Why You Should Play Circle of Stars Druid

Circle of Stars is a POWERFUL druid subclass. It is versatile, has tons of storytelling potential, and is becoming one of my favorite subclasses.
00:00 Why You Should Play
03:58 Character Concepts
06:50 Multiclassing
07:20 Everything Wrong with Stars
08:06 Final Ratings
#dungeonsanddragons5e #ttrpg #dungeonsanddragons #dnd5e #DnDBuilds #DnDAdvice #rpg #dnd5e #dndcharacter #tierlist #DnDTierlist #Dragon #DruidDnD #Druid #CircleOfTheLand #Druid5e #DruidGuide #DruidSubclasses #DruidSubclass #stardruid #circleofstars #druidstar #starryform #starmap #starsdruid

[@thephant0m]

Glad to see this subclass getting the praise it deserves. It's the only non-multiclass on my list of character concepts to be played.

[@DarthJacobi]

However a 1 level dip into life cleric is pretty nice

[@shavedata5436]

@@DarthJacobi 2 levels in twilight cleric is my plan

[@badwolf6812]

Thank you for this video someone finally understands my love for stars druid I've had a character concept since the original AU came out for this and now I've been playing it for 2 years now and we just hit level 11

[@enterthedungeon]

Congrats on hitting level 11!

[@XMaster340]

I think my only problem with this subclass is that its roleplay aspect seems kind of limited to the overworld. Although I'm currently working on a drow or dwarven star druid who has never seen the night sky and instead gazed at the glowing crystal ceilings of the underdark.

[@SpootyCootie13]

That's so creative!! Did you ever get the chance to play it in a campaign?

[@XMaster340]

@@SpootyCootie13 Not yet. I'm usually the DM, so I don't get to play that often. Maybe someday...

[@joshuamaloney8294]

I’m playing as a Drow Druid rn and I kinda love the flavor of escaping the Underdark and seeing the stars for the first time and falling in love

[@Tonymike99]

I'm doing the same thing with my Goblin!

[@RLKmedic0315]

I'm playing a Stars Druid/Arcana Cleric re-flavored to be a Ranger type character. You do not need to stick to the full "Stars" feel, just be creative

[@gladepixie9733]

I just joined an existing party at level 5. Given that they already had most of the bases covered I wanted a versatile character that could step into different roles as needed. Loving my star druid!

[@fearthepiggaming2998]

I had a player multi-class from a Twilight Cleric into a Star Druid and the combination was super strong. That stary form goes good with so much!

[@subrsubrr334]

"My ass is full of stars!" -Claptrap Borderlands 3, 2019

[@branecollision]

I built a goliath star druid/rune knight fighter that I'm really excited to play. Fighter and druid don't normally mesh but the stars druid is so versatile it enhances almost anything you add to it.

[@avoidperil]

I just started a nautical themed campaign and wanted to play a Reborn noble ship navigator who drowned in a storm and came back with unfinished business. I bounced a few ideas around but settled on the Stars Druid. Conceptually it's perfect - navigating via the stars, being returned by the ocean with new and growing powers. I've set a roleplay limitation that I don't use wildshape to turn into beasts, and I can do that because the starry form is just so good. A druid no longer needs to be a tree loving animal friend with this subclass.

[@Prismatic_Nomad]

Thank you so much for posting this!!! I absolutely love this subclass. I'm playing an Aasimar divine soul/ circle of stars and damn is it so fun. It may not be "meta" but thematically it's amazing!!

[@Grorl]

Huzzah! Great ideas/concepts in this video! I'm about to play a twilight 1/ stars 2 loxodon. With their average life spans being nearly 500 years, I figured he would be some kind of astronomer or some kind of sage who relies on the natural world and the stars to guide him. Still working on his concept, so this videos has helped a lot. Thank you. Subbed!

[@mahromsajady9769]

Wow thank you so much for this video and your insight! Such a great video

[@baguettegott3409]

I'm super excited for this. I wanna play a dwarf and really lean into that celtic stone circles vibe. And instead of going for superstitious, I was kinda debating trying to make my stars druid more of a legit astronomer. Maybe they travel far away because they're trying for some sort of primitive parallaxe distance calculations (which probably won't work given the inaccuracy of every tool involved, but they don't know that, they can still try. And idk how far away my DM made the stars in that world be anyway...)

