Druid/Circle of the Wild

Circle of the Wild

Homebrew: (1.0) This subclass was created by KibblesTasty and published on kthomebrews.

For some druids, they have found their friends among the beasts of the wild, forming a close kinship with the furred and the fanged. They often roam the wilderness, placing little value on the trappings of civilization, more concerned with nature, hunting, and exploring.

The longer they spend in the wild with the animal friends, the more their habits tend to intertwine with the beasts around them. Sometimes they will cook food for their animal friends, while other times they will take to eating their food raw. The play the role of a caretaker, warden, and advocate for the wild.

Circle Spells

At 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of the Growth Spells table. 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.

Cleric Level	Spells
3rd	animal friendship, speak with animals
5th	conjure animals, spiderbiteK
7th	dominate beast, polymorph
9th	commune with nature, hold monster

Primal Companion

Starting at 2nd level when you join this circle, you form a bond with a beast spirit and can allow it to take form by expending a use of your Wildshape. Its statblock becomes that of your Beast Companion, applying the modifications from the customization table that best fit the form it takes. At the GM's discretion, custom abilities can replace those powers to better represent the beast companion. Once selected, the traits cannot be changed, as the beasts spirit takes on that form permanently.

The beast's soul becomes entangled with your own, granting you the ability to call it forth from wherever it is, and even return it to life should it ever fall, by expending a use of your Wildshape ability. You can expend a use of Wildshape to call it to an empty space within 10 feet of you, where it appears at full hit points, and free of any conditions or spells that were affecting it. You can cause it to return to its spirit form as a bonus action, but must expend a use of Wildshape to call it forth once more after doing so.

In combat, the Beast Companion shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. The only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. You can command your Beast Companion as part of the same bonus action used to summon it. That action can be the one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the Beast Spirit can take an take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

When you manifest the beast, it lasts until you complete a long rest (unless you expend a use of Wildshape to keep it manifested), it is reduced to zero hit points, or you die, at which point it vanishes, fading away until you expend a use of Wildshape to call it forth again.

Spirit Animal

At your GM's discretion, you can form a bond with a normal willing animal, its statblock getting replaced with the Beast Companion statblock, with customizations selected to best represent its original stats. It gains all the same properties as a Primal Companion, it's soul becoming entangled with your own, and it becomes a spirit beast.

Form Permanency

This rule is to prevent having to rebuild the stat block and save time, as well as a balance consideration, but at the GM's discretion they can allow it to be changed to a new permanent form if there is a good reason.

Magical Bond

Starting at 6th level, your Beast Companions count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Additionally, whenever you expend a spell slot of 3rd level or higher on your turn, you beast can take one additional action on its turn. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, or Hide.

Beast Senses

Starting at 10th level, your bond with your companion enhances your senses with it, and its senses with yours. You gain expertise in Perception, allowing you to add twice your proficiency modifier to ability checks made for that skill, you gain any darkvision or blindsight range your beast has, it and it gains any darkvision or blindsight range you have (if both of you already have one type of vision, the ranges are added together).

Empowered Frenzy

Starting at 14th level, while your Beast Companion is manifested and within 60 feet of you, you can expend a slot (no action required) to empower it for a number of turns equal to the spell slot spent. It gains temporary hit points equal to 5 times the level of the spell slot spent, and while empowered in this way, the beast is under the effect of freedom of movement, and deals an additional 1d8 on hit with its attacks.

Companion

Beast Companion

Medium beast, unaligned

Armor Class 10 + proficiency bonus (PB)
Hit Points 5 + Five times your Druid Level
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	5 (-3)	10 (+0)	6 (-2)

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Saving Throws: Strength +3(+PB), Con +3(+PB)
Skills: Perception +PB
Senses: passive Perception 10 + PB
Languages: understands the languages you speak
Proficiency Bonus: PB

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Customized. This section is entirely based on the beast customization selection.

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Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: [your spell attack modifier to hit], reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + PB piercing damage.

Beast Customization

When you bond your beast, select from the following traits to best represent the bonded beast. You can select up to 3 traits.

Attack Type (Free). You can change its attack to Claw, dealing slashing damage instead, or Slam, dealing bludgeoning damage instead. This does not cost a Trait.

Amphibious. The beast gains a swim speed equal to its walking speed, and can breath underwater.

Blindsight. Your Companion gains a Blindsight of 10 feet.

Flying (Costs 2 Traits). Prerequisite: selected beast’s appearance must have wings. The beast gains a flying speed equal to its walking speed.

Keen Senses. Your companion can add twice your proficiency in the Perception skill.

Massive (Costs 2 Traits). Incompatible with Flying. Your Companion's size is Large, and it's natural weapon becomes 2d6 + its Strength.

Pack Tactics. The beast has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the beast's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

Poisonous. The beast's attack becomes Sting, dealing an additional 1d4 poison damage on hit. The size of the damage die increases when your proficiency bonus does (to 1d6 at +3, etc).

Charge/Pounce. If the beast moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with an attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a Strength saving throw with a DC equal to your Spell Save DC or be knocked prone.

Quick. The beasts walking speed increases by 10 feet.

Simian Nature. Your companion gains climbing speed equal to its movement speed, proficiency with throwing rocks (ranged weapon, 1d4 + PB bludgeoning damage, thrown(20/60), and the ability to hold small items.

Sneaky. Your companion gains proficiency in the Stealth and Deception skills.

Spider Climb. Your companion can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check, and ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Tough. The beast hit points become 5 + 6 times your Druid level hit points.

Shell. The beast's AC becomes 15 + PB, but its speed is reduced to 20 feet.

Example Beasts

• Bear. Tough, Massive.
• Wolf. Quick, Pack Tactics, Keen Senses.
• Turtle. Amphibious, Shell, Tough.
• Owl. Flying, Keen Senses.
• Spider. Blindsight, Poisonous, Spiderclimb.
• Tiger. Massive, Pounce.

Reasonable Customization

What makes sense for a beast will be up to your GM. In general, these traits should be used to replicate or empower what a beast already has, but exist here so that a broad selection of beasts can be represented fairly. How much your GM will let you mix and match to make a Winged Turtle Tiger is up to them and their world.