Circle of the Verdant
Druids of the Verdant Circle are most at peace among the green wilds, tending to wildflower blooms, sacred groves, vine-bound rainforests and even seagrass plains dancing on the ocean floor. These druids fight fiercely to defend this life upon which all other life depends, and are protected and nurtured in return.
Grove Protector
Upon joining the Circle of the Verdant at 2nd level, you gain the ability to charge seeds or spores with sentience and purposeful life, growing an awakened plant friend that joins you on your adventures and defends you and your friends. You can spend 8 hours tending to a seed, bud or spore, rooting it in sacred soil, feeding it with enchanted waters, or bathing it in blessed light. At the end of the 8 hours, your friend sprouts to full size, in a size from small to large (your choice).
Choose an friend from among the following types: living tree, blood rose, vine creeper, or myconid, each with unique statistics. See this creature's game statistics below. You may also choose up to two variant features for your friend, listed below, and an additional variant feature each at 11th and 17th level.
Your plant friend obeys your commands (no action required by you) and takes its turn on your initiative. Your plant friend can also be commanded to meld with you or another friendly creature, as though mounted, its bark, roots or vines meshing seamlessly with flesh, clothing and armor. While in this combined form, the plant friend can use its reaction to intercept up to half of the damage intended for its symbiote.
If your friend’s body is destroyed, it leaves behind a seed, bud or spore and regrows with 1 hit point over 1 hour. You can choose a different plant form for your friend, transferring its consciousness with ease. As an action, you can accelerate this process of regrowth, using one use of your Wild Shape to instantly revive your friend with 1 hit point.
Verdant Form
Your familiarity with verdant life grants you the ability to take on their forms and attune to them through magic. At 2nd level, plants are considered beasts for the purpose of all of your druid spells and features. Moreover, as an action, you can expend one use of your Wild Shape to surge your plant friend with life, restoring a number of hit points up to an amount equal to 3 x your druid level, divided between your plant and its symbiote as you choose. As part of the same action, you may shift the form of your plant friend to another type you can grow, this new form lasting for as long as your own Wild Shapes.
Lifebloom
When you reach 6th level, you gain the ability to effortlessly call nature’s splendor around you. As a bonus action, you can activate or quiet your verdant power. Wherever you go, plants sprout and bloom, and little creatures friendly to you emerge to follow.
When you move, greenery traces your steps, remaining until the beginning of your next turn. In addition, you emanate a perpetual aura of blooming life around you in a 15-foot radius.
While you remain still, this aura grows by 5 additional feet per turn, up to a maximum of 120 feet, retracting when you move once more.
Whenever you cast a druid spell, the aura also erupts under any creatures, objects or areas you target, lasting until the end of your next turn. Choose from one of the following effects for your lifebloom aura whenever you finish a long rest:
Cradle of Life. The life within your aura teems with vitality, sprouting berries and edible flowers, and overflowing with honey and sweet saps. It grows enough food to nourish one medium sized creature each day, and purifies enough water for two to drink. In addition, any creature of your choice that stands in your aura receives additional healing equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) whenever they regain hit points in any way.
Whispering Wilds. Any tangible creatures in your aura are revealed as the overgrown foliage and the bounty of creatures within alert all to their presence. In addition, when a creature enters or leaves your aura for the first time on a turn, they must expend 5 additional feet of movement and take slashing, piercing or poison damage (your choice) equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). You can exlucde creatures of your choice from one or more of these effects.
Greensong
By 10th level, your magical attunement to nature resonates within your plant friend. Your plant can use its action to cast a druid spell you know of 1st level, using your druid spell slots. This maximum spell level increases to 2nd at 13th level, and 3rd at 17th.
Eruption of Life
By 14th level, you can generate an explosion of life energy at a point you can see within your lifebloom aura, summoning a plant creature of your choice of a challenge rating equal to half your druid level (rounded up). All hostile creatures within your aura must make a Constitution saving throw or take piercing, slashing or poison damage (your choice) equal to 3d10 + your druid level on a failed saving throw, and half as much damage on a success. The plant obeys your telepathic commands (no action required), and recedes into its surroundings after 1 minute. You regain the use of this ability after a long rest.
Plant Friend Forms
Choose one of the following forms for your plant friend:
Blood Rose. +5 Speed, -2 Str, +6 Dex, -2 Wis, -2 Int, + 6 Cha. Resistance to necrotic damage.
Living Tree. +2 AC, +5 hit points, +4 Str, +4 Con, -2 Dex, -4 Cha. Vulnerability to fire, resistance to bludgeoning and piercing.
Vine Creeper. -15 Speed, +6 Str, +6 Con, -6 Int, -6 Cha. Resistance to cold damage.
Myconid. -2 Dex, +4 Con, -2 Int, +4 Wis. Darkvision 120 ft., resistance to poison damage.
Art Credit:
Forest Druid, by Keikai Kotaki
Design:
EmpyrealWorlds
Plant Friend
Small to large plant, your alignment
- Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 10 + four times your druid level
- Speed 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10(+0) 10(+0) 10(+0) 10(+0) 10(+0) 10(+0)
- Senses passive Perception 10 + Wisdom modifier
- Languages understands the languages you speak
- Proficiency Bonus: equals your bonus
False Appearance While the plant remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal plant.
Actions
Constrict (Creeper) Melee Weapon Attack: +3 + PB to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: target takes (1d6 + 3 + PB) bludgeoning damage, and is grappled (escape DC 8 + 3 + PB). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and takes (1d6 + PB) poison damage at the start of each of its turns. The vine can constrict only one target at a time.
Thorn Spike. (Rose): Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 + PB to hit, reach 30/90 ft., one target. (1d6 + 3 + PB) piercing damage.
Slam (Tree) action: Melee Weapon Attack: +2 + PB to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d8 + 2 + PB) bludgeoning damage.
Fist (Myconid): Melee Weapon Attack: +PB to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (2d4 + PB) bludgeoning plus (2d4 + PB) poison damage.
Plant Friend Variants
Choose two from the following options, and one additional option each at 11th and 17th level:
Amorphous. (Rose and Creeper) The plant can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Barbed. Whenever a creature strikes the plant or its symbiote, it takes PB slashing, piercing or poison damage.
Reclamation. As an action, the plant can siphon nutrients from dead creature, gaining hit points equal to a roll of the creature's hit dice. It can only gain hit points this way once per creature.
Efflorescence. While it has 1 or more hit points, the plant regains PB hit points at the beginning of each of its turns.
Resilient. (Tree and Myconid) The plant gains a +2 bonus to AC.
Tenacious. The plant has advantage on attacks against creatures it has grappled, and on checks to stay mounted.
Toxin (Recharge 5-6). As an action, the plant launches toxins in a 5 * PB-foot-radius area within 60 feet and line of sight. Targeted creatures must make Dexterity saving throws against your spell save DC, taking (2d6 + PB) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The plant and creatures that have been its symbiote are immune.