List of features that work in Wild Shape

This page is about the features that do or do not work in Wild Shape. For details on the stats and effects of Wild Shape, see  Wild Shape or  Combat Wild Shape.

Most equipment, many feats, and some class passives do not work while in  Wild Shape. This list clarifies what works and what does not work.

Armour of Moonbasking- one of the few equipment that works in Wild Shape

General Information

• You can't cast spells while in Wild Shape, and can't take any action outside of those available to your Wild Shape. Such actions will only be mentioned in this list if their effects persist after transforming.
• Your equipped items are merged into your beast form and most of them do not have any effect until you revert back. If any equipment is not listed here then it does not work in Wild Shape.
• As a general rule, Wild Shape replaces a character's Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution with those of the creature. This list notes the exceptions when permanent bonuses or feats actually do change those stats while in Wild Shape.
• Due to the way it is coded, many reactions will not trigger in Wild Shape. However, using  Disguise Self or Disguise Kit before transforming can cause some of these reactions to work.
• This list is NOT meant to imply that all these features should work with Wild Shape- many simply aren't supposed to work due to the rules of 5th Edition D&D.
• This list is far from complete. Feel free to add to it if you notice any missing information.

Works in Wild Shape

Class Features

• The  Extra Attack of martial classes (It even stacks with Druid's  Wild Strike to give them 3 attacks in Wild Shape the same way that  Improved Wild Strike does).
• Certain Fighting Styles:
  •  Defence (If you were wearing armour before transforming).
  •  Duelling (For Fire Myrmidon form only).
  •  Great Weapon Fighting (For Water Myrmidon form only)
• Abjuration School's  Arcane Ward (Must be stacked up before transforming).
• Barbarian's  Fast Movement (If you were not wearing heavy armour before transforming).
• Barbarian's  Rage (Must be used before transforming).
  • Berserker's  Frenzy (Must be used before transforming).
  • Wildheart's  Rage: Bear Heart,  Rage: Eagle Heart,  Rage: Elk Heart,  Rage: Tiger Heart, and  Rage: Wolf Heart (Must be used before transforming. Both the normal resistances and the additional passive effects work properly).
  • Wildheart's  Aspect of the Beast: Elk (Must be used before transforming).
  • Wildheart's  Aspect of the Beast: Wolverine
  • Wildheart's  Aspect of the Beast: Honey Badger (Can trigger Rage while transformed).
  • Wildheart's  Aspect of the Beast: Stallion
• Barbarian's  Unarmoured Defence (If you were wearing no armour before transforming and base armour of form is less then CON mod).
• Draconic Bloodline's  Draconic Resilience (If you were wearing no armour before transforming and base armour of form is less then 13).
• Divination School's  Portent
• Divination School's  Expert Divination (You can even fulfil the prophecies while in Wild Shape).
• Fighter's  Action Surge (Must be used before transforming).
  • Champion's  Improved Critical Hit
• Monk's  Unarmoured Defence (if you were wearing no armour before transforming).
• Monk's  Unarmoured Movement (If you were not wearing armour or a shield before transforming and base armour of form is less then WIS mod).
• Monk's  Wholeness of Body (Must be used before transforming).
• Paladin's  Aura of Protection (Must be used before transforming).
  • Oath of the Ancients'  Aura of Warding (Must be used before transforming).
  • Oath of Devotion's  Aura of Devotion (Must be used before transforming).
  • Oath of Vengeance's  Relentless Avenger
  • Oathbreaker's  Aura of Hate (Must be used before transforming).
• Ranger's  Wasteland Wanderer: Cold,  Wasteland Wanderer: Fire, and  Wasteland Wanderer: Poison.
• Rogue and Monk's  Evasion
• Rogue's  Uncanny Dodge
  • Assassin's  Assassinate: Ambush
  • Assassin's  Assassinate: Initiative
  • Assassin's  Assassin's Alacrity
  • Thief's  Fast Hands
  • Thief's  Second-Story Work
• Transmutation School's  Experimental Alchemy
• Transmutation School's  Transmuter's Stone (All versions of the stone work).
• Warlock's  Devil's Sight
  • The Fiend's  Dark One's Blessing
  • The Great Old One's  Mortal Reminder
• War Domain's  War Priest

