For the Shillelagh and magic stone argument of casting every minute, my dm simply said, "roll a d10 at the start of combat to see how many rounds you have left on the spell"
I think that's a good rule if the fight was sudden, I think if you initiate combat any player who saw it coming could reasonably have precast something with a -1 round duration.
The understanding about shillelagh at my table is that if we're weapons out, battle ready, adventuring, I have it up. If we go straight from diplomacy or travel to combat then I need to take the time to cast it
I Would love to Colby Experiment with using the art in the thumbnail. I know consistent Branding for thumbnails are important but the art so good I'd be hard press to find many people who wouldn't not click on it.
My idea for a Druid gish character is multiclassing Mercy Monk + Spores Druid. And since Monk Unarmed Strikes do count as "melee weapon attacks" they should work with the Symbiotic Entity feature. I call it "The Penicillin Pugilist". And I'd love to see how Colby would build it. 😁
I have someone playing this exact build in my PotA campaign right now. 8th level, 6 monk, 2 druid. Deals an UNHOLY amount of damage, nearly keeps up with the dual wielding BM fighter/undead warlock
Fun build, I like it! Here's my spin: I started off thinking a one level monk dip just for Martial Arts, cus we love that bonus action attack with Spores, getting more value from our Symbiotic Entity, right? But then it occurred to me that we'll be using a quarterstaff, and you know what we can do with that? Polearm Master. This'll deal 1d4 on a bonus action just like early Martial Arts, with the added benefits that this attack will work with Shillelagh too so we don't go too MAD for Dex, we can use a shield, it won't throw off our spellslot progression, and we can use it from first level. So: Pick a class with a starting feat, take PaM. At level 2, we get spores, and twice per short rest we get to do this, assuming Wisdom of 16: Turn one, use use our Action to activate Symbiotic Entity, gain 8 temp HP, Bonus Action Shillelagh, then somebody walks up to us to fight. Polearm Master reaction attack. 1d8+1d6+3. On your turn, attack action and Polearm Master bonus action attack. 1d8+2d6+1d4+6. Overall, that averages 31 damage. Did I mention we're level two and did this with a cantrip? Now we can level up to 4th level. Putting two more points into Wisdom here is the smart move, but you know what's more fun? Taking the Crusher feat and casting Spike Growth. Now, assuming you've set up in advance, your damage looks like this: From your normal attacks: 1d8+2d6+1d4+6 You also Crusher them 5 feet away through the spikes, so that's another 2d4. The enemy approaches you again through the spikes. Another 2d4. You use your PaM reaction and hit them for entering your threatened area. Another 1d8+1d6+3. Here's an interesting interaction: Crusher says 'Once per turn', not 'Once per round'. That means we can use it on our turn and on somebody else's turn. Uh oh, we knock their ass another 5 feet back into the spikes with that reaction, and your DM is getting cross. Another 2d4. If they want to continue approaching you after that, it's another 2d4, but let's be fair, they're probably going to just curl up and cry instead. That puts our damage at: 2d8+3d6+9d4+7, for a whopping 49 average damage at level 4. Suddenly no enemy wants to come near you, and holy shit, you can not blame them. The sexiest part of this is that it doesn't even throw off your spell progression - you're still a full caster, you spiky little monster. The tricky part is setting it all up - Symb Entity takes an Action, so does Spike Growth. Odds are, your best bet is to walk up 10 feet from an enemy, cast Spike Growth centred on them turn one, then Symbiotic Entity turn two. You'll still get your reaction attack when they enter your space, and if they choose not to approach you, it's because they used their turn to Dash out of the spikes (20 feet of difficult terrain needs 40 feet to get out of, so that's going to take a Dash for most creatures), taking 8d4 damage in the process, which is still pretty good, especially if you can make two or more enemies do this and then immediately drop the spell. That's a second level slot dealing 20 average damage per creature, wasting their actions and splitting them up, unless they approach you instead. There's also the possibility that they'll have a ranged attack, and they'll just sit in the spikes and not move. Okay. At tenth level, we can use Spreading Spores to deal 2d8 in a 10 foot cube at the start of every turn. Or, we could consider other fun spells like Wall of Fire or Maelstrom. Maelstrom feels especially cruel, standing on the edges and pushing them back in when they get close to escaping. Druids are scary.
@@A2Ztigers I've got an arcana cleric 1/wildfire druid 9 set up for a oneshot for Christmas, got PAM, Warcaster and GFB. 12th level druid feat would be crusher for sure 😈
LOL, at 48:44, "And we also get Mass Cure Wounds, which can be kind of nice if you have multiple Enemies in dire need of healing..." Heal 'em up to give 'em hope then smack 'em back down again to show 'em they never stood a chance! So mean! Love it 😈
My Wildfire spirit is a hummingbird that is always present, but turns into a phoenix when "summoned" Also, the teleport is especially great when you combine it with the fact that you can cast spells from your spirit. I call it the "med-evac" and use cure wounds from the spirit on downed allies while teleporting them away from the enemy. Takes a whole turn, but it has saved my party members countless times.
I feel like shadow touched is better for RP scenarios and fey touched us better for combat. Being able to pick up Invisibility and Disguise Self or Silent Image is great for creative players and lean more towards an infiltration scenarios. However, there are a lot more 1st level enchantment spells that remain powerful as you get into higher levels. Things like Silvery Barbs, Bless, and Command are incredibly useful. They also tend to be better in combat, which is unfortunately where a lot of DND optimizers focus.
@@jordanholt9170 I think it's good for a stealth class that doesn't have invisibility. Or a character with low bonus action economy to maybe take a hex spell. Wait can you take hex with shadow touched?
@@LoreFoundry Shadow Touched is limited to Illusion spells. Hex is an Enchantment spell, which actually makes it available to be taken with Fey Touched.
On the recasting sheleleeee every minute, I think a fair compromise people can make with their DM is that you roll a d10* along with initiative. You get that many turns of shalooloo before you need to recast. Realistically you wouldn't always just happen to have a minute left, even if your character is always prepared for a fight.
Recasting a spell every minute would be so annoying though for RP. I generally don't allow that sort of thing unless they are in a situation they would percieve as dangerous. e.g. exploring a dungeon - sure you can be constantly casting it as long as you aren't trying to be sneaky, walking around town - no people are going to stare at you like you're nuts or be annoyed when you interrupt a conversation to recast the spell.
I do this for my players with Shillelagh, but since it is a 60 second duration and a combat round is 6 seconds I ask for a d10 instead. Given that combat starts instantly that is, like a surprise attack or such.
