Assorted Druid Circles, Take Two

## Assorted Druid Circles
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> ##### **Homebrew Material**
>
> This document presents homebrew materials by [Weirdo Whoever](https://weirdowhoever.blogspot.com). These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by design iterations or full game development.
>
> If you have any comments or suggestions concerning the materials, please contact Weirdo Whoever ([weirdowhoever@gmail.com](mailto:weirdowhoever@gmail.com)).

At 2nd level, a druid gains the Druid Circle feature. Here are some homebrew options for your druids.

### Circle of Eclipse
Druids of the Circle of Eclipse walk the thin line between the sentient and the primal. By channeling the mystic magic of the natural through their own body, the druid can assume the corporeal manifestation of the unfettered, sheer force of the savage wilderness.

Circle of Eclipse is less of a circle in conventional senses and more of a common understandings among the fellow druids who share their participation in one of the oldest druidic tradition. Often a druid of the Circle of Eclipse lives and works alone, preferably secluded from the civilization and even from other druis, lest a split second of loose control risks the safety and life of any others around themselves.

##### Circle of Eclipse Features
| Druid Level | Features |
|:-:|:-|
| 2nd | Speech of the Woods, Eclipse Shape,<br>Eclipse Resolve |
| 6th | Primal Strike |
| 10th | Full Eclipse Shape |
| 14th | Alpha Eclipse Shape |

#### Speech of the Woods
___
*2nd-level Circle of Eclipse feature*

Starting at 2nd level when you join this circle, you gain the ability to converse with beasts and many fey. You can speak, read, and write Sylvan, if you do not know the language already.

Additionally, beasts can understand your speech, and you gain the ability to decipher their noises and motions. Most beasts lack the intelligence to convey or understand sophisticated concepts, but a friendly beast could relay what it has seen or heard in the recent past.

This ability does not grant you any special friendship with beasts, though you can combine this ability with gifts to curry favor with them as you would with any non-player character.

#### Eclipse Shape
___
*2nd-level Circle of Eclipse feature*

Also starting at 2nd level, when you use your Wild Shape, you can assume the form of a half-humanoid monstrosity, which is hereafter referred as your eclipse shape. Your eclipse shape takes the form of a hybrid of an animal, plant, or mineral of your choice.

While you are in the eclipse shape, you retain all your normal statistics, as well as benefits of any features from your class, race, or other sources, except for the following rules:

- Your physical build is heightened by a stream of unstable mystic energy flowing throughout your body. You gain advantage in Strength ability checks and saving throws, and you add your proficiency bonus to the damage roll when making a melee weapon attack using Strength.
- You grow claws, fangs, spines, or any different natural weapon of your choice. Your unarmed strike deals 1d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, as appropriate to the natural weapon you chose, and you add your proficiency bonus to the damage roll.
- You grow fur, hide, bark, or thick skin, as appropriate to your appearance. While you are not wearing armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus.
- You cannot cast spells, and you can only speak in Sylvan. Transforming into the eclipse shape does not break your concentration on a spell you have already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell that you have already cast.<br>When you reach 18th level and gain the Beast Spells feature, you can cast druid spells while you are in the eclipse shape.

Additionally, when you assume your eclipse form, choose two of the following benefits, as appropriate to your new shape. You gain the chosen benefits until your eclipse shape ends.
___
- ***Amphibious.*** You can breathe both air and water.
- ***Darkvision.*** You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, the range of your darkvision increases by 30 feet.
- ***Nimble Foot.*** As long as you are not wearing medium or heavy armor, your walking speed increases by 5 feet.
- ***Keen Sight.*** You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
- ***Keen Smell.*** You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
- ***Natural Camouflage.*** While you stay motionless, you have advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to disguise yourself as a plant or inanimate object, such as a tree or a rock.
- ***Swimming.*** As long as you are not wearing medium or heavy armor, you gain swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

When you transform into the Eclipse Shape, you choose whether your equipment falls into the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but it does not change size or shape to match your new form, and any equipment that the new form cannot wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Your eclipse shape is unstable and considerably harder to maintain than your normal wild shape. Your eclipse shape lasts for 1 minute, or until you dismiss it on your turn (no action required).