Equipment

• Armour of Moonbasking
• Boots of Striding (The +1 Athletics bonus works and the  Prone immunity persists through Wild Shape. Somehow the  Prone immunity continues even if concentration is broken and only ends once the Wild Shape does).
• Corvid Token
• Shapeshifter's Boon Ring
• Equipment with abilities that can be activated before transforming:
  • Martial Exertion Gloves (Must be used before transforming).
  • True Love's Caress and True Love's Embrace (Must be used before transforming. Works in both directions).

Feats

•  Alert
• Elemental Adept (Applies to wild shape forms that deal elemental damage such as the Myrmidon and Dilophosaurus forms).
  •  Elemental Adept: Acid
  •  Elemental Adept: Cold
  •  Elemental Adept: Lightning
  •  Elemental Adept: Fire
  •  Elemental Adept: Thunder
•  Heavily Armoured
•  Lucky
•  Mobile
• Resilient (The +1 bonus to any stat and save proficiency persists in wild shape).
  •  Resilient: Strength
  •  Resilient: Dexterity
  •  Resilient: Constitution
  •  Resilient: Intelligence
  •  Resilient: Wisdom
  •  Resilient: Charisma
•  Savage Attacker (Only works for wild shapes that wield weapons (i.e. the Myrmidons).
• Sentinel (Fully works for wild shapes that wield weapons (i.e. the Myrmidons). Only the passives work for wild shapes that don't wield weapons).
  •  Sentinel: Vengeance
  •  Sentinel: Snare
  •  Sentinel: Opportunity Advantage

Illithid Abilities

•  Ability Drain
•  Cull the Weak
•  Favourable Beginnings
•  Freecast (Can't be used while in wild shape but can be used to cast wild shape without expending wild shape charges).
•  Mind Sanctuary (Must be used before transforming).

Permanent bonuses

• Permanent stat bonuses (e.g. Hag hair, Potion of Everlasting Vigour, and Mirror of Loss).
• Permanent conditions:
  •  Githzerai Mind Barrier
  •  See Invisibility from Volo's Ersatz Eye.

Potions and Elixirs

• All potions and elixirs seem to work properly.

Races

• Racial passives that provide resistances:
  •  Dwarven Resilience
  •  Hellish Resistance
• Racial passives that affect movement speed (i.e. both Fleet of Foot and Shortened Stride)
•  Darkvision and  Superior Darkvision
• Duergar's  Enlarge (Must be used before transforming).
• Gnome's  Gnome Cunning
• Half-Orc's  Savage Attacks (Requires a Wild Shape with a weapon such as Water Myrmidon).

Partially works in Wild Shape

Class Features

• Abjuration School's  Projected Ward (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
• Barbarian's  Reckless Attack (Only works in the Myrmidon forms and if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
• Battlemaster's  Riposte (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
• Cleric's Divine Strike (Only works if you use  Disguise Self beforehand and then use  Riposte).
  • Light Domain's  Warding Flare and  Improved Warding Flare (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
  • Nature Domain's  Dampen Elements (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
  • Tempest Domain's  Wrath of the Storm (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
  • War Domain's  War God's Blessing (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
• Bard's  Bardic Inspiration (Can't cast it while transformed but allies can cast it on you and it will work if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
  • College of Lore's  Cutting Words (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
  • College of Valour's  Combat Inspiration (Can't cast it while transformed but allies can cast it on you and it will work if  Disguise Self is used before transforming.  Valiant Damage only works with Wild Shapes that use weapons).
• Gloom Stalker's  Dread Ambusher (Extra initiative and movement speed work, but the bonus attack does not).
• Rogue's  Sneak Attack (Only works for Fire Myrmidon if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
• Wild Magic Sorcerer's  Tides of Chaos (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).

