Example Character: Druid / Leader

We’ve seen a large variety of types of example characters illustrating the flexibility of the Leader Prestige Class so far, including a psionic warlock build to make an Ardent, a brave fighter build to make a Warlord, and a clever rogue build that makes a Tactician. We’ve seen characters who use their leader abilities by speaking to their allies through telepathy or illusion instead of simple speech. But while the Leader’s abilities require that the target can see and hear you, they don’t require that the target can understand your speech -- or even that you’re speaking words at all.

That brings us to one of our last example characters for the Leader (at least for now), a hybrid druid / leader character that’s built around the druid’s ability to activate Leader powers even while in wild shape, by growling, grunting, roaring, or something else, leading both the Packleader’s PC allies and the beasts that they summon with their druid spells. The Packleader is a level 11 character, with 6 levels in Druid and 5 levels in Leader. With just an 11 in Charisma, the Wisdom-focused Packleader should have no issues meeting the ability score prerequisites for the prestige class. So how is the Packleader built?

The Packleader could have taken their first leader level by level 6, but instead go to druid level 6 first in order to reach the 2nd subclass feature. For this example, we’ll be using a druid with the Circle of the Moon subclass, so that they can transform into powerful and majestic CR 2 beasts like a Giant Elk, Polar Bear, or Saber-Toothed Tiger. Of course there are plenty of good and flavorful CR1 beasts to transform into as well, like the Dire Wolf, Lion, or Giant Hyena. The Packleader also has access to conjure animals, which (like the Herald) they can use as allies to support with their eventual Leader abilities, even when their fellow PCs aren’t nearby. Then when the Packleader gains their 7th level, they put it into the Leader prestige class, allowing them to select a new skill proficiency and two Stratagems of Command:

Battle Cry
You can choose to use this stratagem at the start of your turn. Choose up to a number of allies equal to twice your leader level that are within 60 feet of you. Until the start of your next turn, those allies have advantage on saving throws to resist being frightened, and when they make an ability check to grapple, shove, or overrun, they gain a bonus to the roll equal to your leader level.

Direct the Assault
You can use a bonus action on your turn to draw attention to one creature that you can see which you already hit with a weapon attack this turn. Until the start of your next turn, when an ally hits the target with a weapon attack, they gain a bonus to the damage roll equal to 1 + half your proficiency bonus. This can only affect up to a number of weapon attacks equal to 1 + your leader level.

Battle Cry is a perfectly flavorful stratagem for the Packleader to take, granting them the ability to loose a bestial roar that rallies and inspires their allies and summoned beasts alike. Especially if the Packleader summons a high number of low-CR beasts, the ability for each of them to attempt a shove (instead of their small attack damage) with a hefty bonus means that the Packleader’s beasts could rampage across the battlefield, reliably knocking targets prone for the Packleader and other melee combatants to tear into. Because it doesn’t require a bonus action or action, the Packleader can use this stratagem on the same turn as they use their wild shape and cast a spell or attack. The stampede caused by a herd of conjured animals performing a shove or overrun on all their enemies is wonderfully thematic as well.

If the Packleader doesn’t need to use their bonus action (either to wild shape or to regain hit points using the Circle of the Moon class feature) on a turn, they can instead use it for Direct the Assault. It can be difficult for some parties to make full use of this stratagem at times, but with four to eight animals conjured to fight at their side, the Packleader can ensure that enough attacks land to get the full benefit out of this stratagem whenever its used. And if the Packleader picks up the shillelagh cantrip, they can even make weapon attacks and use this stratagem effectively when they aren’t wild shaped too! Depending on the roar given, the Packleader can direct their fellow beasts to pin their targets down or just to go for the throat. With Stroke of Genius at the 2nd leader level, they can even do both on the same turn occasionally.

When the Packleader reaches their 3rd level in Leader, they must choose a skill expertise, an option for Leadership Expertise, and a 3rd stratagem. Frontline Commander will help the Packleader always reach melee range once transformed through wild shape, potentially making a fast animal form even faster! When the Packleader has taken damage and can’t wild shape again, they can also use it to flee melee range with extra speed. As part of the same idea, the Packleader chooses Sound the Charge/Retreat as their 3rd stratagem.

Frontline Commander
When you use a Stratagem of Command, your speed increases by 10 feet until the end of your next turn. This effect does not stack.

Sound the Charge/Retreat
You can use an action to shout a command to charge and assault (or flee from) your enemies. You and each ally of your choice within 30 feet of you are affected by the charge effect until the start of your next turn, and then you Dash as part of the action. Affected targets increase their speed by 10 feet, double their long jump distance, and grant disadvantage to attackers for opportunity attacks provoked by movement. When you reach 3rd level, the bonus to speed increases to 15 feet, and at 5th level it increases again to 20 feet.