I really appreciate that you take the time to weave in some backstory and character development that Explains the meta/feature/ability choices for the characters you design. Love it!
Thanks a lot. I was looking for a way to get fire bolt on Wildfire Druid, but only found Strixhaven and Ravnica backgrounds, so it's really helpful that Arcane Cleric can get this spell.
I've been playing at the same table as a wildfire druid for 35 sessions and I only just now realized that you can teleport as many creatures as you like with it. That's wild.
I've been waiting for this one forever! Before I even get to the start of the build, I'm currently playing what I believe is exactly this build at my table, and it's honestly my favorite character I've ever played!
I played one for 13 levels in Rhime of Frostmaiden and loved it. Took magic adept with variant human for Hex, Eblast and GFlame blade and went straight Druid. I got some of the same benefits from Colby’s build and full casting. Such a fun character to play, especially in Icewind dale where I could turn the fire on.
You're last bit about "I hope you get really quick with that on your turn" is exactly why my bladesinger/rune knight character sheet also has a flowchart
One of my favorite characters I’ve ever played was a Fire genasi wildfire Druid. It was tomb of annihilation, so he died at level 8, but he was awesome. His wildfire spirit was humanoid in form, and he called it little brother.
Nice build! I definately did not expect wildfire druid, but you gave me a lot inspiration for my own Druid gish build! Thanks to you I recognized, that the Hunters horde-breaker feature is not restricted to the attack action. So I am gonna build a lizardfolk or longtooth shifter spore druid, get access to Green Flame Blade and use his bonus action to make a bite attack and apply horde-breaker with symbiotic entity and the beast version of the guardian of nature spell.
I was looking for a wildfire build almost exactly like this (minus the ranger dip) LITERALLY YESTERDAY. This video could not have come at a better time. I love it!
I'm actually playing a martial/Caster wildfire druid in AL right now Went lizardfolk for natural AC and swim speed. 5 levels of gloomstalker for extra attack and Sharpshooter and 5 levels of druid so far. Between fey touched for misty step and my wildfire companion's Teleportation, I can keep out of melee while I shoot my bow.
I love my wildfire dwarf. Hes a Candle Maker, and his sprit is a little candle elemental named Tallow. I know you mentioned the combat use of the Spirits teleport, but when out of combat I'm constantly finding uses for it. Any grate? Bars? cracks in the wall? even windows (you only need to be able to see the destination), and you can teleport your whole party past the wall.
Love this this combo and I’m so happy to see it brought into the light. Also an an aside, if you wanted to have a solid ranger option: switch out booming blade for firebolt. This’ll let you do decent damage to a distant enemy along with your fire spirit without messing with the build too much.
I absolutely love the idea of a wildfire druid as a way to go xmen nightcrawler in combat. Never realized before that it had that unlimited use teleport, which really does help with a druid's survival issue
You did it! A comment I left on another of your videos suggested wildfire spirit’s fiery teleportation as a miniature sustainable thunder step and you used it! I know I might not have been the only person to suggest that, but I feel heard. Thank you for reading the comments and actually using some of our suggestions.
The image of summoning fey and then everyone bampfing around the battlefield just sounds hilarious. I imagine the music you have playing on your videos as a theme song for these shenanigans. 🍀
I have been using this build in a campaign that I've been playing every Tuesday for about seven months. It is super fun and extremely versatile. Tons of damage types to fall back on when fire wont cut it, the option to damage, heal, or control: it feels like I always have options. Thank you, Colby!
I went the route of making a summer Eladrin and the Prismari Student background (because it was allowed). The multiple teleport options feel fun when my spirit is in melee and I'm in the back throwing out firebolts. :)
I'm DMing a group with a wildfire druid and I can only agree that the spirit is Powerful - and it's such a tank compared to what you'd expect. Perfect for a table of only three players to have an extra half a character in the game. :P
I remember seeing a treantmonk wildfire build a long time ago that used a 1st level Arcana Cleric dip into WF Druid. Tried it out and it was a blast so I'm glad to see some more attention brought to this unique combo, and with a very underused ranger subclass to boot.
I love it! Thank Colby! I asked about this a few weeks ago and man did you deliver! Love it! Keep up all the awesome work!! I could only imagine the devastation this build could roll out with a pair of illusionist’s bracers. 😁
Love your performance of Tesla in the outro. You are right, Love Song is one of the best rock ballads of the 80's. Don't be afraid to sing more in your videos. Love it!
I love the idea is this build. You can feel like a fiery warrior with a small army of magical beasts and also you are amazingly flexible. Great job!! 🥰🤩
Currently using this in a Solasta game and it is working great! Opted for War Cleric instead of Arcana domain, but the basics are still there and it is working great.
Love the versatility of Druids. Intrigued by this subclass (would like to see a Tiefling wildfire Druid). The gish build makes it even more versatile and gives me some ideas to share with a Druid player in my campaign who would like to hit stuff.
Honestly, I'm really surprised you didn't consider going with Tortle. The boost to defense would be very welcome and would allow you to put points into Cha or Int for potential multiclassing. Custom Lineage is still probably the better option but I love my fighting turtles.
As far as the party and DM poking and sparring at each other. There are people who DON'T love that ("I set an alarm to cast Shillelagh every minute!")?! The party I DM for and I LIVE to do that to each other! This past Wednesday night, I ran the BBEG fight of a 3rd-party module, that included a nasty twist for the players. Instead of a horde of minions softening them up for the BBEG, the BBEG (a 192HP revenant -they're 6th level), beat them up. They then grabbed the artifact and went to leave, BUT the artifact being removed from it's hiding place rleased necromantic energy that woke up FIFTY ghouls to complicate their escape. The BBEG had softened them up for the minions to finish off. So; of course, 7 vs. 50, they dropped every AoE spell they had to make me make as many as 30 saving throws, the Paladin of course used Turn Undead to get even with me, THEN the Druid cast... yup Conjure Animals to block and act as cannon fodder, cluttering up my Roll20 VTT map even more. It wasn't all of the rolling or mechanics that bogged down that combat, it was us laughing as we kept trying to stick it to each other, and a great time; which i acknowledge might not be EVERYONE's idea of a "Good time;" was had by all. I love my "Expert Classes" as much as Colby loves his gishes. I may have actually stood and clapped when Colby took PHB Ranger-subclass levels. I read that UA document VERY carefully. We've been down this road too many times before. We have to remind ourselves and everyone else that it's still in the playtest phase, and while it's a peek at how and what they're thinking, we don't know what the final version will look like. They’re already said the new Ranger is “Too solid,” and “May be more powerful than they actually want it to be” in the video accompanying the release of the playtest document. 5e has been a winner for the most part for WotC. It doesn't need a sledgehammer. It needs to be clarified and balanced in places, and de-cluttered, but I'm afraid I see a lot of "change for change's sake" in the two UAs that have come out so far. My sense is that the areas they intend to simplify take out flavor, and the parts they intend to make more crunchy make it less friendly to new players/players returning from an earlier edition, as compared to 5e. I won't automatically adopt OneD&D, but I will steal a good idea; that streamlines, balances, and clarifies the game for everyone; from anywhere. Even WahtCeee.