[@TheTsugnawmi2010]

I imagine that Star Druids are so rare that there have only ever been 12. Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries... You see where I'm going with this. Each Druid is born eons apart and a cataclysm shortly follows. Some myths claim it's the same Druid under different pseudonyms. Others laugh at the notion because no two Druids have identical looks or personalities. For example... Aquarius was a socially awkward humanitarian water nymph. She strived to innovate the world and improve it for everyone. Maybe she was trying too hard to be liked. By contrast, Taurus, a Minotaur male, hated drastic changes and it took a lot to motivate him to work. He had an all-or-nothing attitude about things. Leo was a young Tabaxi female who was always hungry for the spotlight (passionate to the point of being a drama queen sometimes). Finally, the twins, Gemma and Nial, were social butterflies who could talk a tree to sleep - literally in Gemma's case since her arcane prowess was unmatched. Nial, conversely, could wildshape almost as well as a seasoned Moon Druid and he could read people like a book. It was as if the powers had been evenly split between the pair. Yet, despite all these differences, long-living creatures - ones old enough to have met multiple incarnations of the Druid - swear that each shares the same aura. The same 'eyes'. I'd pull from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Lion King for inspiration. Maybe my Druid literally talks to the stars for guidance. The DM can roll a D12 to decide which incarnation talks back. If it's too harrowing to juggle 12 NPC's, shrink the die to a d8, d6 or d4. Add some mystery around why some past incarnations aren't responding. I'd also pull from Fate/Stay and make my Druid a 'Counterforce'. Maybe s/he reincarnates as the planet's protective measure against threats or "infection" - hence the nature powers. This leaves the door open for this character to view society as the "infection" if you want an evil PC. In fact, now that I think about it, who's to say the Druid came from Earth at all? S/he could be an alien sent on a mission. Maybe the Druid's a space cop with a bounty. Looking to the stars is the Druid calling HQ. Maybe the Druid is a herald for something else's arrival and the Druid is only meant to make sure the planet is in presentable condition. The Silver Surfer and Galactus come to mind. Maybe something is about to be born and it's the Druid's job to protect it.

[@kdaviper]

I'm currently playing a warforged star druid who was basically sent from the stars to protect the world. Basically a surveillance satellite with defense capabilities.

[@BRoyce69]

The one chance i got to play this class it was incredibly powerful, and very fun with a lot of flavour. sadly the campaign ended prematurely, but we did make it from 2nd to 7th level which is pretty good for 5e, i think :D

[@chrisdesmarais6837]

At early levels, you are basically two characters worth of character. An reasonably good archer fighter is probably doing the same damage as you are with your Ranger form. A good healer might be doing the same healing as your Chalice form. You get this as a bonus action on top of doing a real action. Having said that their are some downsides that you missed. First, you glow like a torch in Stary form. You are not a subtle stand in the background character. Intelligent monsters are going to notice the glowing guy in the back with the circle of stars shooting at us. You stand out as a caster and healer and an important lynchpin with low armour and poor hitpoints. Second, the Chalice form is awkward because it is a bonus action to switch and the healing spell you also want to cast with it is probably Healing Word which is also a bonus action. So you either need to plan a turn before to be healing next turn or using a much more awkward Cure Wounds. You need to plan a bit in the early levels to really take advantage of some of the power here. Those aren't huge downsides though and there's a lot of power here. I think it's almost definitely the strongest druid subclass for any level but 2 and 20 where Moon Druid pulls ahead. L2 you don't have enough spells to make up for not being a bear, and Moon Druids are cheaty at L20.

