Circle of Spirits

Death is an inevitable part of nature. Druids within the Circle of Spirits take it upon themselves to serve as guides for lost souls as they make their journey into the next life. These druids have a deeper appreciation for those who have passed, and can even seem aloof or disconnected with the world. Some even believe that the strongest of these druids blur the lines between the moral and ethereal.

Circle Spells

2nd-level Circle of Spirits feature

You have developed a deep connection to the natural process of passage into the afterlife. Your bond with the dead grants you access to some spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Circle of Spirits Spells table.

Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells 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.

Circle of Spirits Spells

Druid Level	Spells
2nd	bane, dissonant whispers
3rd	spiritual weapon, darkness
5th	animate dead, speak with dead
7th	phantasmal killer, shadow of moil
9th	legend lore, raise dead

Spirit Pyre

At 2nd level as a Circle of Spirits druid, you are able to create a pyre as a vessel of passage for the spirits you guide. The spirits channelled through this pyre will fly out to defend you and your allies.

As an action, you may your place your Spirit Pyre in an unoccupied space on the ground you can see within 20 feet of you. Once placed, the Pyre occupies its space, lasts for 10 minutes, and cannot be moved. The Spirit Pyre sheds dim light in a 10 foot radius. At the start of your turn, ethereal wisps will fly out of the Pyre and attack any target or targets of your choice within 30 feet of the Pyre.

The Pyre creates one wisp by default, and creates more as you level up; Two wisps at 6th level, three at 10th, four at 14th, and finally five at 18th level. Each wisp deals 1d4+1 force damage and hits automatically unless the target is protected by the shield spell. 

You may only have one pyre active at a time. You may use this feature once per long rest. You may also consume a charge of your Wildshape to regain a use of this feature.

Ghost Walk

At 3rd level, your time around spirits has allowed you to, if only briefly, become ethereal yourself. As a bonus action, you can consume a charge of your Wildshape to become ethereal for 1 hour, or until you dismiss the form.

While in the form, you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.

Guiding Light

At 6th level, you and your Pyre serve as a guiding light through the afterlife. Wandering souls flock to it, drawn in by its comforting flames. Whenever you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, the Pyre releases a pulse of spiritual energy, healing your companions. Allied creatures within 15 feet of the Pyre restore 1d4 hit points per level of the spell cast.

Ethereal Ward

At 10th level, the souls you escort to the next life make a point to protect their guide as they make their journey. Whenever you or an allied creature ends their turn within 15 feet of your Spirt Pyre, you and/or that creature gain temporary hit points equal to your Druid level.

Ethereal Gateway

At 14th level, your Spirit Pyre is a complete gateway between realms, and when one mortal coil ends, a wandering soul may take their place. 

Whenever a creature dies within 30 feet of your Spirit Pyre, you may summon a Will-o'-Wisp where that creature died. Each Wisp is friendly to you and your allies, and acts immediately after you in initiative.

A Wisp attacks the closest hostile creature to it unless you spend a bonus action on your turn to command it to attack elsewhere. You may have a number of Wisps active at any time equal to your Proficiency bonus. If you would summon a new Will-o'-Wisp beyond this amount, the oldest one dissipates back to the Ethereal realm.