My build is: Level 1-Phoenix or Pyromancer Sorcerer. Take GFB, whatever utility cantrips you want, Shield and Absorb Elements. Level 2 and Beyond- Take Wildfire Druid. Definitely take Summon Beast. That will help you a lot in melee combat. Weaknesses- You may have either mediocre Dexterity or Constitution, as you need the minimum 13 in charisma. Strengths- You deal even more damage when you cast fire spells, and you get Shield.
I might try this build out when I play Tomb of Annihilation, though I'll likely take Crusher instead of Fey Touched; having some forced movement from level 1 to help with Booming Blade's extra damage or get enemies close together for GFB sounds fun, plus possibly some shenanigans with AOEs like Spike Growth or Flaming Sphere later. But I love this build for its versatility more than anything, especially with the Cleric spells.
Oh snap. I had seen thr GFB+Horde Breaker combo a while back and thought "huh, that'd be a neat thing to build around" and then soon forgot about it. Cool to see someone actually take the idea and make something out of it.
I want to see an inescapable crushing wall build where you create 2 almost unkillable characters that take advantage of opportunity attacks from eachother created in melee. So maybe a spirit cleric and some sort of booming blade bladesinger tank combo.
I'd like to know what you're thinking of by taking advantage of opportunity attacks from one another created in melee as I can only assume you mean forced movement. As forced movement doesn't create opportunity when the opponent leaves your threat area.
A NEW GISHY BUILD! LETS GOOOOOOOOO🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (Late on the let's go lol) Now I don't have a lot of time so I'm going to keep this simple... I am seriously impressed with this build and it has made it on my list of potential next build I play LOL. Nicely done Colby, I am loving this!
Colby: No Thorn Whip? You can pull opponents away from allies, so they can move away with invoking an Opportunity Attack. After Level 6, Enhanced Bond would allow you to cast Thorn Whip from your Wildfire Spirit. If positioned directly above an enemy, you could pull them 10 feet into the air, drop them for falling damage, and impose the Prone Position.
Randal did a commission for my campaign villain and my players hate the villain. So Randal did a very good job designing and drawing the art. I encourage not only players, but DMs as well to check him out!
I seriously want to try this build. I love Gish characters and this is one of the most creative I've seen in a while. Plus, I've been curious about the ideal of building a really militant druid, and this is on point!
Treantmonk also has a Wildfire Druid build that starts Arcana Cleric, but completely different build (control caster, but goes take GFB) and was a Lizardfolk to help with the AC issue. Played it through Wild Beyond the Witchlight, ended up doing more summoning than I wanted to. Now if I keep playing that character I think I might steer more towards this build
Bugbear is a good alternative here as Scorching Ray gets and extra 2d6 per ray if you drop it in that opening round. Could grab Gift of Alacrity with DM permission via Fey Touched to help ensure your Bugbear goes before at least some of the enemies, too.
I'm playing this class now minus the ranger dip, I think warcaster is a must in this build unless you have an awesome DM with carrying the shield and club, and while I appreciate the fiery teleporation, I usually find that my group mates (other melee martials) prevent them from taking the damage which leaves me exposed if I get in Melee, but like you said, the spells are really nice and the option of melee is great.
Built a arcana cleric for a lvl 1 one shot one time. Loved it. Took booming blade. Variant human for crusher feat. So hitting with BB pushed enemies back thus almost always triggering extra damage
I created a goliath druid gish with 3 levels of Rune Knight fighter, followed by 2 levels of Stars druid, 2 more fighter levels and the rest in druid (possibly with a sixth fighter level somewhere along the way). He wields a Warhammer reskinned as a sword-in-stone with the stone still attached. Crusher is a must. It's really interesting the different combinations you can get by stacking Giant's might, the starry form, and various concentration spells, especially since you'll have proficiency in constitution saving throws. With the dragon form and advantage from war caster, your concentration will be borderline unbreakable. You can sort of choose what you want to optimize for in a given situation and do really well as a magical and melee damage dealer, a healer, a tank, or battlefield controller, depending on the battle.
small note: Squirrel molotov cocktails don't work because Tiny creatures don't spawn flames. This prevents players from killing a bunch of rats to heal between combat.
Related to the shillelagh being cast. We had a similar rule for the old version of Artificer - Alchemist. My character would consume the +10 movement speed potion every 10 minutes. We even put in a rule that he was so used to being cracked out on them that if he ever missed one, he'd fall asleep for 1d4 rounds.
I think crusher can work really well here as well, and I would probably take it instead of elemental adept Considering most of this builds damage is based on the fact that two creatures are standing next to each other, and you are using a club, having the option to move around your enemies is vital Also, because both crusher movement and gfb extra damage happen instantly, you can choose which one happens first, so you could hit a creature, push it next to another creature, and only then have gfb trigger to the second creature
I had an idea for a Druid Gish a while back in which you use a quarterstaff with shillelagh and take polearm master. The wording of shillelagh states that the hit die can be no lower than a d8. With this, you can make two d8 attacks. I am pretty certain this build is stronger but in that build, you would also take paladin levels for smites and extra attack. You can also throw in fighter levels to make a great nova/burst damage character!
I loved the build. Now I'm planning to play as a wildfire druid in my next campaign. But as a kobold, so i wouldn't need a level in arcana cleric to get greenflame blade, and seems nice thematically.
This is incredible. I just finished a cleaving build which started at Horde Breaker but I went the road of Hunter Ranger 5 and then go Draconic Sorcerer for quicken GFB and Shadow Blade for concentration. Your single target damage is probably slightly higher and your AC is better, but you miss out on 2 companions and are a bit more MAD
Arguing against metal armor here, but in lore i like to imagine that druids dont wear metal armor as to not be a victim of other druids Heat Metal Spells and the Wild Shape shenanigans they could pull off with that
This would go great as a companion to the ranged druid gish ive been playing. He's a Harengon trickery cleric 2/gloomstalker 3/stars druid x. Basically gave him Bambi's backstory turned Rambo, and before he joined the party was hunting the humans who came in his forest to hunt his kind, and yes, his druids star map was just a sailors back tattoo.
