MonoClass Optimizing: Infinite Health Druid (5e Optimized Character Build)

Overview

One of the greatest drawbacks to being an optimizer is that a DM always has the ability to veto supplementary sources or optional rules. By sticking to the players hand book, we greatly reduce that risk but still have issues if they ban optional rules like multiclassing or feats, as rare as that is. However, one of the most powerful exploits in the entire game requires none of these fancy and complicated additions. 20 levels in the class DMs hate almost as much as wizard, granting you infinite (yes, you heard correct) HP. How do you accomplish such optimization? Read on...

The Build

All there is to this build is taking 20 levels of Druid and then taking the Circle of the Moon as your subclass. That's it. Literally all there is to this build is choosing a class and subclass. No culmination of x or y to get to z. No convoluted exploitation of rarely used rules. Nope. A cheap, powerful way to survive through any encounter. This all revolves around 3 specific abilities:

1. Wild Shape. Starting at the second level, Druids gain the ability to transform into any beast, so long as it meets the requirements attached to the druid that increase with levels.
2. Circle Forms. the Circle of the Moon allows players to transform into beasts with challenge ratings equal to 1/3 of the druids level.
3. Combat Shape. also from the Circle of the Moon, this lets you use wildshape as a bonus action.

In Wild Shape, you temporarily put aside your hp and instead take damage as though you were the full health version of the creature you turn into. Imagine it like adding a creatures health as a shield over the top of your own. However, if you take damage greater than the shields current health, the extra damage bleeds over to your druid health pool. So how do we gain infinite HP?

Thanks to Circle Forms, we can pick beasts with a lot more hp than normal, up to a 1/3 of our druid level! Currently, the strongest option in the game are either the CR 6 Mammoth (most damage, low AC) or using another Moon Circle feature to become the CR 5 Earth Elemental (Less damage, High AC). Each have a massive 126 health, enough to tank through nearly any single round of combat. You're beginning to see how powerful this is, but there is even more.

Lets say a creature throws everything it has at you and deals a little over 100 damage. With less than 20 hp, you're worried about the next set of attacks bleeding into your normal, squishy, druid health pool. Do not fear. Use your bonus action to revert your form, then your action to resume your Wild Shape at FULL HEALTH. Another 126 hp shield stands between you and actually taking damage. Before 20 this can't be done very much, but after 20 you have infinite uses of Wild Shape. You can repeat this strategy over and over again until the monster gives up or is dead.

P.S. You can use all of those fun spells the druid gets with Beast Spells at 18th level while in Wild Shape. There's nothing like being a squirrel casting Fire Storm.

Variant: Everliving Fungus

This variant requires you choose Circle of Spores, a subclass shown in Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

This subclass lets you gain 100 temporary hit points at level 20, as long as you do not use Wild Shape.

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Optimized Character Builds