[@charliescheirmann2926]

A single level dip into life cleric could make the stars druid THE healer. A single 1st healing word as a bonus action with chalice and disciple of life, could allow you to heal someone for 1d4+1d8+11 (assuming you have a +4 in wis), that averages out to 18 hp. Which at 3rd level is pretty close to full for alot of characters, and all for one use of a feature that has 2 uses a short rest and last 10 minutes, a bonus action, and a 1st lvl spell slot. It also goes a bit further if your DM lets you select an uncommon magic item to start with like mine always do, and you can select the moon sickle which increases your magic healing by another d4 making the average 20.5! Of course you could also upcast this spell to 2nd level and do cure wounds instead to get the most bang for your buck, making the healing 3d8+12 (and a d4 with moon sickle if you have it). Making the average healing 25.5 (28 with the moon sickle). For comparison a fighter, paladin, or ranger that also is at lvl 3 and has a +2 con will have 28 hp if they took average. You could take your frontliner when they are unconscious and reasonably assume they will be completely healed form you casting a single 2nd lvl spell! Not to mention once you hit lvl 4 you will have healing spirit, and can heal someone for 1d6+4 5 (37.5) times, along with the initial 1d8+4 making the average healing 45 hp at lvl 4 from chalice form on your initial casting of the spell. Thats enough to take 2 party members at or near 0 and bring them to near full, with just 30 seconds out of combat!

[@mynamejeff4883]

you already have healing word anyway, at least mine does. The character feels so versatile and balanced it almost feels like cheating or like I Min Maxed it. I mean at lvl 2 I was healing fully from like 4 hp and then sniping goblins to one shot them into a puddle of goo from up to 120 ft on the next turn. Now that I am lvl 3 and can access lvl 2 spells as well as being able to fly due to my Aasimar race, it really feels like things are coming alive. I worry that I may see some sort of drop off as I lvl up at the higher lvls, but for now I am very happy. once we get off world it is really going to be a blast.

[@charliescheirmann2926]

​@@mynamejeff4883 As a druid I wouldn't expect too much drop off, level 5 bringing 3rd level spells such as call lightning will allow you to do very good and consistent damage. Of course double check with your DM on how they will handle the spell 'Conjure Animals' because it is a power house of a spell. Same thing as above for the level 4 spell, 'Conjure Woodland Being' With a very strong alternative being 'Polymorph', which is just a very versatile spell, it serves as both a control spell, and great utility both in and out of combat. Say for instance your party faces off against 2 decently strong enemies at the same time, Polymorph one of them into a turtle, then use your Cosmic Omen (woe) if you got woe for the day to help make sure they fail; then use the dragon constellation to assure you won't drop conc, suddenly your party is going against 2 opponents individually that were designed to be fought together separately. It's alot easier to handle. Next you can always just polymorph an ally or yourself when either of you are looking to be rather low hp and turn them into a Giant Ape, effectively giving them an extra 157 hp to play with so you as the healer won't to bother keeping them up, its good to note that the giant ape also has a +9 to hit and an avg of 45 damage a round which also gives them an awesome offense. Lastly the spell can provide utility out of combat by giving you a beast of burden or a mode of transportation if needed, a giant eagle for instance has a carry capacity of around 480 lbs allowing you to pick up 1-2 party members and fly both yourself and them around. Finally at 9th level when you get 5th level spells your utility expands a bit more but I would say the ability to upcast is amazing here, simply upcasting Conjure Animals if your DM is okay with it and hasn't gotten sick of the spell let lets you summon twice as many animals as before. This is all to say I think your character is fine and won't fall of too much lol

[@minemax2002]

A point about multiclassing, a 2 level dip into stars druid for any other caster is amazing for dragon constellation alone, but especially for clerics who can use the wisdom spells best

[@mynamejeff4883]

We just started a spelljammer campaign and are still gathering to prepare to go off world. We just hit 3rd lvl, and my character is an Aasimar circle of stars druid. So far it is wild even on world and having only been lvl 2 so far. Now that I am lvl 3 the game, which was already fun and crazy, feels like it is about to come alive. I am going to spend this week working on my spell list for the next session and preparing so that I can effectively play this fun but challenging character. Any advice would be appreciated.

[@Mauriano1979]

What about a 1 level dip into the grave cleric? Circle of mortality with those bonus dice to the healing spells maxed out could be interesting!

