Do you enjoy characters like Poison Ivy, Beast Boy, Maui, and Radagast from Lord of the Rings? Do you want to play a character that can control nature or shapeshift like them? If you do, then playing a Druid is your calling.

Continue below for a guide on creating and playing a Half-Elf Druid. 

The Half-Elf race AND the Druid class can be found in the Player’s Handbook. Click here to pick up your own copy of The Player’s Handbook!

How to Make a Half-Elf Druid

Wisdom is your most important ability score as a Druid. Make this the highest score when you roll your character. It’s your spellcasting ability, after all. Follow it up with Constitution. Half-Elves get extra +1s for two ability scores, so put them under Wisdom and Constitution.

The next step is to pick a Druid circle or subclass. The Player’s Handbook features two Druid circles: the Circle of the Land and the Circle of the Moon. Circle of the Land Druids are those who gather their magic from the terrain and environment. Circle of the Moon Druids are specialist shapeshifters. Druids have the natural Wild Shape ability, but Circle of the Moon Druids improve their skill in it for combat and other uses. 

Don’t forget to pick a background and personality for your character. Design your character in a way that you’ll have fun role playing it. 

How to Play a Half-Elf Druid

Druids are powerful spellcasters, but they’re also flexible enough to be at the frontlines. Use your Wild Shape to turn into formidable beasts that can intimidate and hurt foes. Circle of the Moon Druids have more advantages when it comes to shapeshifting. Their Combat Wild Shape and Circle Forms abilities make them more dangerous as they can shift into higher CR beasts.

Circle of the Land Druids are more spell-focused. You’ll also gain terrain-specific spells, depending on the land where you became a Druid.

Here are some general Druid spells and cantrips that are useful in combat:

• Produce Flame
• Guidance 
• Faerie Fire
• Entangle
• Goodberry
• Moonbeam
• Spike Growth
• Plant Growth
• Call Lightning
• Sleet Storm

If anybody tries to charm you or puts you to magic-induced sleep during battle, your Elven blood will protect you. Remember your Fey Ancestry trait and roll against Charm attempts with advantage. 

How to Roleplay as a Half-Elf Druid

Being a Half-Elf also helps you create an adaptable character. Half-Elves are often brilliant ambassadors. If you want to roleplay a “nice guy” , you didn’t go wrong with picking a Half-Elf. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being secretly evil this whole time. However, remember that allowing evil characters on the table is the DM’s prerogative. 

As a Druid, you don’t need to roleplay like a fictional version of the modern environmentalist or hippie. You can express your concern for nature through different means. You may be an archivist who wants to preserve only specific trees for your paper supplies. You may be an archeologist seeking lost bones of extinct creatures. You can be a lover of only cats and feline-like creatures.

Use your chosen background and personality. To help you roleplay better, use memories and emotions you’ve already experienced. If not, look for relatable experiences to your character’s motivations.