Druid Circle
Circle of Scales
Deep in the heart of the Vulknar Jungles there exists a druidic sect with a powerful bond to the islands' massive dinosaurs. Druids of the Circle of Scales are attuned to the mighty earthshakers, able to call upon saurian might and even transform themselves into the forms of dinosaurs and similar creatures. Scales druids often function as spiritual leaders for their clans, anchoring the group's life in a deep reverence and connection to the jungle's giants.
Scales druids can be of any alignment — while many are benign community builders, others preach the survival of the strongest and walk a predatory path.
Circle of Scales Features
| Druid Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 2nd | Feather and Scale, Savage Adaptability |
| 6th | Savage Attacks, Primal Power |
| 10th | Saurian Bond |
| 14th | Primeval Transformation |
Feather and Scale
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you can transform yourself into more powerful beasts. When you use your Wild Shape ability, you can choose one of the customizable creatures listed in Appendix 1.
Also, you can now use your Wild Shape as a bonus action.
Savage Adaptability
Also at 2nd level, you learn the spell adaptationSDS, which doesn’t count against the number of spells you can have prepared. You can cast it targeting yourself without expending a spell slot.
You can cast it in this way a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses after a long rest.
Savage Attacks
Starting at 6th level, when you take the Attack action while Wild Shaped, you can make two attacks instead of one. If your chosen form has more than one attack listed, you cannot use the same attack twice.
Primal Power
Starting at 6th level, when you Wild Shape, you can expend a spell slot as part of the same bonus action to empower your attacks. If you expend a 1st- or 2nd-level slot, your form gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. If you expend a 3rd- through 5th-level slot, the bonus is a +2. If you expend a 6th-level or higher slot, the bonus is a +3. Regardless of what slot is used, your attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
This lasts until the end of your Wild Shape.
Saurian Bond
At 10th level, you gain the ability to speak with birds, lizards, and dinosaurs at all times, as if you were under the effects of a limited speak with natureSDS.
In addition, anytime you Wild Shape into one of your Feather and Scale forms, you can select one other creature within 30 feet to receive a saurian boon based on the form you choose.
- Scales: The creature receives a +1 bonus to its AC.
- Feathers: The creature's jumping distance is doubled, and it doesn't take damage for falls of 30 feet or less.
- Size: The creature's size increases one category (up to a maximum of Huge). It gains temporary hit points equal to your druid level.
These saurian boons last until you exit your wild shape.
Primeval Transformation
At 14th level, you are able to fully embody a dinosaur's earth-shaking might. When you Wild Shape into one of your Feather and Scale forms, you can choose to tranform into a titanic or miniature form. You gain different benefits during this Wild Shape based on your choice.
- Titanic: You can increase your size one category. You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws, you gain temporary hit points equal to twice your druid level, and your attacks in Wild Shape all deal an additional die of damage.
- Miniature: You can decrease your size one category. You gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws, your speed increases by 10 feet, and you can add your Wisdom modifier to the damage of all your attacks while Wild Shaped.
Circle of Scales quirks
The following are some optional quirks for a player of this Circle to choose from.
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You wear a cloak of saurian feathers. |
| 2 | You refer to children as "hatchlings". |
| 3 | Your arms are just a little bit short. |
| 4 | You have scaly patches on your elbows and knees. |
| 5 | Your teeth come to sharp points. |
| 6 | You praise eating rocks as a digestive aid. |
Appendix 1: Feather and Scale Forms
Your Feather and Scale feature grants you a series of additional powerful forms you can transform into using your Wild Shape. These forms have some of their statistics linked to your druid's abilities, and scale as you increase in level.
If a form references a saving throw, it uses your druid spell save DC. If a form inflicts the grappled condition, the escape DC equals your druid spell save DC.
Level 2 Forms
These forms are available from level 2.
Allosaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 11+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 4+4 times your druid level
- Speed 35 ft.
17 14 13 STR(+3) DEX(+2) CON(+1)
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage.