[@nicolasmateomolina.2689]

My friend used an astral elf stars druid in a strixhaven one-shot we did. His story was that he was sent by his mother because mindflyers attacked the plantet. He was found by a elf tribe and grew into a druidic life, although he always felt connected to the astral plane(space)

[@nicolasmateomolina.2689]

He was also a stoner which made him the funny one

[@ivanhetem1140]

I am currently playing a runeknight3/starsdruid2, with the intent of going all the way druid from now on. Tortle with unarmed fighting... I do feel like a kaiju. Guiding bolt (and archer attack) reflavor as breath attacks...

[@ryandismukes7265]

Just rolled up a lizardfolk star Druid for a nautical themed campaign and I’m so looking forward to the opportunities for rp.

[@chinglee]

Druid of the Circle of Stars in a Spelljammer campaign?? Thanks for the vid.

[@user-vj1ny1yw8u]

I am playing an Axlotl person, circle of stars druid in a space pirate campaign. So excited, his whole thing is supposed to be healing

[@justosoler8408]

Could you make a video of how strixhaven content affect these subclasses like with strixhaven initiate

[@EpicGalaxyDragon]

One of my players is a stars druid, I can already tell they will grow to be one of the most powerful members of the party.

[@tomdeneen4880]

I have for the last 10 years been inspired by the Nyxborn of mtg. Calix is basically a star druid and I think using a "white mana druid" might become my favorite dnd class moving forward

[@IARsmiley]

Do a 1 level Arcana Cleric Dip and get 2 wizard cantrips to put on dis bish. You can get Ray of Frost or Firebolt as blasty cantrips, Mind Sliver which would synergize with the Woe ability and the Cleric spell, Bane , or Booming Blade which pairs well with Shillelagh and the Crusher Feat, if you want to have more melee options. A druid with Prestidigiation and Produce Flame could be fun too lol.

[@Superdummy803]

Cool video. Thanks I've watched several of your videos trying to decide on a new character I want to play. Maybe you can give me a suggestion. I am think of playing sort of a pot smoking burn out. Think The Dude from the Big Labowski mixed Towelie from South Park with a little bit of Bob Marley and Ozzy Osbourne thrown in. He would all about being one with nature, or the sky works too. He would be a pot smoker but no other drugs than that. Not even alcohol. I was thinking Circle of Dreams or Stars Druid. What would you suggest? Thanks

[@enterthedungeon]

Dreams would seem to work best out of Stars or Dreams. I'd also say something like Circle of Wildfire could work well if you're just trying to smoke. Good luck with your character, they sound hilarious!

[@fledgling9097]

here are my thoughts on the circle of the stars druid... holy crap. So, to start off with this subclass highlights the best of what makes druid a great spellcaster: support, control, and damage. support is obviously the chalice form, control is the dragon form because of the concentration checks, and damage is the archer because free damage as a bonus action. Druid often falls short with damage compared to other classes but with this it closes the gap quite a bit. At low levels 2 guiding bolts for free with the archer form is awesome. Once you get access to sunbeam, you can blast enemies and never drop concentration, or blast them, then hit with your archer form, at that level you can swap back into dragon form at the start of your turn if enemies are getting a bit too close for comfort. I would suggest getting alert so you know when creature's get too close. I would argue the healing of this subclass makes it the best support, especially with access to spells like enhance ability as a support in social situations with eagle's spender so in or out of combat they can be very useful. At 10th level it's easy enough to cap off a team and continue without needing a short rest, you may even be able to keep your starry form while moving to the next area and keep the ball rolling until you clear the dungeon. I would suggest having proficiency in insight, use enhance ability to bump your wisdom checks to advantage, take dragon form, then be the human lie detector when interrogating people. control is another form of support, maelstrom that will never drop concentration on unless you take a massive amount of damage. Low level? entangle? spike growth? Faerie Fire? Heat metal? Hold person? Sleet storm? Giant insects? Polymorph? all really good options for control. My suggestion is to get resilient constitution so your dragon form is even more epic.

[@derpknight3023]

​ @Enter the Dungeon My one concern about this subclass is how weirdly worded the Star Map is in regards to the wielding a shield. Seems like a Star Druid wouldn't be able to wield their shield if they are shooting off Guiding bolts.

[@muditjohar5323]

Work with the dm on what exactly the star map will look like. I am currently playing a tortle circle of the stars druid that has it engraved on its shell. Also, you are using one hand for the shield and the other with the map. Why can’t u use your map?

