Wild Shape explicitly allows this. From PHB p 67:
You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so.
If a bear is physically incapable of flying into a primal Rage, then we are doing something very wrong as a society.
The only thing you cannot do while in a Rage is cast or concentrate on spells (PHB p 48). Although Wild Shape is a "magical transformation", it is never described as a spell and does not require concentration.
However, a Rage ends early if (PHB p 48)
...you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then.
This is a problem if you aren't Circle of the Moon (and what Bearbarian wouldn't be?), as vanilla Wild Shape takes an action, leaving you dependent on opportunity attacks or taking damage to sustain your rage.
One of the features of Rage is a bonus to your damage while raging. This feature states that you can only apply if when making a melee weapon attack using Strength:
When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll ...
All melee weapons available to PCs are Strength-based, some have the finesse property. From PHB p 147:
...you use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls. You must use the same modifier for both rolls.
Similarly, the damage bonus on natural weapon attacks is almost always equal to either the Strength or Dexterity ability modifier (there are exceptions for CR 0 creatures). Thus, it appears every melee natural weapon attack can be Strength based, although not necessarily using the published attack/damage bonuses.
Consider the Blood Hawk (MM p 319). Strength 6 (-2), Dexterity 14 (+2), its beak has an attack bonus of +4 and a damage bonus of +2. This is certainly consistent with its beak being a finesse weapon that is using its Dexterity score. A Raging Blood Hawk (what a great mascot name!) could use its beak as a Strength-based attack, with an attack bonus of +0 and a damage bonus of -2, and then add Rage Damage.
More generally, if your Strength modifier matches the published damage bonus, the attack is Strength-based. If the Dexterity modifier matches, it's a finesse attack, and you would need to recalculate the attack and damage modifiers bonuses using your Strength bonus to turn it into a Strength-based attack.
The druid's Wild Shape feature specifies how your new form's statistics interact with those of your regular form:
While you are transformed, the following rules apply:
Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours.
[...]
You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. [...]
In this case, you're using Wild Shape to turn into a brown bear. The brown bear has a Constitution score of 16 (a +3 modifier), and is not proficient in any saving throws. Your regular human form also has a Constitution score of 16 (a +3 modifier) - but your Resilient feat gives you proficiency in Constitution saving throws. Since you're level 5, your proficiency bonus is also +3, for a total modifier of +6.
Even if you didn't retain the benefit of features from your race/class (in this case, your feats), the Wild Shape feature explicitly says you retain your own saving throw proficiencies.
Now, the question of what your total Constitution saving throw modifier then becomes might seem a little confusing at first, because you may wonder whether your proficiency bonus is retained or not. However, this is clarified in an episode of Dragon Talk and a few unofficial tweets by rules designer Jeremy Crawford (cited in this answer by Bash to a related question about what values are recalculated in Wild Shape).
First, Crawford clarified the intent of the first bullet point of Wild Shape in this series of tweets in 2015:
Debate resolution. Druid in wildshape. Keep prof bonus to attack or use beast's stats unmodified?
A druid in beast form uses his or her proficiencies, except when the beast has the same proficiency with a higher bonus.
That doesn't answer the Q. Druid is not prof in claw/bite. Black bear form, +3 for bear, or prof+2 for druid w/ bear str?
The intent is that the druid uses the bonus in the beast's stat block for any proficiency the druid lacks.
Second, Crawford stated the following in the Sage Advice segment of the April 6, 2017 episode of Dragon Talk, in response to a question about what happens if you Wild Shape into a creature with a lower modifier to a skill like Stealth:
You get to use your proficiency bonus. But you do use the creature's Dexterity modifier. This is where it gets tricky. Use your proficiency bonus for anything where you're both proficient, but only if yours is higher - but you use the physical stats of the beast.
The same logic applies to saving throws.
Finally, Crawford reiterated the meaning of the first bullet point of Wild Shape in this 2018 tweet:
I have seen two different tweets of yours, so I am looking for clarity. My lvl 5 druid has a +3 prof bonus, when I shape into a brown bear I have a str of 19 and an attack bonus of 5. Do I add my druid prof bonus to attack bringing it to +7? Thank you!
The Wild Shape feature does not let you add your proficiency bonus to the proficiency bonus of your beast form. The first bullet of the class feature details which proficiency bonus you use (PH, 67).
In summary:
In this case, the last scenario is applicable. You're proficient in saving throws, but the brown bear is not. Thus, you add your proficiency bonus of +3 to the brown bear's Constitution modifier of +3, for a total of +6.
(And as detailed in this linked question, you do retain the benefit of your War Caster feat, so you have advantage on your Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration - even in Wild Shape.)
First off, let's note that there's nothing in the Druid description that specifically precludes the WS1 → WS2 transformation you're contemplating.
Second, consider this line of "Wild Shape":
You retain the benefit of any features from your class... and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so.
Wild shaping is a druid feature, so you retain it if the form is capable of doing so. Is it? For me there are 2(.5) reasons to suppose it is:
Lastly, what would it harm to say "yes" to your player? The action-economy seems to be the only place where this could be exploitative. If we were to rule "no," then a druid has to use both their bonus action and their action to transform WS1 → druid → WS2. If we rule "yes" then a druid has to use their action to transform WS1 → WS2, leaving them "ahead" by a bonus action. In my opinion, that's a pretty small risk to run: the average druid doesn't have a lot they can do with an isolated bonus action.