Remember kids, when using sharp objects to cut open a package; always make sure you use quick and jerky motions towards your face. :p jk. You’re great Colby.
For actual years now I have wanted to play a weapon-slinging druid gish. With their obvious flaws (puny hit die, and lack luster martial capabilities) the only option I ever saw was spores druid. I love the spores druid thematically, but it doesn't deliver how I'd like it to. Similarly, the wildfire druid is cool thematically but the fact they don't get access to ever-so iconic Fireball turned me away from the subclass. But now with this build I have seen the light (*que holy music*) and that light is FIRE! Thank you so so much Colby, you're wonderful, inspiring and oh so brilliant. I look forward to your videos every week and now have what I thought to be a unrealistic gish druid for my next character!~
18:12 my solution for situations like this that have a 1 minute duration is: roll 1d10, that's how man rounds you have left before you need to recast said spell. 10 rounds is 1 minute so if you roll high, combat started right as you recast it, if you roll low then combat began near the end of the duration. hope this helps :D
Absolutely wonderful video as always. For me, I prefer going just straight Druid to get access to Flame Blade even sooner. Not quite as good as Shadow Blade, but still very gish in style. 3d6 fire damage then 1d6+PB for the wildfire spirit. Maybe 3 levels in Wildfire, then dip into Arcana Cleric for the cantrips, then back to Wildfire.
I had a player want to do the "I cast Shillelagh every minute" and we came up with an alternative solution... We made a Shillelagh ritual. He could consecrate a single target to be his Shillelagh that lasted a month at a time OR until he ever cast the spell with a new target that shattered the ritual. It was something that required him to spend a few hours once a month and keep track of his weapon, and if he wanted the versatility of picking up a random stick and casting the spell, it meant that he would give up that "always on" feature until he had time to do the ritual again. It was something unique to him and his mentor that wasn't widely circulated in ritual knowledge.
My friend played a Wildfire Druid once. Her Wildfire Spirit was portrayed in form of a chicken. Who shot flame eggs. Out of its, uh… abdomen. Her name was Teriyaki. Man was it a doozy.
You're right about the shenanigans with enhanced bond. my fave tactic is: summon wildfire spirti pre-combat. have it fly at at least 200 ft above the party if possible. then once combat starts, pick targets and drop your beast of choice on them via conjure animals for 10d6 (DC 15 dex save, from 20d6 falling dmg split between target and beast) x8. That's a potential 80d6 with 8 chances to knock prone in 1 action for a 3rd slot. doing this at level 6 means alot of enemies won't survive especially if you send most of them vs. 1 target. at level 7-8 i dip fighter 2 for action surge to be able to do this 2x in 1 turn for massive multi-target dmg. and all of this without getting to choose your animal.
For the Shillelagh and magic stone argument of casting every minute, my dm simply said, "roll a d10 at the start of combat to see how many rounds you have left on the spell"
This was the first thing that came to mind
This is a great idea
Very good. But at some point you'll lose a bonus action in order to cast it, and... That's fine for being in melee using your wisdom to attack.
I think that's a good rule if the fight was sudden, I think if you initiate combat any player who saw it coming could reasonably have precast something with a -1 round duration.
The understanding about shillelagh at my table is that if we're weapons out, battle ready, adventuring, I have it up. If we go straight from diplomacy or travel to combat then I need to take the time to cast it
My understanding is that if you’re casting it every minute you autofail stealth checks while in a dungeon.
“Suck it, conjure animals, I hate you!“ made me laugh so hard. It was unexpected & the way it was said was perfectly spiteful, that was too funny 😂
😬😬😬
What I probably love most about Randall's art is the way he draws flames/energy beams
I Would love to Colby Experiment with using the art in the thumbnail. I know consistent Branding for thumbnails are important but the art so good I'd be hard press to find many people who wouldn't not click on it.
I always love, love, love the background.
hunter + greenflame blade is such a neat combo, i havent heard anyone talk about it before
My idea for a Druid gish character is multiclassing Mercy Monk + Spores Druid. And since Monk Unarmed Strikes do count as "melee weapon attacks" they should work with the Symbiotic Entity feature.
I call it "The Penicillin Pugilist". And I'd love to see how Colby would build it. 😁
I have someone playing this exact build in my PotA campaign right now. 8th level, 6 monk, 2 druid. Deals an UNHOLY amount of damage, nearly keeps up with the dual wielding BM fighter/undead warlock
wow I just brewed this the other day and thought I was kinda unique 😂
Fun build, I like it! Here's my spin:
I started off thinking a one level monk dip just for Martial Arts, cus we love that bonus action attack with Spores, getting more value from our Symbiotic Entity, right? But then it occurred to me that we'll be using a quarterstaff, and you know what we can do with that? Polearm Master. This'll deal 1d4 on a bonus action just like early Martial Arts, with the added benefits that this attack will work with Shillelagh too so we don't go too MAD for Dex, we can use a shield, it won't throw off our spellslot progression, and we can use it from first level. So:
Pick a class with a starting feat, take PaM. At level 2, we get spores, and twice per short rest we get to do this, assuming Wisdom of 16:
Turn one, use use our Action to activate Symbiotic Entity, gain 8 temp HP, Bonus Action Shillelagh, then somebody walks up to us to fight.
Polearm Master reaction attack. 1d8+1d6+3.
On your turn, attack action and Polearm Master bonus action attack.
1d8+2d6+1d4+6.
Overall, that averages 31 damage. Did I mention we're level two and did this with a cantrip?
Now we can level up to 4th level. Putting two more points into Wisdom here is the smart move, but you know what's more fun? Taking the Crusher feat and casting Spike Growth. Now, assuming you've set up in advance, your damage looks like this:
From your normal attacks:
1d8+2d6+1d4+6
You also Crusher them 5 feet away through the spikes, so that's another 2d4.
The enemy approaches you again through the spikes. Another 2d4.
You use your PaM reaction and hit them for entering your threatened area. Another 1d8+1d6+3.
Here's an interesting interaction: Crusher says 'Once per turn', not 'Once per round'. That means we can use it on our turn and on somebody else's turn. Uh oh, we knock their ass another 5 feet back into the spikes with that reaction, and your DM is getting cross. Another 2d4. If they want to continue approaching you after that, it's another 2d4, but let's be fair, they're probably going to just curl up and cry instead.
