'CIRCLE OF THE LAND':

a revised druid subclass

Of the two standard 5e Druid subclasses, the 'Circle of the Moon' subclass is often seen as a more effective and more powerful choice than 'Circle of the Land'.

Part of the reason for this is that 'Circle of the Land' druids have very little synergy with the core Druid class feature Wild Shape. As a result, they rarely use Wild Shape in combat and therefore gain lesser benefit from higher level Druid class features such as Beast Spells and Archdruid.

The 5e Druid also lacks features available to Druids in previous versions of DnD such as animal familiars.

Circle of the Land - Revised

The Circle of the Land is made up of mystics and sages who safeguard ancient knowledge and rites through a vast oral tradition. These druids meet within sacred circles of trees or standing stones to whisper primal secrets in Druidic. The circle’s wisest members preside as the chief priests of communities that hold to the Old Faith and serve as advisors to the rulers of those folk. As a member of this circle, your magic is influenced by the land where you were initiated into the circle’s mysterious rites.

Animal Familiar

At 2nd level, your deep connection with the Natural World causes you to gain the service of a minor spirit of nature.

You learn the "Find Familiar" spell and you may cast it as a ritual without needing to have the spell prepared. This spell counts as a Druid spell for you.

Wild Shape: Animal Familiar

Whenever you use "Wild Shape", you may now choose to target your animal familiar instead of yourself. It can remain transformed for a number of hours equal to 1/2 your druid level, however if it makes an attack or is targeted by any attack this drops to 1 minute. You may also end this transformation early as a Bonus Action.

A familiar transformed by Wild Shape in this manner still rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn in combat, however it may use your Proficiency Modifier instead of its own to determine its skills, attacks and saving throws. In addition, during combat on your familiar's turn you may use your Druid's reaction to allow your familiar to use its Attack action (or its Multiattack action, if it has one).

Animal Familiar Wildshapes: The new form taken by your familiar must obey the Max CR in your Wild Shape table, however the form may ignore the movement limitations of the table unless otherwise specified by your DM.

You may attempt to use a transformed familiar as a mount only if it is of an appropriate size/shape and your DM agrees to this, since access to flying mounts can upset the balance of a campaign.







Natural Recovery

Starting at 2nd level, you can regain some of your magical energy by sitting in meditation and communing with nature. During a short rest, you choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your druid level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

For example, when you are a 4th-level druid, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd—level slot or two lst—level slots.

Circle Spells

Your mystical connection to the land infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to circle spells connected to the land where you became a Druid.

Choose this land and consult the associated list of Circle Spells. Once you gain access to a circle spell, 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.

You may choose to reattune yourself to a different type of land by spending a long rest in that land.

Arctic

Druid Level Circle Spells 3rd Hold Person, Spike Growth 5th Sleet Storm, Slow 7th Freedom of Movement, Ice Storm 9th Commune with Nature, Cone of Cold

Coast