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#### Eclipse Resolve
___
*2nd-level Circle of Eclipse feature*

Also starting at 2nd level, whenever you finish a short rest or long rest, you gain two additional uses of your Wild Shape. You can use this use only for the purpose of assuming your eclipse shape. You lose any unspent uses gained this way when you start a short rest or long rest.

#### Primal Strike
___
*6th-level Circle of Eclipse feature*

Starting at 6th level, while you are in the Eclipse Shape, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Additionally, your unarmed strikes in the Eclipse Shape count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

#### Full Eclipse Shape
___
*10th-level Circle of Eclipse feature*

When you reach 10th level, as long as you are assuming the eclipse shape and not wearing medium or heavy armor, you gain resistance against bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons that are not silvered.

Additionally, when you are assuming the eclipse shape and subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage on a successful save, and take only half damage on a failed save. You must not wear medium or heavy armor to gain this benefits.

#### Alpha Eclipse Shape
___
*14th-level Circle of Eclipse feature*

At 14th level, you can call forth wild animals to fight on your side when unleashing your primal visage. When you assume the eclipse shape, you can cast *conjure animals* as a 5th-level spell, without expending a spell slot, as a part of the same bonus action. The spell cast this way ignores your restriction in the eclipse shape, and it summons two beasts of your choice of Challenge Rating 2 or lower, but it ends early when you revert to your original form.

### Circle of Totems
Druids of the Circle of the Totems commune with nature via numerous symbols and entities found in the wilderness, and craft idols and marks that serves as a shrine for those entities, known as totems. To these druids, nothing in nature is petty or worthless — even from the smallest and weakest beast unveils a strain of knowledge.

Members of the Circle of the Totems form a small community around a collection of totems, performing rites and ceremonies for the entities that the totems symbolize.

##### Circle of Totems Features
| Druid Level | Features |
|:-:|:-|
| 2nd | Totemic Call, Totemic Resolve |
| 6th | Defensive Totem |
| 10th | Relaying Totem |
| 14th | Totem Mastery |

#### Totemic Call
___
*2nd-level Circle of Totems feature*

Starting at 2nd level when you join this circle, you can summon a totem that symbolizes the entities of the wilderness. At 2nd level, you know two totems of your choice from the list at the end of the subclass description. You learn one additional totem of your choice when you reach 6th level, and again at 10th and 14th level.

As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend one use of your Wild Shape to summon a totem in an unoccupied space you can see within 10 feet of you. The summoned totem lasts for 1o minutes or until you dismiss it on your turn (no action required). You can also use a bonus action on your turn to choose a totem you can see within 10 feet of you, and make it teleport into an unoccupied space you can see within 10 feet of you.

A totem is a Medium construct that has 10 AC and hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + twice your druid level (minimum of 1). A totem cannot move or take any action, but it grants benefits to you and friendly creatures within its proximity. Each totem provides different benefits, as described in the list at the end of the subclass description. A totem dissipates into thin air when it drops to 0 hit points or is otherwise destroyed.

You can have up to two totems summoned at the same time, and each totem must be different from one another. If you summon the third totem when you already have two totems summoned, the first totem dissipates into thin air.

#### Totemic Resolve
___
*2nd-level Circle of Totems feature*

Also starting at 2nd level, whenever you finish a short rest or long rest, you gain two additional uses of your Wild Shape. You can use this use only for the purpose of using your Totemic Call feature. You lose any unspent uses gained this way when you start a short rest or long rest.

#### Defensive Totem
___
*6th-level Circle of Totems feature*

At 6th level, you can use your totems for your defense. When a creature that you can see targets you with an attack, you can use a reaction to summon a totem of your choice in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you, and make the attack targets the summoned totem instead. Once you do so, you must finish a short rest or long rest before you can do so again.

#### Relaying Totem
By 10th level, you can use your totem to relay your mystic magic to a distant target. When you cast a druid spell that does not have the range of self, the spell can originate from either you or one of the totem, provided that the totem is also within the spell's range.

Additionally, when you cast a druid spell with a range of touch against a willing creature, your totem can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your totem must be within 30 feet of you, and the target must use its reaction to touch the totem to receive the spell's effects.

