Credit and Notes
These druid archetypes and natural gifts are intended to work with the Alpha Druid, as developed by /u/SwEcky.
They are in progress, and not necessarily fully balanced yet.
Changes
Spellcasting
The revised druid is still a prepared caster, but only prepares as many spells each day as a sorcerer or warlock of the same level knows, in addition to their always-prepared circle spells.
Natural Gift
Beginning at 3rd level, your connection to the natural world has blossomed into a strength that you draw on at all times, and you gain a single gift of your choice, from those detailed at the end of the class description. You gain another gift at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.
Archdruid
At 20th level, you gain a phenomenally powerful gift based on your choice of Circle. In addition, no matter your Circle, you can ignore the verbal and somatic components of your druid spells, as well as any material components that lack a cost and aren't consumed by a spell.
Natural Gifts
If a natural gift has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the gift at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite in a gift refers to druid level, not character level.
Beast Tongue
Through your connection to the wild, you can communicate simple ideas with natural beasts. This doesn't (necessarily) change their attitude towards you, and doesn't allow for two-way communication, but they will usually be willing to do you small favors, especially with a little enticement.
In addition, you have advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks.
Elemental Knack
Some druids become masters of an element, and you have begun to walk that path. Learn one of either the control flames, gust, mold earth, or shape water cantrips; the chosen cantrip has a casting time of 1 bonus action for you.
Flexible Shifter
Prerequisite: wild shape or winged shape gift
Whenever you activate either your wild or winged shape, you can choose a different form that meets the criteria. In addition, you can assume forms of up to CR ½.
Animal Shapes
Certain gifts allow you to assume another form. When you do so, you use the rules presented here, unless otherwise specified in the gift.
Duration. While in an animal shape, you can revert to your normal form by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.
Effects: While you are transformed, the following rules apply:
- Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.
- When you transform, you assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious.
- You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.
- You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
- You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t 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.
Friendly Companion
You have a tiny companion that accompanies you on your adventures, either a tiny beast or an animated plant (use the stats for a twig blight, MM 32 but tiny sized).
Your companion acts independently of you, but it mostly obeys your commands. It generally isn't of any help in combat, and won't attack unless directly threatened and it is unable to flee. If killed, you can obtain another companion after a week of searching.
You can speak to your companion as though you shared a language, and while it is within 100 feet of you, you and it may communicate emotions and simple concepts telepathically.
Land’s Stride
Moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement, and when traveling overland, you can extend that gift to your companions, allowing them to move at full speed when not in combat. You can also pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.
Manipulate Elements
Prerequisite: 7th level
Choose one of either control water, control winds, plant growth, or stone shape. You always have the chosen spell prepared, in addition to those you can normally prepare for your level, and the spell gains the ritual tag for you.
You can choose this gift multiple times, selecting a different spell each time.
Natural Shelter
Prerequisite: 7th level
Your relationship with the world is such that it will mold itself to give you a secure place to sleep or recover. By spending a minute communing with nature (as though casting a spell as a ritual), a 10-foot radius section of terrain you can see will reshape itself to provide a comfortable, covered space in which you can take a long rest.
Within the shelter, the atmosphere is comfortable and dry, and may be dimly lit (at your discretion). From outside, it is difficult to notice the shelter, requiring a Perception check against your spellcasting DC, and it will attempt to prevent creatures from entering if you choose (requiring a Strength saving throw against your spellcasting DC.) The shelter lasts for eight hours or until you dismiss the effect, after which it reverts to its original form over the course of a minute.
Stargazing Oracle
When you take a long rest and can see the stars, you can cast the augury spell without spending a spell slot or requiring material components, taking guidance from the constellations and astrological phenomenon rather than an otherworldly entity. You can receive information about any course of action, without it needing to take place in the next 30 minutes, but the further out it is, the more likely other actions are to subvert the reading.
In addition, once during the next 24 hours, while pursuing a course related to the question you posed, you can add a 1d4 to any ability check you make after making it, but before the result is determined.
Timeless Body
Prerequisite: 15th level
The primal magic that you wield causes you to age more slowly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year. In addition, you have advantage on Constitution saving throws to aviod exhaustion when traveling more than eight hours in a day, and only require four hours of sleep to benefit from a long rest.
Totem Virtue
You have been gifted the ability to channel and imbue individuals with blessings of the natural world, allowing them to draw on the strengths they embody. You can cast the enhance ability spell on a creature other than yourself without expending a spell slot. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses when you finish a long rest.
Wild Shape
Choose a small or tiny beast that lacks a flying speed and is CR 1/8 or lower. As an action, you can assume the chosen shape. You can use this feature for a number of hours each day equal to half your druid level (rounded down); they need not be consecutive. See the sidebar on animal shapes for full details.
