Druid Circle - Circle of Plagues

## Druid Circle

### Circle of Plagues
 Druids of the circle of plagues bond with the countless diseases and maladies brought about by nature.  While other druids may disavow the pestilent afflictions which arise from the natural world, these plague druids revere them.  They view the squeamishness of other druids as a sign of weakness and naivete, for to truly embrace nature is to accept every life form, even horrid diseases.

Plague druids excel at infecting creatures with a variety of ever-evolving diseases.  While these afflictions can quickly bring their enemies low, those lucky enough to earn the druid's favor will find themselves enhanced by their infections.  Just as diseases quickly adapt to better spread amongst their victims, these druids constantly adapt and evolve their plagues to suit their situation.

#### Circle Spells
*2nd Level Circle of Plagues Feature* 
You have an innate connection to the pestilent aspects of nature, resulting in you knowing the *chill touch* cantrip. It counts as a druid cantrip for you, but it doesn't count against your number of cantrips known. 
Your pestilent magic also grants you access to some spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Circle of Plagues 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      | 
|:-------------:|:-------------:|
|  2nd          | *bane*, *miasma of pestilence**,  |
|  3rd          | *blindness/deafness*, *stream of corruption**|
|  5th          | *puddle of ooze**, *stinking cloud*      | 
|  7th          | *blight*, *inflict rot**|
|  9th          | *cloudkill*, *contagion* |

**New spells listed at the end of the document*

#### Produce Pathogen
*2nd Level Circle of Plagues Feature* 
You can summon a specialized disease strain to bolster allies and wither enemies. As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to attempt to infect a creature within 5 feet of you, including yourself. It must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC, which it can choose to fail. On a failure, it is infected with a disease with one symptom of your choice. You may automatically infect yourself with the same disease when you use this feature.

Whenever a creature is infected by one of your diseases, you can choose to make it a Symbiotic Host rather than a Victim, in which case it gains positive effects from the disease.  The symptoms for Victims and Symbiotic Hosts are described in the Disease Symptoms section at the end of this document.

At the start of each of your turns, all infected creatures must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC, which they can choose to fail.  On a successful save, creatures end the disease on themselves.

After these saves are made, every creature that's still infected spreads its disease to another uninfected creature within 5 feet of it.  This uninfected creature must make the same saving throw or become infected with the same disease.  If there are more than one uninfected creatures within 5 feet of an infected creature, you may choose which of the creatures becomes infected if you can see it.  Otherwise, DM chooses one at random.

A creature can only be infected by the disease once and can't become infected by it again until you use this ability again.

The disease ends for all creatures after 10 minutes or if you use this feature again.

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#### Unnatural Immunity
*6th Level Circle of Plagues Feature* 
You have resistance to necrotic damage and may also choose to automatically succeed any saving throws you make against diseases.

#### Evolving Epidemic
*6th Level Circle of Plagues Feature* 
You've learned how to mutate your diseases to better suit them to any given situation. When you use your Produce Pathogen feature, you may alter it with one of the following traits:

***Air Born.*** An infected creature can now spread the disease to another uninfected creature within 30 feet of it.

***Plague Missile.*** When you use Produce Pathogen, you can infect a creature up to 120 feet away from you rather than 5 feet from you.

***Pestilent Hex.***  The disease can't spread beyond yourself and the initial target, but you may choose two different Symptoms for the disease, and the target creature has disadvantage on the saving throw against becoming infected.

***Super Spreader.*** An infected creature now spreads the disease to each creature within 5 feet of it rather than just one.

#### Paroxysm
*10th Level Circle of Plagues Feature* 
When a creature that is not a symbiotic host for a disease fails its saving throw at the end of its turn against that disease, it suffers from the disease's severe symptom effects until the disease ends. These severe symptoms do not replace the original symptoms unless stated otherwise.

#### Plague Shape
*14th Level Circle of Plagues Feature* 
When you use your Produce Pathogen feature against a creature that fails its saving throw against the disease, you may transform into the very disease you are infecting it with, causing you to disappear into the infected creature. While inside the infected creature, you use the creature's senses and can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that target diseases.

Additionally, you can't concentrate on spells unless they are from your Circle of Plagues Spell List, and you can't interact with the outside world in any way other than by casting spells from your Circle of Plagues Spell List.  Spells cast this way don't require components and are treated as though you are occupying the infected creature's space.

Creatures you are infecting in this form have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells unless they are symbiotic hosts, in which case they automatically succeed.  Symbiotic hosts you are infecting take no damage from your spells if they would normally take half damage on a successful save.

If you attempt to spread your disease from the creature you're inhabiting to one or more creatures, you may impose disadvantage on the saving throw one of those creatures makes to avoid becoming infected.  If it fails its saving throw and becomes infected, you move from your current host to this new creature as part of the infection.  This does not end the disease affecting the previous creature.

This form ends if your host creature dies, the disease affecting it ends, or you use your bonus action to return to your normal form.  Additionally, the host creature can use its action to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC, ending this effect on a success, though this does not end the disease affecting it.  When the effect ends, you reappear in the nearest unoccupied space of your choice.

### Disease Symptoms
The following disease symptoms are presented in alphabetical order.

#### Delirium
  ***Victim Effects.*** Attack rolls have advantage against the infected creature as long as there are three or more creatures within 5 feet of it.

***Symbiotic Host Effects.*** Attack rolls have disadvantage against the symbiotic host as long as there are three or more creatures within 5 feet of it.

***Severe Victim Effects.*** The infected creature suffers the effects of the *enemies abound* spell.

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> ##### Describing Symptoms
> The names of the symptoms listed here are meant to provide simple and easily recognizable descriptions of what's happening to the infected creature.  However, you can come up with your own descriptions to fit the symptom's effects.  For example, the continual damage dealt by the Fever symptom could instead be described as being caused by flesh-eating bacteria, and the effects of Nausea could instead be caused by muscle spasms.

