As a DM, I hope none of my players ever choose this class. As a player, I am very excited to try this class.

"Its the druid that you could imagine is wandering around the forest and they have rabbits following them and birds and things like that" So Circle of the Shepherd is basically playing as Radagast

He didn't mention that you can TALK TO ANIMALS!!!! 😍😍😍😍

I can hear Matt Mercer screaming already.

Adds stuff that the class couldn’t already do but should have. Doesn’t contradict the traditional class concept or step on the toes of other classes. Nice addition

Wish there was a plant theme focussed circle, with a super-shillelagh and barkskin type effect as a form, basically a treant to smash enemies while still effectively being humanoid so able to cast some spells, use a weapon, talk etc

"it's not a real creature. It still bleeds and suffers, but it's not a real creature. It has no free will, it does whatever I want, and it's a REPRESENTATION" A Druid desperately trying to defend his lawful good alignment after defeating a roper by choking it to death on kittens.

Summoning creatures is a dms worst nightmare

Let the beard flourish, Mike!

my favourite druid!

I just wish their was a Druid class that could get companions again.

For some reason I’m seeing Snow White ala Shrek 3 style

Sheep army!

Circle of the Shepherd is cool in theory, I like that there is a path focused in summoning. But like others have mentioned, there's a lot to keep track of and I'm probably going to shove prints with statblocks on them on to my player's hands and tell them to keep track of most things. I'm disappointed that Circle of the Twilight won't be making it to the book. Out of any circle, it was my favorite. I'm just going to have to go with my homebrewed version of it, tweaked from the UA. I've also homebrewed a version of Shaman by replacing all of druid's wildshape features with stuff that expands or improves spellcasting, like wizards or clerics, but with druidic spellcasting.

This sounds hilarious, I anticipate a lot of funny stories emerging.

unicorn makes gives the life cleric a run for its money. it doesn't beat it out but it does really well!

Those subclasses are awesome, still, I miss the animal companion :(

I think what everyone is overlooking concerning this sub-class is it's overpowered ability to multi-heal at lvl 2 (by using your Unicorn Totem Spirt), which my party seemed to find very useful in picking up multiple downed party members on more than one occasion as well as just fixing everyone up in two easy steps out or in of combat as required and also gives 'Cure Wounds' a range of 30ft meaning you don't have to leave your position in combat to access downed or wounded allies. Since you regain the use of the totem spirit after a short rest, it quickly becomes a broken ability at lower levels, that is before you finally gain access to your first summoning spell 'Conjure Animals' at lvl 5 and even then you can still summon and multi-heal as required, making this truly a headache class for your DM.

*insert comment about DM's hating summoning spells here*

I️ need an attack squirrel post haste!!! I️ love this idea for a class!!!!!

As a DM this might be my worst nightmare, still cool on paper

3rd level circle of Shepherd Druid... can potentially cause over 700hp of healing in under 10 rounds.

So basically warcraft's shaman

Mike is looking increasingly tired in these videos. But this circle is neat!

Release the Horde!!!

How do you summon animals? Is it a spell or just a class feature? And is it concentration?

It's a shame that summoning is so poorly implemented thematicly though. It's a system mechanisms that is yearning for more thematical application, explanation, fluff, anything! The class is a small step towards it but the mechanism need a rework to be thematic from the very core of it, no matter class.

Are these getting shorter every time a new one comes out?

How does the unicorn totem interact with the life domain?

so it's like a summoner paladin?

Have Dmed for 30 odd years. Never had a prob with players summoning creatures. Though we have never really had prob with animal companions and 'action economy' others go on about either. I love the sound of this druid being focussed on animals. Not sure about the PC-friendly 'this is not a real animal', but matters not. If a druid did that sort of send my summoned 'friends' down a tunnel to be slaughtered, it imply would not work the next time. But again, I don't have players that would do that :)

So the Circle of the Shepherd is a paladin that worships totemic animals?

Still don't get why this couldn't just have been an animal companion druid but I guess it's all right

I'm so sad for the merging of the shaman and druid. Why must I be a polymorphing chacal to be able to summon a totem spiriit? The two abilities are so different that it feels like an extreme multiclassing. It's really sad because it even limits what settings can be like. In my setting, transforming into an animal is the most crazy thing one could do, they would hunt them down like witches. And that's why the druids are very few. But a totem shaman would be much easier to play. Too bad we can't have it without the Wild Shape ability.

Killer rabbits of dooooom!!!!!!!!! (think Monty Python Holy Grail....)

This is a very long-winded way of saying “this is only useful up to third level”

nope, nope, nope. Conjure Animals is enough of a nightmare for me as a DM. Can't imagine this will make things better.