If you have both the Wild and Winged Shape gifts, they share the same total duration each day.
Winged Shape
Prerequisite: 7th level
Choose a tiny beast that can fly and is CR 0. As an action, you can assume the chosen shape. You can use this feature for a number of hours each day equal to half your druid level (rounded down); they need not be consecutive. See the sidebar on animal shapes for full details.
If you have both the Wild and Winged Shape gifts, they share the same total duration each day.
Druid Circles
Though their organization is invisible to most outsiders, druids are part of a society that spans the land, ignoring political borders. All druids are nominally members of this druidic society, though some individuals are so isolated that they have never seen any high-ranking members of the society or participated in druidic gatherings. Druids recognize each other as brothers and sisters. Like creatures of the wilderness, however, druids sometimes compete with or even prey on each other.
At a local scale, druids are organized into circles that share certain perspectives on nature, balance, and the way of the druid.
Circle of the Claw
Druids of the Circle of the Claw are fierce guardians of the wilds. Their order gathers under the full moon to share news and trade warnings. They haunt the deepest parts of the wilderness, where they might go for weeks on end before crossing paths with another humanoid creature, let alone another druid.
Changeable as the moon, a druid of this circle might prowl as a great cat one night, soar over the treetops as an eagle the next day, and crash through the undergrowth in bear form to drive off a trespassing monster. The wild is in the druid’s blood.
Circle Spells
You gain circle spells at the druid levels listed.
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | hunter's pace, wild pounce |
| 3rd | blur, pass without trace |
| 5th | serpent's bite, warrior's cry |
| 7th | dominate beast, splitting shout |
| 9th | aura of evasion, pride of the wild |
Beast Shape
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your bonus action to magically assume the shape of different beasts. You gain access to three different types of shapes, though you decide how they look visually. You can use this feature twice and regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
You stay in a beast shape until you use a bonus action on your turn to revert to humanoid form. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. While you are transformed, the standard rules for animal shapes apply, with the following exceptions:
- You also retain your Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores, but they may be modified by the shape.
- When you use your Beast Shape, you can choose to be Medium or Large sized; if you take a Medium-sized form, your speed is increased by 10.
- While you are transformed by Beast Shape, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to regain 1d8 hit points per level of the spell slot expended.
- You can cast your Circle Spells when in Beast Shape.
Primal Form
Starting at 6th level, while you are in Beast Shape you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
In addition, your attacks in Beast Shape count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
One with the Wild
At 10th level, your beast shapes are one with the wild. Your ability score maximum for Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution in Beast Shape is equal to 20 + the bonus provided by the form.
Also, when you assume any beast shape, you can gain your choice of one of the following:
- A climb speed equal to your base speed.
- A swim speed equal to your base speed.
- A burrow speed equal to half your base speed.
Finally, you can cast any 5th level or lower druid spells that lack a material component while in Beast Shape.
Dire Forms
At 14th level, your shaping has become even more potent, the damage die size of your forms increases by one (for example d10 becomes d12) and each form can become one size larger. Additionally, each of your forms gain a new benefit:
- Guardian. Your Armor Class is equal to 16 + Dexterity modifier, you have resistance to nonmagical damage, and when you hit with an attack on your turn, you can make a grapple attack as a bonus action.
- Predator. You can attack three times instead of twice whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, and you can take the Dash action as a bonus action.
- Savage. If you move at least 20 feet straight towards a target and then hit it with your beast attack, the target takes an additional 2d6 damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or be knocked prone.
Archdruid of Beasts
At 20th level, the skill at which you transform makes you able to combine the strengths of your forms. When you enter a beast form you can choose one of the base traits gained by a different form - resilient, maul, or pack tactics - and gain that benefit as well.
Also, you can use Beast Shape one additional time before you need to take a short or long rest. Finally, you gain 40 temporary hit points when you enter a beast form.
Guardian
Medium or Large beast
- Armor Class 14 + your Dexterity modifier
- Hit Points 15 + 3 × your Constitution modifier (3d8 + Con)
- Speed 30 ft. (40 ft. if size medium)
While in the guardian form, you gain a +2 bonus to your Strength score and +4 bonus to your Constitution score if you are Large sized, and a +2 bonus to your Dexterity score if you are Medium sized.
When you expend a spell slot to heal using your beast shape feature, you add your Constitution modifier to each die rolled.
Tough Hide. Your AC equals 14 + your Dexterity modifier and your Hit Points in this form increase by 1d8 + your Constitution modifier for each druid level above 3rd.
Resilient. You reduce damage taken by half your proficiency modifier while in this form.
Keen Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions
Bite. Melee Strength Attack: Reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + Strength modifier piercing damage.