That puts our damage at:
2d8+3d6+9d4+7, for a whopping 49 average damage at level 4. Suddenly no enemy wants to come near you, and holy shit, you can not blame them.
The sexiest part of this is that it doesn't even throw off your spell progression - you're still a full caster, you spiky little monster. The tricky part is setting it all up - Symb Entity takes an Action, so does Spike Growth. Odds are, your best bet is to walk up 10 feet from an enemy, cast Spike Growth centred on them turn one, then Symbiotic Entity turn two. You'll still get your reaction attack when they enter your space, and if they choose not to approach you, it's because they used their turn to Dash out of the spikes (20 feet of difficult terrain needs 40 feet to get out of, so that's going to take a Dash for most creatures), taking 8d4 damage in the process, which is still pretty good, especially if you can make two or more enemies do this and then immediately drop the spell.
That's a second level slot dealing 20 average damage per creature, wasting their actions and splitting them up, unless they approach you instead. There's also the possibility that they'll have a ranged attack, and they'll just sit in the spikes and not move. Okay. At tenth level, we can use Spreading Spores to deal 2d8 in a 10 foot cube at the start of every turn. Or, we could consider other fun spells like Wall of Fire or Maelstrom. Maelstrom feels especially cruel, standing on the edges and pushing them back in when they get close to escaping. Druids are scary.
@@A2Ztigers I've got an arcana cleric 1/wildfire druid 9 set up for a oneshot for Christmas, got PAM, Warcaster and GFB. 12th level druid feat would be crusher for sure 😈
@@Kirk9019 it deals average damage at best
“Strixhaven is not allowed at most tables,”then immediately chooses silvery barbs at level one like a boss
Just the backgrounds tend to be banned in my experience 😉
@@DnDDeepDive I do a good bit of paid play and even there the strix backgrounds are banned in most cases
@@DnDDeepDive I allow the spells but I make sure to let my players know the golden rule before hand: any spell you take, my monsters can also take 😈
Way more people allow silvery barbs than allow the feat backgrounds. XD
@@johngleeman8347 I give my players a free 1st level feat and then another one at 4th lvl.
LOL, at 48:44, "And we also get Mass Cure Wounds, which can be kind of nice if you have multiple Enemies in dire need of healing..." Heal 'em up to give 'em hope then smack 'em back down again to show 'em they never stood a chance! So mean! Love it 😈
I wonder if my DM would give me double xp for killing them twice… 🤔
Ah, someone else notice.
The flavor text of both the Arcana Domain and the Circle of Wildfire go hand in hand. That’s amazing.
Colby is the Mr. Rogers of D&D. ❤️
Personally, I get more of a Bob Ross vibe.
My Wildfire spirit is a hummingbird that is always present, but turns into a phoenix when "summoned"
Also, the teleport is especially great when you combine it with the fact that you can cast spells from your spirit. I call it the "med-evac" and use cure wounds from the spirit on downed allies while teleporting them away from the enemy. Takes a whole turn, but it has saved my party members countless times.
It's hard for fey touched to not be the favorite. It's arguably one of the best feats in the game. So sad shadow touched isn't.
I feel like shadow touched is better for RP scenarios and fey touched us better for combat. Being able to pick up Invisibility and Disguise Self or Silent Image is great for creative players and lean more towards an infiltration scenarios. However, there are a lot more 1st level enchantment spells that remain powerful as you get into higher levels. Things like Silvery Barbs, Bless, and Command are incredibly useful. They also tend to be better in combat, which is unfortunately where a lot of DND optimizers focus.
@@jordanholt9170 I think it's good for a stealth class that doesn't have invisibility. Or a character with low bonus action economy to maybe take a hex spell.
Wait can you take hex with shadow touched?
@@LoreFoundry Hex is enchantment so it's part of Fey Touched
@@Onethirdless ah right my bad I was thinking it was shadow touched that picks it. I suppose we are limited on good options for shadow touched
@@LoreFoundry Shadow Touched is limited to Illusion spells. Hex is an Enchantment spell, which actually makes it available to be taken with Fey Touched.
I knew it was going to be a wildfire Druid. My favorite sub for the class.
On the recasting sheleleeee every minute, I think a fair compromise people can make with their DM is that you roll a d10* along with initiative. You get that many turns of shalooloo before you need to recast. Realistically you wouldn't always just happen to have a minute left, even if your character is always prepared for a fight.
That's a good way to run it. I would also penalize stealth attempts while they are continuous casting due to the verbal component of the spell.
Recasting a spell every minute would be so annoying though for RP. I generally don't allow that sort of thing unless they are in a situation they would percieve as dangerous. e.g. exploring a dungeon - sure you can be constantly casting it as long as you aren't trying to be sneaky, walking around town - no people are going to stare at you like you're nuts or be annoyed when you interrupt a conversation to recast the spell.
I do this for my players with Shillelagh, but since it is a 60 second duration and a combat round is 6 seconds I ask for a d10 instead. Given that combat starts instantly that is, like a surprise attack or such.
@@lynxgoddess Totally what I meant, a d10! Thanks for correcting!
@@okayhellohihowyadoin Haha, I figured. But hey, can't tell anyone else how to manage their house rules! :P
The Wildfire Druid Cleaver: d4 #115
Level 1:(see above) [cleric 1, sub-class & race]
Level 2:(see above) [druid 1]
Level 3:(@18:40) [druid 2 & sub-class]
Level 4:(@25:25) [druid 3]
Level 5:(@27:40) [druid 4 & ASI]
Level 6:(@28:18) [druid 5]
Level 7:(see above) [ranger 1]
Level 8:(@37:37) [ranger 2 & fighting-style]
Level 9:(@40:12) [ranger 3 & sub-class]
Level 10:(see above) [druid 6]
Level 11:(@45:29) [druid 7]
Level 12:(@47:27) [druid 8 & ASI]
Level 13:(@48:22) [druid 9]
Level 14:(see above) [druid 10]
Level 15:(@52:14) [druid 11]
Level 16:(@53:02) [druid 12 & ASI]
Level 17:(@53:55) [druid 13]
Doesn't he get the subclass at druid 2?
@@Felrohan You are right. I edited it to show the subclass at the right level. Thanks for letting me know I rushed through that.
I really appreciate that you take the time to weave in some backstory and character development that Explains the meta/feature/ability choices for the characters you design. Love it!
