wizo The druid features in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything are versatile, powerful, and induce roleplay. This is one of if not the most comprehensive additions to Tasha’s.
The druid features in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything are fairly standard at first. The optional class features are there to round out the druid rather than overpower it. The extra circles, or subclasses, are a great blend of roleplay, versatility with roleplay, and mechanical power to rival even that of the moon druid!
Tasha’s really adds a lot to the druid class and is something that most experienced druid players will want.
Druid Optional Class Features
The druid features in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything as stated give the druid more options to work with. The subclasses cover many different styles of play, but the optional features just give the druid a little bit more. Not more power, but more flavor and options which is always nice. Still, if you are wondering if you should use Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, then check out our review on it and see if the book is right for your game!
Extra Spells:
Druids get extra spells like any other class and these are not spells that will break the game. Flavor-wise, I personally don’t like how druids get augury, revivify, divination, or aura of vitality. Those seem like they should be exclusive to other classes (auras for paladins and the others for cleric) but I understand that this is a personal preference and others can feel different. If you are fine with these spells for RP or flavor, then they shouldn’t be a problem.
Wild Companion:
This amount of versatility is pretty great! While wizards and others who actually have the find familiar spell, you need to chose. Do you expend resources to summon a fey for a limited time or not? More so, the features you are expending are core to your class! I can’t complain with this addition, and it is a nice one to add since it doesn’t really add a lot of combat power to the druid.
Cantrip Versatility:
This is fairly standard for the casters in this book. Being able to switch cantrips every 4 levels is not a bad idea. It lets players experiment more and gives an option to change cantrips when one just isn’t working out for you or your group.
Subclasses
The druid features in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything gives you three new subclasses, and this is where it gets spicy! Each subclass focuses on something different on a game level. This is more than just flavor. One class is more focused on roleplay, another on versatility, and lastly one is strong enough to challenge the moon druid mechanically!
Here is a brief summarization of each circles/subclasses:
- Spores-Have the most fun roleplaying possible with some other decent abilities.
- Star-Versatility to adapt to any situation with enough power and roleplay to make this class amazing.
- Wildfire-So strong mechanically that it can rival the moon druid.
For some Tasha’s subclasses we have given them a rating. Tasha’s Barbarian is a great example, but we wont be doing that for this class. You know what you are getting into from the brief descriptions, so play what you want! Since you already know what each subclass should be like, let’s dive into them a little bit more so that you can be more informed!
Just know that we will not go over the extra spells you get for each circle since this is just a flavor variant that every druid gets.
Circle of Spores
Halo of Spores:
As a reaction you can maybe deal 1d4 necrotic damage to a nearby enemy. The damage goes up as you level, and the enemy makes a save to negate all damage. Essentially, this is a cantrip that is made into a reaction, but weaker than a cantrip. The only benefit is that it allows you to deal some damage as a reaction, which is alright since druids don’t have many reactions.
Symbiotic Entity:
You can use a wildshape to gain 4 temp hp per level, double the damage for halo of spores, and add some damage to weapon attacks. This is a lot and a good option for wildshape usage. The effects end if the effect lasts for ten minutes, or you lose all your temp hp. This makes symbiotic entity best used when you are not getting hit. This negates 1/3 of the feature, but if you are an elf shooting a bow while behind an ally to get maximum use of this feature then it isn’t so bad. Very hard and tricky to use well, but it is a decent option.
Fungal Infestation:
You can make a 1 hp zombie that dies in an hour. That is it. This feature mechanically is pretty terrible, but it is hilarious for roleplay.
Spreading Spores:
You now can make your halo of spores become a 10 ft cube as a bonus action. This lets you affect more than 1 creature, and can be good if used against stationary targets, make them move, etc. There is no limit to this ability, so it has many small uses that make you use halo of spores in a variety of creative ways. Not great, but it adds versatility and stays in the flavor of spores.
Fungal Body:
This massive buff makes you immune to critical hits, blind, deafened, frightened, or poisoned. A LOT of buffs and a very good level 14 ability.
Circle of Stars
Star Map:
You gain guidance, guiding bolt, and the ability to cast free guiding bolts. This already is pretty freaking huge for level 2, but for flavor you get to chose what your star map is. Glass discs, scrolls, stone tablets, and more options make you have a good blend of roleplay. The roleplay and free spells gained from this feature are pretty great.
Starry Form:
Instead of wildshaping you can chose to take a starry form. This form lasts for ten minutes and you can chose between 3 forms; archer, chalice, or dragon. Archer gives you an extra ranged attack on your turn, chalice gives more healing to your healing spells, and dragon makes you never fail a concentration check unless you take massive damage or have garbage constitution. Very versatile, pretty powerful, and an excellent substitute for wildshape.
Cosmic Omen:
When you complete a long rest, you either gain good or bad effects to dice rolls. These effects can be given to any creature as a reaction. Essentially, these effects are a forced bardic inspiration as a reaction. 1d6 to help or hinder. Not a bad feature, but not a great feature either.
Twinkling Constellations:
The dice on archer and chalice increase (1d8 to 2d8) and dragon form gives you a minor flight speed. This is expected for archer and chalice, but dragon constellation now is the ultimate caster to not have concentration broken. All of these are great, but there is another part to this feature. You can change your starry form at the start of your turn. This allows extreme versatility, and makes the starry form variant of wildshapes become an amazing option. Possibly as good as a moon druid’s wildshape.
Full of Stars:
You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while in starry form. Essentially, you gain barbarian rage while wildshaping. Not a bad addition to gain at level 14.
Circle of Wildfire
Summon Wildfire Spirit:
There is a lot to this feature, but in short you can summon a buddy fire spirit for a wildshape usage. You will almost always have this little buddy out. Your little buddy can be used to inflict more damage on your turns making your bonus action always useful. You also have a minor teleport with this wildfire spirit, so if your spirit is next to you and you don’t want to be in melee then just teleport away and damage those who go after you. A nifty little feature with a bunch of uses.
Enhanced Bond:
You can originate spells from your wildfire spirit, and add damage to fire spells and increase the healing in your healing spells. The versatility in this feature combined with the power makes the wildfire druid very powerful. The effects are simple, but have so many easy uses that anyone can make this druid a powerhouse.
Cauterizing Flames:
When things die you may make a little flame go above their corpse and heal allies or harm enemies if they come into contact with it. This isn’t an extremely strong feature, but extra healing is always nice to have even if it is situational and limited based on your proficiency.
Blazing Revival:
If you fall unconscious you can once per long rest sacrifice your wildfire spirit to regain half your hit points and stand up. This isn’t a reaction, it is just something you can do which is amazing! Getting half your hp back when you should be put to 0 is one of the most amazing revivals, if not the most amazing out there.
Conclusion
The druid features in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything add a lot to what the druid can do. The optional class features themselves don’t powerup the druid like the barbarian in Tasha’s, but it does add some versatility. Instead of using a wildshape you can now summon a familiar, or change out cantrips. That versatility is nice, but the truly amazing part of this book are the subclasses.
The subclasses of this book are amazing for druid! You have a great class for roleplay which isn’t terrible mechanically, another that is great for roleplay options and has amazing versatility for combat, with a final subclass that is so strong! It might even content with the moon druid in mechanical strength. The only downside is that you can’t tank too well with a wildfire druid, but once again these options are all great for druid and don’t completely break the game.
I hope that this has helped you understand the druid a bit better in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
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