Savage
Medium or Large beast
- Armor Class 12 + your Dexterity modifier
- Hit Points 12 + 3 × your Constitution modifier (3d6 + Con)
- Speed 30 ft. (40 ft. if size medium)
While in the savage form, you gain a +4 bonus to your Strength score, and you gain proficiency in the Athletics skill. If you are already proficient in the skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it.
Rough Hide. Your AC equals 12 + your Dexterity modifier and your Hit Points in this form increase by 1d6 + your Constitution modifier for each druid level above 3rd.
Maul. You deal additional damage equal to your proficiency bonus to prone creatures.
Keen Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions
Bite. Melee Strength Attack: Reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10 + Strength modifier piercing damage.
Predator
Medium or Large beast
- Armor Class 12 + your Dexterity modifier
- Hit Points 9 + 3 × your Constitution modifier (3d4 + Con)
- Speed 30 ft. (40 ft. if size medium)
While in the predator form, you gain a +2 bonus to your Strength and Dexterity scores, and you gain proficiency in the Stealth skill. If you are already proficient in the skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it.
Rough Hide. Your AC equals 12 + your Dexterity modifier and your Hit Points in this form increase by 1d4 + your Constitution modifier for each druid level above 3rd.
Pack Tactics. You deal an additional 1d6 damage against a creature if at least one of the your allies is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
Keen Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions
Bite. Melee Finesse Attack: Reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + Strength or Dexterity modifier piercing damage.
Circle of the Land
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 around you, and in turn you shape your environment with the gifts it grants.
Circle Magic
Unlike other druid circles, your circle spells change depending on where you last bonded with the natural world. When you choose this circle at 1st level, you gain the ability perform a 10-minute ritual that attunes yourself to the terrain you are currently in. You gain your circle spells based on the attuned terrain.
If you travel and your environment shifts, you keep your attunement until you perform the ritual again. Some terrains—such as a boreal forest—may belong to multiple environments. In such a case, choose one to attune to.
Arctic
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | absorb elements, armor of agathys |
| 3rd | hold person, snowball swarm |
| 5th | sleet storm, slow |
| 7th | ice storm, resilient sphere |
| 9th | cone of cold |
Desert
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | create or destroy water, burning hands |
| 3rd | blur, dust devil |
| 5th | create food and water, wall of sand |
| 7th | hallucinatory terrain, phantasmal killer |
| 9th | wall of light |
Forest
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | entangle, goodberry |
| 3rd | spider climb, web |
| 5th | plant growth, speak with plants |
| 7th | grasping vine, private sanctum |
| 9th | tree stride |
Grassland
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | longstrider, thunderwave |
| 3rd | gust of wind, pass without trace |
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 5th | daylight, fly |
| 7th | dimension door, freedom of movement |
| 9th | control winds |
Lakes and Rivers
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | fog cloud, sleep |
| 3rd | locate object, misty step |
| 5th | clairvoyance, wall of water |
| 7th | arcane eye, control water |
| 9th | scrying |
Mountain
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | catapult, feather fall |
| 3rd | earthbind, spike growth |
| 5th | lightning bolt, meld into stone |
| 7th | stoneskin, storm sphere |
| 9th | wall of stone |
Ocean and Coastal
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | grease, purify food and drink |
| 3rd | darkness, mirror image |
| 5th | tidal wave, water breathing |
| 7th | black tentacles, watery sphere |
| 9th | maelstrom |
Swamp
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | faerie fire, ray of sickness |
| 3rd | acid arrow, protection from poison |
| 5th | enemies abound, stinking cloud |
| 7th | blight, giant insect |
| 9th | insect plague |
Underdark
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | alarm, snare |
| 3rd | blindness/deafness, earthen grasp |
| 5th | erupting earth, meld into stone |
| 7th | greater invisibility, stone shape |
| 9th | passwall |
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 1st-level slots.
Heightened Connection
Also at 2nd level, when you cast a circle spell that has additional effects when cast at a higher level, you gain the benefits of casting it using a spell slot one level higher than you use to cast it, but no higher than the maximum level you can normally cast. Once you do so, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Special Bond
Starting at 6th level, you have learned to see the aspects of a preferred environment wherever you go. Choose a single terrain from the circle magic list; you can now attune yourself to that terrain no matter where you are instead of that of your current environment.
In addition, you gain an ability based on your chosen terrain, whether or not you are currently attuned to it.
- Arctic. You have resistance to cold damage and ignore difficult terrain caused by snow, ice, or other arctic hazards.
- Desert. You have resistance to fire damage and ignore difficult terrain caused by sand, quicksand, or other desert hazards.
- Forest. You can pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the entangle spell.
- Grassland. Your walking speed increases by 10, and your travel pace is doubled, as is the travel pace of up to ten companions while they're within 60 feet of you and you're not incapacitated.