#### Totem Mastery
When you reach 14th level, the range that you can summon or teleport a totem increases to 30 feet.

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Additionally, when you summon a totem, you can summon it as an effigy that resembles a humanoid creature. The effigy uses the statistics of a [guard](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16915-guard), except the following differences:
- It is a construct instead of a humanoid.
- It is immune to psychic and poison damage, and it cannot be charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, or poisoned.
- It knows any language you speak, but cannot speak on its own.
- It is still a totem; it provides the benefits as a totem, and counts against the number of totems you can summon at the same time. However, it does not gain benefits from its own effect.

The effigy is friendly to you and your companions, and obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required). If you do not issue any commands to the effigy, it defends itself from hostile creatures but otherwise take no actions. In combat, it takes its turn on your initiative.

#### Druidic Totems
Some of the totem's effect requires the target to make a saving throw. You use your druid spell save DC when a totem's effect requires a saving throw.

##### Cactus Totem
When a hostile creature first enters an area within 10 feet of the totem or starts its turn there, it must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, it takes piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). On a successful save, the creature becomes immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.

##### Elephant Totem
The area within 10 feet of the totem becomes magical difficult terrain to creatures hostile to you.

##### Hawk Totem
When you or a friendly creature makes a ranged weapon attack while within 10 feet of the totem, it gains a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls.

##### Kudzu Totem
When a hostile creature no larger than Large first enters an area within 10 feet of the totem or starts its turn there, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it falls prone, and its walking speed is halved until the start of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature becomes immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.

##### Hare Totem
When you or a friendly creature starts its turn within 10 feet of the totem, its walking speed is increased by 10 feet until the end of the turn.

##### Nightshade Totem
When a hostile creature first enters an area within 10 feet of the totem or starts its turn there, it must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it becomes poisoned until the end of its next turn. If the creature is already poisoned and fails the saving throw, it takes poison damage equal to 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). On a successful save, the creature becomes immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.

##### Sunflower Totem
The totem sheds bright light out to 10 feet of it, and dim light out to 10 feet beyond that. You and all friendly creatures within the area of the totem's bright light gains a +2 bonus to Wisdom saving throws when avoiding or resisting being charmed or frightened.

##### Turtle Totem
You and all friendly creatures within 10 feet of the totem gains a +1 bonus to Armor Class and all saving throws.

##### Water Strider Totem
This totem can be summoned and stays afloat on the nonmagical liquid surface. You and all friendly creatures can move across the nomagical liquid surface within 10 feet of the totem, as if it were harmless solid ground.

##### Wolf Totem
When you or a friendly creature makes a melee weapon attack against a creature within 10 feet of the totem, it gains a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls.

### Circle of Wastelands
Druids who belong to the Circle of Wastelands do not necessarily hail from the eponymous wastelands; more often, they seek the barren realms, formerly lusty and flourished, but now stricken with a calamitous event such as forest fire, plague, magical anomaly, or civilization. The druids settle in the nearly uninhabited land, scavenging the abandoned land for what food and water is scarcely left for them.

Often, druids of the Circle of Wastelands are shunned from civilization and even from other druids for their esoteric practices, which involves study on the matter of death and even undeath. However, these druids consider that death is but a natural course of life, not as a final destination, but as a foundation for a new life that will one day flourish from the dead soils and revitalize the world.

##### Circle of Wastelands Features
| Druid Level | Features |
|:-:|:-|
| 2nd | Envoy of the Wasteland, Circle Spells |
| 6th | Undead Thralls |
| 10th | Barren |
| 14th | Herald of the Wasteland |

#### Envoy of the Wasteland
Starting at 2nd level when you join this circle, you learn the occult ritual that reanimates the dead and bind it to your servitude.

You can perform a special ritual to raise a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small humanoid you can see within 10 feet of you into an undead creature. The ritual takes 1 minute, or an action if you expend one use of your Wild Shape. The ritual requires at least 25 gp worth of rare herbs and incenses, which is consumed at the end of the ritual. You can perform this ritual during a short rest or long rest.

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At the end of the ritual, you create a [skeleton](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17015-skeleton) with a pile of bones, or a [zombie](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17077-zombie) with a corpse. The undead is permanently under your control, following your verbal orders to the best of its ability. The undead lasts for 1 hour, after which it is destroyed. The undead crumbles into dust when it drops to 0 hit points or is otherwise destroyed.

