Level - Take Magic Stone and Shillelagh Cantrips, at least one 1st level spell as Goodberry
2nd Level - Wild Shape, Take Circle of the Moon
3rd Level - 2nd level spells Spike Growth and/or Healing Spirit
4th Level - Take War Caster Feat
5th Level - 3rd level spells Call Lightning, Sleet Storm and/or Tidal Wave
As with any Druid, you’ll want to try and take a class that gives you a bonus to Wisdom, and plenty of people go Hill Dwarf since you get a little Wisdom bonus plus increased hit points. A majority of people will say Ghostwise Halfling and if your DM allows it is one of the best races since you get an additional +1 to your Wisdom and can communicate with the party via the Silent Speech ability. Finally, with the addition of the new(ish) Eberron book, taking the Mark of Healing gives you a +1 Wisdom bonus, and no one ever complains when someone in the party has extra healing. I am purposely not using the Variant Human, as the plan is to do an entire piece on the race. I stuck with human, as the spread of abilities bonuses is important to this build.
Shillelagh gives you a melee attack buff and Magic Stone ranged option, so you have both covered for whatever the DM throws at you. Goodberry has its broken build, but there is nothing wrong with taking it here too. The second level is the big deal for this build, at which point you take Circle of the Moon. Wild Shape is powerful as it is, but the jump from a CR 1/4 to CR 1 creature at 2nd level is nuts. Let’s take a quick look at the big three CR 1 creatures you get to change into:
Brown Bear: AC 11, HP 35, Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft., Multi-attack: 2 Attacks, Bite +6 to hit, 8 damage (1d8+4), Claw +6 to hit, 11 damage (2d6+4).
Dire Wolf: AC 14, HP 37, Speed 40 ft., Pack Tactics, Attack: Bite +5 to hit, 10 damage (2d6+3), Strength saving throw or knocked prone.
Giant Hyena: AC 12, HP 45, Speed: 50 ft., Rampage, Attack: Bite +5 to hit, 10 damage (2d6+3).
So you’ve got options on what you want to do when you transform. Looking to do the most damage possible? Bear is the way to go for sure. Two attacks for an average of 19 points of damage on a hit is damn good. Outside of the Fighter, no one else has two attacks at the second level, and they can only do it once per rest, so that pretty sweet. (Ok, the Paladin has a ghetto 2nd attack if you count being able to smite.)
Looking to squeeze out the maximum amount of HP you can? Take the giant hyena. There isn’t anyone even close to having an average of 60 HP (Wild Shape HP + Average 2nd level Druid HP, with a +1 Constitution modifier). The math gets even crazier when you think about it this way:
1 day/no rest - 105 HP (45 HP x 2 + Average Druid HP).
1 day/1 short rest - 195 HP
1 day/2 short rests - 285 HP
That’s a lot of potential hit points no matter what level you are.
Want to have the creature with the highest AC possible? The dire wolf is for you. Sure, an AC 14 isn’t the greatest, but the chance of knocking someone prone on a successful attack makes the dire wolf a solid pick. A final note on these Wild Shape options. I noted the speed of each creature because this isn’t mentioned all that often when talking about this build. With a speed of 50 feet per round, your ability to chase down the annoying kobold that is attempting to flee, and rip its throat out is pretty much guaranteed, even if they are using the dash action till they pass out.
Most people complain that the extra HP and damage amount are the major issues with this ability. I don’t disagree with them, but don’t overlook the rules that apply while you are transformed. Your stats all skew in your favor. Maintaining your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma and replacing the other ability scores will work out in your favor a large majority of the time. Keeping your Saving Throw proficiencies, retaining class and racial features…what’s not to like about that. Circle of the Moon also allows you to spend a spell slot to get back 1-8 hit points. So while you cannot cast any spells while transformed, you get to cast a Cure Light Wounds spell as many times as you have spell slots. The big one for me is not breaking concentration on a spell when you transform.