Allosaurus was a large and mobile theropod from the late Jurassic period — one of the most numerous predators of the era. Scientists aren't sure if they hunted alone or in small packs, and suspect they ate fairly large herbivores, both as fresh kills and carrion. They walked on two legs, and had only short arms. But their short, stubby arms weren't as short and stubby as other theropods, so were probably a little bit more useful.
Camptosaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 5+5 times your druid level
- Speed 30 ft.
15 14 15 STR(+2) DEX(+2) CON(+2)
Actions
Thumb Spike. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (3d4 + 2) piercing damage.
Kick. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet and knocked prone.
Camptosaurus was a smaller herbivore from the late Jurassic, but stockier than similar dinosaurs. It was an iguanodont, quadrupedal but maybe able to rear up on two legs, and had powerful grinding teeth to be able to digest any plant it wanted. Like many other iguanodonts, it was equipped with a thumb spike, which may have been a weapon, or may have been used to help gather food.
Deinonychus
Medium beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 3+3 times your druid level
- Speed 35 ft.
11 16 15 STR(+0) DEX(+3) CON(+2)
Actions
Terrible Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage + 5 (1d10) additional slashing damage against a prone target.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions
Tendon Slash. As a bonus action when it hits with a Terrible Claw attack, the deinonychus can force a target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.
Deinonychus was an iconic predator from the early Cretaceous period, though it's unclear if it was a pack hunter or worked alone. It was likely covered in feathers, but its most distinguishing feature was the giant claw on each of its feet. It's likely the claw was a weapon, but some scientists think it may have been more useful for climbing trees.
Hadrosaur
Medium beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 4+4 times your druid level
- Speed 30 ft.
- Skills Perception
16 15 12 STR(+3) DEX(+2) CON(+1)
Actions
Chomp. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Bonus Actions
Deafening Honk (Recharge 4-6). As a bonus action, the hadrosaur can emit a monstrously loud honk through its crest. Every creature within 60 feet must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be deafened until the end of its next turn. The next attack the hadrosaur makes against a creature deafened in this way is made at advantage.
Hadrosaurs were a late Cretaceous family of duck-billed herbivores. They were likely bipedal as juveniles, transitioning to mostly quadrupedal adults. This stat block is based mostly on Parasaurolophus. Hadrosaurs were marsh- and forest-dwellers, distinguished by a variety of elaborate head crests. Most paleontologists think the head crests were used for mating displays, and possibly as sound amplifiers for long-distance communication.
Pachycephalosaur
Medium beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 4+4 times your druid level
- Speed 40 ft.
15 14 15 STR(+2) DEX(+2) CON(+2)
Charge. If the pachycephalosaur moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a headbutt attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature no more than one size larger than the pachycephalosaur, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or fall prone.
Actions
Headbutt. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Pachycephalosaurus was a smaller, bipedal dinosaur from the late Cretaceous. Its most distinguishing feature was its domed skull, which was likely used to ram other members of its species in competition within herds. For a long time it was believed to be herbivorous, but newer specimens with more intact jaws suggest it may have eaten meat as well.
Stegosaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 11+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 5+5 times your druid level
- Speed 30 ft.
- Skills Perception
16 12 15 STR(+3) DEX(+1) CON(+2)
Armored Plates. When a creature within 5 feet hits the stegosaur with a melee attack, it takes piercing damage equal to the stegosaur's proficiency bonus.
Actions
Spiked Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Stegosaurus was one of the most iconic of all dinosaurs, a four-legged herbivore with spikes on the end of its tail and a row of kite-shaped plates standing upright on its back. It lived in the late Jurassic. Its spiked tail (called a "thagomizer", coined by the Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson) was almost certainly used for defense, but the plates are more of a mystery. The prevailing theory is that they were helpful for temperature regulation, but they may have had a role in mating displays. Or, as in the stat block, the plates may have been helpful for defense against predators. The defensive theory actually makes more sense for some other stegosauridae, whose plates were supplemented with side-facing spikes.
Therizinosaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 4+4 times your druid level
- Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
16 13 15 STR(+3) DEX(+1) CON(+2)
Actions
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.
Therizinosaurus was a late Cretaceous dinosaur which walked upright and was notable for having comically huge claws. It likely ate shrubs and low trees, with a long neck to reach branches. The purpose of its claws is not well-understood; they might have been useful for fighting off predators, climbing trees, or specialized modes of plant harvesting.
Velociraptor
Small beast
- Armor Class 13+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 3+3 times your druid level
- Speed 50 ft.
13 16 14 STR(+1) DEX(+3) CON(+2)
Pack Tactics. The velociraptor has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the raptor's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Leaping Attack. If the velociraptor moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, it can make a bite attack as a bonus action.
Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start, the velociraptor can long jump up to 25 feet.
Actions
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Velociraptor was a late Cretaceous raptor, a biped covered in feathers and equipped with sharp claws and teeth. While movies have depicted it as human-sized, it was probably only about as big as turkeys. (Some depictions have shown Deinonychus while calling it Velociraptor, just to use a cooler name.) While media (and this stat block) commonly treat it as a pack hunter, the fossil evidence for that is actually pretty limited, so scientists are undecided on the issue.
Level 5 Forms
These forms become available once you are level 5, and may offer swim speeds or more complicated abilities.
Ankylosaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 14+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 5+5 times your druid level
- Speed 25 ft.
16 10 17 STR(+3) DEX(+0) CON(+3)
Armor Plating. The ankylosaur is immune to any nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage of 5 points or less.
Slamming Club. Once per turn when it hits a creature with its tail, the ankylosaur can force the target to make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the target is knocked prone, and if it is smaller than the ankylosaurus, thrown up to 15 feet in a direction of the ankylosaur's choice.
Actions
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Ankylosaurus was another iconic dinosaur, an extremely heavily-armored quadruped from the very end of the Cretaceous period. It was low to the ground, eating hundreds of pounds of ferns and shrubs each day. Its back was covered in knobbly armor plates, and its tail ended in a brutal club, which may have been used for defense against predators or fights between rivals.
Carnotaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 5+5 times your druid level
- Speed 40 ft.
- Senses Perception, Survival
16 15 13 STR(+3) DEX(+2) CON(+1)
Keen Senses. The carnotaur has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) checks that rely on sight or smell.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Horns. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, it is shoved up to 10 feet in a direction of the carnotaur's choice.
Carnotaurus was a late Cretaceous theropod, similar in body plan to Allosaurus or Tyrannosaurus Rex. It's notable for providing one of the best-preserved theropod fossils, complete with skin impressions. Its most distinctive features were a pair of stubby horns above its eyes and extremely tiny arms. This stat block follows a (somewhat fringe) theory that the stubby horns seen in fossils are just the base of bigger, bull-like horns; those could have been usable weapons but would not have been preserved in the fossil record.
Dilophosaur
Medium beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 4+4 times your druid level
- Speed 35 ft.
16 12 15 STR(+3) DEX(+1) CON(+2)
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions
Poison Spit (Recharge 5-6). As a bonus action, the spitter can expel a glob of venom at a creature it can see within 20 feet. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d12 poison damage and be blinded until the end of its next turn.
Dilophosaurus was a theropod from the early Jurassic, recognizable for a pair of crests that ran in parallel along the length of its skull. Scientists differ on its bite strength, and whether it would have been more of a hunter or a scavenger, and modern work suggests it would have had feathers. Media has depicted it as having a venomous spit; there's no evidence for this in the fossil record, but it makes for a fun stat block.
Spinosaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 11+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 4+4 times your druid level
- Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
17 14 13 STR(+3) DEX(+2) CON(+1)
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) piercing damage.
Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the start of its next turn.
