Druid

A druid hired as a wilderness guide or temple-circle escort is the easy framing here. She knows the country, she will feed the party, and she will fight when they are in trouble, but she has her own rules and she leaves when the party crosses one. Establish those rules out loud at the campfire on night one: no felling living trees for firewood, and any grove she marks is off-limits even to relieve oneself.

In combat she is a soft caster with 44 HP and AC 13, so she sits behind the front line and works from there. Open with Longstrider on the party's slowest member if there is a round of warning, then Entangle the moment enemies cluster. The 20-foot square is enormous coverage for a CR 2 caster, so place it where it pins the most foes without catching a PC in the restraint. Verdant Wisp at +5 to hit covers her single-target turns out to 90 ft., which keeps her clear of most opening volleys.

Moonbeam is the once-per-day big swing. Save it for a named enemy, not a mob, and let the player who roleplayed best at the campfire be the one who asks for it. Animal Messenger is the out-of-combat lifeline; remind the party they have it before they get desperate, not after. Speak with Animals is at-will, so any pursuit through her territory leaks information back to her through birds and squirrels.

She refuses to enter walled cities for long and will not stand by while prisoners are killed. Hire her once, then let her recur as an NPC who notices when the party has changed.

A druid defending her grove is a wilderness control fight, not a slugfest. With 44 HP and AC 13 she folds fast in melee, so the encounter only works if she opens at range and shapes the ground before the party can close. Place her on terrain she has already prepared: a rise behind brambles, a stream the party must wade, a clearing where she has line of sight at 90 ft.

Round one is Entangle, centered to catch the front line and at least one squishy. The DC 13 Strength save is not punishing for fighters but it is brutal for casters and rogues, and a restrained PC has disadvantage on attacks while she keeps her distance. Hold concentration and follow with Verdant Wisp at +5 to hit for 3d6 radiant on whoever is still loose. If the party brought numbers and crowds her, swap to Thunderwave the moment two or more melee characters fall inside the 15-foot cube; the DC 13 Con save plus the 10-foot push buys her a full round of repositioning at her 30-ft. walk.

Moonbeam is the second-round play once the party has spread out and Entangle's job is done. Drop the cylinder on the cleric or the warlock, then slide it 60 ft. each turn with a bonus action while she keeps firing Verdant Wisp at the bow line. Her Passive Perception is 15, so the rogue does not get a free sneak; she sees them coming through the underbrush.

If the fight tips against her, she whispers to the local fauna with Speak with Animals and slips into the trees. She does not stand and die for a fight she has already lost; the grove is older than tonight, and she will be back with reinforcements when the party is asleep.