As we briefly mentioned above, the Druid cannot cast spells when they have transformed. What they can do is maintain concentration on a spell that was cast before becoming that hungry dire wolf that wants to eat everything in sight. At the 2nd level, this may not seem like that big of a deal. You can use your action to transform into a bear while casting Healing Word as a bonus action on the Barbarian who is currently dishing out more damage than the rest of the party. Maybe then they won’t get too pissed off when you're showing them up with your two bear attacks. Since you can now use wild shape as a bonus action, you’ll probably go a self-satisfying direction. I mean, you are the one who went Circle of the Moon, you so know deep down you’ll go that route. Avoid worrying about keeping concentration and take Jump to scare the crap out of your target, even more, when you leap in front of them, or Longstrider to chase down those enemies that are trying to dash away from you as a Hyena in one round.
Once you get to the 3rd level, you start to have some really good options for spells to cast. My personal two favorite spells to take when using this build are Healing Spirit and Spike Growth. Why these two spells? My thought process is as follows. Healing Spirit is a bonus action, provides healing not only for you, but the entire party, and lasts for a minute. So in one round, you can drop healing spell the entire party can use for a minimum of 2 rounds, but let us assume 4 rounds based on your spellcasting modifier, use your action to wild shape into a bear and use your movement to run up to your target. Hopefully, the free healing takes the sting out of your superiority on the battlefield a little. Spike Growth is all about battlefield control. With a range of 150 feet and your improved movement speed, you can cast it on a distant target and slow them enough to be able to reach them and attack the next round. You can also try to get back into the good graces of the other party members and cast it with defensive purposes, protecting your primary spellcaster and making it harder for those annoying creatures to get up in their faces. Either of these spells could easily be switched out for Barkskin, so now your bear shape has an AC 16, making it that much worse for your enemies. It does take concentration, so it’s another of those selfish spells.
At the 4th level, skip the ASI and take the War Caster feat. Getting advantage on your Concentration saves can not be understated, especially when you're in wild shape form. If you feel that the War Caster feat isn’t for you, it’s understandable, as you won’t be using 2 out of the 3 parts of the feat. If you are planning on having one of your party members ride you in wild shape form, then Sentinel is the way to go. It’s even better someone takes the Mounted Combat feat. Maybe your Paladin is looking forward to using his Find Mount spell and takes the feat. Now he has two options of creatures to ride, and hopefully, he will absorb a little of the damage for you! Plenty of feats work for the Druid, but as we are focusing on the low-level build for our Moon Druid, my choice is War Caster.
One other quick note about your 4th level Moon Druid. You can take a CR 1 creature with a swim speed, so the Giant Octopus is now in play. So if you find yourself being dragged out to sea by a raiding party of Sahaugin, won’t they be surprised.
As we find ourselves at the 5th level, most people will say that your Moon Druid will begin to drop off, and by the 6th level will drop off hard. The rest of the party will catch up to you and your dominance will slip away until the late levels, so it's a good thing you now have access to your 3rd level spells. Picking spells again depends on the direction you want to go when you are roaming around as a dire wolf or brown bear. If you want to attempt to maintain your bear form just a bit longer, Aura of Vitality is a great spell for you and your comrades. Decent average healing (7 hp) with a great range shouldn’t be discounted. A fan favorite is the Call Lightning spell, as it has a fantastic 60-foot radius with nice average damage (16 lightning damage on a failed save) and it lasts for 10 minutes. It’s another great battlefield control spell. I like Tidal Wave. What’s not to love about a 10 foot wide, 30-foot wide wave of water that does good average damage (18 on a failed save) and can knock your targets prone. It’s another one of those spells that you cast, use your bonus action to wild shape, then your movement to be standing over the soaking wet target, smiling at it with a toothy grin.
The final verdict is yes, the Moon Druid is extremely overpowered at early levels. Make sure you enjoy it though, cause when the rest of the party catches up to you, your primary function may be serving as the fighter mount.
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