Druid Focus Points


Rules Discussion


Can I use focus points to wild shape instead of using 'animal form' spell slot?

Once I have ferocious shape 8th level feat, can I NOT use my highest level spell slots to transform/wild shape? Can I use focus points instead at that point?

Can I use refocus to get my 1 focus point back more then once per day? Or can you keep refocus over and over as well?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Crexis wrote:

Can I use focus points to wild shape instead of using 'animal form' spell slot?

Once I have ferocious shape 8th level feat, can I NOT use my highest level spell slots to transform/wild shape? Can I use focus points instead at that point?

Can I use refocus to get my 1 focus point back more then once per day? Or can you keep refocus over and over as well?

Wild Shape is a focus spell. If you have wild shape you have to use your focus point to shapechange into any form that you have as a druid feat.

You can refocus as many times as you want in a day. Wild druids will almost always want to refocus after every battle since they only have 1 focus point. You can only regain 1 focus point when refocusing and can't refocus again until you spent at least 1 point.

You can also use your form spells but they don't count as wild shape so you don't get the bonuses from wild shape (such as the +2 to hit if you use your own attack stat)


Yes: wild shape heightened to 2nd level adds animal form explicitly.

Yes: ferocious shape adds dinosaur form to wild shape. Using wild shape never uses a spell slot at any point.

[Wild shape does, however, automatically heighten any form spells you DO cast to match the current level of wild shape]

Refocus doesn't have a limit


Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Not to totally complicate things, but one thing to add is if you get the druid feat form control, a level 4 feat, you can cast wild shape at 2 spell levels lower (so at level 5, your highest spell level would be three, so minus two would be spell level one) to have it last an hour instead of a minute. This is important for some of the things you can turn into. At level 7 you can do animal shape as a level 2 (base) spell for an hour, at level 15 you can do dragon form for an hour (assuming you have the appropriate feats), etc.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Voss wrote:


[Wild shape does, however, automatically heighten any form spells you DO cast to match the current level of wild shape]

I do not think this is right. Casting a form spell uses a spell slot; if you want to highten it you have to use a higher appropriate spell slot.

Wild shape is a focus spell.

CRB wrote:
You can add more forms to your wild shape list with druid feats; your feat might grant you some or all of the forms from a given polymorph spell. When you transform into a form granted by a spell, you gain all the effects of the form you chose from a version of the spell heightened to wild shape’s level.

That is: When you transform [using wild shape] into a form granted by a spell [given to you by your extra feats] ...

I know, as it is written, you seem to be right, but I think the wording means that all the forms of your wild shape ability grants you are automatically hightened; not all the polymorph spell you casts.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Wild shape (focus spell granted by either starting as a Wild Druid or via Order Explorer into Wild from a different Druid or MC Druid selecting Wild) is always/only cast via focus points and auto heightens. The list of forms you can use with it are controlled by which feats you've taken. Your spell access doesn't not touch it in any way. Also not that several of the feats include minor riders/bonuses that only trigger when you used wild shape rather than the spell.

You can refocus multiple times a day, but you have to have spent a focus point between refocusings.


Lanx wrote:
Voss wrote:


[Wild shape does, however, automatically heighten any form spells you DO cast to match the current level of wild shape]

I do not think this is right. Casting a form spell uses a spell slot; if you want to highten it you have to use a higher appropriate spell slot.

Wild shape is a focus spell.

CRB wrote:
You can add more forms to your wild shape list with druid feats; your feat might grant you some or all of the forms from a given polymorph spell. When you transform into a form granted by a spell, you gain all the effects of the form you chose from a version of the spell heightened to wild shape’s level.

That is: When you transform [using wild shape] into a form granted by a spell [given to you by your extra feats] ...

I know, as it is written, you seem to be right, but I think the wording means that all the forms of your wild shape ability grants you are automatically hightened; not all the polymorph spell you casts.

Wild Shape is a focus spell, they are all automatically heightened. It doesn't make sense to repeat it unless the repetition is referring to something else. [I also think it would be phrased as 'a form granted by wild shape' rather than the more generic ' a form granted by a spell']

Similarly, the +2 bonus to attack when using your own attack modifier just specifies 'while polymorphed' not 'when using wild shape.'

I think its trying to do two things:

1- Help make druids the masters of 'form' spells,

2- Make up for the fact that a 'pure' wild order druid never gets additional focus points (while two of the other three orders _start_ with 2). To get even a second focus point they have to burn at least two feats, one for order explorer and a second for order magic. That puts them behind on mastering their own gimmick.


Voss wrote:


2- Make up for the fact that a 'pure' wild order druid never gets additional focus points (while two of the other three orders _start_ with 2). To get even a second focus point they have to burn at least two feats, one for order explorer and a second for order magic. That puts them behind on mastering their own gimmick.

You have to burn three - order magic doesn't actually give you an extra focus point because the bonus to leaf and storm are inherent to starting with those orders, not part of the power that order magic gives you.

It's much more efficient to start as leaf or storm if you want to be a mid to late level wild order guy with two focus points.

Grand Lodge

Best to just be a gnome to get a familiar that can give you an additional focus point 1/day.


Xenocrat wrote:
Voss wrote:


2- Make up for the fact that a 'pure' wild order druid never gets additional focus points (while two of the other three orders _start_ with 2). To get even a second focus point they have to burn at least two feats, one for order explorer and a second for order magic. That puts them behind on mastering their own gimmick.

You have to burn three - order magic doesn't actually give you an extra focus point because the bonus to leaf and storm are inherent to starting with those orders, not part of the power that order magic gives you.

It's much more efficient to start as leaf or storm if you want to be a mid to late level wild order guy with two focus points.

Right. Was thinking of the less byzantine classes with more straightforward focus powers/feat relationships.

So really, a wild order druid very much needs the spell versions to pull off their signature ability reliably.

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