At 2nd level, you can create and control up to two undeads with this feature. The maximum number of undeads that you can maintain control increases as you reach certain levels in this class; three undeads at 6th level, four undeads at 10th level, and five undeads at 14th level. If you create a new undead with this feature when you already have the maximum number of undeads under your control, the first undead is immediately destroyed.

#### Circle Spells
Your mystical connection to the wasteland grants you ability to cast certain spells. At 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level, you gain access to the circle spells, as described on the table below.

Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it prepared, and it does not count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. if you gain access to a spell that does not appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.

##### Table: Circle of Wastelands Circle Spells
| Druid Level | Spell |
|:---:|:---|
| 2nd | *inflict wounds* |
| 3rd | *gentle repose, ray of enfeeblement* |
| 5th | *animate dead, feign death* |
| 7th | *blight, death ward* |
| 9th | *antilife shell, danse macabre* |

#### Undead Thralls
When you reach 6th level, when you cast a druid spell that creates an undead from a corpse or a pile of bones, you can target one additional corpse or pile of bones, creating another skeleton or zombie as appropriate.

Additionally, whenever you create an undead using a druid spell or your Envoy of the Wasteland feature, it has additional benefits:
- The undead's hit point maximum is increased by an amount equal to your druid level.
- The undead adds your proficiency bonus to its weapon damage rolls.

#### Barren Servants
Starting at 10th level, when you transform with your Wild Shape, you can choose up to three piles of bones or corpses you can see within 30 feet of you and reanimate them into a skeleton or a zombie. These undeads count against the number of undeads you can maintain control with your Envoy of the Wastelands feature.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short rest or long rest before you can use it again.

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#### Herald of the Wasteland
At 14th level, when you would create an undead with your Envoy of the Wasteland feature, you can choose to create a [wraith](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17064-wraith) instead of a skeleton or a zombie. Creating a wraith destroys the pile of bones or a corpse.

The wraith created this way uses the statistics as shown in the stat block, with the following exceptions:
- The wraith loses the Create Specter feature.
- When the wraith takes the Life Drain feature, its uses your druid spell save DC instead of what is shown in the feature description.
- The wraith can use an action to reanimate up to two piles of bone or a corpse of a Medium or Small humanoid within 10 feet of it into a skeleton or a zombie. The undead reanimated this way counts against the number of undeads you can control with your Envoy of the Wasteland feature, and gains the benefits of your Undead Thralls feature.

Once you create a wraith with this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.

## Credits
All contents are created by [Weirdo Whoever](https://weirdowhoever.blogspot.com) unless noted otherwise. Special thanks to [D&D Wiki](https://www.dandwiki.com), [NaturalCrit Homebrewery tool](https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com), and [GM Binder](https://www.gmbinder.com) for providing the templates for my imaginations.

All druid subclass options except Circle of Totems were revised from [the previous version of assorted druid subclass homebrew](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Oi6RNRd1gowIhW6E1gNiVJ0d543Kzp1_/view?usp=sharing). (Many thanks to [u/pygmybatrider](https://www.reddit.com/user/pygmybatrider) for critique and suggestions.)

**Circle of Eclipse.** Circle of the Shepherd from *Xanathar's Guide to Everything* gave me some inspirations on the rework. Now it's got a slight boost on magic and utility (but still most of them are combat).

**Circle of Totems.** A revision from [the previous version](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-L7S1JRVN2AG5ZVP1biH). This time I *did* look up the Shepherd druid from *Xanathar's Guide to Everything*, but I was more inclined to check Rehgar from *Heroes of the Storm* and shaman cards from *Hearthstones*. Hell, even the Totemic Call feature name is directly taken from the shaman Hero Power.

I must admit, I was watching *[The Tuxedo](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290095/)* rerun when the idea of using Mr. Walter Strider as an available totem option slapped me in the face.

**Circle of Wastelands.** I really, *really* must thank [u/pygmybatrider](https://www.reddit.com/user/pygmybatrider) for the phrase "[*Mad Max* zombie druid](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/9l887k/subclass_assorted_druid_subclasses/)" on his review on this subclass.

Did a slight rework on this one. Now you don't need to directly kill a humanoid to reanimate them, but you have to perform a ritual (or expend a Wild Shape use) to raise them under your control.