[@bratty_cthulu]

I made a character based on lyney from genshin impact Who is a star druid with the entertainer background as he is a magician trying to become a famous star to honor his powers

[@rowanl3059]

Ever since I saw it I’ve been dying to play it

[@SunWoodMC]

Character idea: Make a stars Druid but shes a jaded fortune teller who scams people. She can read their star signs but most of them are super boring or to cruel to tell anyone so she just makes shit up witht he most over the top theatrics she can come up with. Everone thinks she's a fraud but in reality she just doesn't give a f. If she dies, her star sign becomes the big middle finger :P

[@grumpycup4762]

It's a fantastic subclass. I wish the Circle of the Land was at this level with a thematic and unique mechanic and actually useful and cool spells.

[@CharismaCaster]

This is such a good Druid class to run in a Theros campaign

[@badwolf6812]

Personally didn't know you could use starry form in wildshape

[@skylandry4059]

Roleplaying a Druid of the stars flavored as a astrologer. Who is searching for his masters stolen tome of magic. That got stolen under his watch. The time allows the wielded to walk the astral plain.

[@hellogoodbye4379]

I’m thinking of making a mothling character that might be a star Druid multi into bard. Lore keeper and seeker of the worlds truths. A star child.

[@thelastsaiyan1990]

My parties next session I'm starting as a Circle of Stars Druid Astral Elf

[@thelastsaiyan1990]

Spelljammer Light of Xarysis

[@RafaelHermoso1204]

I’m playing a warforged stars Druid. Robot space Druid just to be weird.

[@enterthedungeon]

What flaws are there with Circle of Stars?

[@motekar5791]

No one has replied because they cant think of any either XD

[@chrisdesmarais6837]

You have mediocre to bad AC and limited hp. Which would be fine but you glow pretty strongly to be hiding in the back. You stand out as "Hey, here's the guy holding this party together." Intelligent monsters should be putting a target on your back as soon as you take your form once. Second, Chalice form and Healing Word can be very awkward to use together. They are both bonus actions so you can't go chalice and heal in the same turn (unless you take Cure Wounds... which is bad... don't pick Cure Wounds). So it takes some planning to be the healer you can be. Other than that they are fantastic. I think strongest druid subclass except L2 and L20.

[@motekar5791]

@@chrisdesmarais6837 thanks for the info! Trying out druid for the first time is this the subclass you recommend?

[@glitchking666]

Flaws are the archer doesn't scale well enough or quickly enough at level 10 you will most likely just be using the dragon form for the fly speed, it's only a 10 min vs hours of normal wild shape the omen it's random if boon or debuff and it happens before the roll so it might be useless. That being said it's probably my favorite of the druidic subclasses. as my star map I chose to make a marble stone ring with a onyx stone jewel top that when you speak a phrase in druidic projects a map from the onyx

[@jenlc1536]

Another minor issue is if you lose your star map (whether you just lose it or it's broken by damage), you lose guiding bolt and guidance until you have an hour to create a new one. This could be a potential DM opportunity though.

[@pieterpuk7684]

What I dont like about this class is the same as what I dont like about divination wizard. Some of the abilities feel like you are manipulating game mechanics as a player more than feeling like you are manipulating the world as a character in it. Thats more something about feel and taste of playing rather than how good it is, because its obviously good. Also sometimes it can kinda feel like a very elaborate magic initiate: cleric or a cleric multiclassing dip rather than its own subclass for druid. Also RIP circle of dreams being the healing druid. So basically, while I think its mechanically very good I dont really *feel* the subclass.

[@morganpetros9635]

The problem with Circle of Stars is that its best features are based on your Wild Shape ... and last a grand total of 10 minutes per use. This means that, unless your DM is unusually generous with short rests, you spend *A LOT* of your time with essentially no subclass.

[@brianjohnson3795]

Actually as a Druid it's a lot easier to get cat naps in. Literally turn into a cat hide in the nearest basket for an hour. Sit on the guards lap for an hour. Out of Wild Shapes lay down in the back of the wagon, lay down on the litter behind your pack animal. Honestly no world should be worse then a war zone. Even there you don't get attacked every single hour on the hour