Circle of the Elements

[This Circle was intended to have a primarily caster druid be more viable without multiclassing and be more focused on Elemental based spells, with all elements, based on PHB Druid, Preserve the Balance.]
{DM & General Note:  This Circle is mostly a specific flavor version of Circle of the Land, however feel free to balance more towards your personal wishes as you like, or check out my other more balanced version.   This circle is not balanced at all for multiclass into this circle, so please have your players specifically choose Druid and this subclass. Also use the level requirements in the text, the builder's format is not conducive to creation.}
[All spells used are from Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Kibbles' Generic Spells from GM Binder and D&D Unleashed Compendium: The Elements and Beyond}

Preserve the Balance
For druids, nature exists in a precarious balance. The four elements that make up a world-air, earth, fire, and water-must remain in equilibrium. If one element were to gain power over the others, the world could be destroyed, drawn into one of the elemental planes and broken apart into its component elements. Thus, druids oppose cults of Elemental Evil and others who promote one element to the exclusion of others.
Druids are also concerned with the delicate ecological balance that sustains plant and animal life, and the need for civilized folk to live in harmony with nature, not in opposition to it. (PHB, Druid class)
The Circle of the Elements is made up of Guardians and Protectors that harness and utilize the very essence of Nature's ability to heal, create, and destroy. This Circle is dedicated to the study of, and communion with the Elemental forces of Nature.  

Elemental Study and Commune with the Elements

Elemental Study

   You gain proficiency with any ability checks related to information about, and the handling of Elementals, Animentals, and elemental-related fey, like dryads or kelpies. (examples: An Air Genasi tests your knowledge of species in the Elemental Plain of Air, you suddenly find yourself trying to care for a Fire Bear cub, somehow you ended up on the back of a Kelpie and are trying to keep it from drowning you.)

Commune with the Elements

  You learn to read, write, and speak Primordial if you don't already know it, as well as being able to understand and speak different Primordial dialects: Aquan, Auran, Ignan, and Terran.

  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. (Ex: 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.)

 

Elemental Cantrip and Circle Spells

 Elemental Cantrip

  When you choose this circle, you learn one additional cantrip of the elemental variety from the following list:

Acid Splash
Chill Touch
Control Flames
Create Bonfire
Earth Stomp (D&DU)
Fire Bolt
Frostbite
Gust
Guard (D&DU)
Infestation
Lightning Lure (TCoE)
Magic Orb (D&DU)
Mold Earth
Poison Spray
Produce Flame
Razor Leaf (D&DU)
Ray of Frost
Shape Water
Shocking Grasp
Tend Plants (D&DU)
Thaumaturgy
Thunderclap
Water Spout (D&DU)
Weathering (D&DU)
This chosen cantrip is treated as a Druid cantrip for you, uses Wisdom as your spellcasting ability, and does not count against the number of cantrips you get from your class.

Elemental Circle Spells

Your mystical connection to the Elemental Forces of Nature infuses you with the ability to cast and recall at will, at specified levels, you gain access to certain spells pertaining to the Elements, referred to as Circle spells. Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells that you can prepare each day.
If you gain access to a spell that doesn't appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.

Druid Level | Spells
1st | Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Absorb Elements
3rd | Healing Spirit(XGtE), Lesser Restoration, Earthbind
5th | Protection from Energy, Elemental Weapon
7th | Conjure Minor Elemental, Summon Elemental(TCoE), Elemental Bane(XGtE)
9th | Conjure Elemental, Wrath of Nature (XGtE)

Additionally, at 11th level Primordial Ward(XGtE) becomes a circle spell, 13th level Prismatic Spray(Wizard) become circle spells.
At 15th level, Shapechange becomes a circle spell, and for the purposes of this circle you must choose Air Elemental, Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, Water Elemental. See the individual monster card & spell card for more information. The rest of the spell remains unchanged.

Animental Wild Shapes

Starting at 2nd level, when you choose your wild shape form, roll a 1d8 for an element to represent, from below:
1. Air (force)
2. Earth (bludgeoning)
3. Fire
4. Water (piercing)
5. Ice
6. Magma (fire)
7. Ooze (acid)
8. Lightning
*When making melee attacks in this form you now do 1d6 of the type of elemental damage selected. This damage increases to: 2d6 (5th level), 3d6 (11th level), 4d6 (17th level)
*You get 1 additional use of Wild shape feature before a rest.
At 8th level, when you would roll 1d8 for your element to represent, you roll two d8s instead and choose which result to use. If both dice roll the same result, you choose the element from the table.
At 12th level you choose the element from the table.

Animental Companion (Optional Druid feature - 'Wild Companion', reflavored)

{DM Note: Optional Druid feature - reflavored for this circle.   Don't use if you don't like familiars or if you find this too OP for your particular campaign.}

Option A: 

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to summon an Animental, (elemental animal spirit): as an action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to cast the 1st-level conjuration ritual, Find Familiar spell, without material components.
The Animental takes the form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog/toad, hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel.
Also, Roll 1d4 or choose: air(wind or lightning) earth(rock) fire(flames) or water(or ice) for your element.
When you cast the spell in this way, the familiar disappears after a number of hours equal to half your druid level.

Option B: 

You must cast the Find Familiar spell as a ritual, you will not use material components, and the spell is treated as a Circle spell, always prepared and does not count against the number of spells you can have prepared.
You may choose the type of beast up to CR rating 1. However the max size is Medium. (You may use a "miniature" version for anything Large or 'Giant'.)
Also, Roll 1d4 or choose: air(wind or lightning) earth(rock) fire(flames) or water(or ice) for your element.
With this option, the familiar stays with you until it is dismissed, or drops to 0 hit points.

Both Options:

Your Animental familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal.
When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.
While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.
You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature.
Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.

 

Elemental Protection

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to call the Elements to protect from harm. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Elemental Protection spell again.  This spell wards a willing creature within 30 ft. of you, and creates a mystic connection between you and the target until the spell ends. While the target is within 60 feet of you, it gains a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws, and it has immunity to all elemental damage (acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage).  The spell ends if you drop to 0 hit points or if you and the target become separated by more than 60 feet. It also ends if the spell is cast again on either of the connected creatures. You can also dismiss the spell as an action.

Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Elemental Protection twice between rests, and beginning at 18th level, you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses.

Elementals Ward

You are able to adapt to the hostile effects of nearly any wild place.  Beginning at 10th level, when you finish a short or long rest, choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.  You gain resistance to that type of damage until the end of your next short or long rest.   You are immune to poison and disease.

When you reach 10th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened by elementals, animentals, or elemental-related fey.   

Elemental Sanctuary

When you reach 14th level, elemental creatures sense your connection to the elements and become hesitant to attack you. When an animental, elemental, or elemental fey creature/humanoid attacks you,  that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your druid spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a different target, or the attack automatically misses. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours.

If the creature(s) have a Wisdom of 4 or higher they are aware of this effect before they make their attack against you.