Draconic Resilience and Wild Shapes

Question

Among the effects of Wild Shapes, these two:

Your game Statistics are replaced by the Statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can't use them.

You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your Special senses, such as Darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense (PHB p.67, "Wild Shape")

Seem to come into conflict with each other when things like Draconic Resilience:

When you aren't wearing armor, your AC equals 13 + your Dexterity
modifier. (PHB p.102, "Draconic Bloodline")

How would this resolve?

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 16 '17 at 14:13

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You can only use the AC of the beast

parts of your skin are covered by a thin sheen of dragon-like scales. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier. (PHB 102)

In wild shape your skin changes to that of the beast, thus providing you with any natural armor it might have. This falls into:

can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so

It is not able to have two types of skin simultaneously, so you must use the AC of the new form.

answered Dec 16 '17 at 14:13

Szega

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At this point though it's a specific rule vs a specific rule. Draconic resilience could also mean this elk now has scales protruding out of its fur in a few areas. Kind of like how dragonborns can still do fire breath despite their innerds changing. – Skyler Dec 16 '17 at 14:25
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also this leads to a divergent answer for barbarian and monks, which outside the flavor text have the same requirements when the abilities mechanics are laid out (barring mentions of shield or no shield) – Skyler Dec 16 '17 at 14:27
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@Skyler Having blonde hair on your arms does not transfer to wild shape, why would any other such attribute? And a DM might rule that dragonborn cannot use their breath weapon as the new form is incapable. Is there anything official saying otherwise? – Szega Dec 16 '17 at 14:31
Yes: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/105225/can-my-dragonborn-druid-use-their-breath-weapon-in-wild-shape – Orvir Dec 16 '17 at 18:16

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 16 '17 at 19:07

I would rule that the armor from Draconic Resilience is a physical feature, and is not retained in Wild Shape. I would be willing to consider an argument from the player to retain the Draconic Resilience feature when Wild Shaped into scaly creatures, e.g. crocodiles and maybe dinosaurs.

score 0 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 16 '20 at 10:23

You get the beast's AC except, maybe, if the beast has scales

You can't use features that the beast form doesn't have

Per the PHB

can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so

and Jeremy Crawford

Wild Shape: keep your racial traits, unless told otherwise or they require external features (wings/hands/etc.) the new form lacks.

You cannot use any racial features that your beast form does not have.

Draconic resilience depends on specific physical features

The Draconic Resilience feature says:

parts of your skin are covered by a thin sheen of dragon-like scales. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier. (PHB)

Note that this effect is predicated on the presence of dragon-like scales on your skin specifically. This means that this feature requires those to be present.

If you wild shape into a beast with skin and fur, the best thus lacks the necessary physical traits to make use of the draconic resilience.

Very similar official ruling

Jeremy Crawford made a ruling about a lizardfolk's natural armor feature. The description of which is:

You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. (VGtM)

Note how it is very similar to the description of draconic resilience.

His ruling was:

The lizardfolk's Natural Armor specifies anatomy: tough, scaly skin. It doesn't apply if you're wearing a beast's skin in Wild Shape.

However, if the beast has scales it might qualify (DM's choice)

Note that in the above ruling Jeremy Crawford specifically says "wearing a beast's skin". It is possible that if the beast has scales (for example the crocodile or ankylosaurus) that it might qualify as now having the necessary physical feature (scales) thus allowing you to use draconic resilience.

This will likely come down to a DM call as to whether any of the creatures on the list have a "thin sheen of dragon-like scales", but it seems like a reasonable ruling to allow.