Druid Circle: Circle of Pestilence
Not all that is natural is peaceful. Druids of the Circle of Pestilence understand the chaotic side of nature, those forces of hunger and gluttony which drive the natural world. They have learnt the harsh lessons of the wilds – that to survive, you must consume.
Druids of the Circle of Pestilence often hail from regions rife with horrific monsters, famines or plagues. They may have survived natural disasters, or have lived as outcasts lost in the wilderness. They have been shunned from society for one reason or another. They are resilient, but their experiences have left them jaded and distorted.
Their power is a caricature of typical druidcraft. They use their beast forms to transform into whole swarms of creatures – shifting their bodies into devouring plagues that consume all in their path. They are druids who leave pestilence in their wake.
Druids of Pestilence often develop strange tendencies. At your option, you can pick from or roll on the Pestilence Quirks table.
Pestilence Quirks
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your skin is deathly pale, and a faint stench of rot hangs around you. |
| 2 | You have a ferocious appetite, often preferring to eat raw meat or bone. |
| 3 | You are prone to clicking your tongue as you speak, or hissing in an animalistic manner. |
| 4 | You laugh as you suffer injuries. |
| 5 | You always refer to yourself as ‘we’. |
| 6 | A small colony of insects, spiders or vermin lives in your hair or on your body. |
Diseased Magic
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the Infestation cantrip, which counts as a druid cantrip for you. You may also cast this cantrip while transformed using Swarm Shape.
Swarm Shape
The rites of your circle grant you the ability to transform into more numerous shapes, and you can spread your consciousness between a horde of bodies.
Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to Wild Shape into swarms of beasts. This is in addition to the standard rules defined in the Beast Shape table, but otherwise the same restrictions apply. The new forms allowed for Wild Shape are:
| Challenge Rating | Armor Class | Base Hit Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swarm of Bats | CR 1/4 | 12 | 22 |
| Swarm of Beetles | CR 1/2 | 12 | 22 |
| Swarm of Centipedes | CR 1/2 | 12 | 22 |
| Swarm of Insects | CR 1/2 | 12 | 22 |
| Swarm of Rats | CR 1/4 | 10 | 10 |
| Swarm of Ravens | CR 1/4 | 12 | 24 |
| Swarm of Rot Grubs | CR 1/2 | 8 | 22 |
| Swarm of Spiders | CR 1/2 | 12 | 22 |
| Swarm of Wasps | CR 1/2 | 12 | 22 |
Note that as a swarm, you cannot regain hit points or gain temporary hit points. Unless otherwise specified, all forms of healing are ineffective on you while transformed.
Manipulation of your Swarm Shape allows you to split your focus in battle. While you are transformed using Swarm Shape, if you make an attack action against an opponent, you may also take additional attack rolls against any other nearby foes within melee range. The number of extra foes you can target is equal to a third of your Druid level, rounded down.
You can also apply half of your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to all melee attack or damage rolls made while in Swarm Shape.
In addition, the number of bodies within your swarm grows as your power improves. Your Swarm Shape gains additional hit points from their base number equal to your Druid level multiplied by two.
Consuming Swarm
At 6th level, your Swarm Shape surges in size and ferocity. Your Swarm Shape is now a Large creature, and it counts as difficult terrain to any creature attempting to move through your space.
In addition, your swarm can restore itself by feasting on fallen foes. Whenever a hostile creature within melee range is reduced to 0 hit points on your turn, you may use a bonus action to engulf its body and heal yourself 2d8 hit points. If the hit points of your Swarm Shape are already at their maximum when you use this feature, then the healing gained transfers over to the hit points of your original form. This can be done number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of one), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
This feature’s healing increases to 3d8 when you reach 11th level, and 4d8 when you reach 17th level.
Creeping Plague
At 10th level, you have refined your skill to such that you can transform into a swarm so small and numerous that it appears like mist. You can expend a use of Wild Shape to cast Gaseous Form on yourself, without any concentration requirement.
Epidemic
By 14th level, you have transformed yourself into a plague capable of destroying all in your wake. While you are transformed in Swarm Shape you can cast the spell Insect Plague without expending a spell slot or components. This can be done a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of one), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Credits
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Artwork by YurevArt
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