Druid Subclass - Circle of the Mist
Druids of the Circle of the Mist are so deeply connected to the lands they protect that they become inseparable from the other defensive measures of nature. These druids seek to repel the oncoming tide of “civilization” and establish a firmer border between the wild and the tame. Their magic confuses, befuddles, and stupefies. At every step, they seek to turn back attackers or leave them defenseless and distraught. They weave illusions out of thin air, and call upon the powers of mist to let them roam wherever they please.
Druids of the Circle of the Mist may manifest their powers in different ways. Some create a gentle fog that does nothing but turn ships away from their precious, untouched island paradise. Some choose to summon a choking, noxious smoke that burns the lungs and stings the eyes of any trespassers to their lands.
Circle of the Mist Features
| Druid Level | Class Features |
|---|---|
| 2nd | Bonus Cantrip, Misty Circle, Circle Spells |
| 6th | Mist Form, Confounding Mist |
| 10th | Vapor Clad |
| 14th | Misty Domain, Gift of the Fog |
Bonus Cantrip
2nd-Level Circle of the Mist Feature
As your first line of defense against mortals, you gain some power to deceive their senses. When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the Minor Illusion cantrip, and it is a druid spell for you. This cantrip does not count against your number of cantrips known.
Circle Spells
2nd-Level Circle of the Mist Feature
Your connection to the mist grants you access to some spells when you reach certain levels, as shown in the Circle of the Mist Spells table. Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.
Circle of the Mist Spells
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 2nd | Silent Image, Sleep |
| 3rd | Suggestion, Phantasmal Force |
| 5th | Major Image, Enemies Abound |
| 7th | Halucinatory Terrain, Greater Invisibility |
| 9th | Mislead, Dominate Person |
Druidic Foci - Circle of the Mist
Every druid carries with them a druidic focus, an item that helps to bridge the gap, however small, between them and the powers of nature. Often, this focus is the conduit through which a druid casts their spells, and is usually an item of great importance to the druid. Consider how this item came to you. Was it gifted to you by a wise and powerful mentor who pressed it into your hand with their dying breath? Did you find it laying on the sandy shore during a morning walk? Did you spend weeks gathering the components and putting them together yourself as a last farewell to your home before setting out on a great journey?
The form your druidic focus takes is up to you as well, so consider how a druid of the Circle of the Mist might have a fundamentally different focus from other druids.
Is it a pipe, carved from the wood of a treant, which smells of woodfire and pine with each puff? Is it a beautiful and elaborate conch shell, that exudes a soft, salty fog when sounded? Is it a rare plant, kept in a clay pot and carried everywhere, whose leaves are turned into incense and burn with incredible fragrance? Perhaps it is a ghastly white tallow candle, made from the fat of intruders to your territory, with smoke that smells of blood and justice?
Whatever form your focus takes, it reflects your attitudes, priorities, and methods as a druid. It is the prism through which the raw power of nature shines, emitting the billowing, insidious fog that shields you and your beloved wilds from all harm.
Misty Circle
2nd-Level Circle of the Mist Feature
In order to confound and mislead your enemies, you summon thick, pearly mist. When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you can use your action to expend one use of your Wild Shape feature and create mist in a 20 foot radius sphere around yourself. This radius increases to 25 feet at level 9, and 30 feet at level 17. The mist fills the area as long as it can reach all areas through passages or small cracks. Liquid or airtight walls block the mist. Inside the circle, the following effects apply:
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Creatures not allied to you must make an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC when they enter the circle or of they are within the radius when you summon the mist. On a failed save, they have disadvantage on Wisdom and Intelligence checks within the circle. Enemies must repeat the save only if they exit and reenter the sphere. Starting at 6th level, if a creature fails their save against the mist by 5 or more, the area within the circle is difficult terrain for them.
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The area within the circle is lightly obscuring for all creatures not allied to you, but this does not affect attack rolls.
- Effects that disperse gas or vapor, such as Gust of Wind, remove the effects of the mist in their area. At the start of your turn after the effect ends, the mist returns to that area if it can move into the space and is not blocked by liquid or airtight walls.
The mist lingers for 10 minutes before dispersing. You can dispel your Misty Circle as a bonus action. It also disappears early if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. If you use your Misty Circle feature again while it is active, the first one disappears.
Mist Form
6th-Level Circle of the Mist Feature
You have learned to make yourself shapeless and untouchable. As an action, you can expend one use of your Wild Shape to take on your Mist Form. Starting at 10th level, if you use Mist Form while inside your Misty Circle, it does not consume a use of your Wild Shape. The duration of Mist Form is one hour and you revert to your normal form at the end of the duration unless you expend another use of your Wild Shape. You can revert earlier using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. While in Mist Form, the following rules apply:
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You are a medium size misty cloud. You have resistance to nonmagical attacks and damage. Attack rolls against you have disadvantage, and your AC is 13 + your Wisdom Modifier. Your hit points do not change when entering or exiting Mist Form.
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You cannot cast spells or make attacks in this form. All gear you were holding or wearing when you transformed became part of your Mist Form. If you cast a concentration spell before entering Mist Form, it does not disrupt your concentration, as per Wild Shape.
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You have advantage on Dexterity checks and saving throws. You can enter or occupy the space of another creature. You can pass through small holes, narrow openings, and even mere cracks, though you treat liquids as though they were solid surfaces. You are considered lightly obscured for the purposes of hiding, and can attempt to hide even when only lightly obscured.