Most amusing transformation from this week's UA-cam-generated subtitles: Mass Cure Wounds was converted into Massacre Wounds.
Mass Inflict Wounds gonna be crazy
Thanks a lot. I was looking for a way to get fire bolt on Wildfire Druid, but only found Strixhaven and Ravnica backgrounds, so it's really helpful that Arcane Cleric can get this spell.
I've been playing at the same table as a wildfire druid for 35 sessions and I only just now realized that you can teleport as many creatures as you like with it. That's wild.
I've been waiting for this one forever! Before I even get to the start of the build, I'm currently playing what I believe is exactly this build at my table, and it's honestly my favorite character I've ever played!
I played one for 13 levels in Rhime of Frostmaiden and loved it. Took magic adept with variant human for Hex, Eblast and GFlame blade and went straight Druid. I got some of the same benefits from Colby’s build and full casting. Such a fun character to play, especially in Icewind dale where I could turn the fire on.
You're last bit about "I hope you get really quick with that on your turn" is exactly why my bladesinger/rune knight character sheet also has a flowchart
One of my favorite characters I’ve ever played was a Fire genasi wildfire Druid. It was tomb of annihilation, so he died at level 8, but he was awesome. His wildfire spirit was humanoid in form, and he called it little brother.
whoa this is remarkably close to my current campaign/character - a wildfire fire genasi whose fire spirit resembles his lost efreeti father.
Nice build! I definately did not expect wildfire druid, but you gave me a lot inspiration for my own Druid gish build!
Thanks to you I recognized, that the Hunters horde-breaker feature is not restricted to the attack action. So I am gonna build a lizardfolk or longtooth shifter spore druid, get access to Green Flame Blade and use his bonus action to make a bite attack and apply horde-breaker with symbiotic entity and the beast version of the guardian of nature spell.
I was looking for a wildfire build almost exactly like this (minus the ranger dip) LITERALLY YESTERDAY. This video could not have come at a better time. I love it!
I will absolutely be playing this character as soon as possible, this build sounds like so much fun right from level 1 and the flavor is fantastic
I'm actually playing a martial/Caster wildfire druid in AL right now
Went lizardfolk for natural AC and swim speed. 5 levels of gloomstalker for extra attack and Sharpshooter and 5 levels of druid so far. Between fey touched for misty step and my wildfire companion's Teleportation, I can keep out of melee while I shoot my bow.
I love my wildfire dwarf. Hes a Candle Maker, and his sprit is a little candle elemental named Tallow. I know you mentioned the combat use of the Spirits teleport, but when out of combat I'm constantly finding uses for it. Any grate? Bars? cracks in the wall? even windows (you only need to be able to see the destination), and you can teleport your whole party past the wall.
Love this this combo and I’m so happy to see it brought into the light.
Also an an aside, if you wanted to have a solid ranger option: switch out booming blade for firebolt. This’ll let you do decent damage to a distant enemy along with your fire spirit without messing with the build too much.
I came back to this because I've been pondering my orb on how to build a rogue/druid gish. this is very helpful
I absolutely love the idea of a wildfire druid as a way to go xmen nightcrawler in combat. Never realized before that it had that unlimited use teleport, which really does help with a druid's survival issue
You did it! A comment I left on another of your videos suggested wildfire spirit’s fiery teleportation as a miniature sustainable thunder step and you used it! I know I might not have been the only person to suggest that, but I feel heard. Thank you for reading the comments and actually using some of our suggestions.
The image of summoning fey and then everyone bampfing around the battlefield just sounds hilarious. I imagine the music you have playing on your videos as a theme song for these shenanigans. 🍀
I have been using this build in a campaign that I've been playing every Tuesday for about seven months. It is super fun and extremely versatile. Tons of damage types to fall back on when fire wont cut it, the option to damage, heal, or control: it feels like I always have options. Thank you, Colby!
I went the route of making a summer Eladrin and the Prismari Student background (because it was allowed). The multiple teleport options feel fun when my spirit is in melee and I'm in the back throwing out firebolts. :)
It's hard not to choose Firebolt with GFB for the complete pyro experience
Yeah I went the Fire Bolt route with Prismari student since it was available at my table.
I'm currently playing a wildfire druid and my spirit has genuinely been the combat MVP more than once. A group teleport from level 2 is immense.
I'm DMing a group with a wildfire druid and I can only agree that the spirit is Powerful - and it's such a tank compared to what you'd expect. Perfect for a table of only three players to have an extra half a character in the game. :P
Extra utility on a semi tanky body
I remember seeing a treantmonk wildfire build a long time ago that used a 1st level Arcana Cleric dip into WF Druid. Tried it out and it was a blast so I'm glad to see some more attention brought to this unique combo, and with a very underused ranger subclass to boot.
I love it! Thank Colby! I asked about this a few weeks ago and man did you deliver! Love it! Keep up all the awesome work!! I could only imagine the devastation this build could roll out with a pair of illusionist’s bracers. 😁
Love your performance of Tesla in the outro. You are right, Love Song is one of the best rock ballads of the 80's. Don't be afraid to sing more in your videos. Love it!
I love the idea is this build. You can feel like a fiery warrior with a small army of magical beasts and also you are amazingly flexible. Great job!! 🥰🤩
Currently using this in a Solasta game and it is working great! Opted for War Cleric instead of Arcana domain, but the basics are still there and it is working great.
Love the versatility of Druids. Intrigued by this subclass (would like to see a Tiefling wildfire Druid). The gish build makes it even more versatile and gives me some ideas to share with a Druid player in my campaign who would like to hit stuff.
Honestly, I'm really surprised you didn't consider going with Tortle. The boost to defense would be very welcome and would allow you to put points into Cha or Int for potential multiclassing. Custom Lineage is still probably the better option but I love my fighting turtles.
Especially if they’re using a bo staff…
Thank you Colby- I love all your builds! Always looking forward to your next video
As far as the party and DM poking and sparring at each other. There are people who DON'T love that ("I set an alarm to cast Shillelagh every minute!")?! The party I DM for and I LIVE to do that to each other!
This past Wednesday night, I ran the BBEG fight of a 3rd-party module, that included a nasty twist for the players. Instead of a horde of minions softening them up for the BBEG, the BBEG (a 192HP revenant -they're 6th level), beat them up. They then grabbed the artifact and went to leave, BUT the artifact being removed from it's hiding place rleased necromantic energy that woke up FIFTY ghouls to complicate their escape. The BBEG had softened them up for the minions to finish off.