- Lakes and Rivers. You gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed, and you learn the shape water cantrip. If you already know the shape water cantrip, you learn another druid cantrip of your choice.
- Mountain. You gain a climb speed equal to your walking speed, you are acclimated to high altitudes, and you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your druid level.
- Ocean and Coastal. You gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed. You can also breathe both air and water, and ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a deep, underwater environment.
- Swamp. You have resistance to poison damage, and advantage on saving throws to avoid the poisoned condition and diseases.
- Underdark. You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, or increase your existing darkvision by 60 feet. In addition, you always know how to retrace your steps back to a starting point.
Nature’s Ward
When you reach 10th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened by beasts or fey, and you have advantage on saving throws to resist being charmed or frightened by monstrosities.
Natural Convergence
Beginning at 14th level, you can draw upon the power of the land around you to fuel and sustain some of your spells instead of your own reservoir of power. You can cast a 1st- or 2nd-level Circle spell at its lowest level (heightened connection still applies) without expending a spell slot. If the spell requires concentration, it lasts until the end of its full duration. Once you do so, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Archdruid of the World
When you reach 20th level, your understanding of the world in which you live has grown so that you understand how everything is connected. As a bonus action you can enter an Avatar of Nature state which lasts for 1 minute. While in this state you have access to all spells on the Druid spell list regardless of which spells you have prepared. You can use this ability again after you finish a short or long rest.
When this ability would expire, you can suffer a point of exhaustion to increase its duration by an additional minute.
Circle of Rejuvenation
The warming light of the sun, the soothing coolness of pure water, and vibrant growth of plants—all of those life-nurturing elements are at the heart of the work undertaken by druids of the Circle of Rejuvenation. Members of this Circle make it their work to nourish and heal the world and creatures around them, working to repair the damage wrought by time and chaos. Some specialize in a single source of bolstering power, while others mix parts of each, but wherever they go, these druids bring life.
Circle Spells
You gain circle spells at the druid levels listed.
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | purify food and drink, regrowth |
| 3rd | healing spirit, lesser restoration |
| 5th | catnap, revivify |
| 7th | aura of purity, life seed |
| 9th | greater restoration, raise dead |
Balm of Life
Starting at 2nd level, you learn to tap into a font of life-giving energy that offers respite from injuries. You have a pool of restorative power represented by a number of d6s equal to your druid level.
As a bonus action, you can choose one creature you can see within 120 feet of you and spend a number of those dice equal to half your druid level or less. Roll the spent dice and add them together. The target regains a number of hit points equal to the total. The target also gains 1 temporary hit point per die spent.
You regain all expended dice when you finish a long rest.
Empowered Rejuvenation
Upon reaching 6th level, your healing spells become more potent. When you use a druid spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.
A given creature can only benefit from this additional healing once per spell, even if it provides healing multiple times.
Refreshing Dreams
There are some injuries that only time can repair, the mind sleeping while the body does its work. You have learned to flit inside during this vulnerable time, mending and hastening the process... as well as a few other tricks.
When you reach 10th level, nearby creatures regain additional hit dice equal to your Wisdom modifier when they finish a long rest, and recovers from exhaustion as though they were in a Good-quality environment. You must remain near - within 30 feet - of the targets for at least four hours of their rest for them to benefit from this ability.
In addition, whenever you finish a short rest, you can cast one of the following spells without expending a spell slot or requiring material components: dream (with you as the messenger), scrying (the target must be asleep, but suffers a -10 penalty to the saving throw as though you possessed a part of their body), or teleportation circle.
This use of teleportation circle is special. Rather than opening a portal to a permanent teleportation circle, it allows you - and only you - to travel to someone you know who is asleep. They become aware of your intention and can make a Wisdom saving throw, with advantage, against your spell save DC to prevent you from opening the portal.
In the case of scrying and teleportation circle, if the target is not sleeping when you cast the spell, the spell fails, but is not wasted.
Healing Flow
Beginning at 14th level, any creature that is healed by one of your druid spells regains hit points equal to the spell's level at the start of each of their turns for a number of turns equal to your Wisdom modifier. A creature can only benefit from the flow of one spell at a time.
If a spell provides healing multiple times (such as healing spirit or regrowth), it only triggers your healing flow the first time it heals any given creature.
Archdruid of Life
When you reach 20th level, you can turn yourself into a spring of lifegiving energy, reviving and refreshing all around you. As an action, you can cast revivify on any number of creatures within 30 feet of you without expending a spell slot or requiring material components.
In addition, for the next minute, you can spend a bonus action to cause any number of creatures within 60 feet of you to regain 2d6 hit points. This ability also triggers your healing flow.
Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until after you finish a long rest.