This stratagem is great for the Packleader to use any time it doesn’t have a good available action. Some turns the Packleader will want to transform using wild shape but won’t be able to reach their enemies yet. Other turns they will be already concentrating on a spell (either wild shaped or not) and won’t have a better action to take, especially if the allied PCs need to hurry into melee range or hurry out of range. If it prevents the party’s Barbarian from having to use his action to Dash, the Packleader is almost certainly making good use of their action on this stratagem. And along with Frontline Commander, the Packleader’s speed increases by 10 before they dash (and double their speed) as part of the stratagem, meaning they can go pretty fast.

When the Packleader finally maxes out the Leader prestige class and reaches 5th level, they must choose not only a 4th Stratagem of Command, but also a Leader’s Presence:

Insightful Presence
Other creatures of your choice that can see and hear you are reassured, calmed, and cautioned by your presence. Affected creatures gain a bonus to Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Insight), and Intelligence (Investigation) checks equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum +1). In addition, when a creature that you can see, hear, or sense makes an attack against an affected creature, you apply a -3 penalty to the attack roll. Once this penalty has been applied to aid an affected creature, it cannot be applied to aid that creature again until the start of the affected creature's next turn.

Fall Back & Assemble
You can use a bonus action on your turn to signal one ally. They can use their reaction to move up to half their speed in your direction, and they gain a bonus to AC against opportunity attacks provoked by this movement equal to your leader level. Then, each ally of your choice within 5 feet of you gains temporary hit points equal to half your proficiency bonus, which disappear at the start of your next turn.

Insightful Presence is a perfect fit for the Packleader, since as a druid they will likely have good Wisdom to use for it. It’s especially flavorful for a character that will spend much of its time in an animal shape -- growling and barking at hidden threats that others might not notice on their own, thereby keeping their allies warned of those threats. By summoning the right animals using conjure animals, the Packleader can even create a dedicated pack of perceptive trackers, boosting the naturally good senses of a half-dozen animals to levels that approach expertise in Perception, and with a whole pack of these sleuths in action, the Packleader can accomplish quite a bit of noncombat exploration and investigation. The 4th stratagem, Fall Back & Assemble, is perfect for protecting an entire group of summoned animals, so long as the Packleader can keep them close by and risk area damage effects. Some Leaders have issues using this stratagem because the movement must be toward the Leader, and so the movement is only useful if the Leader is in the direction that the ally must go. But the Packleader, as a Moon druid with both melee attacks and ranged cantrips/spells, can choose to be close or far from the enemies to match whichever is needed, either leading an ally in need to the frontline or to the backline.

Of course there are a bunch of other ways to build a Druid / Leader character. The Druid subclass could be changed to the Circle of the Shepherd for more emphasis on the summoned creatures and on Druid abilities that already support the other PCs at the table. The Stratagems of Command chosen for the Leader could have a completely different focus, such as taking Soothing Comfort to focus on healing spells or taking Lead By Example to provide more temporary hit points while tanking in wild shape. The Packleader could even be multiclassed with additional classes, such as the Keeper Prestige Class, which provides the PC with a permanent pet/companion and will be appearing alongside the Leader in Legends of Prestige and Prowess. The Packleader could even simply take fewer levels in Leader, focusing instead on the spellcasting power gained from leveling druid, and simply make use of 2 or 3 stratagems.

Regardless, now the Packleader is a level 11 character, but only a level 6 druid. For those 5 druid levels, the Packleader is missing three 4th-level, two 5th-level, and one 6th-level spell slot, plus one cantrip known and five spells prepared each day, which amounts to a great deal of power. They also miss out on being able to wild shape into CR 3 or flying creatures and on their 10th level subclass feature. For these 5 levels placed into the Leader prestige class, however, the Packleader gains the ability to grant themselves and allies a great deal of extra mobility through Fall Back & Assemble and Sound the Charge/Retreat, along with the ability to lead their allies in an offensive surge using their other two stratagems. And the Packleader gains a very powerful ability in Insightful Presence, giving their allies an effective +3 to AC against nearly half the attacks coming against them! Though the Packleader isn’t as capable with nature magic as a pure druid of the same level, their skill with supporting allies simply by inspiring them with bestial fury is a perfect example of how the prestige classes in D&D Unleashed enable builds that lean into the more nonmagical but thoroughly flavorful aspects of the character’s theme!