Spinosaurus was a theropod and apex predator from the late Cretaceous, potentially bigger even than T-Rex. (This stat block uses the Spinosaurus name, but is actually based more on its smaller cousin Irritator Challengeri). It had a large sail on its back, which may have helped stabilize it in the water, or may have been mostly for mating displays. It was likely semiaquatic, mostly hunting fish, and its tail may have been flexible enough to whip the water and stun prey, similar to a modern thresher shark.
Triceratops
Large beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 6+6 times your druid level
- Speed 40 ft.
19 9 15 STR(+4) DEX(-1) CON(+2)
Trampling Charge. If the triceratops moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the triceratops can make one stomp attack against it as a bonus action.
Actions
Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one prone creature. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Triceratops was another iconic dinosaur, a large herbivore that survived up until the extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous. It was a quadruped with a powerful beak, and a distinctive bone frill and set of three horns on its skull. While often depicted as a herd animal, there's no real evidence for that; it's more likely that juveniles stayed together in groups and separated after reaching adulthood. It was just one of many different species in the ceratopsian family; even more spectacular horn-and-crest combinations were shown by Styracosaurus, Diabloceratops, and Kosmoceratops.
Dunkleosteus
Large beast
- Armor Class 14+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 4+4 times your druid level
- Speed 0 ft., swim 30 ft.
15 12 17 STR(+2) DEX(+1) CON(+3)
Armor Plating. The dunkleosteus is immune to any nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage of 5 points of less.
Water Breathing. The dunkleosteus can breathe only underwater.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d12 + 2) piercing damage.
Dunkleosteus...was not a dinosaur, and did not coexist with them. It was a type of fish called a placoderm, covered in bony plates, from the late Devonian period (after the dinosaurs went extinct). It was an apex predator, that may have sucked in prey with vacuum-like force before chomping down on it with the strongest bite any fish has ever had. (It was included as an option by mistake, and retained by popular demand).
Plesiosaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 5+5 times your druid level
- Speed 20 ft., swim 50 ft.
16 15 13 STR(+3) DEX(+2) CON(+1)
Hold Breath. The plesiosaur can hold its breath for up to 1 hour.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
The Plesiosaurs were an aquatic family, with lumpy bodies (a bit like a stretched-out sea turtle), long necks, and oar-shaped flippers. They existed from the late Triassic all the way to the end of the Cretaceous. Some, like plesiosaurus itself, had long necks and small heads, good for catching small fish. Others, like liopleurodon, had shorter necks and pursued bigger prey, serving as aquatic apex predators.
Level 11 Forms
These additional forms become available once you are druid level 11. They include flying and Huge creatures.
Diplodocus
Huge beast
- Armor Class 10+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 6+6 times your druid level
- Speed 30 ft.
- Skills Perception
17 10 17 STR(+3) DEX(+0) CON(+3)
Long Body. The sauropod can't make a Stomp and a Tail attack against the same target on the same turn.
Actions
Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d12 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Diplodocus was a sauropod, one of the long-necked herbivores sometimes described as "land whales". It dated to the late Jurassic, and was one of the longest dinosaurs ever, up to 85 feet from nose to tail. (In game terms, that would be gargantuan; the stat block here is for a smaller one).
Tyrannosaur
Huge beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 6+6 times your druid level
- Speed 35 ft.
19 11 15 STR(+4) DEX(+0) CON(+2)
Long Body. The tyrannosaur can't make a Bite and a Tail attack against the same target on the same turn.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d12 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the tyrannosaur can't bite another target.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one prone creature. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Inarguably the most famous dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus Rex was a late Cretaceous apex predator, weighing 5-10 tons and with teeth up to a foot long. For years, scientists argued over whether it may have been a scavenger rather than a hunter; modern scholarship confirms it certainly did some of both. It likely had feathers on the upper portions of its body (with fully-feathered cousins like Yutyrannus). While an efficient walker, its extreme size meant that a full-on sprint might have produced enough force to break its legs.
Mosasaur
Huge beast
- Armor Class 13+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 5+5 times your druid level
- Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft.
