Best Races for Druid 5e
by Prince Phantom
The Druid is my pick for the second strongest class in the game, just behind the Wizard. The reason being the Druid’s extremely strong spell list, having some of the best summoning and control options in the game, combined with their ability to swap spells out for anything on their class list each day. The Druid also has no obvious weaknesses like most classes, excelling in defense, offense, support and utility, all without needing any multiclassing or even really any feats to perform well at any table. If you asked me to be the player for a solo campaign, this is almost certainly a class I would consider highly. This leaves your selection for what race to combine with this class pretty open ended. You’re basically choosing an area you want your Druid to be even better at. I’ll divide the racial options into categories of defense and utility, as there aren’t really any racial options that add significant damage to a Druid’s playstyle. Additionally, this list will apply to the standard Druid, basically anything other than the Moon Druid. That subclass will get its own list, as the intricacies of what racial features do and don’t work with Wildshape are complicated and require a very detailed explanation.
Best Races for Defense
Githzerai: Druid’s get Absorb Elements, but they don’t get Shield, so this race provides us the other half of the 1st level defensive spell package. Druids have an interesting relationship with armor, the rules stating that Druids won’t wear metal armor, a strange turn of phrase that you won’t find anywhere else in 5e. The idea that all Druids shun metal armor on principle alone doesn’t sit well with many tables and players, and even more find work arounds with armor made of insect carapaces or another naturally occurring material. This all makes it hard to assume what AC a Druid will have, as it will differ from table to table, but I generally assume somewhere between a 17-19. The Shield spell bumps that up into the 20s, which is overkill at low levels and basically required at mid to high levels. Oh yeah, this race has other stuff too and it’s also pretty good, but I’d grab this just for the Shield spell if that was all it offered.
Earth Genasi: Playing any of the four Genasi is a great flavor fit for any Druid, embodying on of the many elements that Druids tend to manipulate. None do it better than the Earth Genasi, granting a great defensive option in Blade Ward as a bonus action a few times each day. Druids do get Pass Without Trace naturally, so getting it here is only saving us a prep slot, but that’s still nice. We also get to ignore most difficult terrain, something I feel fits in very well with the Druid’s whole theme.
Tortle: If you’d rather just skip that whole metal armor thing, the Tortle promises a flat AC of 19 assuming you can spare a hand to hold a shield, something that most Druids shouldn’t struggle with. That’s about all Druids get from this race, but that’s enough for some.
Warforged: Can a robot even be a Druid with the whole metal armor thing? If that’s a problem at your table, don’t worry, a Warforged can be comprised entirely of wood according to the lore. Now that we’ve got that cleared up, there’s a lot here that a Druid might like. A flat +1 to AC is great, and poison resistance will help reduce a lot of damage you take over the course of a campaign. There are a bunch of other small benefits as well, making this a great choice.
Best Races for Utility
Eladrin/Shadar-Kai: Eladrin definitely takes the cake for the most fitting race for a Druid in terms of flavor, and thankfully it and its cousin the Shadar-Kai are both fantastic options for the class. We get all the typical benefits of being an elf, plus a bonus action teleport that can be used a few times a day with an additional effect. Eladrin get a choice of effects based on their season, and Shadar-Kai get resistance to all damage until their next turn. Personally I think I’d prefer the Shadar-Kai slightly more, but I can’t blame you if the flavor of the Eladrin is too good to pass up.
Firbolg: Another very fitting race to be a Druid, Firbolg get a few spells and turn invisible for a turn a few times a day. We also get the ability to talk to plants and animals, something I honestly think all Druids should just get at level 1 with their Druidic feature. It’s not much, but each feature here should offer a nice benefit to your character.
Harengon: Druids don’t typically have a fantastic initiative bonus, so getting to add our proficiency modifier really helps a lot. Going early in combat is a big deal, as it lets us set up our control or summon spells early and get the maximum potential out of them. We also get a nice bonus action disengage and a boost to Dexterity saves, making this a very powerful option for just about any build.
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