The Circle of the Roots
The Circle of the Roots druids are among the most ancient of druid societies. Although they still make it their duty, they've gone beyond the simple task of protecting life. They have a special connection with nature's breath of life, which is particularly vigorous in plants. Many tales talk of the circle druids' appointment by nature's gods to plant all trees, bushes and flowers, creating forests and groves with the help of their trusty dolls.
One with Plants
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you instinctively imbue plants within 10 feet of you with limited sentience and animation, giving plants and plant creatures the ability to communicate with you as if you shared a common language. You can question plants about past events, gaining information about creatures that have passed, weather, and other circumstances. Plants might be able to perform very simple tasks on your behalf, at the DM’s discretion.
Puppet Play
Starting at 2nd level, you share nature's capability to shape and give life, doing so with your carefully crafted and magic imbued dolls.
You gain proficiency with the Weaver's tools, which you can use to craft doll buds. Doll crafting is described in the dolls section later in this document.
You can throw and awaken up to 2 doll buds as an action. If you are unable to throw them, they awaken in the nearest free space within 10ft of you.
A doll remains awakened until it reaches 0 hp; until you either reach 0 hp or fall unconscious; until you magically fold it back to it's bud form as an action or until you complete a short or long rest. A doll's bud may be retrieved if it's physical form isn't critically damaged.
You cannot awaken dolls with a required druid level higher than yours. Once you awaken 2 dolls, you can't awaken more before you finish a short or long rest. This scales with your druid level, becoming 3 at level 6 and 4 at level 14.
Order of the Root
Starting at 6th level, your relationship with your dolls lets you further customize them. Choose one rootist affinities from the Rootist Affinities list. You may only change them after gaining a druid level.
Burst of Life
Starting at 10th level, your proximity with nature's breath of life lets you create plant life.
You can use this feature as an action, choosing a 20-foot radius circular zone on a surface you can see within 100ft. Non sentient plants of your choice appear and grow up to one size category above their full size, then live as they normally would in that environment. You shape them as they grow; they can turn an area into difficult terrain, provide cover or create new pathways, to the DM's discretion.
Once you use this feature you must finish a long rest before doing so again.
Plant's Slumber
Starting at 14th level you can turn yourself or an ally within 5 feet into a non sentient magic plant of your choice as an action. All of the target's conditions are healed upon shape shifting and it heals for 1 hit die + it's wisdom modifier at the beginning of each of it's following turns.
While it is in plant form, the target is immune to conditions and spell effects, cannot move or take any actions, and automatically fails Dexterity and Charisma saving throws. Additionally, the target adds 2 to it's AC for the duration. The plant form has half of the target's full hit points.
The target regains it's original shape when the plant form loses all it's hit points, the target heals back fully or after healing on it's third shape shifted turn. Turning back on it's turn counts as an action for the target. As it does, a bulb, flower or fruit the size of the target grows in seconds and the target emerges from it.
Once you use this feature you must finish a long rest before doing so again.
Rootist Affinities :
Explo-puppets
Your dolls contain an unstable magical energy. When they reach 0 hp they release it, dealing 1d8 + their constitution modifier as force damage in a 10 ft radius sphere. This does not damage their bud form.
Life link
Your dolls have an intimate link with your own life energy. As a bonus action, you may sacrifice any number of puppets within 30ft, making them reach 0 hit points. You regain 1d8 hit points per sacrificed puppets.
Sense Link
While an awakened doll is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically and see through it as an action, gaining the benefits of any special senses the doll has until the start of your next turn. Doing so does not affect your own senses.
Protective instinct
Your dolls feel your animosity and want revenge on those who hurt you or your friends. You can use this feature as a reaction when a target creature you can see inflicts damage to you or an ally creature you can see. On their next turn, dolls don't trigger opportunity attacks, their speed is doubled and they have advantage their first attack against the target. They focus on the target as much as possible.
Whispers of Life
You take control of your doll's actions momentarily. You can use this feature as an action to whisper to your puppets through your mind, controlling each of them on their next 2 turns. This requires you to maintain concentration, as if concentrating on a spell.
Dolls
Dolls are the greatest of the Root druids' creations as well as their most prized tools and devoted companions.
Dolls can be crafted as part of a short or long rest. Crafting a doll requires it's crafting materials and consumes them. A crafted doll has the shape of a fine sized bud, weighting about 0.5lb. The doll buds unfold into their full doll form when awakened. They are unable to speak but you can communicate with them as you would with plants; they tend to be quite simple minded.
Dolls share your initiative. Their attacks and spells use your Druid Spellcasting Attack Bonus and DC, unless specified otherwise. A doll's behavior during combat is dictated by it's urge, which represents the doll's reason for existence. A doll has it's own personality, but it identifies it's foes and allies by interpreting it's creator's feelings; as a result, a doll's behavior can give away the druid's animosity or fondness of others.
Crafting your own dolls
Here are a few broad guidelines to balancing your custom made dolls:
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The craft materials include some components of the spells it has access to and those necessary for the actual doll's structure, which should also be thought of. It may only contain a spell you've learned about thoroughly.
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It's size, AC, HP, speed and stats reflect the dolls role, physical structure and urge.
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The skills, resistances or vulnerabilities are added based off of the actual doll's structure, not it's purpose. Dolls being constructs, they have the common construct immunities.