So; of course, 7 vs. 50, they dropped every AoE spell they had to make me make as many as 30 saving throws, the Paladin of course used Turn Undead to get even with me, THEN the Druid cast... yup Conjure Animals to block and act as cannon fodder, cluttering up my Roll20 VTT map even more. It wasn't all of the rolling or mechanics that bogged down that combat, it was us laughing as we kept trying to stick it to each other, and a great time; which i acknowledge might not be EVERYONE's idea of a "Good time;" was had by all.
I love my "Expert Classes" as much as Colby loves his gishes. I may have actually stood and clapped when Colby took PHB Ranger-subclass levels.
I read that UA document VERY carefully.
We've been down this road too many times before. We have to remind ourselves and everyone else that it's still in the playtest phase, and while it's a peek at how and what they're thinking, we don't know what the final version will look like. They’re already said the new Ranger is “Too solid,” and “May be more powerful than they actually want it to be” in the video accompanying the release of the playtest document.
5e has been a winner for the most part for WotC. It doesn't need a sledgehammer. It needs to be clarified and balanced in places, and de-cluttered, but I'm afraid I see a lot of "change for change's sake" in the two UAs that have come out so far. My sense is that the areas they intend to simplify take out flavor, and the parts they intend to make more crunchy make it less friendly to new players/players returning from an earlier edition, as compared to 5e. I won't automatically adopt OneD&D, but I will steal a good idea; that streamlines, balances, and clarifies the game for everyone; from anywhere. Even WahtCeee.
My build is:
Level 1-Phoenix or Pyromancer Sorcerer. Take GFB, whatever utility cantrips you want, Shield and Absorb Elements.
Level 2 and Beyond- Take Wildfire Druid. Definitely take Summon Beast. That will help you a lot in melee combat.
Weaknesses- You may have either mediocre Dexterity or Constitution, as you need the minimum 13 in charisma.
Strengths- You deal even more damage when you cast fire spells, and you get Shield.
I might try this build out when I play Tomb of Annihilation, though I'll likely take Crusher instead of Fey Touched; having some forced movement from level 1 to help with Booming Blade's extra damage or get enemies close together for GFB sounds fun, plus possibly some shenanigans with AOEs like Spike Growth or Flaming Sphere later. But I love this build for its versatility more than anything, especially with the Cleric spells.
Oh snap. I had seen thr GFB+Horde Breaker combo a while back and thought "huh, that'd be a neat thing to build around" and then soon forgot about it. Cool to see someone actually take the idea and make something out of it.
I wish I could have caught the video yesterday, but I had schoolwork. Good to be able to watch your videos, and Tuesday is a great day because of you!
I want to see an inescapable crushing wall build where you create 2 almost unkillable characters that take advantage of opportunity attacks from eachother created in melee. So maybe a spirit cleric and some sort of booming blade bladesinger tank combo.
I'd like to know what you're thinking of by taking advantage of opportunity attacks from one another created in melee as I can only assume you mean forced movement. As forced movement doesn't create opportunity when the opponent leaves your threat area.
I personally go for Steelheart "I'll Never Let You Go" but Tesla is way up there... defiantly top 5!
A NEW GISHY BUILD! LETS GOOOOOOOOO🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
(Late on the let's go lol)
Now I don't have a lot of time so I'm going to keep this simple... I am seriously impressed with this build and it has made it on my list of potential next build I play LOL. Nicely done Colby, I am loving this!
This easily lands on my list of favorite builds you've made. This is extremely inventive!
Thanks!!!
after the short yesterday I been watching my feed non-stop. Bless you colby
Colby: No Thorn Whip? You can pull opponents away from allies, so they can move away with invoking an Opportunity Attack.
After Level 6, Enhanced Bond would allow you to cast Thorn Whip from your Wildfire Spirit. If positioned directly above an enemy, you could pull them 10 feet into the air, drop them for falling damage, and impose the Prone Position.
Oh damn, that's a good idea.
I've always wanted to gish with a druid without wildshape or a tortle, and this works plenty well to suit that purpose. You have my seal of approval.
Randal did a commission for my campaign villain and my players hate the villain. So Randal did a very good job designing and drawing the art. I encourage not only players, but DMs as well to check him out!
I seriously want to try this build. I love Gish characters and this is one of the most creative I've seen in a while. Plus, I've been curious about the ideal of building a really militant druid, and this is on point!
Helping that algorithm! Love this one.
Treantmonk also has a Wildfire Druid build that starts Arcana Cleric, but completely different build (control caster, but goes take GFB) and was a Lizardfolk to help with the AC issue. Played it through Wild Beyond the Witchlight, ended up doing more summoning than I wanted to. Now if I keep playing that character I think I might steer more towards this build
Bugbear is a good alternative here as Scorching Ray gets and extra 2d6 per ray if you drop it in that opening round. Could grab Gift of Alacrity with DM permission via Fey Touched to help ensure your Bugbear goes before at least some of the enemies, too.
I love a Gish, and want to try play Wildfire Druid so you have me very intrigued
My main man, your positivity is eternally appreciated. KEEP singing!
I'm playing this class now minus the ranger dip, I think warcaster is a must in this build unless you have an awesome DM with carrying the shield and club, and while I appreciate the fiery teleporation, I usually find that my group mates (other melee martials) prevent them from taking the damage which leaves me exposed if I get in Melee, but like you said, the spells are really nice and the option of melee is great.
Gotta love predictive captions. "the druid that I'm playing in our *Tales of an area* campaign"
Built a arcana cleric for a lvl 1 one shot one time. Loved it. Took booming blade. Variant human for crusher feat. So hitting with BB pushed enemies back thus almost always triggering extra damage
That's not RAW, but I love that synergy.
How is it not raw?
Forced movement doesn't trigger Booming Blade extra damage.
That's not what I said. They are moved out of reach. And then must move up to me triggering BB. Ie why I said. Almost always triggering it.
My favorite build I’ve played!!
Your voice is so soothing. I started listening, blinked and we were at level 6 😅
"Do a wildfire druid blaster!"
Colby: "We'll, yes. But actually no."
I recently thought of a build like this!!! This is so cool. Great video :D
I created a goliath druid gish with 3 levels of Rune Knight fighter, followed by 2 levels of Stars druid, 2 more fighter levels and the rest in druid (possibly with a sixth fighter level somewhere along the way). He wields a Warhammer reskinned as a sword-in-stone with the stone still attached. Crusher is a must. It's really interesting the different combinations you can get by stacking Giant's might, the starry form, and various concentration spells, especially since you'll have proficiency in constitution saving throws. With the dragon form and advantage from war caster, your concentration will be borderline unbreakable. You can sort of choose what you want to optimize for in a given situation and do really well as a magical and melee damage dealer, a healer, a tank, or battlefield controller, depending on the battle.