Equipment

• Mutilated Carapace
  •  Formless Slaughter - works
  •  Faceless Masquerade - does not work.
• Shapeshifter Hat (The +1 Nature bonus disappears in Wild Shape and the extra Wild Shape charge disappears if you take a short rest while in one of the Myrmidon forms. Only dismissing the Myrmidon form before the short rest will preserve the charge).
• Bugged equipment. Saving and reloading the save while in Wild Shape will cause certain equipment auras to reappear as if the character wasn't transformed. This applies to the following auras:
  • Abyss Beckoners's  Demonspirit Aura
  • Bhaalist Armour's  Aura of Murder
  • The Blood of Lathander's  Lathander's Light

Feats

• Athlete (+1 STR or DEX does not).
  •  Athlete: Standing Up - works
•  Dual Wielder (The +1 AC will persist if you were dual-wielding before transforming into an unarmed wild shape form. However, if you transform into an armed myrmidon form, the +1 AC will not apply).
•  Durable (Gives the additional +1 CON and full heal but the increased CON does not change the HP of wild shape forms).
• Great Weapon Master
  •  Great Weapon Master: Bonus Attack - Only works for Wild Shape: Water Myrmidon
  •  Great Weapon Master: All In - works, but the bonus action attack does not
•  Heavy Armour Master (Only the +1 STR applies. The damage reduction does not work even if you were wearing Heavy Armour before transforming).
• Mage Slayer
  •  Mage Slayer: Saving Throw Advantage - works
  •  Mage Slayer: Attack Caster - reaction only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming
  •  Mage Slayer: Break Concentration - works
•  Martial Adept's  Riposte (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
•  Tavern Brawler (The bonus to unarmed attack and damage rolls works properly in Explorer, Balanced, and Tactician difficulty but only applies to attack rolls in Honour mode. The additional +1 STR or CON does not apply in Wild Shape on any difficulty setting).
  • Requires a Wild Shape with unarmed attacks (i.e. everything except three of the Myrmidons).
• War Caster
  •  War Caster: Concentration - works
  •  War Caster: Opportunity Spell - does not work
•  Weapon Master (The weapon proficiencies work with the Myrmidon forms but the stat bonus does not carry over to Wild Shape)

Illithid Abilities

•  Luck of the Far Realms (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
•  Charm (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
•  Psionic Backlash (Only works if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).

Permanent bonuses

•  Vampire Ascendant (The additional 1d10Necrotic damage applies to forms that attack with weapons).

Miscellaneous

•  Tenacity (Only works for Wild Shape: Air Myrmidon if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).

Does not work in Wild Shape

Class Features

• Certain Fighting Styles:
  •  Protection (Doesn't work even if you were wearing a shield before transforming).
• Circle of the Spores's  Symbiotic Entity (It automatically ends upon entering Wild Shape).
• Monk's  Deflect Missiles
• Monk's  Ki-Empowered Strikes
• Monk's  Martial Arts: Bonus Unarmed Strike
  • Way of the Open Hand's  Manifestation of Body,  Manifestation of Mind, and  Manifestation of Soul.
• Tempest Domain's  Destructive Wrath
• War Domain's  Guided Strike

Equipment

• Almost all equipment in the game.

Feats

• Ability Improvement (Using it to increase STR, DEX, or CON does not carry over to Wild Shape).
•  Defensive Duellist (Fire Myrmidon form can't use the reaction even if  Disguise Self is used before transforming).
•  Lightly Armoured (The stat bonus does not carry over to Wild Shape)
•  Moderately Armoured (The stat bonus does not carry over to Wild Shape)
• Polearm Master
  •  Polearm Master: Bonus Attack (No Wild Shape has an applicable weapon)
  •  Polearm Master: Opportunity Attack (No Wild Shape has an applicable weapon)
•  Tough (Does not double Wild Shape HP).

Illithid Abilities

•  Psionic Dominance

Spells

• You cannot cast any Spells while in Wild Shape.
  • This includes spells that cost a reaction (e.g.  Shield or  Counterspell) or spells that are triggered by an action (e.g.  Divine Smite) even if  Disguise Self is used before transforming.