I. Introduction
The snarling druid bares her fangs as she calls upon the magic of the wilderness. Her fingernails extend into wicked claws, dripping with hissing acid. With a guttural cry, she rakes her primal weapons across the orc's torso, searing corroded gashes into its flesh. The orc staggers back, grasping its smoking wounds as the druid's nails instantly retract back to normal.
This dramatic scene depicts primal savagery, a cantrip exclusive to druids in the world's greatest roleplaying game. First introduced in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, primal savagery embodies the druid's mystic connection to the raw fury of nature. By channeling their inner beast, druids can unleash damaging melee attacks with briefly transformed claws or fangs.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore everything you need to know about mastering primal savagery in D&D 5e. We'll cover its abilities, best uses, strategies, character builds, and more. Whether you're a player seeking to optimize your druid's capabilities or a dungeon master aiming to understand a druid NPC, this guide has you covered on D&D 5e's primal savagery cantrip!
II. Primal Savagery Spell Description
Primal savagery falls into the transmutation school of magic and is exclusive to the druid spell list. Here is the full spell description from the Player's Handbook:
“You channel primal magic to cause your teeth or fingernails to sharpen, ready to deliver a corrosive attack. Make a melee spell attack against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 acid damage. After you make the attack, your teeth or fingernails return to normal.
The spell's damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).”
As the description outlines, primal savagery grants a melee spell attack dealing acid damage. This makes it function differently than a traditional weapon attack. The damage dice scales with the druid's overall character level, not their druid level, capping at 4d10.
Casting primal savagery costs an action and only affects one target. The spell has a range of self and requires somatic (gesturing) components. It deals instantaneous magical acid damage on a hit, without requiring concentration. After attacking, the druid's natural weapons instantly revert to normal.
III. Analyzing Primal Savagery Mechanics
Now that we've covered the primal savagery spell basics, let's analyze some of its key mechanics and implications:
- As a melee spell attack, primal savagery differs from a standard melee weapon attack. It doesn't work with the Extra Attack feature or allow multiple attack actions. The trade-off is improved damage dice.
- With a set damage range of 1d10 to 4d10 based on level, primal savagery offers reliable damage output. Acid damage is useful against many monster types, though less effective against oozes.
- Requiring melee range means the druid must get up close and personal to use primal savagery. This carries risks compared to staying at range.
- Primal savagery is an action to cast, limiting its use alongside leveled spells, wild shape, and other options using bonus actions or reactions.
- The spell's visual effects can make roleplaying primal savagery fun and immersive. Work with your DM to describe your character's briefly transformed claws or fangs!
- As a druid cantrip, primal savagery avoids using costly spell slots. It serves as an unlimited melee attack option when spell slots have been depleted.
IV. Mastering Primal Savagery Tactics
The primal savagery cantrip occupies a niche as a damage-dealing melee spell attack. Here are some key tactics to employ primal savagery effectively in battle:
- Set up advantage on your attack roll through abilities like faerie fire or entering melee alongside an ally to gain pack tactics. This makes landing your single attack more likely.
- Consider multiclassing to gain heavy armor proficiency, reducing your vulnerability in melee. Cleric and fighter offer good synergies here.
- Before using primal savagery, cast buff spells like barkskin to boost AC, shillelagh for bonus magic weapon damage, or enhance ability (cat's grace) to improve dexterity.
- Wild shape into a damaging beast form on turn 1, then use primal savagery once reverted back to humanoid form on turn 2. This maximizes your actions.
- Focus on using primal savagery against isolated, vulnerable targets like robed spellcasters rather than wading into a thick melee scrums.
- Carry a shield and focus on Wisdom instead of Strength or Dexterity for your druid's combat style. With primal savagery, your spellcasting modifier powers your melee attack and damage rolls.
V. Optimizing Druid Builds for Primal Savagery
While primal savagery can work for any druid, certain subclasses and builds particularly benefit from its capabilities:
- Moon Druid: Wild shape offers increased durability for melee, while primal savagery provides a potent option when not in beast form. Consider multiclassing to offset the Moon Druid's lack of magical damage boosting features.
- Spores Druid: The halo of spores damage syncergizes with primal savagery's melee range. Focus on boosting your Wisdom and Constitution. Grab PAM or War Caster to use primal savagery for opportunity attacks.
- Multiclass Cleric or Fighter: Gain heavy armor and martial weapons to offset primal savagery's drawbacks. Cleric brings useful buffs, while champion fighter provides increased critical hit range.
- Feats: Elemental Adept (acid) to bypass resistance, War Caster for opportunity attack use, Magic Initiate for Find Familiar ally, and Resilient (Wisdom) for better primal savagery attack rolls.
VI. Creative Uses of Primal Savagery
While primal savagery is straightforward on paper, creative players and DMs can take the cantrip in unexpected directions:
- Reflavor the spell for different natural weapons – horns, quills, spines, etc. Work with your DM to craft a unique primal druid theme.
- Take magic initiate as a non-druid to gain access to this cantrip. Primal savagery offers warlocks, sorcerers, and wizards a potent melee option.
- Multiclass into monk for bonuses to your unarmed strikes, as primal savagery requires no weapons. Make a “clawed monk” character with slashing strikes.
- Suggest tie-ins to your druid's backstory via lycanthropy or other sources of a primal wildshape power. Primal savagery as an early stage of transformation offers fun roleplay opportunities.
VII. Common Rules Questions
Primal savagery includes some ambiguities; here are answers to FAQs:
- Does primal savagery work with Divine Smite or Sneak Attack? No, as these require weapon attacks rather than spell attacks.
- Can primal savagery be used on opportunity attacks with War Caster? Rules as written, no, since the spell targets self not the enemy. But many DMs allow exceptions here.
- How does primal savagery interact with features like a monk's Martial Arts or Animal Barbarian's claws? The strict reading is that it does not interact or stack. Work with your DM on flexibility.
VIII. Conclusion
For druids who embrace their primal side, the savage ferocity of beast and wild, primal savagery is an invaluable cantrip. With practice, its acid-infused strikes can become a signature move. We hope this guide has helped illuminate effective primal savagery tactics for your druid PC or NPC! The untamed heart of the wilderness awaits you.
