Druid Circle: Circle of the Scythe
The natural cycle of life and death is one that must be kept in delicate equilibrium, and none understand this better than druids of the Circle of the Harvest. Just as crops must be harvested, so too must lives end. All creatures have a time and place when they must leave this mortal plane, and these druids, sometimes called Reapers, use their power to guide souls to a peaceful end, and destroy undead that would seek to avoid it.
Circle Spells
Beginning at 2nd level when you join this circle, your commitment to the balance of life and death has gifted you with magical power.
When you reach certain levels in this class, you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of the Scythe 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.
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | gentle repose |
| 5th | speak with dead |
| 7th | blight |
| 9th | antilife shell |
Harvest Scythe
Also at 2nd level, you learn the shillelagh cantrip. If you already know this cantrip, you instead learn a different druid cantrip of your choice. This cantrip doesn't count against your number of cantrips known.
Additionally, when you cast shillelagh, you can turn a club or quarterstaff into a Harvest Scythe. The weapon then gains the following properties:
- It now deals slashing damage, instead of bludgeoning.
- It can be used as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells
- If the weapon was a quarterstaff, it gains the versatile(d10) and reach properties when used with two hands.
- If the weapon was a club, you can cast it on an additional club using the same bonus action.
Psychopomp
Starting at 2nd level, when a creature you can see within 30 feet of you drops to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to guide their soul to the afterlife and ensure a peaceful rest. The creature dies, and can't be revived or become undead unless it chooses to. Additionally, you or a creature within 30 feet of you gains temporary hit points equal to your druid level.
Soul Reap
At 6th level, your Harvest Scythe slices through your foes' very souls. After you make an attack with your Harvest Scythe, you can force every creature within 10 feet of you to make a Charisma saving throw or take 2d8 necrotic damage. If an undead creature fails this save, they instead take 4d8.
You have two uses of this ability, and you regain one of them whenever you use your Psychopomp feature, or all of them on a long rest.
Preserve the Balance
At 10th level, you are more adept at dispatching the forces of undeath. You gain resistance to necrotic damage.
Additionally, any necrotic damage you deal to an undead ignores resistance to necrotic damage.
Don't Fear The Reaper
At 14th level, you can become the embodiment of mortality: an inevitable end for your foes. As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape to force creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you to succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you for 1 minute. Undead who fail this save are also incapacitated. Any creature frightened or incapacitated by this ability also takes maximum damage from your Harvest Scythe and Soul Reap features.
A frightened or incapacitated creature can make a Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, they are no longer frightened or incapacitated.