TV to Tabletop is a series where we take ideas from popular fantasy TV and movies and translate them to D&D terms. In this case, we’re jumping the gun on your TV screen, and doing an article based off a movei still in theaters! Use it as-is, rename it to hide your sources, or get inspiration for your own ideas!

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is one of the most popular movies in the U.S. right now, and with good reason! This action-comedy brings to life recognizable fantasy RPG concepts and tropes in a way that stays true to the source material.

Ever since the trailer hit, gamers have discussed the druid character, Doric, and her ability to wild shape into an owlbear. That’s not possible given the current rules. At least, it wasn’t until now.

Presented here is a new druid circle that allows you to wild shape into an owlbear . . . and more!

New Druid Circle: Circle of Claws

The Circle of Claws fight to defend their ancestral and sacred lands from the depredations of encroaching civilization.

These druids take the fight to the despoilers, increasing their shapechanging powers by expanding the boundaries of the forms they can take, shifting into creatures beyond the abilities of most druids. They can also increase the time spent in those forms, allowing extended reconnaissance among the enemy.

Improved Wild Shape

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action, rather than as an action.

Additionally, while you are transformed by Wild Shape, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to increase the duration by 30 minutes per level of the spell slot expended.

If you have expended your normal two uses of Wild Shape, you can use a bonus action to expend two spell slots of the highest level you can cast to gain another use of Wild Shape. Starting at 11th level, you can instead spend a single spell slot of 6th level or higher to gain another use of Wild Shape, or two spell slots of 2nd level or higher.

Shape Mastery

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape feature to transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as 1 (this supersedes the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but you must abide by all other limitations there).

Starting at 6th level, you can transform into a form with a CR as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down.

War Form

At 6th level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into a monstrosity. This form must be chosen from the list below and abide by the limitations set by the Wild Shape ability as well as those set here.

At 12th level, and again at 18th level, you can choose an additional war form to add to your repertoire. At 8th level, and every even level thereafter, you may replace one war form that you know with a new war form.

Your war form can be chosen from the following monstrosities: ankheg, basilisk, bullette, chimaera, cockatrice, death dog, gorgon, griffon, hippogriff, manticore, owlbear, rust monster, winter wolf, or worg.

If you use the Creature Codex and/or the various Tome of Beasts books, you can add the following to your list of possible forms:

Creature Codex: ahuizotl, anophiloi, bearmit crab, chupacabra, ghost boar, gulon, lou carcolh, roggenwolf, scitalis, and wolpertinger.

Tome of Beasts 1: dogmole, dogmole juggernaut, mahoru, and water leaper.

Tome of Beasts 2: alchemical skunk, brimstone locusthound, corpse worm, cryoceros, kezai, narshark, qiqirn, stormboar, tembril, and tidehunter.

Tome of Beasts 3: alke, amphibolt, capybear, catamount, death worm, dire owlbear, haakjir, ice urchin, ice worm, lobe lemur, mudmutt, scorchrunner jackal, slithy tove, and urushi constrictor.

Note: A GM can feel free to modify this list with other monstrosities. The general rules used in creating these lists is that a monstrosity must have a CR of 6 or less, an Intelligence score of 7 or less, and a beast-like form without humanoid features.

Potent Strikes

Starting at 10th level, your attacks in beast or monstrosity form count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Primal Ferocity

At 14th level, you have learned to push your war form to extreme limits. When you are in a war form, you can use your bonus action to expend a spell slot to instill your war form with primal ferocity. While primal ferocity is active, you gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain +3 to the damage roll. This bonus increases to +4 if you expend a spell slot of 4th level or higher.
• Your speed for all forms of movement in your war form increase by 10 feet. This bonus increases to 20 feet if you expend a spell slot of 4th level or higher.

You cannot cast spells or maintain concentration while primal ferocity is active.

Primal ferocity lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious, take a form other than your war form (either by using Wild Shape or having your current form reduced to 0 hit points), or your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage. You can end primal ferocity on your turn as a bonus action.

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Want more options to make your character distinct? Tome of Heroes has you covered!
New races, new subclasses, new equipment, and so much more!

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