Druidic Circle
Circle of the City
Is a city really that different from the forest that suround it?
These druids are not what you would expect when you think of a druid and viewed as fools by many of their brethren. They count among their number politicians, merchants, vagabonds and labourers. Any individual who might fondly call a city home, who might nurture the creatures upon the streets and who might wish to protect the life within a cities bounds. Most importantly, druids of the City of the Circle recognise and nurture the ecosystem that exists within a cities walls.
These druids do not believe that an urban environment is distinct from nature but rather a new and strange aspect of it. They view the cities and towns of sentient species as living things that must be nurtured and cared for as one would any other creature. Indeed, in the eyes of these individual urban environments are desperately in need of help.
These druids find their purpose in rooting out any corruption that harms the balance and life within a city, whether it be smallest rat or the richest lord they do not care. A druid's role is to nurture nature wherever it may be found, even within the constructed environments of the sentient races.
Denizen of the Streets
By 2nd level you have obtained the skills of one who prowls the streets at night, mingling with endless crowds and going wherever you please within city walls. You gain proficiency in thieves tools and one of the following skills; Acrobatics, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand and Stealth.
The Cities Embrace
By 2nd level, the city itself assists you where it can. The shadows of the buildings hide your presence, the allies open to whatever you seek and the clangs of it's streets hide your lies. While in urban environments you gain advantage on stealth, investigation and deception checks. Additionally, upon having a long rest within an urban environment you gain temporary hit points equal to your druid level.
Humanoid Wildshape
By 6th level your unique perspective on what is natural influences your wild shape ability. When you wild shape you can now choose to take on any humanoid form, warping your form to take on that of any humanoid creature. While in this form you retain all your existing statistics, hit points, AC and your ability to spellcast. Changing your form in this way makes you entirely unrecognisable from your previous form and also alters your clothing.
With this wild shape you may choose to not change your race or subrace but simply alter your form should you choose.
Should you be reduced to 0 hitpoints while in a humanoid wild shape, you revert to your normal form with 1 hit point.
Become Inhabit
By 10th level your ability to wild shape in an urban environment has allowed you to morph yourself into a common inhabitant of the nearest city. When you choose to wildshape into a humanoid creature you may choose one of the following societal roles.
If you choose to shape your societal existence while using the Urban Shape ability, any feature impacted by the change in ability score is affected.
Labourer: Your strength score becomes 18 or remains unchanged if your existing strength is higher, your dexterity score becomes 8 or remains unchanged if it is lower. Additionally, Your carrying capacity doubles.
Merchant: Your charisma score increase to 18 or remains unchanged if your existing charisma is higher, your wisdom score becomes 8 or remains unchanged if it is lower. Additionally, you gain advantage on deception checks.
Beggar: Your dexterity score increases to 18 or remains unchanged if your existing charisma is higher, your intelligence score becomes 8 or remains unchanged if it is lower. Additionally, you gain advantage on sleight of hand checks.
Scholar: Your intelligence score increases to 18 or remains unchanged if your existing intelligence is higher, your strength becomes 8 or remains unchanged if it is lower. Additionally, you gain advantage on investigation checks.
Vagabond: Your constitution score becomes 18 or remains unchanged if your constitution is higher, your charisma score becomes 8 or remains unchanged if it is lower. You gain resistance to poison damage.
Elder: Your wisdom score becomes 18 or remains unchanged if your wisdom is higher, your constitution score becomes 8 or remains unchanged if it is lower. You gain advantage on wisdom saving throws.
Champion of the Cobbles
By 14th level you have become a champion of all life that graces the cobblestone streets of an urban city. The spirit of the city bolsters your strength whenever you rest within it's bounds
Upon long or short resting in an urban environment you gain the following benefits until you next rest.
- Resistance to non-magical Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing damage
- Any negative condition you are experiencing is removed
- All attacks you make deal an extra d6 of damage.
Things to work on
- Probably just needs a good playtesting, Champion of the Cobbles and Meld to Society probably need some level of rethinking.
- Is a bit weird cause it's a very niche subclass that is powerful in it's element but loses a good few abilities when stuck away from an urban environment. Very much want to keep the flavour tho, if that's an issue would alter The Cities Embrace and Champion of the Cobbles.
Brainstorming
- What role does this class serve?
- Currently filled are tank, summoning, dps, spellcasting and healing.
- Role should be utility/stealth. So thieves tool proficiency, stealth advantages, etc
- What does the end result of this subclass look like?
- An individual who works to nurture nature within a city, lurking in the shadows to protect it and to create it whenever possible.
- So a druid that can move around a cities society at all levels well and also sporadically summon natural elements into a city/aid their growth.
- What is it's archetype?
- That druid which deals with people and cities.
Ideas
- Something about creating nature from nothing
- Some form of ability that lets fade into the streets
- Gaining access to some artificer abilities perhaps?
- Some modification to wild shape.
Level 2 ability 1
level 2 ability 2
Level 6 ability
Level 10 ability
Level 14 ability