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Your movement speed in this form is half your normal speed. Within your Misty Circle, your movement speed becomes doubled, instead of halved. Your falling speed is 60 feet and you do not take fall damage. You cannot be slowed by difficult terrain, nor can you be grappled or restrained. If you are grappled or restrained when you transform, that effect ends. Starting at 8th level, you gain a flying speed of 20 feet and can hover within your Misty Circle.
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You can manipulate objects, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You can’t activate magic items, but you can carry one object which weighs no more than 5 pounds. You can speak, and have all the senses that you have in your normal form unless you are still influenced by effects that would alter your senses.
If your Mist Form ends while you are in a space you cannot occupy, such as the space of another creature or a crack in a wall that cannot accommodate you, you reappear in the nearest unoccupied space. If there are no spaces large enough for you within 10 feet, then you take force damage equal to twice the number of feet you were moved. If you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die while in Mist Form, you revert and maintain that condition.
Confounding Mist
6th-Level Circle of the Mist Feature
Your mist chokes and confuses your enemies, obscuring their vision. When you use your Misty Circle feature, choose one of the following options, which takes effect within the mist. You cannot change which effect is active, except by creating mist again.
Conceal. The mist obscures the movements of your allies. They can use the Hide and Disengage actions as bonus actions anywhere in the circle. The mist provides enough concealment to hide in.
Enfeeble. Your enemies feel faint and lightheaded while breathing in the fog. When a creature fails their Intelligence saving throw against the mist, they have disadvantage on attack rolls while they remain within the circle.
Dishearten. The vapors you summon erode the focus and willpower of your opponents. Creatures that failed their Intelligence saving throw against the mist must subtract 2d4 from Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws made against your spells and abilities while they remain within the circle.
Vapor Clad
10th-Level Circle of the Mist Feature
Your powers hold greater sway over the battle. If you are in your Mist Form in the space occupied by another creature, you can use your bonus action to envelop the creature. You can use a bonus action to remove yourself from the creature. When this effect ends, voluntarily or otherwise, you are moved to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the creature you were enveloping. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier plus your proficiency bonus (minimum of 1), and regain all expended uses on a long rest. This feature has a maximum duration of 1 minute. If the creature falls unconscious, is reduced to 0 hit points, or dies, this effect ends early. Enveloping a creature counts as a spell for the purposes of Dispel Magic, and has a spell level equal to half your druid level, rounded down (maximum of 9th level spell).
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If the creature is an ally, you grant it +2 to its AC. As your reaction, you can expend an additional use of this feature to give the creature advantage on any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check.
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If the creature is not an ally, it must make a Wisdom saving throw or suffer -2 to its AC. If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, there is no effect and you are removed from the creature. If an enemy takes an action while you are enveloping it, you can use your reaction to spend a use of this feature and contest it. You and the creature make contested Wisdom checks. If your result is higher, the creature takes no action. If the creature's result is higher, the action proceeds as normal, and you are removed from the creature. This feature can only be used to contest actions, not bonus actions or reactions.
While you are enveloping a creature, attack rolls against it also count as attack rolls against you (and vice versa). When an attack roll is made against one of you, it can hit one or both of you if the attack roll surpasses the AC of you or the creature. Attacks against you made this way do not have automatic disadvantage as they do when you are in Mist Form and not enveloping a creature. When targeted by effects that require a saving throw for all creatures in the area, your saving throw is separate from the saving throw that the creature makes.
Misty Domain
14th-Level Circle of the Mist Feature
Your mist can be consumed again, in order to enhance your ability to deceive the senses of your opponents. Within your Misty Circle, you can choose to cast Illusion and Enchantment spells for a spell slot one level below the level of the spell. Cantrips can be cast as a bonus action if they would normally be cast as an action. 1st level spells can be cast as cantrips. Spells cast at 2nd level would consume a first level spell slot, and so on. When you cast a spell of 5th level or higher this way, the radius of your Misty Circle decreases by 10 feet. You can choose to cast spells with their normal spell slots, which does not reduce the radius of your Misty Circle. This feature cannot apply to spells cast as rituals.
Gift of the Fog
14th-Level Circle of the Mist Feature
You can extend the mysterious and poweful ability to become mist to your allies. While not in Wild Shape or Mist Form, you can use an action to expend one use of your Wild Shape feature and touch a willing creature within 5 feet of you. They take on the Mist Form for 30 minutes, and can revert as a bonus action. Within your Misty Circle, they have a flying speed of 20 feet and can hover. They cannot use Vapor Clad unless they themselves also have access to the feature.
Circle of the Mist for D&D 5e
Created by /u/NotTheDreadPirate
With edits and suggestions by /u/boktebokte
Artist Credits:
Ivan Laliashvili - Concept Art 4
Magic the Gathering - Fog
Magic the Gathering - Insidious Mist
Svetlin Velinov - Chain of Vapor
Wizards of the Coast - Misty Forest
Andreas Rocha - Fog in the Dawn
Please note that this subclass is unofficial homebrew content, and has had limited playtesting. Adjustments are being made for the sake of balance, flavor, and consistency. Please feel free to leave feedback on Reddit or GMBinder. Thank you for reading.