Love your content Colby. Using two of your builds in games atm and they're an absolute blast to play. Thank you!
small note: Squirrel molotov cocktails don't work because Tiny creatures don't spawn flames. This prevents players from killing a bunch of rats to heal between combat.
Related to the shillelagh being cast. We had a similar rule for the old version of Artificer - Alchemist. My character would consume the +10 movement speed potion every 10 minutes. We even put in a rule that he was so used to being cracked out on them that if he ever missed one, he'd fall asleep for 1d4 rounds.
I think crusher can work really well here as well, and I would probably take it instead of elemental adept
Considering most of this builds damage is based on the fact that two creatures are standing next to each other, and you are using a club, having the option to move around your enemies is vital
Also, because both crusher movement and gfb extra damage happen instantly, you can choose which one happens first, so you could hit a creature, push it next to another creature, and only then have gfb trigger to the second creature
I had an idea for a Druid Gish a while back in which you use a quarterstaff with shillelagh and take polearm master. The wording of shillelagh states that the hit die can be no lower than a d8. With this, you can make two d8 attacks. I am pretty certain this build is stronger but in that build, you would also take paladin levels for smites and extra attack. You can also throw in fighter levels to make a great nova/burst damage character!
I loved the build. Now I'm planning to play as a wildfire druid in my next campaign. But as a kobold, so i wouldn't need a level in arcana cleric to get greenflame blade, and seems nice thematically.
This is incredible. I just finished a cleaving build which started at Horde Breaker but I went the road of Hunter Ranger 5 and then go Draconic Sorcerer for quicken GFB and Shadow Blade for concentration. Your single target damage is probably slightly higher and your AC is better, but you miss out on 2 companions and are a bit more MAD
Arguing against metal armor here, but in lore i like to imagine that druids dont wear metal armor as to not be a victim of other druids Heat Metal Spells and the Wild Shape shenanigans they could pull off with that
This would go great as a companion to the ranged druid gish ive been playing. He's a Harengon trickery cleric 2/gloomstalker 3/stars druid x. Basically gave him Bambi's backstory turned Rambo, and before he joined the party was hunting the humans who came in his forest to hunt his kind, and yes, his druids star map was just a sailors back tattoo.
Bambo.
Bambi turned Rambo is the best sentence I’ve read all day
This is gonna be great! Can’t wait to watch (; thanks for all the work you put into these videos Colby 🙂
Remember kids, when using sharp objects to cut open a package; always make sure you use quick and jerky motions towards your face.
:p jk. You’re great Colby.
For actual years now I have wanted to play a weapon-slinging druid gish. With their obvious flaws (puny hit die, and lack luster martial capabilities) the only option I ever saw was spores druid. I love the spores druid thematically, but it doesn't deliver how I'd like it to. Similarly, the wildfire druid is cool thematically but the fact they don't get access to ever-so iconic Fireball turned me away from the subclass. But now with this build I have seen the light (*que holy music*) and that light is FIRE! Thank you so so much Colby, you're wonderful, inspiring and oh so brilliant. I look forward to your videos every week and now have what I thought to be a unrealistic gish druid for my next character!~
❤️
Tks Colby, Druids rock!
The minute casting talk I had with my GM about Guidance.
I always rolled initiative with a bonus D4 afterwards.
48:45. Colby says "Mass Cure Wounds". Kind of nice if you have multiple ENEMIES in dire need of healing.... He's *SO* nice!
My enemies love me :)
I love this build. Considering playing it at some point.
I’ve really enjoyed the build. It’ll be fun to fight alongside several conjured animals.
This is next character I will play. Fantastic build as always.
So excited for this one!!!
Man your voice it's soo relaxing it really help me sleep and I say it as a good thing
18:12 my solution for situations like this that have a 1 minute duration is: roll 1d10, that's how man rounds you have left before you need to recast said spell. 10 rounds is 1 minute so if you roll high, combat started right as you recast it, if you roll low then combat began near the end of the duration. hope this helps :D
Love this concept. I'm building a 3.5e version for a campaign with some friends and I'm looking forward to trying it out! 🔥
5:30 I believe the word you were looking for is Damag-a-trios. ;)
The Shillelagh & Green Flame Blade is a combo I use to great effect on my Celestial Tomelock for close encounters
Absolutely wonderful video as always. For me, I prefer going just straight Druid to get access to Flame Blade even sooner. Not quite as good as Shadow Blade, but still very gish in style. 3d6 fire damage then 1d6+PB for the wildfire spirit. Maybe 3 levels in Wildfire, then dip into Arcana Cleric for the cantrips, then back to Wildfire.
For druid armor I've always allowed leather lamellar as a scale armor in the early game before anything magical pops up.
I had a player want to do the "I cast Shillelagh every minute" and we came up with an alternative solution... We made a Shillelagh ritual. He could consecrate a single target to be his Shillelagh that lasted a month at a time OR until he ever cast the spell with a new target that shattered the ritual. It was something that required him to spend a few hours once a month and keep track of his weapon, and if he wanted the versatility of picking up a random stick and casting the spell, it meant that he would give up that "always on" feature until he had time to do the ritual again. It was something unique to him and his mentor that wasn't widely circulated in ritual knowledge.
My friend played a Wildfire Druid once. Her Wildfire Spirit was portrayed in form of a chicken.
Who shot flame eggs. Out of its, uh… abdomen.
Her name was Teriyaki.
Man was it a doozy.
I love this with all of my heart.
Did he have a Soldier background (rank colonel)?
You're right about the shenanigans with enhanced bond. my fave tactic is:
summon wildfire spirti pre-combat. have it fly at at least 200 ft above the party if possible. then once combat starts, pick targets and drop your beast of choice on them via conjure animals for 10d6 (DC 15 dex save, from 20d6 falling dmg split between target and beast) x8. That's a potential 80d6 with 8 chances to knock prone in 1 action for a 3rd slot.
doing this at level 6 means alot of enemies won't survive especially if you send most of them vs. 1 target. at level 7-8 i dip fighter 2 for action surge to be able to do this 2x in 1 turn for massive multi-target dmg. and all of this without getting to choose your animal.
This is so far the oldest video I've watched on this channel, and I'm noting, hilariously, the slow Homelanderification of Colby in reverse.