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The urge is a simple and broad sentence that hints at how and when it moves and uses it's abilities. Keep in mind dolls' urges are meant to be broad enough for the DM to mimic the dolls' potentially poor choices and lack of judgment as they are...simple minded.
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It has the bare minimum actions needed to fulfill it's urge. It should be able to use all it's features in a single turn.
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If it is a utility oriented doll (pull carts or act as a large flying mount for instance), it's level varies with it's effectiveness.
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Its level shouldn't be below the dolls' highest level spell. Consider adding levels if it has more than one spell.
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Strongly consider adding a few levels if you give the doll special features like Precise order, Servant or a condition inducing feature (Grapple, Restrain...).
Last but not least , make sure your DM approves of the doll before ever crafting and using it.
Fighter Doll
Medium construct (doll), Craft materials: 2 small rocks, a medium piece of cloth, 10 small bones
- Required druid level: 2
- Armor Class 13
- Hit Points Twice your druid level value
- Speed 35ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 13(+2) 17(+3) 10(+0) 11(+0) 6(-2) 15(+2)
- Damage immunitites : Poison
- Condition immunities : Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
- Senses : same as the druid's + Blindsight 60Ft
- Skills Acrobatics (+3)
- Urge This doll is designed to pummel it's nearest enemies .
Evolution : This doll's damage die varies depending on the druid's level, becoming 1d6 at level 10.
Actions
Multiattack. This doll performs two doll strike attacks as an action on it's turn.
Doll strike. Magical Melee Weapon Attack: + (druid spellcasting attack bonus) to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit: 1d4 + 2 bludgeoning damage.
Biter Doll
Medium construct (doll), Craft materials: 6 wolf fangs, a medium piece of cloth, 3 Oak leaves, 1 vial of acid, 1 medium piece of tree bark
- Required druid level: 6
- Armor Class 14 (Natural armor)
- Hit Points Twice your druid level value
- Speed 30ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16(+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 6 (-2) 12 (+1) 19 (+4)
- Damage resistances: Acid
- Damage immunitites: Poison
- Condition immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
- Senses: same as the druid's + Blindsight 60Ft
- Skills Acrobatics (-2)
- Urge This doll is designed to grapple and whittle down it's nearest enemy.
Doll Tinkering Starting at druid level 10, you can expend twice as much materials when crafting this doll to make it Large. At druid level 14, you can expend 4 times the amount of materials to make it Huge.
Actions
Big bite. Magical Melee Weapon Attack: + (druid spellcasting attack bonus) to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 piercing damage. The target is grappled (escape DC = druid's spellcasting DC). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the doll can't bite another target
Spellcast. It can cast a 5th level acid splash from it's mouth.
Crazy Doll
Small construct (doll), Craft materials: a small bird's brain, a rotten branch, a small peice of cloth, 1 medium Oak leaf
- Required druid level: 6
- Armor Class 10
- Hit Points your druid level value
- Speed 50ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 5(-3) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 8 (-1) 12 (+1) 19 (+4)
- Damage immunitites: Poison
- Condition immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
- Senses: same as the druid's + Blindsight 60Ft
- Skills Stealth (+3)
- Urge This doll is designed to stay on the druid's shoulder and whittle down it's nearest enemies.
Servant. Starting when it awakens, the druid may give this doll a simple command as a bonus action. It heads back towards the druid once it has accomplished it's task.
Evolution. : This doll's spell's level varies depending on the druid's level as described in it's action.
Bonus actions
Spellcast. It can cast a 3rd level dissonant whispers .
Actions
Spellcast. It can cast blindness/deafness up to 3rd level as an action. It can cast it up to 5th level starting at druid level 10.
Sacrificial Doll
Small construct (doll), Craft materials: 1lb of sulfur, 1 small piece of cloth, a small shell
- Required druid level: 10
- Armor Class 12 (Natural armor)
- Hit Points Twice your druid level value
- Speed 40ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10(+0) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 19 (+4)
- Damage resistances: Fire
- Damage immunitites: Poison
- Condition immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
- Senses: same as the druid's + Blindsight 60Ft
- Urge This doll is designed to trigger an explosion as soon as it enters an enemie's meele range.
Precise order. As it awakens, the druid may give this doll a target creature or area within 40 feett. The doll goes towards it's target and detonates . If there are no given targets, the doll will go towards it's nearest enemy.
Actions
Spellcast. It casts a 4th level fireball spell centered on itself.
Bodyguard Doll
Large construct (doll), Craft materials: 1 wooden shield, 1lb of coton, 1 large peice of cloth, 15ft rope
- Required druid level: 14
- Armor Class 16 (Natural armor)
- Hit Points 3 times your druid level value
- Speed 20ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18(+4) 4 (-3) 16 (+3) 2 (-4) 12 (+1) 16 (+3)
- Damage immunitites: Poison
- Condition immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
- Senses: same as the druid's + Blindsight 60Ft
- Skills Acrobatics (-3)
- Urge This doll is designed to guard the druid and trip any creature that tries to go away from it.
Precise order. As it awakens, the druid may give this doll a target within 30ft to pursue. If there is no given target, the doll stays near the druid.
Tripping vines. If this doll lands an opportunity attack, it's target falls prone.
Actions
Vine whip. Magical Melee Weapon Attack: + (druid spellcasting attack bonus) to hit, reach 15ft., one target. Hit : 2d6 + 4 slashing damage.