#### Fatigue

***Victim Effects.*** The infected creature's speed is reduced by 10 feet.

***Symbiotic Host Effects.***  The symbiotic host's speed is increased by 10 feet.

***Severe Victim Effects.*** The infected creature's speed is halved, it can't use reactions, and on its turn, it can use either an action or a bonus action, not both.

#### Fever
  ***Victim Effects.*** At the start of the infected creature's turn, it takes necrotic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your druid level (rounded up).

***Symbiotic Host Effects.*** When a symbiotic host is infected by this disease, it gains temporary hit points Wisdom modifier + half your druid level (rounded up).  These temporary hit points last until the disease ends.

***Severe Victim Effects.*** At the start of the infected creature's turn, it takes necrotic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier + twice your druid level.  This replaces the damage dealt by the initial effect.

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#### Mind Fire 
  ***Victim Effects.*** Whenever the infected creature makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that uses its Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom modifier, it must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from the ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

***Symbiotic Host Effects.*** Whenever the symbiotic host makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that uses its Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom modifier, it may roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

***Severe Victim Effects.*** Whenever the infected creature casts a spell of first level or higher, it takes 1d12 psychic damage per level of the spell.

#### Nausea
  ***Victim Effects.*** Whenever the infected creature makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that uses its Constitution, Dexterity, or Strength modifier, it must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from the ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

***Symbiotic Host Effects.*** Whenever the symbiotic host makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that uses its Constitution, Dexterity, or Strength modifier, it may roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

***Severe Victim Effects.*** Damage dealt by an infected creature's weapon attacks is halved.

#### Weeping Eyes

***Victim Effects.*** The infected creature is unable to see anything farther than 30 feet away from it.

***Symbiotic Host Effects.*** The symbiotic host gains blindsight out to a range of 10 feet. If it already has blindsight, its range increases by 10 feet.

***Severe Victim Effects.*** The infected creature is blinded.

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## New Spells

####  Inflict Rot
*4th-level necromancy*
___
- **Casting Time:** 1 action
- **Range:** Touch
- **Components:** V, S
- **Duration:**   1 minute
- **Classes:**  Druid, Cleric, Warlock
___

Make a melee spell attack against a creature you can reach. On a hit, it takes 3d10 necrotic damage and is afflicted with a disease that lasts until the spell ends.

A creature afflicted by this disease takes 3d10 necrotic damage at the end of each of its turns and must then make a Constitution saving throw, ending the disease on a success.

If a diseased creature drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can end the disease on the creature and cause it to unleash a wave of rot. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of it must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 3d10 necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. You may choose to have one of the creatures that failed the saving throw become infected with the same disease, which lasts for the remainder of the spell's duration.

***At Higher Levels.*** When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, each time it would deal damage, it deals an additional 1d10 necrotic damage for each slot level above 4th.

#### Miasma of Pestilence
*1st-level conjuration*
___
- **Casting Time:** 1 action
- **Range:** 20 feet
- **Components:** V S M (A bit of durian fruit)
- **Duration:** Concentration, up to 1 minute
- **Classes:**  Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
___

A cloud of putrescent vapor appears in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within range. The cloud spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. The cloud lingers in the air for the duration or until a moderate wind (at least 5 miles per hour) disperses it after 4 rounds. A strong wind (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it after 1 round.

Each creature completely within the cloud at the start of its turn must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is poisoned until the start of its next turn. While poisoned in this way, the target can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both, and can't take reactions. Creatures that don't need to breathe automatically succeed on this saving throw.

### Art Credit
* Deathrite Shaman - Steve Argyle, Wizards of the Coast
* Putrefy - Igor Kieryluk, Wizards of the Coast
* Illness in the Ranks - Nils Hamm, Wizards of the Coast 
* Festergloom - Mathias Kollros, Wizards of the Coast

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#### Puddle of Ooze
*3rd-level conjuration*
___
- **Casting Time:** 1 action
- **Range:** 120 feet
- **Components:** V, S, M (a bit of slug slime)
- **Duration:**   Concentration, up to 1 minute
- **Classes:**  Artificer, Druid, Sorcerer 
___

You cover the ground in a 20-foot radius centered on a point within range with acidic ooze, causing it to become difficult terrain for the duration. When a creature moves into or within the area, it takes 1d4 acid damage for every 5 feet it travels.

When the ooze appears, each creature standing in its area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone and take 3d4 acid damage. A creature that enters the area or ends its turn there must also succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone and take 3d4 acid damage.

#### Stream of Corruption
*2nd-level evocation*
___
- **Casting Time:** 1 action
- **Range:** Self (30-foot cone) or 100 feet
- **Components:** S, M (a vial of meltwater)
- **Duration:**   Instantaneous
- **Classes:**  Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
___

Bile spews forth from you in a 30-foot cone.  Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw.  A creature takes 3d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

When you cast this spell, you may instead choose a creature within 100 feet of you that you can see and force it to make a Constitution saving throw.  On failed save, it takes 3d8 necrotic damage, and you may cause the cone of bile described above to spew forth from the creature in the direction you choose.  On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and does not spew bile.

***At Higher Levels.*** When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, increase the necrotic damage dealt to targeted creatures and creatures in the area of the cone of bile by 1d8 for each slot level above 2nd.

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#### 1.0.0
* Public Release

#### 1.0.1
* Added new spells to end of the document
* Cleaned up subclass spell list

#### 1.0.2
* Add referenced spells

#### 1.0.3
* Plague Shape now uses a Charisma saving throw instead of a Charisma check.

#### 1.1.0
* Update referenced spells

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### Rerfenced Documents
* New Spells 1.7.1