Circle of Pestilence

New Druid Circle Option

A tribe of orcs who had defiled an ancient stone circle throws another of their dead into the plague pit. None notice the pox-scarred halfling hiding in the trees, chuckling quietly to herself as she watches.

A cruel poacher collapses in pain, succumbing to his infected wounds. The bear he had been fighting shifts into the form of a tiefling woman, who looks down at his corpse scornfully.

An aged dwarf spies on the head of the logging operation that has destroyed the nearby forest and endangered the creatures living there. He points at the man with a gangrenous arm and smiles grimly to himself as the man begins to retch.

Druids of the circle of pestilence are those who believe that even the vilest and most terrible parts of nature should be respected, viewing virulent plagues and dreadful poisons as a necessary part of life and wielding them in the land's defense.

Curse of Filth

When you choose this Circle at 2nd level, pestilent energies flow through you. As a bonus action, you can designate a number of creatures that you can see up to one-half your druid level (rounded down) within 90 feet of you to make a constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. If they fail, they are poisoned until the end of your next turn. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier (minimum 1) and get all uses back on a short or long rest.

Additionally, you always have the spell Ray of Sickness prepared, it counts as a druid spell for you, and it does not count against your number of prepared spells.

Miasma

At 6th level the air around you is filled with a terrible miasma, weakening those nearby. Any number of creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you that are resistant to poison damage are not considered resistant, and those immune to poison damage are considered resistant to it instead.

Plague Carrier

Also at 6th level, your body has become host to numerous diseases and infections. You are immune to the harmful effects of disease. Additionally, attacks you make while wildshaped deal a bonus 1d8 poison damage.

Virulent

At 10th level your connection to toxins deepens. When you use your Curse of Filth, it ignores immunity to the poisoned condition, the poison lasts for two turns, and targets that fail their saving throw take an amount of poison damage equal to half your Druid level (rounded down). This damage ignores poison resistance and treats immunity as resistance.

Additionally, the bonus poison damage you deal while wildshaped increases to 2d8 and targets hit by your attack must make a constitution saving throw against your spell-save DC. If they fail this saving throw, they are poisoned for 30 seconds.

Master of Pestilence

At 14th level you have attained true understanding of pestilence. You are resistant to poison damage. The range of your Miasma increases to 90 feet, and enemies within 15 feet of you have disadvantage on all constitution saving throws.

Additionally, you may cast Contagion without expending a spell slot or material components. Cast in this way, the spell ignores any immunity to disease, the target must only fail two saving throws for it to last its full duration, and you may select two diseases to inflict rather than just one. You may cast Contagion in this way once, and require a long rest before you can do so again.