There is nothing in the PHB that states you cannot. The only restrictions laid out in the PHB are:
-You must have seen the animal before -You only have 2 uses that are regained after a short or long rest -You can only transform into a best of the appropriate challenge level -You can stay in beast shape for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down)
The rules of Wild Shape say “You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so.”
Since your Wild Shape self is capable to transforming back into your original form, that indicates it is capable of changing form. Therefore, you may Wild Shape into another form.
So, as long as you still have a use of Wild Shape left, are using your action and are wild shaping into an appropriately leveled beast, you should be fine.
The PHB does not indicate this, but I would assume that if you used Wild Shape a second time, the timer would be reset.
No.
Firstly, the beholder being able to fly means there’s no guarantee the wildshaped druid can get to the Beholder.
Secondly, the wildshaped druid, in that form, is rather more vulnerable to multiple Beholder eye beams- +2 to Dex saves and +1 to con saves means that seven out of the ten eye beams are very likely to go through.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, Wild Shape is magical, and will therefore be suppressed by the Beholder’s Antimagic Cone.
No.
A Druid on wild shape still has the mind of the Druid, and isn't something that you can use animal training skills to tame in the first place.
Unless it's consensual on their place, but then its not taming, just kink.
No, basically. You can only make the sort of noises the animal could make. So…maybe if you were a raven or a parrot, you could squawk out some human-esque speech, but otherwise basically not. You just done have the right mouth and throat bits to reproduce human speech sounds.
Its a beast… so they can become cranium rats. If they have some way to explain having experienced a cranium rat.
If the DM has never used a cranium rat in their game, then do they exist in his world?
Its a DM decision about the telepathy. I’d have to say yes, if the druid has the requisite experience in dealing with them and can wild shape into one, then they get the telepathy.
It’s up to the Dungeon Master to decide.
If it were up to me, I’d say that the druid has to have observed the animal in person and for a significant period of time — at least a few minutes. Because changing shape isn’t just assuming the physical form of an animal; for the druid, it’s a spiritual act. They have to connect with the spirit of a beast and really understand it to become it.
Under that paradigm, no picture or illusion, sculpture, or 3-D holographic reconstruction is going to be sufficient because it won’t afford the druid the necessary spiritual connection. Unless it were a magical statue or a spirit were somehow bound into it. Such items might even be sacred relics of a given druid circle. Only the members of the Circle of Horn can transform into the now-extinct Giant Elk because only they have the magic antler that contains the spirit of a Giant Elk.
RAW - yes - Druids are a beast at low levels - as they can Shift into creatures with multi Attack and more HP, then when they drop to 0 HP in beast form - they flip back to their natural form (and take any bleed over damage - and can wild shape again if they have not used up all their shifts for the day…
But depending on level (and type) of the Druid they are limited to the CR of the creature (Beasts mainly, but elementals later for some) they can transform into, and limited in ability to fly, swim etc. So if they have not acquired that feature they cannot transform into those creatures.
Honestly I don’t know how consistent it is within the whole system, but in my campaigns “creature” is the generic term for any animate thing. This can include PCs, other people, or even an animated chair.
Within creature, there are subsets, for example Beasts, Monsters, Undead, etc.
If you want a real world example, it is the difference between calling this:
A cat
or a Tiger
or Panthera tigris
All are correct, but the further down you go the more precise you are being. Using the term creature is about is imprecise as you can be, and technically still be understood.
Probably only the first clause. If your wild shape had the ability to do poison damage, you would be able to ignore resistance with the damage.
However, wild shapes don’t use weapons, so you wouldn’t be able to coat your own weapon in poison. You may be able to coat a teammate’s weapon, allowing them to potentially do the poison damage, but they would still have to deal with any resistance.
The Poisoner feat is mechanically pretty weak, and not using weapons locks out of most of the benefits. Unless you really, really wanted to lean into a Super Snake aesthetic I would avoid this combination.
The rules do not say, so that’s why you have a DM.
I would rule that somatic gestures for spells would need reasonably prehensile digits. So apes and monkeys yes, raccoons and opossums and lemurs probably. Cats and dogs and bears probably not. Anything with hooves, no. Birds probably, but maybe with a ground movement penalty for having to stand on one foot for part of the round. Case by case beyond that.
Totally up to your DM.
As per the PHB, a character who uses Wild Shape can benefit from your class features (e.g. multi-classing into Rogue too) as long as "the new form is physically capable of doing so". In the answers below, I have only included features available to a Rogue up to level 18.
I think most of the core Rogue advancement features would work as usual:
The exceptions would be:
From the Roguish Archetypes in the Player's Handbook and Xanathar's Guide to Everything, this is what I gather:
THIEF:
ASSASSIN:
ARCANE TRICKSTER:
INQUISITIVE:
MASTERMIND:
SCOUT:
SWASHBUCKLER:
Although I have done most of the footwork on this answer, I would like to acknowledge Nautarch and Sarcastic Villain for their helpful suggestions and for contributing to the overall understanding of how Wild Shape features in this multi-class build.
Absolutely. A Bear Totem Barbarian Circle of the Moon Druid multiclass is a very strong choice.