19 12 13 STR(+4) DEX(+1) CON(+1)
Hold Breath. The mosasaur can hold its breath for up to 1 hour.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage.
The Mosasaurs were a group of aquatic predators in the late Cretaceous. The smallest was the size of a human arm, with the largest growing up to 40 feet long. Mosasaurus breathed air and had a whalelike body, with a long tail and four oar-shaped flippers. It likely gave birth to live young and may have been a caring parent.
Microraptor
Tiny beast
- Armor Class 14+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 3+3 times your druid level
- Speed 15 ft., fly 50 ft.
- Skills Acrobatics, Perception
- Senses Darkvision 60 ft.
8 17 15 STR(-1) DEX(+3) CON(+2)
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions
Tearing Bite. If the microraptor hits with two Bite attacks on its turn, it can make a third Bite attack as a bonus action.
Reactions
Steady Flight. If the microraptor is knocked prone in the air, it can use its reaction to end the condition.
Microraptor was the smallest dinosaur in this selection, a chicken-sized predator that lived in the early Cretaceous. It was fully feathered, with iridescent plumage, and could use all four of its limbs as wings.
Pterosaur
Large beast
- Armor Class 12+PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 4+4 times your druid level
- Speed 5 ft., fly 80 ft.
- Skills Perception
17 13 15 STR(+3) DEX(+1) CON(+2)
Keen Sight. The pterosaur has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage.
Pterosaur is a generic term for all the large flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs, from the late Triassic onward. They had bat-like wings which were good for soaring, with talons and long beaks. Some species had toothy beaks; Pteranodon, which this stat block is most patterned on, had no teeth. It was so large and heavy that it could not get off the ground with its wings alone, instead having elastic leg muscles to slingshot itself high into the air. Also, it was very hairy; not just feathered, but hairy.
Appendix 2: Build-a-Saurus
If you wish to create additional dinos for your Feather and Scale forms, you can work with your DM to produce balanced options. Here are a few guidelines to follow.
- Generally, beasts with higher AC and hit points should have somewhat less damage output.
- AC should range from 10+PB to 13+PB.
- Hit points should range from 3+3 times your druid level to 6+6 times your druid level.
- Grab features and attacks appropriate to the beast you want to model, and rebalance their damage. Make sure to take into account advantage or occasional-use features like Pounce and Charge. (Generally, treat those as providing 1/3 their stated damage - assume they get used once per 3-round encounter).
- Damage output should be as follows:
- Levels 2-5: 7-13 damage per round (DPR)
- Levels 6-13: 16-25 DPR
- The sweet spot here is around 20, but lower damage is appropriate for creatures with exceptionally powerful features, and higher damage for creatures with damage gated on strong saving throws.
- Level 14+: There are two different formulas to apply here based on Ferocious Transformation, but both will usually be in the 25-32 DPR range.
- Flying creatures should generally be on the low end for both defenses and damage, since flying is a huge tactical advantage.
- Forms with complicated attacks, strong control abilities, or swim speeds should be limited to level 5 and up.
- Huge forms and forms with flight should be limited to level 11 and up.
Changelog
v0.2
- Added history!
- Moved Sauropod to level 11, renamed to Diplodocus
- Added Therizinosaur to level 2 (climber)
- Added Camptosaurus to level 2
- Assorted balance tweaks
- Buffed Microraptor's walk speed, gave it Steady Flight
- Buffed Diplodocus tail reach
- Buffed Stegosaur with Armored Plates
- Nerfed Ankylosaur hp and speed, gave it DR
- Changed Deinonychus BA from prone to speed reduction
- Nerfed Allosaur hp
- Stat block formatting tweaks
v0.1
- First Draft
Credits & References:
Circle of Scales created by somanyrobots Discord | Patreon
Art
Circle of Scales Druid, by Will Roqq
Background Image Stains
License
© 2024 somanyrobots
5E SRD Content
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available here.
The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available here.
